The Sound of Her Voice

*** (3 stars out of 5)

Lovebirds Odo and Kira celebrate their one month anniversary... at Quark's sneaky suggestion. Not only so he can profit from their dinner and holosuite time, but so he can sell Denevan crystal meth or some such thing while the cops' backs are turned.  And Jake came along. (Seriously? Jake? In what dimension should Quark wish to detail all his nefarious schemes to a REPORTER? Still, I guess everyone needs someone.)

For example, Captain Lisa Cusak, who was on her way back from Beta Quadrant and pancaked in on some rain-soaked rock with the wrong kind of air.  The boys from Defiant talk to Lisa's disembodied voice on the Mexcian whoa-oh subspace radio as they race to her rescue. As you might imagine, CUSAK is the upbeat one, even as she runs out of air and air substitutes. In the wise, impatient words of Professor Farnsworth "We ALL miss our loved ones and gases!"

Six years together, and this crew still haven't found happiness. Bashir works too hard to have a girlfriend, Sisko's doing his best to drive his lady love away, and OBrien... well, O'Brien and Cusak both think very poorly of ship's counselors. Can't think why. They could both use a little couch time.

As They Might Be Giants sang "A woman's voice on the radio can convince you you're in love. A woman's voice on the telephone can remind you you're alone."

"The Sound of Her Voice" is an ironically sad and lonely story for Valentine's Day viewing. But so much the better: O'Brien is correct when he says the bleak times remind us to draw our circle of friends closer. So Happy Valentimes, all you Andorians. Keep those antennas up.