The Defiant is down!
Sisko gets into a spat with the new Mrs. Sisko over whether she'll make another freight run in the midst of the war. Their tiff is interrupted by an emergency message: Earth has been attacked. Sisko prepares the Defiant to move out. Meanwhile, O'Brien and Bashir have been distracting themselves by recreating the Battle of the Alamo in miniature and taking it very seriously. Worf and Ezri watch them from a distance, the Trill defending Bashir's enthusiasm while Worf finds it all ridiculous. But the time for games is over, and the Defiant leads a massive attack into the Chin'toka system against the Dominion-Breen fleet. The Breen use energy-sapping beams that knock the Defiant out of commission, leaving it a sitting duck. Sisko reluctantly orders the crew to abandon ship. Soon after the escape pods launch, the ship explodes.
On Bajor, Kai Winn has her assistant Solbor bring out a forbidden Pah-wraith text to study at Dukat's urging. Solbor grows increasingly suspicious of Dukat's influence on Winn, causing them to clash. The book proves to be blank. As Winn struggles to unlock its text, Solbor secretly conducts a genetic test on Dukat and uncovers his true identity. Winn is horrified, but when Solbor goes to expose the whole sordid affair, Winn impulsively stabs him to maintain her power. Blood drops from Winn's knife onto the Pah-wraith book, and its text magically appears. Dukat convinces Winn to stay the course and use the Pah-wraith scripture to further their ends.
The Female Changeling is pleased by the Dominion victory but still slowly dying. Damar seems to be in higher spirits, and Weyoun chalks it up to their recent success. Secretly, however, Damar has been plotting a rebellion with an equally disgruntled gul. He issues a speech listing out his grievances against the Dominion and announces that rebel forces have destroyed a Dominion cloning facility (the one Weyoun comes from, no less). He urges all of Cardassia to join him against their occupiers. Sisko and Ross discuss how Damar has just become their unlikely ally, and the Federation's survival will count on his success.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abandon Ship: The crew of the Defiant is forced to do this before she's destroyed.
- Apology Gift: Sisko gives Kassidy flowers to apologize for trying to get her off active duty after the Breen attack.
- Artistic License – Geography: If the red dots represent impact points, then the display in the Dominion war room indicates that the Breen had targeted Oakland rather than San Francisco.
- Blood Magic: How the Text of the Kosst Amojan is revealed. Until then, it's just a Blank Book.
- Call-Back: The Second Battle of Chin'Toka is reminiscent of the Battle of Wolf 359 back in "Emissary", from the destruction of the Defiant to the escape pods fleeing the conflagration (and the accompanying ship graveyard).
- Curb Stomp Cushion: The Defiant destroys a Breen ship easily with four quantum torpedoes, which makes the fight seem winnable until the Breen starts to disable the Federation Alliance fleet with their energy dampening weapons.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The worst the Federation suffers in the entire war.
- A Death in the Limelight: For the Defiant. We get to see an extended preflight check before her final battle.
- Derelict Graveyard: The remains of the Defiant and the other 310 starships destroyed by Dominion forces form a derelict graveyard.
- Didn't See That Coming: Both Weyoun and the Female Changeling are completely stunned by Damar's decision to turn against them.
- Double-Meaning Title: Once again—figuratively it applies to the Dominion becoming more successful and even more ruthless with the Breen on their side, while Damar ceases being on the side of evil by beginning a Cardassian rebellion against them. Meanwhile, Winn gets to find out that Dukat literally changed his face in order to get close and manipulate her, but after killing her loyal ranjen Solbor and discovering his innocent blood made the text of the Kosst Amojan visible, she herself changes back to supporting the evil of the Pah-wraiths.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: When Weyoun sees Damar not holding a bottle, he assumes that Damar has grown to accept the Dominion. In reality, it's because Damar has decided to form La Résistance.
- Enemy Civil War: Damar publicly declares war against the Dominion.
- Enemy Mine: The Federation isn't exactly friendly with the Cardassian Union, but at this point they'll take any help they can get.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Winn is horrified to learn she's been sleeping with Gul Dukat, and she's very shaken after killing Solbor.
- Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: Weyoun and Damar directly reference this when discussing the apparent changing course of the war.Damar: We're just one big, happy family, aren't we?
Weyoun: I like it so much better when we agree on things, don't you? - Explosive Instrumentation: When the Defiant is being torpedoed. Kira and one Red Shirt are confirmed to survive; another one isn't so lucky.
- Face–Heel Turn: Kai Winn. Granted, she was never quite a good guy to begin with, but this episode makes it official.
- Going Down with the Ship: Sisko doesn't go down with the Defiant, but he is the last one off the bridge and presumably the last one into the escape pods.
- Heel–Face Turn: Legate Damar has finally had enough.
- He Knows Too Much: The moment Solbor says that he'll expose Dukat and Winn's plan, he pretty much seals his own fate.
- Hope Spot: One for the Dominion after Chin'toka. After nearly a year of trying, they've finally booted the Federation out of their domain. They have a new ally and weapon that can neutralize the enemy's ships and the Dominion is ready to shift into high gear and resuming steamrolling the entire Alpha Quadrant again. And then everything immediately goes to hell with Damar going rogue, his attack on Rondac III, and his speech to all Cardassians.
- Insistent Terminology: After Worf mocks Bashir and O'Brien behind their backs for playing with "toys," Ezri sticks up for them by insisting that it's a "model."
- Instant Death Stab: When Winn stabs Solbor in the back. It doesn't even look like the blade penetrates very deep into Solbor's body, but he just lets out a groan and instantly falls dead.
