Just when it seemed as if the first season of Deep Space Nine had degenerated into reruns, along came this first-run episode on April 17, 1993. The focus of the episode is Odo, the crew's resident shape shifter. Odo is tempted to forsake his responsibilities by alien criminal Croden (Cliff DeYoung). Hoping to bargain for his freedom, Croden tells Odo of a distant asteroid populated by shape shifters like himself. "Vortex" was written by Sam Rolfe, whose previous credits included such classic TV shows as Have Gun, Will Travel and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide