The Orb 60: A Repetitive Cycle of Resistance
The Cardassian Underground. Throughout DS9 we see Cardassian society threatened by different incarnations of resistance. We explore what is begind this repetetive epic, whether something political or something buried deep within the Cardassian psyche.
The Orb 55: Like Dead Leaves Before an Angry Wind
The Final Chapter, Part 3 of 9: Strange Bedfellows. We continue our series that will take you through the entire nine-part, ten-hour DS9 finale with the third episode in the story. We discuss the Breen misstep, Damar's change the Ezri-Worf resolution, and follow Kai Winn's fall from grace.
The Orb 53: Destroy the World to Win the Game
Our Man Bashir Commentary. During DS9's fourth season, Ronald D. Moore and Bob Gillan brought us a delightful holodeck story with life or death stakes for the crew. We explore the background, what it says about Jules, the brilliance of Avery Brooks, and why everyone wants a honey bear.
The Orb 52: But It's Captain Kirk!
Trials and Tribble-ations. When the 30th Anniversary of Star Trek rolled around in 1996, Deep Space Nine chose to pay homage with an ambitious episode that brought us one of Trek's greatest moments. We team up with Standard Orbit for walk down memory lane.
The Orb 49: Cirroc Lofton Is Not In This Episode
Remembering Cliff Bole. Few directors had as much influence over modern Star Trek as Cliff Bole. With 42 episodes to his name, Bole is responsible for some of our favorite stories. Seven of those stories were told on DS9. We remember Bole on his passing with a look at each of his DS9 episodes.
The Orb 48: From Flagstaff to Carson City in Five Minutes
Runabouts. On TOS and TNG we saw plenty of shuttlecraft moving our heroes around from ship to planet to station. But these craft were really just the space equivalent of a ferry boat. Starfleet needed a beefier auxiliary craft. We discuss these tough little ships.
The Orb 47: Your Greatest Trial Is About to Begin
The Final Chapter, Part 1 of 9: Penumbra. When Sisko arrived at his new post, he had no idea that the journey he would go on would turn him into a god. A We begin a new series of shows that will take you through the entire nine-part, ten-hour Deep Space Nine finale.
The Orb 46: The Confused Counselor
Ezri Dax. Normally when an actor decides to leave a show early, it doesn't turn out well. But when Terry Farrell left DS9, the writers seized the moment and used the twist to tell Dax stories that weren't possible with Jadzia. We take a close look at Ezri and why the change was good for the show.
The Orb 45: Big City, Small Town Feel
Raising Children on the Station. The children we saw on TNG were raised in a very controlled environment. DS9 was different, much more like the real world. We discuss the pros and cons of raising children on the station and compare and contrast life on the Enterprise with life on the station.
The Orb 44: I'm More of an Eelwasser Man
Ferengi Values vs. Federation Values. As Robert Hewitt Wolfe said, "The Ferengi are us. That's the gag, the Ferengis are humans.” We set out to determine if the Ferengi are in fact the closest analogy to twentieth and twenty-first center humans by examining Ferengi and Federation views.
The Orb 43: She’s Really Good with d20s
Move Along Home as a TOS Episode. It’s the episode almost universally hated by Niners. Nothing could be less DS9 than “Allamaraine!” right? But what if this were not a DS9 episode, but rather a TOS one? Would it be considered a classic?
The Orb 42: Unpredictable Variables
Implications of Genetic Enhancement. Ever since “Space Seed” genetic enhancement has been viewed almost universally as a negative within Star Trek. We delve into the pros and cons using “Statistical Probabilities” as a starting point.