The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

"Dramatis Personae" 30th-anniversary reflections A Klingon survey ship returning from the Gamma Quadrant brings back something unexpected: drama! A telepathic virus has infected the crew and led them to revolt. How do we know? One of the Klingons was a prolific vlogger. When the virus is set loose on the station, the events that did in an alien civilization and a Klingon ship start to play out once again. It's mutiny on Deep Space 9! Alien forces pit Kira against Sisko in a deadly power struggle! Can Odo prevent it from becoming an all-out war? In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss "The Forsaken" and how the writers put a distinctly DS9 twist on a TNG premise to deliver masterful character development. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) This Has All Happened Before … (00:03:54) Too Soon? (00:10:11) Sisko As Rudolph II (00:16:50) You've Changed! (00:19:26) Distinctly DS9? (00:26:41) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:04) Closing (00:37:04) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"If Wishes Were Horses" 30th-anniversary reflections Bedtime stories are supposed to be fun, but one gets a bit too real for Molly O'Brien when the straw-spinning imp Rumpelstiltskin shows up in her room. Not the kind of visitor you want as a firstborn child. But that's just the start of a surprising evening for the crew of Deep Space Nine. London Kings baseball legend Buck Bokai pays a visit to Captain Sisko, and Doctor Bashir finds himself in bed with Jadzia Dax just hours after being rejected over dinner. The weirdness continues to grow until the station and the entire Bajoran system become threatened by a spatial rift. As the crew races the clock to find a solution, Sisko realizes that both the problem and the solution lie in their imaginations. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss "If Wishes Were Horses," its fun veneer, the wealth of character and social commentary that lies beneath, and why Miles must be feeling like Lando Calrissian. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) We Should Be Awarded Brass Balls (00:02:47) Leprechauns are Scary! (00:10:32) The Danger of Imagination (00:13:07) Facts Matter (00:14:04) Julian and Jadzia (00:19:18) The Fickleness of Fantasy (00:26:41) The Beauty of Affinity (00:28:16) The Star Trek V Connection (00:35:51) First Contact (00:41:32) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:44:29) Closing (00:47:16) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"The Storyteller" 30th-anniversary reflections An uninvited guest menaces a Bajoran village and only one man can save the day: Miles O'Brien. At least that's what he has been told. There's just one problem, the solution relies on his storytelling skills, and he's nowhere near as talkative as his new buddy, Julian Bashir. Can he engineer a yarn to chase away the cloud creature? Meanwhile, Sisko mediates a territorial dispute between two Bajoran villages and Nog flirts with one of the leaders. But the real action is down on the planet. The Sirah has left the building, the Dal'Rok has arrived, and a bucket of oatmeal ain't gonna chase it away. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss "The Storyteller," how a long-dismissed idea finally found a home on DS9, the search for Bajoran identity, and what the story has to say about the importance of fathers and the power of collective belief. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) TNG Origins (00:04:17) Figuring Out the Bajorans (00:15:12) The Power of Collective Belief (00:19:34) (Dis)Connected Plots? (00:28:47) Fatherly Influence (00:31:06) A Bromance Born (00:40:33) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:33) Closing (00:42:50) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"Vortex" 30th-anniversary reflections When Miradorn twins arrive on the station and offer to sell a Tamagotchi to Quark, things get weird, and soon two become one. An alien named Croden enters and wants the item for himself. A firefight ensues, but glass Odo intervenes; only not in time. Odo's subsequent investigation into the matter leads him down an unexpected path, one that reveals tantalizing clues to his origins. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss "Vortex," revelations about Odo's people and how the story sets up the Dominion, meeting Morn, validating Vulcans, and why it's important to always keep an extra glass around. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Double Double Your Degra (00:03:17) Digging into Odo (00:06:27) Still Figuring It Out (00:10:46) Armin's Reservations (00:14:41) An Odo Story (00:20:46) Morn Is in the House! (00:23:05) And So Are Vulcans! (00:25:31) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:29:57) Closing (00:32:36) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"Move Along Home" 30th-anniversary reflections First contact with a race from the Gamer Quadrant … uhm … Gamma Quadrant doesn't go quite as Sisko had hope when it turns out that they obsessed with, you guessed it, games. And also stick tapping. And tatoos. It's all enough to make you want to move along! Move along! In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we reach that monumental signpost of Season 1, "Move Along Home," and discuss the Wadi, whether budget was really the problem, why the crew should have played more Legend of Zelda, and more. Shap 6! Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Sisko and Jake (00:03:30) Characterizations (00:06:59) Could Have Been Better (00:12:06) Original Higher Stakes (00:15:37) Blown Budget Matters? (00:21:27) Play More Legend of Zelda! (00:26:48) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:57) Closing (00:35:07) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"Dax" 30th-anniversary reflections Aliens with an uncanny knowledge of the station and its systems attempt to abduct Jadzia and take her back to Klaestron IV to stand trial. Only it's Dax they really want, and the crimes were committed 30 years earlier by Curzon. When her crewmates successfully stop the kidnappers from leaving Bajoran space, the accuser, Ilon Tandro, is forced to make his case for extradition. During the ensuing hearing, presided over by Bajoran grouchmaster Els Renora, Sisko must do what Jadzia refuses to do: fight for her life. In the end, he succeeds with the help of Odo, who discovers that the real killer was not Curzon, because at the time of the murder he was in bed with victim's wife. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss, "Dax," the complex matter of where the line between host and symbiont begins and ends, how the story helps build the mythos of the Trill, some potential inspiration from Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, and much more. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Two of One (00:03:10) Struggling to Integrate (00:13:29) Defending a Friend (00:18:38) Justice in Quark's (00:25:25) Theme of the Traitor and the Hero (00:28:33) Flanagan and Itzin (00:34:23) Raktajino Debut (00:37:39) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:00) Closing (00:42:28) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"Captive Pursuit" 30th-anniversary reflections The arrival of an alien from the Gamma Quadrant puts Chief O'Brien at the center of first contact when Tosk, as the reptilian calls itself, requires ship repair. As the mystery of Tosk unfolds, and alien hunters arrive seeking to take O'Brien's new friend back to be publicly humiliated, the chief finds himself questioning the Starfleet rule of non-interference. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss, "Captive Pursuit," the first visit by an alien from the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko's different approach to leadership, O'Brien's awakening, and how the story challenges the idea of IDIC and Starfleet's rule of non-interference. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) First Visitor from the Gamma Quadrant (00:03:13) Tosk and the Jem'Hadar: Common Origins? (00:07:03) Wild West Town (00:10:16) Challenging IDIC (00:18:17) Rules of the Game (00:27:03) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:38:58) Closing (00:41:17) Host C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

"A Man Alone" 30th-anniversary reflections When a man is murdered aboard the station, Odo becomes the prime suspect. Kira is certain he couldn't have done it, but Sisko is not so sure. Odo sees that he is being framed, but convinving his new crewmates and unraveling the mystery won't be easy. The only more difficult task might be Julian getting Dax to go out to dinner with him. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss, "A Man Alone," how the story subverts expectations and charts new paths for Star Trek, the attempt to avoid serialization, and the choice to reverse the airing of the episode with "Past Prologue." Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Julian and Jadzia (00:02:51) Alien Perspectives (00:08:19) Digging into Characters (00:12:37) Different Views of Justice (00:20:02) Subverting Expectations (00:26:19) Narrative Hat Trick (00:31:34) A TNG Mystery? (00:37:53) Keiko Starts School (00:40:54) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:46:16) Closing (00:49:26) Host C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)