A pretty straight forward episode that continues Sisko on his path to accepting his status as Emissary and that establishes direct communications with the gamma quadrant. It introduces direct prophesies to the story in a way they hadn't really been present before and makes Sisko decide if he should change course based on them or risk ruining everything by listening to them. Also I honestly don't get why they are so offended Quark is trying to welcome the Cardassians back to the station, don't they believe in the peace treaty? Shouldn't they want their new friends to feel welcome?
The episode opens with Sisko and Odo planning security arrangements for a pair of visiting Cardassian scientists. They have been working on a subspace relay to send signals through the wormhole. Quark tries to drop off some Cardassian booze to welcome them but gets kicked out by Sisko. Right after that Vedek Yarka shows up to warn Sisko that a prophesy has predicted that events are in place that will lead to the permanent closure of the wormhole. Specifically that three "vipers" and a "sword of the stars" will open and then burn the gates to the celestial temple and somehow the Emissary is tied in as well. Since there are only two Cardassians and he doesn't think he is the Emissary Sisko ignore the warning. Sisko also learns Yarka has been stripped of his titles for being a pain in the ass on Bajor but Kira isn't convinced and meets with him. After she and Sisko meet with the two Cardassians to come up with a plan and it is then that she learns that a third Cardassian is on the way.
The two scientists seem to be fitting in fine although one can't stop fighting with O'Brien who she clearly thinks is incompetent. Dax has no problem getting along though as she is apparently a fan of Cardassian literature. They get things ready though and head through the wormhole to deploy the relay. They find a comet near the entrance on the gamma quadrant with high levels of silithium and Kira gets worried this is the sword of the stars but Sisko tells her to not talk about it in front of the Cardassians. They turn the relay on but something goes wrong and the wormhole increase in gravity enough to start sucking the comet in before they can turn things off. The silithium in the comet will destroy the wormhole apparently so that is the new crisis. O'Brien comes up with a plan to modify the phasers to blast the whole thing at once and gets to work with the Cardassian he has been working with. She gets romantic and it turns of acting annoyed with one another is how Cardassians flirt so she is upset when she learns he is married.
Things seem to be going well until the time comes to blast the comet. The modifications don't work and the phasers array explodes. O'Brien starts blaming himself but the Cardassian he was working with reveals their colleague is a member of the Obsidian Order and sabotaged the system. They still have the problem of the comet though which is now in three pieces. Kira and Sisko fly a shuttle along with the comet fragments through the wormhole. It leaks a little silitium as it goes which is just enough to let the signal through. Sisko realizes they have fulfilled the prophesy only it was a good thing, not a bad thing. The episode ends with Vedek Yarka telling him that the next prophesy about the Emissary calls for a fiery trial...
Review: A very Trek episode with a science fiction plot mixed with Cardassian politics, religious prophesy and solid character development like only DS9 can accomplish. Not top ten of all time or anything, but a good episode.
7 out of 10
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