Past Prologue (episode)

=== Trivia ===
* This was the first appearance of Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak in the series. Garak eventually became a recurring character, making his final appearance in the series finale {{e|What You Leave Behind}}.
* The sentiments [[Tahna Los]] expresses toward the [[Federation]], as well as his phrase "Bajor for Bajorans" come back in the beginning of [[DS9 Season 2|the second season]], with a three-part story arc involving an extremist faction known as [[Alliance for Global Unity]]. ({{DS9|The Homecoming|The Circle|The Siege}})
* The Cardassian method of torture, via a pain-inducing implant under the skin that leaves an unpleasant scar as seen in {{TNG|Chain of Command, Part II}} is referred to in this episode, as [[Julian Bashir]] notes scarring on Tahna Los during a medical exam.
* This is the first time that Klingons appear on ''Deep Space Nine''.
* This episode marks the only appearances of Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh), the Duras sisters, on the series. However, their [[mirror universe]] counterparts, {{mu|Lursa}} and {{mu|B'Etor}}, were later mentioned in {{e|Crossover}} and their nephew [[Toral, son of Duras|Toral]] appears in {{e|The Sword of Kahless}}.
* After being introduced in this episode, Admiral Rollman made a second appearance in {{e|Whispers}}.
* The friendship between Kira and [[Odo]] is first established in this episode, and we see for the first time the great level of trust she has in him. The idea for establishing this friendship was [[Peter Allan Fields]]', who went on to explore its origins in the second season episode {{e|Necessary Evil}}.
* Among the clothes seen in Garak's shop is the costume worn by [[Steven Miller]] in {{TNG|Haven}}, the [[Risa]] outfit worn by [[Sovak]] in {{TNG|Captain's Holiday}}, and one of [[Kamala]]'s dresses from {{TNG|The Perfect Mate}}.
* [[Benjamin Sisko|Sisko]] mentions the [[Klingon Civil War]], which took place in the {{s|TNG}} episodes {{e|Redemption}} and {{e|Redemption II}}. This episode reveals the [[House of Duras]] is attempting to rebuild its forces by making [[profit]].
* This is the first episode of ''Star Trek'' in which no ship named "''Enterprise''" appears. In {{TAS|The Slaver Weapon}}, the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} only appears in the episode's opening sequence and credits.
* [[Armin Shimerman]] ([[Quark]]) and [[Cirroc Lofton]] ([[Jake Sisko]]) [[DS9 main character non-appearances|do not appear]] in this episode.
* This was [[Vaughn Armstrong]]'s first appearance on DS9 and his second in ''Star Trek'' after {{TNG|Heart of Glory}}. His next appearance on the show, in the episode {{e|When It Rains...}}, again had him playing a Cardassian, [[Seskal]]. All in all, he has played an unequaled twelve roles in various ''Star Trek'' series.
* This episode is the first to introduce [[gold-pressed latinum]]. In this episode, the value of latinum is defined by its weight, but later episodes establish the usage of divisions such as slips, strips, bars and bricks. Both B'Etor and Odo once refer to it simply as "gold".
* This episode features five characters who had also appeared or went on to appear in TNG: Chief O'Brien, Doctor Bashir, Lursa, B'Etor, and Morn.
* The episode name [[Shakespearean works|alludes to]] the quote "what's past is prologue" from ''{{dis|The Tempest|play}}'', Act 2, Scene 1, by [[William Shakespeare]].
* In {{e|The Ascent}}, Jake writes a story called "[[Past Prologue]]".