The wormhole has been opening seemingly at random for the last few hours, confusing the staff of Deep Space Nine. Odo is griping about pranks that Dax is playing on him when he's called to Ops. Upon his arrival, he finds that the crew has received an emergency message that a Romulan-Federation peace conference has been bombed, and there's video evidence that a Changeling was there at the time. It seems the Federation's worst fear has been realized: a Changeling infiltration of Earth.
Sisko and Odo prepare to leave for Earth to deliver a security briefing on Changelings. Sisko is looking forward to seeing his father Joseph, a New Orleans restaurateur who is working too hard after a health scare. Jake is coming too, but he's less enthusiastic about being put to work at the restaurant. The wormhole has finally calmed down by the time they leave, though Kira is disappointed that it didn't lead to some great revelation from the prophets.
The pair arrive on Earth and are warmly greeted by Admiral Leyton and his adjutant, Commander Benteen. Leyton, a former commanding officer of Sisko's, promptly names him Chief of Starfleet Security in the face of the Changeling threat. Newly minted, Sisko arrives at his father's restaurant, where he finds Joseph gregariously hosting a packed house. Sisko asks him about his health, but Joseph brusquely brushes such concerns aside. During the reunion, the fresh cadet Nog arrives to reconnect with Jake.
Some time later, Sisko and Leyton meet with the President of the Federation to offer their recommendations for strict new security measures. The President is unwilling to infringe on the rights of Federation citizens for a threat he feels is overblown. Then Odo transforms from his disguise as Sisko's carrying case, demonstrating to the shocked President that Changelings can infiltrate anywhere without the recommended security measures. The President begrudgingly relents, and Sisko assures him that it's the right choice to save Earth.
Sisko, Benteen, and Odo quickly set about testing phaser scanners that will knock Changelings back into their liquid state. After getting shocked repeatedly, Odo suggests going a little beyond what he has a tolerance for just to be on the safe side. Their meeting is interrupted by Nog, who begs an audience with Sisko. It seems the young cadet is having even more trouble fitting in than he'd expected. He requests that Sisko recommend him for an application to Red Squad, a brand-new elite corps of cadets who receive special privileges and training. Sisko has never heard of it but agrees just to get Nog off his back. He next visits his father and confronts him about failing to take care of his health, but the old man remains stubborn.
In a park, Leyton and Benteen catch Odo transforming back from a seagull. Benteen compliments his abilities, but Leyton has become suddenly standoffish. Odo confronts Leyton and attempts to shake his hand, which Leyton refuses. Odo grabs hold of Leyton and reveals him to be a Changeling spy, but the Changeling transforms into a seagull and escapes. Back in the Starfleet headquarters, the real Leyton sees this development as cause for increased security crackdowns, something the President will surely oppose.
Sisko is suddenly called away to his father's restaurant, where Joseph is refusing to submit to a blood test as per Sisko's own security protocol. Joseph argues that it's a violation of his rights, while Sisko implores him to fall in line for the sake of the Federation. Joseph becomes increasingly agitated until he cuts his hand, the blood revealing that he's not a Changeling. But the elder Sisko realizes that his son was actually starting to doubt him, causing him to launch into an angry tirade that triggers a mild stroke. He's back on his feet the next day but unmoved on his principles.
Suddenly, a global power outage plunges Earth into darkness and knocks out all of its defenses. The planet is a sitting duck for a Dominion invasion. If the Jem'Hadar managed to scrounge up a cloaking device after destroying the Romulan-Cardassian fleet, the Dominion might have a whole cloaked armada poised to attack even now. Using the runabout's transporters, Sisko and company confront the President and recommend that the planet enact martial law, putting armed Starfleet personnel on every street corner to prepare for a possible attack and show the people that the government has things under control. The President sees this as a horrible overreach but has no choice.
Huddled in the darkened restaurant, Jake and Joseph are nonplussed to see Starfleet soldiers beam into the street.
To be continued!
Tropes
- Apothecary Alligator: Old Sisko has an alligator hanging from the ceiling, despite not being an apothecary. Then again, it is New Orleans.Jake: I remember when you used to tell me that alligator was just in stasis, and you let it out at night to guard the restaurant.
