In the Hands of the Prophets

"In the Hands of the Prophets" is the twentieth and final episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe and directed by David Livingston, the episode originally aired in broadcast syndication during the week of June 21, 1993. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near a stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants of the galaxy; the wormhole is occupied by powerful alien entities that are worshiped by the people of the nearby planet Bajor as "the Prophets". In this episode, friction escalates when Bajoran cleric Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) arrives on the station and finds schoolteacher Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching Bajoran children that their gods are merely "wormhole aliens". The story revisits the religious themes introduced in "Emissary", the series premiere. "In the Hands of the Prophets" provides a deeper focus on Bajoran politics and religion and highlights what happens when the values and beliefs of one culture are imposed on another. The episode features the first appearances of Louise Fletcher and Philip Anglim in their recurring roles as Vedek Winn and Vedek Bareil. 8.8 million people viewed the episode on its first broadcast, the lowest of any first-run episode during season one. Critical reception to the episode was positive, with Fletcher and Avery Brooks receiving praise for their performances. Plot Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) walks his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao) to the school where she teaches students on the station. They discuss Bajoran culture, a topic Miles learned about from Neela (Robin Christopher), his Bajoran assistant. At the school, Keiko teaches her class about the science of the Bajoran wormhole and the aliens that live inside it. This scientific view is different from the religious approach taken by the Bajorans, who believe the wormhole is the legendary Celestial Temple inhabited by their "Prophets", whom they worship as gods. Her class is interrupted by one of Bajor's spiritual leaders, Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher). Winn questions why Keiko doesn't teach Bajoran religion in her classroom. Afterwards, Keiko reports the incident to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). When Sisko asks Winn about the dispute, she says there may be consequences if Keiko refuses to teach religion.