The idea of this being a WW1 to an upcoming WW2, though, I find to be overwhelmingly depressing. So I try not to think about that possibility even though the end of the series leaves it hanging as an option.

Seems kind of odd, though, because surely the Romulans had a vested interest in keeping tabs on Garak. (Maybe his cover never gets blown while he's an op on Romulus, but surely they know he's semi-commissioned by Starfleet at this point?)

I've always liked this myself.

Good callback. Maybe I am joining team 'the biomemetic gel was the bomb' after all.

The one thing we know about Garak's service in the OO is that he was a ground-level operative on Romulus for a while. He undoubtedly does know how to get a bomb through their security sweeps.

I think this is a very honest assessment of a problem with that episode.

It's okay, but I remember there being a lot of authorial struggle about what kind of resistance a planet of tele-empaths could even put up.

Agree, though I think the Betazoids are sufficiently gimped that they're not too scary. They're not portrayed as the universe's champs at mind control.

It's a good theory, but what we see of it in other DS9 episodes make me think bio-memetic gel is more of a precursor material for bioweapons.

Except it's explicitly mentioned in the text that they pre-date the founding of the UFP itself, because Starfleet is initially the human space military-exploration arm and only later becomes the UFP military-exploration arm. (Which makes me wonder what Vulcan and Andor thought about it, since both are portrayed as…

Actually, bio-memetic gel has been used as a doohicky in other episodes. Isn't that the stuff that the Marquis use to poison that planet? And it's the stuff that one guy is trying to steal in Distant Voices.

I could be wrong but I'm under the impression that Starfleet Command /doesn't/ know what happened unless Sisko confesses or they put two and two together. Sisko never knew about the bomb.

I have to be honest and say I've never thought of the Romulans as that cold before… I see them as a people who can be treacherous to outsiders but loyal to their own people.

As mentioned last week, the read that S31 is Starfleet's black ops is common and incorrect. They're a humanish cult that pre-dates the Federation and is dedicated to seeing through their version of psychohistory.

I like that you've pointed out the nuance. I'm finding it difficult to have anything to say about this one because most of us (correctly, imho) agree it's one of the all time greats and so it's been discussed to death.

Thank you, sir.

Hot fish juice sounds disgusting, but when you realize that's basically what miso is, it opens up a whole new appreciation of the Cardassian culture.

One of my favorite meme videos on the internet.

SPOILERS?

I love both of these episodes unabashedly.