Joe: Oh, I had to stop doing that. (chuckling) It got to be too much trouble wrestling it back up to the ceiling every morning. - Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Jake bemoans the idea of working washing vegetables in his grandfather's restaurant, Sisko reassures him that that won't be the case. At Jake's age, Joseph will expect him to wait tables, not wash vegetables.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: After Joseph's stroke, a distraught Sisko is left grappling with the paranoia the Founders have sown and how he actually thought his father was a Changeling. He tells Odo that there are times (like today) where he can't help wishing that the Constable had never found his people. An understanding Odo sadly admits he feels the same way sometimes too.
- Big Blackout: All of Earth goes dark, apparently because of Dominion sabotage.
- The Big Easy: Still has such things as horse-drawn carriages and a Creole restaurant with non-replicated food.
- Call-Back:
- Odo suggests that the Dominion might have gained cloaking technology from the Cardassian/Romulan fleet that was destroyed in the Omarian Nebula.
- A disguised changeling displays hostility towards Odo; Sisko speculates that it's because Odo is the only changeling who has ever harmed another changeling.
- Cassandra Truth: The elder Sisko actually figures out how the Changelings could easily get around blood screenings, which gets ignored. It will later turn out that he's correct.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Federation President says there hasn't been a state of emergency on Earth in a century, barring the Borg incident. Joseph Sisko mentions the near-invasion by the Borg as well, helping to drive home just how terrified people are of the Dominion. The incident that took place a century ago roughly lines up with the whale probe incident.
- Quark again mentions the time he spent as ship's cook on a Ferengi freighter.
- The office of the Federation President is located in Paris, just like in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
- Control Freak: Odo hates disorder on the station and especially in his quarters, becoming infuriated when Dax pranks him by moving his belongings by centimeters. It's a changeling thing.
- Custom Uniform: The Starfleet personnel on Earth wear TNG-style uniforms and Sisko switches to wearing one during his stint as Chief of Earth Security.
- Eiffel Tower Effect: The Tower is seen outside the window of the President's office.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Nog cannot stop talking about Red Squad, a new elite group of cadets at the Academy.
- Evil Is Petty: The changeling disguised as Leyton goes out of its way to unnecessarily insult Odo, clueing Odo in to what's going on.
- Face Palm: Sisko's reaction to his father's stubbornness.
- Foreshadowing:
- O'Brien and Bashir return from a holosuite adventure fighting in the Battle of Britain, and they discuss the pressure that befalls men who are fighting for their homeland. Pretty soon, the Federation will confront its own threat to its homeland.
- Joseph Sisko argues that a really clever Founder could easily find a way around the blood tests and fool Starfleet. His fears will be vindicated next season.
- Just before leaving for Earth, O'Brien asks Odo to pass on a message to his family in Dublin. When Odo asks Bashir if he'd like to do the same, Bashir declines. We'll find out why next Season in "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?".
- The Gadfly: Dax enjoys messing with Odo by breaking into his quarters and moving his furniture around by a few centimeters, knowing that it will drive him crazy. Odo gets a bit of payback by making her painstakingly move everything back and drawing out the process as long as possible.
- Gentle Giant: President Jaresh-Inyo is quite large (his actor, Herschel Sparber, is 6'9), but he is highly reluctant to take aggressive action against the Dominion at the expense of liberty. He's a Grazerite, a herbivorous species that avoids confrontations.
- Good Old Ways: Joseph Sisko doesn't like the idea of his son, or anyone else, eating replicated food, preferring Creole food grown and prepared the old-fashioned way.
- Handshake Refusal: Changeling!Leyton does this to dodge Odo's attempt to expose him. Odo manages to force the issue, but the changeling still escapes.
- Immigrant Patriotism: Discussed. Jaresh-Inyo isn't a native of Earth, but he's fearful of being the President that destroys the utopia that has been created on it. Leyton on the other hand doesn't think Jaresh-Inyo can fully understand how committed he, Sisko, and the rest of humanity are to defending their homeworld.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: What Sisko's father fears the Federation's "Protective measures" will bring about.
- Just Following Orders: The redshirt's response to old Sisko getting pissed over the blood tests. Ben Sisko backs him up, as he signed the order himself.
- Large and in Charge: Jaresh-Inyo is president of the Federation and towers over the other people in his scenes. Ironically, he's very much against the aggressive tactics that Sisko and his allies propose.
- My God, You Are Serious!: Jaresh-Inyo's reaction to Sisko advising him to declare martial law.
