Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Episode o' the Day
"Broken Link" (season four, episode twenty-six; 17 June 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre!

The Aquabats!, "Finally!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: "Finally!" is the hidden seventeenth track at the end of Finally! The end of the road for The Aquabats!? Only time will tell.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre

Lenka, "The Show" from Lenka (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"I'm just a little big caught in the middle,
Life is a maze, and love is a riddle,
I don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried, and I don't know why…

It's a joke, nobody knows:
They got a ticket to the show…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre

Leonard Nimoy, "Highly Illogical" from Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Contrary to the late Mr. Nimory's twentieth-century technological utopianism, I tend to favor the intuition that "computers & advanced psychology" have made human behavior patterns more illogical. In other words, "because of," not "in spite of."

"Now is the time to journey home to tell of what I've learned,
My people, I believe, have every right to be concerned,
For in spite of computers and advanced psychology
Behavior patterns are still a mystery,
I predict the future of this earthly human race
Is that having made a mess of Earth, they'll move to outer space!

"Well, there goes the neighborhood!…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Episode o' the Day
"Body Parts" (season four, episode twenty-five; 10 June 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Spamming the Choir"

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, & Lazarus (Martha: died circa 80, of Bethany, the "Wonder Worker of Southern Gaul;" Lazarus: died circa 96; A.K.A. the Resurrected, of the Four Days), inaugural Bishop of Marseille, martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, a victim of his persecution (89-96).

Commentary: Wayback Machine '22 & Wayback Machine '19.

'Tis the Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № MXXXIX

Operation AXIOM: Destination Moon—The 60th Anniversary of Ranger 7
28-31 July 1964: Ranger 7 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Agena rocket, tasked to photograph & then impact the Lunar surface; the midcourse correction burn went flawlessly; all six television cameras functioned perfectly & returned video imagery of the Moon for sixteen minutes until Ranger 7 crashed between the Mare Nubium & the Oceanus Procellarum.

Commentary: After six consecutive Ranger failures, due to problems with both launch vehicles & spacecraft, Ranger 7 was an unqualified success & produced close-up views with unprecedented resolution of the lunar surface.

Ex Luna, scientia.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the XVII Sunday in O.T.

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The O.C. Supertones, "All Glory" from For the Glory (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"All around the world every time its told,
The story always sounds like this:
The powerful will use that power to kill,
The poor are used up by the rich,
The righteous in chains and the innocent slain,
All for the wicked man’s gain,
And the fool believes that God cannot see,
He has no fear of His name.

"All the world will lift its eyes,
The time will come, our God will rise!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A day will come and God will fight,
And all the wrongs will be made right!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!…

The rebel’s gun and the tyrant’s tank
Are gonna be fuel for the flame,
And sweet relief for those who grieve
When the day of the Lord is proclaimed,
And without a shot shot or a single bomb dropped
The killing machine will forever stop,
There’ll be no more war when the Prince of Peace
Tells all of the world His name!

"All the world will lift its eyes,
The time will come, our God will rise!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A day will come and God will fight,
And all the wrongs will be made right!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!

"Unto our God, we lay it down,
Before the throne, before the crown,
To You, O God, we give ourselves,
Be lifted high, above all else…

"All the world will lift its eyes,
The time will come, our God will rise!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A day will come and God will fight,
And all the wrongs will be made right!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hallelujah!
All glory, all power, hallelujah! Hey! Hey! Hey!…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre

The Pogues, "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" from the The Very Best of the Pogues compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"Bury me at sea,
Where no murdered ghost can haunt me,
If I rock upon the waves,
No corpse shall lie upon me…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Episode o' the Day
"The Quickening" (season four, episode twenty-four; 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis the Saturday in the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre

MxPx, "Kings of Hollywood" from Before Everything and After (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"We felt like kings,
We were living a dream…"

The Loot: 45 Jahre

Motion Pictures | Idiot Box
The Ventures Bros.: Season 7
Gravity Falls: The Complete Series

Toys
Bajoran light ship
1/200th scale Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle
1/200th scale Mercury-Atlas launch vehicle
1/200th scale Gemini-Titan launch vehicle
1/200th scale Apollo-Saturn IB launch vehicle
1/200th scale Apollo-Saturn V launch vehicle
1/200th scale Saturn IB "milkstool" platform

