“Invasive Procedures” 30th-anniversary reflections

With the station all but abandoned due to a plasma storm, a skeleton crew of Sisko, Kira, Jadzia, Bashir, Odo, O’Brien, and Quark are easily overpowered by an unjoined Trill hell-bent on sticking the Dax symbiont in his belly. This feeble man named Verad feels that he has been condemned to a life of mediocrity because he wasn’t chosen for joining. If he could only have a symbiont of his own, all would be well, and his girlfriend would especially love him. Doing his research, he found that Dax was the ideal match, and so he has come to the station with the help of Klingon mercenaries to take what he thinks is rightfully his. He almost succeeds, but made one fatal mistake: “never call me Benjamin.”

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 “Invasive Procedures”how the intimate story sheds light on Trill society and the relationship between symbiont and host.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
A Dark and Stormy Night (00:03:23)
An Intimate Story (00:07:13)
Verad's Motivations (00:12:18)
World-Building Trill Style (00:18:29)
Characters On and Off Target (00:28:01)
Quark Consequences (00:33:10)
Tuvok Alert! (00:36:29)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:28)
Closing (00:43:02)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“The Siege” 30th-anniversary reflections

With civilians evacuated, Sisko, Li Nalas, and the station’s crew prepare for the arrival of the Bajoran militia and their Vidal Sassoon salon-perfect hair. Missing from the gang are Kira and Dax, who have gone to the Bajoran moon Luna V to ask the local palukoo spider-dogs if they can borrow an abandoned raider from the days of the Occupation. They plan to crash the Chamber of Ministers and reveal evidence that the Cardassians are supplying The Circle with weapons. General Krim and his sidekick, Colonel Day, easily succumb to the crew’s guerrilla tactics and hand the station back over to Sisko. But things don’t turn out so rosy for the Navarch.

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 Siege,”Li Nalas's fate, what the story has to say about family and community, and how Trek's first TV trilogy ends.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Sisko's Stand (00:02:36)
Community Connections (00:06:51)
Jake and Nog (00:10:05)
Family (00:13:16)
Kira, Dax, and the Spider-Dogs (00:19:57)
Soft and Naive? (00:25:31)
Navarch No More (00:31:53)
Was It a Good Threesome? (00:38:11)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:42:16)
Closing (00:46:15)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“The Circle” 30th-anniversary reflections

The plans of the Bajoran group known as The Circle become clear thanks to an unexpected source—Quark—who has been newly christened Odo’s number-one deputy (Quark’s words). The group is being supplied with weapons by another unexpected source, the Cardassians. Who’s running The Circle? Well, that’s also a bit unexpected. But one thing that is clear from the start is that Vedek Bareil has the hots for Kira. It’s all setup in the middle part of Star Trek’s first three-parter.

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 Circle,” how the Kira/Jaro story mirrors the start of Season 1, the timeless commentary, our fondness for middle stories, and Vedek Bareil's disturbing gaze.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Timeless Commentary (00:02:41)
Blinded by the Light (00:06:20)
Mirroring Season 1 Kira (00:09:53)
Major Bye Bye? (00:13:46)
Counting on Quark (00:16:29)
Bareil's Gaze (00:20:50)
Winn and Jaro Got It Goin' On (00:28:26)
A Fondness for Middle Stories (00:32:39)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:36:58)
Closing (00:54:20)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)