Most disappointing ending to an episode

[Admiral Shran]

I don't know about that. They were able to turn Dax into an Orb and then return her to the station in Emissary. And given all the other Orbs they've sent to Bajor over the centuries, they clearly have at least some control over physical matter.

Ah, but the Orbs (and Dax) were within the Celestial Temple and therefore they could manipulate them. Physical objects outside the Temple are outside their control

They were in Celestial Temple at the beginning, that's true. However, how were the Prophets able to send Dax back to DS9 once she (in the form of an Orb) left the Wormhole/Celestial Temple if they couldn't control physical matter outside it?

 

[LeadHead]

Nah, my thinking is that a better way to do that would have been to have the Defiant collapse the entrance to the wormhole.

But in "By Inferno's Light", they said that the Bashir-Changeling's sabotage actually strengthened the wormhole to the point where they couldn't collapse the entrance, even if they wanted to.

That's why I said it was going to have to be something new. After that happened, research woulda gotten going on some new way to collapse the wormhole, just obviously not ready yet in time for "A Call to Arms."

 

[neozeks]

The resolution of this story arc should've come from the protagonists of the show and their efforts.

But it did. Sisko and crew had to fight their way through the Dominion fleet to reach the wormhole, they had to be willing to suicidally enter it and confront the massive Dominion reinforcements, and Sisko had to convince the Prophets to act and accept penance in return. I'd say those are some pretty big efforts.

Plus, given how fortified DS9 is, we can't even be sure the Federation would be able to retake it had not Kira and her cell managed to disable it's weapons. So their efforts shouldn't be overlooked either.