Like a fine wine, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has only gotten better with age. Join us as we recap and decode every episode of the overlooked stepchild of the Star Trek universe. Each episode we share a bottle of wine, wind down, and then wind ourselves up again with our strong opinions about DS9. Because, in our social experience, people love nothing more than when someone talks at length about Star Trek or wine.
Kai Opaka, the spiritual leader we all deserve, returns to DS9 to suffer a tragic crash and embrace a messianic destiny. We trace the episode’s influences from Greek mythology to the New Testament to Dante’s Inferno. Also covered: Sisko’s daddy energy, and Star Trek’s toxic relationship with cave sets.
In "Vortex," Odo gets an unwitting lesson in manipulation and seduction from a wily stranger promising him answers about his origins. So in this episode, Lily schools us in every pickup tactic that's been pulled straight out of the pickup artist playbook. Meanwhile, Cole points out all the wild frontier motifs drawn from the classic film that inspired "Vortex," 1953 western The Naked Spur.
🍷 Wine pairing: Domaine Ott Clos Mireille Rosé
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The Godfather meets The Merchant of Venice meets West Side Story meets … the inconceivably talented Wallace Shawn. But first, we need to address the golem in the room: just how problematic are the Ferengi?
🍷 Wine pairing: Paolo Scavino Barolo
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It's the episode everyone loves to late -- but is it so Allama-wrong if we sort of loved it? Get out your klon peeg sticks and join us for a riveting game of chula — or what Sisko and company might call the world’s worst team-building exercise.
🍷 Wine pairing: Big Valley Bianco from Local Weirdos
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Yikes! What possessed a certain actor in this episode to give us this, uh, questionable performance that will live on forever? (Unlike the supervillain Vantika, try as he might.) In their review, Lily and Cole decide that "The Passenger" may be a grab bag of horror tropes, but it makes for a silly and worthwhile ride.
🍷 Wine pairing: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Amphibolite from Jo Landron
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Who are we with and without our memories? Are we sentenced to inherit intergenerational trauma? It’s debate club hour on DS9, and Lily and Cole are going deep. We also propose an in-universe explanation for why Jadzia acts like such a wet sock in season one! (Warning: excessive references to sister 90s courtroom show Ally McBeal.)
🍷 Wine pairing: Chablis "Terroir de Courgis" from Patrick Piuze
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Two familiar faces from the Enterprise arrive on DS9, and O'Brien is ready to spill all ☕️ the ☕️ tea!
🍷 Wine pairing: "Love Sick Puppy" Dolcetto from Vino Volta Wines
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*A note on the audio: We're sorry about this week's less than stellar quality, but we'll be back in fine form next week!*
Recreational hunting is the target in this episode that, for one time ever, lets Chief O’Brien have some fun. Meanwhile, Doctor Bashir gets exactly half a line of dialogue, which is no more than Season 1 Bashir deserves. And Lily and Cole ask: what does it actually mean to be sentient?
🍷 Wine pairing: "Charlie-Foxtrot" Gamay Noir from Ravensworth
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Cole gets triggered by airborne viruses, quarantines and lockdowns, while Lily has apparently repressed the entire COVID pandemic. (Jealous?) We also dip into the Bible before tracing the evolution of the rom-com form, from Jane Austen to When Harry Met Sally to its pinnacle in modern storytelling (Odo and Quark).
🍷 Wine pairing: "Esoterico" orange wine from Unico Zelo
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Lily and Cole hail Star Trek as modern-day Shakespeare, only with more Klingon cleavage. Also featured: Moral Foundations Theory, seasonal color palettes, and everyone’s favorite plain, simple pansexual tailor, Garak.
🍷 Wine pairing: "Magical Animal" Chardonnay from Brave New Wine
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Lily invokes Atticus Finch and completely changes Cole’s mind about this multi-layered episode involving a very tennis-obsessed murderer. We also dare to ask the question: is it still champagne if it’s bottled on Koris I?
🍷 Wine pairing: Premier Brut Blanc de Blancs from Idée Fixe
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Cole historically contextualizes DS9’s 1993 pilot against the collapse of the Soviet Union; Lily mocks Jake’s onesies and Captain Sisko’s weird intonation choices . We’re both thrilled to discover that “Emissary,” like a great wine, is bold, rich, and even better with age.
🍷 Wine pairing: Village Pinot Noir from Gentle Folk
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