Disc 1
Image in the Sand
Synopsis: The Siskos have gone back to Earth where Ben works in his father’s restaurant. He’s still hoping to get an inspiration on how to re-open the wormhole. And then he finally gets a vision about a human female that’s somehow linked to his father. In the meantime Kira (who has been promotoed to Colonel) has to deal with the Romulans who want to open a hospital on one of Bajor’s uninhabited moons. And Worfs seeks a way to ensure that his wife passes the gates of Sto’Vo’Kor (the klingon heaven).
My Opinion: So Sisko’s mother wasn’t Sisko’s mother? This is a bit of a last-minute revelation, isn’t it? Apart from that this was basically just a prelude to the next episode.
Shadows and Symbols
Synopsis: Just as he was about to embark to Tyree where he hopes to find an answer to his vision, Sisko finds himself in front of Dax – Ezri Dax. Ezri never intended to get joined but the Dax symbiont was dying and she was its only hope. So she joins Ben, Jake and Joseph Sisko on their journey to Tyree. And Miles, Julian and Quark have joined a dangerous mission to honour their memory of Jadzia Dax. Worf and Martok plan to take the Rotarran deep into enemy territory where they intend to destroy a ship yard.
My Opinion: So Dax is back. Why? Why did they feel the need to introduce a new character (and that’s basically what she is) in the last season? She’s a babbling irritant and it will barely get better. And Sisko was conceived by a woman that was inhabited by a Prophet at that time? And he re-opened the wormhole. Hallelujah! Praise the Emissary! 
But I liked how Kira took a stand with her wing of impulse fighters agains a group of romulan Warbirds after they deceived her. And I liked the destruction of the ship yard – that should ensure Jadzia’s entrance into Sto’Vo’Kor.
But it was nice to see that they took the chance to show Casey Biggs (Damar) without a mask:
Afterimage
Synopsis: Ezri, who is a counsellor in training, has a hard time. She has to deal with all the memories of her previous hosts (especially Jadzia’s). But she also has to deal with all her – or Jadzia’s – friends aboard DS9 and of course with Worf. But she gets distracted when Garak’s claustrophobia panic attacks worsen and he nearly jumps out of an airlock “to get some fresh air”.
My Opinion: I liked Garak’s inner conflict about “betraying” his own people at the same time as I disliked the entire Ezri plot. And Garaks plot was basically written as a story device for her. If this would have been an exception I could live with it but we will see quite a number of Ezri episodes this season. They wanted to give her a proper profile and background but it feels forced. Ezri here. Ezri there.
Take Me Out to the Holosuite
Synopsis: The USS T’Kumbra (an all-Vulcan ship) comes to DS9 and its captain and Sisko have a history. He challenges Sisko on Sisko’s very own playing field – baseball. Sisko accepts of course and builds his very own baseball team and two weeks later the holo crowd is looking forward to a game of “Logicians” versus “Niners”.
My Opinion: I never cared for baseball but just as Major League this was fun to watch. The huge baseball cap to fit on a Ferengi head or Odo as the umpire or O’Brien’s scotch-flavoured bubble gum: great. 🙂 But I would have expected more of Worf. He’s a skilled klingon warrior and he can’t even hit the ball once? 😉
Disc 2
Chrysalis
Synopsis: By impersonating Starfleet officers and Patrick playing “Admiral Patrick” the four genetically enhanced patients come back to the station. Bashir tries to free Sarina from her catalepsy in which she’s been since she was a child. And when Sarina finally awakes she turns out to be a beautiful young woman and Bashir immediately falls in love with her. But will her improvement be permanent?
My Opinion: I really liked the Sarina’s blossoming. It was so nicely done how the other tried to help her with her voice training. That was beautiful. And their attempt of trying to find a way to stop the universe from collapsing in 70 trillion years was also funny to watch.
Treachery, Faith and the Great River
Synopsis: Odo is contacted by a cardassian informant he has known for years. But when he arrives at the secret meeting point he only finds Weyoun. But this isn’t the Weyoun who led the war against the Federation. The fifth Weyoun clone was killed in a transporter accident a month ago. And this Weyoun 6 wants to defect and serve Odo. Odo and Weyoun 6 fly back to DS9 aboard a runabout but Weyoun 7 and Damar are willing to stop them at any cost. Meanwhile Nog is once again a sailor on the river of the Great Material Continuum and tries to acquire a graviton stabilizer for Chief O’Brien.
