Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 48: The Search, Part 2 [VHS]

This episode concluded what amounted to a three-part story arc that began with episode 46, "The Jem'Hadar," a cliffhanger episode that ended DS9's second season and continued in episode 47, "The Search, Part I," the first installment of year three. Back on DS9 after a harrowing encounter with the Jem'Hadar, vicious warriors of the Dominion, Sisko and Dax find themselves blind-sided by the Federation's willingness to cave in to the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar on a treaty. Meanwhile, Kira tries to contact Sisko from Odo's home planet, while Odo receives his first exposure to his own people and their concept of the "great link" that connects all shapeshifters. This story provides a solid conclusion to the tale and sets up much of what comes in the next season, as the entire region becomes destabilized. It also offers real insight into Odo's life story, which is told for the first time. The DS9 part of the plot is particularly tricky, and the ending plays mind games with the viewer in ways that the average show would never dare. Still, the Dominion turns out to be a lot less forbidding than the Borg, the scariest Star Trek villain of all time. --Marshall Fine