Sisko gets a new toy, and heads off to the Gamma quadrant with it.
There’s a lot of ‘course adjustment’ in the show format early on. Giving the station a ship to use changes the stories that can be told, and overall seems like a very interesting idea. There’s also a new character, along with the instant conflict with Odo. Pretty much half the episode gets spent on this setup, and it’s pretty slow going.
After the halfway mark things pick up. There’s an attempt to set a new tone (e.g., leaving Dax and O’Brien behind), but the show isn’t quite confident in a new direction yet. But there’s a nice cliffhanger, finally resolving two of the show’s mysteries. A mixed bag.
333 down, 404 to go.