Reason #1,324,789 of why I love this show.
This was a casual side conversation between Bashir and Sisko about a fellow crew member, completely unrelated to the episode’s plot, and its just so sweet.
It’s nice to know that if you’re a pregnant father-to-be on DS9, your buddies Julian and Miles will build you a hatchling pond, buy you baby clothes, and throw you a shower eagerly attended by the station’s commanding officer (who was practically beaming with joy when he found out that you were expecting).
How wonderful.
And they speak of it so casually with no judgement! Love this!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY GOD. I DID NOT KNOW THIS.
Vilix’pran gets mentioned a couple more times on the show, and we find out that:
A) he buds twice more, and had quadruplets during his second budding and an unspecified number for his third, bringing the total number of babies to between eight and 18
B) Kira says she’ll have to assign him bigger quarters after the third budding
C) and the babies have wings that can get tangled up with each other when they play together
D) AND ALSO that Vilix’pran gets promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant (so clearly Starfleet has some rockin’ maternity/paternity policies and thus parenthood is not an obstacle to career advancement)
The more you know. 😀
Well that got exponentially more adorable and awesome quickly.
No seriously, things like this are why DS9 is my favorite of all the series (sorry, TOS and TNG), and why Sisko is my favorite of all the captains (sorry, Kirk and Picard).
Figures that in a show focused on a BIG-ASS SPACE STATION, you would find out more about individuals than you do on a comparatively tiny starship.
Also I have the most immense respect for Sisko. He’s really the only captain who finds the balance between his duty and his humanity. He’s also just THE BESTEST DAD, scenes like this, and his relationship with Jake, and even how he gets all mushy and glowy over the infant Jem’Hadar in “The Abandoned.”
Also OMFG the dinner with Jake and Mardah, with Sisko being all freaked out, protective dad and then starting to warm up to her when he actually starts talking with her.
THIS SHOW I LOVE IT.
So much yes.
Captain Koril 