My favorite podcast, Extra Hot Great, has a feature on its Patreon version (Extra Extra Hot Great) called “The Forcening” in which the hosts — usually David T. Cole, Tara Ariano, and Sarah D. Bunting — are compelled to watch an episode of a TV series.
On the latest installment, just in time for the Fourth of July, we have Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” (season seven, episode four) in which the gang accepts a challenge from a crew of Vulcans (!) to play a game of baseball (because what’s more American than baseball?)
Bunting is the residence expert on the national pastime (Cole said he hates the sport) so her opinions carry great weight with me. The end result? Meh. It’s not bad. Sure you can punch a whole lot of holes in the acting and athletic performances. But it does bring up a number of questions, including Vulcans know about baseball? Most of the crew of DSN don’t have a clue and need to be schooled by their captain, with comical results. Yeah, the episode is corny and I suppose funny, but does it try too hard? Is bad baseball better than no baseball at all?
Fun facts: Bunting (great name for a baseball fan) was actually a Little League umpire and . Jake Cisco, the captain’s son, was played by Cirroc Lofton (below, right), nephew of MLB star Kenny Lofton. And Ernie Banks’ nephew, Joey Banks, has an uncredited role as a member of the Vulcan team.
I found a few YouTube videos in which break down the show, which originally aired on Oct. 21, 1998. Here’s one and here’s another. They’re much longer than the actual episode so I have to be honest and say I didn’t watch them in their entireties.
One more:
is available on Amazon.com,
