[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ds9_emissary102.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Not the ''smoothest'' passing of the torch you'll ever see...]]
Following a 60 year occupation, the Cardassian Empire has withdrawn from Bajor, leaving behind a planet stripped of many of its natural resources and a population scarred by decades of subjugation and mistreatment. The Federation has agreed to help the planet rebuild, and to this end, it will be sharing command of the abandoned Cardassian space station Terok Nor (now renamed Deep Space Nine) with the Bajorans.

Commander Benjamin Sisko is assigned the duty of commanding the station, though it is not an enviable assignment. The station was torn to shreds by the Cardassians before their departure, and the few remaining residents are thinking about leaving as well. The resident Bajorans are largely distrustful of Sisko and the Federation, a sentiment echoed by his willful new Bajoran first officer, Kira. Sisko has his work cut out for him in putting the pieces back together, forging trust between the residents, and building a working space station.

But Sisko has his own problems. He still mourns the loss of his wife at the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds Battle of Wolf 359]], which is aggravated by the presence of Jean-Luc Picard to perform the official handoff. Picard was under the saw of the Borg during the attack, and Sisko still blames him for it.

But everything changes when Sisko takes a short trip around the Bajoran system in a Runabout. He and his old friend, and science officer Dax, discover a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, but on the return journey, Sisko is captured by the aliens who live inside the Wormhole, who dump Dax back on [=DS9=]. While Sisko tries to explain the nature of linear time and corporeal existence to the {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s, the crew on the station must race to move it to protect the wormhole from the Cardassians, who are on their way back with a renewed interest in Bajor.

Sisko ultimately managed to broker a peace with the residents of the wormhole. Along the way, he's also dubbed the "Emissary of the Prophets" by the Bajorans. Finding himself at the center of such momentous events, Sisko reaffirms his commitment to Starfleet and his mission at Deep Space Nine.
----
!!Tropes

* AbandonShip: Sisko, Jake, and crew of the ''Saratoga'' at Wolf 359.
* ActionPrologue: Wolf 359. [[CurbStompBattle It does not go well for the Federation.]]
* ActorAllusion: Bashir using Odo to clamp a wound references ''[[Film/{{Mash}} M*A*S*H]]'', where Rene Auberjonois' Father Mulcahy is forced to do the same thing. [[note]] We're talking about the movie here, not the [[Series/{{Mash}} TV show]].[[/note]]
* AffablyEvil: [[Characters/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineGulDukat Gul Dukat]]. "Evil" might be a stretch based on his behavior in this episode (later backstory will show he was essentially Hitler to the Bajorans), but he is legitimately friendly and respectful - whilst simultaneously making subtle threats at Sisko.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Overlaps with YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm in a rather hilarious way when you think about it: Unlike most stories, where the aliens take form so the human can relate to them, when the Wormhole Aliens take the humanoid forms, it's not for Ben Sisko's benefit: the whole story is about ''them'' trying to figure out ''him!''
* AllBeerIsAle: RecycledInSpace with the Bajorans drinking ''synthale'', their version of synthehol. Quark doesn't think much of it, commenting that you should "never trust ale from a god-fearing people." Clearly Earth's monks could teach them a thing or two.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: A variation as the episode ends with the main characters dealing with the myriad petty issues involved in running a space station, rather than setting off on another adventure.
* ArmorPiercingResponse: At their first meeting, Picard notices that Sisko is a barely restrained bundle of rage. He asks the Commander if they've met before (the subtext being Picard inquiring if he has offended Sisko), and when Sisko grits out that he was on the ''Saratoga'' at Wolf 359, Picard is visibly staggered.[[note]]Given how much everyone has been reminding him that he isn't at fault for Locutus's actions, this may be the first time that someone besides himself has blamed him for what happened.[[/note]]
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: During his time interacting with the Prophets, Sisko is repeatedly drawn back to the scene of his wife's death while trying to explain the concept of linear time to them. Despite his insistence that he doesn't want to relive the memory, the Prophets keep asking him one thing:
-->"Then why do you exist here?"
