diff --git a/src/daft-connect/src/lib.rs b/src/daft-connect/src/lib.rs
index 369bfe8e47..d541d4d8dd 100644
--- a/src/daft-connect/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/daft-connect/src/lib.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ use spark_connect::{
 use tonic::{transport::Server, Request, Response, Status};
 use tracing::info;
 use uuid::Uuid;
-
+use spark_connect::analyze_plan_request::explain::ExplainMode;
 use crate::session::Session;
 
 mod config;
@@ -142,10 +142,10 @@ impl DaftSparkConnectService {
 #[tonic::async_trait]
 impl SparkConnectService for DaftSparkConnectService {
     type ExecutePlanStream = std::pin::Pin<
-        Box<dyn futures::Stream<Item = Result<ExecutePlanResponse, Status>> + Send + 'static>,
+        Box<dyn futures::Stream<Item=Result<ExecutePlanResponse, Status>> + Send + 'static>,
     >;
     type ReattachExecuteStream = std::pin::Pin<
-        Box<dyn futures::Stream<Item = Result<ExecutePlanResponse, Status>> + Send + 'static>,
+        Box<dyn futures::Stream<Item=Result<ExecutePlanResponse, Status>> + Send + 'static>,
     >;
 
     #[tracing::instrument(skip_all)]
@@ -282,6 +282,8 @@ impl SparkConnectService for DaftSparkConnectService {
         use spark_connect::analyze_plan_request::*;
         let request = request.into_inner();
 
+        let mut session = self.get_session(&request.session_id)?;
+
         let AnalyzePlanRequest {
             session_id,
             analyze,
@@ -323,6 +325,35 @@ impl SparkConnectService for DaftSparkConnectService {
 
                 Ok(Response::new(response))
             }
+            Analyze::Explain(explain) => {
+                let Explain { plan, explain_mode } = explain;
+
+                let explain_mode = ExplainMode::try_from(explain_mode)
+                    .map_err(|_| invalid_argument_err!("Invalid Explain Mode"))?;
+
+                let Some(plan) = plan else {
+                    return invalid_argument_err!("Plan is required");
+                };
+
+                let Some(plan) = plan.op_type else {
+                    return invalid_argument_err!("Op Type is required");
+                };
+
+                let OpType::Root(relation) = plan else {
+                    return invalid_argument_err!("Plan operation is required");
+                };
+
+                let result = match session.handle_explain_command(relation, explain_mode).await {
+                    Ok(result) => result,
+                    Err(e) => return Err(Status::internal(format!("Error in Daft server: {e:?}"))),
+                };
+
+                Ok(Response::new(result))
+            }
+            op => {
+                println!("{op:#?}");
+                unimplemented_err!("Analyze plan operation is not yet implemented")
+            }
             Analyze::DdlParse(DdlParse { ddl_string }) => {
                 let daft_schema = match daft_sql::sql_schema(&ddl_string) {
                     Ok(daft_schema) => daft_schema,
diff --git a/src/daft-connect/src/op.rs b/src/daft-connect/src/op.rs
index 2e8bdddf98..4e012a6c30 100644
--- a/src/daft-connect/src/op.rs
+++ b/src/daft-connect/src/op.rs
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 pub mod execute;
+pub mod analyze;
diff --git a/src/daft-connect/src/op/analyze.rs b/src/daft-connect/src/op/analyze.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5bb85bd194
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/daft-connect/src/op/analyze.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+use std::pin::Pin;
+
+use spark_connect::{analyze_plan_response, AnalyzePlanResponse};
+
+pub type AnalyzeStream =
+    Pin<Box<dyn futures::Stream<Item = Result<AnalyzePlanResponse, Status>> + Send + Sync>>;
+
+use spark_connect::{analyze_plan_request::explain::ExplainMode, Relation};
+use tonic::Status;
+
+use crate::{session::Session, translation};
+
+pub struct PlanIds {
+    session: String,
+    server_side_session: String,
+}
+
+impl PlanIds {
+    pub fn response(&self, result: analyze_plan_response::Result) -> AnalyzePlanResponse {
+        AnalyzePlanResponse {
+            session_id: self.session.to_string(),
+            server_side_session_id: self.server_side_session.to_string(),
+            result: Some(result),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Session {
+    pub async fn handle_explain_command(
+        &self,
+        command: Relation,
+        _mode: ExplainMode,
+    ) -> eyre::Result<AnalyzePlanResponse> {
+        let context = PlanIds {
+            session: self.client_side_session_id().to_string(),
+            server_side_session: self.server_side_session_id().to_string(),
+        };
+
+        let plan = translation::to_logical_plan(command)?;
+        let optimized_plan = plan.optimize()?;
+
+        let optimized_plan = optimized_plan.build();
+
+        // todo: what do we want this to display
+        let explain_string = format!("{optimized_plan}");
+
+        let schema = analyze_plan_response::Explain { explain_string };
+
+        let response = context.response(analyze_plan_response::Result::Explain(schema));
+        Ok(response)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/daft-connect/src/op/execute.rs b/src/daft-connect/src/op/execute.rs
index 41baf88b09..3b517b043a 100644
--- a/src/daft-connect/src/op/execute.rs
+++ b/src/daft-connect/src/op/execute.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ mod write;
 
 pub type ExecuteStream = <DaftSparkConnectService as SparkConnectService>::ExecutePlanStream;
 
-pub struct PlanIds {
+struct PlanIds {
     session: String,
     server_side_session: String,
     operation: String,
diff --git a/tests/connect/test_explain.py b/tests/connect/test_explain.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3b5574dec3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/connect/test_explain.py
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+
+def test_explain(spark_session):
+    # Create ranges using Spark - with overlap
+    range1 = spark_session.range(7)  # Creates DataFrame with numbers 0 to 6
+    range2 = spark_session.range(3, 10)  # Creates DataFrame with numbers 3 to 9
+
+    # Union the two ranges
+    unioned = range1.union(range2)
+
+    # Get the explain plan
+    explain_str = unioned.explain(extended=True)
+
+    # Verify explain output contains expected elements
+    print(explain_str)