Emissary ( episode ) Three years after his wife died at the hands of the Borg and following the Cardassian withdrawal from the planet Bajor , Commander Benjamin Sisko and a new crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers take command of an abandoned Cardassian space station and make an incredible discovery that will change the galaxy and Sisko ' s future . ( " Series premiere " ) Summary . Teaser . In 2367 ( around stardate 44002 . 3 ) Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko is the executive officer of the as it battles the Borg , led by Locutus ( the former Captain Jean - Luc Picard ) , at Wolf 359 . Its shields drained by the Borg cube , the ship sustains a direct hit , which kills most of the bridge crew save Sisko and the Bolian tactical officer and causes the beginnings of a warp core breach : they have five minutes to evacuate . Sisko orders the lieutenant to help the surviving civilians to the escape pod s and goes in search of his own family . In his quarters he finds his young son Jake and wife Jennifer buried under a pile of rubble . Although he is able to rescue Jake , Jennifer remains trapped . As Sisko digs through the rubble , the Bolian lieutenant scans Jennifer with a tricorder and finds she is already dead . Sisko ignores the lieutenant ' s desperate pleas to escape and continues trying to rescue his wife ; he is ultimately dragged away screaming to an escape pod . Together with Jake and the other survivors , he watches from the escape pod as the " Saratoga " is destroyed . Commander Benjamin Sisko approaches Jake , now a teenager , who is fishing from a lake in an Earth - like setting . Jake seems dismayed they will be soon living on a space station rather than Bajor , the planet the station orbits . Sisko assures Jake that he will have fun and meet lots of new friends , but they are interrupted by a voice from the bridge , informing Sisko that they are approaching Deep Space 9 . Sisko ends the program and they leave the holodeck . Walking past a window , Sisko and Jake get their first look at Deep Space 9 , the former Cardassian mining station which will now be their home . Act One . Sisko and Jake arrive at Deep Space 9 and are dismayed to find the station in a state of disarray , ransacked by the Cardassians following the Occupation of Bajor ; the planet itself is in a similar state . Neither Benjamin nor his son find the place , or their quarters , accommodating but they decide to " rough it " for the time being . Chief O ' Brien reports that most systems are offline and a lot of equipment is missing or severely damaged . O ' Brien also notes that Captain Picard wishes to meet with Sisko , a prospect the latter does not seem to relish . Ascending to Ops , Sisko enters the prefect ' s office and finds his Bajoran liaison officer , Major Kira Nerys , in heated argument with one of the Provisional Government ' s minister s , whom she hangs up on . Kira , a former member of the Bajoran Resistance , is openly hostile to the idea of another foreign power occupying Bajor . When Sisko says the Federation is only there to assist the Bajorans , she retorts that the Cardassians said the same thing when they arrived sixty years earlier . Their conversation is interrupted by an alarm from the Promenade , where Kira and Sisko capture a thief and his accomplice , a young Ferengi named Nog . Here , Sisko also meets Odo , the station ' s security chief , who aids in the apprehension of the two criminals . Quark , Nog ' s uncle and the proprietor of the local bar , urges Sisko to release Nog into his custody so the Ferengi may evacuate , but Sisko refuses , appearing to have something else in mind . Before he can continue , he is reminded that Captain Picard is waiting to meet with him . As he cannot put it off any longer , he heads for the " Enterprise " . Act Two . When Sisko meets with Picard in the observation lounge , it is now Sisko ' s turn to be brusque and distrusting . He begins by " re - introducing " himself , mentioning that he has already " met " Picard ( or rather Locutus ) at the Battle of Wolf 359 . Picard is obviously troubled by his memories of the event , so he begins discussing the havoc wreaked upon Bajor by the Cardassians . Bajor has applied for Federation membership , however their entrance will not be simple ; with the Cardassians gone , several factions are now fighting for control of the planet . He tells Sisko that his mission