Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: “Explorers”

“Explorers” Written by Hilary J. Bader and Rene Echevarria Directed by Cliff Bole Season 3, Episode 22 Production episode 40512-468 Original air date: May 8, 1995 Stardate: unknown Station log: Leeta, one of the dabo girls, goes over to Bashir and hits on him under the guise of being worried about a cough she doesn’t really have. Dax interrupts to let him know that the Lexington is due to put in at the station in three weeks. The ship’s chief medical officer is Dr. Elizabeth Lense, who was the valedictorian in Bashir’s class at Starfleet Medical, for which Bashir was salutatorian. Bashir tries and fails to play it cool regarding that, while Dax twists the knife on the subject quite nastily. Sisko returns from a trip to Bajor where he checked out an ancient archive. He’s back with a goatee and the image of a solar sailing ship that, legend has it, explored the solar system and possibly went to Cardassia. Sisko intends to build a ship just like it, using the same tools the Bajorans used then (or as close as he can get). Kira thinks it’s cool that he’s doing it, but O’Brien is skeptical that the ship will be spaceworthy. He’s even more skeptical that such a ship would’ve made it to Cardassia. Kira tartly points out that the Cardassians have always said the same thing—that Bajor could never have achieved interstellar travel before they did. “Listen.” “I don’t hear anything.”