chancellor Gowron to reinstate the alliance between the Klingons and the Federation in order to fight the Dominion. Dukat contacts Sisko, warning that he intends to conquer Deep Space Nine for the Dominion. Sisko deploys the starship Defiant and three runabouts to fight the incoming Cardassian/Dominion fleet; they are joined by the Klingons and a Romulan fleet. Unknown to Sisko, a Changeling impersonating Bashir is at the helm of one of the runabouts. Back at the internment camp, the Jem'Hadar come close to discovering Garak before being overpowered by the other prisoners. Meanwhile, Worf is fighting Ikat'ika, the Jem'Hadar commander. Worf refuses to yield; Ikat'ika, impressed by Worf's determination, yields the fight. The Vorta overseer, disgusted, orders Worf's and Ikat'ika's immediate execution. As the troops turn their phasers toward Worf, Garak manages to activate the transmitter, and the prisoners are beamed away to the runabout at the last second. There, Bashir sends an urgent message to DS9. The Changeling Bashir's runabout is carrying a bomb intended to detonate inside the sun, incinerating DS9, Bajor, and the combined Starfleet, Klingon, and Romulan forces. Receiving Bashir's message, Sisko orders that runabout destroyed. The Defiant takes the risky maneuver of engaging warp drive within the solar system in order to pull the runabout away from the sun where it explodes safely. No Cardassian/Dominion fleet arrives. Garak, Worf, Bashir, and Martok return to the station and Sisko finalizes the peace treaty with Gowron. Martok is appointed to command the new permanent Klingon presence on DS9. Reception In 2018, CBR rated "In Purgatory's Shadow" paired with "By Inferno's Light", as the 9th best multi episode story arc of all Star Trek. In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide. In 2020, The Digital Fix ranked "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light" as the fourth best episode(s) of Deep Space Nine. They call the episodes an "epic two-parter" that took the show's "long-running narrative to another level" and praised the various plot lines and reveals. References External links Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 5) episodes 1997 American television episodes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes in multiple parts Television episodes directed by Les Landau