The conflict of its heroes and villains was brought about by the dramatic finale of the fifth season of Deep Space Nine and the opening of the sixth season. In these seven episodes, Star Trek told a series of arcs unlike anything it had done before. Deep Space Nine had been invaded before, even as far back as the end of the first season, but there is something profound in seeing the Cardassian's re-occupation of the show's heart and home.
The crisis is not settled in a day or two. Star Trek has done threats before, but they are stories that are told over two episodes, either back-to-back or bookending. The crew of the Defiant is never given a break. The scope of what this arc does, touching on everything from Worf's relationship to his son and Klingon honor, to Kira and Dukat's beguiling, tense relationship, and the very bodies of his friends and people.
The length of the war is the same as the length of our heroes. They are as uncertain as us. Is the week going to be normal? Is this the week they win? As things drag on, things get worse for everyone, whether they are tired or losing hope, as we see him conflicted and straying from helping Kira and his friends resist the cardassian occupation. The ominous tone that echoes throughout each episode feels important because of the small victories like Worf's reconciliation with Alexander or the simple fact the Defiant crew makes it through their missions week to week. No one knows if victory is possible, even if you think it's possible, because you masterfully use the length to weigh on the audience.
That uncertainty coalesces into an hour of television that is Star Trek's ultimate epic up to 25 years ago. The ship battle scenes are bold and vast on a scale unseen in the franchise up to this point, but they are more than their size and spectacle due to the fact that we have spent five episodes before this leading to this effort. The tension builds up across the episodes before it at a constantfever pitch because every loss matters not just because it is what these ships represent, but also because it is what these ships represent.
The deus ex machina of Sisko's ploy to the Prophets in the Bajoran Wormhole is an equally desperate plea to save Deep Space Nine and the Federation's forces. It forces Sisko to confront the quasi- religious status he has assumed in Bajoran society as a bridge between the Prophets and Bajor, a status he has otherwise avoided or been tolerant of. A heavy price is still paid, personally on the station, when the daughter of Dukat is killed for helping the resistance, and on a macro scale when the Federation's fleet is still decimated even in victory. Everyone on the show is changed by the events of the last part of the series. Deep Space Nine is more than just a Star Trek show, it's also a Star Trek show about the kinds of conflict generations of Trek before it had only allowed to exist in the shadows of the past and in worldbuilding.
Even though "Sacrifice of Angels" ends the battle, it doesn't end the war, it does change what Star Trek can be forever.
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