- Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Did Sisko delete the log because he really can't live with it and doesn't want any reminders... or is he living with it, and in a pragmatic epiphany realizes that the log could be incriminating and deletes it, just like how Garak "deleted" Tolar?
- Did Garak ever seriously try to pull off Sisko's original plan (getting all his contacts killed in the process), or did he just lie about it note to force Sisko into his own? Especially since later in the episode he advises Sisko that the best way to convince an honorable man like Vreenak of a lie is to tell them good men died to get the info.
- And Season 7 establishes he does still have multiple contacts on Cardassia Prime ...
- If Garak was indeed playing Sisko from the beginning, then is it possible that he was the one who required the bio-mimetic gel? First, it's plausible that Garak, a former high-ranking Obsidian Order agent, already had a blank data rod (or multiple) in his possession. Second, Bashir mentions that the gel can be used to create explosives — and the bomb that Garak used to kill Vreenak had to come from somewhere. Third, Garak all-but-confirmed that he rigged Tolar's door with another bomb to deter him from forcing his way out.
- There are people who think that Garak used the gel to create the "replicated" Romulan alcohol that Vreenak drinks before he discovers the fake, and that in addition to a copy of the drink, it also functioned as an organic explosive.
- Did Vreenak really discover on his own that the data rod was forged, or was he just gaming Sisko's reaction when he told him the rod was a fake?
- The Tal Shiar's investigation of Vreenak's murder becomes a retroactive instance after the events of next Season's "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges". Were they really fooled by Garak's frame-up? Or did Chairman Koval, who we'll learn is secretly working for Starfleet Intelligence, suppress any questionable evidence to ensure the RSE would enter the Dominion War?
- Furthermore, given the nature of Romulan politics, it could also be possible for Vreenak to have made enemies within the Tal Shiar who would be less inclined to investigate his death.
- Broken Base: Is this the best episode of DS9, or the worst? Most people agree that it's unquestionably the one that's the most antithetical to Gene Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek as the enlightened future of mankind, but the debate is whether that's a good thing or not.
- Ensemble Dark Horse: Such is this episode's fame that Vreenak is one of the more popular one-shot characters on the show, especially for his delivery of That One Line:"It's a faaaaaaake!"
- It Was His Sled: Due to the Memetic Mutation of "It's a faaaaaaake!" many people likely know about one of the episode's biggest twists without having seen the whole thing, although it obviously still has a different impact in context.
- Magnificent Bastard: Garak's finest moment of magnificent bastardry. While they're working toward the same goal, Garak is, from the start, playing a much more complex game than Sisko. If you weren't quite convinced before, "In the Pale Moonlight" demonstrates exactly why Garak was once next-in-line to head the Obsidian Order.
- Memetic Mutation:
- Images of Senator Vreenak's gloriously hammy "It's a faaaaake!"
are often posted on online fora as a response to suspected hoaxes. It even worked its way into Star Trek Online as an emote, making it an Ascended Meme. - Sisko's closing monologue ("I lied, I cheated ...") has become something of a copypasta, and has been posted on top of screenshots from Blue's Clues among other works.
- Images of Senator Vreenak's gloriously hammy "It's a faaaaake!"
- Moment of Awesome: The final scene reveals that this whole episode was Garak's time to shine. It was Garak, and not Benjamin Sisko, who truly brought the Romulans into the Dominion War. Though Sisko thought up the initial plan to forge the data rod, Garak found the forger, threatened him to keep him quiet, then killed him to prevent squealing. And it was Garak who blew up the shuttle to hide the forgery and implicate the Dominion. Of course, Sisko's plan might have worked, but Garak was always multiple steps ahead of Sisko, and used his Obsidian Order training to make the plan completely foolproof. Yes, Sisko thought up how to win the war against the Dominion. But through his actions in this episode, Garak won the war.
- Looks like Garak finally got Sisko back for the extortion.
- You could also argue it being one for Sisko. Pushed to his limits and forced to confront his morality head on while giving the Federation one more chance.
- Sacred Cow: The darker themes of Deep Space Nine are summed up in this one episode, so it's frequently seen as the best one.
- Special Effects Failure: Vreenak's green-ish facial makeup (often used for the green-blooded Romulans and Vulcans) doesn't cover most of his neck, or even all of his face. This is especially noticeable on higher-quality playback.
- Spiritual Antithesis: To the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Alliances", which had similarly featured Voyager trying to bring a former enemy on-side and failing, but had essentially the opposite outcome of this episode, ending on a speech with Janeway declaring that the crew can never again violate Starfleet's principles and ideals, no matter how tough things might get.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E19InThePaleMoonlight
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