History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E01TheSearchPartI

** Sisko, Bashir, and Kira get shot by the Jem'Hadar's weapons. Later seasons would show that the Dominion's weapons do not have a stun setting.
** The Defiant's bridge has a grey panel at eye level at each side station, meaning each crewmember has to crane their head in order to see those upper screens while sitting down. Later depictions of the Defiant's bridge has more computer screens that replaces the grey panels (indicating some kind of post-battle upgrade).

** Starfleet Command assigned Eddington to the station to look after Starfleet security issues as a result of his thumbing his nose at Starfleet rules, regulations and even laws since the start of the series. He alludes that this is just racism but Sisko notes that Starfleet likes team players - and so does he for that matter - and Odo always plays by his own rules in a subtle call forward to reveals in Part II.

** Starfleet Command assigned Eddington to DS9 to look after Starfleet security issues as a result of his thumbing his nose at Starfleet rules, regulations and even laws since the start of the series. He alludes that this is just racism but Sisko notes that Starfleet likes team players - and so does he for that matter - and Odo always plays by his own rules in a subtle call forward to reveals in Part II.

* PintSizedPowerhouse: Relatively speaking. The ''Defiant'' is by no means small, but she is much smaller than the ''Galaxy'' class starships, but her guns actually turn out to actually be more powerful than the phasers on larger ships.

* TheWorfEffect: Even the new SuperPrototype USS ''Defiant'' is ''still'' not enough against the Dominion! Somewhat justified, as this was her first outing, and Chief O'Brien has a long ways to go to fix ''all'' the problems on board. And to top it all off, the Jem'Hadar got a sucker punch against her while she was sitting with shields down under cloak that disabled their warp drive and caused major damage.

* FlawedPrototype: The ''Defiant'', a prototype for a completely new ship class that got mothballed before all the design flaws were fixed. She nearly flies herself apart because her engines are too powerful, her medical facilities are inadequate by Bashir's standards, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking her replicators can't make a decent cup of coffee]]! She predictably loses her first battle with the Jem'Hadar.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Odo is much crankier and meaner than his usual self. Justified in that he has been just effectively demoted from his position as head of station security, which he attributes to discrimination.

The crew of [=DS9=] eagerly await Commander Sisko's return from Earth while discussing the threat of the Dominion when they get a sudden surprise: a Federation starship decloaking just off the station! Sisko reveals that this is ''his'' baby: the USS ''Defiant'', a prototype of what is officially dubbed an "escort", but is essentially a weapons platform with warp engines. He had designed it to fight the Borg, but it was overpowered and unreliable, and mothballed when the Borg threat became less urgent. With the new threat of the Dominion, however, he's had it commissioned, and instructs Chief O'Brien to help work out the kinks. Its cloaking device is on loan from the Romulans, who have agreed to its use only in the Gamma Quadrant (aside from the stunt arriving at the station) in exchange for all intelligence they gather on the Dominion. And their first mission is to track down the homeworld of the Dominion's mysterious Founders.

Joining the crew for this mission are Subcommander T'Rul, the Romulan representative who will be responsible for the cloak, and Lt. Commander Michael Eddington, a new Starfleet security officer. Odo chafes at the idea of having Starfleet oversight on his job, and prepares to resign. Kira meets with Odo in private and tells him the Bajoran government has requested his presence on the mission, a claim Odo doesn't exactly believe, but Kira convinces him to participate anyway, since this would be a good opportunity to see if they can find more clues about his people. In the meantime, Sisko orders Quark to join the mission as well at the request of Grand Nagus Zek, due to Quark's experience negotiating with members of the Dominion. As the ship prepares to leave, Odo arrives to join up, but is less than thrilled to be stuck sharing quarters with Quark.

The ''Defiant'' apparently succeeds in eluding an anti-proton scan from a Jem'Hadar warship, and proceeds to the Karemma homeworld, where Quark makes inquiries about the Founders. The Karemman minister reveals that all contact with Dominion leadership is handled through a race called the Vorta, and he's reluctant to help them further. Sisko points out that not helping them could threaten the Karemma's trade alliance with the Ferengi, which could potentially upset the Founders, so the minister directs them to an unmanned relay station in the Callinon system. While studying the star chart, Odo is drawn to the Omarion Nebula, which is somehow familiar to him. Having fulfilled his duty to Sisko, Quark opts to stay behind to continue trade relations with the Karemma.

