“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....

“Battle Lines” 30th-anniversary reflections A joy ride to the Gamma Quadrant turns deadly for Kai Opaka. At least until she springs back to life. Along with Sisko, Kira, and Bashir, the spiritual leader of Bajor finds herself marooned on some sort of prison colony where it is impossible to die and warring factions fight in an endless cycle of conflict. Die once on this moon and, well, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. But for Kai Opaka, that’s okay, because she...

“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...

“The Nagus” 30th-anniversary reflections Having heard that some of Quark’s holosuite programs are quite alluring, Grand Nagus Zek, leader of the Ferengi Alliance, pays an unexpected visit to the station. As he shares his plans for Ferengi business expansion into the Gamma Quadrant, he also reveals that it’s time to retire and pass the golden staff to the next Grand Nagus: Quark. Zek’s sudden death puts a target on Quark’s back as Zek’s son, Krax, teams up with Rom for a power grab. In the...

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...

“The Passenger” 30th-anniversary reflections Doctor Bashir’s arrogance is interrupted when the runabout Rio Grande receives a distress call from a Kobliad transport. They find a fire aboard the ship and two people in distress. They rescue one and fail to save the other, or so it seems. When they return to Deep Space 9 with the surviving Kobliad, a security officer named Ty Kajada, they find themselves caught up in a mystery as strange things begin happening aboard the station. Kajada...

“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,...

“Q-Less” 30th-anniversary reflections The arrival of Vash, whom Dax found in the Gamma Quadrant, brings incredible profit potential to Quark, but great danger to the station. Tagging along with her is none other than Q, seemingly there to deliver his usual brand of havoc. He doesn't hit it off well with Sisko, and that might be why he is blamed for the mysterious graviton pulses that threaten to tear the station apart. Only it turns out that the danger comes not from Q but rather a baby...

“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...

“Babel” 30th-anniversary reflections When lazy Chief O'Brien gets a hankering for a cup of coffee and triggers a booby trap left behind from the Cardassian Occupation, the crew and residents of Deep Space 9 begin losing their ability to make sense one by one. As aphasia sweeps the station, Kira must find a Bajoran scientists who may hold the key to an antidote and saving everyone before cross barrels, all job appalled, bread … the arrive … seen earlier! In this episode of The Orb, hosts C...

“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...

“Past Prologue” 30th-anniversary reflections As the Federation begins to settle into its presence aboard the former Cardassian station, now dubbed Deep Space Nine, the arrival of a former Bajoran freedom fighter named Tahna Los puts Major Kira in the uncomfortable situation of protecting an old friend and supporting the new alliance between Bajor and the Federation. When she learns that Tahna has not given up his terrorist ways, she must choose between her past and future. Either way, she...

“Emissary” 30th-anniversary reflections Commence station log. When Deep Space Nine premiered on January 3, 1993, it marked an unprecedented moment for Star Trek. Not only did Gene Roddenberry capture lightning in a bottle twice, the success of The Next Generation led to a second spinoff of the 1960s classic. But simply putting another crew on another starship to boldly go where no one had gone before wasn’t going to cut it this time. After all, the Enterprise was still busy doing just that....

Dominion Breadcrumbs, Part 2. While Deep Space Nine may be best known for the Dominion War, getting to that storyline was a gradual process for the writers. After the Gamma Quadrant’s imperial force was finally revealed at the end of Season 2, there were still a lot of mysteries to unshroud as Season 3 began with “The Search.” In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing conclude their Hansel and Gretel-style journey following the breadcrumbs sprinkled by the writers...

Dominion Breadcrumbs, Part 1. While Deep Space Nine may be best known for the Dominion War, getting to that story line was a gradual process for the writers. Before its full-on introduction in the Season 2 finale “The Jem’Hadar” and the Season 3 premiere “The Search,” the Gamma Quadrant’s empirical force was hinted at throughout Season 2. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing follow the breadcrumbs sprinkled by the writers as they set up the story that would...

“Hear All, Trust Nothing“ It’s been more than 23 years since we watched Kira Nerys and Jake Sisko stare out of the window at the wormhole, wondering when Benajmin Sisko would come back. And while the Emissary has yet to return, our beloved station has—in animated form—thanks to Star Trek: Lower Decks. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing share how they felt seeing station Deep Space Nine once again and discuss how this humorous installment in the Star Trek...

Remembering Louise Fletcher Few characters in Star Trek elicit such a visceral reaction from fans than Winn Adami. Introduced as a Vedek, she was later chosen as kai—the first elected after the end of the Cardassian Occupation. In that role, rather than working in harmony with the Prophets, she actively worked against their chosen emissary. It is perhaps this friction that made her a fan favorite to hate, but the real reason might lay beyond the story, in the portrayal by actress Louise...

Dukat’s “Civil Defense” As central as Dukat was to the overall Deep Space Nine story, he didn't appear so often in the early season. The third-season episode “Civil Defense” marked only his eight appearance—and the first of the season—and the writers took the opportunity to bring his character into focus. With a more sinister, in-it-only-for-me tone, the former commander of Terok Nor went from rather everday bad guy to serious villain—and one that would take his place among Star Trek’s...

Michael Eddington At the start of Deep Space Nine’s third season, more than a new ship arrived. A new character also joined the crew, one who was meant to serve as a foil of sorts for Odo and as a fill-in for O’Brien when Colm Meaney was away on a film projects. With the Dominion stirring fear, and concern growing over Odo’s approach to security, Starfleet sent one of its best to the station to ensure that the Federation maintained full control over its own interests. But things didn’t quite...

Top 10 DS9 episodes Deep Space Nine is best known for the Dominion War but, over the course of seven seasons, the series delivered a wide variety of story arcs, rich character development, and standalone episodes. Which are the best? Some gems are well known fan favorites, while others get lost in the complex tapestry of DS9. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing tackle this question to which answers are very subjective. Their Top 10 lists were independently...

“The Search, Part II“ When it comes to that moment when Deep Space Nine shifted in tone and became the more complex series that set it apart from the rest of Star Trek, fans most often point to “The Way of the Warrior” and the start of Season 4. But it was actually the arrival of a cloaked starship named Defiant—Sisko’s little surprise for the Dominion—to kick off Season 3 that signaled a change which would send ripples through DS9’s storytelling. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan...

“The Search, Part I“ When it comes to that moment when Deep Space Nine shifted in tone and became the more complex series that set it apart from the rest of Star Trek, fans most often point to “The Way of the Warrior” and the start of Season 4. But it was actually the arrival of a cloaked starship named Defiant—Sisko’s little surprise for the Dominion—to kick off Season 3 that signaled a change which would send ripples through DS9’s storytelling. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan...

Martus Mazur and El-Aurians. They're known as listeners, but not all El-Aurians are as adept at doing so as Guinan, nor are their intentions as noble. We found this out in the second-season Deep Space Nine episode “Rivals," when a refugee from the El-Aurian system named Martus Mazur came aboard the station and caused all sorts of trouble for the crew. This visit also marked a first for Star Trek canon. Despite Guinan having appeared in 29 episodes of the The Next Generation, she was never...

“Armageddon Game” Following centuries of war, a race called the Kelleruns and another apparently named after Vulcans, the T'Lani, enlist the help of Doctor Bashir and Chief O'Brien to destroy their remaining stockpile of weapons. Of course the Starfleet officers are successful—how could they not be with Bashir's genetically enhanced mind and Miles's everyman know-how—but things turn dark when the two former enemies team up to kill everyone with any knowledge of how the weapons worked,...