The Orb 45: Big City, Small Town Feel

Raising Children on the Station.

The children we saw on The Next Generation were raised in a very controlled environment. Sure, flying around on a starship is dangerous, but you're surrounded by Starfleet officers, people who have been brought together for a shared goal, and you have all the resources you need. On DS9, the situation was different. This was much more like the real world. Children on the station found themselves in a place that was part frontier town, part cosmopolitan city. There were a lot of opportunities to get into trouble on the station—the danger was more real—but the opportunity to grow into a well-rounded adult may have been greater, too.

In this episode of The Orb hosts Christopher Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss the pros and cons of raising children on the station, compare and contrast life on the Enterprise and life on Deep Space 9, find out how Jake and Nog helped their parents grow, and how exposure to diversity differs between these controlled and uncontrolled environments.