“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)
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The Orb 63: Your Crazy Uncle Gowron
The Orb 62: Action Barbie
The Orb 61: Somehow the Goatee Finds You
The Orb 60: A Repetitive Cycle of Resistance
The Orb 59: Don't You Recognize the Face of Your Enemy?
The Orb 58: The Woman Behind the Curtain
The Orb 57: Keiko Fell Into a Lens Flare
The Orb 56: The John McClane of Deep Space Nine
The Orb 55: Like Dead Leaves Before an Angry Wind
The Orb 54: Jake and the Amazing Technicolor Jumpsuit
The Orb 53: Destroy the World to Win the Game
The Orb 52: But It's Captain Kirk!
The Orb 51: To Come As an Angel of Light
The Orb 50: New Song or New Verse?
The Orb 49: Cirroc Lofton Is Not In This Episode
The Orb 48: From Flagstaff to Carson City in Five Minutes
The Orb 47: Your Greatest Trial Is About to Begin
The Orb 46: The Confused Counselor
The Orb 45: Big City, Small Town Feel
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