History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E10Rapture

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Sisko's vision of locusts heading for Cardassia is foreshadowing for the events of "By Inferno's Light," though it's unclear if it's [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane just a coincidence]].

* ContinuityNod: Winn recalls denying that Sisko is truly the emissary, which she did in the season 1 finale. Her change of heart is not so much CharacterDevelopment like Kira but simple pragmatism to get her closer to her goals.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is the first [=DS9=] episode to feature the Starfleet uniforms from ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', and it's evident that, except for Creator/MichaelDorn, who's already worn it, the main cast hasn't gotten used to them yet. As seen in the picture, Avery Brooks winds up wearing his Starfleet commbadge on his ''shoulder''. The flag officers attending the ceremony all wear the old-style unfirms. The new style won't debut for them until season 6.

* FailedAttemptAtDrama: To celebrate Bajor's upcoming entry into TheFederation, Quark arranges a drumroll-accompanied unfurling of a banner...with the Klingon emblem on it.

* WhatTheHellHero: Kassidy gives Sisko one for putting his "mystical journey" above being there for his son.

* FlatEarthAtheist: The Federation ''knows'' that the Prophets exist, and that they are powerful energy beings who exist outside of linear time, yet they still have a every hard time stomaching Sisko's talk of prophecies and revelations.

In the meantime, Bajor has officially been accepted into the Federation, and the signing ceremony will take place on the station. Sisko's old buddy Admiral Charlie Whatley and a host of bigwigs, including Kai Winn, are set to attend. If that's not enough excitement, Kasidy Yates has completed her prison term and returns to the station to reconnect with Sisko. They pick up like nothing ever happened, though Sisko is more obsessed than ever about finding B'hala. He takes Kasidy on a runabout jaunt to a local planet, and they uncover the buried city of B'hala together.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While Sisko's prophecies sound impressive at the moment he states them, we never get any evidence that they're accurate or come from some supernatural revelation. The closest we get is Whatley wondering how Sisko knew that he’s quarreling with his son, though Sisko could have found out through mutual acquaintances or simply guessed. Sisko's assertion that the admiral's son has secretly forgiven him is never confirmed.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While Sisko's prophecies sound impressive at the moment he states them, we never get any evidence that they're accurate or come from some supernatural revelation. The closest we get is Whatley wondering how Sisko knew that he is quarreling with his son, though Sisko could have found out through mutual acquaintances or simply guessed. Sisko's assertion that the admiral's son has secretly forgiven him is never confirmed.

Sisko, Kira and Dax are admiring an ancient Bajoran painting that has recently been returned by the Cardassians. It's the only known depiction of the holy city of B'hala, which was lost millennia ago. According to Bajoran prophecy, only an emissary of the prophets can find the city again. Sisko takes it upon himself as Emissary to study the painting and rapidly locates clues that provide coordinates. But before he can study it further, he's zapped and knocked out. In sick bay, Bashir tells the recovering Sisko that his brain chemistry has been altered by the shock, so his sensory input will be altered until the effects go away.

Sisko, Kira and Dax are admiring an ancient Bajoran painting that has recently been returned by the Cardassians. It's the only known depiction of the holy city of B'hala, which was lost millennia ago. According to Bajoran prophecy, only an emissary of the prophets can find the city again. Sisko takes it upon himself as Emissary to study the painting and rapidly locates clues that provide coordinates. But before he can study it further, he's zapped by holosuite he's in and knocked out. In sick bay, Bashir tells the recovering Sisko that his brain chemistry has been altered by the shock, so his sensory input will be altered until the effects go away.

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Jake's plea to his unconscious father before giving Bashir permission to operate.

Sisko is riding high on prophecy and revelation, but he's convinced that more revelations are to come, and he's also having headaches, so Whatley orders him back to sick bay. When Sisko arrives, he's gone full holy man, delivering prophecies and fortunes to everyone he passes with shocking accuracy. But his physical reveals that the damage to his brain is getting worse and will kill him if Bashir doesn't get rid of it, but that will also end Sisko's prophetic visions. He refuses, determined to uncover his final revelation even if it kills him. No amount of protests from Kasidy or Jake will sway him.

Kai Winn, now a firm believer in Sisko and eager to get into his good graces, promises to help Sisko reach his revelation and gives him access to the Orb of Prophecy. His rapidly deteriorating health gives even her pause, but he insists. When the time for the signing ceremony arrives, Sisko is nowhere to be found, so they start without him. Just before the actual signing can take place, Sisko stumbles into the room ranting that Bajor will be destroyed if it joins the Federation at this time. Then he collapses.

Sisko has gone comatose and will surely die if he doesn't receive treatment. Kira reluctantly notes that Sisko already refused treatment, so Bashir cannot save him of his own accord. As Sisko's closest family member, it's up to Jake to determine whether to go against his wishes and treat him. He chooses to save Sisko's life. Sisko awakens restored to health but horrified that his visions are gone, lamenting that he had almost reached the final revelation.

The Bajorans heed the Emissary's warning and back out of the signing. Sisko could be kicked out of Starfleet for his role in the pull-out if Whatley wished to press the issue, but he's mollified when Sisko assures him, both as a captain and the Emissary, that Bajor will come into the fold eventually. The captain returns home to an awkward reunion with Kasidy and Jake. Kasidy tells him that he might have lost his visions, but he gained something just as good. The trio clasp hands, reconciled once again.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is the first [=DS9=] episode to feature the Starfleet uniforms from ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', and it's evident that, except for Creator/MichaelDorn, who's already worn it, the main cast hasn't gotten used to them yet. As seen in the picture, Avery Brooks winds up wearing his Starfleet commbadge on his ''shoulder''.
** Evidently, they didn't have one for flag officers, yet, so Admiral Whatley is seen wearing the late TNG Admiral's uniform. The First Contact-era Admiral's uniform would debut in season 6's "Behind the Lines", before being modified into its final form in "Favor the Bold".

* FlatEarthAtheist: The Federation ''knows'' that the Prophets exist, and that they are powerful energy beings who exist outside of linear time, yet every time Sisko says he has visions of the future, they look at him like he's talking crazy.

** Whatley also makes a valid point about the problems of having the Bajorans view a Starfleet officer as a religious figure.

* ShoutOut: Sisko's obsession with the spire and his seeing clues in his food would seem to suggest a reference to the movie ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''.

* [[TheBusCameBack The Runabout Came Back]]: Kasidy has served out her prison sentence and returned to the station.

On the eve of Bajor's entry into the Federation, Sisko locates the ruins of the ancient lost city of B'hala on Bajor. As the visions that are guiding him prove potentially fatal, Sisko must choose between faith and his life.

* ContinuitySnarl: While not an outright one, it's INFAMOUSLY difficult to work out [[spoiler: exactly when Bashir was taken by the Dominion]], partially due to the events of this episode. [[spoiler:When rescued, he's still in the older uniform, implying that he was taken prior to "Rapture". However, the Bashir in this episode performed a complex brain surgery that saved Sisko's life. If this was the Changeling, then he just passed up a perfect opportunity to kill one of Starfleet's greatest heroes without drawing suspicion.]]
** On the other hand, [[spoiler: Sisko ''did'' just sabotage Bajor's entry into the Federation. It's possible that the Changeling just figured that leaving the "emissary" in place was good for the Dominion.]]

* FlatEarthAthiest: The Federation ''knows'' that the Prophets exist, and that they are powerful energy beings who exist outside of linear time, yet every time Sisko says he has visions of the future, they look at him like he's talking crazy.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: Sisko foresees locusts appearing over Bajor before heading for Cardassia. [[spoiler:[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E14InPurgatorysShadow A few episodes later]], [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E15ByInfernosLight a Dominion fleet exits the wormhole and heads for Cardassia]]]], which has joined the Dominion. The same two-parter also revealed that [[spoiler:Bashir]] had been replaced by a Changeling in-between "The Ascent" and this episode.
** That's not all. Sisko also predicts that if Bajor joins the Federation now, Bajor would be destroyed. At the end of the season, Bajor signs a non-aggression pact with the Dominion, which they never could have done as a Federation world, and the pact protects them for the episodes where the Dominion is occupying the station.
** And if that wasn't deep enough, in the [[Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch relaunch]], the Federation [[spoiler: begins to aid the reconstruction efforts on Cardassia after 'The Fire' (the Founder's decision to unleash the Jem'Hadar on the citizenry of Cardassia Prime),]] the same as they did for the Bajorans after the Occupation.

--> '''Worf:''' "Welcome Klingons"?

* WritersCannotDoMath: On the holodeck, Sisko says the pillar is 11 meters tall, or about 36 feet tall. He then asks for a 75% scale reconstruction, which should be about 8 meters (about 27 feet) tall, but it's nowhere near that.