- Internal Reveal: Solbor tells Winn that "Anjohl" is Dukat.
- In the Back: How Kai Winn kills Solbor.
- La Résistance: This episode is the beginning of the Cardassian uprising.
- Lethal Chef: Kassidy, as it turns out. Sisko takes a moment to mourn the loss of his peppers.
- Monumental Damage: The Golden Gate Bridge.
- Mutual Kill: The second Breen warship that the Defiant thrashes fires the energy pulse that fries her systems.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Winn learns that she's been consorting with Dukat, she looks like she's about to throw up.
- Not So Above It All: Worf sneers at Bashir and O'Brien's model of the Alamo, calling it "playing with toys", then later remarks that they have no chance of defending the mission with so few men. Ezri quips that he's free to go and join them if he wants.
- Oh, Crap!:
- The Defiant crew's reaction to the Breen weapon. As well as to the attack on Earth.
- The Dominion's reaction to Damar's rebellion. Weyoun, in particular, knowing that he's the last clone. And knowing that's exactly why Damar targeted the cloning facility.
- Solbor is absolutely terrified when he realizes that Winn and Dukat are trying to release the Pah-wraiths.
- One-Hit Kill: The Defiant of all ships is fried in one hit. Of course, it takes a number of hits from more practical blasters to outright destroy it.
- Out of Continues: When Weyoun learns that Damar's rebellion destroyed the Domion's cloning facilities, he realizes this applies to him.Weyoun: (terrified) I could be the last Weyoun. That's why he picked that target.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Solbor is extremely unnerved when Kai Winn cancels an appearance before the Vedek Assembly, and then when she begins consulting ancient books said to contain a great evil.
- Power Nullifier: The Breen's energy dampening weapon.
- Properly Paranoid: Solbor is deeply suspicious of what Kai Winn and Anjohl/Dukat are up to, and he has every right to be.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: After the battle group is destroyed, things seem pretty hopeless for the Federation and its allies—and then they learn of Damar's rebellion.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Damar's announcement of rebellion starts with this, before segueing into a Rousing Speech to his fellow Cardassians."...and so, two years ago, our government signed a treaty with the Dominion. In it the Dominion promised to extend Cardassia's influence throughout the Alpha Quadrant. In exchange, we pledged ourselves to join the war against the Federation and its allies. Cardassians have never been afraid of war, a fact we've proven time and again over these past two years. Seven million of our brave soldiers have given their lives to fulfill our part of the agreement, and what has the Dominion done in return? Nothing. We've gained no new territories. In fact, our influence throughout the quadrant has diminished. And to make matters worse we are no longer masters in our own home. Travel anywhere on Cardassia and what do you find? Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and now Breen. Instead of the invaders we have become the invaded. Our 'allies' have conquered us without firing a single shot. Well, no longer. This morning detachments of the Cardassian First, Third and Ninth Orders attacked the Dominion outpost on Rondac III. This assault marks the first step towards the liberation of our homeland, from the true oppressors of the Alpha Quadrant. I call upon Cardassians everywhere. Resist. Resist today. Resist tomorrow. Resist till the last Dominion soldier has been driven from our soil!"
- Sacrificial Lion: The Defiant, a mainstay of the show for nearly four years, is destroyed during the battle at Chin'toka to emphasize the threat posed by the Breen.
- Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: Only seven million Cardassian deaths, after nearly two years of interstellar war? Seems a bit low...
- Sink the Lifeboats: Weyoun suggests doing it to the Federation Alliance, but the female changeling overrules him. Not out of any sympathy but because she needs survivors to spread fear of the Dominion's new superweapon.
- Spare a Messenger: The female Founder countermands an order to destroy the Escape Pods, saying the frightened survivors will return home and spread their fear, demoralizing the enemies of the Dominion.
- Tome of Eldritch Lore: The Text of the Kosst Amojan, which Winn and Dukat need to release the Pah-wraiths.
- The Unreveal: Weyoun says that all the stories about the Breen homeworld being a cold wasteland actually aren't true. When Damar asks why the Breen wear refrigeration suits, Weyoun just shrugs.
- Villain Ball: The Female Changeling countermands Weyoun's order to destroy the Escape Pods of the survivors on the flimsy reasoning that letting them return home to spread fear and panic would be more valuable. Quite aside from the fact that they would only have needed to let a fraction of the survivors escape to generate the same (or an even better) result, this also results in the main cast, most notably Sisko himself, living to fight another day. It's made even worse by the fact that she has met most of these people herself and should have gained enough insight into their characters to know it's more likely to make them more determined to win. (That said, it's also completely in keeping with the Dominion's arrogant tendency to underestimate everyone else, as demonstrated by their assumption that they could just keep treating the Cardassians like expendable pawns and they would just keep rolling over.)
- Wham Episode: With the Breen as their new allies, the Dominion attacks Earth and manages to annihilate an entire joint fleet of Federation, Klingon, and Romulan ships, making it seem that they are once again unstoppable. But just then, Damar begins a rebellion of Cardassian forces against their occupiers.
- Wham Line:
- Wham Shot: The sight of the Allied fleet blasted to pieces — including what's left of a Galaxy-class ship and at least one D'Deridex-class warbird, two of the mightiest ships the Allies have.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kasidy chews Sisko out for getting her taken off the active list.
- The Worf Effect: The Defiant bites it to show that the Breen mean business. Of course, Worf is on the bridge when it happens...
- Worthy Opponent: Martok is rather impressed by the Breen's audacity in attacking Starfleet Headquarters.Martok: Even my people never attempted that.
