History Awesome / StarTrekDeepspaceNine

* 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.

** 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.
* Quark during "The Siege of AR-558," gives a {{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.

* In the episode "Once More Unto the Breach" of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', aging, washed-up Klingon warrior Kor [[HeroicSacrifice takes on ten Jem'Hadar ships in a suicide delaying action in order to allow the rest of the Klingon ships to escape]]...after [[MoreExpendableThanYou knocking out Worf, who was originally supposed to take the mission]], with a hypospray. Before departing, he tells the unconscious Worf that he will find Worf's dead wife, Jadzia, in the afterlife, and assure her that her husband is a noble warrior who still loves no one but her. Doing this also allows Kor [[AGoodWayToDie to die a Klingon's death: in battle, not in dotage]]. At this sacrifice, Martok, who had denigrated Kor as a useless has-been for most of the story, proposes a toast to Kor: "A noble warrior to the end." To the Klingons, there is no higher compliment.

* BothGarak and Sisko get one when they devise a way to warn Cardassians of impending Klingon invasion. More awesome for Garak, because he was able to geta head of Cardassian military who absolutely hates him to sit down and listen. Getting a hold of Dukat in the first place is awesome moment itself. It is as if exiled nobody German spy who Hitler hates called Hitler's personal cellphone number from Puerto Rico, told him USSR is going to invade with a third of their military and that he has a day to counteract that or die. And Space Hitler listened.

'''Garak:''' ...Think of them both as tragic victims of war.\\

'''Garak:''' Precisely. And the more the Dominion protests its innocence, the more the Romulans will believe they're guilty, because it's ''exactly'' what the Romulans would have done in their place. That's why you came to me. Isn't it, Captain? Because you knew I could do those things that you weren't capable of doing. Well, it worked. And you'll get what you want: a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal..... and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain.

--->"I lied; I cheated; I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men; I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all is... I think I can live with it. And if I'd have to do it all over again... I would. Garak was right about one thing...a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So I will learn to live with it...because I can live with it. [beat] [[HeelRealization I]] ''[[HeelRealization can]]'' [[HeelRealization live with it...]] Computer, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark erase that entire personal log.]]"

'''Garak (smiles):''' There is hope for you yet, Commander.of '

** 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.

* 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."

--->'''Quark:''' What do you think [about root beer]?\\
'''Garak:''' [[ForeignQueasine It's vile!]]\\

%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Season 6]]
* "Sacrifice of Angels" the Klingon fleet arrives out of the sun and swings the battle against the Dominion.
* 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 entire battle to re-take Deep Space Nine back from the Dominion. The Federation started the battle already outnumbered and then ran into such tricks as the Dominion fighters picking off their backup and using an EMP to jam communications. And the crazy thing is Sisko remains so steadfast and resolved that even though the battle quickly fails, he actually kicks the Dominion's ass long enough for the Klingons to arrive and lend reinforcements. Star Trek's ultimate failure is that they didn't do more with a Captain who clearly very nearly rivals Kirk and Picard for top Starship Commander in the entire Starfleet.
** And of course, there's the arrival of the Klingon fleet, doing their best BigDamnHeroes moment, posed with a sun behind them. Always count on a Klingon to make a dramatic entrance.

** What looks like 60 Klingon ships chase them all the way back to the station and order the Cardassians handed over. When Sisko refuses they threaten to pulverize the "decrepit" station. As another troper above states, panels start unlocking and gun ports emerge; and you realize that Deep Space Nine is armed. To the ''teeth''. Sisko gives a smirk that almost says, [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi "Now....witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational BATTLE-station!"]]

--->'''Gowron:''' ...It is we who shall stand down.

* 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.

* There is also the description of Garak's best interrogation ever, he just sat and looked at the guy...for four hours.

* 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.* 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.
*** Then you have Kira's involvement. Considering ''her'' BackStory with Cardassians, her urging after Damar's LastWords, essentially saying, "You heard the man", revolution comes full circle.

** 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.* 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 The Pale Moonlight" Sisko successfully, and completely unapologetically, [[strike: blackmailing]] [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord extorting]] Garak, one of the most [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastards]] in the entire ''franchise''. Also a [[CallBack]] to a similar moment in Season 3’s "Second Skin"

* "In The Pale Moonlight" Sisko successfully, and completely unapologetically, [[strike: blackmailing]] [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord extorting]] Garak, one of the most [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastards]] in the entire ''franchise''.

