History Awesome / StarTrekDeepspaceNine

* Nog threatens ''General Martok'' of all people with prison for loitering. He stands up to him and his two other Klingon subordinates, at which Martok says that Nog is either very brave or very stupid. Nog says he's probably a little of both, which gets the general to ''obey him'' and earns his respect to the point that, later in the episode, the general, when passing by him and Kira, acknowledges him by his rank and barely casts a second glance at Kira. And, as shown in a 2021 event in VideoGame/StarTrekOnline, Martok fondly remembers this moment ''decades'' after the fact, and honors the bravery of a little Ferengi officer with warm anecdotes.
* Quark got four real good ones. First off, he stood before a Klingon warrior, risking death, just to trick the Klingon into proving he had no real honor. Second was blasting two Jem'Hadar guards, and standing shocked after he did so. Three, as he explains to a captive Maquis Vulcan that her actions are illogical, when she could have peace "at a bargain price."
** The entire episode "The Magnificent Ferengi" is one long Crowning Moment of Awesome mated beautifully to SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}.

** Another awesome Quark moment happens at the end of "Body Parts". Brunt maneuvers him into breaking a Ferengi contract, ruining his business. Quark loses the day, but, rather uncharacteristic for a Ferengi, says:
---> '''Quark''': Look, I've broken the contract, so do your job. Take my assets, revoke my Ferengi business licence. Do whatever you have to do then get out. And if I ever see you walk into my bar again...
---> '''Brunt''': Yes?
---> '''Quark''': You won't walk out.
* O'Brien gets one (despite his normal ButtMonkey role) in "Empok Nor," when Garak has been infected by a violence-inducing super-soldier-serum and decided to hunt O'Brien down:
-->'''Garak''': Maybe it's true... maybe you're not a soldier anymore.
-->'''O'Brien''': You're right. [[TheEngineer I'm an engineer.]] ''[[[ImprovisedWeaponUser taps combadge]], [[SomebodySetUsUpTheBomb phaser blows up]]]''

* Jake got shafted a lot during the Dominion War arc, but he still managed a Crowning Moment of Awesome of his own in the seventh season opener, when he saves his father from a Pah-Wraith cultist (who has traveled to Earth and stabbed him) by hitting him with a bag of potatoes and knocking him unconscious.
** Not to mention that staying behind as a reporter when the Dominion occupied the station took a lot of guts to do. Sure, he knew that they'd never harm a hair on his head since he was the son of the Bajorans' living messiah figure, but still, that's a ballsy move.
** In "The Reckoning", after Jake's in the infirmary recovering from being possessed by a Pah-Wraith and being used to battle a Prophet, Benjamin is feeling horribly guilty about his part in the ordeal, but Jake says, "You don't have to explain. When the Pah-Wraith was inside me, I could feel its hatred. And I knew that no matter what, it couldn't be allowed to win...even if it meant I had to die."

[[folder:And now, for the episode so awesome that it gets its own folder...]]

* In "What You Leave Behind", the unnamed Cardassians who join Damar's grassroots rebellion. This isn't about obeying orders, or service to the state, or milking other planets for resources. Their home has been taken over by supposed allies who were really invaders that conquered them without a shot, and now the Dominion has gotten nasty, wiping out a large city in retaliation for the rebellion. This is about nothing less than taking their home back and saving their people, and for this, they charge gladly into battle, not stopping for anything, until they capture the Female Changling.

*** As is "The House Of Quark":
----> '''Quark''': I am Quark, son of Keldar. And I have come to answer the challenge of D'Ghor, son of... whatever.
*** In the same episode, Quark gives a ''blistering'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
----> '''Quark''': Go ahead, kill me! That is why I'm here, isn't it? To be killed? Well, here I am, so go ahead and do it. You all want me to pick up that sword and fight him, don't you. But I don't have a chance, and you know it. You only want me to put up a fight so that your precious "honor" will be satisfied. Well, I'm not gonna make it so easy for ya. Having me fight D'Ghor is nothing more than an execution. So, if that's what you want, that's what you'll get... an execution. ''[looking over at a stunned Gowron]'' No honor. No glory. ''[looking back at D'Ghor]'' And when you tell your children and your grandchildren the glorious story of how you rose to power and took Grilka's house from her, I hope you remember to tell them how you heroically killed an unarmed Ferengi... ''half your size''.
*** And the best part, when D'Ghor actually tries to kill Quark despite the dishonorable circumstances, it shows to Chancellor Gowron and the whole Klingon High Council that he ''is'' without honor as Quark claims and they discommendate him. Quark got a Klingon warrior stripped of his honor and power and banished from Klingon society. Checkmate! Even ''Gowron'' had to commend Quark, even going to his knees just to look Quark in the eyes: "''[[YouGotGuts A brave Ferengi]]. Who'd have thought...?''"

* Bashir: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhkfuyBLDlY "So that's what we've become: a 24th Century Rome, guided solely by the principle that Caesar can do no wrong!"]]. Arguably a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for both the character and the actor. It's also one for Admiral Ross and his actor: ""I don't like it. But I've spent the last year and a half of my life ordering young men and young women to die. I like that even less." It helps that neither character is depicted as right or wrong. Is Bashir being true to the ideals of Starfleet or just being naive? Is Ross acting in the best interests of The Federation or just morally compromising everything it stands for?
* In "The Maquis" Quark [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdQcGzbpN7s debates]] a Vulcan member of the terrorists on her issues...and convinces her she's wrong. That's right: a Ferengi manages to out-logic a ''Vulcan.''
* There is also the description of Garak's best interrogation ever, from "The Die Is Cast." He just sat and looked at the guy...for four hours.
-->"His eyes, his eyes!"
** In a moment of very BlackComedy, Tain notes that the doctor being interrogated has since spent three years in a labour camp, been released and returned to medicine. "You should look him up."
* In the fourth season premiere "The Way of the Warrior", Odo is warned that the invading Klingons will be trying to kill him specifically so they can be remembered for it in a battle song. Odo remarks that if a Klingon were to kill him, [[BadassBoast they would deserve an entire opera]]. During the siege he completely lives up to the statement.
** The battle that follows is full of awesome. Gowron and Changeling!Martok assume Deep Space Nine can't defend itself, but having learned about the Dominion threat a year ago, Starfleet has been quietly upgrading the old station's defenses. The Klingons find out the hard way that [=DS9=] is now absolutely armed to the teeth when it spits out photon torpedoes rapid-fire in all directions, following that with many phaser beams, destroying eight ships and severely damaging more just in the first round. "Martok", in character, exclaims, "They fight like Klingons!" Then there're the scenes of everyone fighting off the Klingon boarding parties....
* "Homefront." The Federation President, even after a Dominion terrorist bombing, proclaims in a meeting with Sisko and Admiral Leyton that he doesn't believe the Changeling threat to be as serious as Starfleet makes it out to be. In response, they give the President a hell of a jolt when the briefcase Sisko brought to the meeting ''transforms into Odo.'' Even the President admits that was a hell of an entrance.
* In the next episode, "Paradise Lost," the Changelings get one themselves when Changeling!O'Brien sits for a chat with Sisko just to taunt him about how they've played the Federation.
-->'''Changeling!O'Brien''': Let me ask you a question. How many Changelings do you think are here on Earth right at this moment?
-->'''Captain Sisko''': I'm not going to play any guessing games with you.
-->'''Changeling!O'Brien''': Ah. [[WhamLine What if I were to tell you that there are only four on this entire planet?]] Huh? Not counting Constable Odo, of course. Think of it - just four of us. [[ParanoiaGambit And look at the havoc we've wrought.]]