aboard the station is to do everything short of violating the Prime Directive to secure Bajor ' s entrance into the Federation . Picard then notes that Sisko had objections to taking the assignment , and Sisko tells Picard with barely - restrained anger that he ' s raising his son alone and that a damaged space station is not the ideal environment . Sisko also says that he is thinking of resigning his Starfleet commission to return to Earth , but until he makes the decision he will do his job to the best of his ability . The conversation is dominated by thinly - veiled hostility on Sisko ' s part , as he faces the man he holds responsible for the death of his wife . In Odo ' s security office , Sisko and Odo interview Quark , encouraging him to stay on the station and reopen his establishment . The Promenade is the vital heart of life on the station , and someone has to step forward and lead the other vendors in rebuilding . As Quark is less than eager to stay – citing that " " when governments fall , people like me are lined up and shot " " – Sisko uses the incarcerated Nog as a bargaining chip , offering to free Nog if Quark agrees to his terms . Odo starts to warm up to the new Starfleet commander . While discussing Bajoran politics , Kira expresses her belief that Kai Opaka , the spiritual leader of Bajor , is their only hope to unite the people and keep the Provisional Government intact . When Sisko meets the kai on Bajor , she urges him to explore his " pagh " , or life - force , and declares Sisko to be the of the Prophet s , though she doesn ' t tell him everything at first . She leads Sisko to the Orb of Prophecy and Change , which grants him his first orb experience : he is mentally transported to Gilgo Beach , years earlier ( circa 2354 ) , at the time and place he met Jennifer , his wife . He re - lives the moment of their first encounter in vivid detail , promising to prepare his father ' s famous Aubergine stew for dinner , and is distraught when the vision ends . As Kai Opaka shuts away the Orb safely in its container , she explains that this Orb is one of nine known Orbs that have appeared in the skies over Bajor in the last ten thousand years ; the Cardassians took the other eight . She also informs Sisko that his destiny , whether he believes it or not , consists entirely of finding the Celestial Temple of the Prophet s , from where the orbs originated . To help him in his task , she gives him the Orb for further study . Act Three . Back on DS9 , Sisko finds his son sleeping , still thinking of the image of his wife . Kira soon calls him to the Promenade , where he finds Quark has indeed unpacked and is entertaining the very diverse array of people on the station . He gets a drink and Quark implies he agrees to Sisko ' s terms . Sisko then greets his new chief medical officer , Doctor Julian Bashir , who is obviously smitten with Jadzia Dax , the station ' s new chief science officer . Sisko ' s meeting with Dax is really a reunion , because Dax is a Trill whom Sisko knew as Curzon Dax years earlier . Bashir offends Kira by referring to his new assignment as " frontier medicine " ; to Kira , Bajor is home , not some frontier in the wilderness . Sisko quickly puts his old friend Dax to use , asking her to conduct research on the Orb and leaving her alone in the science lab . When she touches the Orb , it grows extremely bright and gives her a vision of her own . From high above , she sees herself ( as the un - joined Jadzia ) lying on an operating table , receiving the Dax symbiont from a dying Curzon , realizing the first moment of her new self - awareness . The vision has a noticeably powerful effect on her emotion ally , as strong as Sisko ' s vision of Jennifer . On the " Enterprise " , Miles O ' Brien stands outside the captain ' s ready room on the bridge , deciding whether to go inside or not . He decides not to , and after a final look at the bridge heads to transporter room 3 . Upon entering , he asks Ensign Maggie Hubbell to beam him to the transporter pad in Ops . Just before he transports to the station , Captain Picard walks in , and dismisses the ensign . Picard notes that transporter room 3 is the chief ' s favourite one to use , and says that just the other day he called down and asked for him without thinking , and how it won ' t be the same without him . O ' Brien smiles , and tells Picard that " " it ' s just a transporter room " " , and requests