* ArsonMurderAndAdmiration: Odo approves when Sisko uses the threat of Nog's incarceration to stop Quark from shutting down his business. Given the amount of times Odo will blackmail or threaten Quark into doing his bidding in future, it's not surprising.
-->'''Odo:''' You know, at first, I didn't think I was going to like him.
* AscendedExtra: Miles O'Brien ascends to the main cast of this show.
* AuthorAppeal: [[https://twitter.com/writergeekrhw/status/1263213882467684352 According]] to Robert Hewitt Wolfe, series co-creator Creator/MichaelPiller was a ''massive'' baseball fan. This inspired Sisko and Jake's beloved family hobby (and the iconic scene of Sisko using the sport to explain linear time to the Prophets).
* BabyFeverTrigger: A flashback reveals that what inspired Jennifer and Benjamin Sisko to have Jake was hearing two kids happily playing.
* BadassBoast: [[ActionGirl Kira]] delivers one to Gul Jassad that makes O'Brien vow to never play [[{{Calvinball}} Roladan Wild Draw]] with her.
* BarFullOfAliens: Quark's is a looted mess when first seen, but 'Community Leader Quark' soon has it up and running again.
* BizarreAlienBiology:
** Odo. His default form is revealed to be a puddle of golden-orange goo. He is apparently able to change size, shape and mass at will.
** The Wormhole aliens later revealed to be the Prophets of the Celestial Temple are so completely different from corporeal, linear life forms that it takes them a while to accept that such a thing could exist.
* BleakBorderBase: [=DS9=], especially after the Cardassians trashed it. Of course, all that's about to change...
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Happens to several civilians when the Cardassians attack the station.
* BrandishmentBluff: Unfortunately the Cardassian commander isn't willing to wait for backup and attacks anyway.
* CallBack:
** [[NaiveNewcomer Doctor Bashir]] expresses doubt that the Cardassians would attack a Federation outpost. Chief O'Brien, a veteran of the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E12TheWounded Border Wars]], corrects him.
** Before meeting Major Kira for the first time, O'Brien asks Sisko if he's ever worked with a Bajoran woman before, likely referring to Ensign Ro. May double as a MythologyGag, as the show creators originally intended to have Ro as a main character on Deep Space Nine, but actress Michelle Forbes didn't want to commit to a full series.
** This isn't the first time that [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E13DejaQ someone uses a low-level subspace field to make a heavy object lighter and easier to push]]. As O'Brien was still on the ''Enterprise''-D at that point, he may very well have gotten the idea from this incident.
** The wormhole is stated to be the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E8ThePrice first stable wormhole Starfleet has encountered]].
* CaptainsLog: Sisko has a "Station Log", and Kira later does a "First Officer's Log" when Sisko is missing.
* CatchPhrase: The wormhole aliens have a habit of asking "What is this?" when Sisko tries to explain linear existence.
* ConsummateProfessional: Sisko doesn't want this assignment, doesn't want to raise his child here, and certainly doesn't want to be reminded of Jennifer's death by meeting Picard again. But he makes it clear that until he ''does'' leave Starfleet, he'll be doing his job to the best of his ability.
* ContemplateOurNavels: The whole long sequence, where Sisko explains the circumstances of existing in linear time to the Prophets, is effectively him trying to get them to understand what a navel is.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Wolf 359, as [[ForegoneConclusion the viewers of TNG already know]]. All the Federation ships' phaser fire [[NoSell doesn't even scratch the Borg cube]]. Said cube, by comparison, fires exactly ''three'' shots on-screen: the first one totally disintegrates the saucer section of an ''Excelsior''-class ship; the second catastrophically damages the ''Saratoga'', thus killing nearly everyone on-board, setting off a warp core breach and barely leaving the survivors time to escape; and the third (barely visible through the window while Sisko is trying to rescue Jake and Jennifer) {{One Hit Kill}}s an ''Oberth''-class ship.
** [=DS9=] against the Cardassian warships. The station's defenses are almost nonexistent; it has no shields and barely has any weapons. It can barely fire off a single shot at the warships, which fails to do any real damage. Kira was prepared to surrender before the wormhole reopened and Sisko returned towing Gul Dukat's ship, prompting the Cardassians to break off the attack at the realization that Kira was telling the truth about how Dukat's ship disappeared.
