Meanwhile, Sisko returns to DS9 with a new goatee and a new hobby: building a "light ship" (a ship with sails that are pushed by light pressure from a sun) based on ancient Bajoran designs. Bajoran legends say that they explored their region of space as far as Cardassia in these ships 800 years ago, though it seems physically impossible, since solar pressure can't push anything faster than light-speed. Sisko hopes to duplicate their voyage as far as possible. The Cardassians consider the whole thing to be Bajoran fairy tales, and Dukat contacts Sisko in an attempt to dissuade him for his own safety.
Even though Jake has plans to see his old girlfriend Leanne, he's guilted into coming along for the adventure. During the voyage, he uses the opportunity to show his father one of his stories and reveal his interest in becoming a writer. Sisko says that the story "shows promise," but it's too obvious that Jake is writing about things he has never experienced. Jake gets a little offended and reveals that he's been offered a fellowship at a university on Earth, but he isn't sure whether he's ready to go that far from home yet.
On the station, Bashir finds his rival, Elizabeth Lense, at Quark's, but he's too nervous to approach her. O'Brien encourages him, with the help of Quark, who has a bet going with Morn about his success. Finally Bashir starts to approach her, but she walks right by him without acknowledging that he exists. Bashir is stupefied.
The Siskos' ship gets damaged, but they press on. Jake says that he's thinking of deferring his admission to the university for a year, as he's not comfortable leaving his father all alone. He encourages Ben to start dating again to provide him some company while Jake is away and mentions that there is a freighter captain named Kasidy Yates with whom he wants to match Ben up.
Meanwhile, O'Brien helps Bashir drown his sorrows over his feelings of inadequacy. He admits that he has always felt a vague feeling of inadequacy about his failure to secure the top spot at school. As valedictorian, Lense had first choice of assignments, and even though Bashir nabbed his own dream assignment, he's not comfortable with the fact that Lense could have taken it from him if she'd wished.
The light ship suffers another calamity as they get caught in some sort of space wind that sweeps them away. In the commotion, their compass gets destroyed, so they have no idea where they are. They attempt to contact the station for help, but fail, so they're reduced to waiting around to get picked up by a random passerby. As they wait, Jake announces that he's committed to deferring his university. As his father noted, he needs more experiences to become a writer, and what better place to pick up new experiences than on the station?
Bashir finally builds up the nerve to force Lense to acknowledge him. When he introduces himself, she's shocked that he's Julian Bashir, as she's always been under the mistaken impression that her school rival was Andorrian. They laugh about the misunderstanding and get to know each other. Lense gracefully admits that her valedictorian status would have been his if not for that one blunder on his final. She's actually jealous of his exciting post on Deep Space Nine, since the highly sought-after post she took is actually pretty boring. As their conversation continues, Quark collects his winnings from Morn.
On the light ship, Jake and Sisko get hailed by three mysterious ships that suddenly approach. It turns out to be Dukat, welcoming them to Cardassian space. It seems the solar wind carried them past their destination and right into Cardassia, proving that the ancient Bajoran stories are possible. Dukat announces that his government has totally just now discovered the crash site of an ancient Bajoran vessel and gives his hearty congratulations to both Sisko and the Bajoran people. They celebrate with fireworks.
Tropes
- Always Someone Better: How Bashir views Dr. Lense. Even though DS9 was the assignment he wanted, getting it has always been overshadowed for him by the knowledge that she could have had it if she hadn't chosen the Lexington posting instead.She could have had this post. She could have taken it from me. No matter what I accomplish while I'm here, somehow that'll always make me feel second best.
- Artificial Gravity: Addressed in the episode. The original Bajoran solar sailers did not have artificial gravity. Sisko adds 24th century gravity plating in his replica though, as he said 0G gives him nausea (clearly a handwave to avoid the trouble and expense of shooting zero-G scenes). Everything else in the ship (including the bathroom and the rations) is designed for a 0G environment.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Leeta faking a cough as a come-on to Bashir.
- Blatant Lies: Dukat's claim that Cardassia just now discovered an old Bajoran crash site that gives credence to claims of Bajor beating Cardassia into space after denying them for years.
- Bottle Episode: Even director David Livingston referred to this episode as one.
- Breather Episode: One of the breeziest episodes in the series after a two-parter than involves torture and a massive starship battle. In this episode, the Siskos go solar sailing for fun, while Bashir builds up the courage to talk to an old classmate.
- Brick Joke: Quark and Morn have a bet about how far Bashir will get with Elizabeth Lense. Quark ends up winning.
- Building Is Welding: Used to book-end the Hard-Work Montage with Sisko putting on and taking off the welding mask.
- Continuity Nod:
- Jake mentions that Sisko hasn't been on a date for over a year. Is he talking about Fenna?
- In the pilot episode, Bashir got himself assigned to Deep Space Nine because it would be more exciting. Turns out he was right to do so.
