Back in the Saddle: THE HOMECOMING (2.01)

We're back, nerds! Ready for a whole new season of jumja sticks, underboob dabo ladies, and hot takes on our favorite Star Trek series. 

"The Homecoming" takes its inspiration from a 1960s Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. But the tale about false narratives holding more power than truth feels more relevant today than ever. 

And of course, this episode kicks off an epic three-parter, Star Trek's first-ever trilogy. Lily and Cole are here to cheer on Major Kira as she sets out to save Bajor from fascism -- looking fab in Ren Faire swashbuckler chic while she does it.

🎥 Video: https://youtu.be/GxoWEn-k1fE 

🍷 Wine Pairing:  2023 S.C. Pannell Montepulciano

❤️ Find us on Insta: deepspacewine_podcast

Also, a cheeky plug for some other podcasts Cole dabbled in during the hiatus: 

News Swap

https://open.spotify.com/show/6ncfiIkr2gjyzJkbkhtU9N?si=96f3bc5fc12c4aa6

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/news-swap/id1834581051

Deviants

https://open.spotify.com/show/0gxEebzE7cSwm6XMBhiCoB?si=eb4fb77287c84220

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deviants/id1861755734

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:13

Hello everyone, I'm Lily Rosson.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

And I'm Cole Paulson.

SPEAKER_03 0:16

And welcome back to Deep Space Wine, the podcast that attempts to recap and decode every episode of Deep Space Nine, the forgotten 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, there is nothing people love more than when someone talks at length about Star Trek or wine.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Or the endless debate of whether or not Bajorans are sexy.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

I mean, what a divisive debate. I don't think there's anything going on in the world that's It's the most pressing question of our time.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

And I have major updates on it.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Thank God.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

I'll be bringing in um extensive background research and citations, so embrace yourselves, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

I do know you call.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

I take my work seriously.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

You do. We got a review recently. What did it say?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Silly. I believe we were called silly. Silly and informative. Silly and informative. Yeah. I think that was our uh our mission all along.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

I think so. It wasn't in the beginning, it is now.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

So we're back, Cole. How does it feel?

SPEAKER_00 1:21

We're back, baby. Oh, it feels good. Hey everyone, we're back.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Is it like a bit of a homecoming?

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Hey oh, title of the episode. Welcome to season two, episode one, The Homecoming.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

The Homecoming. I mean, it's perfect.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

I didn't even realize how fitting it was for this. Yeah. Because it's good to be home.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

It's great to be home. And I guess I want to say sorry to our fans for the long hiatus. Um, we can all agree that 2025 was a dumpster fire. Have you had a good 2025, everyone? I don't want to hear about it. Don't tell us about it. Keep it to yourself. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Yeah, we're happy for you, but not really.

SPEAKER_03 1:57

I'm not happy for you. Yes. But if my TikTok tarot ladies are to be believed, we've left behind the ear of the snake and we are galloping into the ear of the horse. So everything's going to be fine. Everything bad in your life is probably done. So don't even worry about it.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yippie Kaye, I'm ready to saddle up and get on this horse. Happy year of the horse.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Yes. Wait, are you the horse or are you riding the horse?

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Um I think either one could be a disaster. Because I don't know how to ride a horse.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

I feel like in my mind you know how to ride a horse. In my head, you're a cowboy from Colorado.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Um, yeah. It's because you have a very high you hold me in high esteem.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

Yeah, I think it's the Americana thing as well. Like just send some assless chaps.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

You're the horse, baby.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Um, Cole, you've also been busy with a few other podcasting projects, and I'm not jealous enough to think that maybe you shouldn't do a little plug. So you should go for it.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Thank you, Lily. Yes, we knew we'd always find each other again. Yes. Never a doubt. But yeah, I've been keeping busy with a few other audio projects. Uh, if you want to check them out, my brother and I have done this project. He falls on the opposite end of the political spectrum from me. And so we did this experiment called News Swap. You can find it on your podcasts where we swap the news we read for three weeks and see what it's like to live in each other's media worlds and then uh discuss afterwards. And so we're trying to see if we can heal polarization just a little bit, if we understand how we're living in separate news worlds. So check that out.

SPEAKER_03 3:25

Yeah. Or just even listen to each other.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Yeah, it was an experiment in just trying to listen to each other properly, which is really hard to do nowadays.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

Yeah, it was great. I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

And I've also been doing a podcast called Deviance. D-E-V-I-A-N-T-S. Deviance. It's all about social taboos and people who like to break them. Uh we just did a really fascinating episode where we interviewed a guy who's in love with six different chat GPTs. So if that tickles your pickle, check that out. Deviants.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Ooh, tickles your pickle.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

But deep space wine is my one true love, so it's good to be back.

SPEAKER_03 4:01

Yes, well, as I've told you before, I'm secure in our attachment. Not with anyone else, just you.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

We are securely attached. There's never a doubt. So thank you for letting me uh gallop away free and do these other projects.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Yeah, ride that horse, baby, because I know that I'm your favorite podcast co-host and also Best Friends Club.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Facts. Lillian Cole are back, y'all. Giddy up.

SPEAKER_03 4:25

Yeah. And Sarkit Cole's other podcasting partners who are very good, and you should all check it out. It's some great listening.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

My brother doesn't watch Star Trek, so he's never gonna hear this. It's fine. So Deep Space Nine season two. Here we go. Um I've personally never considered season two as one of my favorites, but then again, I thought season one was rubbish, and this podcast has revealed its unexpected riches. So prove me wrong, season two.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Yeah, season two, it's kind of a wild ride in the wild west, again.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yeah, exactly. It's it's a mixed bag. Yeah. Lots of great episodes, lots of bad ones. I really look forward to reviewing the bad ones with you. Uh those are gonna be a field day. I feel like season two was this awkward transition period from the series that the writers had planned in season one to what the show would ultimately become from season three onward. So there's sort of these growing pains, figuring out what sticks, like the last gasps of the science-y episodes, the alien of the week episodes, Bajoran politics in a lot of big ways.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Yeah, yeah. Um that shit that people love. Bajoran politics.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

So one of the biggest criticisms of season one was audiences were just not feeling the Bajorans, the Bajoran religion or the politics. Yeah. So what do the writers do? They're like, okay, how about we start the season with a three-parter of Bajoran politics?

SPEAKER_03 5:46

And maybe the problem was that there weren't enough sexy Bajorans.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Okay, maybe they are fixing things in season two.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

So yeah, we start off season two with Star Trek's first ever trilogy. Uh, very ambitious. They just went all in with the Bajorans. Right. It's almost even a four-parter because it picks up a lot of the threads from the end of season one in the hands of the prophets. The Bajor trilogy, I think this is called. Truly one of the great sci-fi trilogies of our times, on par with Star Wars, with Lord of the Rings. Sure. Um, actually, I do see parallels, and I will be getting into those uh in in due course.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

Great. I've always said this podcast is not nerdy enough. Should we throw in DD as well?

SPEAKER_00 6:26

I mean, I know you want to. Yeah, definitely ambitious. Even the writers admit it was maybe too ambitious. They admit they maybe could have done this in two, two and a half episodes. So this is a nice slow start with the homecoming. It lets us breathe like a nice red wine, which is maybe not the worst thing. It's a nice gentle trot of a start.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Yeah. A lot happens though.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

For sure.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Should I talk about the wine?

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Yeah, let's do it. And then we can get into this episode.

SPEAKER_03 6:53

And then we can uh crack it open and really get into it. Onto the wine. Yeah, like a year between drinks is a lie. But tonight we are drinking a 2023 SC panel Montepucciano. Have you had a Monte Pucciano before?

SPEAKER_00 7:14

I have. It's Italian, I believe. It sounds Italian.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

It is Italian.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

As a guess.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

It is an Italian varietal. Specifically, it's from Abruzzo. But this one is made in Australia. It's made in Langhorn Creek and McLaren Vale. We've had plenty of wine from McLaren Vale. It's in South Australia, like 45 minutes from Adelaide, one of my favourite areas.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

They do good wine though, as you've taught me.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Yeah, just really lush wine. And the Montepucciano is a lush fruit forward grape, but rides the palate with leather and tobacco notes.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

Rides the palate, just like we're gonna be riding that year of the horse.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

Right?

