Best of Star Trek: DS9---Past Prologue

"Past Prologue" is the 3rd episode of the 1st season. It was written by Katharyn Powers.

SUMMATION

A vessel is under attack by Cardassians. The DS9 crew rescues the occupant and we learn he's a renegade from a group known as the Kohn Ma. He's a Bojoran called Tahna and the Cardassians accuse him of committing high crimes on their homesoil and seek his return to stand justice.

We also learn "justice" according to the Cardassians isn't something one would wish on their worst enemy. We get a glimpse of this in TNG in the episode "Chain of Command" where Captain Picard is tortured by a Cardassian prison guard. Tahna requests asylum and Commander Sisko grants it for the time being.

The station also has two less than distinguished guests--the Duras sisters. They show up to the station to seek out Tahna who owes them payment for a transaction.

Meanwhile, Tahna informs Major Kira that he intends to take a ship into space rather than stay for amnesty hearings Kira had arranged for him. And Dr. Bashir overhears the deal between Tahna and and the Duras sisters brokered in the tailor shop of Cardassian Garak, who had insisted Bashir be present to hear it. The deal was the selling of a volatile substance bilitrium to be used in an explosive.

Kira must choose sides---should she remain loyal to her post as security of DS9 under the jurisdiction of the Federation, or help Tahna. She decides to reveal Tahna's plans to Sisko.

Kira boards the ship with Tahna and thwarts his plans by getting the ship off course and fighting with Tahna and beams the destructive device into space. Sisko gives Tahna the option---either come back to Federation space and receive justice there, or allow the Cardassians to take him into custody. Tahna chooses the former option.

This episode offeres suspense and intrigue. There's a great scene where Tahna meets in secret with the Duras sisters in a cargo area followed by a rat. After the meeting, the "rat" changes (back) into the form of the "Constable" Odo.

It was rather nice seeing the creepy Duras sisters again. They always manage to add a little spice to any episode. And we also meet the charming Garak for the first time.

We also learn a bit more about Major Kira, a woman who has seen suffering and hardship under Cardassian infiltration which gives her character more dimension. She wants the best for Bajor but is tired of the violence, preferring the more peaceful solutions offered by the Federation. She is called a "traitor" by Tahna, a man she once called a friend and ally. She maintains her composure.

The Best of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 "Emissary"

"Emissary" was the first episode and a two-parter of Star Trek: Deep Space 9.  It was written by Michael Piller and Rick Berman.

SUMMATION

It begins after the Federation takes control of a deep space outpost formerly occupied by the Cardassians, who have been in conflict with the Bajorans. The space station is still recovering from the looting the Cardassians did to it upon their leaving. The space station is hovering above the planet of Bajor and the Federation is working on forming a treaty and relations with them.

Commander Benjamin Sisko takes command of the station, reluctantly. He still harbors resentment of Captain Picard because of the battle involving Picard, who had been assimilated into the Borg collective and was waging war on the federation. Sisko's wife Jennifer had been killed during the conflict.

The second half of the episode deals with the Bajoran religion and their regaining possession of 8 orbs that they claim were stolen by the Cardassians. These orbs are believed to be gifts from their prophets. While investigating the location of a sacred temple, Sisko and newly arrived old friend of Sisko, a species known as a Trill named Dax, inadvertently discover a wormhole and enter. They meet aliens who live there and try to understand this corporal species known as human. Dax is sent back to the space station while Sisko is trapped in the wormhole and probed by the aliens.

There is a back and forth between this part of the show and the conflict the space station is having with Cardassians who accuse them of destroying their leader Gul Dukat's ship . Major Kira, a Bajoran, tries to tell them about the wormhole, of which they already know about, but pretend at first not to believe them. Kira, with the help of Chief O'Brien, figures out a way to send the station on a mission to investigate Sisko's disappearance in the wormhole and fool the Cardassians into believing they have weapons capability.

The aliens, convinced by now that the corporal species is not a threat, sends Sisko, along with Dukat's ship,
back into Federation space. During the time in the wormhole, Sisko has come to terms with his wife's death and tells Captain Picard he is ready to accept his assignment at DS9.

It had been years since I saw this episode for the first time and I look forward to watching the remaining episodes. This series includes three of my favorite Star Trek characters---Odo (the station security chief played by Rene Auberjonois), Dr. Bashir (the stations chief medical officer played by Siddig El Fadil AKA Alexander Siddig), and Quark (Ferengi bar owner played by Armin Shimerman).

And kudos to the great performance of Avery Brooks as Commander Sisko, particularly when he realizes that he has not moved on in linear time as he told the aliens, but is actually still existing on the ship three years before when he "lost" his wife. This was the turning point he needed to begin again his path in life and take up the responsibility of raising his son and doing his duty as a Starfleet officer.