Miscellany
Apple SuperDrive
Michigan Wolverines 2023 National Champions Christmas tree ornament
compass (case inscribed with a wheel of dharma overlaid by an anchor)
Earthrise print
Project Mercury print

Haberdashery
brown dress shoes

Commentary: The built & painted models are my dad's love language. I have no idea where I'm going to put them, but that's a good problem to have.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"To the Death" (season four, episode twenty-three; 13 May 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: One day, "For the Cause;" seven days later, "To the Death;" those were grand days, & we knew it. We knew we were living through the Golden Age of Star Trek.

"To the Death" gives us a close look at Jem'Hadar culture, a great companion piece to "The Abandoned" & "Hippocratic Oath," & the later episodes, "The Ship" & "Rocks and Shoals." This is when we find out the Jem'Hadar are not just genetically engineered, but bred in artificial birthing chambers; there are no female Jem'Hadar; no Jem'Hadar has ever lived thirty years, & those who survive to age twenty are "honored elders." "To the Death" is also a great counterpoint to "Hippocratic Oath," which was about a group of Jem'Hadar trying to break their addiction to ketracel white, & thus break free of the Vorta's control; the Jem'Hadar in "To the Death" are loyal to the Founders even though they know their Vorta has kept vital information from them, & are tasked with hunting down a renegade group of Jem'Hadar, who are experimenting with a technology that could set all Jem'Hadar everywhere free. (That technology is the Iconian gateway, a callback to "Contagion," season two of The Next Generation.)

The scenes between Clarence Williams III (playing First Omet'iklan) & Avery Brooks (playing Captain Benjamin Sisko) are particularly great, each of them smoldering. Williams is a volcano of barely contained fury! "To the Death" also introduces Weyoun (played by Jeffrey Combs), who was so great as a Vorta that even though Omet'iklan vaporizes Weyoun at the end of the episode, the producers brought Combs back as Weyoun in season five (& throughout seasons six & seven), revealing that the Vorta are clones.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Memorial of Saints Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (circa 50 B.C.-A.D. 15).

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

'Tis the Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: 45 Jahre

Reel Big Fish, "Don't Let Me Down Gently" from Candy Coated Fury (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"For the Cause" (season four, episode twenty-two; 6 May 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Love! Loyalty! Betrayal! Deep Space Nine handled the Maquis way better than Voyager ever did, even though the Maquis were created for the latter series.

Constable Odo & Lieutenant Commander Eddington, the Starfleet head of station security, reluctantly approach Captain Sisko with Starfleet's suspicions that Sisko's girlfriend, freighter captain Kasidy Yates, is smuggling for the Maquis. Sisko dismisses the suspicions, but authorizes the Defiant to trail Yates's ship, the Xhosa, under cloak & observe its activities. The Defiant, with Lieutenant Worf in command, observes the Xhosa rendezvous with a Maquis raider & beam over biological matter, likely food &/or medical supplies.

Sisko tries to hide his anger & distress from Kasidy, but she knows something is wrong, even though he won't say what. When Yates is ordered to make another cargo run for the Maquis, Sisko tries to save her, asking her to run off with him to Risa for an impulsive vacation. She wants to accept but doesn't, bound by her duty to the Maquis, just as he is bound by his duty to Starfleet.

The Defiant again trails the Xhosa, this time with Sisko in command, to catch them red-handed, but it's a double cross. The Maquis set up Kasidy to keep Sisko distracted & in emotional turmoil, while back on the station Eddington stuns Major Kira with a phaser & manipulates the Starfleet security personnel into helping him steal some very valuable cargo on behalf of the Maquis. The Defiant races back to Starbase Deep Space 9, but it is too late: Eddington & the cargo are long gone. Eddington contacts Sisko by subspace & asks Sisko to leave the Maquis alone, but Sisko vows to hunt Eddington down for Eddington's betrayal of Starfleet & Sisko himself. ("For the Cause" is the first installment of a trilogy, continuing with "For the Uniform" & concluding with "Blaze of Glory.")

