Amazon.com: With resonant ties to previous DS9 episodes, "In Purgatory's Shadow" kicks off the fifth season's only two-parter with a nail-biting cliffhanger. It's also a series highlight for Andrew J. Robinson as DS9's resident Cardassian, Garak, who travels with Worf into the Gamma quadrant, where they're captured by the Jem'Hadar and held in a Dominion-controlled internment camp. Reunited with his now-dying mentor (Paul Dooley, returning from the third season's "The Die Is Cast"), Garak reveals a moving secret of his lineage, while Sisko and Kira, on DS9, cope with the Dominion's imminent invasion of the Alpha quadrant. Building up a steady head of steam, this tautly paced episode allows Robinson (best known as the villain of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry) to deepen his character's impact on the series, and Worf finds honor and friendship with Klingon general Martok (J.G. Hertzler), who would make welcomed appearances in subsequent episodes. Despite its pretentious title, this episode represents DS9 at its best. --Jeff Shannon
The Jem'Hadar are ready to invade the Alpha Quadrant The day the Alpha Quadrant knew was coming finally arrives in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Episode 112, "In Purgatory's Shadow" (Written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe & Ira Steven Behr, Aired February 10, 1997). DS9 picks up a coded message from the Gamma Quadrant that appears to be in Cardassian, so Garak (Andrew J. Robinson) is asked to analyze it. He says the message is not important, but then is caught trying to sneak off in a runabout. When Garak admits that the message is a distress call from his mentor Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), the former head of the Obsidian Order, Sisko allows the Garak to go to the Gamma Quadrant, but with Worf (Michael Dorn) along to keep an eye on him. The pair are pretty much at each other's throats the entire trip, until they stumble upon the entire Jem'Hadar fleet. This can only mean one thing: the invasion of the Alpha Quadrant is about to begin.
Worf sends a warning to DS9, but before he can confirm it went through he and Garak are captured by the Jem'Hadar and sent to a Dominion detention center. There they meet Martok, the Klingon general who was replaced by a Changeling ("Apocalypse Rising"), Tain, who is irate that Garak was foolish enough to be captured, and a member of the DS9 crew, which means there is a Changeling aboard the station. Meanwhile, Sisko gets enough of the message to realize what is happening and starts to prepare for the invasion, but the only real option he has is to seal the wormhole, even if Worf and Garak are still on the other side. To be continued... in "By Inferno's Light."
"In Purgatory's Shadow" gets a lot set up for the first part of this two-part story. There are several elements that could sustain an entire episode present in this one, especially the encounter between Garak and Tain, so that ups the ante considerably, making for a strong episode that has a nice balance between small moments and large implications. Of course, given that there is only one way for the Dominion to invade the Alpha Quadrant, I would have to say that the wormhole and Deep Space Nine should already have a couple of Starships patrolling the area, but that would have been the smart thing to do and would have taken away from the big cliff-hanger. Just be sure that you have both parts before you start watching this one.
The Dominion threats begin. When the station picks up a mysterious coded message from inside the Gamma Quadrant that appears to be Cardassian, Garak is asked to analyze it. He reports that the message is insignificant, but is later caught trying to sneak off the station in a Runabout. He then admits that the message is some sort of distress call from his mentor Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order. Garak convinces Sisko to allow him to travel to the Gamma Quadrant to search for Tain, but Sisko sends Worf along as a "chaperone."
Garak and Worf bicker consistently and find nothing. Finally, Worf announces that they can go no further and takes the ship out of warp, explaining that the source of Tain's signal is deep in Dominion space. Garak pushes Worf to travel through the nearby nebula but they end up right in the middle of the large Jem'Hadar fleet.
Worf realizes that the entire fleet can only be assembled for one reason â€" to invade the Alpha Quadrant. He immediately sends a warning message to the station, but is not confident it will get through. Moments later, four Jem'Hadar soldiers materialize on the ship and take Worf and Garak prisoner. Back on Deep Space Nine, the crew is able to decipher enough of Worf's signal to realize the Dominion is coming. Sisko sends Kira to find Worf and Garak, but they are already imprisoned in a Dominion detention center, where they are told they will remain until they die.
Inside the camp, Worf meets Martok, the Klingon general who was replaced by a Founder. Martok leads Worf and Garak to Tain, himself a prisoner, who is dying. Instead of being thankful to Garak for coming, Tain chastises him for allowing himself to be taken prisoner. Meanwhile, Kira returns with grim news that at least fifty Dominion ships are heading their way. With reinforcements at least two days away and only Gul Dukat on hand to help out, Sisko sees only one choice, is to seal the wormhole. If Worf and Garak don't escape in 36 hours, they will be trapped. Meanwhile, Worf and Garak are introduced to another prisoner: Bashir, meaning the Bashir at the station is a Changeling.
On the station, the Bashir Changeling begins making himself useful to Dax and O'Brien while they work out the technology that will seal the wormhole. In the internment camp, Garak meets with Tain again, desperate for a kind word from his mentor before the old man passes on. When Tain makes Garak promise to escape as a final request, Garak makes a request in return â€" that Tain acknowledge him as his son. He does, and father and illegitimate child share a memory before Tain dies peacefully. His mission complete, Garak is ready to find a way out. But he may be too late. On Deep Space Nine, the crew shoots a particle beam from the phaser banks, at the wormhole, intending to close it. However, something goes wrong. The wormhole remains open, and the large Jem'Hadar fleet begins pouring through.
My second most favorite Star Trek episode Excellent episode. The beginning of what would be the two-year long war between the Federation and the Cardassians/Dominion. Filled with suspense, surprises, twists and turns, shocking developments, and strong tests of courage. Well-written episode and worth every penny to buy. In case you want to know, my most favorite Star Trek episode of all time is the "Sacrifice of Angels".
In puragorys shadow and by infernos light Worf and Garak go into the gamma quadrant to investigate a cardassian code whice garak claims was sent by tain the former leader of the obsidian order. They progress further into the gamma quadrant where they are captured by gem hadar. Worf is forced to fight the gemhadar while garak engineers their escape from the dominion prison camp . It is a great episode which is one of my favorites it shows worfs true test of klingon honor and spirit.
meanwhile on ds9 doctor bashier was replaced by a changeling where he is damageing station systems and would be sucessful if doctor bashier wouldnt have hailed the station from the gamma quadrant.
A taskforce of klingon ships arrive from cardassian space and gowron agrees to ally the klingon empire with the federation once again and it is the beginning of the dominion war saga a must see !!
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