My Opinion: It was an OK episode. What I really liked about this episode was Nog’s explanation of the Ferengi believe that there is actually something like the Great Material Continuum where those meet who have too little of one thing and too much of another and that the river brings these people together.
Once More Unto the Breach
Synopsis: Kor hasn’t been able to get a command of his own in the current war and he asks Worf for help. As it turns out Kor once prevented Martok from becoming an officer in the klingon military and now Martok is “returning the favor”. But Worf secures him a position as third officer in a dangerous mission Martok and Worf are about to embark on.
My Opinion: A nice farewell for Kor. He was allowed to die as a warrior, as it should be. And he died a death worty of a Dahar Master. Songs will be sung about this deed. And unfortunately also one of the last appearances of John Colicos who also died two years later. I loved him both in the role of Kor but especially as the diabolical Baltar in the original Battlestar Galactica. “To Kor, a noble warrior to the end!” – Martok
The Siege of AR-558
Synopsis: The Defiant brings supplies to a group of Federation soldiers who defend a Dominion communications relay. And the Jem’Hadar want it back badly. The unit has lost many people and Sisko decides to stay until reinforcements arrive. And it’s the first ground assault experience for both Nog and Ezri.
My Opinion: A very dark episode (literally and metaphorically). I think such episodes are important when you show war in a TV show. It’s easy to forget or dismiss the dead when it’s “just” starships that get blown to pieces. But to see them die one by one in close combat makes it much more real, especially when you have a connection to the characters.
Disc 3
Covenant
Synopsis: The cult of the Pah-Wraith believers grows and even a Vedek and a friend of Kira’s is now one. He abducts Kira from DS9 and brings her to Empok Nor where Dukat has become the leader of a group of that cult. They want to show her that the Pah-Wraiths are actually the good gods because they wanted to guide the Bajorans and that they would have never allowed to occupation to happen. And Kira has to learn that some Bajorans believe so strong in their former oppressor that they would give their life for him.
My Opinion: Now Dukat’s religious phase begins. I don’t like that story.
It’s Only a Paper Moon
Synopsis: Two months ago, Nog has lost his leg in the Battle of AR-558 and now he’s returning to DS9 with a new biosynthetic leg. But he’s still on medical leave and he choses to avoid real life and become a permanent guest in Vic Fontaine’s Las Vegas hotel. Ezri tries to reach out to him but the only one who can connect to Nog is Vic.
My Opinion: This was a decent episode. It reminded me a bit of Reginald Barclay III who also tried to escape reality back on the Enterprise. And I have to say that Vic is a better counsellor than Ezri. 
. But I also liked that Ezri could convince Vic that it was time for Nog to return into the real world and how Vic threw him out of his program. And I found it amusing when Nog complained about the realism in Shane when Shane didn’t bleed after he got shot.
Prodigal Daughter
Synopsis: O’Brien who was looking for a missing woman on New Sydney has gone missing, too. An involvement of the Orion Syndicate is very likely since both are directly connected to O’Brien’s undercover mission in the last year. Sisko sends Ezri home to her family who has some influence in the system since they are the sixth-biggest mining operation company in the sector. But Ezri and her mother have some unresolved issues.
My Opinion: Hmm. Maybe I am prejudiced and I don’t want to like her but I couldn’t care less about Ezri’s family.
The Emperor’s New Cloak
Synopsis: Mirror-Ezri comes to DS9 and “convinces” Quark and Rom to steal a klingon cloaking device. Zek tried to open negotiations in the mirror universe and became prisoner to the Regent. But neither Quark nor Rom trust Mirror-Ezri and go with her to the other side. There they find not only a pleasant and kind Brunt, but also a real Vic Fontaine.
My Opinion: Oh c’mon, really? A real Vic – are you kidding me? And of course a Mirror-Ezri. They couldn’t resist. And they even killed Jadzia in the mirror universe, too, instead of simply not showing her.