** A small, easy-to-miss moment is when Sisko finds out Jake stayed behind on the station, and O'Brien calmly asks, "Do we go back for him?" like it's seriously an option to fly back into the arms of the Dominion-Cardassian fleet that just took [=DS9=] so they can drag Jake's dumb ass somewhere safe. As a veteran of the previous war with Cardassia and survivor of many battles, O'Brien doesn't blink in the face of danger.
* Also in "Sacrifice of Angels" when the Klingon fleet arrives out of the sun and swings the battle against the Dominion.

* Quark gets one in the episode "Business As Usual". In the story, Quark goes into business with an arms dealer named Gaila and ends up tap-dancing on the MoralEventHorizon. He ends up not crossing that horizon when he learns that Gaila is making a deal with a Regent who intends to use a biological weapon on his own population, killing 28 million. Quark risks his own life to screw the deal, manipulating events so that the Regent and Gaila end up blaming each other.
--> "One life for 28 million. Best deal I ever made."
** Later, when called on the carpet by Sisko, he defends his actions;
--->'''Quark''': The Regent's dead?!
--->'''Sisko''': The Purification Squad caught up with him this morning.
--->'''Quark''': I can live with that too. And I can think of 28 million other people who won't mind either.
--->'''Sisko''': 28 million and ''one''.
* Li Nalas gets one in "The Siege" when he starts living up to the hero role with his speech at the airlock. The unruly crowd that had just shouted over Sisko became ''silent'' the first time Li Nalas raised his voice - ''all'' of them, Bajoran and non-Bajoran. This speech, from the man who had previously hated giving speeches, simultaneously shames and inspires his people and is worth reproducing in full:
-->"''Where are you running to?'' This is Bajor. We are Bajorans. We fought a war to regain our homeland, how can you abandon it like frightened Cardassian voles? These ships are for our guests, who ''must'' leave because it is no longer safe for them here! However, '''we are Bajorans''', and I say that we stay and we solve our own problems together. Are you willing to join me?" [He then walks out, followed by every Bajoran in the crowd.]

* The Breen get possibly the highest of villainous awesome moments in the show during "The Changing Face Of Evil". How? They ''single-handedly annihilate all but one of the 311 Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan ships sent to retake Chin'toka with a significantly smaller fleet'', and they top it all off by destroying the ''Defiant'' in what amounts to a OneHitKill.
** The Breen get another one in that same episode when they manage to pull off a sneak attack on ''Earth'' and severely damage Starfleet Headquarters. Even ''Martok'' is impressed, claiming it's something the Klingons themselves never even considered doing during their wars with the Federation.

* Odo suffering from not being able to regenerate in "The Die is Cast", and still managing to get in a brief Reason You Suck Speech to Garak.
-->'''Odo:''' What's the matter, Garak? You don't look very happy. Aren't you enjoying yourself?
-->'''Garak:''' There's no pleasure in this for me, Constable, I assure you. I am simply doing my job.
-->'''Odo:''' Your job. Yes, this is the job you've been waiting for. All these years of exile and here you are interrogating a prisoner again. It must fill you with pride.
-->'''Garak:''' Odo, just tell me what I need to know and this will end.
-->'''Odo:''' But you don't want it to end, do you, Garak? Isn't this what you've been dreaming of? Back at work serving Cardassia.

*** Avery Brooks' delivery during the episode is itself a moment of awesome. Here we have someone who is genuinely tortured by his choices. If people in TheFederation tended toward religion, he would probably be certain he's going to Hell.
*** Sisko himself is a religious man, though, due to the Prophets. [[EarnYourHappyEnding And no, he doesn't go to Hell.]]

** An understated crowning moment for O'Brien - The BatmanGambit that lured Sloan into Bashir's trap was O'Brien's idea. After Bashir tried and failed throughout "Tacking Into the Wind" to come up with a cure, pulling multiple all-nighters out of desperation, O'Brien stops in to chat. As they talk, O'Brien suggests Bashir just lie to Starfleet Medical and claim he found a cure, since then someone with knowledge of the virus would arrive to investigate and Bashir could interrogate them. Sloan falls for it precisely because it's the kind of thing WideEyedIdealist Bashir would never think of on his own. Sloan may have had Bashir's number from even before they met, but O'Brien is the one factor that Sloan could never predict.* In "What You Leave Behind", the unnamed Cardassians who join Damar's grassroots rebellion. This isn't about obeying orders, or service to the state, or milking other planets for resources. Their home has been taken over by supposed allies who were really invaders that conquered them without a shot, and now the Dominion has gotten nasty, wiping out a large city in retaliation for the rebellion. This is about nothing less than taking their home back and saving their people, and for this, they charge gladly into battle, not stopping for anything, until they capture the Female Changling.

** Damar's final moments deserve mention. He charges in, dual-wielding phaser rifles, shooting everything that moves. When the Jem'Hadar get their act together and start shooting back, he takes ''at least'' a dozen shots to the chest. Any one of those should have killed him outright. He manages to live for about a minute, and his last words to his men are to keep fighting. Well, he only got the first half of that order out, but it was obvious.

* "Apocalypse Rising" is one for Odo. Having been made human by the Founders as a punishment for killing one of their own, Odo has a crisis of confidence where he ponders what good he is to the crew. Yet right as Worf is about to do battle with Gowron to expose him as a Changeling, it's Odo who, out of absolutely ''nowhere,'' deduces that Martok is the real Changeling, who's been playing Gowron and the Klingons for who knows how long. A validating moment for Odo, and made even more awesome when an entire room of Klingons react to this revelation by pulling out their weapons and blasting the Changeling straight to Hell.

