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.
This is so much more, though. This is such a massive subversion of 90s toxic masculinity.
A male character is producing offspring, and two male characters are giving him a baby shower, which at the time (and still is) the dominant joke for male characters is how to get out of attending a baby shower.
Add to that Sisko is a absolutely giddy at the thought of new babies, during a time when black men were portrayed at the peak of the toxic masculinity charts, and were usually stereotyped as absent fathers.
DS9 took it even further.
The MEN on DS9 were the broody baby-crazy ones. The women couldn’t care less. Kira never breathed a word about wanting a baby and when she had one imposed upon her it was kind of hilariously played up for her reluctance. Worf was all “let’s have a baby!” and Dax was like ehhhhhhhh. Even Odo got all parental with a lil bucket of goo he found.
And then Sisko, who had just about the best depiction of fatherhood (and he was a single father, if you’re not familiar) in a sci-fi show. Loving, supportive, not without conflict, but always devoted.
Also, Bashir is advocating for workplace accommodations for his patient and colleague.















