By the end of season 2, DS9 was a force to be reckoned with. The only thing the series lacked was a really good villain. It got three for the price of one. Turns out the Dominion is a trinity of evil: the Founders, the Vorta, and their enforcers, the Jem'Hadar. This episode marks the first appearance of the Jem'Hadar, those born-and-bred really bad guys whose mission in life is to serve the Founders. We're talking guys who are so bad, they'll ram into a retreating ship just to make a point. What is supposed to be a working vacation in the Gamma Quadrant for Sisko and Jake turns into a surreal commentary on life and war when Nog and Quark go along for the ride. Sisko's prejudice against Ferengi is laid bare, and Quark calls him on it with remarkable candor. In fact, when the two are captured and imprisoned by the Jem'Hadar and it becomes obvious Quark's particular talents are needed for escape, the little Ferengi defiantly speaks his mind before giving in and contributing. Avery Brooks's Sisko is a very human--and fallible--cCaptain, and Armin Shimmerman really hits his stride with Quark, who is at his best when he has nothing left to lose. (This is the first time Quark serves as the "Greek chorus" for the series, and it's not the last.) Special kudos to Molly Hagen as the creepy Eris. "The Jem'Hadar" is an intelligent, powerful episode that reveals all--and nothing--about the Dominion. --Kayla Rigney
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