- Noodle Incident: Based on Quark's panicked pleas to RAF-cosplay O'Brien and Bashir, the Doctor and the Chief accidentally smashed Bar property on at least one other occasion.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Downplayed. President Jaresh-Inyo isn't a bad guy; he's just a peacetime president in a bad situation. He's also reasonable enough to take Sisko's and Leyton's advice, even though he's not happy about it.
- Oh, Crap!: Jaresh-Inyo damn near freaks out when Sisko's briefcase shape-shifts in front of him. It turns out to be Odo, demonstrating the current Swiss-Cheese Security.
- Orphaned Punchline: Courtesy of Quark: "Then the Andorian says 'That's not my antenna!'"
- Out-of-Character Alert: Odo catches on to the changeling posing as Leyton because of "Leyton"'s uncharacteristic hostility towards him.
- Properly Paranoid: Jaresh-Inyo accuses Sisko and Leyton of being paranoid regarding their increased security measures until Odo makes his surprise entrance, justifying their concerns.
- Red Herring: The episode deliberately sets it up to look like Joseph Sisko might be a Changeling, beginning when Ben notices that he isn't eating when he serves him and Jake dinner (he claims he ate before they arrived; Ben suspects, probably correctly, that his health issues are to blame). He isn't.
- Reluctant Ruler: Jaresh-Inyo never really wanted to become president, and now he really regrets it.
- Shout-Out: Coming out of their WWII Pilots holoprogram, O'Brien comments they they got "cabbage crates coming over the briny".
- Stepford Smiler: Of a sort—after his stroke, old Sisko keeps up his jovial act in the restaurant despite feeling like crap.
- Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard: How old Sisko feels about the order to test the blood of officers' families. He's even more pissed that his son signed the order.Security Officer: All family members of Starfleet personnel are required to submit to blood screenings. No exceptions.
Joe Sisko: That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. (to Ben Sisko) Do you believe that?
Ben Sisko: I should. I signed the orders myself.
Joe: Now why would you go and do a stupid thing like that? - Supreme Chef: Joseph runs a restaurant with genuine ingredients and actual meal preparation in an era where replicators can serve up anything in under a second. That food of his must be amazing for him to stay in business.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: The whole plot revolves around how Earth is completely unprepared for either changeling infiltration or direct Dominion invasion. First Odo is able to easily get close enough to the Federation President to assassinate or impersonate him. Then, after the power outage, Sisko, Leyton, and Odo are able to beam directly into the President's office from orbit.
- Tempting Fate: You were just asking for this one, Mr. President.President Jaresh-Inyo: Despite what happened at Antwerp, I believe the Changeling threat to be somewhat less serious than Starfleet does.Leyton: Mr. President, I assure you the threat is real.Jaresh-Inyo: For all we know, there was only one Changeling on Earth, and he might not even be here anymore.Sisko: But if he is here, we have a problem. There's no telling how much damage one Changeling can do.Jaresh-Inyo: Forgive me for saying so, Captain, but you sound a little paranoid.Sisko: Do I?[Sisko's briefcase morphs into Odo, scaring the life out of the President]Odo: Forgive the intrusion, Mr. President, but as you can see, Starfleet has every right to be concerned.Sisko: Allow me to introduce Odo, my chief of security.Jaresh-Inyo: (calming down) A very...effective...entrance, Mr. Odo.Odo: One that never should have been allowed to take place. Admiral Leyton and Captain Sisko walked in here without being searched, without being blood-tested, and without having their possessions subjected to phaser sweeps.Sisko: If Odo was a Dominion infiltrator, he could have killed you.Leyton: Or replaced you. The way security is now, a changeling could get anywhere on Earth, replace anyone, even you.
- To Absent Friends: Bashir and O'Brien toast their fallen holographic squadmate.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: This is Sisko and Leyton's mindset for their increased security measures. However, in this case, the utopia on Earth already exists. They're just trying to protect it.
- Weird World, Weird Food: Why Nog likes eating at Sisko's—it's the only place where he can get tube grubs. And old Sisko actually considers putting them on the menu, though Nog is aghast when Joseph said he would cook them.Nog: What good are tube grubs if they don't wriggle on the way down?
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sisko's dad gives him a huge butt-chewing for thinking that he might be a changeling, including a Full-Name Ultimatum.Joseph Sisko: Benjamin Lafayette Sisko! What the hell has gotten into your head?
