Second Sight (DS9 episode)

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"Second Sight" is the ninth episode of the second season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Original airdate: November 21, 1993. Teleplay by Mark Gehred-O'Connell and Ira Steven Behr & Robert Hewitt Wolfe; story by Mark Gehred-O'Connell. Directed by Alexander Singer.

Quick Overview: Sisko develops feelings for a woman visiting the station, but there is more to her than he first thinks.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Fenna

"Second Sight" consists of two main story lines that converge at the end of the episode. The first involves the arrival of the USS Prometheus and Professor Seyetik's effort to re-ignite a star. The second involves Sisko's falling in love with Fenna, a visitor to Deep Space Nine.

Seyetik, "one of the Federation's greatest minds", has the responsibility of re-igniting a dying star to make it suitable for supporting life on an orbiting planet. He has arrived at Deep Space Nine to prepare for his mission. Meanwhile, O'Brien and Dax assist him. (O'Brien is preparing the Prometheus, the starship Seyetik will use, for travel at Warp 9.6—in case of emergency during the mission, the Prometheus would need to escape quickly.)

In the other story line, Sisko meets Fenna while he's standing on the floor above the Promenade staring at stars out a window. Fenna approaches him from behind and starts a conversation. After several moments, Sisko finds she has left him without a word. The two meet again in subsequent scenes during which they fall in love. Dax is apparently aware of their relationship; she comments to Sisko about it.

Seyetik invites Sisko, Kira, Dax, and a couple of other high-ranking personnel for dinner on board the Prometheus. During this scene, Seyetik introduces his wife, Nidell. To the audience, this introduction is dramatic because Nidell appears to be exactly the same person as Fenna. The next shot shows Sisko and Dax reacting to this surprising revelation.

After dinner, Sisko privately converses with Nidell, believing her to be the same person as Fenna. Sisko asks her such questions as why she didn't tell him earlier that she is married. Nidell, however, acts as if she'd never met him before. Indeed, she hadn't. The reason Nidell appears identical to Fenna is because Fenna is actually a pyschoprojection created by Nidell. Sisko doesn't learn this until much later, however, which causes him great confusion.

Later, on board the Prometheus, Fenna appears to Sisko again. Immediately, he calls Dax to his location so that she may help investigate the nature of her mysterious being. This unusual response to her presence, of course, alarms Fenna. When Dax arrives, she determines that Fenna is nothing more than pure energy.

Meanwhile, Nidell is unconscious and dying. Seyetik recognizes Fenna, and explains to Sisko her psychoprojective nature as a result of Nidell's mind.

Later, Dax calls Sisko to the command bridge, and informs him that Seyetik is in a shuttlepod on a course directly into the star. Sisko tries unsuccessfully to prevent him from, and persuade him against, his present course of action. Seyetik continues, and as he approaches the surface of the sun, he shouts, "Let there be light!" The sun then re-ignites in an orange blaze.