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Tobacco and leather and cowboy. Leather and tobacco. That's very cowboy.

SPEAKER_03 7:56

Yeah, very cowboy. And two tasting notes that you've never been sure about.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

I I mean, in theory, I think I'd love like notes of leather and tobacco. That's like an old timey saloon vibe. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Okay, great. Um I'm distracted because I need to know who we are in the old timey saloon.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Well, you're you're the madam. The madam. That's exactly what I was gonna say. Yeah. With a heart of gold. Heart of gold. You look out for your girls. Yeah. Your makeup is on point. Your cleavage is on point. Yeah. I mean, am I, I don't know, the the player piano player?

SPEAKER_03 8:32

Uh I don't know. How many times can I say asses chaps in this episode?

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Uh as many as you want, babe. This is our podcast. I know, we make the rules. I don't think they really have here. Did they have assess chaps in the wild west? Well, I guess you just didn't wear the pants.

SPEAKER_03 8:48

Well, you wear the pants underneath, so they're all assessed chaps. Sure. Yeah. So leather and tobacco notes. And this wine has a particularly good story, as the winemaker is Australian, and he moved to Europe to make wine for a very long time, and then he came back to Australia to make Mediterranean style wines. Um so he had a bit of a homecoming, if you will.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Hey oh, and she's done it again, folks.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

Daily episode. Everybody take a shot.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Um that's not a bad idea, listeners at home, unless you're driving or something.

SPEAKER_03 9:18

Yeah. Or like a shot of wine is a bit strange. I'm hoping people drink wine while they listen to this.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

I I just assumed.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

Yeah. So notes of this wine, and this is from the producer on the nose. You get mulberry, cherry, and cassia. This wine is medium-bodied and juicy with playful tannins. Oof. And there's also one lovely bit of copy that's on the wine bottle, and it says gentle, plush, and alive with music.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

That's the place I want to be.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

You know?

SPEAKER_03 9:50

Should we go there?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Pop that cork, baby. By the way, everyone, this is our first video podcast. So if you've been wondering all year just how hot Lily and Cole are, ta-da! Leave your opinion to yourself because I um I have a fragile self-esteem.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

I can take it.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, you can, can't you? I can take it. You're so cool.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

No, I'm just like, you're into it or you're not, you know?

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Respect. Anyways, yeah, find us on the YouTube if you're listening uh via podcast. Cheers to homecoming. Cheers.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Oh, leathery.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Can you call that a leathery? Before we dive into the recap, maybe I'll just uh offer a little framing of a thesis. Gimme that thesis. Some thoughts, everyone, before we start. Uh you and I have agreed that the DS9 writers are amazing storytellers. They spin this epic seven-year saga with all these interwoven character arcs. And I think that's really what sets it apart from other Star Trek shows. I mean, Next Generation, I love you, but you're just a different breed of television, right? So maybe it's no surprise that you and I have also noticed the writers sort of have this preoccupation with storytelling as a theme and as an art form. In season one, there was a whole episode about it, the storyteller. And we had characters like Maritza and Garrick and that old man on the moon in progress. Characters whose entire identities were built from these sort of origin stories that they told. And in the homecoming, we have another character whose whole identity is built on a story. But in this case, it's one that spun out of control and now the story controls him, which I think is really interesting. And we'll get into that once we hit that beautiful monologue that he delivers later. But, dear listeners, I argue that this trilogy, this saga, isn't really about Lee Knollis. I think it's about another Bajoran hero. Lily, any any takes? What Bajor and hero do you reckon this trilogy is actually about?

SPEAKER_03 11:53

I'm gonna say it's Kira.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

It's Kira, y'all.

SPEAKER_03 11:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

This is the Kira trilogy.

SPEAKER_03 11:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

I mean, I think the three episodes even take her on a bit of a hero's journey, and maybe I'll get into that as we come to the close of the trilogy. But what I think is so interesting in centering on Kira is that something you and I clocked in season one is that Kira is actually a really bad storyteller. She's guileless, she's direct to a fault. She's sort of a blunt instrument, and her bluntness is always getting her into trouble. She's way more interested in doing than in talking or being cunning. And sometimes you and I have found that a little grating about her character. But I think that is what makes her the hero in this trilogy because she's in this world of political gamesmanship. There's this struggle for power and leadership on Bajor, and everyone's trying to manipulate public sentiment and control the narrative and spin the narrative. And meanwhile, Kira's just making shit happen. Yeah. Embrace yourself, Lily, for a bit of a feminist lens.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Feminism.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Bear with us.

SPEAKER_03 12:57

When Nastash gets awoke, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Yeah, Kira is surrounded by all these men who are spending all their time projecting leadership narratives about like power and strength and fear, violence. And I'll point out some of those tried and true narratives when they come up in the recap. These men are like trying to tell everyone that they're leaders. But meanwhile, Kira is just showing us what leadership actually looks like. So I never loved Kira more than in the next few episodes. And DS9 proves once again that it is as relevant as ever. Because politics today, it's a constant battle to not just control the narrative, but dumb down the narrative, usually leaning on these really dumb, masculine, simplistic ideas of what power and leadership are, like winners and losers, who's strong and who's weak.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

And I think this highlights just how um how limited that is and how dangerous that is.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

And I think say what you will about Kira. She has one of the strongest moral compasses in her own sense.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Yeah. Yeah. And it's what guides her actions. Yeah. Is just being glued to that.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

And she's just surrounded by people who spend a lot of time making noise. Again, the the narratives, the media narratives that we're spinning, highly relative to that new swap project I was doing with uh my brother. New swap, everyone, check it out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:20

Yeah, please do.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

So let's dive in. Great. Saddle up. I'll stop with the horse metaphors everyone. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 14:27

With the horse metaphors. Okay, recap. So it's a homecoming. We're home again in the promenade. We're at quarks. We see some familiar faces of quark-adjacent villains.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

It's all of our favorite aliens.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

The ones who, I guess, didn't go to jail.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

I swear one of them died last season. Maybe one of them died. He's back to the park.

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Or maybe we're just being racist and it's his brother or something.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

They don't all look alike.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

The shot pans over the Darbo table, underboob Darbo Girl is there, of course.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

You know, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Darbo girl is still at it.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

She's there, and we're home. Immediately, our favourite will they, won't they couple, Quark and Odo, come to a beef. Just quickly, I think Quark's jacket has had a little revamp. So instead of the big safety pin, there are now some bulbous gold buttons. And I approve.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Okay. We got Lily's stamp of approval, costume watch, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 15:23

I'd just like people to change it up, you know, keep it fresh.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Quark, he's a bit of a fashion icon, isn't he? He is. I think he spends his Latinum on um the latest looks.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

He must. I mean, he's he's a publican. He's not just selling drinks, he's selling himself.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Whoa, what a publican is like a bar owner? Yeah. That's such a fancy word. Me stab.

SPEAKER_03 15:42

Anyway, there's a bit of a cat and mouse altercation. For once, Quark has been actually an accurate CI, criminal informant, which only makes Odo more suspicious. Odo insists that Quark is the enemy, and thus something doesn't sit right in his waters or in his goo.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Doesn't sit right in his goo.

SPEAKER_03 16:01

It doesn't sit right in his goo. And um I will be using that phrase again. And he says, You're up to something because you're always up to something. Because you're always up to something.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Great line.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

And uh the dialogue and the patter with these two is really giving Beatrice and Benedict.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Much ado about nothing. Much about nothing. Yes. That's such a good call. I I was always a huge fan of Benedict and Beatrice because the subtext of I hate you, I hate you is like, let's get it on now. Yeah, right. Which is exactly like Odo and Court. Oh, because they secretly love each other.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

And every scene with them, I'm just like, Keys. Keys. Keys.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

I introduced Lily to this uh Saturday Night Live sketch where Kate McKinnon is this old woman, and on her birthday, she just wants everyone to kiss, and she just goes, kiss, and um, that is me.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Yeah. Now and forever. The world would be a better place.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

Anyways, it turns out that actually there's the 76th rule of acquisition. Every once in a while, declare peace, it confuses the hell out of your enemies, which is, I guess, what's going on. Also known as edging, I guess. Stop. Oh my god, stop. I'll never stop. But what's this? A femme fatale in a silver onesie. Um, to rival our very own Cole Paulson's seven of nine drag that he did. Check out the Instagram. I have a very heterosexual friend who saw the picture and said it made him feel flustered. So if that tickles your people.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

I was nominated for best costume at Halloween in my seven of nine drag. There was exactly one silver cat suit that I barely managed to slip into. So that's high praise saying I look like this purple-haired freighter captain. Yeah. That means a lot.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

I got you boo.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

But yeah, how hot is this random like Dominatrix Patel?

