What You Leave Behind
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 31 May 1999
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- Allan Kroeker
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 575–576
WRITTEN BYWritten by Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler
The Dominion War reaches its final battle as the allied fleet moves on Cardassia, while on Bajor two of the Emissary's enemies try to unleash the Pah-wraiths.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
The Federation, Klingon and Romulan fleet launches its final offensive against the Dominion at Cardassia. On Cardassia Prime, Kira, Garak and Damar's rebels sabotage the planet's power grid. The Female Changeling retaliates by destroying a city and ordering the extermination of Cardassians, and the Cardassian forces turn on their allies mid-battle. Odo links with the Founder, curing her disease, and persuades her to surrender, ending the war at a terrible cost. On Bajor, Kai Winn and Dukat enter the Fire Caves to release the Pah-wraiths. Winn poisons Dukat, but the Pah-wraiths possess him instead. Sisko arrives to face Dukat and throws them both, with the Book of the Kosst Amojan, into the flames. Dukat is destroyed, and Sisko is taken by the Prophets, telling Kasidy he will return one day. The crew go their separate ways, and Kira takes command of the station.
- 01An early draft had Sisko stay with the Prophets for good. Avery Brooks objected to a Black man abandoning his pregnant Black wife, so the ending was changed to promise his return.
- 02The final day of filming took place in Vic's lounge, with production staff and recurring cast appearing as background holograms, without their prosthetics.
- 03Its first broadcast earned a Nielsen rating of 5.4, the highest of season 7, and it won the 2000 SyFy Genre Award for Best Television Episode.