Disc 4
Field of Fire
Synopsis: Someone kills seemingly random Starfleet officers aboard DS9 and he or she uses an old-fashioned gun instead of an energy weapon. The killer seems to be shooting at point-blank range yet there are none of the expected powder burns on the body. Ezri uses an Trill ritual to call forth the memories of Joran Dax, the murderer. She hopes that his insight can help her catch the current killer.
My Opinion: Actually, this was an interesting episode. I liked it how Joran pushed her to solve the case but I also liked how she resisted him in the end. To use a Vulcan as killer was a surprising choice, but because of that it was a good one. It seemed logical ( 😉 ) from a script POV not to use one of the usual suspects.
Chimera
Synopsis: When O’Brien and Odo return from a mission their runabout is followed by some sort of space being. It enters the ship and turns out to be a shapeshifter. But it’s not a Founder. He’s one of the hundred like Odo that were sent into space to explore and experience. Odo tries to convince him to live on the station, but Laas is older than Odo and he’s developed a certain dislike for “monoforms”.
My Opinion: While I found the special effects and the idea that a shapeshifter could turn into fire or fog interesting, the rest of the episode was rather boring.
Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Synopsis: Vic’s program contains a hidden Jack-in-the-box component which allows the gangster Frankie Eyes to overtake the hotel and turn it into a casino. Vic is thrown out. But the crew of DS9 can’t simply reset and restart the program because that would mean that Vic would lose all his memories about them. They need to find an ingame solution and soon after the senior staff of DS9 is planning a robbery of a 1960s Las Vegas casino.
My Opinion: The last fun and also the last holodeck episode of the show. I enjoyed it very much. It’s a bit like Ocean’s Eleven (the original one, the one without all the computer stuff). And I liked the general idea that they were unwilling to reset the program and lose Vic as they know him. Basically Vic is to them what fictional characters are to us and I love my fictional characters the way they are.
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
Synopsis: Shortly before Bashir departs for a conference on Romulus he’s contacted by Sloan from Section 31. Sloan gives him an additional job: To evaluate the health condition of certain members of the romulan Continuing Committee. Sisko and Admiral Ross order him to play along to find out what Section 31 is up to. But when it becomes clear that someone is about to kill the chairman of the romulan intelligence service Tal Shiar, Bashir reveals this information to the romulan liason officer, Senator Cretak.
My Opinion: “Inter arma enim silent leges.” – “In times of war, the law falls silent.” The theme of this episode was similar to the one in In the Pale Moonlight. What is allowed in times of war to win that war? Garak did the dirty work in the former episode and now Section 31 has done it. But this time it happened with the approval of a Starfleet admiral and not just a station captain. When does the price become to high to pay? What good are principles if you lose and become enslaved? But what good are principles if you only life by them when it’s an easy choice?
Disc 5
Penumbra
Synopsis: Worf is missing in action after his ship was destroyed near the Badlands. The Defiant searches for him but has to abort when the Jem’Hadar are closing in on her. Ezri takes matters into her own hand and continues the search in a runabout. Meanwhile Benjamin proposes to Kasidy and she accepts. And on Cardassia the Founder gets more and more ill due to the plague that has infected the Great Link a few months ago. And Dukat reappears and asks Damar for a favour.
My Opinion: Now the story is marching toward the end and these ten episodes form one continuous arc. There are now multiple parallel storylines and some of them are more interesting than others.
Even though it puts Ezri in the center agin, I mostly enjoyed this episode. It was a good start to this conclusion of the series.
‘Til Death Do Us Part
Synopsis: Sisko takes the warning of the Prophets seriously and isn’t sure anymore that he really should marry Kasidy. He beasically un-proposes to her and she doesn’t take it lightly. Worf and Ezri – who had crashed on a planet and were captured by the Breen – are on a Breen ship and are being brought to an unknown destination. And Dukat – now surgically altered to look like a Bajoran – meets with Kai Winn who got a vision from the Prophets in which they instructed her to work with him (although she doesn’t know who he really is).
