History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E18DramatisPersonae

** GeneralFailure: Dax; though implied to be long past 'his' prime.

** The Oddball: Bashir; eagerly waiting to see which side comes out on top and secretly aiding whoever he thinks will benefit him.

** GeneralFailure: Dax; though implied to be long past 'his' prime. Kira is likely channeling a [[TheStarscream young and ambitious officer]] under his command.

* TheStarscream: Kira.

It's pissed-off Kira time. In this instance, she's fuming that a crew of Valerians have been permitted to dock at the station. Back during the occupation, the Valerians worked with Cardassia, supplying them weapons-grade Dolamide, and she's convinced they're doing it again. Sisko tells her that without proof, she can't do anything about it.

* ConflictBall: The Valerian issue serves to drive the initial wedge between Sisko and Kira that the Saltah'na influence escalates.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: It's subtlety implied that Quark is faking his neck injury in order to sue Kira. When Odo walks out without acknowledging his desire to press charges, Quark moves much faster and yells much louder than his previous actions would imply he was capable of and even pauses to adjust his neck brace when no one is looking.

Quark arrives at Odo's office in a beck brace and spills his guts about what's going on, prompting Odo to finally take action. Examining the logs, he finds out the Klingon ship was destroyed from within. The crew was possessed by an extinct race known as the Saltah'na when they stumbled upon their mysterious energy spheres. The Saltah'na destroyed themselves in civil strife, and they've picked up right where they've left off in new bodies.

Hon'Tihl's ship was on a simple bio-survey mission, which makes the weapon burns on his body and his cry of "Victory" rather unusual. Needing to get to the bottom of things, Dax and O'Brien head off in search of the ships mission recorder.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite Odo having just blackmailed him, Quark is horrified by the sight him collapsing and instantly runs to get Bashir.

* ConflictBall: InUniverse. Though there is still some lingering distrust between Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia, it is only because of the telepathic matrix that they start scheming against each other.

* MacGuffin: The Valerians only exist as the ConflictBall between Sisko and Kira, never reappearing in the series.

It's pissed off Kira time. In this instance, she's fuming that a crew of Valerians have been permitted to dock at the station. Back during the occupation, the Valerians worked with Cardassia, supplying them weapons grade Dolamide. And she's convinced they're doing it again.

Sisko tells her that without proof, she can't do anything about it. Before it goes any further, their attention turns to a Klingon ship returning through the wormhole. A month ahead of schedule. And it promptly explodes.

O'Brien manages to beam one Klingon, Hon'Tihl aboard. But he can't be saved. He speaks one word before he dies: "Victory."

Hon'Tihl's ship was on a simple bio-survey mission. Which makes the weapons burns on his body and his cry of "Victory" rather unusual. Needing to get to the bottom of things, Dax and O'Brien head off in search of the ships mission recorder.

Odo drops by Quark's for his usual round of {{blackmail}}-assisted info gathering. Quark mentions the crew, who trashed several holo-suite rooms by the way, spoke of something that would "make the enemies of the Klingon Empire tremble." That's all he has.

As Odo leaves, he's racked by a mysterious force. His head morphs oddly as if it's shape-shifting of its own accord, and nearly splits in two before returning to normal, and so Quark goes hurrying off to find Bashir.

Awakening in sickbay, Odo appears no worse for wear. Which is good, because Bashir has zero clue about how his body works. He prepares to leave, only to be stopped by Bashir, who starts talking tough in a manner that is very out of character, and questioning Odo about an "Uneasy alliance" aboard [=DS9.=]

Bashir isn't the only one acting funny. Dax has gone spacey, randomly recounting old stories out of the blue. Kira has become a vicious conniver, looking to topple Sisko and O'Brien. Sisko has become an aloof and paranoid man, with O'Brien as his threatening right hand man.

With the mission recorder recovered, O'Brien sets to work decrypting the journal logs, while Sisko holes up in his room building a clock.

Odo is finally forced into action when Quark comes shuffling into his office, stuck in a neck-brace. While tending the bar, he overheard Kira trying to sway Dax onto her side in an attempted coup. Prompting Kira to threaten him into silence, and toss him like a ragdoll.

Examining the logs, Odo finds out the Klingon ship was destroyed from within. The crew was possessed by an extinct race known as the Saltah'na when they stumbled upon their mysterious energy spheres. The Saltah'na wound up destroying themselves in an internal conflict. And they've picked up right where they've left off in new bodies.

