In this premiere episode, Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) arrive with Starfleet personnel on the station shortly after Cardassian occupation forces have departed.
While working to repair the station and assist the Bajoran people, Sisko discovers an unprecedented wormhole connecting Bajor to the distant, unexplored Gamma Quadrant of the galaxy and the mysterious, incorporeal beings that inhabit it.
Bajor has won independence from Cardassian occupation and invited Starfleet to assist in their recovery, much to the disgust of Major Kira Nerys, the station's Bajoran first officer.
He receives orders from Captain Jean-Luc Picard — he is to prepare Bajor for membership in the United Federation of Planets — and can barely contain his hostility toward the man he blames for Jennifer's death.
Sisko's science officer, Lt. Jadzia Dax, determines that the orb is connected to mysterious phenomena in the nearby Denorios Belt.
Seeking to investigate the Denorios Belt without the Cardassians following, Sisko concocts a ruse that allows the station's security chief, Odo, to temporarily disable Dukat's warship.
Dax and Sisko investigate the Denorios Belt in a runabout, discovering a wormhole leading to the Gamma Quadrant on the opposite side of the galaxy.
When Sisko attempts to explain linear time, the entities point out that he continually returns to the moment of Jennifer's death.
For instance, he noted the primary protagonist was an "angry man" with a tragic backstory, and commended the fact that the main characters were a more "disparate ensemble" with conflicting viewpoints, neither of which were featured in past installments in the franchise.
Handlen reacted positively to the new characters, calling them "fascinating individuals", while complaining of a few instances of poor acting and writing.
[6] In 2013, Keith DeCandido reviewed "Emissary" for Tor.com, writing that while the episode served its purpose to set up elements of the series, "as a story, it doesn’t have much life to it".
[8] In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide, along with "Past Prologue", "Vortex", "Battle Lines", "Duet" and "In the Hands of the Prophets" from season one.
[1] On its debut, "Emissary" received a lot of attention, including interviews with cast and production staff and a feature on Entertainment Tonight.
[23] The marathon started at 7 am PT/10 am ET and was Live streamed on the YouTube internet video platform on that day, with "Emissary" airing at 9:59 am PT / 12:59 pm ET.
[27] Released by Paramount Home Video, the double sided 12 inch optical disc had a run time of 87 minutes.
[29] This included the color version of "The Cage", "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Encounter at Farpoint", "Emissary" and "Caretaker", with a total runtime of 379 minutes.