#but also... it's kind of still dismissed as a weird glitch in the trek matrix

[trillscienceofficer]

I really hate that the conventional wisdom about “Rejoined” outside the Trek bubble I'm in is that it's just a sweeps week episode made to boost ratings and/or that the metaphorical nature of the reassociation taboo means that it 'doesn't count'. (As well as the oft-repeated 'Dax used to be a man so they're not really gay', which always struck me as so hilariously tone-deaf in its bigotry...)

Don't get me wrong, the former argument isn't untrue and yes the episode doesn't actually make any direct reference to lesbianism or bisexuality, but also how do you watch “Rejoined” and remain completely unmoved? It's such a thoughtfully crafted and heartfelt episode, the director (Avery Brooks) and the actors (Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson) clearly cared about what they were doing, and imho it well surpasses the context in which it was made