SPEAKER_03 17:57

Super hot. She's got the purple hair of a mentally ill baddie and a feline structured face.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

You know, she comes back a couple times on the show. I call her Madame Plot device. Yeah. Because she'll just show up and uh drop some artifact that drives the plot forward and just look sexy doing it.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Check off dominatrix.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Check off dominatrix. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

Anyway, so she opens with the line, evening, quark. How are your lobes? Which makes us think they've had sexy times in the past.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Do you reckon?

SPEAKER_03 18:28

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

I mean, haven't we established that quark is kind of into sub stuff?

SPEAKER_03 18:34

I don't know if we've established this, but like as of right now, Quark is 100% a sub. Yeah. Looking for DOMs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's not just headcanon, that's canon. I don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

That shot of him like peering up through her legs of her leather, her skin tight leather outfit.

SPEAKER_03 18:52

Yeah, and he wants to be told what to do.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

But anyway, Purple Baddie has a Bajoran earring and it's from Cardassia. From a Cardassian. She's like, gotta give this to you.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

She's like, can you just give this to a Bajoran because I gotta go?

SPEAKER_03 19:05

I guess she's busy doing something really hot that they're not gonna show on screen in Star Trek. And then he gives her a little kissy on the cheek. And could just be that I'm coming down from heated rivalry, but I could watch a whole episode about these two. Well, they won't they? Ten years. What's happening?

SPEAKER_00 19:24

This scene is just so silly because it's so much more than it needs to be. It's the most extra scene.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

Yeah. It's just when they go full noir for no reason except that it's Deep Space Nine.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

I think the show's favorite genres are Western and Noir. And this episode does both of those for sure. Yeah, we'll get into the West. I mean Wow, I didn't even realize that. This episode was actually based on a Western. And here we are talking about this year of the horse, old saloon.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

It's all coming together as well. What are you again? The wise done.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

The Madam. The Madam. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here we are, the Madam and whatever I am. Asless chaps, McGee.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

Oh god, I'd be a good madam. You'd be incredible. Thank you. Cut to Kira.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

Mm-hmm. Kira's quarters.

SPEAKER_03 20:05

And guess what? She's in her netted undershirt.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Lattice undershirt in full effect. You know this episode has riches in store when we see the netted undershirt.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

Yes. I like that. Rich is in store when you see the netted undershirt. And she's praying to a Bajoran mantle that's in her quarters that I don't think we've seen.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Yeah, nice reminder of her uh piousness, her devoutness.

SPEAKER_03 20:25

Yeah. But Quark arrives and he is and has always been a bit of a sex pest with Kira.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

My notes literally say Quark enters being a sex pest.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Yeah. And then I have explicitly written it's because he has sub energy and Kira is very dumb.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

Quark, we've got your number.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

So there you go. But Quark is actually there to deliver the mysterious Bajoran earring, and Kira demands to know all the details. Kira runs out, and Quark stays behind, presumably, to go through her unmetables.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Yeah, what a way to show just how shocked Kira is to receive this earring because she abandons Quark alone in her quarters. Yeah. Nasis. Yeah. Not a great call.

SPEAKER_03 21:07

Like, do you think she has spare netted undershirts? Do you think she has like 30 of them?

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Well, you could ask Quark because he's about to find them.

SPEAKER_03 21:14

Oh man. Armin Schimmerman, give us a call. And so yeah, that's the teaser. It's some mystery jewelry.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

I get it's a slow start to an epic saga, friends.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

I don't know. I feel like a lot has happened already.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

That's true.

SPEAKER_03 21:28

I'm titillated. Alright. Then we get some Cisco Jakey time.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

Jake is in one of his patent at onesies, but it's a new one.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

New season, new onesie.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

But still a onesie, because I guess that's his age range.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

15 year olds of the future.

SPEAKER_03 21:44

And I'm now thinking about this. Like, I suppose a lot of his friends would be Bajorans, and that's what they wear.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

He's trying to fit in with the Bajorans. That's such a good call.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

And it turns out that Jake has a little Bajoran girlfriend. Yeah. And has come to the old man for some date ideas. And he's thinking. To take his Bajon girlfriend to the hollow suites, aka the sex dungeons. And Cisco is not pleased.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Not in that onesie. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:09

Yes. At least put on some assless jabs. That's three, if anyone's counting.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Keep it coming. Shots, shots. Um, I'm kind of with Cisco on this. Yeah. I get it. I mean Jake is Jake is so young.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

He is, but he's so tall, it's confusing.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

True.

SPEAKER_03 22:26

Kiri interrupts, and she and Sisko head to the replomat. And Cisco. Cisco orders.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Did you clock how long this scene was too?

SPEAKER_03 22:37

So long.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

They had to bad for time, y'all.

SPEAKER_03 22:40

It's okay. This is why we watch this show. So he orders a Racktigino with a Jacquerine peel.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

And it's peak Avery books. Ractogino with a jackerin peel.

SPEAKER_03 22:52

Because he just he's feeling zesty.

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Can you ever use a gourmand here? Do you ever flavor coffee with citrus?

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Um yes. I've done it with tonic if you do like a shot of espresso, tonic water, and orange peel. That's actually very, very delicious. Okay. So maybe that's what we're thinking. Yeah. We'll never know. But no, no, no. So it's not just this drink. He also orders an Ikeberry torte. Um, and it's just like he's having a good day.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Like ten minutes later, Cisco has finished ordering his breakfast.

SPEAKER_03 23:21

And Kira's, I guess, been pretty uh patient.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Really testing Kira's patience.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

And now his day's ruined because Kira's asking for a runabout to go to Cardassia for to rescue a prisoner of war, who I guess is who the earring belonged to.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

So this is classic Kira just shooting from the hip, does not spend any time building a case. She's just direct to a fall, because Cisco's like, uh, come again.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

Yeah, doesn't even order an Ikeberry tort to, you know, keep things cash.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

She then at least provides a little context. Bajot has this power vacuum going on. Bajor has broken out into violence with all these different sects fighting each other, which is very um Iraq after the US invasion, very Syria um after the revolution, and it really needs strong leadership. And she hopes that this guy who might be on a labor camp on Cardassia 4 could be that hero, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:15

Yeah. What's his name?

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Lee Nales.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

Lee Nales. He's the dude, he's the resistance leader.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

He's some revered war hero. Even Cisco's heard of him.

SPEAKER_03 24:22

Yeah. And he did a bunch of stuff for Beijor during the occupation. And he was presumed dead. Everyone thought he's dead, but maybe not, because here's his earring that someone's managed to give to the dominatrix.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

What are purple? She's got the purple hair of a what did you say?

SPEAKER_03 24:38

Mentally ill baddie.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Excuse me. The purple hair of a mentally ill baddie.

SPEAKER_03 24:43

And I'm not just saying that. I've read a bunch of articles that have been targeted to me. Thanks a lot. About how people who are mentally ill are more likely to have fake colored hair.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

Well. As you can see in this YouTube video, both of us have our natural hair.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Which means all is well.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

I am totally sane. So the Bajoran provisional government are being pussies, as usual.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

So Kira has had to come to Daddy Cisco for help. Bajor needs a leader to unite the Bajorans because there's all this political unrest, as Cole was saying, since the death of Kai Opaka or the The death and resurrection, because she ain't coming back. Vampirism.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

Yeah, the vampire transformation. Yeah, exactly. Um, no more Kai Opaka, huge leadership vacuum on Beijo.

