attack and kill one of the Klingons. Laas is arrested for killing the Klingon, although Odo protests that he acted in self-defense. Laas doubts he will receive a fair trial, given humanoids' inherent mistrust of Changelings. Kira, who loves Odo and wants to give him the opportunity to travel with his own kind, frees Laas and tells everyone that he escaped. Privately, she lets Odo know that Laas is waiting on Koralis III. Odo meets Laas on Koralis, but tells him that he is wrong to believe that "solids" cannot be trusted, and that he is staying with Kira. Back on DS9, Kira tells Odo that he doesn't have to pretend to be a humanoid with her. He shows his love for her by transforming into a glowing golden mist, surrounding her. Casting Actor J. G. Hertzler, who played Laas, also played the recurring role of the Klingon General Martok on Deep Space Nine. Hertzler was surprised they hired him for the role, and he attempted to disguise his voice but many people still recognized it. According to showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Hertzler was cast because the producers needed an actor of a caliber to match Auberjonois's performance as Odo, and felt most comfortable trusting the role to an actor they already knew. Since he plays a different role than usual in this episode, Hertzler opted to be credited onscreen as "Garman Hertzler", using his middle name, to ensure Laas was regarded as distinct from Martok. Reception Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club in 2014, gave the episode a mixed review; he appreciated the depth of Odo's characterization and the conclusion of the episode, but criticized the episode as repetitive in the context of other episodes about Odo's conflicted relationship with other Changelings. Writing for Tor.com in 2015, Keith R.A. DeCandido gave the episode a rating of 7/10, singling out for praise both the writing and the performance of the character Laas, but argued that the humanoids' mistrust of Laas should have been taken more seriously in the context of the war against the Dominion. In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the character of Kira Nerys, noting that although the episode is mainly focused on Odo and Laas, it also illuminates Kira through her love for Odo. References External links Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 7) episodes 1999 American television episodes