The ''Defiant'' reaches the relay station, but the crew finds it's a trap; Dax and O'Brien are stranded, and the ship is forced to evade the Jem'Hadar again, barely escaping. Odo in the meanwhile confesses his need to seek out the Omarion Nebula, but for the moment the mission comes first. The ship comes under fire as the Jem'Hadar have penetrated the cloak, and the ''Defiant'' is battered and boarded. Kira is knocked out, but Odo is able to rescue her and escape in a shuttlepod. When she comes to, she is chagrined to find that Odo is heading to the nebula instead of the wormhole, but it's too late to complain. Inside the nebula, they land on a rogue planet mostly covered by a familiar-looking fluid. Several humanoid forms who take on an appearance similar to Odo's emerge from the amber ocean; one of these Changelings, taking a female shape, addresses Odo:

-->'''"Welcome home."'''

'''''[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E02TheSearchPartII TO BE CONTINUED...]]'''''

* CharacterDevelopment: Bajor is definitely starting to grow on Sisko, as he gets his personal effects from storage and brings them to the station.
** The late Michael Piller stated this was the point in the show's run where they'd finally nailed down the core essence of Sisko's character: That he's a builder, that he stays with projects and sees them through. This is reflected in Jadzia's Wardroom conversation and recounting Curzon's thoughts on Sisko's career.

* ContinuityNod: The USS ''Defiant'' is named for the ship of the same name in the TOS episode "The Tholian Web". That earlier ''Defiant'' would go on to reappear in the ''Enterprise'' episode "In a Mirror, Darkly".

** Odo gets a new uniform, based on Mirror!Odo's outfit from "Crossover." It includes a belt that he would only wear for the next five episodes.

* PintSizedPowerhouse: Relatively speaking. The ''Defiant'' is by no means small but she is much smaller than the ''Galaxy'' class starships, but her guns actually turn out to actually be more powerful than the phasers on larger ships.

* WhatAPieceOfJunk: The ''Defiant''. Everyone sees her as [[TheAllegedCar The Alleged Starship]] until her trial by fire.
* TheWorfEffect: Even the new SuperPrototype USS ''Defiant'' is ''still'' not enough against the Dominion! Somewhat justified, as this was her first outing and Chief O'Brien has a long ways to go to fix ''all'' the problems on board. And to top it all off, the Jem'Hadar got a sucker punch against her while she was sitting with shields down under cloak that disabled their warp drive and caused major damage.

* FlawedPrototype: The ''Defiant''. She nearly flies herself apart because her engines are too powerful, her medical facilities are inadequate by Bashir's standards, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking her replicators can't make a decent cup of coffee]]!

* RealityEnsues: The ''Defiant'' was a prototype for a completely new ship class that got mothballed before all the design flaws were fixed. Since nobody had the change to fix all the design flaws, the ''Defiant'' loses her first battle with the Jem'Hadar.
** Odo's stubborn, maverick approach to Station Security, combined with the mounting threats of the Dominion and the Maquis, finally leads Starfleet Command to override Sisko and appoint a Starfleet Sec

* RealityEnsues: The ''Defiant'' was a prototype for a completely new ship class that got mothballed before all the design flaws were fixed. Since nobody had the change to fix all the design flaws, the ''Defiant'' loses her first battle with the Jem'Hadar

* StaffOfAuthority: Sisko produces the Sceptre of the Grand Nagus' to [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse convince Quark to come on the mission]]. He even makes Quark kiss the Sceptre just to troll him.

* EnemyMine: The Federation takes the Dominion threat seriously enough to do a deal with the Romulans, acquiring a cloaking device for the ''Defiant'' at the price of having a Romulan observer on board.

* GodzillaThreshold: The Borg were such a threat that Starfleet started work on a new type of ship that was designed for combat and nothing else.

* StaffOfAuthority: Sisko brings the Grand Nagus' staff with him to help convince Quark to come on the mission.

* TheWorfEffect: Even the new SuperPrototype USS ''Defiant'' is ''still'' not enough against the Dominion! Somewhat justified, as this was her first outing and Chief O'Brien has a long ways to go to fix ''all'' the problems on board.

* ImNotHereToMakeFriends: T'Rul. Eddington does the opposite.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler: Everything Odo says regarding Eddington, that Starfleet has replaced Odo because Eddington is loyal and they don't trust the shapeshifting Odo becomes this once Eddington is revealed to be a Marquis traitor.]]