What You Leave Behind (novel)
The stunning finale to the epic saga of Deep Space Nine!

The novelization of "What You Leave Behind" is an adaptation of , written by Diane Carey. A Pocket DS9 novel published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the book jacket
A powerful novel in the classic tradition of "".

Seven years ago, Benjamin Sisko took command of an alien space station newly christened Deep Space Nine. There he met Kira Nerys, Odo, Miles O'Brien, Quark, Worf, Julian Bashir, and many others who would touch his life deeply. He also found a new and troubling destiny as the long-awaited  to the mysterious wormhole entities known as the Prophets.

Now, after years of triumph and tragedy, and a cataclysmic war that rocked the entire Alpha Quadrant, Captain Sisko and his valiant crew face their final challenge. No one is safe, nothing is certain, and not even the Prophets can predict the ultimate fate of Deep Space Nine!

Background information 
 The novelization expands on a number of elements from the episode, and includes scenes cut from the final episode:
 One notable difference is that the final assault on Cardassia Prime actually commences with a battle. During the battle, Odo notices that the Breen ships are vulnerable on their aft impulse manifolds causing them to retreat and leave their allies to fight on.
 Scenes retained from the shooting script include one where Sisko is confronted in the Fire Caves by Pah-wraith apparitions of Jake and Kasidy telling him he'll be killed if he tries to stop the Restoration of Bajor. Sisko's fate is also left less ambiguous with a statement delivered by Sarah: "You won't be going back there, Benjamin. Your corporeal existence is over". 
 Another additional scene features Sisko, Ross, and Martok viewing the Dominion starships entering the wormhole. This occurs just after the Dominion surrender.
Garak's farewell to Bashir is longer in the novelization. Garak comments that he has left his profession of tailor forever, prompting Bashir to comment: "tinker, tailor, soldier, spy" and wonder what Garak's life will be like now. Bashir also comments that Garak must have some hope for his people's future, otherwise why stay on Cardassia. Garak replies sadly that he has to stay, without hope.
 Odo mentions Section 31 in the novelization, calling their attempt to kill his people "an act of genocide as cold and calculated as anything the Dominion ever did".
Quark appears in a scene before the fleet leaves DS9 and has a humorous line telling Worf that he knows about the secret invasion after Morn revealed he learned about it from Admiral Ross.
 Sisko makes reference to "the planetary service from which Starfleet had grown" and notes it had starships named Defiant.
 An extract from this novel appeared in .

Characters 
 Benjamin Sisko
 Kira Nerys
 Odo
 Julian Bashir
 Ezri Dax
 Quark
 Worf
 Jake Sisko
 Miles O'Brien
 Keiko O'Brien
 Molly O'Brien 
 Kirayoshi O'Brien
 Kasidy Yates
 Martok
 Dukat
 Weyoun 
 Female Changeling
 Elim Garak 
 Damar
 Nog
 William Ross
 Sarah Sisko 
 Mila
 Broca
 Ekoor

References 
USS Farragut  William Ross's flagship at the Battle of Cardassia.
USS Nelson  Federation starship at the Battle of Cardassia that flew in formation with Farragut.
Alamo; Alpha Quadrant; ambassador; Arfillian ficus; attack fighter; Bajor; Bajorans; Bandee; baseball; Bashir 62; bat'leth; Battle of the Alamo; Battle of Thermopylae; betting pool; bloodwine; Book of the Kosst Amojan; Breen; Breen Confederacy; canasta; Cardassia; Cardassia Prime; Cardassians; cave-wasp; Celestial Temple; chancellor; Changeling; containment field; darts; ; Dominion; Dominion Headquarters; Dominion War; Doppler compensator; ; Earth; Emissary of the Prophets; evasive maneuvers; Federation Alliance; Ferengi; Fire Caves; ; Gamma Quadrant; Go Fish; god; Great Link; holodeck programs; hologram; holosuite; humor; impulse response filter; induction coil; inertial control system; inertial damper; Jem'Hadar; kai; Kendra Province; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Kosst Amojan; Lakarian City; Las Vegas; latinum; ; Leonidas; lieutenant; lightstick; Minsk; neutronium; New Orleans; ; Occupation of Bajor; Cardassian orbital weapon platform; Pah-wraith; palm beacon; Paris; Persians; phaser bank; phaser rifle; pinochle; plasma flow regulator; poker; Pran; Professor of Engineering; Prophets; Qo'noS; quantum torpedo; Quark's; Restoration of Bajor; Rio de Janeiro; Risa; Romulans; Romulus; rummy; runabout; Sands Hotel; self-sealing stem bolt; Spartans; Starfleet Academy; suicide; targ; Tarkalean tea; tea; Texas; Thot; tongo; torque buffer; ; Trills; Ungtae; Vic's Las Vegas Lounge; Vorta; warp matrix flux capacitor; ""

Starships 
Breen ship; ; ; ; ; ; Federation attack fighter; ; ; ; ; Jem'Hadar attack ship; Jem'Hadar battle cruiser; Jem'Hadar battleship; ; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; ; ; ;

External link 
 

cs:What You Leave Behind (román)
fr:What You Leave Behind
Novelizations