* DeadpanSnarker: Odo and Kira both show extreme skill with this.
* DeflectorShields: [[{{Subverted}} "What shields?"]] [[OhCrap That's never a good sign...]]
* DeusExMachina: Though Bajor spent years fighting the Cardassian occupation, the people have now turned their aggression to fueling old grudges that were unresolved when the occupation happened. Kira says the provisional government will be gone in a week, as will any Federation assistance, and Bajor will be in a civil war. Then, not only is the Celestial Temple found, but a Starfleet officer is also chosen as the Emissary of the Prophets. This doesn't solve every problem Bajor has, but it makes them willing to accept Federation aid and to talk instead of fight.
* DivertingPower: Miles says he can transfer all available power to the partial forcefields around critical areas, but that leads the docking ring vulnerable. Kira has Odo evacuate the civilians from that area, but some are still injured by StuffBlowingUp.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Bajor is on the verge of civil war as old grudges resurface with the departure of an occupying power, something that Eastern European countries had to face after the collapse of Communism.
* DontCelebrateJustYet: Kira warns Bashir about this when he thinks the Cardassians are falling for her bluff. A few minutes later, the shooting starts.
* DownerBeginning: Anything that starts with the Battle Of Wolf 359 can only be this.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** In a couple of scenes, Sisko smiles and laughs in a big way that looks odd to a viewer familiar with his cooler portrayal in later episodes.
** Bashir stammers awkwardly when inviting Jadzia to dinner. Later he's portrayed as much smoother with women, busily dating many of the single women on the station (though mostly offscreen). According to Alexander Siddig, this was a deliberate attempt at CharacterDevelopment on his part because he knew the series would likely last several years, so he had time to set up a CharacterArc.
** Kira has shoulder-length hair. In the second episode, it's cropped short, and doesn't go back to shoulder-length until the final season.
** [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference Quark actually has Rom's prosthetic nose]], as Armin Shimerman's own prosthetic wasn't ready yet.
** The bizarre garden / stormy mesa inside the wormhole.
** The Prophets are depicted rather differently here to how they would be later in the series, and are shown as a race of isolationist {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s who don't particularly care about corporeal beings (much less Bajorans). As the series went on, they were developed into BenevolentPrecursors who were revealed to have guided Bajoran civilization, and even certain aspects of Sisko's life. Note that this isn't actually inconsistent, due to the nature of their non-linear existence (in fact, Opaka had already said ''in this very episode'' that what Bajorans have learned from the Orbs has shaped their theology), but it can come across a little jarring after seeing later episodes, where the show more fully embraced the religious aspects of the Prophets.
** Sisko talks about his father in the past tense, implying that he's dead. We'll see later that he's still very much alive.
** The Orbs are introduced in a way that suggests they would be PlotCoupons, with Kai Opaka stating there were nine Orbs which Sisko must reclaim from the Cardassians. This is never mentioned again after this episode except for a brief mention in a later episode as returning the Orbs being something Bajor's negotiating with Cardassia and later Sisko returning the Orb of Time from Cardassia acting as the set up for an episode.
* EatingTheEyeCandy: Even Sisko can't restrain a [[WolfWhistle whistle of appreciation]] at the [[OldFriendNewGender new body that 'Old Man' Dax is wearing]].
* EldritchAbomination: The Prophets don't exist in linear time. They don't even have a concept for time, and weren't even aware corporeal lifeforms existed.
* EmpathicEnvironment: A literal version when Sisko exits the runabout to find he's standing on a mesa on a dark and stormy night, whereas Dax sees a beautiful relaxing garden on a bright sunny day. It's implied that this has a lot to do with their personalities; Sisko is repressing his grief and anger, whereas Dax's maturity gives her a more amiable personality.
* EnemyMine: Under the Cardassian occupation, the Bajoran people were pretty much solidly united against them, putting aside old divisions in the face of a common foe. Now that they are gone, those old quarrels are beginning to resurface (TruthInTelevision, as Earth's own history can attest). Both Quark and Kira fear this will lead to the Provisional Government collapsing and Bajor falling into civil war.
* EnsignNewbie: Julian Bashir, a wet-behind-the-ears, just out of the academy doctor. He's enthusiastic, but also kind of an idiot (pissing Kira off majorly in their first conversation, believing a Cardassian will be reasonable).
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Sisko essentially blackmailing Quark (via veiled threat of imprisoning Nog for thievery) into staying on the station really sets him up as the most pragmatic of all the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' captains.
** Sisko's initial hatred of Picard over his role in Wolf 359 (though Picard couldn't control his actions) and their later reconciliation was meant to establish that Sisko would be a very different kind of captain and this would be a very different show.
** Kira Nerys' first appearance has her chewing out a government representative. Loudly, and not holding back on the invective.
---> '''Kira:''' You are throwing it all away! All of you!\\
'''Representative:''' You're being a fool!\\
'''Kira:''' Well, then don't ask my opinion next time!
** Odo and Quark establish their confrontational yet comic relationship by snarking and snapping at each other.
** Odo's first appearance has him using his shapeshifting abilities to avoid a flail thrown by a thief he is chasing, then chewing out Sisko for firing a weapon on the Promenade; he doesn't give a damn if the person firing it is the station's new commander, them's the rules!
** The awkward, stammering greenhorn Bashir is ''highly'' competent and assertive when he's actually being a doctor.
* EstablishingSeriesMoment: The opening scene. Every other installment of the franchise opened with an okay situation that eventually goes south. Here, it opens right in the middle of the devastating Wolf 359 battle, signifying a DarkerAndEdgier take on the mythos.
* ExactWords: A Bajoran monk welcomes Sisko, inviting him into his temple, but Sisko puts him off by saying, "Another time." The monk agrees, but turns up later with an invitation from the Kai.
-->'''Monk:''' Commander, it is time.
* ExplosiveInstrumentation: When the ''Saratoga'' is hit, almost every console on TheBridge explodes, killing everyone except Sisko and the Bolian tactical officer.
* FanOfThePast: Sisko, due to his love of baseball, which [[ContinuityNod had previously been established in TNG]] to have died out of the mainstream by the 24th century.
* {{Fanservice}}
** Kira [[TankTopTomboy strips down to a tight white top]] that shows off Creator/NanaVisitor's rack.
** Jennifer is introduced sunbathing in a bikini [[ToplessnessFromTheBack with her bra strap undone]].
* FirstEpisodeTwist: The wormhole's existence.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith:
** The Prophets' true appearance isn't shown (nor is it ever in the series): when Sisko encounters them, they appear as various people in his life, from Kai Opaka to the crew of the ''Saratoga'', his family, Captain Picard, and Locutus.
** This also applies to wherever Sisko and Dax find themselves while traversing the wormhole. They each perceive it in different ways -- Sisko sees a rocky, stormy cliff, while Dax sees a beautiful sunlit meadow. Sisko is completely confused when Dax talks of how beautiful it is.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The broad strokes of Odo's backstory when he's arguing with Kira about joining the mission to rescue Sisko. He was first found in the Denorios Belt, i.e. the location of the newly-discovered Wormhole. He also has no idea where he comes from or if there are even others like him. Odo naturally feels there's a good chance the answers to those questions lie on the other side of the Wormhole in the Gamma Quadrant. This search will become one of ''the'' most crucial storylines of the entire series.
** Kira's introduction lays down a few things, notably that the Provisional government is unstable and she expects it to fall (and its replacement to want Starfleet out). This ultimately is the plot of the opening of Season 2's three parter.
* FreezeFrameBonus: An observant viewer will notice that one of the ships destroyed at Wolf 359 is ''Oberth''-class, whose combat capabilities are somewhere between "limited" and "nonexistent". The fact that such a ship is scrambled for the battle shows just how desperate Starfleet is to throw ''anything'' against the Borg.
* FullCircleRevolution: Kira thinks that Starfleet will just take over the same role as the Cardassians in the newly liberated Bajor.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When Sisko explains to Jake that they'll have to rough it for a while (and gets a very unenthusiastic "Okay" in reply), O'Brien is looking out the window and doing his best to look like he's not eavesdropping.
* GameOfNerds: Sisko's love of baseball is established when he uses it as a metaphor to explain linear existence to the Prophets. Receives a CallBack later in the series when they refer to his life as "the game."
