In the ninth season of 9-1-1, the conclusion of a gripping four-part series opener was marked by a poignant tribute on a black screen, simply stating: “For Dad.”

As the credits rolled on Season 9, Episode 4, titled “Reentry,” which aired on Thursday, October 30, viewers of ABC’s popular first responder drama were left pondering the dedication’s intended recipient.

Decider has confirmed that this heartfelt message honors Charles Minear, Sr., the late father of the show’s showrunner and executive producer, Tim Minear.

While specifics surrounding Minear’s father’s passing remain undisclosed, the tribute’s timing is undeniably significant. It followed the dramatic culmination of Season 9’s ambitious, space-themed narrative arc, where key characters Athena (played by Angela Bassett) and Hen (portrayed by Aisha Hinds) successfully made their way back to Earth. This homage to Minear’s father came on the heels of an emotionally charged episode, one where Athena grappled with themes of loss, grief, and mortality, ultimately discovering the resilience to honor cherished memories while forging a path forward.

The episode “Reentry” was crafted by writers Tim Minear, Molly Green, and James Leffler and brought to life by director Bradley Buecker. It depicted Athena risking her life to rescue the space crew, interwoven with flashbacks to a pivotal day in 1998. During this flashback, she endured the line-of-duty death of her partner, Officer Brogan McCluskey (played by Karl Makinen), which followed the earlier murder of her fiancé, Emmett (portrayed by Jeff Pierre). Before McCluskey passed away, he urged Athena to embrace life, encouraging her to love again despite the weight of her past heartbreaks.

In present-day, even up in space, Athena finds herself struggling to take McCluskey’s advice again following the harrowing death of her husband Bobby (Peter Krause). As she loses oxygen in her suit and has her own brush with death, Athena thinks of him, her children, her friends, her past loves, and all the other joys that life has given her. In an especially emotional scene, Athena sits across from her younger self and considers letting go, giving into the pain, and allowing the crushing weight of loss to defeat her. Instead of slipping away into the dark, she has a beautiful, hard-earned epiphany and chooses light. Life.

“All the moments in between [the pain], no matter how far apart they may be, like stars. There’s so much dark between them. Cold. Empty. Forever. But as long as there’s life, there’s hope. They keep us going, those stars, those moments. Like a dance between lovers, or a laugh between friends. They pull us along. They warm us. They blaze with all that’s good. And tell the darkness, not today,” Athena says in a soul-stirring monologue brilliantly delivered by Bassett. “Pain is the price we pay for joy. And it’s a fair trade; a good deal. Because any second, instant, moment of joy is like a diamond in the darkness. Letting go and putting away is not how you get to the next [star].”

In the past, moving forward in the face of pain and refusing to succumb to darkness led Athena to meet her ex-husband, Michael. And in present day, summoning the strength to keep fighting and surviving after the inconceivable loss of Bobby got her back home safely to her kids, where they came together to have empathy for each other’s grief. After Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) shared his plans to follow in Bobby’s footsteps and join the LAFD, Athena explained via voiceover, “The thing about this Earth, is that it just keeps turning. And what can you do except turn with it?”

The episode, its themes, lessons, emotional beats, and that painfully true line creatively capture the agonizing path to acceptance after loss. The fact that Minear chose to end the episode with such a personal touch packed the final punch. The tribute card not only shows love to his dad, but serves as yet another reminder of how precious life is. While 9-1-1‘s losses are fictional, universal stories like this reflect reality, and the emotions the show’s characters experience are relatable and real. But despite all the pain, joy persists.

Charles Minear, Sr.’s legacy will live on through the many lives he touched, and now, through 9-1-1 and Episode 4’s tribute card from his son.

New episodes of 9-1-1 premiere Thursdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.