permission to disembark . Picard operates the transporter console and beams O ' Brien to the station . For a moment , Picard quietly laments the loss of his long time transporter chief and leaves the room . The " Enterprise " then sets off for the Lapolis system . Act Four . Barely has the " Enterprise " left orbit than a Cardassian warship enters the system , transmitting fulsome good wishes from its commander , Gul Dukat – the former Cardassian Prefect of Bajor . Sisko hosts Dukat in his office ( which used to be Dukat ' s office two weeks prior , when the station was still under Cardassian control ) . With great diplomacy , Dukat " welcomes " the Federation to the region and pledges his " support " to their efforts to rehabilitate Bajor ( especially in light of the fact that the " Enterprise " has departed the region ) . In his unctuous manner , Dukat fishes for information about the Orb Sisko brought to the station , as he had believed that the eight " acquired " by the Cardassians were the only ones in existence . He offers to share what the Cardassians have learned from those eight , but Sisko coolly says he knows nothing about any Orb . Smiling politely , Dukat says his ship will remain in system for a few days , in case Sisko changes his mind , and asks Sisko ' s permission for his men to enjoy the services on the Promenade . In her lab , Dax has plotted a central location common to the pathways of all the known Orbs , the Denorios belt , a charged plasma field . Sisko is intrigued and wants to take a closer look , but is wary of being followed by the Cardassians . So he concocts a ruse . . . In Quark ' s , the Cardassians are winning heavily at the dabo tables , when Kira strides in and announces the bar is being closed until further notice . Quark assures his customers that it is only temporary , and one of his waiter s hands them a tote bag to carry their winnings back to their ship . The " bag " is actually Odo ; once aboard the ship , he sabotages their computers , disabling their sensor s and engines , allowing Sisko and Dax to depart in the runabout . Kira tells O ' Brien to beam Odo back to the station , but O ' Brien is having trouble operating the Cardassian transporter . When the machine refuses to respond to his commands , he kicks it in frustration – which works , energizing Odo back . Act Five . The coast is now clear for Sisko and Dax to embark toward the Denorios belt , the coordinates of the focal point of the Bajoran Orbs . As Dax steers the vessel toward high proton counts and the external wave intensifies , a wormhole suddenly opens directly in front of them . They are pulled into it , as DS9 loses contact with them , picking up only major subspace disruptions . The " Rio Grande " emerges in the Gamma Quadrant , some 70 , 000 light year s from its previous location . Sisko suspects that the wormhole is the source of the Bajoran Orbs , and realizes that they have discovered the first stable wormhole known to exist , so they turn around and attempt to return to the Alpha Quadrant . However , the " Rio Grande " loses power and velocity while in the wormhole ; they land on a " planet " with breathable atmosphere . To Sisko , it appears to be a barren wasteland , raging with electrical storm s ; to Dax , however , the planet appears beautiful , like an idyllic garden setting . A hovering Orb appears and scans their bodies ; it engulfs Dax and takes her through the wormhole safely , and she materializes in Ops on DS9 . Sisko is transported from the imaginary planet to the Celestial Temple , where he begins another vision , this one being his first communication with the Prophets of the Celestial Temple . The Prophets are non - corporeal entities , appearing to Sisko as people in his life : his late wife Jennifer , Picard , the kai , and Jake . They seek contact with other lifeforms , but do not consider him worthy , since he is corporeal , and relies on crude linguistics for communication . As he tries to defend himself and his species , Sisko seeks to develop some form of communication protocols with them . Once Kira realizes what Sisko and Dax discovered , she recognizes its tremendous importance and orders the entire DS9 space station to be moved to the mouth of the newly - found wormhole . With only six functional maneuvering thruster s , O ' Brien states that it would take a month . Kira replies that it has to be done by the next day , stating that the Bajorans