Working with Bashir to find a solution, Kira makes her coup attempt. It fails, and Sisko and O'Brien try beaming onto the Valerian ship. It's a no-go, and they only get transported into a corridor.

Odo is playing both sides of the conflict, herding all the possessed people into a cargo bay. With a specially designed program, he expels the Saltah'na from the crew, and jettisons it out the nearest airlock.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Dax under the influence of the Saltah'na. Also Sisko, to a lesser degree.

* BizarreAlienBiology: Odo is not affected by the energy field because of this. When it settles on him, his head goopifies, appears to split, and he collapses.

* [[CutPhoneLines Cut Comm Channels]]: Odo tries to let higher authority know what's going on, only to find the SubspaceAnsible to Starfleet has been shut down under Kira's authority, while communications with the Bajoran Provisional Government have been cut off under O'Brien's authority.

* HesDeadJim: Bashir re Hon'Tihl.

'''Dax:''' You know what they say, put the shoe on the right foot first, but put the left foot first into the bathtub.\\

* IdiotBall: A minor moment of stupid at the climax: Odo tells everybody to grab onto something secure before he opens the cargo bay door. All the other characters grab cargo containers, i.e. the only things in the bay guaranteed ''not'' to be secure. Fortunately, the narrative is on their side and those containers were apparently filled with very heavy cargo.
** Most of the cargo was visibly strapped to the floor, though not the one Sisko grabbed.

* OutOfCharacterAlert: And it only takes Quark getting assaulted for Odo to finally acknowledge it.
* PetTheDog: Despite Odo having just blackmailed him, Quark is horrified by the sight him uncontrollably shapeshifting and instantly runs to get Bashir.

** [[TheDragon The Right Hand]]: Chief O'Brien, also doubling as the [[SecretPolice Security Officer]] (not Odo, as he's not affected) given his desire to root out traitors.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: It's subtlety implied that Quark is faking his neck injury in order to sue Kira. When Odo walks out without acknowledging his desire to press charges, he moves much faster and yells much louder than his previous actions would imply he was capable of and even pauses to adjust his neck brace when no one is looking.

* {{Foreshadowing}}
** Bashir shows a lot of interest in political conspiracies. [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E18Inquisition Five years later]], Bashir [[GotVolunteered gets recruited]] into [[NoSuchAgency Section 31]].
** Kira has a seductive persona we're going to be very familiar with after meeting the MirrorUniverse Intendant.
** O'Brien's plan for dealing with the mutiny involves fleeing Deep Space Nine and returning in superior numbers with a Federation attack force. This is what happens in Season Six.
** Sisko's rant about Kira's ingratitude when he offered her his kindness, help, and leadership sounds a lot like the things ''Dukat'' would say later about the Bajorans.
** O'Brien observes that there are plenty of Bajorans who would rather go it alone than continue to rely on the Federation's presence, although he and Dax both agree this would simply open them up to Cardassian reconquest. Season Two will begin with an attempted coup by an isolationist movement determined to expel the Federation -- which is covertly supported by the Cardassians, for exactly this reason.

* ShoutOut: Valerians are either a sci-fi shout-out to the ''ComicBook/{{Valerian}}'' comics, or the Dutch-Valerian space marines in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' novels.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: It's subtlety implied that Quark is faking his neck injury in order to sue Kira. When Odo walks out without acknowledging his desire to press charges, he moves much faster and yells much louder than his previous actions would imply he was capable of and even pauses to adjust his neck brace when no one is looking.

* WouldHitAGirl: O'Brien cuffs Dax when she tries to signal Kira.

** Most of the cargo was visibly strapped to the floor, though no the one Sisko grabbed.

* PetTheDog: Despite Odo having just blackmailed him, Quark is horrified by the sight him uncontrollably shapeshifting.

** TheGeneral: Dax; though implied to be long past 'his' prime. Kira is likely channeling a [[TheStarscream young and ambitious officer]] under his command.

* SuddenlyShouting / BigNever

'''SISKO:''' ''(jumping to his feet)'' NEVER! GET ME A PHASER; I'LL GET RID OF KIRA!

** The Oddball: Bashir; eagerly waiting to see which side comes out on top and secretly aiding whoever thinks will benefit him.

** [[TheDragon The Right Hand]]: Chief O'Brien, also doubling as the Security Officer (not Odo, as he's not affected) given his desire to root out traitors.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Sisko gives one to Kira about her ingratitude.

* ShoutOut: Valerians are either a sci-fi shout-out to the comic ''ComicBook/Valerian'', or the Dutch-Valerian space marines in the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' novels.