SPEAKER_03 25:35

But hold up on this, Mass, because Cisco has to go investigate some tagging.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

It's exactly what it is.

SPEAKER_03 25:41

It's like bright yellow, kind of like a circle. O'Brien and Odo are on the case.

SPEAKER_00 25:48

And O'Brien is not having it. No, no, no. Very anti-graffities.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

No, I mean, you know, he's a union man. Yeah, so there's apparently some mishas about global unity called the circle, which is Bajor for Bajorans. They're an isolationist bigoted group.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:08

Yeah, imagine that.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

Yeah. But the circle is also a lame and stupid name.

SPEAKER_00 26:17

It's not they could do with better branding. Yeah. Oh, branding. That comes up later. Oof.

SPEAKER_03 26:22

Yikes. We'll get there. So yeah, Cisco was really trying to have a good day, but it's coming at him from all directions. And shit must be getting really real because he's tossing his baseball around.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

Yeah, it's nice. I love that you start to see the symbolism of the baseball.

SPEAKER_03 26:36

Yeah, it starts to come in. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

And it symbolizes like his attachment to Bajor and also his mental state. Right. Totally. And he's feeling a little frantic about whether or not he can protect Bajor right now. So he's tossing the baseball around.

SPEAKER_03 26:47

Totally. Dax arrives. And first of all, love that Cisco is coming to Dax to troubleshoot his problems.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

Yeah, his confidant. One of my favorite best friends clubs on the show.

SPEAKER_03 26:58

Yes, definitely. They have such an interesting rapport. And I do think that, um, I do think that Terry Farrell is starting to take the role to a slightly different place in season two already, where she has a bit more of the gravitas of someone who's lived many lives.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Which we've decided is um in universe because she's integrating the wisdom of all of her past hosts into.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

Not just a model learning how to act. Exactly. Because we're apologists for this show. All the way home, all the way. Anyway, but Dax already knows the whole situation. I think that's a good thing. Because Kira's been flabbergasted about it to everyone. Kira's told everyone. Cisco thinks that Lee Naris could unite the divided Bajorans, but there's still the problem of Cardassia, even though they swore that they released all the Bajoran prisoners of war. It's like a bit of a sticky kind of like, well, did they? And then what the hell is this thing? And side note, loving Dax's acting, not so much her hair.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Yeah, what's up with her hair this season?

SPEAKER_03 27:59

It's like got a real helmet sort of bump it vibe. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

And the ponytails like coming up out of the middle.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Yeah. Anyway, Cisco gives the go-ahead for this.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

It's a mission for Kira to go rescue this guy from Cardassia 4.

SPEAKER_03 28:14

And everyone is pleased as Punch, including O'Brien, who has some technical advice for how to sneak past the Cardassians, because Kira's also told O'Brien.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

Because again, this is this top secret potentially war-starting mission to Cardassia, and Kira's told everyone. Yeah. The woman has no guile.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

No guile. But it has also worked in their favor and kind of gotten it done. Because Dax has given her two cents and O'Brien's helping out.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

It's the the um the blunt hammer just pounding away till it happens. Yeah. Yeah. Kira, keep up the good work. It's who she is.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

Next scene. Stop what you're doing, everyone. Because on Deep Space Nine it is free dress day. Kira is in her Bejor and Civies, which kind of make her look like a young knight at a Ren Fair.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

The sort of swashbuckler pants.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

They're kind of pirate pants. They're like tight along here and then kind of poofy as they go down. Yeah. And she's got like high boots.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Because she's trying to be like incognito for this mission. Just it's off the record.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Any old bejoran. There's a belt, there's a crochet kind of knit vest that goes over the top.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

And I have things to say about the crochet. Some notes from the costume designer. They actually realized that they needed to move away from the onesies for beijoans. Great. And this was a very deliberate shift to make crocheted knitwear clothing a motif of bejoring fashion. Which I actually think fits the beuran ethos so much more. Just this sort of earthy, spiritual, homemade. So I'm all for the knits and crochets for bejur, which was very intentional here.

SPEAKER_03 29:49

Yeah. Crochet. Not just a thing that mentally ill women do. I've never done it. Cisco and O'Brien show up, and O'Brien's got a bit of a Bejoran glow up too.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

He's also looking smart.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

It's like teal and textured and it's sort of got this cool coat on. Who would have guessed O'Brien looks good in teal? Yeah. What season is he? Someone tell me. And I feel like he's I don't know, I feel like there's some mojo happening with him doing like a secret mission to do with shooting Cardassians, because that was, you know, sort of his bit for a long time.

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Right. So back to the plot, Cisco's like, hey Kira, you need to take O'Brien along.

SPEAKER_03 30:30

Oh, sorry. Yes. Very insistent about talking about that jump.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

I mean priorities, excuse me.

SPEAKER_03 30:36

So yeah, Cisco says, go on the mission because you're a better pilot than Kira, blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_00 30:41

And they needed something to give O'Brien to do this episode.

SPEAKER_03 30:43

Yeah. And they certainly do. On the runabout, Kira and O'Brien are about to leave and she warns him that they'll either achieve their mission or die in the attempt.

SPEAKER_00 30:53

Slightly overblown stakes, but I guess it again highlights Kira's sort of black and white, all or nothing mentality. Very like, do or do not, there is no try.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

Yeah. And I think I reckon it was her mantra during the occupation.

SPEAKER_00 31:06

It's Kira's whole Raison dech. Yeah, Raison Del.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

And then Miles is all like, yeah, just another Monday, whatever. You're gonna get tortured, bruvs.

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Might get caught and tortured.

SPEAKER_03 31:21

And then there's a quick bit of subterfuge with a Cardassian ship asking about their status because they're trying to hide as they get into Cardassia 4.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

This was all a little Star Wars coded. Very like Han Solo tricking the She's dressed like Han Solo.

SPEAKER_03 31:36

Yeah. And you sort of forget because she is the hammer that she can use subterfuge.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

Turns out that she does have some skills.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

Um, because she was a freedom fighter and would have been in all kinds of situations and had to like do things on the fly. Yep. And O'Brien is like very chuffed with this. And I'm beginning to like this duo. And I kind of feel like they have a bunch of chemistry. Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

I mean, three seasons later, there's actually a whole plot about that where Kira and O'Brien uh want to bang and they have to keep their hands off each other to not piss Keiko off. Actually, and it starts here. Continuity, folks. Yeah. Man, Deep Space Nine, how dare you do it? Kiss. Kiss. They do, these two have some really good chemistry. They make a good team this episode.

SPEAKER_03 32:24

And I think that there's something about their, they're both quite black and white thinkers. And I think there's something about the way they just go and get the job done without philosophizing.

SPEAKER_00 32:35

That's such a good call. Um, sorry to anyone who's not Myers Briggs MBTI out there, but they're both S. They're not, let's analyze the big picture, let's just get it done. Let's make shit happen. And also, I think S people are probably the best in bed because they just make they just make it happen.

SPEAKER_03 32:52

Okay. And now we're talking about subs and dumbs again. And we'll discuss this later, Cole. Because the people don't want to know.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

They do. Everyone's here for this. Please. The Treky and the Kink Venn diagrams have a strong overlap. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

I mean, arguably any fandom, but I do think there's something about the way Star Trek just withholds and withholds and withholds. Uh, and withholds.

unknown 33:22

Withholds.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

And Lily's kinks, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Anyway, let's get to this labor camp.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

So they arrive at Cardassia 4.

SPEAKER_03 33:32

They arrive there. There's a labor camp that isn't supposed to be there, isn't supposed to have prisoners.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Not cool, Cardasia.

SPEAKER_03 33:37

No, and there are about a dozen prisoners there, and thus our two new uh friends have to land the runabout to try to save everyone. The labor camp is horrible, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

I love this scene.

SPEAKER_03 33:51

Yes. But also kind of hilarious.

unknown 33:54

Why?

SPEAKER_03 33:54

Because the prisoners are collecting rocks.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

They're just like piling rocks up.

SPEAKER_03 33:59

They've just got these like wicker baskets and they're just collecting random rocks.