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

** 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 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''.

[[folder:Season 4]]
* In "To the Death." The DS( crew 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:

[[folder:The Way Of The Warrior]]

[[AC: "The Way Of The Warrior"]]
* 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://youtu.be/apP-4wNr2zg?t=44 slugfest ensues]].
--> '''Gowron:''' You're like an toothless old ''grishnar'' cat, trying to frighten us with your roar.
--> '''Sisko:''' I assure you, this 'old cat' isn't as toothless as you think.
** That same glorious slugfest is made all the more impressive when you realize that the majority of it is filmed with studio models, not CGI battleships. Definitely a Crowning Moment for the guys working behind the scenes of the show as well.
** Also a CallBack to the first episode (see below).
* Apparently the producers of ''Deep Space Nine'' decided to create a two-hour episode that was basically just every character taking turns on the "Doing Unbelievably Awesome Shit" carousel.
** Sisko 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. After the 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.]]"
** Certified ActionGirl Jadzia Dax actually being able to last more than four seconds against Worf using a bat'leth.
** Worf is summoned by Gowron after the Klingons have officially broken from the Khitomer Accords, calling on Worf to join him in the assault on Cardassia. Worf refuses, which, as Gowron points out, means that the House of Mogh will officially be dissolved, their seat on the High Council revoked, their lands seized, in effect his place (and the place of his brother and son) taken from him. Worf still refuses. All the more awesome and meaningful given the effort that Worf went to in the name of clearing his father's name, leading to Gowron having it reinstated in the course of the episode "Redemption," only to now see it taken - and again, in the name of honor. As previously established, Worf is frequently a better Klingon than other Klingons in obeying the demands of honor, rather than the perception of it.
** The ''Defiant''[='=]s BigDamnHeroes moment when it rescues Gul Dukat and the Cardassian civilian government, while being attacked by three Klingon Birds-of-Prey and one ''Vor'cha''-class cruiser.
** What looks like 60 Klingon ships chase them all the way back to the station and order the Cardassians handed over. When Sisko refuses they threaten to pulverize the "decrepit" station. As another troper above states, panels start unlocking and gun ports emerge; and you realize that Deep Space Nine is armed. To the ''teeth''. Sisko gives a smirk that almost says, [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi "Now....witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational BATTLE-station!"]]
** With calls for their surrender and their very old space station surrounded by dozens of very powerful warships, Sisko has only two words in response.
---> '''Sisko''': [[LetsGetDangerous Battle stations.]]
** 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''.
** And now comes one of the most awesome moments in the history of filmed ''Franchise/StarTrek''. The Klingons attempt to blast the station, and just like Sisko promised, the station fights back, unleashing 5000 torpedoes and skewering the Klingons with its phasers. But that's not where it gets good. The Klingons punch a hole in the shields and start beaming onto the station in waves to take it over...
** ... We get a near 10-minute scene in which every single duty officer, including the no name extras, goes blow-for-blow with the Klingons. Such gems include:
*** Sisko (really, who else) backhanding Klingons and sending them flying. Then he takes a bat'leth and sucker punches another.
*** Kira gets knifed in the back and merely [[NoSell PULLS THE KNIFE OUT]] AND THEN JUDO CHOPS THE KLINGON WHO STABBED HER.