* GuyInBack: When Kira orders "Battlestations" when about to fight the Cardassian ships, you hear background voices giving orders such as "Lock on target" with [[RepeatToConfirm another voice acknowledging the order]], and a third voice reporting that her sensors show the Cardassian ships are opening fire.
* HaveWeMet:
** Picard asks this of Sisko.
---> '''Picard:''' Commander Sisko, welcome to Bajor.\\
'''Sisko:''' It's been a long time, captain.\\
'''Picard:''' Have we met before?\\
'''Sisko:''' Yes, sir. We met in battle. I was on the ''Saratoga'' at [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds Wolf 359]].\\
'''Picard:''' ''("OhCrap" face)''
** Played for heartwarming comedy when Sisko finds himself reliving his MeetCute with Jennifer.
--->'''Sisko:''' It's not every day you meet the girl you're going to marry.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Sisko spends two years in one until the Prophets help him get back on track.
** Picard is visibly shaken when told that Sisko is a Wolf 359 survivor.
* HumanityOnTrial: Not just humanity, but all corporeal beings. Sisko makes the case, and is thus deemed the Emissary.
* HumansThroughAlienEyes: The Prophets are [[EldritchAbomination non corporeal life forms]] [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith whose appearance when viewed by corporeal being is based on people known from their memories]]. As the conversation with Sisko demonstrates, humans and other corporeal beings are just as alien to them as they are to us.
* IdiotBall: Gul Jassad maintains a grip on one in his negotiations with Kira. He refuses to buy the story that Gul Dukat's ship entered a wormhole that has since conveniently collapsed, and insists that somehow [=DS9=] destroyed it. Later in the episode he is well-aware that [=DS9=]'s offensive capabilities are non-existent, so he must know there is no way they could have destroyed Gul Dukat's ship, and even if they had, there would surely be some sort of evidence of a ship being destroyed.
* InadvertentEntranceCue: Kira is just telling Sisko that Kai Opaka lives in seclusion and rarely sees anyone, when a Bajoran priest turns up with an invitation from the Kai.
* InTheOriginalKlingon: Sisko calls plea bargaining "an old Ferengi legal tradition." The show's later explorations of Ferengi culture will confirm that yes, leveraging an advantage in negotiations (i.e. blackmail) is right in line with Ferengi ethics.
* {{Irony}}:
** Sisko has to explain the concept of linear existence to the Prophets, but when they understand it, they point out that ''he'' is not linear, because he is still living in the moment of his wife's death and has been unable to move on.
** As Opaka points out, "One who does not wish to be among us is to be the Emissary."[[note]]In a meta example, this also applies to Avery Brooks himself -- he didn't actually want to play Sisko, but his attempt to sabotage his own audition by acting grumpy turned into a SpringtimeForHitler when it got him the role.[[/note]]
* JitterCam: Used to show the panic and confusion of the crew of a starship as they AbandonShip in a crammed LifePod, leading to a MoodWhiplash effect when the pod shoots free of the damaged spaceship and the camera is abruptly still.
* KickTheDog: As well as stripping Deep Space Nine of everything of value, the departing Cardassians also looted and smashed up the shops on the Promenade, killing four Bajorans in the process. Captain Picard says they also asset-stripped Bajor during their sixty-year occupation, leaving the planet barely able to sustain its own population even with Federation aid. Control of the wormhole however would enable Bajor to reap the profits of being a [[HubCity Hub Planet]].
* KneelBeforeFrodo: A variation; when O'Brien leaves the ''Enterprise'' (where he had served as transporter chief for many years in TNG), Captain Picard operates the transporter himself to beam him over to the station.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** Gul Jassad's subordinate suggests withdrawing and waiting for reinforcements to retake the station, which Jassad rejects because Starfleet can also get reinforcements in a short time.
** Despite her BadassBoast, Kira is willing to surrender when her bluff fails and keeping up the fight will only get everyone on the station killed.
* LaymansTerms: Sisko has trouble getting the wormhole aliens to understand linear time until he hits on the idea of using baseball as a metaphor.
* ManlyTears: Sisko cries over his wife's death, and again when the Prophets make him relive it..