SPEAKER_00 34:03

It's very Monty Python, the peasants stacking piles of mud.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

Very much so. Yeah. And I'm like, this is a depiction of, you know, historically things that have happened in horrible genocide and things like that. But also, why are they collecting rocks? This is so silly. I mean, Cardassians are assholes. Yeah. Maybe just doing it to do it.

SPEAKER_00 34:23

I think exactly. Cardassians are assholes. Um the setting, a little behind the scenes, it was filmed in a rock quarry in California. So this was an actual rock quarry.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

And the filming there was about as dire as it looks. It was extreme cold and extreme heat. The crew had to prepare for like bees and snakes and bugs.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

And then our visitor said she was seriously wondering if everyone was going to get heat prostration because it just felt like hell.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

She was all rugged up in her crochet.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

She had to wear like multiple layers and it was hot as hell. So yeah, it was rough, but it pays off.

SPEAKER_03 34:53

It looks rough. So basically, Kira and O'Brien wander up to this labor camp with the Cardassian guards. And the ruse is that Kira is a prostitute and she's there to see like the prefect, the guy in charge. And O'Brien is her pimp.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

I have questions. This guard at this rock quarry on a moon of Cardassia isn't confused when a human and a Bajoran just stroll up selling sex.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

What? But it must have been so common during the occupation. Yeah. So common. All these Cardassians into Bajoran ladies.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Okay, and on that, did you catch the line? Kira's like, how do I look? And O'Brien says, There's not a Cardassian alive who could resist you. So, like, are all Cardassians bisexual? Yes. It's canon now.

SPEAKER_03 35:43

It's canon.

SPEAKER_00 35:44

Which honestly checks out on every level.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Cardassians are by everyone. He's like every Cardassian would hit this.

SPEAKER_03 35:50

They've got a bit of like a non-binary. It's a lizard person thing. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:56

So great. Here it is.

SPEAKER_03 35:58

And O'Brien, wow. What a compliment.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

He gets it.

SPEAKER_03 36:03

He's like, you look like a prostitute that is gonna get some.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

And don't tell Keiko, but Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:10

God, she and Keiko are like opposites.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

Polar opposites. Gosh.

SPEAKER_03 36:16

I can't wait for season three when we get back into this. Yeah. But I'll be finding nuggets of this through the whole rest of season two.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

Brian Cura's sexual tension. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

Anywho, she is successful in honeypotting this random Cardassian guard.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Because he's a dum-dum.

SPEAKER_03 36:31

He's a dum-dum, but also maybe it's been a while since he's had some sweet bejorent tail.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:37

And um, that's what he's into. And he's into that crocheted outfit. And I don't know, there's no questions. She's sort of saying, I'm here for the prefect, and he's like, Yeah, but uh, you know, I'm not busy. I don't really need to watch these prisoners pick up rocks.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

The guard summons her and like leans forward to peer down her shirt, which I think is how men look at cleavage, just to like peer down.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

But like it's really high. The undershirt neck is really high. Yep. And then she goes to show the tiniest bit of cleavage, and then she beats the shit out of him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

And we love to see it.

SPEAKER_03 37:08

Which is great. And she and O'Brien kind of phaser their way out, and they're sort of trying to save all the prisoners.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

It's a great action scene. Yeah, yeah, it is. You got like guards up on top of the hill and shot down. There's levels. Yeah. This trilogy does levels. Yeah. Which is honestly very rare for Star Trek. Yeah, not just on a sound stage in California.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

So yeah, they're trying to save everyone, which is more than they anticipated. But there's a bunch of people from the camp who stay behind to essentially fall on their sword to save Lee Nales.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

The devotion to this guy, Lee Nales, is so intense they're willing to die for him to be rescued.

SPEAKER_03 37:42

They're like, leave us behind, take him, which is what happens. So we're back on the station, and Kira goes running into Zisko's office only to find our old mate Gold Ducat on the monitor.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Ducat's third appearance. Only his third appearance of the show. Here he is.

SPEAKER_03 37:55

But he looms larger. I think it's his long neck. And the acting and whatever.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

And the acting. It's all of it. It comes together. He does loom with that neck.

SPEAKER_03 38:08

So he's issuing a formal apology to the people of Bayshaw, as apparently they had no idea there were still prisoners on Cardassia 4. How could we have known this thing that was happening? All seems suspicious, but as Cisco says, until we know their motives, best to just be grateful that the prisoners have been returned. So maybe everything's gonna work out without too much political unrest.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

Great, we'll take it. Nice work, Kira. She made it happen.

SPEAKER_03 38:33

And O'Brien.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Excuse me. Yeah, nice work to both of you. Yeah. And you looked great doing it.

SPEAKER_03 38:38

Yeah, he did. We're in the infirmary and Julian is being problematic. He's treating Leon Alice and saying that he's, you know, read all about his deeds and considers himself a bit of a history buff. And this to me feels like a bit of a callback to season one, episode one, when he was telling Kira about being on the frontier.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Um that's such a good call.

SPEAKER_03 39:01

Yeah. So like looking at the sort of abject misery and hardships and even just the sort of day-to-day life of a culture that's not his own and exoticizing it.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Yep. And just painting it as the backdrop for his heroism.

SPEAKER_03 39:17

Yeah, and a thing that he can collect, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Yeah, he reduces this guy Lee Nales to a historical figure as opposed to a person who's been suffering.

SPEAKER_03 39:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

Yeah, that's such a good call. He just still sees this as the backdrop to his own story.

SPEAKER_03 39:31

He's definitely thinks he has main character energy.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 39:34

So Lee Nollis says he actually doesn't love talking about those days, probably because they were very traumatic, and also some other reasons that we might find out about later.

SPEAKER_00 39:44

Yeah, Knollis is not having it, and it's really nice cinematography here because the whole scene is a close-up of Lee Nales' face, and you just see his extreme discomfort with all of this being called a war hero, the internal turmoil right in his face.

SPEAKER_03 39:56

Yeah. It's like all our faces when we're listening to Julian Bashir. Kira goes to meet Minister Jaro, who I think is a piece of shit.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

Minister Jaro is a piece of shit. But can I interrupt this recap for a moment? Because hello, Frank Langela. Um Lily, I find him really sexy.

SPEAKER_03 40:23

I am gonna allow this interruption because it's very thirsty.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Please do go on. Well, and like, can you be proud of me? Because you're always giving me grief for having sort of obvious taste. But like, I was really taken by Franklangella, Oscar nominated actor from Frost Nixon. And turns out I am not alone in this. I uh did some research, and this guy, he's a legend of the stage and screen. And he also wrote a memoir that is essentially just a list of every famous person who he's hooked up with or who's hit on him. Great. So what's it called? It's called Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women as I Knew Them. I did not great title. Yeah. Um I didn't read the book, but I read a New York Times review. Okay, this quote's amazing. Langela's book celebrates sluttiness as a worthy, even noble way of life. There is so much happy sexuality in this book that reading it was like being flirted with for a whole party by the hottest person in the room.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

That sounds delightful. So he said, Have you ordered us copies?

SPEAKER_00 41:27

I know honestly, should we just do a book club? Um, like he hooks up with Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Davis, um Rita Hayworth, who was 20 years his senior. Rita Hayworth. Going after the Cougars, right? She still would have been good though. She still would have been great. Oh, for sure. Uh the review says Langela is relentlessly affable in the face of nonstop groping by famous people. He ambles into history and falls into notable beds like some kind of sexy forced gump. Isn't that amazing? Like Hollywood just couldn't get enough of the guy.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

God. Did he have famous roles?

SPEAKER_00 42:05

So he was mostly a Broadway actor. But apparently he just had this gravity where he was like, He's very tall. Yeah. And he's got these like deep black eyes and this aura about him. I mean, like Laurence Olivier flashed him one time, said, Oh, Professor, see anything you like.

SPEAKER_03 42:21

Yeah. And I'm sure that's where the story ended.

SPEAKER_00 42:25

What I can get, Langello just loved teasing people and leading people on, and he loved having all these boys hit on him too.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

No, he he had sex with them. You reckon?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

And he didn't put it in the book. That's probably a good call. Because he does, he does not leave out the men. He says Noel Coward hit on him in the presence of President and Mrs. Kennedy.