* And another good one for O'Brien in "The Assignment" when he saves his wife from the Pah-Wraith possessing her by taking its plan to destroy the Prophets and turning it against it. Rom gets the assist on this one by figuring out the Pah-Wraith's plan before O'Brien does.

* After Damar finds out in "Tacking Into the Wind" that the Dominion have killed his wife and children, he wonders what kind of people could give orders like that. Kira responds with a perfect [[NotSoDifferentRemark "Yeah, Damar. What kind of people give those orders?"]]
** What makes it even better is that she ''immediately'' realizes that was absolutely the wrong thing to say in that situation. After Damar heads for the cockpit, she has this conversation with Garak.
--->'''Kira:''' That was stupid.\\
'''Garak:''' Not at all. Damar has a certain... romanticism about the past. He can use a dose of cold water.\\
'''Kira:''' I could have picked a better time.\\
'''Garak:''' If Damar is the man to lead a new Cardassia, if he's the man we hope him to be, then the pain of this news made him ''more'' receptive to what you said, not less.
** This comes to fruition in a small SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for Damar when he completes his [[HeelFaceTurn Heel Face Turn]] by saving Kira and Odo from Rusot, a treacherous officer who wanted to bring back the old Imperial Cardassia.
--->'''Damar:''' He was my friend. But his Cardassia's dead...and it won't be coming back.

* "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E19Duet Duet]]" is a [=CMoA=] for Creator/NanaVisitor, the actress who played Kira, and guest star Harris Yulin. While the writing and direction for the episode was top-notch, it was the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVHR0UPHERQ&feature=related amazing performances those two gave]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l9N237kvHI&feature=related that carried the episode]]. In fact, it is entirely possible that this episode is the best work Visitor has ever done.
** Ask an actor what their favorite episode of a series is, generally, it's an episode where they got to be heavily involved or had a particularly powerful and emotional scene. Armin Shimmerman (Quark) cites "Duet" as one of if not the favorite episode of a series he's been involved in, and Quark has nothing to do with the episode, making just a cursory appearance. Let's give the writers their due for this one as well.

* Odo grabs one in "Improbable Cause," when he finally has enough of Garak's evasiveness, tells him to shut up, and dissects his entire {{plan}} in about five minutes. [[OhCrap The look on Garak's face]] makes it all the better.
--> '''Odo:''' I have had ''enough'' of your dissembling, ''Garak!'' I am ''not'' Dr. Bashir and we are ''not'' sparring amiably over lunch. Now you dragged me into this investigation, and you are ''now'' going to cooperate with me!
--> '''Garak:''' Dragged you ''in?'' I don't know what you're talking ab--
--> '''Odo:''' '''''YOU BLEW UP YOUR OWN SHOP, GARAK!'''''
** Give Garak some credit for having the audacity to do it. Dragging Odo into the investigation was intentional since he was key in uncovering an assassin sent to kill Garak. When he tells his old mentor about it (who by the way ''sent'' said assassin), the reaction is basically "''Damn, you're good!''"

* Kira's bluff of the Romulans in "Shadows and Symbols" certainly qualifies.
--> '''Admiral Ross:''' Remind me never to play poker with you.
** We saw what she could do as early as the pilot. A Bajoran, a race that the Cardassians have been using for target practice, standing on the bridge of what was once ''their'' station, all but giving them the finger. The station was woefully underarmed, so she and O'Brien whipped up one hell of a bluff to make it look like ol' Terok Nor was armed to the eyeteeth. The Cardies suspected a bluff, but when one little Bajoran female pretty much said "Wanna call it?" and they backed down...awesome.
---> '''O'Brien:''' Major, remind me never to get into a game of Roladan Wild Draw with you.
* The moment in "Emissary" when Kira and O'Brien a) moves the station to the mouth of the wormhole and b) actually creates the aforementioned "illusion" to scare away the attacking Cardassians looking for Gul Dukat.
* Two more for Quark during "The Siege of AR-558," with his {{What The Hell Hero}} speech to Sisko after Nog comes back from a mission Sisko sent him on minus a leg, and then protecting Nog during the titular siege. Special kudos to Armin Shimmerman for being able to convey his horror at having killed someone (and the realization that even he can become as bloodthirsty and violent as humans when forced to fight) through those heavy prosthetics.
* The scene in "Defiant" in which Dr. Bashir stands up to Major Kira. It's a ''sharp'' contrast from the way Kira's "wilderness" speech in the pilot made Bashir [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAY0vUk5gfQ cower.]]
-->'''Major Kira Nerys:''' ''Listen'' to me! You can't have a runabout! You cannot get your medical supplies and I don't give a ''damn'' about the colonization schedule! Those colonists can make do with a box of ''bandages'' for all I care!
--> ''[Kira turns to leave]''
-->'''Dr. Julian Bashir:''' Stop right there, Major.
--> ''[Kira turns back around, glowering at him]''
--> '''Bashir:''' When was your last day off?
--> '''Kira:''' ''I'' don't know! What does ''that'' have to do with anything?
--> '''Bashir:''' If you can't remember, then it's been too long. You're off duty, as of this moment.
--> '''Kira:''' What do you mean, "I'm off duty"? You can't do that!
--> '''Bashir:''' Oh yes I can, and [[OhCrap not even Commander Sisko can overrule my judgment as Chief Medical Officer]].
* In "Resurrection", Kira's taken hostage at gunpoint by the mirror-universe version of Bareil Antos, who was her lover in the prime universe. After climbing up 57 decks with him to get to Landing Pad A, Kira declines to open the door for him, asking him to give her the phaser instead.
--> '''AU!Bareil Antos:''' Oh, you've been so cooperative up until now; I'd ''hate'' to have to kill you.
--> '''Major Kira Nerys:''' You're not going to kill me.
--> '''AU!Bareil:''' Oh, you're ''sure'' of that?
--> '''Kira:''' You're not going to kill ''anyone'', not with ''that'' disruptor. [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets Power cell's cracked.]]
--> '''AU!Bareil:''' ''[sighs]'' How long have you known?
--> '''Kira:''' Since before we left Ops.
--> '''AU!Bareil:''' Then why did you come with me?
--> '''Kira:''' [[PreAssKickingOneLiner I needed the exercise]].
--> ''[Kira then proceeds to kick his ass]''
* Whether or not you agree with [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized what she says beforehand]], there is no denying that Kira's escape from the serial killer who'd been murdering the former members of the Shakaar resistance cell is pretty awesome.
** Earlier still, when she finds out a bomb went off and killed Furel and Lupaza, she kicks the crap out of several security members in her way. While being the Bajoran equivalent of ''nine months pregnant''.
*** A fridge one for Lupaza: earlier in the episode she gives Kira herbs that help with pregnancy pains, while hinting to their other use. That other use? Counteracting Cardassian most often used anesthetics, thus allowing Kira to pretend she is unconscious and save herself by striking at the right moment.
* Nog's epic ChainOfDeals to acquire a critical part that Chief O'Brien needs in "Faith, Treachery, and the Great River." What else can you call a plan that involves the theft of Sisko's desk and sixteen cases of General Martok's bloodwine, and ends with Nog ''completely getting away with it?'' Especially since the desk came back all nice and clean, and Martok's bloodwine was replaced with superior vintage. Nog showed that the Ferengi knack for wheeling and dealing can even benefit the Federation.