* MindScrew: The Prophets sequence ''looks'' like one... until you understand the argument and why it is presented as a conversation superimposed on events of Sisko's life; it's how the Prophets are able to communicate with and relate to this alien human.
* MirrorCharacter: Sisko and Picard are both severely traumatized by the Borg and Wolf 359. Picard was assimilated and forced to share his Starfleet knowledge, which was subsequently used to annihilate the armada at Wolf 359, where Sisko loses his wife.
* MoodWhiplash:
** From the JitterCam on the EscapePod to the sudden smoothness when it shoots clear of the ''Saratoga'', then from the battle of Wolf 359 to Jake fishing at a peaceful river on the holodeck three years later.
** Sisko is puzzled but quite happy to meet Jennifer again, then has to return to the present where she's long dead. Later when he's using scenes from his past to communicate with the wormhole aliens, he keeps moving back-and-forth from happy times with Jennifer to her death. It takes a while to sink in that [[TheLostLenore he's the one doing this]], not the aliens.
* MovingBeyondBereavement: The episode features a subplot in which Captain Sisko's interactions with the decidedly non-linear Prophets allow him to gradually accept his wife Jennifer's death.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Initially, Sisko is far from enthused at the fact of being assigned to command a border post in the middle of nowhere, and is considering retiring from Starfleet. However, he makes abundantly clear that, until his walking papers come through, he will continue to carry out his orders to the best of his ability.
* MyGreatestFailure: Sisko finds it impossible to get past the death of his wife, and requires outside intervention from the Prophets to move on with his life.
* [[NeverGiveTheCaptainAStraightAnswer Never Give The Commander A Straight Answer]]: Kira calls Sisko telling him there's something on the Promenade he might want to see. When Sisko arrives, he finds Community Leader Quark's gambling establishment in full swing.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: The Borg has the USS Saratoga helplessly caught in a tractor beam with its shields down, after shooting it once causing catastropic damage, including to the warp core, which will cause a warp core breach in a short time period that will destroy the ship. This occurring while its surviving crew is evacuating from the ship in lifeboats. Instead of leaving it be to explode on its own, the Borg decide to shoot at it again, destroying Saratoga before the warp core breach does it for them!
* NotSoDifferentRemark: When Sisko protests that the Federation is only here to help Bajor, Kira says the Cardassians said the same thing when they first occupied the planet.
* OhCrap:
** ''Captain Picard'' of all people exhibits a restrained one once Sisko tells him how they met.
** This is Kira's reaction when O'Brien tells her that [=DS9=] doesn't have shields.
** Sisko has an amusing moment when the wormhole aliens ask him to explain baseball.
* OneHitKill: The first shot from the Borg cube blasts an ''Excelsior''-class into scrap metal. The second shot inflicts catastrophic damage to the ''Saratoga''. When an ''Oberth''-class explodes in the background, one can easily assume (given its ButtMonkey status and limited combat capabilities) that it also went down with one hit.
* OpeningScroll: The episode begins with one regarding Wolf 359.
-->On Stardate 43997, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship ''Enterprise'' was kidnapped for six days by an invading force known as the Borg.\\
Surgically altered, he was forced to lead an assault on Starfleet at Wolf 359.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot:
** Bashir's "[[FrontierDoctor frontier medicine]]" comments, as well as referring to Bajor as "the wilderness", ''really'' rub Kira the wrong way.
---> '''Kira:''' This "wilderness" is my ''home''.\\
'''Bashir:''' ''(awkward stammering)''
** Sisko's meeting with Picard also counts, though Sisko probably didn't regret it until after meeting The Prophets.
* OurDoorsAreDifferent: The Cardassian-designed doors on the station airlocks look like a massive cogwheel that rolls aside to open.
* OurWormholesAreDifferent: InUniverse--Sisko and Dax comment on how different the Bajoran Wormhole is compared to all the others. This becomes a major plot point when they find out where the wormhole came from. From a strategic point-of-view, it's the first ''stable'' wormhole ever encountered, which means [[FromNobodyToNightmare it's suddenly made Sisko's quiet backwater pre-retirement assignment an interstellar hotspot]].
