#Bajor

[kiranerysismyhero]

imagine a bajoran teenager living on ds9 who's trying to decide what to do with her life and feels compelled to get closer to the Emissary, but gets the sense that Sisko is a little uncomfortable with being approached in that way, and she's a little young to join the bajoran military and try to get stationed under him, so she looks for another pretense to like have a conversation with him or something

and she overhears Jake talking about playing baseball with his dad, and maybe at the temple she overhears Kira talking about going to the holosuites with them for a baseball game, and she gets the sense that baseball is Important

so she gets up her courage and approaches him on the promenade some time when he doesn't seem too busy, like "excuse me Emissary, I wonder if you would allow me to ask a favor of you."

and Sisko tries not to look like he's steeling himself

"I would like to learn about Baseball."

and he gets this big grin. and tells her what day and time to show up to Quark's for the next time he and Jake are gonna play (and ngl maybe part of him is thinking she's closer to Jake's age than Mardah is...)

and like as they're doing warmups, and she's taking things Very Seriously trying to learn the ropes, Sisko makes an offhanded comment about how Cestus III would be the place to be if you really wanted to get immersed in the sport. and of course she takes this a lot more seriously than he meant it. like a direction in life given to her from the Prophets, directly from their Emissary.

so after all of one (1) time playing baseball in a holosuite she approaches Kassidy to learn more about Cestus III and works like a short internship under her to earn passage there. and shows up in like Pike City or someplace like "hi, does anyone around here hire non-federation citizens? i don't care what type of job. also when are baseball tryouts?"

and like after several years spent getting good, bc she approaches the sport with y'know religious devotion, she returns to her people. and starts a training camp on Bajor that's like basically a monastery. like teenagers who want to pursue religious studies but can't sit still long enough to have hope of becoming a ranjen, they get sent to her to learn to practice Baseball

like imagine a young adult with a really elaborate earring and also like the baseball shoes and the short pants tucked into tall socks going "you know, waiting for a sign from the Prophets is a lot like playing left field..."

[chadepitanga]

Oh. My god. The Bajoran religion is like. the Orb Pondering religion. They ARE PONDERING those orbs.

[purplespacekitty]

dude, i can’t get over Li Nalas.

he knew what was going on from the beginning. sure, a moment of brief confusion and then the realization that these people he’s been trapped in a labor camp with for the past ten fucking years, Memory Alpha says, believe his return to Bajor will bring restoration. the realization that they have such confidence in him as to place his life above their own.

he gets shot and then he’s hauled off to a shuttlecraft within minutes, forced to leave behind his decade-old reality. to leave behind people who shared it with him until just moments ago. and he’s dying, maybe. in excruciating pain, so he can’t even object, can’t even think. and Kira looks at him with this intense certainty. like he’s the missing puzzle piece she’s been scouring every last corner of the universe for. only he knows he isn’t.

and then he’s off to sickbay before anyone else despite his protests, where a human operates on him. a doctor who won’t stop regaling him with all the wonderful things he’s supposed to have done, all the battles he’s supposed to have won.

he is on his feet soon after, clean and dressed in warm clothes. he has no time to rest or breathe in his newfound freedom before he is swept up for a tour of the station he knew too long ago. and now every Bajoran he comes across in this ore processing center turned glitzy space mall looks at him the way Kira does, like they know him, like they need him. their words and shining smiles of praise when he reluctantly stands to address a crowd of them tells him just how much they believe they do. he does not forget the ones he left on Cardassia IV.

it is with relief that he hands the crowd off to Jaro. a deep sigh of familiar aggravation just beneath the surface of his skin as Jaro panders to the crowd's enthusiasm for his return.

that scene where Sisko shows him his quarters, i don’t blame him for striding over so tentatively but nevertheless excitedly to the small flower in a vase. Sisko hardly notices it but it is the first thing Li locks eyes on. a plant. a sprig of life clipped and close to its end, kept alive only by means necessary for display. a being which demands nothing of him here besides fresh water and a light to lean towards.

he stows away on a ship, running now, not from the Cardassians, but from Bajor. from the lies others fabricated on his behalf. Sisko - after the Tygarian freighter captain has dragged him by the ear back to the station, after Li has laid bare his truth in earnest - tells Li they are not lies. they are legends. and Bajor needs them.

and Li Nalas, a man encased in a shell of legends crafted by hands which are not his own, is tired. but he accepts the responsibility his people have placed on his shoulders. because Sisko is right. they do need him.

never mind the political unrest on his home world or the ministrations of the politicians, the Kai, the Circle: he can hardly wrap his head around it all, much less speak to it. the Bajor he has returned to is not the Bajor he knows. his people are afraid with a new kind of fear, one of unbearable uncertainty. they look to him and he can barely speak. but he will play the part he’s been told to. he will be a good soldier. that, he can do.

in the moments just before his death, he is Kira's puzzle piece. he is the flower in the vase. he is simple. uncomplicated. dying.

only then does he rejoice. he may finally rest.