SPEAKER_03 42:41

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 42:43

Right?

SPEAKER_03 42:44

I need to read this book.

SPEAKER_00 42:45

We need to read this book. And then who is he partnered with for five years? Partner five years in the 90s, Whoopi Goldberg.

SPEAKER_03 42:54

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 42:55

Another Star Trek legend. Amazing.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

I mean, Whoopi, Whoopi and Ted Danson, she had some real Yeah. She had some real fellas, tall guys.

SPEAKER_00 43:04

So sorry, everyone. It turns out Sexy Bajoran's Thy Name is Minister Jaro. And we we can get back to the recap now. Back to the plot. Minister Jaro shows up and he's not a nice guy.

SPEAKER_03 43:15

Yeah. He kind of warns slash threatens Kira that she technically fucked up by going against orders. And she, well, essentially declared war on Cardassia, but they declined the offer, which is a big call to make. Feels like a threat.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

Oh, absolutely. Kira's just gone on this do or die rescue mission and she gets a pretty stern slap on the wrist.

SPEAKER_03 43:34

Yeah. And his body language is very threatening. Like he sort of holds her by the shoulders and he's very tall. Um we need to stop broadcasting.

SPEAKER_00 43:49

Fine. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 43:50

Um, I won't, but you should. Meanwhile, on the promenade, Garrick must have whipped up another fit for Leonidas. He is looking very clean, very fine, but also subdued, sort of in a grey outfit.

SPEAKER_00 44:05

He's looking cleaned up. You reckon Garrick put this together for him?

SPEAKER_03 44:08

I reckon Garrick's been working round the clock making these Bejor and Civvies that aren't onesies.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

He's probably designed the beautiful Kira and O'Brien.

SPEAKER_03 44:16

He's very textural in his design. If only Garrick were in this episode and there were like some really unimportant scene where they were talking about it. But instead we get Ikeberry taught.

SPEAKER_00 44:29

He comes back soon, you guys, don't worry. He comes back soon.

unknown 44:31

Thank God.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

Yeah, Gnarles is in sort of grey. I think it's him really trying to blend into the background. He's not a showy person and he does not want to be noticed.

SPEAKER_03 44:38

But he is being noticed. He is a celebrity. They're seeing him, they're sort of congregating around him. Lee Narles gives a short but sweet speech. It's very subdued. It's not pushing any kind of agenda.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

He's just happy to be free.

SPEAKER_03 44:55

And clearly wants to be left alone.

SPEAKER_00 44:57

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

He's interrupted by Palomar Jaro, who is sort of trying to get a piece of this popularity, which is very politician of him. Like you sort of align yourself with someone who's popular.

SPEAKER_00 45:09

He says a politician can't give up an opportunity like this. Yeah, he literally says that. It is just the most blatant example of what I was talking about at the beginning. Politicians spinning their narratives and then often exploiting other people's stories to support those narratives. It's like dragging along a warvet to sit in the audience for a State of the Union speech, or I don't know, bringing the gold medal-winning hockey team to cheer for you when you're making a speech, you know. For example.

SPEAKER_03 45:36

Yeah. Lee Nales rolls his eyes, which Cisco finds kind of funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:41

He wants the ground to swallow him up.

SPEAKER_03 45:43

Yeah. Look, I think for me, I feel like Cisco has some empathy or at least sympathy for what Lee Nales is going through as the emissary and as someone that has sort of been swarmed by the Bajorans as a leader and as a saviour.

SPEAKER_00 46:02

That's a really good call. Cisco understands personally how his existence is sort of symbolic of something.

SPEAKER_03 46:08

Yeah, and I think that maybe by the end of season one he's coming to terms with it.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

Starting to come to terms with it.

SPEAKER_03 46:14

Yeah, but it it takes a while.

SPEAKER_00 46:15

I still might call Cisco out a little bit for his eagerness to use gnollis as a symbol himself. I mean, Cisco knows how frustrating this can be, but he is ready to exploit gnollis in his own ways.

SPEAKER_03 46:27

Everyone is.

SPEAKER_00 46:28

That's it.

SPEAKER_03 46:29

Yeah. Cisco shows Lee Gnales to his quarters. Um and what the heck are these flowers?

SPEAKER_00 46:36

I was waiting for you to tell me, Lily.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

Okay, so they're pink. There's sort of like two parts to them. The bottom part looks like uh lady parts.

SPEAKER_01 46:47

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 46:48

I speak as I find. But then the top is like a thistle. Also pink, like a pink thistle. And then Lee Narles sniffs the thistle.

SPEAKER_00 46:55

Is there some symbolism happening here?

SPEAKER_03 46:57

There's something happening. But he sniffs it while talking about being grateful for privacy. Yes, tell me.

SPEAKER_00 47:03

I've got it. Okay, so like even a rose has thorns. Lee is being hailed as a hero. There's all this adoration, but Gnales knows that it comes with a price. That the solo has uh some some spikies. The juicy lady parts might have a the juicy lady parts flower looks beautiful, but it's got a sting to it.

SPEAKER_03 47:24

Yeah, or rose has thorns.

SPEAKER_00 47:26

That's what fame is, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

Yeah. Yeah, the flowers in these quarters.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

There needs to be a whole sound bite intro for the flower analysis we do.

SPEAKER_03 47:34

Dun dun dun flower analysis. Yeah, is that the next one? Sometimes there's no flowers, though. That's okay. Yeah, so I guess he's feeling kind of grateful when he says, This morning I was a slave. Tonight I'm a hero.

SPEAKER_00 47:47

Which is interesting because he's already realizing that heroism uh is its own form of uh cage.

SPEAKER_03 47:52

Yeah. Which he sort of experienced in the labor camp as well, because people sort of revered him and tried to save him.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

And he was ready to escape that, but it's not gonna be that easy for him.

SPEAKER_03 48:02

Yeah. And then he and Cisco get down to nuts and bolts. Essentially, that there's a power vacuum, and it's one that Cisco and many others hope that Lee Nales will fill. So, as you say, there's a little it's not strong arming, but I think it's Cisco can be extremely convincing. And I don't want to use the word manipulative, but well, Cisco is a politician.

SPEAKER_00 48:26

He's gotta be for his job, and he wants to use Lee Knollis as his mascot. Yeah. He wants Lee to be the face of the provisional government and the endorsement of the Federation's presence.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

Yeah, because he's like, what's the alternative? Jaro or Kai Win?

SPEAKER_00 48:41

Yeah. I gotta say, like, is Cisco any better than Minister Jaro here? Because he just wants to use Lee Knowles as a prop, as a puppet.

SPEAKER_03 48:49

I think it's better because Cisco is not looking for the power himself. He actually wants what's best for Bajor. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 48:56

Yeah. And what he thinks is best for Bajor is we're trying to unite all of Bajor. Kieran Cisco wants to unite everyone. Yeah. And Cisco wants to use the tried and true narrative of let's all rally around a hero, a leader, let's sort of get this cult of personality that everyone can gather around.

SPEAKER_03 49:12

It is fascinating because that's not really what the Federation is based on. But Bajor is a younger civilization. Or they're not, but they're they're recovering from the R.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

Yeah, they're they're rebuilding and there's all this factionalism. And Cisco, I mean, he's a pragmatist. He's he knows how to spin these narratives, and that's what he thinks is gonna work.

SPEAKER_03 49:32

And he might not be wrong. So we're back at Quark's. Quark is gouging Rom's weekly pay, which seems to be a ritual they have once a week.

SPEAKER_00 49:40

Poor Rom. What if Ferengi's do in their spare time, but just count gold? Yeah, they do. It's very like goblins down in Gringotts.

SPEAKER_03 49:48

Um, yeah. And it must be my inner Perengi, but the Latinum does look rather pleasing.

SPEAKER_00 49:54

You are such a Perengi at heart.

SPEAKER_03 49:56

I kind of am at my basis. Get in the lobes.

SPEAKER_00 50:01

I mean give me some gold. Fashion icon, hedonist. It's not the worst way to be. Yeah. I support you.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

Yeah. But what's this? The masked men from Eyes Wide Shut attack Quark and do do something to his head with a glowy red stick.

SPEAKER_00 50:15

They brand the poor guy.