*** Bashir, who you figure would be hiding in the sickbay, is actually running around the station picking off Klingons with his phaser. (Which itself is a bit of [[FridgeBrilliance brilliant]] {{Foreshadowing}}.)
*** Odo living up to his statement that any Klingon able to take him down would [[BadAssBoast deserve an entire Klingon Opera]] dedicated to them.
*** Dax is battling at least four Klingons with a bat'leth, while Worf is literally doing the same against about a dozen Klingons, with ease.
*** AND {{Offhand Backhand}}s an attacking Klingon with his mek'leth, getting him in the gut without even looking in his direction.
*** Gul Dukat and Garak are in a hallway fighting the Klingons 2 against 10, and '''winning'''! [[TeethClenchedTeamwork ...All while bitching at each other]].
*** The anonymous Bajoran and Starfleet security forces on the station get their own moments too, doing plenty to help repel the Klingon boarders.
** And when all is said and done, the crew manages to stop the Klingon boarding parties. Sisko then gets on the horn and tells the Klingons to beat it, before they beat them worse. That fact that it persuades Gowron to stand down is itself pretty awesome.
--->'''Gowron:''' Captain, your shields have been weakened, your station boarded, and more Klingon ships are on the way. Surrender while you still can!
--->'''Sisko:''' I don't think so. My shields are holding, your boarding parties are contained, and ''my'' reinforcements are closer than yours. You're facing a war on two fronts, is that what you ''really'' want?!
--->'''Worf:''' The Empire is not strong enough to fight the Federation and the Cardassians! End this now, Gowron, before you lead the Empire to its worst defeat in history!
--->'''Martok:''' We will ''not'' surrender!
--->'''Sisko:''' This is ''exactly'' what the Founders want! Klingon against Cardassian! Federation against Klingon! The more we fight each other, the weaker we'll get and the less chance we have against the Dominion!
--->'''Worf:''' Consider what you do here, Gowron! Kahless himself said "Destroying an empire to win a war ''is no victory''"!
--->'''Gowron:''' "And ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat".
--->'''Martok:''' We can still win!
--->'''Sisko:''' Not before those starships get here! Now what do you want me to tell them: to stand down or to come in firing?
--->'''Gowron:''' ...It is we who shall stand down.
--->'''Martok:''' *swears in Klingon*
--->'''Gowron:''' Enough. Cease fire! Order our ships in Cardassian territory to halt their advance! I do not intend to hand victory to the Dominion! But let your people know: the Klingon Empire will remember what has happened here! You have sided against us in battle, and this we do not forgive! *to Worf* ''Or forget''.
** And the episode is topped off with Worf getting moved to the Command division and taking his permanent place on Deep Space Nine.
** In the middle of the battle, the camera cuts to Martok and Gowron. The dialogue is in Klingon, but if you know what they say, it makes the crew of PunyEarthlings that much more badass.
--->'''Martok:''' "They fight like Klingons!"
--->'''Gowron:''' "Then let them die like Klingons!"
** And while all this ass-kicking is going on, TheFederation itself gets one (albeit one that's [[ActionFilmQuietDramaScene more dramatic than dynamic]]) in a quiet conversation between two characters who are normally the first ones to criticise it. Even they can't deny that for all the Federation's hypocrisies and blind spots, it has a nasty habit of winning - not just wars, but arguments as well.
--->'''Quark:''' What do you think [about root beer]?\\
'''Garak:''' [[ForeignQueasine It's vile!]]\\
'''Quark:''' I know. It's so bubbly and cloying and happy.\\
'''Garak:''' [[SickeninglySweet Just like the Federation.]]\\
'''Quark:''' But you know what's really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to like it.\\
'''Garak:''' It's insidious.\\
'''Quark:''' [[HumanityIsInfectious Just like the Federation...]]\\
'''Garak:''' Do you think they'll be able to save us?\\
'''Quark:''' I hope so.
[[/folder]]

