History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E26TearsOfTheProphets

'''Dukat:''' On the contrary. I'm a new man. I no longer have a need for conquest or power. [[EvilerThanThou I'm far beyond all that]]. I exist in a state of complete clarity, a clarity I intend to [[OmnicidalManiac share with the universe]].\\

'''Dukat:''' On the contrary. I'm a new man. I no longer have a need for conquest or power. [[EvillerThanThou I'm far beyond all that]]. I exist in a state of complete clarity, a clarity I intend to [[OmnicidalManiac share with the universe]].\\

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Weyoun gives one to Dukat, who doesn't seem to care.

'''Dukat:''' On the contrary. I'm a new man. I no longer have a need for conquest or power. I'm far beyond all that. I exist in a state of complete clarity, a clarity I intend to share with the universe.\\

[[caption-width-right:350:Warning, side effects of Pah-Wraith possession include bright red eyes, severe heartburn and killing departing characters.]]

Dukat has discovered that the wormhole is the domain of the Bajoran prophets and plans to ally with the pah-wraiths to attack the Bajorans' gods. He breaks a Bajoran artifact and is possessed by a pah-wraith. In the midst of the battle, he teleports to Deep Space Nine and makes his way to the Orb of Contemplation. Dax, who has just received good news about the possibility of a pregnancy, is praying at the orb to give thanks to the prophets. The pah wraith in Dukat shoots her with a red energy beam, knocking her unconscious, and transfers itself into the orb, turning it black. The wormhole instantly seals shut.

* ApologeticAttacker: Dukat after the Pah-Wraith possessing him mortally wounds Jadzia.

* ChekhovsGun: Odo points out the Orb of Contemplation in an early scene when trying to change the subject. It gets attacked by the pah-wraith in the end.

* DownerEnding: Sisko doesn't heed the warning of the Prophets and Jadzia is killed by the Pah-Wraith possessed Dukat, and the wormhole is sealed shut, cutting Sisko off from the Prophets. Even the Federation's major victory doesn't nudge the episode into bittersweet territory due to Dukat's confident assurance that the Federation is worse off than when they started. A distraught Sisko departs Deep Space Nine, heading back to Earth to return to his father's restaurant, and doesn't leave his baseball behind on the station to indicate he will return.

--> '''Weyoun:''' Pah-Wraiths and Prophets...all this talk of gods strikes me as nothing more than superstitious nonsense.\\

* KilledOffForReal: Fan-favorite Jadzia Dax is murdered in cold blood by a Pah-Wraith-infested Dukat.
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Sisko nearly collapses when the Pah-Wraith invades the wormhole.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: When Dukat is possessed by the Pah Wraith, his eyes turn red.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Kira saying a prayer for the success of Dax and Worf's fertility treatments leads to Dax being in the temple of the Prophets to thank them when Dukat, possessed by a Pah-Wraith, appears, resulting in Jadzia's death.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Dukat gets a second voice layered over his normal one when initially possessed by the Pah-Wraith.

The [[FictionalHoliday Gratitude Festival]] is in full swing in spite of the ongoing war, and spirits are high. With the Romulans as allies, the Federation is looking to take a more aggressive posture, with Sisko as the lead strategist. Admiral Ross, Sisko and Martok discuss the importance of getting the Romulans to commit. The Romulans are cautious but eventually bow to the pressure from both their allies to plan an invasion of the weakly defended Chin'toka system. Little do they realize that Damar is planning to bring some new [[KillSat automated weapons platforms]] online to defend the planet. In addition, the outcast Gul Dukat arrives to claim that he's figured out how to win the war and needs only an old Bajoran artifact to accomplish it.

* DaChief: Admiral Ross gives Sisko quite the dressing down for being indecisive following the Prophet's warnings. It's not cruel and Ross notes [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure he's bent over backwards for Sisko before regarding his status as Emissary]], but that's at an end. He forces Ben to choose: is he the Emissary of the Prophets or a Starfleet captain? Sisko chooses his captaincy...and pays the price.

Sisko senses the disturbance and goes faint, leaving Kira to take command of the assault. The allies trick the weapons platform to [[UnfriendlyFire fire on their own power source]], [[KeystoneArmy knocking them out of commission]] and winning the battle. Weyoun is furious that the battle is lost and that the wormhole is closed to future Dominion reinforcements, but Dukat assures him that banishing the Prophets has benefited the Dominion.

* KilledOffForReal: Fan favorite Jadzia Dax, murdered in cold blood by a Pah-Wraith-infested Dukat.
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Sisko when the Pah-Wraith invades the wormhole.

* ApologeticAttacker: Dukat after he mortally wounds Jadzia.

* DownerEnding: Jadzia is killed by the Pah-Wraith possessed Dukat, and the wormhole is sealed shut. Even the Federation's major victory doesn't nudge the episode into bittersweet territory due to Dukat's confident assurance that the Federation is worse off than when they started. Sisko departs Deep Space Nine, departing to Earth to return to his father's restaurant, and doesn't leave his baseball behind on the station to indicate he will return.