* Morn's {{plan}} wherein he [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated faked his own death]] to draw out his former conspirators from a decade-old theft, gave them all the shaft by exploiting the fact that they would all be willing to kill for the money, and proceeded to walk away with '' '''1,000 bricks of latinum''' '', since the statute of limitations had run out? The best part of it all is that, after everyone has been arrested, Morn strolls into Quark's and sits in his old chair like it's a regular Tuesday morning.
** Not to mention that when Quark complains to Morn about being thrown in the middle of Morn's former accomplices in order to get them arrested, Morn spits up about 100 bricks' worth of latinum[[note]]Latinum itself is a commoditized liquid metal that is nigh-impossible to replicate, making it useful as bullion. It's normally encased in [[WorthlessYellowRocks gold]] to make it easier to hand around and to make it pretty[[/note]] into a shot glass and gives it to Quark.
* More of a SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome than anything else: In ''Valiant'', we get to see a DavidVersusGoliath match between a small, nimble warship and a massive heavily armed battleship. The captain decides to invoke PointDefenseless by ordering his crew to fly as close to the larger ship as they can. At one point, in the viewscreen, we can see that the ''Valiant'' actually flies ''through'' a gap in the larger ship's superstructure. They still get their their butts kicked in the end, though.
* The first time the ''Defiant'' actually has a chance to engage the Dominion, in "The Die is Cast". A joint Romulan-Cardassian fleet is completely outmatched by Dominion fighters, while Odo and Garak are attempting to escape in a runabout. Just as all seems lost, the ''Defiant'' decloaks and destroys about a dozen Dominion fighters while rescuing the pair without breaking a sweat.
** One of those kills includes waiting until they're at point blank range. The Jem'Hadar ship blows up just before the Defiant rams its way through the wreckage.

** How awesome is Nog? Season 3 of ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' reveals that in the 32nd century, Starfleet has a ship called U.S.S. ''Nog''. The boy left his mark and then some.
* In the book ''Fallen Heroes''- which begins with Odo and Quark being sent forward in time by a few days to find that the entire station has been destroyed- the story of [[EverybodysDeadDave what happened to everyone]] is revealed in flashbacks over the previous few days. Damn if they didn't go down awesomely. Hooray for ResetButton.

* "Tacking Into The Wind": Ezri pointing out to Worf the hypocrisy of the Klingon Empire claiming to value honor while having such a horribly corrupt government. This leads Worf to the equally awesome moment of finishing the job he started in TNG's "Reunion" and killing Gowron in honorable combat, then passing the title of Chancellor to Martok restoring honor to the Empire at long last.
-->'''Worf''': Tell me what you think.\\
'''Ezri''': Okay. I'm not sure you're going to like it.\\
'''Worf''': Tell me.\\
'''Ezri''': I think that the situation with Gowron is a symptom of a bigger problem. [[BrutalHonesty The Klingon Empire is dying, and I think it deserves to die.]]\\
'''Worf''': [[TranquilFury ...You are right. I do not like it.]]\\
'''Ezri''': Don't get me wrong, I'm very touched that you still consider me to be a member of the House of Martok. But, I tend to look at the Empire with a bit more skepticism than Curzon or Jadzia did. I see a society that is in deep denial about itself. We're talking about a warrior culture that prides itself on maintaining centuries-old traditions of honor and integrity, but in reality, [[{{Hypocrite}} it's willing to accept corruption at the highest levels.]]\\
'''Worf''': You are overstating your case!\\
'''Ezri''': Am I? [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Who was the last leader of the High Council that you respected? Has there even been one? And how many times have you had to cover up the crimes of Klingon leaders because you were told it was for the good of the Empire?]] I-I know this sounds harsh, but the truth is, you have been willing to accept a government that you know is corrupt. Gowron's just the latest example. Worf, you are the most honorable and decent man that I have ever met. And if you're willing to tolerate men like Gowron, then what hope is there for the Empire?


* Rom tricking Quark and Ishka into talking to each other in "Family Business", and then laying down the law:
-->'''Rom:''' That's enough bickering! You're both acting like children! (Ishka and Quark try to interrupt) I will not stand by and let this family fall apart! Quark, you should be ashamed of yourself! I've seen you treat Cardassians with more respect than you show your own mother. And Moogie, if Quark can uncover your hidden investments, eventually the FCA will too. And then all that profit will be lost. Think about that for a moment. Now, neither of you is going to leave this room until you've settled things. Is that clear? [[HypocriticalHumor And no shouting!]] (beat) [[Funny/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine I'm going to take a nap.]]

* Early on in "Take Me Out To The Holosuite", Ezri mentions that one of the Dax hosts was a gymnast and that she ''should'', thus, be better at sports. And then, when one of the Vulcans hits a near-homerun, Ezri ''jumps on the wall and catches the ball while doing a backflip''.
--> '''Bashir:''' Now that is a "Fancy Dan"!

* Ben Sisko surprising [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Q with a right hook]] in "Q-Less"

** Even more awesome [[GeniusBonus for fans of TNG]] who would recognize what the Jem'Hadar said as an IronicEcho of what Worf said to Ba'el in "Birthright".[[/folder]]

* In "By Inferno's Light", there is an easily overlooked but nonetheless profound CMOA where Garak's concerned. Namely, Garak goes back into the extremely cramped crawlspace to finish the plan to escape, despite having recently had a claustrophobic attack, and despite it being clear that he's extremely uneasy about having to go back in. General Martok and Worf even acknowledge his bravery.
** Counts doubly for the actor, Andrew Robinson, who is claustrophobic as well. '' He wasn’t acting. ''
** Kira has one as well - when they figure out that the Bashir changeling is planning to wipe out the combined Federation/Klingon/Romulan fleet by blowing up Bajor's sun, she orders the ''Defiant'' to make an in-system warp jump (something so risky even James T. Kirk only did it once) to intercept the stolen runabout, snags it with a tractor beam, and flings it away from the star before the bomb goes off.
** Bashir also gets one, starting when he gives the Jem'Hadar guard interrogating him a look that clearly says "Go screw yourself." When the guard turns his back, Bashir then pulls out a hidden knife and stabs him.
** The unnamed Breen gets one. The moment the situation goes south, the Breen gets the drop on a Jem'Hadar guard by stealing his gun and killing him and another, dying in the process. The Romulan in the camp tells the others that her people have a saying. "Never turn your back on a Breen." The Romulans, one of the most secretive, tricky, and powerful nations in Star Trek, says that about a species hardly anyone's ever heard of before.

