Tears of the Prophets ( episode ) Sisko leads an invasion of Cardassian territory , ignoring a warning from the Prophets , with fatal consequences for a member of the DS9 crew . ( " Season finale " ) Summary . Teaser . On Deep Space 9 , the Bajoran s are celebrating the Gratitude Festival . Kira Nerys approaches Benjamin Sisko and thanks the Emissary of the Prophets for holding the festival on Deep Space 9 , despite the fact the Dominion War is raging . On a more military note , Captain Sisko is awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor in recognition of his remarkable leadership and meritorious conduct against the enemy , and in particular for acts of personal bravery displayed during the battle to retake Deep Space 9 . The ceremony is followed by a briefing by Admiral Ross . Starfleet has decided to go on an offensive war and they have chosen Captain Sisko to plan the invasion of Cardassia . Act One . At about the same time , Quark , Julian Bashir , and Odo are all despairing at Quark ' s . Odo had his first argument with Kira and the poor constable is sure it is the end of their relationship . Quark and Bashir , on the other hand , had just seen all their remaining hopes for winning Dax ' s heart vanish when they learn that Worf and Dax are thinking about having children , confirming the marriage for good . Quark remarks that it was bad enough that she married that " Klingon psychopath " , but that a baby now means that the marriage is going to last a little bit longer than expected . Meanwhile , Sisko and Ross are discussing the attack on Cardassia with General Martok , emphasizing the importance of bringing the Romulan s aboard . Martok is not happy about the prospects of working with the Romulans as he finds them arrogant and untrustworthy , but Ross insists that without their help , the Federation has little chance of success . On Cardassia , Weyoun and Damar discuss the weak defense of the Chin ' toka system following the transfer of forces to the Romulan front . While Weyoun is worried , Damar is confident due to the construction of orbital weapon platform s , which – in addition to being fully automated – also have highly effective weapons and defense systems . However the discussion is interrupted when Gul Dukat arrives requesting a Bajoran artifact that was stolen during the Occupation , as well as swearing vengeance on Captain Sisko . Dukat says that he doesn ' t hold Damar responsible for Ziyal ' s death , as he believes that Sisko was behind it all to begin with . He says that he no longer has a need for conquest and power , and that he in fact exists in a state of " complete clarity " . Weyoun ridicules Dukat for his petty thirst for revenge , saying that he indeed has changed : from being a self - important egotist to a self deluded mad - man . Before he is removed , he says that the artifact he is after will make it possible for Dominion reinforcements to come through the wormhole so that they can get rid of Sisko and the Federation once and for all . This claim grabs the attention of Weyoun . Act Two . On Deep Space 9 , Sisko and Ross , together with Martok and Worf try to convince the Romulans about the attack . The Romulans and Klingons exchange insults and bicker with one another , until Sisko reminds them that they are allies . The Romulan senator is not quite convinced that an attack on Cardassia would be wise , but the adamant Starfleet officers argue that in order to achieve a lasting victory , they need to hit the Dominion hard by demolishing their shipyard s , their weapons plants , and their cloning facilities so as to force them to retreat deeper and deeper into their own territory until Federation ships can surround their headquarters on Cardassia Prime . It will be hard , Sisko admits , but it is the only way to drive the Dominion out of the Alpha Quadrant . Meanwhile , Quark and Bashir , still feeling miserable about what Dax told them , decide to drown their sorrows by going to a holosuite to seek counsel from the wise Vic Fontaine , who serenades them with just about the most appropriate song : " Here ' s to the Losers " . At the same time , Benjamin Sisko is having dinner with his son and since the captain " did not overcook the rice " , Jake understands that something big is preparing , and asks his father if he can come along . He wants to write about what is happening but Sisko doesn ' t want Jake anywhere near the war . In the end , however , acquiesces when he realizes that no matter what he does , he won ' t be able to keep his son away from the action . He asks him to pack and get ready . Jake is enthused but Sisko is worried . As soon as Jake leaves , the Prophet s contact Sisko and advise against the Emissary leaving the station and engaging in this war . They don ' t tell him why , but they are clear about what they don ' t want him to do . Act Three . On the station , Captain Sisko has received information regarding the orbital weapon platforms . It turns out that the Dominion has placed