The Rules of Acquisition: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

We learn a little something about Ben Sisko's origin. OH, and it's time to spend more time with that "Ezri Dax" that showed up at the end of last episode.

Season Seven commences! Sisko is off the station again and everyone is trying to deal with the catastrophes of season Six.  What will the final season of Deep Space Nine entail? Help us make the final season of The RoA one to remember!

Our White Albums for Season 6! It's that time again, where we each cut a full 26 90's season of television into a concise modern 8 to 12 episode series. Turns out we line up pretty well.  What did we keep and what got cut?  What happened to Dax in this season?  Did we keep any Ferengi episodes?  No Half Measures on serialization.  [Ok, and a few minor knocks on Discovery]. Hypothetical: If you could get rid of the worst episodes of this season if you also had to get rid of “Far Beyond the Stars,” would you make that deal? How far can unearned confidence take a show?  How much do we remember going into season 7?  Give us your own White Albums or tell us what we got wrong about ours 917 408 3898 and support the show by checking out our patreon! patreon.com/kickersofelves

Season Six is over!  Does it die with a bang, or a whimper?  The Dominion War reaches a crucial moment.  This is not how we want to say goodbye to our space friends.  

Sisko and the crew become best friends with a voice on the radio. A return to A plot/B plot structures. And some adventures in the beta quadrant. We pretty much liked this episode.  The 500th episode of Star Trek across all its series.

Molly falls down a space-well and comes out ten years older - and pretty damaged. Must O’Brien suffer, or must we?

Ferengi women get to wear clothes and Quark gets a sex change. This episode, for all its faults… they only get worse with age.

Jake and Nog, behind enemy lines with a buncha teens! Cadet Kelly Clarkson? What starts off looking like a NohJay Ferengi Nagus episode takes a wrong turn and detour into a muddled mess. Remember Star Trek The Motion Picture? Oh no, we usually keep that talk of certain horrible things to the Hashish and Superiority pod. Is it the writing or the acting that's the worst culprit in this episode? How many ways could this have been made better?  How bout we Rashomon this mofo? Just why is this guy a bad captain?    Comparing season 6 to season 2. Let us know what you think about this episode or anything else we talk about!  917 408 3898 And check out additional content and support the show at patreon.com/kickersofelves

See, we still do voicemails! It's been tumultuous in the back half of season 6.  We hear voicemails from Greg, Warren, Adam, and read some emails.   Can we get our minds right? Let us know what you think: 917 408 3898   And find additional content at the Kickers of Elves patreon. patreon.com/kickersofelves

Reckoning with a Bajor episode that goes full Ghostbusters. We get on a Kim Kattrell tangent. Hugh Crawford does the math.  But wait, it’ll pay off later in the podcast. Instead of our regular polar opinionsA decidely mixed bag of an episode. Odo reduced to “the good boyfriend.”Is the Nurse Ratched cadence infectious to other actors?Hey, remember those Pah Wraiths? Without Mad Men would we have a John Slattery Admiral?  Seems like we’d rather talk things other than this episode. Why doesn’t Sisko get more political power or utility out of being the emissary?  Is Sisko unrealistically weak amongst the Bajorans? It's a decidedly mixed bag of an episode. Or is it not? Let us know what you think! 917 408 3898 And check out the Kickers of Elves Patreon for bonus content! patreon.com/kickersofelves

There's a new self aware Hologram in the world of Star Trek. Deep Space Nine gets its resident nostalgia laced crooner and self help guru.  Vic Fontaine, ladies and gentlemen. First off. What we liked about this. Then… all the rest. A self aware hologram?  What makes him so special and different from Moriarty?  Who is the brain genius auteur responsible for this?  Remember swing?  Is this a boomer episode? Who shot down the production until they final were able to cast this episode?  How do the actors feel about the relationship finally kicking off? What does she see in him?  How much of her side of it is missing? What are other ways to hook them up? Space drugs? We wrangle with season 6.  Can we figure out what’s going on?  How toxic is it to overly romanticize things, such as the past?   A common Star Trek problem?  Does this predict incel culture?   Shakaar:  Total Chad.    We take a small break to do a mini Gilmore Girls podcast before wrapping it up. Are we too tough on Vic? On Odo and Kira? Ira Stephen Behr?   Give us call and sort us out: 917 408 3898 and if you want to support the show, check out our patreon at patreon.com/kickersofelves

What is there to say? Is it the best Star Trek ever? Again? Sisko looks straight into the camera and details some dark deeds.

Internal affairs (or perhaps another organization) arrives and Star Trek will never be the same. Spoilers! The last 8 minutes of this DS9 ep reveal… SECTION 31 We spend some time up front elaborating on our issues with the Federation’s clandestine org. We had the Maquis, but now another threat to the Federation principles. “Judge Dredd is a part of Star Trek now”   Alexander Siddig’s ceiling.  Doctors’ conferences, as fancy in the 24th century as 1997, but not the 21st. Chekov’s shoulder (no not that Chekov). William Sadler is pretty great. A retrospective on past Bashir moments; it could have been a clip episode. The show even fixes a past Nerd Corner. Is there really a spy on Deep Space Nine? Did Section 31 actually suspect Julian of being a Manchurian candidate?  Would it be better if it were a   pure recruitment effort?   James’ neediness as a viewer: Who gets it worse Wade or James’s wife? No contest. Only one has to watch The 100 with him. What is going on behind the scenes in season 6? How hard is the lack of Robert Hewitt Wolf being felt? Let us know what you think at 917 408 3898 and support the show on patreon at patreon.com/kickersofelves

Kira's mom did WHAT? A big secret revealed and Kira goes into the past to verify it for herself. Things that make you go hmm. What’s the deal with this episode?    Kira and Dukat got some things to work out. We may or may not appreciate the drive to tell this story. We have some disagreements about the implementation. Time travel shenanigans. What kind of time travel rules are we using here, and is it a problem if they’re not clear? So many nerd corner questions with the temporal mechanics. What kind of way to kick off a story is this? How would we change it? What might have been a better way to structure the story? How numb fisted was the sexual violence and treatment of power structures? Several Potential trigger warnings: Sexual violence. Bad and less bad political metaphors.     Is it wrong to have tried to do Handmaids tail for a basic cable 1997 audience? Did Nana Visitor’s input on the ending save this episode or only slightly mitigate the damage? What is the deal with this season? Ups and downs and differences in opinions.     Let us know what you think! 917 408 3898 and check out the kickers of elves patreon at patreon.com/kickersofelves for more content!

Worf and Jadzia hit a rough spot in their marriage.  But first, is this B plot even a plot? What is a satisfying resolution? Opinions are surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) divided. Terry Ferrell’s own behind the scenes life comes into play as we near the end of the season. But Worf and Jadzia’s chemistry? It’s pretty great.  Anti coagulant disruptors: Where do they come up with these kind of ideas? Is there a scifi book it could be from?   Are there not strict starfleet regulations regarding married couples? Apparently not across the board. This confounds some of us.  Starfleet could learn something from Dunder Mifflin.   The Sisko scene at the end brings up some of our issues with the Federation.  Family: Why didn’t this end with Coronas?     What is the deal with season 6? Is it a confident mess? A good season?  Why does Wade seem to like it so much more than James? Let us know what you think!  917 408 3898 and if you want to support us and get some cool audio listening out of it, check us out on patreon! patreon.com/kickersofelves