The Search , Part I ( episode ) Sisko takes an untested Starfleet warship into the Gamma Quadrant in an attempt to find the Founders of the Dominion . ( " Season premiere " ) Summary . Teaser . Kira , Dax , O ' Brien , Odo , and Bashir are in Ops , having a discussion about the possible invasion by the Jem ' Hadar , the soldiers of the Dominion . Dax says the only two options are to abandon the station and make a stand on Bajor , or to collapse the wormhole . Just as Kira rejects both ideas , a subspace surge activates the security sensor s ; O ' Brien is shocked that a cloak ed vessel somehow approached the station ' s shield perimeter completely undetected . Suddenly , the ship decloaks , and hails the station . It is Commander Benjamin Sisko , with an experimental vessel called the , a warship originally designed to fight the Borg . He says to Kira that he has " brought back a little surprise for the Dominion . " Act One . Sisko and the senior officers discuss the " Defiant " in the station ' s wardroom . Sisko says it is a prototype ; a warship designed to fight the Borg . With the Borg threat becoming less urgent over the years , the idea was abandoned after design flaws were found during initial testing . Sisko avoids the technical details , but sums up the situation : the " Defiant " is overpowered and overarmed for a ship of her size , and almost tore herself apart when tested at maximum impulse . When Kira complains at being sent this to fight the Dominion with , Sisko tells her that they are not going to fight the Dominion – yet . Their mission is to go into the Gamma Quadrant , find the Founders whom are believed to be the Dominion ' s leaders and to convince them that the Federation is not a threat . The " Defiant " is to be used in order to show the Dominion that the Federation can , and will , defend themselves should there be an attack . At this point , Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington and Sub - Commander T ' Rul enter , informing Sisko of the new security measures they have implemented . When Odo objects , Sisko introduces the sub - commander , and says she is here to operate the cloaking device , loaned to Starfleet by the Romulan government . She says her role is to keep unauthorized persons away from the cloaking device . When Sisko tries to introduce his officers to her , she interrupts , saying she is not here to make friends . She then leaves , abruptly . Eddington then says he " is " here to make friends , and introduces himself to Kira . Odo is more than a little put out by Eddington being from Starfleet security , and asks what exactly Eddington is doing here . Before he can reply , Sisko tells them that there will be a full station briefing at 1800 hours , and dismisses everyone . Odo comes to a conclusion . He informs Sisko that there is no need to brace himself to tell him unpleasant news , and that he already knows he has been replaced as head of security . Sisko runs to catch up , telling him in a corridor that he will still be head of all matters concerning non - Starfleet security . For Odo this is not enough , and he asks why . Sisko says he has even been to the head of Starfleet Security herself , but the decision was final , due to concerns about recent security breaches on the station . Odo blames it on the restrictions caused by Starfleet regulations , and Sisko tells him that his reluctance to follow those regulations is a problem as well . Odo thinks it is to do with his being a shapeshifter , and assures that his resignation will be logged shortly . Inside the Sisko quarters , the commander finds Jake eating an I ' danian spice pudding , even though he is supposed to be unpacking . Sisko finds he now thinks of the station as home , and wonders aloud when he began to think of " this Cardassian monstrosity " as that . Jake suggests it was last week , when the commander brought some of his items , including a 2 , 000 year old Yoruba mask , to the station , out of storage on Earth . The two have a comforting moment together as the elder Sisko looks for a place to hang the mask . Kira comes up to Odo as he looks out of a window on the Promenade . She says that the provisional government has asked for his presence on the mission . Odo says he highly doubts that , and he thinks it is just an attempt to make him feel better . Kira almost acknowledges that it is , and says that she is his friend , and is trying to make him see that he is