I really like the fake out at the beginning of the episode with Sisko entering his final Commanders log implying that maybe he is leaving. But of course he isn't, he has been promoted to captain which I have to say I can't understand why this didn't happen earlier. The rest of the episode is mostly a take on The Thing which I feel like was done before, but I can't find it right now. This episode even includes the classic blood draw scene which is probably the most memorable part of The Thing. The real reason this episode exists though is clearly to show just how serious about destabilizing the alpha quadrant the Dominion really is.
We begin with Sisko getting his promotion to captain and right after it is done he is pulled aside by a visiting ambassador. The neighboring Tzenkethi may be getting ready for war with the Federation and the Defiant is to head to the border to make sure things stay under control. Before they go the only side story in the episode is Dax asking Sisko about Kasidy and he admits to having been on three dates, but that she won't be back to the station for a month. Sisko tells O'Brien to get the Defiant ready for a fight and after he leaves Miles thinks her hears someone on the ship, but doesn't see anybody there when he looks. The ship departs but in jefferies tube O'Brien again hears something and calls out, eventually Bashir crawls up and says he is installing the power relays for a medical diagnostic device which seems a little odd to Miles.
As they get close to the border they get a distress call from a planet close to the Tzenkethi. Sisko tells Odo to notify Starfleet, but he finds communications are down. O'Brien goes to fix the problem and finds a series of moving tubes inside the panel that don't belong there along with a forcefield. The tubes are all over the ship and O'Brien assures Sisko they weren't there when they left the station which means the traitor is on the ship. They devise a tetryon scanner to detect who sabotaged the ship and when they scan the ambassador he melts into a Changeling and flees. They learn then that the ship is flying out of their control into Tzenkethi territory with weapons armed. They then start searching the ship in pairs to with modified phasers.
The Changeling kills a security officer and separates the main crew. They all head to sickbay to have blood drawn to see who is a traitor and it looks like Eddington is the Changeling, but as they take him to the brig a second Bashir bursts out and the other Bashir melts and flees. To prevent a war Sisko starts the autodestruct and O'Brien works in engineering to shut down the forcefields. Two Odo's show up but one reveals itself to be the fake Odo and struggles with Odo. To save the ship Odo throws him against the unshielded warp core fatally wounding the other Changeling. Before he dies he whispers to Odo that it is too late. The war has been stopped, but it is clear the Dominion isn't done.
Review: This is a really tense episode with some solid references to the classic The Thing. A good season finale that both resolves a few of the things I was wondering about while setting up an even broader conflict next season.
8 out of 10
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