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The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast

The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast

The Visitor

May 29, 2026 · 55 min · 10 segments

The Classic DS9 Episode Few hours of Star Trek have ever hit as hard — or as honestly — as Deep Space Nine’s “The Visitor.” In this deeply personal episode of The BIG Sci‑Fi Podcast, the crew opens…

The Classic DS9 Episode Few hours of Star Trek have ever hit as hard — or as honestly — as Deep Space Nine’s “The Visitor.” In this deeply personal episode of The BIG Sci‑Fi Podcast, the crew opens up about one of the most powerful and emotionally devastating stories in Trek history. We explore why this episode continues to resonate decades later, how its themes of grief, legacy, and the unbreakable bond between parents and children land differently as we age, and what it reveals about the human experience through the lens of science fiction. This conversation gets real. We share our own stories, our own losses, and the moments in “The Visitor” that still stop us in our tracks. Whether you’ve seen the episode once or a hundred times, this discussion will remind you why Star Trek storytelling endures — and why this particular hour remains one of its most unforgettable achievements.

The Classic DS9 Episode Few hours of Star Trek have ever hit as hard — or as honestly — as Deep Space Nine’s “The Visitor.” In this deeply personal episode of The BIG Sci‑Fi Podcast, the crew opens…

Speakers: Chris FoxHostBrian DonahueHostAdena MignognaHostSteve MerkinHost

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Adena’s Story of Losing Her Father2:42 – 5:39

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:42

Okay.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:43

Well, I saw it, I'm pretty sure, when it first aired.

Steve MerkinHost

2:48

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:49

Um, I don't remember, but this was...

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:50

That was also before I had lost my dad.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:54

So I always thought it was a good episode, great episode, but it didn't have that personal meaning.

Steve MerkinHost

3:01

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:01

And so let, let me skip ahead to 2011 and it... just explain, 'cause I don't know if I've talked about it much on the podcast before.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:08

But my dad had, essentially out of the blue, stage four gallbladder cancer.

Steve MerkinHost

3:14

Mm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:15

And he was 64.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:17

Uh, he was the person we thought would easily live into his 90s, and we used to joke that I had to have room in my house for him and his model trains.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:27

That was the joke.

Brian DonahueHost

3:27

Oh.

3:28

Right.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:28

So when out of the blue he gets this cancer, and, and it was a, kind of a whammy, uh, because, you know, we thought...

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:36

When he had the pain of gallbladder-y stuff, we thought, "Oh, he probably has gallstones," like I did.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:40

'Cause I had gallstones when I was 16, and I had my gallbladder out.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:44

And then all of a sudden it's, it's a metastasized cancer, and at first he told us that his prognosis was one to two years.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:52

So I'm all, "Well, Dad, you gotta fight this.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:55

We...

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:55

You know, there's, there's fancy treatments.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:57

We just gotta go find them."

Steve MerkinHost

3:58

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:58

And he was like, "Nah." He was not interested.

Mental HealthHealth
Society
Emotional Well-beingHealth > Mental Health > Grief Counseling
RelationshipsSociety
Loss and GriefFamily > Parenting > Parent-Child Relationships
Television ShowsMedia > Television
Coping StrategiesHealth > Mental Health > Grief Counseling > Emotional Well-being
Star TrekMedia > Television > Television Shows
Narrative ThemesEntertainment > Arts & Entertainment > Storytelling
Loss of a ParentSociety > Relationships > Grief
Coping MechanismsSociety > Relationships > Grief > Loss of a Parent
GriefSociety > Relationships
Grief CounselingHealth > Mental Health
Parent-Child RelationshipsFamily > Parenting
Arts & EntertainmentEntertainment
Deep Space NineMedia > Television > Television Shows > Star Trek
Time TravelEntertainment > Arts & Entertainment > Storytelling > Narrative Themes
Impact on Family DynamicsFamily > Parenting > Parent-Child Relationships > Loss and Grief
Health
Entertainment
Family
ParentingFamily
Media
TelevisionMedia
StorytellingEntertainment > Arts & Entertainment

Adena’s Story of Losing Her Father2:42 – 5:39

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:42

Okay.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:43

Well, I saw it, I'm pretty sure, when it first aired.

Steve MerkinHost

2:48

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:49

Um, I don't remember, but this was...

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:50

That was also before I had lost my dad.

A

Adena MignognaHost

2:54

So I always thought it was a good episode, great episode, but it didn't have that personal meaning.

Steve MerkinHost

3:01

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:01

And so let, let me skip ahead to 2011 and it... just explain, 'cause I don't know if I've talked about it much on the podcast before.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:08

But my dad had, essentially out of the blue, stage four gallbladder cancer.

Steve MerkinHost

3:14

Mm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:15

And he was 64.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:17

Uh, he was the person we thought would easily live into his 90s, and we used to joke that I had to have room in my house for him and his model trains.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:27

That was the joke.

Brian DonahueHost

3:27

Oh.

3:28

Right.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:28

So when out of the blue he gets this cancer, and, and it was a, kind of a whammy, uh, because, you know, we thought...

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:36

When he had the pain of gallbladder-y stuff, we thought, "Oh, he probably has gallstones," like I did.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:40

'Cause I had gallstones when I was 16, and I had my gallbladder out.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:44

And then all of a sudden it's, it's a metastasized cancer, and at first he told us that his prognosis was one to two years.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:52

So I'm all, "Well, Dad, you gotta fight this.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:55

We...

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:55

You know, there's, there's fancy treatments.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:57

We just gotta go find them."

Steve MerkinHost

3:58

Mm-hmm.

A

Adena MignognaHost

3:58

And he was like, "Nah." He was not interested.

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