still needed on the station . She leaves , after telling him that the " Defiant " leaves at 0700 hours . Odo continues to quietly look out the Promenade ' s viewport s . Act Two . Quark is in Sisko ' s office , confused as to why he has just been asked to come on the trip to find the Founders . Sisko says it is because he helped the Grand Nagus establish trade links with the Karemma , who are part of the Dominion . They may help to establish contact with the Founders . Quark tries to find excuses not to go , but Sisko will have none of it . Quark then flat out refuses , saying he has no intention of repeating his last experience with the Jem ' Hadar . Sisko gets out the Grand Nagus ' staff , saying that the Nagus has already agreed to Quark ' s going on this mission . Quark is forced to accept it , and is made to kiss the staff before leaving , to Sisko ' s amusement . Dax tells Sisko that O ' Brien ' s checks indicate the ship will be ready at 0700 . The two discuss the chances of succeeding ; Sisko says the chances are slim , but better than the chances of surviving a Jem ' Hadar attack on the station . Dax says she thought she ' d never see him so passionate about something since Jennifer died . Sisko says it was going back to Starfleet Headquarters , and being inspired by the admiral s that made him passionate again . Dax says that Curzon never thought Sisko would be an admiral – he thought that Sisko would always have to be in the thick of things , and not behind a desk . Dax leaves , after they both agree that they need to sleep . On the " Defiant " the next morning , Bashir tells Sisko that the medical facilities are severely lacking . Dax enters , informing the commander that Quark has settled into his quarters , despite being disappointed by the decorations . All systems are online , and they are about to depart , when they alerted to someone ' s presence in the airlock . It is Odo . He requests to come aboard , and Sisko agrees . Bashir volunteers to find him some quarters , as he has to go down to sickbay . The ship leaves , and cloaks once it enters the Gamma Quadrant . It begins to head for the Karemma system . Odo has been forced to share a bunk with Quark , as it is the only remaining space with life support . Odo sits in a corner , as Quark begins to complain about almost everything there is to complain about . Odo says he needs to revert to his original form , and that he does not want Quark to watch . When Quark continues , he gets angry , and tells him to stay out of his way . Odo then shifts into a liquid , and goes into his bucket . A Jem ' Hadar fighter detected in the vicinity . Sisko orders the ship to remain on course , as this will be a good time to check if the cloaking device is effective . The ship appears to have detected them , as it turns round . The sub - commander disagrees , saying it may be subspace fluctuations that a cloaked ship emits at warp , and suggests dropping out of warp . Sisko gives the order to do so . The ships scan the area with antiproton s , and it is unknown whether they will detect the ship . The ships almost seem like they have detected the " Defiant " , but they fly off into warp . Act Three . On arriving on the Karemma homeworld , Quark tries to persuade the first minister Ornithar into putting them in contact with the Founders in exchange for trade advantages ( namely a three percent increase of tulaberry wine purchases ) . However , stating that their only contact with the Dominion leadership is through the Vorta race , who didn ' t instruct them how to deal with the newcomers , Ornithar is reluctant to help them . He also points out he doesn ' t even know if the founders are real , and that the Jem ' Hadar will intervene at the smallest sign of insubordination . Quark then threatens to discontinue buying the wine altogether , prompting Sisko to point out that losing an important trade agreement with the Alpha Quadrant might also displease the Dominion . Compelled by Sisko ' s argument , Ornither directs them to an unmanned subspace relay station in the Callinon system , where the Karemma send all communications for the Dominion . Interestingly , while looking at the star chart on the viewscreen , Odo recognizes a familiar form , the Omarion Nebula and feels inexplicably drawn to it . Quark , with his job now done , chooses to remain with the Karemma to continue trade negotiations and get a ride home and Sisko agrees . When the " Defiant " arrives at Callinon VII , the site of the subspace relay station , Dax and O ' Brien beam down and manage to tap into the main computer suspiciously easy . However , before they upload the information to the " Defiant " , the two are interrupted as a hand grabs Dax ' s shoulder while an alarm is triggered which activates a shield around the facility , trapping them inside . As Jem ' Hadar warships approach the planet , Sisko is forced to flee and abandon the two of them on the surface with T ' Rul ' s approval and despite Bashir ' s objections . Act Four . Bashir wonders what will happen to Dax and O ' Brien . Sisko assumes they will be interrogated , and hopes they will also try to contact the Founders . He moves on and calls Odo to the bridge to talk through security measures , but , oddly , Odo refuses , saying he ' s busy . Kira leaves to talk with him when T ' Rul reports that three more Jem ' Hadar vessels heading in their direction . Sisko decides to drop out of warp , cut off main power , and wait until they pass just like last time . Kira finds Odo obsessed with the map on the computer in his quarters . She confronts him but also wants to repay the friendship he ' s shown her when she needed him . Odo then reveals to her his strange obsession with the Omarion Nebula , and begs her to let him go there in a shuttle . Kira , very confused by Odo ' s desperation , eventually tells him that while she understands it ' s important to him , but also insists on carrying on their mission first . Just then , the ship comes under fire from three Jem ' Hadar ships , who have managed to penetrate the cloak . Act Five . The " Defiant " decloaks and destroys one of the attacking vessels , but sustains heavy damage , and soon loses shields and main power , enabling Jem ' Hadar soldiers to beam aboard . Kira is knocked unconscious , but Odo rescues her and escapes . After a brief fight , the bridge crew is overwhelmed . Kira wakes up on a shuttle with Odo , who informs her that the " Defiant " was captured by the Jem ' Hadar . When she finds out the shuttlecraft is heading for the Omarion Nebula instead of back to DS9 , Kira protests energetically , but Odo is unmoved . They finally arrive in the nebula , and discover an class M planet ahead , but no star system . They land the shuttlecraft on the surface , and discover a strange mass of viscous liquid . As they are watching , several humanoid forms resembling Odo ' s appearance rise from the liquid . One of them , a female Changeling , approaches Odo and greets him : " " Welcome home " " . TO BE CONTINUED … Memorable quotes . " " I ' ve brought back a little surprise for the Dominion . " " " " She may have flaws , but she has teeth . " " " " ( Growls ) I HAVE NO INTEREST IN SPEAKING TO YOU , OR LISTENING TO YOUR WITLESS PRATTLE ! SO STAY OUT OF MY WAY , OR YOU ' LL REGRET THE DAY YOU EVER MET ME ! " " " Rom only has his son to think about . I have a business ! " " " " We ' d all feel a bit better with [ Odo ] here to watch over Quark . " " " " I take that as a personal insult , doctor ! " " " " You should . " " " " Can I speak freely ? " " [ Sisko nods . ] " " What the hell is wrong with Starfleet ? " " " " You should have taken us back to the wormhole . " " " " You didn ' t object at the time . " " " " I was unconscious ! " " " " Welcome home . " " Links and references . References . Alpha Quadrant ; Africa ; antiproton beam ( antiproton ) ; Bajor ; Bajoran ; Bajoran Provisional Government ; Bajoran wormhole ; beritium ; Borg ; Callinon system ; Callinon VII ; Cardassian ; caterer ; central computer room ; Changeling ; chief of security ; Chief of Starfleet Security ; Class M ; cloaking device ; Constable ; central computer room ; ; ; ; diamide ; dirak ; Dominion ; Dominion cold war ; Earth ; emissary ; escape pod ; evasive pattern ; Federation ; Ferengi ; Founder s ; ; Gamma Quadrant ; Grand Nagus ; Grand Nagus ' staff ; I ' danian spice pudding ; inertial damper ; interior decorator ; Jem ' Hadar ; Jem ' Hadar fighter ; Karemma ; Karemma system ; kilometer ; latinum ; Nog ; ODN matrix ; " Old Man " ; Omarion Nebula ; outpost ; phase inducer ; polyduranium ; Promenade ; Romulan Star Empire ; Starfleet ; Starfleet General Orders and Regulations ; Starfleet Headquarters ; Starfleet Security ; sub - commander ; ; subspace variance ; Thursday ; transporter ; tulaberry wine ; Type 18 shuttlepod ; user interface ; Vorta ; wardroom ; Yoruba mask ; Zek