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Bajoran Transport Concept Art by Jim Martin

[cdr2002]

Mirror universe headcanon:

Intendant Kira actually hates Gul Dukat too. Kira probably hates Gul Dukat in every universe.

He’s tried to maneuver for a greater Alliance presence on Bajor for years, and Kira has spent the majority of her career making sure that doesn’t happen, reducing Cardassian troops to being limited to Terok Nor, Klingons restricted to only planetside military instillations, appointing Bajorans to planetside administrative positions, including as slave overseers…

She knows what an occupation looks like and that that’s exactly what Dukat is planning. And she is not having it.

Bajor may come second to her ego, but it’s still a high priority.

Her protecting Bajor from being fully bled dry by the Alliance might actually be one of the reasons Garak was always trying to kill her…

And of course, it’s one of the ways she and our Kira have more in common than we think…

[writergeekrhw]

I was wondering - because I’ve seen a few people say this - who were the Bajorans supposed to be based off of? I’ve seen several people say they were supposed to be based off of palestinians but I could have sworn I’d seen a post somewhere saying that it was based at least partially off of vietnam, and honestly I personally always felt that the bajorans were a pretty good allegory for Jewish people (especially Kira, she always reminded me of the Jewish people in Eastern Europe who formed their own resistance groups to dismantle and disrupt Nazi encampments).

All of the above, plus the Irish, plus Native Americans, plus the Lebanese, with a bit of South Africa and a dash of Eastern European partisans in general. Religiously, they were a little of this and that, but probably Buddhism plus Catholicism plus Islam, with an extra helping of fundamentalist Protestant for Winn. Most decent alien cultures have more than one inspiration.

[dykespirk]

human things I think bajorans would be good at:

I cannot say because my account will be banned

makeup tutorials

[eggthedyke]

Kira and the Prophets

[obrienmustsuffer]

The Emissary would be proud of me.

[spocks-husband]

WAHHH KIRA'S SMILE 😭😭 SHE'S MY BABYGIRL

UUUUHGGGHGHHHHHUUUHHHHHGGGGHHHEEEEEEGGGHGHHHHHEEEHHHHHUUUHHHGGGHH

[kingoftheu]

The Great Bajoran Political Compass Project. Notes in the Notes.

[ireallyamabear]

“I shot an unarmed Cardassian in his Underwear. He was so Embarrassed.”

godfucking damit ds9 was cooking with gas from so early on. they have like two establishing matte paintings of bajor, a couple of earring props and some old clothes but you are *there* with all these resistance cells. also this actor is so good and Avery Brooks hits it so well, too

[se7envale]

STARFLEET RECORDS

USS MARY CELESTE NCC-10684 (PERSONNEL)

Rank: Captain

Name: Alenis Meru

Age: 39

Race: BAJORAN

Starfleet Academy Class of 2384

With Honors

Nova Squadron

Valedictorian

PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENTS:

USS ENTERPRISE : NCC 1701-E

RANKS

Ensign, Lieutenant Jr Grd, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Cmdr

USS ENTERPRISE : NCC 1701-F

RANKS

Lieutenant Cmdr

EARTH STATION SPACEDOCK

RANKS

Commander

USS MARY CELESTE

After the loss of the Enterprise Meru was posted to the redesign team of the remaining Odyssey Class ships. During the redesign she was requested to serve on the USS MARY CELESTE as first officer under Captain Ezri Dax and would succeed her and still holds the position as Captain of the MARY CELESTE (the last active of the Odyssey Class ships)

RANKS

Commander (first officer), Captain

BIO:

Born on Bajor in post Cardassian Occupation Era and just prior to the Dominion War, Meru the daughter of Alenis Ruwan (father) and Kira Nerys (Mother) both Bajoran Military Leaders who served in the Dominion War. Meru was highly educated and versed in military tactics used by the Bajoran Militia.

Upon her graduation she was requested by Capt Jean Luc Picard with the distinction of being the last to be posted by Capt Picard. She continued on the Enterprise E under Captain Worf and then the Enterprise F under Captain Shon and helped in salvaging the Enterprise F during the Monfette Gambit which resulted in the decommissioning of the ship.

Happy Star Trek Day!!! 🖖🏻

[writergeekrhw]

I understand not answering this out of consideration for your career but I am watching DS9 to take my mind off of things and noticing that there's a lot of parallels between Bajor's story and current events. Was that intentional?

We definitely drew from history and things that were going on in the world in the 90s when we came up with stories for Bajor and for all the civilizations of DS9.

[usstrekart]

"Penumbra" (S07E17, Stardate 52576.2) has a lot of table-setting to do and as a stand-alone episode it suffers as a result. I really enjoy the Sisko elements, and it is good to finally get some semblance of resolution on the Worf/Ezri problem.

I really struggled with what to focus on in my episode poster. ultimately I decided to center in on Ben's model of his house. It really is sad that before the story is over that we do not get to see him realize this dream with his new bride...

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k d e e p s p a c e n i n e created by rick berman, michael piller [in the hands of the prophets, s1ep20] 'Bajor'