Ep 8. Things Past

Kira, Dax, Garak, and O'Brien inexplicably wake up in the midst of Cardassia's occupation of Bajor. They find they are in the holding cells of the Detapa Council, an organization that governed Cardassia before the Dominion took over. Odo, a Jem'Hadar, and a Vorta, they meet, explain that they were caught and accused of assassinating the civilians who were part of the Council, and they have been sentenced to death by the Dominion forces.

Confused and scared, the four crew members, with Odo's assistance, tries to recall the truth. They remember a mission when they were asked by the Cardassian Central Command to help root out possible rebel Bajoran cells on Terok Nor during the Occupation. During the mission, they discovered a plot to poison the Detapa Council, and while investigating that, they were eventually framed for killing the civilians.

As the crew try to figure out who framed them, they begin to realize that the past which they thought they knew has holes. Kira, now a member of Bajor's Provisional Government, recollects how much she despises the Detapa Council bureaucrats for being responsible for the Occupation, and how she has some personal vendetta towards them. But her memories start to blur as she later recalls experiencing something that now contradicts her hatred for the Detapas. Garak, a former Cardassian Intelligence operative, also knows more about the Detapa Council's assassination incident than he lets on.

As the episode unfolds, the crew slowly piece together what had happened and whose memories are reliable. They realize that whoever sent them on that mission did an excellent job of manipulating their memories of the covert operation against the council. They also realize that the Vorta, Weyoun, is not as benevolent as he pretends to be. By sharing their recollections, the group discovers that a wormhole alien race is responsible for investigating the murder mystery, and they may be able to access the truth by connecting with the aliens telepathically.

As the group struggles to remember what really happened, they finally come together to try and find a way out of prison and make contact with the aliens who may help them clarify the situation. In the end, they unlock the mystery surrounding the Detapa Council's deaths and are free from their confinement. However, as they leave, they are left with a deep sense of doubt and uncertainty about their own preconceptions of their relationships with each other.

The show raises a rhetorical question on whether one's memories are true to events that transpired, and if that is so, what is it worth to cling onto the memories and the lies that prop them up? The crux of the episode shows how the crew navigates the treacherous terrain of their own minds to find a kernel of truth to something they thought they understood. Overall, this episode effectively uses the science fiction landscape to explore ideas and themes that transcend the genre, making it one of the best episodes of the series.