Yates returns to Deep Space 9 alone, having dropped off her crew. She knows she will be arrested, but couldn't bear for her last interaction with Sisko to be his boarding of the Xhosa's bridge & the discovery of Edington's treachery. Benjamin & Kasidy share a tender embrace before she is lead away by security officers.

Saints + Scripture: Feast of Saint James

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Feast of Saint James, Apostle (died 44, the Greater, the Son of Zebedee, one of the two "Sons of Thunder;" originally Ya'qob, in Latin Iacobus, in English Jacob), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius, at the command of the client tetrarch Herod Agrippa.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Brother of St. John the Apostle (27 December).

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' This Auspicious Day

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "The Old School Off the Bright" from A Jackknife to a Swan (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"We need every able asshole, every asshole you can spare…

"There will be no tomorrow, it's going down tonight,
So get the crew together, it's the old school off the Bright…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: 44 Jahre

They Might Be Giants, "It's Not My Birthday" from the Then: The Earlier Years compilation (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"It's not my birthday,
It's not today,
It's not my birthday,
So why do you lunge out at me?…"

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"The Muse" (season four, episode twenty-one; 29 April 1996): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: The main plot deals with Jake Sisko falling under the spell of an energy being, in the guise of a corporeal woman, who offers to help Jake hone his writing ability. The energy being, Onaya, had functioned as a muse for a variety of architects & authors, all of whom died prematurely but who "live forever" through their work. Onaya stimulates Jake's creative process & gives him confidence in his ability, but also dangerously overstimulates his brain; Onaya is an energy "vampire." Jake is eventually rescued, but Onaya escapes into deep space. This is one of the lesser episodes of the series, but it is a nice touch that the novel Jake worked on under Onaya's influence was Anslem, his debut novel referenced in "The Vistor."

The B-plot involves the third & final appearance of Lwaxana Troi & her romantic interest in Constable Odo. Odo gives a speech detailing how Lwaxana helped him form his first real connection with another being, after a lifetime resigned to isolation, afraid to let solids see how profounding different Odo is as a Changeling. Odo's affection for & gratitude toward Lwaxana are real, but she correctly perceives that what Odo wants from her is companionship, while what she was from him is romance. Mrs. Troi's three appearances on Deep Space Nine—"The Forsaken," "Fascination," & "The Muse"—are more satisfying & less annoying that her six appearances on The Next Generation.

From the confusing episode titles department: There was a T.N.G. episode titled, "The Emissary," while the D.S.9 pilot was titled, "Emissary." In addition to today's D.S.9 episode, "The Muse," there is a Voyager episode tiled, "Muse." I guess that sort of thing is bound to happen when over seven hundred episodes of the various Star Trek series were produced between 1966-2005.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest, O.L.M. (1828-1898, also spelt Charbel Makhlouf; A.K.A. Joseph Zaroun Makhlūf).

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '19.

'Tis the Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June)

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Whatever Forever!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:

"You know I'm down for you and you for me,
I want to thank you, friend, for every single memory,
The highs and lows with you, the joy in this journey,
And if you need me, if you еver need me, I'll be hеre,
Right over here…"

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Books Not in the Bible: 2nd Clement"

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Bridget, Religious,O.Ss.S. (circa 1303-1373, of Sweden, of Vadstena; A.K.A. Birgitta Birgersdotter), foundress of the Bridgettines (O.Ss.S.), formally the Order of the Most Holy Savior.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '19. Kinswoman of St. Ingrid of Skänninge (2 September) & mother of St. Catherine of Sweden (24 March).

'Tis the Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Don't Make Me Run!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:

"I need some cake now to eat my feelings,
'Cuz I'm a million, a million miles away,
From Planet Fitness with motion sickness,
I wanna love you, but you just keep running away.

"Don't make me run, don't make me run!
Don't make me run, don't make me run!
These wheels are broken, I'm over it, I'm done,
So don't make me run, don't make me run!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Go Humans, Go!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: The title ought to be punctauted, "Go, Humans! Go!"

"Go, humans! Go!
To save the world!
Go, humans! Go!
From inevitable doom!
Go, humans! Go!
Stop the evil menace!
Go, humans! Go!
Go, humans! go!

