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 today, Lily schools us in every pickup tactic the episode pulls straight out of the pickup artist playbook. Meanwhile, Cole points out all the western genre motifs drawn from the classic film that inspired "Vortex," 1953's 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 hate -- but would it be 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. (Just a fair warning: we pre-gamed with plenty of wine beforehand to psych ourselves up for this one...)  

🍷 Wine pairing:  Big Valley Bianco from Local Weirdos
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Yikes! What possessed a certain actor in "The Passenger" to give us this, uh,  questionable performance that will live on forever in infamy? (Unlike the supervillain Vantika, as hard as he tries.) In their review, Lily and Cole decide that the episode may be a silly grab bag of horror tropes, but it still makes for a worthwhile ride. 

🍷 Wine pairing: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Amphibolite from Jo Landron

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Who are we with and without our memories? And are we always 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 90s courtroom dramedy 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 exactly once in the whole show, lets Chief O’Brien have some fun. Meanwhile, Doctor Bashir is permitted 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. (Who else is jealous of her?) We also briefly dip into the Old Testament 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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