* The scene where Nog explains why he wants to join Starfleet in "Heart of Stone" is mentioned on the TearJerker page, yet, in a way, the plot of this episode is Nog's SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. Why? Because Nog is able to step back and objectively look at [[ProudMerchantRace Ferengi]] [[PlanetOfHats culture]] and realise its flaws; namely, [[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Ferengi who aren't good at business are second-class]], something that has effectively crushed his father -- a Ferengi who could be a brilliant engineer, but who instead throws himself into mercantile businesses he's just not any good at, making him a nobody among his own people. Recognizing that, he chooses to defy expectations and make something of himself by taking a ''different'' route in life; joining Starfleet. He faces -- and overcomes -- opposition from his own uncle and the suspicious disdain of other races who see his race and expect only a money-grubbing DirtyCoward. Despite all this stacked against him, Nog not only becomes the first Ferengi officer in Starfleet, he gets there entirely of his own merits ''and'' he establishes a reputation as a good officer that even Sisko is proud of.
** There's also how Sisko's acceptance inspires Rom to put his foot down to Quark and, when Quark tries to forbid Nog going to Starfleet Academy, Rom tells him that Quark runs the bar, but Rom is Nog's father and Quark gets no say in what Nog wants to do with his life, wishing Nog luck at the academy. Rom had prior to this largely been a door mat who took whatever abuse Quark through at him, only acting against his brother behind his back. But in this scene Rom firmly puts his foot down and states that Quark does not get to run Nog's life. He even manages to earn his son's approval in this scene, the same son who had previously said he didn't want to turn out like him.
** And even though Nog threw his hat in with Starfleet, episodes like "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" show that he hasn't stopped being a Ferengi. He can still wheel and deal with the best of them, and in ways that can benefit TheFederation, thus striking a balance between where he came from and what he is now.
*** Tiny bit of FridgeBrilliance here, touched on the respective page: Nog may be a bad businessman by Ferengi standards, but in the no-money-future Federation? He's ''bloody Rockefeller''.

* "Extreme Measures", the episode where finally - ''finally'' - after getting played like a fiddle by Sloan and Section 31 multiple times, Bashir gets some sweet revenge on Sloan. He lures Sloan to the station by making him think he has Odo's cure, and then traps him, stuns him, and straps that smug little prick to a bio-bed so they can force the cure out of '''him.''' Sloan tries to play mind games, but Bashir just played Sloan big time, and he knows it. Unfortunately, Sloan then activates a suicide function in his head, but then Bashir and O'Brien actually manage to probe a dying Sloan's mind and find the cure for Odo. Even Section 31 can't compete with {{Determinator}}s.
** And then [[ButtMonkey O'Brien]], of all people, saving the day by being TheEveryman that he is. Sloan almost [[TakingYouWithMe takes Bashir into death with him]] by leaving a boatload of Section 31 intel for him to analyze, but O'Brien keeps him focused on finding the cure and getting out in time to use it. Bashir even acknowledges that ThePowerOfFriendship saved him.
** An understated crowning moment for O'Brien - The BatmanGambit that lured Sloan into Bashir's trap was O'Brien's idea. After Bashir tried and failed throughout "Tacking Into the Wind" to come up with a cure, pulling multiple all-nighters out of desperation, O'Brien stops in to chat. As they talk, O'Brien suggests Bashir just lie to Starfleet Medical and claim he found a cure, since then someone with knowledge of the virus would arrive to investigate and Bashir could interrogate them. Sloan falls for it precisely because it's the kind of thing WideEyedIdealist Bashir would never think of on his own. Sloan may have had Bashir's number from even before they met, but O'Brien is the one factor that Sloan could never predict.
* The first season episode "Dax" gives one for Kira when she shoots down Ilon Tandro's claims that Bajor has no right to interfere in his attempt to arrest Jadzia and extradite her back to his homeworld to stand trial for murder (after trying to simply abduct her and using knowledge of the station's security and layouts almost succeeds) because Bajor is not threatened by this. Kira's response is wonderful.
-->'''Kira''': You Klaestrons are allies of the Cardassians; your knowledge of the station confirms they must have given you the layouts. Which not only compromises Bajoran security, but also...''annoys'' us.

* The entire crew of the ''Rotarran'' in "Soldiers of the Empire", when they recovered their courage and began to sing their war song, to include Martok giving the order to engage ''fitting the song's tempo'' right before he himself began to sing, in a scene that was reminiscent of a badass pirate shanty [[RecycledInSpace in space]], sung by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a bunch of happy and bloodthirsty nutcases]] with lasers and swords. In short: whoever was their [[OhCrap target]] when they began to sing had no chance whatsoever. They proceed to kick some Jem'Hadar ass, fulfill their mission and ask the folks at the station for ''fifteen barrels of bloodwine'' to celebrate. For reference, Jadzia had taken three barrels to last for the crew for a couple of ''weeks''. Worf deserves special mention on account of having ''made it all happen''.

* Out of universe one: After the episode "Rejoined" aired, an assistant took a call from an angry viewer, complaining about his kids seeing the kiss between Jadzia and Lenara. The assistant listens to the viewer rant, and then asks if the viewer would have been fine if, instead of kissing her, Jadzia had taken out a phaser and shot Lenara. When the viewer responds in the affirmative, the assistant's response is "you should reconsider who's messing up your kids."

