My relaxation this past week has been the incredibly geeky activity of watching Deep Space Nine episodes on DVD. It allows me to veg out, but since most episodes are less than an hour, it doesn’t have to take large chunks of time.

Michael and I watched all seven seasons of DS9 this spring, but we went through them in one mad rush. Right now I’m skipping the episodes I don’t particularly care for (anything in an alternate reality), so I’m really enjoying what I’m watching. I decided that The Visitor is one of the top ten best DS9 episodes. Avery Brooks and Cirroc Lofton, especially as the series progresses, have a very believable father son relationship, so for me that episode is particularly wrenching, as I’ve been personally contemplating loss.

Another favorite episode is Explorers, and I really wish they had been two episodes instead of one, since parts of it, especially Sisko building the ship, seem rushed. But it’s still good despite that, and I think the ship he builds is fascinating.

And then there are the episodes with Garak; he is absolutely one of my favorite characters, although I have to wonder whether I’d like him if I met him in person. I think he’s at his best in episodes like “Improbable Cause” and “The Die is Cast”, where we get to see his conflict over his exile as well as in his relationship with Tain.

And, there is always the fun of looking for the regulars when they play extras. Michael and I are constantly saying things like, “That Klingon over there—is that Jake?”

Yeah, we’re geeks, but it’s kinda fun.