It begins a few months after Jadzia’s death, in the two-parter “Image in the Sand”/ “Shadows and Symbols”, Ben and Jake are on earth at their father’s restaurant. Time seems to stand still but then Ben Sisko gets a vision, a vision of a face of a woman who later appears to be his birth mother. He thinks where the vision is leading him to, he plans go but jake and his father go with, right before go, they meet Ezri who joins them. He also gets visions from the Pah-Wraith who want that Benny (“Far Beyond the Stars”) stops writing that story, which would mean who had no believe, he would stop searching for the orb. Kira gets promoted, desperately wants Sisko back, Quark, Bashir and O’Brien join Worf and Martok for a dangerous mission so that Jadzia can go to Sto-Vo-Kor. Worf is at first not happy the others come along. Note - Great opening to the last season, nice introduction for character Ezri Dax.

In “After Image” Ezri has her doubts about staying on DS9, or even in Starfleet. She is very insecure, Jadzia’s friends are there, Worf is there and he ignores her. Sisko tries to convince her, stimulates her to try and see the benefits of staying there. As a counselor she tries to help Garak with his claustrophobia, which at first backfires. “Take Me to the Holosuite” is really a fun episode where Sisko is challenged for game of baseball by a Vulcan he knows from the academy. There is some history between these two and Sisko cannot help himself and accepts the challenge, also on behalf his crew. In “Chrysalis” Bashir’s genetic engineered friends return to DS9. Bashir thinks he can help Sarina and while trying to do that, he falls in love with her. Note - A really endearing episode where Bashir again stays behind emptyhanded.

In “Treachery, Faith and the Great River” Odo is surprised when Weyoun is surrendering himself to him. He wants to tell Dominion secrets. Meanwhile the next Weyoun clone is after them with Damar, trying to convince the surrendering Weyoun to kill himself. Note - We get to see a different side of Weyoun, even some heroic gestures at the end. B-story is for Nog and O’Brien, funny story where Nog gets to become a real Ferengi again, making O’Brien very nervous. “Once More Unto the Breach” we see Kor for the last time. Martok hates him, which is understandable, he offended Martok greatly in the past. Kor feels useless at his age but gets a chance to go out being a true hero once more! Note – A great tribute in the final moments for this old Klingon.

“The Siege of AR-558” is a different kind of war story then we are used to, a ground war instead of up in space. It is very grim story, a situation you wouldn’t want to be in yourself. I do think it’s good to show this side of the war also. Reminds me of Space: Above and Beyond, where this happened more often. Nog gets severely injured, which will become an interesting thread of the next couple of episodes. Note - Bill Mumy guest stars, we all know him from Babylon 5 as Lennier! Actor Mumy said in an interview that the DS9 cast & crew really looked exhausted, in their 7^th season of 26 episodes. In “Covenant” Dukat has formed a cult which he is leading of course, all in the name of the Pah-Wraits but you and I know he only thinks about himself. He also kidnaps Kira because he wants her join his cult! Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo show their acting skills but the episode itself unfortunately is just above average at best. In “It’s Only A Paper Moon” Nog returns from months of rehabilitation after he lost his leg during the AR-558 mission. He is very down, he still feels his leg that isn’t there anymore, he still feels the prosthetic leg. He decides he wants to rehabilitate further in the Holodeck at Vic’s. He even intends to stay there indefinitely. Note - A strong episode, nice performances of James Darren and Aron Eisenberg. “Prodigal Daughter” is an Ezri Dax story, where we meet her family. This is also follow-up story from season 6 episode “Honor Among Thieves” and in this episode Miles is looking for Bilby’s wife who has gone missing. Note - I have to say that I find this an interesting story with a dramatic ending for Ezri and her family.

“The Emperor’s New Cloak” is the last alternate universe episode. This time Quark and Rom need to go to the other side because Zek has been kidnapped. Note - I am not really a fan of the alternate universe episodes, don’t hate them but they’re not my favorite episodes. Still this episode does a have lots of humor in it, mainly because of Quark and Rom. Of course alternate universe Garak is also always a treat. Another Ezri episode “Field of Fire” where Ezri reluctantly ‘asks’ Joran for help, who was a psychopathic murderer, to catch a murderer. Joran relishes the hunt for the murderer. An okay episode I guess.