"There are monsters all around us,
There are monsters mixed in with us,
They look like us, they smell like us—
Hey, maybe it's us!…"

Saints + Scripture: Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (died circa 63, the "Apostle to the Apostles").

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance."
—Saint Pius of Pietrelcino ("Padre Pio;" 1887-1968, feast: 23 September)

The Explorers' Club, № MXXXVIII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part VII
Donn Fulton Eisele (23 June 1930-1 December 1987), Colonel, U.S. Air Force—He flew Apollo 7 (1968); originally assigned to Apollo 1, he required surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder & was replaced by Roger Chaffee; Eisele worked at N.A.S.A.'s Langley Research Center; he later served as Peace Corps country director for Thailand & guided Concorde chase flights of Halley's Comet (1986).

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The "Fourteen"—Donn Eisele
Reel Big Fish, "The Bad Guy" from We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: Eisele's uncooperative attitude & insubordination during Apollo 7 made it unlikely he'd ever fly again. He was assigned to the Apollo 10 backup crew, which in the normal crew rotation would have put him on the prime crew of Apollo 13, but he was replaced by Stu Roosa by the time that crew flew during Apollo 14.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Donn Eisele
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVI: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVII: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVIII: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part III

Requiescat in pace.

Saints + Scripture: XVI Sunday in Ordinary Time

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Saints of the Day
Otherwise, 21 July would be the festival of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest & Doctor of the Church, O.F.M. Cap. (1559-1619, A.K.A. Giulio Cesare Russo), Vicar General of the Capuchins (1602-1605, O.F.M. Cap.), formally the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the XVI Sunday in O.T.

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Marty Haugen, "Shepherd Me, O God (Psalm 23)" from Shepherd Me, O God (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 11

Operation AXIOM: The 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11
Common Kings featuring Landon McNamara, "Neil Armstrong" from the Neil Armstrong single (Mike Papa DSKY)

&

John Craigie, "Michael Collins" from No Rain, No Roses (Mike Papa DSKY)

&

Rocket Surgeon, "Buzz Aldrin" from Flash Fiction (Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary: Apollo 11 is not my favorite Apollo mission, but it is the most important Apollo mission, the most important spaceflight of all time. Apollo 11 is special. Apollo 11 was the first, the one small step that was also one giant leap.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the OptionalMemorial of Saint Apollinaris, Bishop & Martyr (died circa 79, of Ravenna), inaugural Bishop of Ravenna (64-79), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Vespasian.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Tis also the Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

'Tis the Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The R.B.D. Moonshot Songs o' the Day: Apollo 11

Operation AXIOM: The 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11
Public Service Broadcasting, "Go!" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

&

National Aeronautics & Space Administration, "Apollo 11 Excerpt 19" from The Apollo Missions (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Commentary:

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for Mankind."

The Wayback Machine Tour of Apollo 11
№ DCXCVIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part I
№ DCXCIX: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part II
№ DCC: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part III
№ DCCII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Part IV
№ CMLXXIV: Neil Alden Armstrong
№ MXXV: Michael Collins
№ MXXXII: Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Mike Didn't Read the Book, But He Does Hear the Drums"

'Tis the Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Wayback Machine '21 & Wayback Machine '19.

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Let's Live in a Cave!" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: YouTube-link. It's not a complicated plan:

"Will you go with me
On this wild trip?
I've got an idea
How to save our relationship!

"Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!
Let's go live in a cave!…

"Will you go with me
Before the end arrives?
I've got an idea
How to keep our love alive…"

The Rebel Black Dot Finally! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "Dr. Space Mummy" from Finally! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary: Dr. Space Mummy has a particularly evil plan: to poison the water supply with an elixir that will turn children into mummies. He also summons monsters by remote control. YouTube-link.

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saints of the Day
'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest, M.I. (1550-1614), founder of the Camillians, formally the Clerics Regular, Ministers to the Sick (M.I., from Ministeri Infirmaribus).

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The poor & the sick are the Heart of God. In serving them, we serve Jesus Christ."
—Saint Camillus de Lellis, M.I. (1550-1614, feast: 18 July)

'Tis the Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.