- Jake mentions wanting to see Leanne, the girl he briefly dated in "Life Support."
- Bashir's final exam blunder gets mentioned again.
- Contrived Coincidence: A literal version — as Sisko and Jake enter the Cardassian system, Gul Dukat informs them that his arrival happens to have occurred just as Cardassian archeologists discovered evidence of an ancient Bajoran craft that crashed on Cardassia Prime. Sisko is rather amused by how implausible this is, and Dukat himself can barely keep a straight face.
- Conspicuous CG: The light ship's sails are very obvious CGI compared to the physical models of the station and other ships. It's still beautiful, though.
- Cool Starship: The light ship is incredibly beautiful (though too cramped for Jake's taste, and lacking the amenities of a Federation vessel).
- Dilating Door: There's a dilating hatchway on the light ship.
- Drunken Song: Bashir and O'Brien singing "Jerusalem" provides the page image.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In its first appearance, Sisko's goatee is noticeably thicker than it would appear in all other episodes.
- Experimental Archeology: Sisko's solar sail project.
- Faster Than Light: The solar sailer somehow achieves warp speed by running into a tachyon eddy.
- Fireworks of Victory: When Ben and Jake unexpectedly reach Cardassia, Gul Dukat is kind enough to have his fleet unleash fireworks in space in celebration of their accomplishment and proving an old Bajoran myth true (as well as the surprisingly convenient and coincidental discovery of the wreck of the Bajoran ship that made the original journey).
- Friendship Moment: Bashir and O'Brien get very drunk together and the following conversation ensues:O'Brien: Well, people either love you or hate you.Bashir: Really?O'Brien: I mean, I hated you when we first met.Bashir: I remember.O'Brien: And now...Bashir: And now?O'Brien: Well... now I don't.Bashir: (emotionally) That means a lot to me, Chief, it really does.O'Brien: Yeah! Now, that is from the heart. I really do... not hate you any more.
- Hard-Work Montage: When Sisko is building the light ship.
- I Choose to Stay: Jake gets accepted into a writing school back on Earth, but opts to defer for a while to stay with his dad and to experience new things.
- In the Original Klingon: According to O'Brien, the Romulans do this all the time, claiming all technology to have been invented by them first.
- Innocuously Important Episode: Jake mentions he's trying to set Ben up with a Kasidy Yates, who will make her first appearance in the next episode.
- Know When to Fold Them: When Sisko makes it to Cardassia, they make the best of the situation and play it as a symbol of Cardassian-Bajoran reconciliation.
- Lighter and Softer: A Breather Episode in the generally dark Deep Space Nine that's considered one of the most optimistic episodes in the Star Trek franchise
. - Malingering Romance Ploy: Leeta fakes an unconvincing illness in order to chat up Dr. Bashir at the bar. He is clearly happy to play right along.
- Manly Facial Hair: Sisko returns from Bajor sporting a goatee!
- Moment Killer: Jadzia genuinely seems to enjoy cockblocking Bashir.
- Not so Dire: After making some vaguely menacing threats before the expedition, Gul Dukat turns up with several warships... to give a fireworks display and the congratulations of the Cardassian government.
- Pet the Dog: Dukat seems sincere in his congratulations to Sisko and Bajor. He even throws them a little space party with fireworks.
- Recycled In Space: It's Kon Tiki... IN SPACE! With Sisko as Thor Heyerdahl.
- Rousseau Was Right: When the Cardassians find Sisko's solar sail vessel has reached Cardassia, rather than try to suppress it, they throw a party with space fireworks and announce that they've found an old crash site on Cardassia that also proves the story is true. (Albeit with the implication that they already knew about it and only "revealed" it because they had to.)
- Shame If Something Happened: Played with. Before Sisko sets sail, Dukat calls him up to try and talk him out of making such a dangerous, foolhardy expedition and says that an hour waiting for a runabout if he needed rescue could be a very long time to wait. Sisko sees through the ruse and calls him out on threatening him, forcing Dukat to backpedal. In the end Dukat does nothing to hurt Sisko, so his words were likely a combination of sincere concern and trying to talk Sisko out of the journey so the Cardassians can keep denying that it's plausible.
- Sigil Spam: The Bajoran logo is everywhere in the light ship, from the porthole frames to the wall braces.
- Silence Is Golden: In-Universe; since the light ship has no engines or warp core, it's dead quiet compared to a regular starship. Ben invites Jake to soak in the quiet for a bit once they're underway.
- Solar Sail: The basis for the ancient Bajoran ship. Turns out it can also catch tachyons to travel Faster Than Light.
- Space Is an Ocean: Solar sails are real, but still...
- Space Is Noisy / Explosions in Space: Both of these are common tropes in Star Trek, but this episode gets extra points for showing an actual fireworks display in space, which looks and sounds exactly like it would on a planet's surface.
- You Need to Get Laid: Sisko can't believe that he's getting this from Jake, of all people.