* "Tribunal" showcases the Cardassian legal system - in short, a KangarooCourt where the accused is always guilty and everything is about exposing how and why they are. And this time, O'Brien is the accused. As it turns out, however, the Cardassians are using him to scapegoat the Federation - one of their spies stole Federation weapons by using O'Brien's access codes and a recording of his voice, in the name of making it appear the Maquis had Federation sanction. Of course, the problem the Cardassians face isn't just the Federation's tendency towards TrueCompanions, leading to Keiko defiantly refusing to turn on her husband (in the manner that Cardassian spouses would be expected to plea for the mercy of the state) and the crew on [=DS9=] to discover the spy, but also how Odo, acting as O'Brien's Nestor, or advisor, isn't just interested in the appearance of justice but ACTUAL justice, ends up stalling the proceedings (and expressing his disdain for them every step of the way) so that, in a darkly humorous moment, the Arbiter declares this to be the longest trial in Cardassian history. This is long enough for the spy to be found and Sisko to show up in the courtroom, spy in tow, and not needing to say a word, just glare at the Arbiter, who, knowing that the gig is up, "pardons" O'Brien, in "the spirit of furthering Cardassian-Federation relations."
* In "Babel", even when Kira gets the virus, she's still as spry as ever, as opposed to everyone else who becomes droopy and lethargic. She also gets the doctor to help by coming up very close to him and telling him she has the virus too, so he better help himself.
* When Dukat tells Kira that they could be "friends", she responds with this burn:
-->'''Kira''': "Bajor and Cardassia, maybe. You and I? I doubt it."
* In "What You Leave Behind", the unnamed Cardassians who join Damar's grassroots rebellion. This isn't about obeying orders, or service to the state, or milking other planets for resources. Their home has been taken over by supposed allies who were really invaders that conquered them without a shot, and now the Dominion has gotten nasty, wiping out a large city in retaliation for the rebellion. This is about nothing less than taking their home back and saving their people, and for this, they charge gladly into battle, not stopping for anything, until they capture the Female Changling.
* In "Cardassians," Miles and Keiko are tasked with taking care of a Cardassian boy who'd been adopted by Bajorans as a custody hearing is arranged. At one point, Miles remarks to Keiko privately that "[[FantasticRacism 'Gentle' was bred out of these Cardassians a long time ago.]]" Keiko stops and just fixes him with a look, telling him that what he said was a very ugly thing. When Miles attempts to defend himself, she cuts him off, not wanting to hearing it again. Miles's words were fueled by his experiences having fought in the war against the Cardassians (including his firsthand experience of their work at the Setlik III massacre, which, as the TNG episode "The Wounded" established, had also included his commanding officer's wife and child, and had Miles himself acknowledge that he hated who he became because of the Cardassians during that war), which makes them understandable. But, as Keiko shows, she may understand, but she will NOT condone it under her roof.
** It also can't be failed to mention the optics of this moment, where a white man is married to an Asian woman and she calls him out on his microaggression and racism towards others.

* Nog's actions in the novel "High Score", set when he and Jake are still kids, serves as Foreshadowing for the kind of person he'll grow to be; when he and Jake discover that the mining operation they're working for is stripping an inhabited planet of its resources and killing the inhabitants as part of the "game" the young employees are playing, he is quick to follow Jake in choosing innocent lives over a paycheck.

* The entire episode "In The Pale Moonlight" of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' was Garak's crowning moment of awesome, but particularly after faking a Dominion meeting and then blowing up a Romulan senator's ship so the Romulans would believe the Dominion did it and join the war on the Federation side:

** Hell, Anything with Garak in it you knew was going to be awesome. Garak was a walking SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome

* Garak gets another SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome in the finale, as he leads the final charge into the Dominion HQ with a resounding cry of "FOR CARDASSIA!". Utterly badass.
** Related to this is Damar's Resistance for the sheer gall. The leader of a client state that becomes more and more a Puppet shaking off the shackles of their overlords in order to regain their freedom. And once the Founders retaliate, the random Mooks taking them to be executed rebel to defend them.

* Worf had a fantastic line in one of the most violent episodes "To the Death." They are forced to team up with Jem'Hadar soldiers because rogue Jem'Hadar had captured a gateway temple that can transport them anywhere in the galaxy. When tensions mount between the leaders of the unlikely team-up, and the Jem'Hadar First promises to kill Sisko after the mission is over, Worf reassures him:
-->"If, somehow, he does carry out his threat...'' he will not live to boast about it.''"
* Worf's {{Determinator}} refusal to surrender to the Jem'Hadar in "By Inferno's Light", acknowledged as such by the very Jem'Hadar he was fighting. "I... yield. [[WorthyOpponent I cannot defeat this Klingon]], all I can do is kill him. And that no longer holds my interest." Leaving the Vorta in charge all "Whaaaaa...?" It also helped offset TheWorfEffect, given that he had gone through six increasingly brutal Jem'Hadar fights with minimal medical treatment and little rest.
** Even more awesome [[GeniusBonus for fans of TNG]] who would recognize what the Jem'Hadar said as an IronicEcho of what Worf said to Ba'el in "Birthright".

*** Both available [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acF2f3XLfCo for your viewing pleasure.]]
* Ben Sisko...
** ...surprising [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Q with a right hook]].
--->'''Q:''' (astonished) You hit me! Picard never hit me!
--->'''Sisko:''' ''I'm not Picard.''
*** Worth noting: Q ''never'' comes back to [=DS=]9 after this episode.
*** Also a bit of [[FridgeBrilliance Fridge Brilliance]] / {{Foreshadowing}} since Sisko is half-Prophet, and thus might ''actually'' be able to punch out Q.

** ...saving [=DS9=] and the entire Bajoran system from a NegativeSpaceWedgie in "If Wishes Were Horses" by simply saying that it doesn't exist. A moment later, the anomaly disappears.
** ...successfully, and completely unapologetically, [[strike: blackmailing]] [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord extorting]] Garak, one of the most [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastards]] in the entire ''franchise''.
--->'''Garak:''' Commander, this is extortion.\\
'''Sisko:''' Hm... [[BluntYes Yes, it is]]. \\
'''Garak (smiles):''' There is hope for you yet, Commander.

* Another meta-example is Aron Eisenberg's performance in "It's Only a Paper Moon." His portrayal of Nog's PTSD had combat veterans writing in to congratulate him.

* Can inanimate objects [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]]? If so, ''Deep Space Nine'' does in "The Way of the Warrior". The Klingon fleet enters into what [[UnwittingPawn Martok]] thinks will be a total CurbStompBattle against the decrepit space station... then [[HiddenWeapons panels start sliding open]] on the hull to reveal a ''[[BeamSpam shitload of hidden phaser banks]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre and torpedo launchers]]''. A glorious [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uidd41oaPCI slugfest ensues]].

** At one point, just before the station's new armaments are revealed, the Klingons initially dismiss the readings of the weaponry as "an illusion created with thoron fields and duranium shadows"--a CallBack to the pilot, where Major Kira bluffed a trio of Cardassian warships with a sensor illusion that showed the station as having 5000 photon torpedoes and integrated phaser banks on all levels. The Klingons are seeing the ''exact'' same readings now, but being [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingons]]--and in greater numbers than the Cardassians were in the pilot--they're more likely to call a bluff. This time, though, it ''isn't'' a bluff--the weapons are ''real''.

