Ezri introduces herself as the new Dax. She explains that she was never intended to host a symbiont, but Dax took a turn for the worst on the trip back to its homeworld, and Ezri was the only Trill aboard. She's still happy to see her (Dax's) old friends, so when she hears that they're about to leave for a journey to find the Orb of the Emissary, she volunteers to join. On the voyage to Tyree, however, Ezri proves to be a a neurotic Motor Mouth as she continues to acclimate to life as a host. When they reach the planet, Sisko thinks he hears someone calling for a Dr. Wykoff before they all beam down.
On the station, Worf, O'Brien and Bashir are all preparing to destroy the Dominion's Monac shipyard in honor of Jadzia so that her soul can go to Sto-vo-kor. Quark also insists on joining, since he loved Jadzia too. Meanwhile, tensions over the Romulan base on the Bajoran moon escalate. The Romulans won't disarm, and the Federation won't help the Bajorans forcibly disarm them, so Kira forms a blockade around the base with twelve impulse ships. Such a meager force wouldn't withstand a single Romulan warbird, so she hopes that the Romulans don't call her bluff. When fourteen Romulan warbirds approach the Bajoran moon base to deliver "medical supplies," Kira continues to bluff that she'll fire on any ship attempting to break the blockade.
On the Rotarran, Quark begins grousing that Worf isn't respecting his involvement. Worf angrily tells the whole crew that they are unworthy of Jadzia's love and should feel fortunate that he's allowed them to come. After getting set straight by Martok, however, Worf apologizes for his behavior. The crew prepares to fire an EM pulse into the nearby sun to blow up the shipyard. Once they get close enough, they de-cloak and try to fire, but nothing happens. Some Jem'Hadar move to attack as O'Brien does some rejiggering. They try again and succeed, destroying the shipyard. Worf dedicates the victory to Jadzia and sings a song ushering her into Sto-vo-kor.
On Tyree, the group wander around aimlessly for a while, and Sisko hears the voice calling for Dr. Wykoff again. Ezri gets frustrated by Sisko's distraction and chucks his baseball. Sisko suddenly decides that the location it landed is where the Orb is. They start digging and find the Orb. As Sisko is about to open it up, he hears the voice tell him to put it down. Suddenly we cut to Benny Russell, now in a padded cell and attended by Dr. Wykoff (a human version of Damar), who urges him to stop writing on the walls. We cut back and forth between Russell trying to finish his story and Ezri trying to stop Sisko from burying the Orb again. Hospital orderlies assault Russell, but he fights them off and manages to write that Sisko opens the Orb. Back in our universe, Sisko opens the Orb.
A prophet emerges from the Orb, travels to the wormhole, forces it open, and ejects the Pah-wraith that was holding it closed. Inspired by the wormhole reopening, Kira and the Bajorans stand their ground for real, and the Romulans back down.
Gazing into the orb, Sisko learns that the prophets inhabited his mother and orchestrated his birth so that he could become the Emissary, since it could be no one else. When the vision ends, Sisko and the rest pile back into the runabout and head to the station. Sisko is welcomed back by the Bajorans, while Ezri re-meets Dax's friends and tours the promenade in wonderment.
Tropes
- Bedlam House: Benny Russell is apparently trapped in a padded cell being administered to by a malevolent doctor and his orderly goons.
- Big "SHUT UP!": When Quark is trying to get a little gratitude from Worf in the form of him saying "two words" (which, of course, are "Thank you"):Worf: BE QUIET!
Quark: That's two words, all right. Just not the two I was hoping for. - Blue-and-Orange Morality: Showcased with the Prophets, who took over the body of an unwilling woman, forcing her to marry Joseph and ensure Sisko's birth.
- The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Discussed. After showcasing the fact that she's a nervous, motormouthed wreck, Ezri reveals that she's an assistant ship's counselor. Jake is surprised, and Ezri lampshades the trope.
