Greetings! I just watched this episode for the first time in a while, and I forgot how tremendous awesome it is. I’m left in tears at the end. As much as we hate Dukat, you can’t help but weep for him. (Well, at least for now.) The writing, directing, acting...all of it. This is definitely one in my Star Trek Top 10.
You may also hate Damar for what he did to Ziyal. At first, I did so. Later on I didn't. It was when Damar changed from drunkard to hero.
When I first saw this episode I thought maybe the death of his daughter would have changed Dukat for good- turns out it sealed his doom as a psychopath.
Oh man, poor Ziyal's death... If anybody says 90s Trek couldn't be Dark just point them to that scene. A completely innocent, sweet natured civilian getting gunned when she was just about to leave for a safer location.
At some point, I really got into DS9. Probably around late into season 4 or so. But that was the episode where it really stuck with me, I probably got borderline obsessed with the show at that point. I was, I guess 18 or 19, I had just gotten out on my own and it was a weird/hard time. But every Sunday night at 10 p.m., I was there in front of the TV, and I would record it. I even went out and bought a fancy $200 VCR so I could rewatch it in the best possible quality, and all week long I would watch and dissect that episode over and over until the next week. That doesn't sound so crazy today but 20 years ago I was a "weirdo," and the cute girl in the apartment a couple doors down seemed to like me until I mentioned this Star Trek show and then she stopped coming around.
I remember the tension building during this episode - it was silly really, since we all knew the Federation wouldn't be destroyed, but even so, you felt the desperation as Sisko and co tried to break through the Dominion fleet, the Defiant getting battered and Kira and company trying everything they could to sabotage the station. And yes, Dukat's loss was heart-breaking - the whole episode was magnificent.
I am rewatching this too.. only got into the 1st 20 minutes or so...but maaaaan... the battle is good, and had a "Yahoo!" moment when the Klingons came in to "save the day". But even more so is the characterization... especialy good was Dukat and Weyoun... the polite distatse they had for each other, while to perhaps the underlings it seemed like friendly joking banter. Very well played. And Damar as the sniveling angry assistant . Then the Founder, whose "weakness" of Odo led to betrayal (expected?) The one thing that felt a bit off would be that Garak didn't smell a trap with the Cardassians. But not a big deal, but interesting . Can't wait to find time to finish
That Garak was not a good tactician did not bother me--he's a spy. On the other hand, some trained SF officer or NCO should have been manning the scanners.