have to stake a claim to the wormhole , then in an apparent change of attitude , notes that the Federation ' s presence would strengthen the claim . Dax suggests they lower the inertial mass of the station with the deflector array ; O ' Brien begins work on this endeavor . Dax contacts Starfleet for assistance ; the nearest starship is the " Enterprise " , which is two days away . Kira , Dax , and Doctor Bashir decide to set out toward the wormhole in another runabout , the , to rescue Sisko . Odo insists on joining their expedition , citing his own discovery in the Denorios belt and how his origins may be related to the wormhole phenomenon . Act Six . Back inside the wormhole , Sisko communicates with some non - corporeal aliens who take the form of several people he knows ; Jake , Picard , Locutus of Borg , Kai Opaka , Jennifer , and the " Saratoga " crew , among others . The aliens discuss destroying the intruder , while Sisko insists he was sent by the Bajorans . In order to prove he means no harm he offers to allow the aliens to share in his experiences and his past . However , it turns out the wormhole aliens have no concept of linear time . As Sisko and the wormhole aliens try to understand one another , O ' Brien and the crew attempt to find a way to safely move DS9 to the mouth of the wormhole , but the Cardassian computer is less than cooperative to the point where it refuses to cooperate with some of his requests . With great difficulty , O ' Brien manages to move DS9 ; however , Dukat has become aware of the wormhole ' s presence . Suspecting Sisko of already striking a deal with " whomever " in the wormhole , Gul Dukat races toward the wormhole himself ; his Cardassian vessel , easily out - pacing Kira and the runabout , proceeds through the wormhole . Meanwhile , Sisko is showing the aliens a moment in his past when he and Jennifer were sharing a picnic . The aliens mention that Jennifer is a part of Sisko ' s existence , but Sisko tells them that while she was a very important part she is not anymore as she is no longer alive . . . he lost her . The aliens are now very confused , unable to understand what " lost " means . Sisko tells them that when in linear time , people are unable to go back to the past , when something is lost it is gone forever . The aliens cannot understand how any species could possibly survive in this manner . Sisko goes on to explain that this day is important as it affected every one that followed ; it is the day he and Jennifer decided to have a child . As the two echoes kiss , Sisko starts to explain about touch and pleasure when suddenly . . . . . . he finds himself back on the " Saratoga " , standing over his wife ' s body . The aliens explain this is his existence . Sisko tells them that this memory is more difficult than any of the others because this is the day he lost Jennifer . The aliens don ' t accept this , and they ask Sisko why he exists here . Sisko doesn ' t understand what they ' re asking , but they insist that he exists here . Suddenly , everything stops . Gul Dukat ' s ship is traveling through the wormhole and emerges in the Gamma Quadrant . In anger , the aliens seal the wormhole , preventing the runabout from following . Act Seven . The aliens explain to Sisko that whenever someone travels through the wormhole their existence is disrupted , therefore they have closed it . The aliens tell Sisko that his linear nature makes him naturally destructive , a charge Sisko denies . He tells them he is aware that every choice he makes will have a consequence , even if he doesn ' t know what it is . To help , he uses past experiences to guide him . For example , he cites the day he met Jennifer on the beach and how their past experiences helped them realize they had a future together and when they got married they accepted any of the consequences that would come from that act . . . including the birth of their son . The aliens are starting to understand but still need help , so Sisko decides to use the game of baseball as an example . He tells the aliens that when he throws the baseball anything could happen , the batter could swing and miss or he might hit the ball perfectly . A person prepares for every consequence as they happen , and as a result the game will start to take shape even though no one knows what the outcome will be . Now the aliens start to get it , but now can ' t understand why Sisko values his ignorance of the