The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

About The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

The Orb is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated entirely to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, hosted since 2013 by C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing. In January 2023, we begin a 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of DS9, one episode at a time, as we shift from our format of exploring the minutiae of the show to celebrating 30 years of the greatest chapter in the Star Trek franchise with an episode-by-episode examination.

Publisher

TFM

Category

society & culture · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Jan 2013

Latest episode

27 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

16 of 211 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   27 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Lady in Red

   Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing interview each other about how "Second Sight" humanizes Benjamin Sisko and saves a forgettable story.

2. 

   16 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Columbodo

   Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing analyze the Deep Space Nine episode "Necessary Evil," exploring Odo's investigation into a past murder connected to Kira and the station's history.

3. 

   16 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   171: Columbodo

   "Necessary Evil" 30th-anniversary reflections When someone attempts to kill Quark, Odo starts down a path that leads him to reopen a five-year-old murder investigation. Dating back to the days of Terok Nor, that mystery centered on a familiar face: Kira Nerys. After seeing her as a prime suspect in the killing of a shop owner named Vaatrik, Odo ultimately dismissed her involvement—in part to protect her from Gul Dukat—but never quite let go of the unsolved case. The presence of Vaatrik's widow aboard DS9 alongside the attack on Quark, together with the discovery of a list of eight Bajoran names, sets Odo into full Columbo mode. And what he ultimately uncovers may change how he sees Kira forever. 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 "Necessary Evil,"how the story brings the history of the station to life, what it says about the Kira–Odo relationship, and more. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Firsthand Occupation (00:02:38) Full Columbo Mode (00:08:00) Cardassian Arrogance (00:12:40) Things Past (00:15:80) What Makes Odo Tick (00:18:57) One Must Always Choose a Side (00:21:28) The Cut Scene (00:26:21) The Early Odo-Kira Relationship (00:31:18) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:43:54) Closing (00:46:08) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

Inside a recent episode

The Lady in Red

Published 27 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] She felt like just the right actress to cast for the character of Fena. Because she has this glow to her and this charm, but also this softness. And she's also able to play this very, very different character in the del. This woman who is clearly unhappy in this marriage that she stuck in because her species mates for life. And comes across as kind of dead inside. And it makes it very effective to project this other character in Fena, who's kind of living the life that she can't, that she wishes that she could, even though it seems like both Fena and the del are not that aware of what's going on with the other person. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

163 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

27 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

41

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Contact The Orb: A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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