* PatrickStewartSpeech: The baseball scene with the Prophets.
* PercussiveMaintenance: How O'Brien gets the transporter to work when pushing buttons does nothing.
--> '''O'Brien:''' Dammit, what's the ''problem''? ''(kicks the console, and Odo materializes on the pad)''
* PlotDemandedManualMode: Chief O'Brien finds himself dealing with the station's MasterComputer which insists on shutting down his CrazyEnoughToWork procedure. O'Brien orders his men to do the procedure manually, then tells the computer that they need to have a talk...
* POVSequel: "The Best of Both Worlds" didn't actually show the Battle of Wolf 359, just the ''Enterprise'' flying through the resulting DerelictGraveyard. This is the first (and thus far only) depiction of the battle.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Bashir, when Odo gets squeamish about using his bare hand to clamp a woman's damaged artery: "Hold...it...there."
* [[PutOnABus Put on a Space Station]]: Chief O'Brien and family (at least from [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration the Enterprise Crew's]] point of view).
* RapidFireYes: Heard in the background at Quark's. Apparently, somebody had a good game of dabo.
* ReassignedToAntarctica:
** Benjamin Sisko views being assigned to Deep Space Nine as this. He's still recovering from the loss of his wife, and now Starfleet wants to put him on a defunct space station on the frontier, formerly run by Cardassians, to help the survivors of a brutal occupation. It's far from the ideal environment for a widowed father to raise his son, and he's very displeased about it. Sisko openly considers his resignation from Starfleet in protest when speaking about it with Captain Picard. Considering Sisko's last two assignments were starship development at Utopia Planitia on Mars and XO of a frontline starship, command of [=DS9=] does seem like a step down.
** Kira has been assigned as Bajoran liaison officer to Starfleet, a job she is completely unsuited for given her lack of diplomatic tact. Within minutes of meeting Sisko, Kira shares her suspicion that she was assigned to Deep Space Nine because it's as far away as the provisional government can send her.
** Inverted with Bashir, who willingly chose the assignment, hoping for a life of adventure out in the wilderness. Kira is not amused, especially at hearing her homeworld being called "wilderness".
* RedAlert
-->'''Kira:''' Red alert. Shields up.\\
'''O'Brien:''' ''What'' shields?\\
''(OhCrap look from Kira)''
* {{Retcon}}:
** A minor example; the USS ''Melbourne'' (the ship Riker was meant to command) was a ''Nebula''-class ship in "The Best of Both Worlds" but changed to an ''Excelsior''-class one in this episode, as the model was more detailed for the closeup where the Borg destroy it. The ship was never definitively identified as any particular wreck in the original episode, so it's not a major issue.
** Also, "The Best of Both Worlds" strongly implied that the Borg left no survivors. This episode shows that a handful of people were able to get away.
* SceneryPorn: Even though the buildings are wrecked, and in spite of the other horrors of the Cardiassian Occupation, Bajor is still obviously a beautiful planet.
* ScottyTime: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]]--moving the station across the Bajoran system would take two months, but O'Brien has to make it happen in just one day. Explained by technobabble about reducing the inertia of the station--making the six operational maneuvering thrusters sufficient to move it.
* ScrewYourUltimatum: Gul Jassad gives Kira an hour to surrender the station. An hour later, Kira responds with six photon torpedoes.
* SchizoTech: The monks have databases and holographic concealed entrances.
* ShameIfSomethingHappened:
** Sisko puts on a faux-sympathetic tone to Quark when discussing what a tragedy it would be if Nog spent the best years of his life in a Bajoran prison camp. Of course, if Quark agreed to stay and provide much needed services to the station...
** Gul Dukat makes a point of reminding Sisko that he's commanding a remote and ill-defended outpost far from the Federation fleet, while the Cardassian border happens to be a lot closer.
* SincerityMode: When Sisko is negotiating with Quark, the latter minces no words in why he's anxious to leave.
-->'''Quark:''' The Bajoran Provisional Government is [[RevolvingDoorRevolution far too provisional for my tastes]]. And when governments fall, people like me are lined up and shot.
* SpecialEditionTitle: The opening credits do not show the wormhole, in order to not spoil it before TheReveal.