* She may have been a piece of work all her own, to the point of having betrayed everything that she was meant to stand for as Kai in the name of pursuing her own personal power and glory, but Winn's final act was attempting to destroy the Book of the Kosst Amojen, stopping the Pai-Wraiths and Dukat, and, when that fails, having just enough time to shout to Sisko what he needed to do to accomplish what she couldn't before her own demise. Not enough to qualify as RedemptionEqualsDeath, but still, worth noting that even in the face of her devils and certain death, she still managed to, this one time, do the right thing.

--> '''Sisko''': [[LetsGetDangerous Battle stations.]]

--> '''O'Brien:''' Major, remind me never to get into a game of Roladan Wild Draw with you.

--->'''Kira:''' That was stupid.//
'''Garak:''' Not at all. Damar has a certain... romanticism about the past. He can use a dose of cold water.//
'''Kira:''' I could have picked a better time.//

-->'''Worf''': Tell me what you think.//
'''Ezri''': Okay. I'm not sure you're going to like it.//
'''Worf''': Tell me.//
'''Ezri''': I think that the situation with Gowron is a symptom of a bigger problem. [[BrutalHonesty The Klingon Empire is dying, and I think it deserves to die.]]//
'''Worf''': [[TranquilFury ...You are right. I do not like it.]]//
'''Ezri''': Don't get me wrong, I'm very touched that you still consider me to be a member of the House of Martok. But, I tend to look at the Empire with a bit more skepticism than Curzon or Jadzia did. I see a society that is in deep denial about itself. We're talking about a warrior culture that prides itself on maintaining centuries-old traditions of honor and integrity, but in reality, [[{{Hypocrite}} it's willing to accept corruption at the highest levels.]]//
'''Worf''': You are overstating your case!//

-->'''Kira:''' That was stupid.
-->'''Garak:''' Not at all. Damar has a certain... romanticism about the past. He can use a dose of cold water.
-->'''Kira:''' I could have picked a better time.
-->'''Garak:''' If Damar is the man to lead a new Cardassia, if he's the man we hope him to be, then the pain of this news made him ''more'' receptive to what you said, not less.

-->'''Damar:''' He was my friend. But his Cardassia's dead...and it won't be coming back.

---> "...and so two years ago, our government signed a treaty with the Dominion. In it the Dominion promised to extend Cardassia's influence throughout the Alpha Quadrant. In exchange, we pledged ourselves to join the war against the Federation and its allies. Cardassians have never been afraid of war, a fact we've proven time and again over these past two years. Seven million of our brave soldiers have given their lives to fulfill our part of the agreement, and what has the Dominion done in return? Nothing. We've gained no new territories. In fact, our influence throughout the quadrant has diminished. And to make matters worse we are no longer masters in our own home. Travel anywhere on Cardassia and what do you find? Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and now Breen. Instead of the invaders we have become the invaded. Our 'allies' have conquered us without firing a single shot. Well, no longer. This morning detachments of the Cardassian First, Third and Ninth Orders attacked the Dominion outpost on Rondac III. This assault marks the first step towards the liberation of our homeland, from the true oppressors of the Alpha Quadrant. I call upon Cardassians everywhere. Resist. Resist today. Resist tomorrow. Resist till the last Dominion soldier has been driven from our soil!"

---> "Citizens of Cardassia, hear me! The Dominion told you that the rebellion has been crushed. What you have seen here today proves that that is yet another lie. Our fight for freedom continues! But it will take place here in the streets. I call on Cardassians everywhere to rise up, rise up and join me! I need you to be my army! If we stand together, nothing can oppose us. Freedom is ours for the taking!"

-->'''Kira:''' ''Don't you '''ever''' touch me again.''

---> '''Worf''': Tell me what you think.
---> '''Ezri''': Okay. I'm not sure you're going to like it.
---> '''Worf''': Tell me.
---> '''Ezri''': I think that the situation with Gowron is a symptom of a bigger problem. [[BrutalHonesty The Klingon Empire is dying, and I think it deserves to die.]]
---> '''Worf''': [[TranquilFury ...You are right. I do not like it.]]
---> '''Ezri''': Don't get me wrong, I'm very touched that you still consider me to be a member of the House of Martok. But, I tend to look at the Empire with a bit more skepticism than Curzon or Jadzia did. I see a society that is in deep denial about itself. We're talking about a warrior culture that prides itself on maintaining centuries-old traditions of honor and integrity, but in reality, [[{{Hypocrite}} it's willing to accept corruption at the highest levels.]]
---> '''Worf''': You are overstating your case!
---> '''Ezri''': Am I? [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Who was the last leader of the High Council that you respected? Has there even been one? And how many times have you had to cover up the crimes of Klingon leaders because you were told it was for the good of the Empire?]] I-I know this sounds harsh, but the truth is, you have been willing to accept a government that you know is corrupt. Gowron's just the latest example. Worf, you are the most honorable and decent man that I have ever met. And if you're willing to tolerate men like Gowron, then what hope is there for the Empire?

-->'''Kira:''' Dukat wanted the station back? He can have it.

'''Sisko:''' Hm... [[BluntYes Yes, it is]].

'''Garak:''' [[TastesLikeDiabetes Just like the Federation.]]\\

* In "Babel", even when Kira gets the virus, she's still as spry as ever, as opposed to everyone else who becomes droopy and lethargic.

* The entire episode "In The Pale Moonlight" of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' was Garak's crowning moment of awesome, but particularly after [[spoiler:faking a Dominion meeting and then blowing up a Romulan senator's ship]] so the Romulans would believe the Dominion did it and join the war on the Federation side:

*** Also a bit of [[FridgeBrilliance Fridge Brilliance]] / {{Foreshadowing}} since [[spoiler:Sisko is half-Prophet, and thus might ''actually'' be able to punch out Q]].

* "Apocalypse Rising" is one for Odo. Having been [[spoiler:made human by the Founders as a punishment for killing one of their own,]] Odo has a crisis of confidence where he ponders what good he is to the crew. Yet right as Worf is about to do battle with Gowron to expose him as a Changeling, it's Odo who, out of absolutely ''nowhere,'' deduces that [[spoiler:Martok]] is the real Changeling, who's been playing Gowron and the Klingons for who knows how long. A validating moment for Odo, and made even more awesome when an entire room of Klingons react to this revelation by pulling out their weapons and blasting the Changeling straight to Hell.

