Sisko begins a quest, Worf’s colleagues try to discover what’s wrong with the Klingon, and a Romulan arrives on the station who will be trouble for Kira.
After Season Six's apocalyptic conclusion, it's back to a more quiet reflective mood for Deep Space Nine. But not too quiet, as there's far too much going on at the beginning of the series' final season.
With so many plotlines to deal with in this last year, this first part of the opening two-parter has to pick up the pieces after the apocalyptic Tears of the Prophets. And it does a great job setting the characters back on an even keel, starting their healing processes after the death of Jadzia. What is especially good is the way the characters pull together. The scene where O’Brien visits Worf with a bottle of blood wine to get some information out of him is particularly priceless.
But the best sections of the episode are those with the Sisko family. Those people cast in the roles have always come across as a very believable family, and the way they all band together to help Ben is suitably moving. The sequence when a Bajoran arrives to see Sisko is also very effective, as it is a complete surprise to the viewer, and a great ad-break cliffhanger.
Kira’s relationship with her Romulan colleague hints at things to come, and the episode is ended with the arrival of Ezri Dax. What’s so impressive here is that Nicole de Boer in a mere few seconds still conjures up images of the Dax we used to know, which immediately endears her to the viewer.
A great start to what will hopefully be a fantastic last season as DSN goes out in style.
****
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