hundreds of them along the Chin ' toka system , concluding that this must be the place they have to attack first . Fortunately , the Romulan Star Empire has agreed to join the invasion of Cardassia . They decide that the attack will happen the next day . After the briefing , Sisko tells Admiral Ross about the vision he had and about the warning he received from the Prophets to not join the mission . Ross gives the captain short shrift about this and reminds him that Starfleet is unhappy with a Starfleet captain being a religious icon and tells him to choose between the two : he is either the Emissary or a Starfleet captain ; he cannot be both . Captain Sisko decides his loyalties lie with Starfleet and agrees to lead the invasion . On Cardassia , Weyoun and Damar discuss the planned attack by the Federation and the Romulans when Dukat storms in , celebrating that he finally acquired the artifact he was talking about . He tells them that after studying Bajoran culture and history over the past few months he has come to realize that the wormhole is not only the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant but also the temple of the Prophets who protect the Bajoran people . He says they wasted their time fighting the Bajorans . Instead they should have fought their god s . He then recites an incantation and breaks the artifact , releasing a Pah - wraith that possesses him . The next morning , Kira visits Odo in his office to say goodbye , as she is leaving for the task force the next morning . Odo is still hung up on their fight a few days ago and assumes their relationship is over , but Kira assures him that simply because they fought ( and she still thinks she ' s right ) , it does not mean that they are broken up and that she doesn ' t love him anymore . She suggests they spend their last night together doing something special . The other senior officers – along with Elim Garak and Jake – prepare to leave as well . Captain Sisko leaves Dax in charge of the station . Dax and Worf , after discussing the difficulties they could face in having children , share a loving embrace . Dax says she wishes she could go with him , but Worf says that she will be with him as she is always in his heart . The assumes tactical formation with the other ships in the fleet and together they set a course for Cardassia . Act Four . The combined fleet arrive at Chin ' toka , and the Jem ' Hadar inflict heavy losses on the Klingons with suicide run s on their ships . Despite this , Martok orders the fleet to fire on the weapon platforms . However only a few are taken out before they become active . Garak discovers that none of the platforms has a power generator , meaning they must all have a central source . Captain Sisko orders it found and destroyed . Aboard Deep Space 9 , Doctor Bashir informs Dax that his efforts to enable Dax and Worf to have children have worked better than expected , and Dax should have no problems getting pregnant . Dax couldn ' t be happier about what the doctor tells her and decides to go to the Bajoran Shrine , as Kira earlier asked the Prophets to help her and Worf have children , to thank them . She goes and kneels before the Orb of Contemplation and before she can say thank you to what she still believes to be wormhole alien s , the candles go out and Dukat appears in the temple behind her . As Dax reaches for her phaser , he suddenly picks her up with a fiery energy wave and then drops her body on the ground . He then effortlessly reaches through the force field and opens the Orb casing , upon which the Pah - wraith transfers from his body into the Orb , causing it to turn black . Outside the station , the wormhole opens and then seals itself . At the same time as the wormhole collapses , Captain Sisko suddenly feels a jolt and senses that something is very wrong . He says that the Prophets tried to reach out to him . Kira is alerted but stays calm . Just as O ' Brien has found the platforms ' generator on a small asteroidal moon around one of the two planets in the system , Jake is forced to help his father to his quarters as Sisko seems unable to maintain himself . Kira then assumes command . On DS9 , after the Pah - wraith has left Dukat ' s body , Dukat kneels in front of Jadzia ' s body ; before beaming out , he touches her head gently and says that for whatever it was worth , he never meant her any harm . Act Five . Flanked by an ship and a Bird - of - Prey , the " Defiant " attacks the generator but is unable to penetrate its shields . Chief O ' Brien causes the weapon platforms to fire on their own source by imprinting a fake Federation warp signature on the asteroid . His plan works , and the platforms lose all power . The Alliance destroys the platforms and proceeds to take the system as General Martok immediately orders ground troops onto both planet s in the system . But the joy quickly evaporates when the " Defiant " receives a priority one message from Bashir on Deep Space 9 . On Cardassia , Weyoun is furious that not