Now that is how you conclude a season! DS9 spent its first two seasons getting us used to the characters and the setting but now everything has changed. Instead of being a sleepy outpost near a valuable trade route they are on the front lines of what could easily turn into a galactic war. I believe this is also the first episode that heavily featured Sisko and Quark together. Honestly Quark makes some good points too about how despite their reputation the Ferengi may be morally superior to humanity. Of course they are also the opposite of what Gene envisioned for the future of humanity but not in an evil way.
The episode opens with Ben interrupting Jake's work on a science project. He has something more ambitious in mind, a planetary survey in the gamma quadrant. In ops Sisko is getting things ready for him to be gone for a few days when Jake shows up, he has invited Nog on the trip. It turns out Nog is in danger of failing out of school and could really use a project like this to get his grades up. Ben is clearly bummed out, he was hoping to spend some quality time with his son, but he can tell how much this matters to Jake so he agrees. Quark meanwhile is trying to convince Odo the let him advertise on the monitors throughout the station. Nog shows up to tell Quark he will need a few days off from work at the bar. Quark learns why and gets excited.
In the runabout Ben and Jake are getting things ready when Nog shows up, along with Quark. Ben is especially not excited about this, but again agrees to let him come along. They arrive in the gamma quadrant on a pristine world. Ben and Jake are having a great time walking through the forest but Quark can't stop complaining and talking about how much he would like to cut down the trees and mine the planets resources. They set up camp for the night and Ben makes jambalaya which Nog seems to be enjoying, but Quark can only complain about too many bugs. Things get worse when Quark accidentally catches his sleeve on fire. He admits he is really tired of being talked down to by Sisko. Then without warning a woman rushes out of the forest and knocks Ben down with a telekinetic blast. He isn't injured and she tells them they need to flee the Jem'Hadar. They don't have to wait long to see who that is as alien lizard men literally appear all around them using some sort of personal cloaking devices. The three are put in a holding cell with a telekinetic suppressor on the woman.
Jake and Nog find the Jem'Hadar and realize they can't fight back so they get back to the runabout and start working on getting back to the wormhole. Back on the station a Jem'Hadar ship comes through the wormhole and beams a soldier into ops. He tells them they are from the Dominion who considers all traffic through the wormhole illegal. He also claims to have destroyed many ships, and the colony of New Bajor. Starfleet sends the USS Odyssey, a galaxy class ship, the help retrieve Sisko. Kira and Dax both take runabouts to help with the rescue mission. Back on the planet Quark manages to pick the lock on the telekinetic suppression collar and the woman knocks out the security field. Jake and Nog encounter the Odyssey and runabouts, O'Brien beams to their runabout and they head to the planet to rescue Ben and Quark while the Odyssey and runabouts battle the Jem'Hadar. Their shields are totally ineffective and they take serious damage. O'Brien rescues Quark and Sisko along with the woman and they retreat. But before they can get out a Jem'Hadar ship rams itself into the Odyssey totally destroying both ships. Back on the station Quark realizes the collar was actually just a lock so Sisko confronts the woman. She admits she was a spy before beaming to somewhere.
Review: A solid episode with lots of plot in addition to lots of character development. It is starting to make sense why Nog would eventually join starfleet. Can't wait to see next season!
7 out of 10
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