I’m rewatching it now, it’s so well written that it almost stands out from the rest of the episode. It comes off like something from David Mamet or The West Wing. It’s not Far Beyond The Stars or In The Pale Moonlight, the stakes of the episode are too low. But the material it gave all the actors to work with, the incredibly realistic way it weaves together different conversations going on between a large group, that the (really really good) acting abilities of the cast just get pushed over the top. It’s all in one room, no effects, no cost except for the appearance of Bareil, but it’s riveting, you can’t stop paying attention. It’s kind of a master class in writing. And it’s buried after the opening credits in the second episode of season 2.
I had to go look it up so thanks for reminding me about that scene! I only recently got into star trek and the thing that surprised me the most about it was stuff like this. I had this idea that it was always high-concept sci-fi, but scenes like this are really what makes it special. With ds9 especially every character is so fleshed out and interesting, and it really makes me want to just watch them be together.