SPEAKER_03 50:16

Yeah, it turns out it was a brand of the infamous taggers, the circle. Bajurance for Beijer. So in the infirmary. Uh Julian is quite firm with Quark about holding still. And it might be the most attractive I've found him in the series.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

Oh my. We're really we're airing everything.

SPEAKER_03 50:35

Am I wrong?

SPEAKER_00 50:36

You've learned so much about both of us this episode.

SPEAKER_03 50:39

I feel like it's nothing people don't know. Look, I I'm the first to say that Bashio is awful.

SPEAKER_00 50:47

But um Hey, I'm not here to yuck your yam either.

SPEAKER_03 50:50

You know me. Competence, a firm voice. Moving on. For some reason, there's a whole bunch of people there in the infirmary. It's Cisco Cura and Lee Narles, presumably so they can explain the civil unrest.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

Cisco explains that people have grown tired of the provisional government being ineffective, whereas the circle seems to get things done, which is sort of like a mafia or a civilian militia, something like that, where you know, gotta fix the potholes or whatever, and the bureaucracy of the provisional government's like, yeah, we'll get to it in three years or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 51:25

It's classic. Okay, so here's another narrative. The narrative the circle is presenting by branding poor quirk is this ethno-nationalist, down with outsiders, which is classic fascism.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:36

The idea of like we are stronger if we reject all the outsiders and stick together. Yeah. They're responding to government weakness and this ineffectual government, but the narrative they're using to get attention is this racist nationalist one.

SPEAKER_03 51:50

And they pick the Jewish presenting character and then literally brand him with something.

SPEAKER_00 51:56

That's such a good call, actually, choosing cork for it. I mean, the the word do you know where the word fascism comes from?

SPEAKER_03 52:02

Fascist sticks?

SPEAKER_00 52:04

Yeah, it's a bundle of sticks. It's Italian for bundle of sticks. And the idea is we're stronger together. You can't snap a bunch of sticks if they're held together. So the circle is like we need to cling together and be strong, and that'll make us a strong planet. And it's just it's another narrative like let's all rally around a leader like Linales. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 52:20

Um there's an outside problem that's causing this stuff. You know, that's sort of where the insular stuff comes from.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

Exactly. So like the outsider's fault.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

There's like terrible Latinum stealing evil characters. Like doing this stuff, and here we are.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 52:38

Back at Cisco's quarters. Jake is awake, not being able to sleep.

SPEAKER_00 52:42

Oh, poor Jake.

SPEAKER_03 52:43

Turns out Jake got ghosted by his little girlfriend. Yeah. And it turns out it's a race thing. Yeah. The girl's father didn't want her dating a non-bajoran.

SPEAKER_00 52:52

Which you can you can see this Bajoran girl's dad, probably like apolitical, but he's been watching too much Fox News, and the circle has gotten to him. The circle's spinning this nonsense narrative to get power, and this is the effects you get on the ground turning these Bajorans racist and telling their daughters not to date humans. It's a it's a nice way of humanizing how shitty this ethno-nationalist fascist bullshit is.

SPEAKER_03 53:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:16

Um how meaningless it actually is.

SPEAKER_03 53:18

Meaningless and the follow-through that can be devastating on a personal level, not just a macro level. The noir mood lighting in this scene is gorgeous. Yeah, maybe we need to just write an entire PhD about noir.

SPEAKER_00 53:34

Noir on DS9.

SPEAKER_03 53:35

And DS9. Is that what I should do with my life? Yes. And this.

SPEAKER_00 53:39

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 53:40

But yeah, it's it's just so incredibly beautiful. And what a way to light this scene, which is so poignant. Um, because it's Cisco explaining to his son that it's not his fault that this has happened. He's a victim of something really ugly, bigotry, and racism, and he doesn't deserve it. And he like gives him a kiss on the head and sends him off to bed. But yeah, I equated this scene with not that I have any right to, with being a black American and your child being called the N-word for the first time. Yeah. And having having to explain that ugliness and this like historical kind of huge microcosm that all comes down to this thing that is just hurtful and ugly.

SPEAKER_00 54:26

Like, where do I even start trying to get my son to understand this ugliness? Yeah. That's a great connection. And something I'm sure every Brooks was conscious of during the course.

SPEAKER_03 54:36

Of course, yeah, of course. So next thing for Cisco, who's continuing to have a rough day or a couple of days. There's a lizard guy on the comms telling him that a Bajoran has been discovered trying to stow away on his lizard ship.

SPEAKER_00 54:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:51

And what's this? It's the hero Lee Narles.

SPEAKER_00 54:54

Trying to run off to the gamma quadrant.

SPEAKER_03 54:57

Trying to run away and start a new life and Q disappointed daddy Sisko face.

SPEAKER_00 55:03

Cisco's not pleased.

SPEAKER_03 55:04

Not a face I want to see. They meet up and Lee Narles explains why he's trying to get the heck out of Dodge. Exactly. Basically, he explains the whole law behind what he did was sort of by chance. It was almost a slip and fall. He was waiting to maybe shoot someone and then like fell down a rocky cliff and killed a gull who happened to be renowned for massacring Bajoran villagers and being just an evil, evil Cardassian, and caught this guy bathing. So he didn't have any weapons on him, he had nothing.

SPEAKER_00 55:40

He was like In his underwear.

SPEAKER_03 55:42

In his underwear. And Lee Nanas killed him. And despite Lee's telling the truth about this story, the story of, you know, I was right place, right time, the story becomes an epic battle, like a mythical folk tale. Something to inspire the resistance. To motivate the troops. Yeah. It's kind of like he failed upwards. It just happened. And he said he has this great line, he says, But I had done nothing but shoot an unarmed Cardassian in his underwear. Which is technically he still killed this guy who was massacring hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands of Bajorans, but yeah, it's nothing like an epic story that you would imagine. And after hearing all this, Cisco doesn't care and tells him Beijor doesn't need a man, it needs a symbol. He can believe that that's what happened because sure, why not? Like it's war.

SPEAKER_00 56:37

But he just admits look, you you need to be the legend, you need to be the myth. The details aren't important. We need to put you up on a pedestal.

SPEAKER_03 56:44

But actually, like maybe having someone really humble and not interested in political gains or self-aggrandization is the perfect person to be in power.

SPEAKER_00 56:55

I think to Sisko's credit, he does see Lee Knollis as deeply patriotic, but also humble, very humble and self-sacrificing. And he does know that he'll be the right symbol.

SPEAKER_03 57:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:06

Yeah, I think it's a beautiful monologue. Yeah. It's a centerpiece of the whole episode. So this story was inspired by a Western. Going back to, yeah, DS9 is noir, but it's also Western. The writers love seeing the station as this frontier outpost, and they love borrowing from Western plots. This is pretty much directly lifted from an old Western called The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence with Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. So God, what a pairing. Right?

SPEAKER_03 57:34

Love Jimmy Stewart.

SPEAKER_00 57:35

Yeah. Oh wow. Oh, geez, I'm Jimmy Stewart. Well, gosh. So Jimmy Stewart's the Lee Knollis character, and he mistakenly gets credit for killing an outlaw. And the acclaim he gets from it takes him all the way to the U.S. Senate. But turns out it was actually John Wayne hiding in the shadows.

SPEAKER_03 57:54

Classic John Wayne.

SPEAKER_00 57:55

Yeah.

unknown 57:55

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:56

And poor Jimmy Stewart, he goes to the local newspaper and tries to correct the narrative, just the way Lee Knollis does to Cisco. And the local newspaper editor says, This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. Yeah. And man, so the movie, I guess, was all about the anarchy of the Wild West. But how apt is it for today? If you think about social media and AI junk polluting everyone's feeds, how we're all trying to consume the news through layers of BS. Social media is the new wild, wild west.

SPEAKER_03 58:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 58:32

Where it's impossible to know what's true and what isn't, and where myth just runs wild. Yeah. We're in the post-truth era. The other thing that really struck me from this scene, going back to what I was saying at the beginning, Lee Knowles, he's a wonderful guy, but he got all this acclaim just from killing a guy. And there's this frustrating correlation between masculinity, physical prowess, and leadership, which unfortunately we're still equating to this day. Maybe we've even rolled back the clock a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 59:02

I'd say we have.