only the Chin ' toka system has been overrun by the Federation but also that the wormhole has vanished along with any hope of bringing reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant . Dukat is not worried at all , stating that both Sisko and the Bajorans have now been cut off from their gods , perhaps forever ; without the Prophets , he assures Weyoun and Damar , Sisko is just another Starfleet captain . He guarantees that this outcome will help the Dominion a great deal . The " Defiant " returns to DS9 and as soon as it docks , Worf rushes to the infirmary . Sisko is told by a little girl that all the orbs have gone black . She asks Sisko to find the Prophets and bring them back . With many Bajorans watching , Sisko promises to try . Everyone heads into the infirmary , where Odo and Quark are already waiting anxiously . Dr . Bashir emerges from surgery and sadly informs everyone that while he managed to save the Dax symbiont , which needs to be returned to Trill as quickly as possible , nothing could be done for Jadzia . Everyone is stunned . As Sisko looks on , Worf and Jadzia share their final words , as she regrets that the two will now never have children . Jadzia touches Worf ' s face and as she takes her last breath , she says that their baby would have been beautiful . Worf howls in the Klingon tradition to let the spirits know that Jadzia is on her way to " Sto - vo - kor " , however a devastated Captain Sisko can do nothing but watch . Later , Captain Sisko speaks to Jadzia as she lies in her coffin . He tells her that while Curzon was his mentor , she has been his friend and that he is going to miss her . He regrets not having listened to the Prophets and gone on the mission . He blames himself for her death , stating that maybe if he had listened to the Prophets , she would be alive now . It seems that the Prophets have abandoned the Bajorans and him . He calls out to her ; telling her that he needs her guidance now more than ever . He needs to know how to make it right again as he failed both as the Emissary and – for the first time in his life – he also failed in his duty as a Starfleet officer . He tells her that he has to get his head together again and think , but he also knows he needs to get away from the station . He decides to take an extended leave of absence and says farewell to his crew . When asked by Dr . Bashir when he plans to return , he replies that he doesn ' t know . He thanks all of his friends for everything , and then he and Jake take off for Earth . Entering Sisko ' s office , Kira notices that the captain has taken his cherished baseball with him , indicating that he doesn ' t know " if " he ' ll ever return to the station again . On Earth , Sisko scrubs clam s at his father ' s restaurant , deep in thought about what has happened and the uncertain future that lies ahead . Memorable quotes . " " It is a private matter . " " " " We ' re thinking about having a baby . " " " " It " was " a private matter . " " " " By this time next year , the three of us will drink bloodwine in the halls of Cardassia ' s Central Command . " " " " We ' re in the middle of a life - and - death struggle for the control of the entire Alpha Quadrant and all you care about is quenching your petty thirst for revenge ! You haven ' t changed a bit , have you ? " " " " On the contrary . I ' m a new man . I no longer have a need for conquest or power . I ' m far beyond all that ! I exist in a state of complete clarity , a clarity I intend to share with the universe ! " " " " You ' re right , Dukat , you have changed ! You ' ve gone from being a self - important egoist to a self - deluded madman – I hardly call that an improvement ! " " " " Why did you come ? " " " " Isn ' t it obvious ? To give you what you desire above all else . The Alpha Quadrant . All I need is a certain Bajoran artifact . One of the many the Cardassians appropriated during the Occupation . " " " " And how is this artifact going to help us ? " " " " Let ' s just say it will make it possible for Dominion reinforcements to come through that wormhole and destroy Captain Benjamin Sisko and the Federation once and for all . " " " " It ' s tough to lose a woman like Dax . " " " " I hate to break it to you , pallie , but you lost her a long time ago . You both did . But lucky for you , space is big . There are a lot of other nice girls out there , with or without spots . Capisce ? " " " " Why is it so dangerous to leave ? And how will it affect Bajor ? You have to tell me ! " " " " The Prophets don ' t see me as a Starfleet captain . They see me as their Emissary . " " " " That ' s the problem , isn ' t it ? And for the past six years , you ' ve tried to be both . And up to now , I ' ve been patient . I ' ve indulged you . I ' ve gone out on a limb for you many times , but this is it . You need to make a decision . You are either the Emissary or a Stafleet captain . You can ' t be both . " " " " I ' ll . . . I ' ll be on the " Defiant " bridge at 0500 . " " " " Over the