episode, "The Changing Face of Evil", the USS Defiant was destroyed and the writers had wanted a new ship, rather than the same design. However, they did not have the budget for a new ship. As a result they replace the Defiant with another Defiant-class ship, the Sao Paulo, and add the plot point that Starfleet will allow the crew to rename it Defiant. Armin Shimerman, (Quark) named this episode as one of his favorites, explaining: "I always thought my character was not as well developed as other characters. I came to the realization of how much the character really had changed. The writers did such a good job the actor didn't notice the changes." Reception This received Nielsen ratings of 3.7 points, just under 3.7 million viewers when it was broadcast on television in May 1999. This episode is part of the concluding story arc of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In 2018, CBR ranked the final episodes, starting with "The Changing Face of Evil" and concluding with the final episode, "What You Leave Behind", as the best multi-episode saga in the Star Trek franchise. Reviewing the episode for Tor.com, Keith R.A. DeCandido gave it a rating of 8 out 10, praising how the writers balanced multiple story lines and characters, and thought it "helps put everything in place for the grand finale." References External links Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 7) episodes 1999 American television episodes Television episodes written by Ronald D. Moore Television episodes directed by Avery Brooks