My Opinion: These Prophets and their prophecy. They are a bit of a PITA. But I am glad that Ben made up his own mind and married Kasidy. They are a nice couple and they deserved it. I didn’t care much about Worf’s and Ezri’s argument though. But it didn’t bother me either. What did bother me was the Winn/Dukat storyline. Dukat was a brilliant villain character before they made up this religious storyline. I guess it’s a bit like with The Lord of the Rings. In order to watch the great battles and the interesting characters around Aragorn you have to endure Frodo’s march to Mount Doom.
Strange Bedfellows
Synopsis: The Dominion and the Breen have signed a treaty that makes the latter part of the Dominion. Ezri and Worf are now prisoners on Cardassia. Damar becomes more and more uneasy and when Weyoun sacrifices half a million cardassian soldiers in a pointless battle he finally comes around and decides to do something about it. Meanwhile Kai Winn learns that the vision was not sent by the Prophets but by the Pah-Wraiths but when she seeks forgiveness the Prophets don’t answer her.
My Opinion: I really liked it that Worf and Ezri talked things out. They couldn’t behave awkwardly around each other forever. And I liked it how Worf snapped Weyoun 7’s neck and how Damar enjoyed seeing this even though he knew that there would be a Weyoun 8. And I loved it when Martok and Sisko dicussed marriage and Martok compared it to wars and battles. He’s a typical Klingon. 😉
The Changing Face of Evil
Synopsis: Ezri and Worf are back on DS9 and they bring the news about the Breen with them. But they didn’t have to. The Breen have just launched an orbital attack on the Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. And now they try to re-take the Chin’toka system. A combined fleet tries to prevent that but it ends in disaster. Meanwhile Winn and Dukat (still disguised as Anjohl Tennan) study the old books about the Pah-Wraiths in order to find a way to release them in order to bring restauration to Bajor.
My Opinion: Damar’s troops destroyed the cloning facilities of the Dominion. It seems that Weyoun is going to be OOP. What I liked about this episode was that they didn’t show only fighting and war but also that all these people still have a private life, that life goes on despite the war. And I loved that huge “The Alamo” model of Miles’s. Too bad they had to give up the Defiant. She was a fine ship.
Disc 6
When It Rains…
Synopsis: Only one ship was able to withstand the Breen energy dampening weapon in the lost Battle of Chin’toka. Unfortunately this adjustment works only on klingon ships so they have to carry the burden of holding the line. Unfortunately Chancellor Gowron has decided to take a more active role in this war and he takes supreme command of all klingon forces. Meanwhile Damar has lost many of his men and as a cardassian officer he has no idea how to lead a resistance. But someone does: Kira. She, Odo and Garak depart for Cardassia to help Damar, because his rebellion is vital for the survival of the AQ. And Dukat and Winn are still studying the Book of the Kosst Amojan, to release the Pah-Wraiths. And Bashir finds out that Odo is also infected with the Founder’s disease and that was actually he who infected them not the other way around. And it was Section 31 who infected him 3 years ago.
My Opinion: Wow, what a synopsis. But so much is happening in these last episodes. Even though I have just watched it, I have to check with Memory Alpha to remember what happened in which episode. But it’s cool, I like it. I love the idea of Damar leading a rebellion against the Dominion because for him it has always been “Cardassia first” and now Cardassia is only a second-class underling in the Dominion. And I loved to see Dukat get blinded by the book. That puts a pause on their storyline.
Tacking Into the Wind
Synopsis: Kira and Garak instruct Damar on how to build a resistance, including the use of small cells independent from each other, sabotage and other “terroristic” activities. Odo uses his shapeshifting to achieve their plans but that worsens his condition. Their next plan is to steal a ship with a dampening weapon to bring it to the Federation for studying. But not every Cardassian feels comfortably around Kira. Meanwhile Gowron is wasting ships and troops on futile attacks against the Dominion. But Martok won’t go against his chancellor in times of war.
My Opinion: Worf basically installed Gowron on the throne eight years previously and now he literally uninstalled him and he also installed the next chancellor. Not bad for a man who is considered an outsider in the klingon society. 😉 And I liked that Damar finally begins to understand that the old ways are over.