“Chimera” is a better episode where Odo is found by another changeling, Laas (J.G. Hertzler as Garman Hertzler), who was also sent on its way, like Odo, by the founders so many years ago. Odo convinces him to stay awhile on the station. Where Odo is cautious giving his opinion or showing his true self. The other changeling is the opposite of that and doesn’t understand why Odo is holding himself back. When the other changeling kills a Klingon without remorse, he is being arrested. When Odo releases him, the other changeling tries to convince Odo to come with him, which he doesn’t. The last episode before the 10-part series finale, "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang", is a holodeck story when a programming glitch changes Vic Fontaine’s club into casino, run by mobsters and they more or less hate Vic. Note - I first hated the episode because of the wrong order on the released VHS tapes. It was after episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" (which is for me the start of the final 10 epsiodes). Once I realized it was meant to see before “Inter Arma..”, I really could enjoy the episode.

I am not gonna name episode titles for the 10-part series finale.

Well the last 10 episodes you can, more or less, see as a (very) long feature length movie. The series comes to a closure. Worf has gone missing, Ezri is disobeying orders and goes out to find him herself. They both are captured by the Breen, who have become the new allies of the Dominion. Everything looks very grim. Meanwhile the Founders are ill and Odo is also starting having symptoms. Bashir finds out that it was Section 31 who has make Odo ill, with the sole reason to infect the Founders. Ben Sisko wants to get married to Kasidy but the Prophets, in the form of his mother, warns him to not marry her, he needs to walk the path alone. After some doubts he still marries her and not long after she is pregnant. Damar sees that the Dominion is treating the Cardassians as 2^nd class citizens, especially now the Breen are the Dominion’s new allies. He frees Worf and Ezri and asks the help of the Federation. Sisko sends in Kira and Garak to help Garak form a resistance. Meanwhile chancellor Gowron comes to DS9 to honor Martok. But his real reason is that he is jealous of Martok’s popularity and sees him as a threat for his position. Gowron however is not even half the tactician Martok is and Sisko and Worf know something has to change.

Kai Winn who has been set-up by the Pah-Wraits at first, by pretending to be the Prophets in a vision she had. They send a Bajoran farmer who in fact is Gul Dukat. When she finds out she is disgusted but she figures she needs him when they go to the fire caves to release the Pah-Wraits. Worf challenges Gowron and kills him, he turns down the position of chancellor and suggest that Martok needs to become the new chancellor, which he accepts. Bashir and O’Brien lure Sloan to DS9 to get the cure for Odo. When Sloan tries to kill himself they only have a very short time, to go into Sloan’s mind to try and find the cure. Bashir and O’Brien succeed and cure Odo. Damar and his resistance group cause the Dominion lots of trouble, the female founder orders the death of an entire settlement of Cardassians. When Damar dies, Kira, Garak and other Cardassians make their way into the Dominion fortress where the female founder and Weyoun are also. Kira asks the founder to surrender and let the troupes surrender also. The female founder refuses but when Odo comes to her and links with her, the surrenders right after. This does mean that Odo is going back to the great link and won’t return to DS9. Now that the female founder is arrested, someone should lead his people and let them know his experiences with humanoids.

Meanwhile in the fire caves, Winn thinks she can sacrifice Dukat to the Pah-Wraits but it is actually Winn who is sacrificed but is helpful to Sisko just before she is killed by a possessed Dukat. Dukat has the book of costa mojen in his hands when Sisko runs add him and together they fall in the fire, putting back the Pah-Wraits where they belong. Dukat and Winn are dead while Sisko is with the Prophets where Sarah, his mother tells him, his task has been completed and that he belongs to them now. He connects with Kasidy and tells her that he won’t be home for a while, he doesn’t know how long it will take but he promises her, he will be back. Ezri and Bashir are a couple now, Miles and his family return to earth where is going to teach. Quark is happy that although everything changes….yet the still stay the same. Rom becomes Grand Nagus Zek and Worf becomes a Klingon ambassador to the Federation.

Final Word:

I really enjoyed this season, especially the last 10-part episodes which conclude, in my opinion, the best Star Trek ever created. As I said, DS9 goes out with a BANG! If you compare the The Next Generation’s 7^th season, or to Voyager’s, you can only come to the same conclusion as I did that DS9’s ending is much more satisfying! It is always a bit of a double feeling, happy that you watched the whole series again, yet sad that you will have to miss this show for a few years before you start rewatching it again. Still I am happy to have these 7 seasons on DVD, so I can watch it whenever I feel like it. One wish….BLU-RAY!

Screencaps: taken from TrekCore