* 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.

--->"'''BRAG ALL YOU WANT, BUT DON'T GET BETWEEN ME AND THE BLOODWINE!'''"* On the part of the production team: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwi5rIF0h8I Trials and Tribble-ations]].
** Sisko and Dax not only save Kirk, Spock, [=McCoy=], Lurry, and Baris; they also [[BeyondTheImpossible save a TOS]] RedShirt!

* "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.

* "For the Cause" Kasidy Yates may be in command of a cargo freighter and not a starship, but she proves her worthiness to stand alongside any other captain in the franchise when, after Sisko and the Defiant bust her and her ship for smuggling medical supplies to the Maquis, but, because of the Maquis raiding supplies off the station, he leaves her behind, giving her the opportunity to run away, she instead drops off her crew with the Maquis and returns to take the full weight and responsibility of her actions. She is the captain, they followed her orders. She returned, knowing she'd be arrested for it. And, for heartwarming points, she also did it to be able to return to Sisko, the man who she loves.
** Sisko making a solemn vow to [[TheMole Eddington]] to hunt him to the ends of the universe if necessary.
---> "You know what, Mr. Eddington? I don't give a damn what you think of the Federation, the Maquis, or anything else. All I know is that you betrayed your oath, your duty, and me, and if it takes me the rest of my life, I will see you standing before a court martial that'll break you, and send you to a penal colony where you will spend the rest of your days growing old, and wondering whether a ship full of replicators was ''really worth it...''"
*** Eddington himself had his own crowning moment just prior to that:
---->'''Eddington:''' "Why is the Federation so obsessed about the Maquis? We've never harmed you. And yet we're constantly arrested and charged with terrorism... Starships chase us through the Badlands... and our supporters are harassed and ridiculed. Why? Because we've left the Federation, and that's the one thing you can't accept. Nobody leaves paradise. Everyone should want to be in the Federation. Hell, you even want the Cardassians to join. You're only sending them replicators so that one day they can take their 'rightful place' on the Federation Council." [beat] "You know, in some ways you're ''worse than the Borg.'' At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You're more insidious... you assimilate people and they don't even know it."

* "For the Cause" Kasidy Yates may be in command of a cargo freighter and not a starship, but she proves her worthiness to stand alongside any other captain in the franchise when, after Sisko and the Defiant bust her and her ship for smuggling medical supplies to the Maquis, but, because of the Maquis raiding supplies off the station, he leaves her behind, giving her the opportunity to run away, she instead drops off her crew with the Maquis and returns to take the full weight and responsibility of her actions. She is the captain, they followed her orders. She returned, knowing she'd be arrested for it. And, for heartwarming points, she also did it to be able to return to Sisko, the man who she loves.

** ...making a solemn vow to [[TheMole Eddington]] to hunt him to the ends of the universe if necessary.
---> "You know what, Mr. Eddington? I don't give a damn what you think of the Federation, the Maquis, or anything else. All I know is that you betrayed your oath, your duty, and me, and if it takes me the rest of my life, I will see you standing before a court martial that'll break you, and send you to a penal colony where you will spend the rest of your days growing old, and wondering whether a ship full of replicators was ''really worth it...''"
*** Eddington himself had his own crowning moment just prior to that:
---->'''Eddington:''' "Why is the Federation so obsessed about the Maquis? We've never harmed you. And yet we're constantly arrested and charged with terrorism... Starships chase us through the Badlands... and our supporters are harassed and ridiculed. Why? Because we've left the Federation, and that's the one thing you can't accept. Nobody leaves paradise. Everyone should want to be in the Federation. Hell, you even want the Cardassians to join. You're only sending them replicators so that one day they can take their 'rightful place' on the Federation Council." [beat] "You know, in some ways you're ''worse than the Borg.'' At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You're more insidious... you assimilate people and they don't even know it."
** ...dropping the jaws of every single viewer and every member of his crew (including [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf]]) by backing up his promise to hunt Eddington down by any means necessary.
---> '''Sisko:''' Commander, launch torpedoes.
---> ''[Worf hesitates]''
---> '''Sisko:''' ''Commander,'' I said '''''launch torpedoes!'''''

** ...savagely beating a Klingon mercenary who's trying to abduct Dax.


** ...making the ''Defiant''. Sisko wanted a ship to kill Borg. So he made one. The result is Starfleet's first warship class (and a reminder why it's a good thing for other powers that Starfleet doesn't regularly design them), and one of the coolest ships in the franchise.
** ...taking over the Mirror Defiant's controls and running rings around a Klingon dreadnought.

