Here is a very brutal criticism that applies to most Star Trek DS9 episodes. I loved this episode with all the suspected Dominion spies, the paranoia around those suspicions, and the brilliant guest cast. I even love the espionage idea in general, not just in Star Trek. Sadly, the James Bond franchise consistently falls short of depicting international espionage. But now to the brutal criticism. Ready ? DS9 tackles problems that only News TV channels report. Those problems are not real. I don't know how espionage works. The way espionage is presented here is how contemporary news report espionage. Not real. DS9 has the same problem when showing terrorism (Maquis), greedy bar owners (Quark), and solitary outsiders (Odo). That's how only the news would report all those issues. Not real. Not possible. Granted, fake News made headlines only 20 years after the production of DS9. Besides, DS9 got the story arks around Jem Hadar assaults, political alliances, and genetic engineering right (great actually). It is a smash in the face, if you believe(d) the news, and built a SciFi show around those wrong assumptions. Many episodes, and this episode in particular, suffer. It's still enjoyable to watch, just not perfect.
