In the Cards (DS9 S5 E25)

In the Cards (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), S5 E25) was recommended by Shay, She/Her, saying:

"I love this episode for what it represents. It is the breath of fresh air right before the shit hits the fan regarding the Dominion War. The plot is light-hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. Even Weyoun gets a cute moment at the end. And after this episode, everything basically changes forever. You don't really go back to these low stakes romps around the station with Nog and Jake once Season 5 ends"

Was also recommended by Lauren Rivers who said:

When it aired, I didn't think much of this episode. It wasn't bad, by any means, but it has come to mean a lot more to me over the years as it is one of the episodes to feature the friendship between Jake and Nog front and center. In an effort to surprise his father, he and his best friend go through a series of events to acquire a Willie Mays rookie card. Unable to tell anyone why, they must do favors for the senior staff to get what they need. Along the way, they are even captured by the Dominion.

What makes this episode so wonderful is not only does it focus on the great chemistry between Cirroc Lofton and Aron Eisenberg, but it also reminds us of how much little things people do can have a butterfly effect. Do they save the universe? No. But everyone in the episode comes out of it a little bit happier, and sometimes that makes all the difference for what comes next. On a personal note, Aron Eisenberg was one of the few celebrities who I felt I knew on a somewhat personal level, and he is one of the few celebrity deaths to hit me as hard as a member of my own family. Any chance to highlight the remarkable talent and spirit that Aron had is a huge positive for me.

In the Cards first aired on June 9, 1997, written by story by Truly Barr Clark & Scott J. Neal, teleplay by Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Dorn

Jake wants to give his father a present to cheer him up, a 1951 Willie Mays baseball card. He enlists Nog to help him obtain it, but they run into complications with a mysterious geneticist, Dr. Giger. Kai Winn, worried over the prospect of a Federation/Dominion war and its effects on Bajor, meets with Dominion representative Weyoun.

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