** ...putting Jadzia back on track when she angrily refuses to marry Worf.
--->'''Jadzia:''' Save your breath. Worf went too far and now it's over. Do you know what he wanted me to do? He wanted me to go ''crawling'' on my hands and knees to Sirella and beg her forgiveness. ''Beg'' her! ''Me!'' I was once the Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire! I negotiated the Khitomer Accords before Worf was even ''born!''
--->'''Sisko:''' '''''Curzon''''' negotiated the Accords! And I've got news for you, old man... you're not Curzon anymore!
--->'''Jadzia:''' What the hell is ''that'' supposed to mean?
--->'''Sisko:''' It means you can't expect Sirella to treat you like Curzon just because you carry his memories. To her, you're just a young woman who's decided to marry into her family. If you have to get down on your knees and kiss Sirella's boots, then that's what you have to do. And you ''know'' that. From the moment you decided to marry Worf, you've known that sooner or later, you'd have to bow down and show her the respect she's due.
*** And after hitting her with the [[WhamLine Wham Lines]], he deliberately softens and reminds Jadzia that she's in love with Worf.
** ...acting like a convincing Klingon for an undercover op in "Apocalypse Rising". He even beats up a Klingon who killed a friend of his and claims that the guy was keeping him from the bloodwine, further reinforcing his Klingon persona.
--->"'''BRAG ALL YOU WANT, BUT DON'T GET BETWEEN ME AND THE BLOODWINE!'''"
** ...doing just about anything, really.
*** He did get one moment even then, when he called B.S. on the Prophets' noninterference claims, forcing them to make that Dominion fleet go away.
---> Wherever they went, I don't think they're coming back...
*** [[VideoGame/StarTrekOnline Well not for 35 years anyway...]]

* Dr. Bashir gets his moment in a holodeck episode where it seems likely that the program will cause at least some of the main crew to die. Garak tells Bashir that he's going to cut his losses and run, causing Bashir to pull a gun on Garak. Garak claims that Bashir would [[YouWouldntShootMe never be able to shoot him]]... right before Bashir actually does.
-->'''Garak''': That...was ''awfully'' close. What if you'd ''killed'' me?
-->'''Bashir''': What makes you think I wasn't trying?
** [[https://www.youtube.com/user/mrs260#p/u/5/RpR6iNBZdhw As can be seen at 2:20,]] although Garak's preceding speech of 'knowing when to quit' is good too.
** His solution to that problem is sheer [=CMoA=], too. You can just imagine the holodeck program try to make sense of someone deliberately screwing up the endgame after getting this far and just giving up and trying to kill him anyway, because, presumably, the programmer did not actually consider 'good guy destroys the world' as likely behavior for that holonovel. For a second, it may seem that it was 'out of character' for the bad guy to continue to try to kill him, but consider that the player had gone completely OffTheRails. You have to wonder how that 'episode' would have ended if he'd continued to play, or if Bashir was about to get a NonStandardGameOver by getting shot without any escape because he'd already 'lost'.
** Bonus points for Garak's reaction after Bashir's one-liner - "Well, who am I to argue with Julian Bashir, secret agent? ''Lead on!"'' It's a mix of "he's completely insane but let's roll with it" and "I am ''so'' turned on right now."
* In the episode "Once More Unto the Breach" of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', aging, washed-up Klingon warrior Kor [[HeroicSacrifice takes on ten Jem'Hadar ships in a suicide delaying action in order to allow the rest of the Klingon ships to escape]]...after [[MoreExpendableThanYou knocking out Worf, who was originally supposed to take the mission]], with a hypospray. Before departing, he tells the unconscious Worf that he will find Worf's dead wife, Jadzia, in the afterlife, and assure her that her husband is a noble warrior who still loves no one but her. Doing this also allows Kor [[AGoodWayToDie to die a Klingon's death: in battle, not in dotage]]. At this sacrifice, Martok, who had denigrated Kor as a useless has-been for most of the story, proposes a toast to Kor: "A noble warrior to the end." To the Klingons, there is no higher compliment.

* Rom had one of his first in "Facets", when he confronts Quark after learning that his brother sabotaged Nog's test that would qualify him for Starfleet. After shoving Quark against the wall, Rom threatens to burn Quark's bar down if he ever hurts Nog again, telling his brother that his son's happiness is more important to him than anything, including latinum.
* Rom's balls [[TookALevelInBadass take 47 levels in badass]] in "Bar Association" when, fed up with Quark's abuse, forms a labor union and throws all of Quark's insults back in his face.

