Star Trek The Next Conversation - a comedy Star Trek podcast currently about TV's Deep Space Nine DS9 (or TNG) · Matt Mira and Andrew Secunda

DS9 s4e17 "Accession"

·2 hr 4 min·5 clips

Matt and Andy kick things off in full Star Trek The Next Conversation mode, with the usual intro jokes and a plug for their Patreon. They remind listeners that their Starfleet Academy coverage is up and ready to be digested, slowly and painfully, if that is your kind of thing. Then they pivot to Deep Space Nine and settle into the episode at hand. The discussion frames it as something that is smart and very well delivered. They also call it even-tempered. That turns into a broader conversation about what makes a Star Trek episode good versus what makes it actually fun to watch and talk about. They keep returning to the idea that the episode is solid without being especially exciting. The hosts talk about how the A story is shaped by what is happening around it. They note that a weak B story can sometimes be funny in a strange way. Here, though, the supporting material is more just fine than amusingly bad. That means the whole thing lands as respectable rather than electric. The conversation drifts, as it tends to, into side business. They joke about whether anyone can tell which host is speaking. They get into squirrel watch and the ongoing war with the crows. Popcorn enters the picture. Someone suggests hot sauce as a squirrel deterrent, and the hosts debate whether that is humane or just a very specific way to get animals to learn a lesson. Listener mail then pulls them back toward the episode. A question from Portland Norm raises the issue of rating and whether DS9's 25-episode seasons let the show spend time on deeply specific 24th-century life. The hosts treat that as part of the point. They also reference labor negotiations and Worf's apartment search as examples of the kind of detail the series could afford to explore. Another listener note about O'Brien and Worf keeps them deep in the texture of the episode and the larger Trek universe. They keep weighing the episode's craft against its entertainment value. The final rating conversation settles in the 7.5 to 8 range. They land on 7.5 and 8, then narrow it again to 7.75, with the usual joking confidence that this will definitely be remembered later. The ending is pure show business as banter, with the hosts treating the act of assigning a score like one more bit in the ongoing friendship.

As heard by us

Smart DS9 talk with jokes, detours, and a measured read on a very well-made episode.

The piece treats Star Trek The Next Conversation as a loose, easygoing DS9 discussion that still lands a clear verdict. It keeps circling back to what the hosts admire most: the episode's intelligence, the performances, and the way it pays attention to 24th-century details, from…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a funny, smart DS9 recap that keeps arguing with its own rating.

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