Shrinking Sci-Fi and DS9’s “One Little Ship.” Ever since 1957’s black-and-white classic The Incredible Shrinking Man, stories involving size-altering accidents have been a science fiction staple. In 1973, Star Trek: The Animated Series provided its own pint-sized kids’ adventure with “The Terratin Incident,” in which Kirk and his crew are gradually reduced in size by a mysterious Lilliputian community. But it wasn’t until Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “One Little Ship,” some 25 years later, that live-action Trek finally tackled this perennial sci-fi concept. A light-hearted episode in the midst of the fairly serious and grim sixth season, “that stupid shrinking show,” as it was known in the writers’ room, was seen as a chance to do something self-consciously silly. Yet, over the years, it has become a fan-favorite.

In this episode of Primitive Culture, hosts Clara Cook and Duncan Barrett look at DS9’s “One Little Ship” in relation to other diminutive stories, from The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Fantastic Voyage (1966) to Innerspace (1987) and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989). We even visit the much more recent Ant-Man (2015) as we discuss the pleasures—and pitfalls—of storytelling on a miniature scale, as well as the psychological and existential crises that ensue when people—in particular men—suddenly find themselves much smaller than they used to be.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Weird Science (00:06:30) That Stupid Shrinking Show (00:10:18) Up Close and Personal (00:25:30) The Horror of Comedy Parenting (00:33:20) Big Crisis for Small Men (00:41:45) Quantum, No Solace (01:03:00) Land of the Tardigrades (01:17:20) A Little Joke, Sir (01:26:15) Closing (01:31:50)

Hosts Clara Cook and Duncan Barrett

Production Clara Cook (Editor) Duncan Barrett (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Amy Nelson (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)