| "What You Leave Behind" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |||
The Federation Alliance fleet prepares for the final battle. |
|||
| Episode no. | Episode 175–176 | ||
| Directed by | Allan Kroeker | ||
| Written by | Ira Steven Behr Hans Beimler |
||
| Production code | 575–576 | ||
| Original air date | June 2, 1999 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
| Episode chronology | |||
|
|||
| List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes | |||
"What You Leave Behind" is the series finale of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and is the twenty-fifth episode of the seventh season. Much of the episode is set on Cardassia Prime, the home world of the Cardassians and the headquarters of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. Starfleet, along with the Klingons, Romulans, and rebel Cardassians join together to launch a final attack on the Dominion.
On Deep Space Nine, Bashir wakes up with Ezri, O'Brien talks with his family about leaving the station after the war, and Sisko comforts a pregnant, nauseated Kasidy. It is the morning of the day the crew will leave for the final push in the war. While heading for battle on the Defiant, Sisko receives a vision of his prophet-mother Sarah. She claims that his most important challenge is "not before you, but behind you." The battle between the Jem'Hadar/Breen/Cardassian fleet and Starfleet/Klingon/Romulan fleet begins. Kira, Garak, and Damar, hiding on Cardassia Prime as insurgents, incite a worker revolt and power outage, which cuts off communication between the Dominion Fleet and the command center housing Weyoun and the diseased Founder. In retaliation, the Jem'Hadar wipe out an entire Cardassian city.
The insurgents are about to be executed by a team of Jem'Hadar and Cardassian soldiers, but are saved when the Cardassians turn on them in revenge. Midway through the space battle, the Cardassian ships also switch sides, which Weyoun discovers when communications are restored. As an ultimate retaliation, the Founder orders the eradication of the Cardassian race, and the Jem'Hadar begin leveling the capital. The Jem'Hadar and Breen retreat from the battle and regroup at their defense perimeter around Cardassia Prime. Kira and the insurgents storm the command center, capture the Founder, and kill Weyoun, but Damar is killed. Though the Dominion's Alpha Quadrant forces are facing defeat, the Founder will not surrender, presumably to inflict so much damage that the Alpha Quadrant powers will be deterred from attacking the Dominion.
Sisko prepares for a costly assault on Cardassia Prime. Odo beams to the command center and links with the Founder, curing her disease. She orders her forces to surrender. Odo explains to Kira that he has agreed to cure the other Founders, but needs to join them permanently, to eventually persuade them to trust solids instead of dominating them. Bashir says farewell to Garak, who stays to help rebuild Cardassia. Garak is skeptical that they will ever meet again, because they live "in uncertain times." (The final verbal exchange between Bashir and Garak was cut from the 2-part syndicated version of the episode.)
Meanwhile on Bajor, Dukat, still disguised as a Bajoran, and Kai Winn, who has turned against the Prophets, trek to the fire caves with an ancient book that will release the Pah-wraiths. After she makes them appear around a chasm, Winn poisons Dukat, but he is resurrected by the Pah-wraiths and restored to his Cardassian appearance.
A peace treaty is signed on DS9, and the crew celebrates in Vic's Lounge. However, in the middle of dancing with Kasidy, Sisko suddenly realizes he must go to the fire caves. He arrives and attacks Dukat, but is subdued by Dukat's new godlike powers. Winn tells Sisko to destroy the book, and Dukat kills her. Sisko topples Dukat and they and the book fall into the fiery chasm. Suddenly finding himself in the Celestial Temple, Sisko is told by Sarah that the Pah-wraiths have been returned to the Fire Caves and will never emerge again. His task is complete, and it is time for him to rest with the Prophets. The DS9 crew is puzzled by Sisko's disappearance until he comes to Kasidy in a vision, telling her that he has moved on to a new stage of his life. He assures her he will return, but because of his nonlinear nature, it could be in a year, or yesterday.
The crew splits up: O'Brien will teach at Starfleet Academy, Odo will join the Founders, and Worf will join Martok by becoming Federation ambassador to Qo'noS. Montages highlight the relationships between O'Brien and Bashir, Ezri and Worf, Kira and Odo, Sisko and Jake, and Quark and everybody. Odo refuses to give Quark a fond farewell, but Quark is pleased anyway, thinking it an unspoken respect. Kira takes Odo to the Founders' planet, where he switches to a tuxedo before he sinks into the Link and cures the disease. Bashir and Ezri discuss their future relationship together. Nog discusses his promotion to lieutenant with new station commander Kira before she goes to Quark's to shut down his betting ring on the new Kai. Quark then tells Morn, "the more things change, the more they stay the same" (the last spoken line of the series). Finally, Kira finds Jake on the promenade, and they both look out as the wormhole opens, knowing that their friend and father now resides in that Celestial Temple.
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||