future . Sisko tells the aliens that the unknown is what drives his species , that they are always exploring and looking to the future to expand their knowledge . He explains that he isn ' t there to conquer but to co - exist and share their knowledge . " " If what you say is true , then why do you exist here ? ! " " Sisko is once again on the " Saratoga " looking at his wife ' s body under the debris , confused why the aliens keep returning him to this point . In light of Dukat ' s disappearance , the station is soon approached by three Cardassian warships , which take a threatening posture . Gul Jasad demands to know the location of Dukat ' s vessel ; he refuses to believe Kira ' s " wormhole " explanation , since there is no sensory evidence of such . Jasad allows Kira one hour to prepare for surrender , but with the " Enterprise " still twenty hours away , Kira knows that surrender is not a viable option . Act Eight . Inside the wormhole , Sisko demands to know why the aliens keep bringing him back here to the " Saratoga " but the aliens tell him they are not bringing " him " here , he is taking " them " there . Sisko asks for the power to take them somewhere else , but the aliens tell him that he already has the power but is denying himself it and should look inside himself for the answer . Sisko then looks back , and sees himself from three years earlier , desperate to free his wife despite the knowledge she was dead . Sisko notes that he was ready to die with her . Sisko is clearly in pain at recalling the most horrific of his memories , and the aliens sense this and try to comfort him . As he sees his past self dragged away he realizes inside that he never completely left the " Saratoga " . As he looks down at his wife , and through his tears , he tells the aliens that the moment he looked down at Jennifer ' s dead body has always been in his mind , and whenever he closes his eyes he sees the same image . The aliens realize that none of Sisko ' s past experiences helped prepare him for " this " consequence and Sisko confesses he ' s never been able to get over losing her and that inside he does still exist here . But finally Sisko realizes that Jennifer is really gone and he has to let her go forever . He grieves properly this time , letting go of his emotions , but finally leaves the trauma of his wife ' s death behind him . Kira launches six photon torpedo es – the station ' s entire complement – as a bluff , to make Gul Jasad believe that Starfleet has replenished DS9 ' s weaponry after taking over the station . The bluff fails , however , as the Cardassians begin assaulting the station , easily penetrating its weak shields . Odo calls for medical assistance on the Promenade from Doctor Bashir . Dax reports that their shields are down to eighteen percent and falling , then suddenly reports a huge neutrino disturbance – the wormhole is back . The wormhole opens in an explosion of brilliant , neon - like light ; the Cardassians , shocked to see it for the first time , immediately cease firing on DS9 . To everyone ' s surprise , Commander Sisko emerges in the " Rio Grande " , towing Gul Dukat ' s disabled vessel from the wormhole to safety . Once securely back in the Alpha Quadrant , Dukat orders the Cardassian vessels to stand down . Luckily there were no fatalities on DS9 , just various injuries being treated by Doctor Bashir and Odo , who has been pressed into medical duties , for the time being . Sisko , back aboard DS9 , joyously greets Jake . The Prophets , known to the Federation as the " wormhole aliens , " have granted Sisko and all other corporeal beings free passage through the wormhole . And with the return of the " Enterprise " , the Cardassian vessels retreat back to Cardassian space . Meeting once again with Captain Picard , this time in Commander Sisko ' s office , he is congratulated on finding the wormhole ; Bajor will now undoubtedly become a commercial and scientific hub , as well as a strategic military focal point for the Federation . Sisko retracts his earlier conversation with Picard , about possibly resigning his commission . Picard , who had not forwarded the information up the chain of command , nevertheless asks Sisko if he is sure about staying at the helm of DS9 . Sisko assures him that he is ; Picard shakes his hand , and leaves for the " Enterprise " , wishing Sisko good luck . Kira warns Quark to not cheat his customers anymore , but allows him to