- Continuity Nod:
- Sisko has another vision as Benny Russell. Only this one is a Pah-wraith attempt to keep him away from the Orb. Damar appears as his psychiatrist.
- Also Quark again refers to himself as "Quark, son of Keldar" while dealing with Klingons.
- Crusading Widower: How does Worf deal with Jadzia's death? By blowing up a Dominion shipyard.
- Cuckoo Nest: The 1950s Sci-Fi writer that Sisko played earlier in the series is now completely insane, writing his dreams of Deep Space 9 on the walls of his cell. It turns out to all be some strange ploy by the demonic Pah-wraiths to keep him from opening the wormhole where their arch-enemies, the Prophets, reside.
- Divine Intervention: Sisko learns his birth was due to the possession of his mother by a Prophet.
- Double Standard: Rape, Divine on Mortal: The Prophets apparently weren't too picky about consent when they mind-controlled Sisko's mom into marrying his dad, considering that she bolted the second her agency was returned to her.
- Due to the Dead: Everyone's surprised that even Quark is joining the mission in Jadzia's memory.
- The Final Temptation: The Pah-wraiths try to keep Sisko from opening the Orb of the Emissary by giving him a vision, once again placing him in the shoes of Benny Russell, who was placed in a psychiatric hospital after his mental breakdown and continued writing his "Deep Space 9" stories on the walls of his cell. Appearing as an orderly, the Pah-wraiths try to convince Sisko to abandon his efforts in the real world by letting him paint over his scrawling with the promise that it was for his own good. Sisko is tempted for a moment, but comes around with Ezri's help.
- Got Volunteered: Ezri never trained to join with a symbiote. But since she was the only Trill aboard, she needed to join with it immediately, getting a quick explanation from the USS Destiny's chief medical officer before surgery.
- I Am X, Son of Y: When Quark shows up for the mission, he declares himself "Quark, son of Keldar" (a Continuity Nod to "The House of Quark").
- Kill It with Fire: No bigger fire than a frigging sun to take out the Dominion shipyard.
- Messianic Archetype: The Sisko is apparently the son of god (i.e., of the Prophets).
- Motor Mouth: Ezri goes a mile-a-minute due to being new to the whole Joined thing.Ezri: (to Sisko) You're probably asking yourself, "Who is this person? How did she get the symbiont? Do I even want another Dax in my life? Does she always talk this much?" These are all very good questions and I wish I had good answers for you.
- Noodle Incident: Whatever happened in the Klingon mess hall, apparently involving gagh.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Worf apologizes for being a jerk. No one else can believe their ears.
- Palm Bloodletting: Once again, part of a Klingon ritual. Quark isn't too thrilled about it.
- Past-Life Memories: A recurring issue for Ezri — Torias's death makes her nervous about flying in a shuttle, and she reflexively orders raktajino (which she ends up hating) from the replicator because it was Curzon and Jadzia's favorite drink.
- Realpolitik: Admiral Ross shares Kira's outrage over the Romulans fortifying an installation in the Bajoran system, but since the Romulans are powerful allies against the Dominion, his hands are tied. He also warns Kira that her idea of an armed blockade could destroy the alliance.
- Room Full of Crazy: The walls of Benny Russell's room in the psych ward in Sisko's vision are covered with what we are led to believe is a novelization of every episode up to that point.
- Shout-Out: When Ezri first meets the Siskos, her erratic behavior and referencing past lives is much like the Doctor's behavior right after one of their regenerations on Doctor Who.
- Solar Flare Disaster: The crew of the Rotarran create one to wipe out a Dominion shipyard.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Doesn't get much bigger than a solar plasma ejection.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: We cut to the runabout just after they've finished cleaning up the results of Ezri's motion sickness.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Martok calls Worf out for being ungrateful to his friends who have joined the mission to honor Jadzia. Worf concedes that he's in the wrong, was jealous of how Jadzia was fond of Bashir and Quark, and makes an uncharacteristic apology.
