“Battle Lines” 30th-anniversary reflections
A joy ride to the Gamma Quadrant turns deadly for Kai Opaka. At least until she springs back to life. Along with Sisko, Kira, and Bashir, the spiritual leader of Bajor finds herself marooned on some sort of prison colony where it is impossible to die and warring factions fight in an endless cycle of conflict. Die once on this moon and, well, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. But for Kai Opaka, that’s okay, because she has found a new calling, a new charge from the Prophets.
In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Battle Lines,” how Opaka’s new calling changes not only her life but also Kira’s, why it was necessary to remove Opaka from her role on Bajor, what the story says about conflict, punishment, and redemption, and more.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Opaka’s Influence (00:03:07)
A Necessary Transition (00:13:14)
The Futility of Conflict (00:16:31)
Fear Leads to Suffering (00:20:37)
Reasonable Punishment (00:24:41)
Ambiguous Redemption (00:28:41)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:39)
Closing (00:37:38)
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)
159: Imagination Station
158: Even the Birds Stayed Away
157: Dal’Rok Has Left the Building
155: Double Your Danger
154: All About the Greed
153: Down the Wrong Warp Pipe
152: Dead Giveaways
151: Who Is What and What Is Where?!
150: Like Oil and Water
149: The Most Dangerous Game
148: Miles and Miles of Sass
147: Questioning the Foundation
146: It’s Not Easy to Let Go
145: Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
144: How Gullible Is the Federation?
143: Finding It As They Go
142: In Awe of the Pylons
141: What She Left Behind
140: Gul Facade
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