SPEAKER_00 59:04

I don't know how many other people noticed this, but there was this debate with Trump and Harris in 2024 where Trump praises the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban for being a strong man. He's like, they call him a strong man, but that's what we love him for. He's he's a tough person. Like Trump doesn't even realize that the word strongman is to describe a dictator, a person who bullies his way through government. Trump just hears strength and to him he thinks that's leadership.

SPEAKER_03 59:33

And I think also with Trump, he he doesn't just like strength, he likes strength of narrative.

SPEAKER_00 59:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:39

So like Putin or Or like when he got all flustered around Zoran and Dami. Yes. Because that was a strong narrative. That was a strong person.

SPEAKER_00 59:51

Finally, a counter-narrative.

SPEAKER_03 59:53

And he couldn't, he was like giggly.

unknown 59:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:56

It was weird, right? Because game respects game. Yeah. Because say what you will, Trump understands narrative and he knows to make it in the simplest terms to say, I'm the winner, everyone else is losers. He respects other leaders who convey strength as being leadership.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:11

As long as they're in.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:12

Yes. And then on social media, we dumb down the narrative even further because we try to. There was this idea that with social media there would be this democratization of news because everyone would be able to report on the ground. But everyone just wants the most likes. And so they make the simplest narrative possible. And it's just been dumbed down to the lowest comma denominator. What message will penetrate the furthest? Yeah. He's a hero, he's a villain, he's strong, she's weak. And it just, I feel like this the shit show of Bajor right now is very, very topical.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:48

Yeah. I think so. I think so.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:52

Poor Lee Nales. He just wanted to run off, but he's being forced to be this.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:56

Probably go be a hermit somewhere. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:58

Doesn't want to be a pawn.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:00

You feel for the guy. So we're coming to the end of the episode. We're in Ops. And Leonalis has been voted Navark Lee. It's this new title that's been created specifically for him.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:12

Which is an actual word. It turns out Navark is a Greek term for a naval commander. Okay. That they plucked up out of somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:19

Navark Lee. Just a title that sort of means nothing. Yeah. But Minister Jaro has also decided to place Leonalis in Major Kira's role. She's been reassigned to Bajor because he is a sneaky, sneaky politician and he's got things that he's trying to do. And I guess that he is thinking about subduing Lee and keeping him away from the Bajoran people, but still having him be like a figurehead, but just far away without any power. And then we get a to be continued.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:52

Oh, I've had some wine.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:54

Well, that's the point of this.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:57

One of the points. What'd you reckon?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:02

Which is better? The homecoming, a new hope, or the fellowship of the ring?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:10

I mean, for me it's a new hope, but you know, there's so much and I'm like, everybody cares. Brother, sister, it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:21

Doesn't matter. No problem.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:22

No one will care. Yeah, I actually think it's a very strong episode.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:26

Do you?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:27

Especially for a first episode back for a season two, which is a tricky, tricky place to be. And as you say, we're not rollicking towards season three or four where it sort of hits its stride as what it wants to be as a series, which is Cisco with a goatee. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:46

But it is, they figured out their strengths, which is political intrigue, geopolitical arm wrestling. Yeah. So I think it is beautifully emblematic of what the show becomes.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:55

And I do wonder how much of an influence our very good friend David Livingston was on this, because his obsession with storytelling is sort of, I feel like, what drives his incredible brain and maybe what drives the production of this TV show. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:13

It's one of the things.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:14

I can't say I wasn't there.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:16

Yeah. No, it's great. I'm really looking forward to the rest of season two. Yeah. Um, I mean, we've waited a year for this. Fashion watch. Fashion Watch.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:26

We're back, baby. Fashion watch.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:29

The homecoming is back.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:31

All right. You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:35

Knits are in, everyone. The Bajoran crochets are here, and I'm here for it. Yeah. I think when Kira's being a swashbuckling prostitute, she's looking the best she's ever looked. Excuse me.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:47

That's all right. When I'm a madam, I will have one swashbuckling prostitute.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:51

Okay. The pirate kids.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:53

Only one.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:56

Um, I mean, what else we got?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:58

Well, I think a little shout out to Miles O'Brien, who never really gets to look handsome. And you know what? He's bringing it.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:05

You get in and mix it up with some teal and flirt with someone who's not your wife because you deserve that. That too.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:10

Acting as a bit of a pimp.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:11

He was having the time of his life, wasn't he?

SPEAKER_03 1:04:13

He was alive.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:13

It's the best thing that maybe ever happens to O'Brien.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:16

Yeah. Um, but then we obviously, obviously, we gotta call out our purple haired baddie.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:22

Oh, snap. So much has happened.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:24

I totally forgot about our silver onesie. And as someone who's worn one, I'm surprised that's not your top top of the pups.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:33

Don't like other people um barking at my top.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:35

Stealing your look.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:36

Yeah, stealing my look.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:38

You are the dominatrix in the silver onesie.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:40

I mean, who wore it best? I think the answer is Cole. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:43

Go to the Instagram, please, and have a look.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:46

Feel flustered.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:48

But we respect you, purple-haired Frederic. We respect you.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:52

Can't wait to see her again.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:53

Cannot wait. It's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:55

She's great.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:56

All right, prop watch.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:57

Okay, what did we even have? Uh Leonales' earring.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:01

Uh the earring was good.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:04

Like it was especially jingly jangly.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:07

Have you noticed? Because now that I'm attracted to Bajorans, some of them at least, I've started to notice the size. The men have like really big dangly ones.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:18

Like, that's not a coincidence. No. Yeah. That's a bow thing. They know what they're doing. Okay, so big low-hanging Bajoran earrings.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:26

Oh, low-hanging makes me uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:29

Well, take it to Robert Blackman, the costumer. Take it to the Bajorn faith. But okay, who do we award fashion watch to?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:38

Well, I think we're divided.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:39

Uh house divided, just like Beijer. Um, fine. We'll we'll give two crowns to here is crocheted, prostitute, garb, and the dominatrix.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:50

And I think that's the thing about Best Friends Club, you know, we don't have to agree on everything.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:54

I love you even when we disagree.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:56

And Lily, it's truly great to be back at it.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:59

It's been Um a homecoming.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:03

We're back on the horse, and for now, we're gonna ride it into the sunset.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:07

We're back on the horse. So we should do horse riding lessons.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:10

I mean, I know how to ride a horse.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:11

Okay, so I should do horse riding lessons.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:13

No, we do it together.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:14

Okay, I'm in. I'm in. Well, everyone, we'll see you very soon for a circle, part two of the trilogy.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:20

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:20

And also, just thank you, everyone, who reached out to us in the past year.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:24

Yeah, I think um it was a crazy ass year, but it was so, so lovely to get messages from people. There was this wonderful fan, Julia, who was writing her thesis at the time, who had like this wonderful take on some nonsense thesis that we had, and she'd turned it into something beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:46

Yeah, she put it so much better than we could have.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:48

Yeah, and that's just one name. I mean, there's there's so many fans who have reached out and just been so kind and so thoughtful and really like kindred spirits, which is, I guess, what you hope for in this life.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:00

Yeah. So thank you for your patience and thank you for reaching out. It's been great to hear from all of you. Um, everyone else, please hit us up. We're on Instagram at Deep SpaceWine underscore podcast. We're also on Facebook at Deep Space Wine. And also please give us a review. I think that's the best way to get our name out there. So if you've enjoyed us so far, give us a review on whatever platform you listen to podcasts.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:20

And this is our first uh VD V videograft. So are we on YouTube now?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:26

We're on YouTube too.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:27

Yes. Cole, are you now willing to accept some notes on your hotness?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:32

Um, I will only accept positive comments on my appearance.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:36

No constructive criticism.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:38

Billy will accept everything because she's made of brass tacks.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:42

It's fine. You like it or you don't. I don't know what to tell you. I like it.

unknown 1:07:48

I like you.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:52

All right, everyone. It's been a real pleasure. So thank you so much. And uh see you all very soon for the circle.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:58

See you soon. Bye. Bye.