Extreme Measures
Synopsis: O’Brien and Bashir have managed to lure Sloan to the station by pretending that Bashir has found a cure for the Founder’s disease. But they want to retrieve that knowledge from him and for that they (illegally) probe his mind. To prevent that Sloan bites on a suicide capsule that destroys his brain. Bashir can slow down the process but Sloan is in a coma now and will be dead within the hour. Bashir uses a device to perform something similar as a Vulcan mind-melting to enter Sloans thoughts. But Sloan’s mind is twisted.
My Opinion: It was an OK closure to the Sloan storyline. But I’ve seen better mind-walking episodes on this and other shows. But at least they have found the cure.
The Dogs of War
Synopsis: Damar was betrayed by an assumed ally. Most of his co-conspirators are killed, all the restistance cells are wiped out by the Dominion. Garak, Kira and Damar have to flee and to hide in the house were Garak grew up. Meanwhile Zek calls Quark and announces that he will retire and come to DS9 to name him as his successor. And Starfleet gives Sisko a new ship: The USS São Paulo, Defiant-class. But they decided to rename it to USS Defiant, designation NCC-75633.
My Opinion: While it may have been funny, I don’t think it was a good idea to make Rom the next Great Nagus. Granted, Zek and Ishka have been changing the Ferengi society for quite some time now, but Rom has no ear for business, he admitted that himself. And even with all those changes a race doesn’t change overnight and they only accepted Zek’s and Ishka’s changes because both of them had an ear for business.
But loved to see how Damar has become a legend after he was allegedly killed by the Dominion. It reminded me of the rumors about William Wallace after he lost the Battle of Falkirk in Braveheart.
Disc 7
What You Leave Behind
Synopsis: The combined fleet attacks the Dominion. It’s a brutal battle with many losses but the Dominion has made a fatal mistake. In retaliation for Damar’s sabotages the Jem’Hadar destroyed an entire cardassian city and now the cardassian ships on the front switch sides. The Dominion has no choice but to retreat to Cardassia Prime but they are followed and they have nowhere else to go. On the ground the rebels around Damar, Kira and Garak decide to storm the Dominion Headquarters and after a bloody struggle they manage to capture the female Founder. But the ships in orbit will fight until the bitter end. Or they would if Odo wouldn’t have made an offer the Founder couldn’t resist. He offers the cure for an unconditional surrender. The war is over.
But not on all fronts. Winn and Dukat have managed to awake the Pah-Wraiths in the fire caves and they will bring destruction to the galaxy if Sisko doesn’t stop them. And he will.
And that’s the end of the story: Martok is the klingon chancellor. Rom is the Great Nagus. Damar has fallen in battle. Garak has killed the last Weyoun and has finally ended his exile. The Founder will stand trial for her crimes. Odo will return home and join and heal the Great Link. Worf will become the Federation ambassador on Qo’noS. O’Brien and his family return home to Earth where he will teach at Starfleet Academy. Julian and Ezri are finally a couple. Winn was killed by Dukat who in turn was sent to the Pah-Wraiths by Sisko. Sisko’s journey is now over, he has joined the Prophets. And Morn? Morn sits at Quark’s bar.
My Opinion: It is a good conclusion to the series although not perfect. There are some thing that bothered me. For example: Even though Weyoun sent out most of the guards, it should be impossible for half a dozen people to storm the headquarters of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. And I wished that Damar would have survived. Cardassia has suffered so much (the Dominion killed 800 million Cardassians in retaliation for their betrayal on the front line) and they need a strong leader now who’s willing to rebuild their society and bring change to it. I also didn’t like that so many people left the station at the same time: O’Brien, Worf, Odo and Sisko. It really felt like an end and not like “life goes on…”. What I really disliked was that Worf wasn’t allowed to remember any moment with Jadzia when he recollected his memories about the past four years.
But enough complaining. It was still a good conclusion with many emotional moments (especially the flashbacks).
The Season – My Opinion: This season was not as good as the seasons before but it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. One gets used to Ezri over time and the final arc was very thrilling. I just wish they had cut back on that entire Prophets storyline both on Sisko’s and on Dukat’s side. There should have been a better solution.
But it was fun to watch the entire show again. The characters and the story are great even though the special effects may not be up2date anymore. But the TV world has changed since the mid-90s. Story arc series aren’t the exception anymore, they are the rule. Let’s see what else is out there…
The End.