** The Dominion fleet introduced in Season 5 was pretty huge compared to anything seen before (thanks to CGI). But they outdid themselves again by showing the Federation-Klingon fleet with ''[[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/File:Second_Fleet.jpg hundreds]]'' of ships. And that's far from the only awesome moment from the episode; it's got [[spoiler:a last stand at the titular station while [[SaltTheEarth Salting The Earth]], an IShallReturn speech, and [[ItMakesSenseInContext the baseball as a symbolic warning]], along with pretty much every main character getting a moment to do something significant.]]

** Kira has one as well - when they figure out that the [[spoiler: Bashir]] changeling is planning to wipe out the combined Federation/Klingon/Romulan fleet by blowing up Bajor's sun, she orders the ''Defiant'' to make an in-system warp jump (something so risky even James T. Kirk only did it once) to intercept the stolen runabout, snags it with a tractor beam, and flings it away from the star before the bomb goes off.

* More of a SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome than anything else: In ''Valiant'', we get to see a DavidVersusGoliath match between a small, nimble warship and a massive heavily armed battleship. The captain decides to invoke PointDefenseless by ordering his crew to fly as close to the larger ship as they can. At one point, in the viewscreen, we can see that the ''Valiant'' actually flies ''through'' a gap in the larger ship's superstructure. [[spoiler: They still get their their butts kicked in the end, though.]]

* "Tacking Into The Wind": Ezri pointing out to Worf the hypocrisy of the Klingon Empire claiming to value honor while having such a horribly corrupt government. This leads Worf to the equally awesome moment of [[spoiler:finishing the job he started in TNG's "Reunion" and killing Gowron in honorable combat, then passing the title of Chancellor to Martok]] restoring honor to the Empire at long last.

* The Breen get possibly the highest of villainous awesome moments in the show during "The Changing Face Of Evil". How? [[spoiler: They ''single-handedly annihilate all but one of the 311 Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan ships sent to retake Chin'toka with a significantly smaller fleet'']], and they top it all off by [[spoiler:destroying the ''Defiant'' in what amounts to a OneHitKill]].
** The Breen get another one in that same episode when they manage [[spoiler: to pull off a sneak attack on ''Earth'' and severely damage Starfleet Headquarters]]. Even ''Martok'' is impressed, claiming it's something the Klingons themselves never even considered doing during their wars with the Federation.

---> '''Ezri''': Don't get me wrong, I'm very touched that you still consider me to be a member of the House of Martok. But, I tend to look at the Empire with a bit more skepticism than Curzon or Jadzia did. I see a society that is in deep denial about itself. We're talking about a warrior culture that prides itself on maintaining centuries-old traditions of honor and integrity, but in reality, [[Hypocrite it's willing to accept corruption at the highest levels.]]

---"'''BRAG ALL YOU WANT, BUT DON'T GET BETWEEN ME AND THE BLOODWINE!'''"

--->"You want to be gods, then ''[[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility be]]'' gods! I need a miracle. ''Bajor'' needs a miracle. ''Stop those ships!''"

* After Damar finds out in "Tacking Into the Wind" that the Dominion have killed his wife and children, he wonders what kind of people could give orders like that. Kira responds with a perfect [[NotSoDifferent "Yeah, Damar. What kind of people give those orders?"]]

** Sisko ([[TheCaptain of course]]), starts off the festivities when the ''Defiant'' faces down a Klingon ship that is harassing a cargo ship (commanded by Sisko's lady friend). When Sisko orders the Klingons to chill, the Klingon captain basically tells Sisko to shove off. Sisko responds by powering up the ''Defiant'' 's one-hit-and-your-ship-is-scraps weapons and threatening to fire on the Klingons. When the Klingon basically tells Sisko he won't dare, Sisko simply orders a shot across the Klingons' bow, gives him The Glare and orders weapons locked on his engines. The Klingon wisely backs down.
** Worf's BigEntrance, with a badass pan-up as he steps onto the station, is kind of awesome in and of itself. But then, Worf ''really'' gets in Boss Mode and establishes his rep on the station by bitch-slapping a Klingon who's raising a ruckus at Quark's, and then taking his honor blade after beating him up. Oh, yeah, the Klingon who got beat up is the son of FourStarBadass Martok, who isn't known for taking these things lying down.
*** Bonus points for backhanding him - which "Apocalypse Rising" establishes as a challenge to a duel to the death - and then not killing him once he's been defeated, adding extra insult to injury. Website/SFDebris sums it up thusly:
--->He couldn't make his point any more clear if he'd whipped it out and pissed all over the guy's unconscious face.
** After said beatdown, General Martok berates Worf for what he did, saying that he took away his son's honor. Worf's response? "[[TakeThat You cannot take what one does not have.]]"

'''Garak:''' Oh, but I think that there is! You see, when the Tal Shiar finishes examining the wreckage of Vreenak's shuttle, they'll find the burnt remnants of a Cardassian optolithic data rod that somehow miraculously survived the explosion. After painstaking forensic examination, they'll discover that the rod contains a recording of a high level Dominion meeting at which the invasion of Romulus was being planned.\\

* "Apocalypse Rising" is one for Odo. Having been [[spoiler:made human by the Founders as a punishment for killing one of their own,]] Odo has a crisis of confidence where he ponders what good he is to the crew. Yet right as Worf is about to do battle with Gowron to expose him as a Changeling, it's Odo who, out of absolutely ''nowhere,'' deduces that [[spoiler:Martok]] is the real Changeling, who's been playing Gowron and the Klingons for who knows how long. A validating moment for Odo, and made even more awesome when an entire room of Klingons react to this revelation by pulling out their weapons and blasting the Changling straight to Hell.

* In the fourth season premiere, Odo is warned that the invading Klingons will be trying to kill him specifically so they can be remembered for it in a battle song. Odo remarks that if a Klingon were to kill him, [[BadassBoast they would deserve an entire opera]]. During the siege he completely lives up to the statement.

** The biggest one comes ''after'' the fighting. During their initial offensive they took a number of Federation and Klingon worlds that the Dominion had occupied. Everyone was worried what the Romulans would do with them, because, as Odo pointed out, it's their usual policy to keep any planet they occupy in a war... And they just ''turned them over to their previous owners'' as soon as they showed up.

* In "By Inferno's Light", there is an easily overlooked but nonetheless profound CMOA where Garak's concerned. Namely, Garak goes back into the extremely cramped crawlspace to finish the plan to escape, despite having recently had a claustrophobic attack, and despite it being clear that he's extremely uneasy about having to go back in. General Martok and Worf even acknowledge how brave it is.
*** Counts doubly for the actor, Andrew Robinson, who is claustrophobic as well. '' He wasn’t acting. ''