* Not a character one, but at the end of "Call to Arms" when the USS ''Defiant'' and IKS ''Rotarran'' join up with a massive Federation fleet.
** 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 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.
*** The SaltTheEarth moment is notable for the nonchalant way Kira and Odo look over Ops as the 'gift' left for the Dominion has every console blow up in spectacular fashion.
---->'''Kira:''' Dukat wanted the station back? He can have it.
** And before that, when the Starfleet ships try to force their way past the Dominion fleet. Highlights of the battle include a pair of ''Galaxy''-class starships unloading their phaser banks in a series of point-blank broadsides against a hapless Cardassian cruiser and the ''Defiant'' sailing through the battle escorted by a pair of ''Miranda''-class starships. Even the ''Miranda''s' sudden destruction managed to be a Special Effects moment of awesome. And then once it seems that the situation is hopeless for the Starfleet ships, [[TheCavalry cue the Klingons.]]
** Before the battle, when the crew realizes how badly the odds are stacked against them, it would make sense for them to back down and live to fight another day. But then, that's not an option due to the short deadline before the Dominion can bring reinforcements through the Wormhole. [[ThoseTwoGuys O'Brien and Bashir]] proceed to recite a verse from Alfred Lord Tennyson's ''Charge of the Light Brigade'' before being shushed. Despite the poem being about a SelfDestructiveCharge that got everyone killed, it comes off as a BadassBoast.
--->''Cannon to right of them,''
--->''Cannon to left of them,''
--->''Cannon in front of them''
--->''Volley'd and thunder'd;''
--->''Storm'd at with shot and shell,''
--->''Boldly they rode and well,''
--->''Into the jaws of Death,''
--->''Into the mouth of Hell''
--->''Rode the six hundred.''
* When the Cardassian fleet turns against the Dominion in the finale "What You Leave Behind.". Aside from violently opposing being used as cannon fodder to those who treat them like dirt, it's a very rare moment to see Cardassian warships be badass, popping Jem'hadar and Breen ships left and right, whereas usually they've been the underdog in space engagements.

* The entire battle to re-take Deep Space Nine back from the Dominion. The Federation started the battle already outnumbered and then ran into such tricks as the Dominion fighters picking off their backup and using an EMP to jam communications. And the crazy thing is Sisko remains so steadfast and resolved that even though the battle quickly fails, he actually kicks the Dominion's ass long enough for the Klingons to arrive and lend reinforcements. Star Trek's ultimate failure is that they didn't do more with a Captain who clearly very nearly rivals Kirk and Picard for top Starship Commander in the entire Starfleet.
** And of course, there's the arrival of the Klingon fleet, doing their best BigDamnHeroes moment, posed with a sun behind them. Always count on a Klingon to make a dramatic entrance.


* On the part of the production team: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwi5rIF0h8I Trials and Tribble-ations]].
** Sisko and Dax not only save Kirk, Spock, [=McCoy=], Lurry, and Baris; they also [[BeyondTheImpossible save a TOS]] RedShirt!

* Odo discovers an elderly Klingon in a restricted area. Namely, Odo's own holding cells (visitor's area).
-->'''Odo:''' How did you get in here?
-->'''Koloth:''' I am Koloth.
-->'''Odo:''' That doesn't answer my question.
-->'''Koloth:''' Yes, it does.

* Kasidy Yates may be in command of a cargo freighter and not a starship, but she proves her worthiness to stand alongside any other captain in the franchise when, after Sisko and the Defiant bust her and her ship for smuggling medical supplies to the Maquis, but, because of the Maquis raiding supplies off the station, he leaves her behind, giving her the opportunity to run away, she instead drops off her crew with the Maquis and returns to take the full weight and responsibility of her actions. She is the captain, they followed her orders. She returned, knowing she'd be arrested for it. And, for heartwarming points, she also did it to be able to return to Sisko, the man who she loves.

* A low-stakes one has Quark inducing paranoia in Garak while having his clothes measured: Garak worried that Ziyal might want to betray and kill him. Then, after Kira gives Garak an IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer speech with regards to Ziyal, he is convinced that Ziyal ''does not'' want to kill him and, thus, that it is safe for him to go on the date, which he explains to Quark while fixing his pants because they were "too long". That lasts all of ten seconds, as Quark mentions that this may be part of the plan and explains that this might have been a ruse to lull Garak into a false sense of security, ending with "Nah. Too complicated". Seeing as ''nothing'' is too complicated for Garak, he goes back to being quetly terrified. At which point, of course, Quark complains that the pants are now too short.