* SpinoffSendOff:
** The episode starts with the Enterprise-D docked with the eponymous station. Captain Picard appears and the new Commander Sisko promptly tells him how much he hates him. Sisko has some epiphanies, makes peace with Picard, and Picard gives him his blessing.
** It literally happens to TNG semi-regular Chief O'Brien, when he's sent to [=DS9=] by Picard himself, who wishes him well on his new assignment.
* SpoilerOpening: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] - The station is in orbit around Bajor at the beginning; its move to the wormhole entrance is reflected in the opening credits of every episode ''except'' this one.
* StableTimeLoop: The pilot sets one up for the series: the Prophets exist outside linear time. And it's implied that much of their actions stem from what Sisko, the first linear being to meet them, told them about themselves. They at first know nothing of the Orbs or the Bajorans worshipping them as gods. It's only through Sisko that they learn this, and proceed to act accordingly, sending their Orbs out in time. Which in turn is what allowed Sisko to find the wormhole and meet them in the first place. [[spoiler:Later episodes would show this runs much deeper]].
* ThermalDissident: Sisko notes how ridiculously warm it was in the station. O'Brien notes it is because the [[Characters/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineCardassianUnion Cardassians]], the previous owners of the space station, prefer it much warmer than humans.
* TimeDissonance: Big time with the Prophets: they believe that which ''is'' is no different from that which ''was'' or that which ''will be''. The first time they encounter Sisko and are introduced to the concept of corporeal life and linear time, they are completely confused and think Sisko is bullshitting them.
* TooProudForLowlyWork: {{Subverted}}. One of Sisko's {{Establishing Character Moment}}s is when he begins to win over Major Kira by showing he's not above literally rolling up his sleeves to help her clean up the mess the Cardassians left of Deep Space 9's promenade when they pulled out, subverting her expectations of senior Starfleet officers.
* TrashTheSet: Inverted. The station is a mess when Starfleet arrives, and is gradually cleaned up over the course of the episode in particular, and the first season in general.
* TranquilFury: Sisko is just ''barely'' restraining his hatred for Picard when they first meet.
* TrojanHorse: Odo disguises himself as the bag that Quark gives the Cardassians so they can take their winnings back to their spaceship.
* UnprocessedResignation: Picard claims he "didn't yet have a chance" to inform Starfleet about Sisko's stated plan/request to resign his commission rather than take command of the station. He still takes a moment to confirm Sisko is ''sure'' about his choice to stay and take on the important assignment before agreeing to forget it entirely and wishing him luck.
* VerticalPowerPlay: As the Federation takes control of the recently abandoned space station above Bajor, Commander Ben Sisko inspects his command post, and notes that it's set on an elevated platform. If Sisko wants to interact with his BridgeBunnies, he must descend five or six steps to do so.
-->'''Sisko''': Set way up high, where everyone must look up to him. Typical Cardassian architecture.
* WeComeInPeaceShootToKill: When the Cardassians first came to Bajor sixty years earlier, they claimed they only wanted to help. [[TheEmpire They lied.]] Understandably, Major Kira has some issues with believing in the Federation's good intentions when they claim the same thing.
* WelcomeEpisode: The episode concerns Sisko arriving at [=DS9=] and getting settled in, allowing the show to introduce its setting and characters through his eyes.
* WhamLine: "Resistance is futile." The opening line of the series instantly puts us right back into the darkest hour of the ''Next Generation'' era up to that point. TNG viewers immediately know what's coming, that it's not going to end well, and it will set the darker tone that will become part and parcel of [=DS9=].
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Inverted. The wormhole aliens consider Sisko, and other corporeal lifeforms, destructive pests when they first meet.
-->'''Prophet!Picard''': We seek contact with other lifeforms, not corporeal creatures who annihilate us.
* WhatTheHellAreYou: Prophet!Opaka asks Sisko this when he first enters the Celestial Temple.
* WhatTheHellHero: Sisko pulls this on Picard when they meet due to his lingering bitterness over Locutus' involvement in his wife's death. He later realizes his mistake and squares things with Picard.
* WhiteVoidRoom: With an closeup on Sisko's head... then his face... then his eyes... then just one eye.
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