past few months I ' ve immersed myself in the study of the ancient Bajoran texts . And I ' ve come to realize that the wormhole is much more than the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant . It ' s the temple of the Prophets ! It ' s from there that they smile benevolently down on Bajor . It ' s from there that they protect that world and its people . The sad truth is : we wasted our time fighting the Bajorans when we should have been fighting their gods . " " " " How do you fight a god ? " " " " I ' ll show you . You see , we have an ally we never knew we had . " " " " I ' m not sure how much faith I have in this . . . what did he call it ? " " " " A Pah - wraith . " " " " Pah - wraiths and Prophets ? ! All this talk of gods strikes me as nothing more than superstitious nonsense ! " " " " You believe that the Founders are gods , don ' t you ? " " " " That ' s different . " " " " In what way ? " " " " The Founders " are " gods . " " " " I ' m not sure if I ' m doing this correctly . I don ' t come here a lot , and to be perfectly honest , I feel more comfortable thinking of you as wormhole aliens , but Kira believes you ' re much more than that . Maybe she ' s right . I don ' t know . But if you are Prophets , and you are listening , I just wanted to say . . . " " " " I know this is small comfort , but I never intended you any harm . " " " " This is a disaster ! Federation soldiers have landed on Caradassian soil , and now you ' re telling me the wormhole is gone , and with it any chance of getting reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant ! ! " " " " I ' m well aware things didn ' t turn out quite the way I ' d planned , but I assure you we still achieved a great victory . " " " " Forgive me if I don ' t share your euphoria . " " " " Well , you should . The Bajoran people have been cut off from their gods . . . perhaps forever . " " " " How does that help us ? " " " " Because Sisko has been cut off from the Prophets as well . And without the Prophets , he ' s just another Starfleet captain . " " " " I managed to save the Dax symbiont . We have to get it to Trill as soon as possible . There was nothing I could do for Jadzia . " " " " The funeral service is due to begin in a few minutes , Jadzia , but I need to talk to you one last time . When I first met you , you told me that my relationship with Jadzia Dax wouldn ' t be any different than the one I had with Curzon Dax . Things didn ' t work out that way . I had a hell of a lot of fun with both of you . Curzon was my mentor . You . . . you were my friend . And I am going to miss you . I should ' ve listened to the Prophets and not gone to Cardassia . Then maybe you ' d still be alive . Dammit ! Why aren ' t you still here , Jadzia ? I need you to help me sort things out . Something ' s happened to the Prophets . Something . . . that ' s made them turn their backs on Bajor , and I ' m responsible . And I don ' t know what to do about it . . . how to make it right again . I ' ve failed as the Emissary , and for the first time in my life I ' ve failed in my duty as a Starfleet officer . I need time to think . . . clear my head . But I can ' t do it here , not on the station , not now . I need to get away , and . . . find a way to figure out how to make things right again . I have to make things right again , Jadzia . I have to . " " " " I was afraid of that . . . he ' s not sure he ' s coming back . " " " " What makes you say that ? " " " " His baseball , he took it with him . " " Links and references . References . Alpha Quadrant ; Andoria ; arsenal ; Bajor ; Bajoran s ; Bajoran Gratitude Festival ; Bajoran shrine ; Bajoran wormhole ; baseball ; bloodwine ; booster modulator ; Cardassia Prime ; Cardassian s ; Cardassian Central Command ; Cardassian Empire ; Chin ' toka system ; Christopher Pike Medal of Valor ; clam ; cruiser ; ; deflector array ; destroyer ; Dominion Headquarters ; Dominion War ; Emissary of the Prophets ; euphoria ; evasive maneuvers ; exercise ; Federation ; Federation Alliance ; filly ; First Battle of Chin ' toka ; flood ; foal ; Founder s ; Gamma Quadrant ; Gamma Tauri IV ; Gaspar VII ; god ; Goralis ; " Here ' s to the Losers " ; holosuite ; " Honshu " shuttlecraft ; induction stabilizer ; infirmary ; Irish whiskey ; jackal ; jambalaya ; journalist ; Klingon s ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon death ritual ; metaphor ; moon ; New Orleans ; ; ; ; Occupation of Bajor ; " Old Man " ; Operation Return ; orb ; Orb of Contemplation ; orbital weapon platform s ; ovarian resequencing enzyme ; Pah - wraith s ; " peldor joi " ; plasma torpedo ; propaganda ; Prophet s ; Quark ' s ; regenerative force field ; rice ; Romulan s ; Romulan front ; Romulan Senate ; Romulan Star Empire ; Rondac III ; Septimus III ; ; Sisko ' s ; Solis ; Solarion IV ; squadron ; stallion ; station regulation ; subspace power generator ; Tora Ziyal ; Trill s ; vedek ; warp signature ; zoo Unreferenced material . Akleen , Tret ; Torg ' Q system ; Ventani system