Sisko meets Ezri, the new host of the Dax symbiont, before departing Earth for the planet Tyree with his father, Joseph, and son Jake. Ezri wishes to accompany them on their search for Bajor's mythical Orb of the Emissary, which Sisko has been led to believe exists. Back at the station, Kira prepares a blockade to stop the Romulans, who have placed weapons on the Bajoran moon Derna. On a Klingon ship, Worf, O'Brien, Bashir, and Quark embark on a mission of their own: to destroy the Dominion shipyard on Monac IV, thus securing a place for the spirit of Worf's dead wife Jadzia in the sacred Klingon afterlife of Sto-vo-kor.

Brock Peters (Joseph Sisko)
Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun)
Casey Biggs (Legate Damar/Dr. Wykoff)
Barry Jenner (Admiral Bill Ross)
J.G. Hertzler (General Martok)
Deborah Lacey (The Sarah Sisko Prophet)
Megan Cole (Senator Cretak)
Cuauhtemoc Sanchez (Bajoran Crewman)
Lori Lively (Siana)

• Season Premiere, Part II.
  
• While traveling to Trill on the U.S.S. Destiny, the Dax Symbiont took a turn for the worst and Ezri — being the only unjoined Trill on board — was joined with Dax. Instead of the years of preparation most Hosts receive from the Symbiosis Institute, she received a 15-minute lecture from the surgeon, who wasn't even a Trill. Ezri is an assistant Ship's Counselor.
  
• Apparently there's a standard Starfleet-issue desert fatigue.
  
• The Kosst Amojan (the pagh-wraith) tried to trick The Sisko with a false vision, which featured a human Damar as Dr. Wykoff. Sisko's vision of the Prophets featuring Benny Russell occurred in last year's "Far Beyond the Stars".
  
• Sisko released the Sarah Prophet when he opened the Orb of the Emissary; she then cast Kosst Amojan out of the wormhole. She explains that she had taken over Sarah's body, met Joseph Sisko, and gave birth to Benjamin. When the Prophet left Sarah, Sarah left Joseph and Benjamin.