keep his bar open . As the crew continues repairs and settles into their new home , so begins the command of Deep Space 9 by Commander Benjamin Sisko , the to the Prophets of Bajor . Memorable quotes . " " I suppose you want the office . " " " " I thought I ' d say hello first , and then take the office , but we can do this in any order you ' d like . " " " " . . . Hello . " " " " It ' s been a long time , Captain . " " " " Have we met before ? " " " " Yes , sir . We met in battle . I was on the " Saratoga " at Wolf 359 . " " " " You know , at first , I didn ' t think I was going to like him ! " " " " Nine Orbs , like this one , have appeared in the skies over the past ten thousand years . The Cardassians took the others . You must find the Celestial Temple before they do . " " " " The Celestial Temple ? " " " " Tradition says the Orbs were sent by the Prophets to teach us . What we have learned has shaped our technology . The Cardassians will do anything to decipher their powers . If they discover the Celestial Temple , they could destroy it . " " " " I can ' t unite my people until I know the Prophets have been warned . You will find the Temple . Not for Bajor , not for the Federation , but for your own pagh . It is , quite simply , Commander , the journey you have always been destined to take . " " " " How ' s the local synthale ? " " " " You won ' t like it . I love the Bajorans . Such a deeply spiritual culture , but they make a dreadful ale . Never trust ale from a god - fearing people , or a Starfleet Commander that has one of your relatives in jail . " " " " This is going to take some getting used to . " " " " Don ' t be ridiculous . I ' m still the same old Dax . More or less . " " " " I ' ll be honest with you , Commander . I miss this office . I was not happy to leave it . " " " " Drop by any time you ' re feeling homesick . " " " " Red alert ! Shields up ! " " " " What shields ? " " " I see her like this , every time I close my eyes . In the darkness , in the blink of an eye , I see her like this . " " " " You don ' t think Starfleet took command of this space station without the ability to defend it , do you ? " " " " Major ? Remind me never to get into a game of Roladan Wild Draw with you . " " " " We ' re not done with the Cardassians yet . Not with the strategic importance of that wormhole . " " " " Good luck , Mr . Sisko . " " Links and references . References . Alpha Quadrant ; ; antilepton s ; aubergine stew ; automobile ; Bajor ; Bajoran s ; Bajoran Provisional Government ; Bajoran Resistance ; Bajor sector ; Bajoran system ; Bajoran wormhole ; baseball ; Battle of Wolf 359 ; battle stations ; ; Bolian ; Borg ; Borg cube ; bus ; Cardassian ; Cardassian Union ; Cardassian Guard ; Cardassian warship ; Celestial Temple ; Celsius ; character reference ; Chicago Cubs ; civil war ; ; constable ; control thruster ; dabo ; Dahkur citizens ; damage report ; death ; deflector generator ; Denorios belt ; duranium ; duranium shadow ; Earth ; egg ; emergency ration s ; Emissary of the Prophets ; engineer ; ; escape pod ; Escape pod 10 ; Escape pod 17 ; FGC ; Federation ; fishing ; Fourth Order ; Frunalian science vessel ; ; Gamma Quadrant ; gambler ; ; ; ghost town ; Gilgo Beach ; gourmet ; handshake ; holosuite ; homesickness ; Idran ; Idran system ; ignorance ; infirmary ; Jasad ' s starship ; Jasad ' s companion vessels ; kiss ; Kumamoto ; Lapolis system ; league ; lemonade ; ; Milky Way Galaxy ; ; " Miranda " - class escape pod ; musical instrument at Quark ' s ; navigational report ; navigational scan ; navigational sensor ; ; neutrino ; O - type star ; ; ; " Oberth " - class starship at Wolf 359 ; ODN ; Occupation of Bajor ; " Old Man " ; Ops ; Orb ; " pagh " ; park ; party ; pit boss ; plasma field ; plea bargain ; politician ; pond ; prefect ; Prime Directive ; procreation ; Promenade ; Prophet s ; pulse compression wave ; Quadros - 1 probe ; Quark ' s Bar ; refugee ; replicator ; research grant ; ; Roladan Wild Draw ; ; sand ; ; Setlik III ; Seventh Order ; ; Sisko ' s transport ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; subspace field ; supergiant ; swimming ; synthale ; Taluno ; Taluno ' s ship ; theology ; thief ; thoron field ; time ; towel ; tricorder ; trinary star system ; Trill ; Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards ; Wolf 359 ; Wolf 359 cube ; ; Unreferenced material . chancellor ; ; Hadas IV ; ; Moravian Lane ; sulfur ; university