#Dreadnought (episode)

[spockvarietyhour]

V "Dreadnought" (1984)

[thresholdbb]

Canon bombshell B'Elanna Torres

[elbiotipo]

It is good that South America invented fútbol in the early XX century so we could spend all our national rivalries into kicking a ball instead of spending a quarter of our GDPs to build giant battleships to see whose dick is bigger (it's Argentina's btw)

[the-promise-has-been-made]

I watched Rebel Moon and I don't know exactly but it feels like there was a kernel of a really great movie trapped in a lot of chaotic writing and poor character development and A LOT of slow motion shots?

[autistic-pebbles-au]

... suns was in a dreadnought...

Can warhammer be cannon in this just going on in the background?

Better not...

I don't want this to be some Endgame episode

[unit3947]

i can’t believe how underrated prototype, dreadnought, and the muse are as solid b’elanna episodes— greek tragedy of killing your creation, seeing the self in technology, mythos, lacanian mirrors, romanticism. b’elanna is not just creating/destroying, she’s building her own mythos, her own story and lore, looking right at herself in the face of it all, through the Other.

[lostyesterday]

An interesting thing I noticed is that almost every single time Voyager does an evil/rogue AI episode (where an artificial intelligence of some kind is the primary antagonist), B’Elanna is a major part of the action. Obviously “Prototype” and “Dreadnought” are both B’Elanna-focused episodes, but even in rogue AI episodes focused mainly on other characters, B’Elanna is also there. “Revulsion” and “Flesh and Blood” are both primarily focused on the Doctor, but B’Elanna is the secondary character in both cases who has a lot of interaction with the AI antagonists. “Warhead” is a Harry episode, but B’Elanna is the other character held captive, and the same is sort of true for “The Thaw”. Even in “Alice”, B’Elanna is a central part of the narrative by being involved in the weird love triangle thing with Tom Paris and that spaceship. I feel like this can partly be explained by the fact that B’Elanna’s the chief engineer and therefore using her in the plot in connection with AI makes sense, but it’s still a coincidence. I guess the writers just thought B’Elanna and rogue AI made a good combination.

[stra-tek]

Why you should watch Star Trek: Hidden Frontier

Hidden Frontier is a long-running (seven seasons, plus multiple spin-offs!) series of Star Trek fan films following the U.S.S. Excelsior, a 3-nacelled Galaxy Dreadnought in the post-TNG/DS9/VOY Trek universe. It's really janky, shot entirely on greenscreen in low-resolution, with iffy homemade costumes, zero camera movement and their main theme is nicked from Galaxy Quest, but it's full of heart and so watchable. Writing and editing is super crisp, everything moves at a super brisk pace and as they go on they improve exponentially. Episodes are only about 24 minutes long. Lots of TNG-style standing and talking and lots and lots of DS9 style massive fleet battles with decent CGI.

Oh yeah, and it had gay characters a decade before TV Trek did!

Here's the YouTube channel

[leohtttbriar]

dreadnought is like a metaphor for a lot of things but one of those things being a "b'elanna before she really knew chakotay" is deeply affecting to me. the fact that she recalls, in that conversation, his voice being "soft", that she's saying it to tom who only seconds before in the episode had also gotten a gentle reprimand from chakotay, and not once in the whole episode do we see chakotay blame b'elanna or even exhibit any sort of bitterness or anger that dreadnought is what it is. it's like b'elanna is tasked with looking her own lonely reactions in the face and finds herself capable of it because janeway and chakotay and everyone else just let her do exactly what she can--and in the end janeway had no intention of allowing b'elanna to jump in front of the bullet b'elanna had fired herself. so of course b'elanna has to win because chakotay has earned her loyalty as has janeway, and b'elanna is a better thinker and engineer for it. where dreadnought's single-minded distrust of everything is what allows b'elanna to tunnel through its defenses while it's distracted by a competing perspective in its own programming. and also because chakotay trusts her to do it.

[morns-fevered-dream]

Well I've tried to avoid spoilers but their are a few things I know going in the appearance of a character from ENT I'd originally guessed Trip Tucker because he died in a weird way and in non-cannon he did things after his "death" but a sci fi news article discussing Daniels gives me a feeling it's him makes more sense though and I saw two images one of a old Burnham and one of Burnham and Moll standing in front of some light on a cliff or something due to a current boycott of Paramount and Paramount+ I'm watching this from a pirate cove and I'd encourage you to do the same and without further ado live blogging of Star Trek Discovery and as always 🌟SPOILERS🌟

Season 5 Episode 10

I'm still sad this is the last episode of DIS

Well I'm glad it's longer then a regular episode but part of me was hoping for a 2 hour finale but considering it wasn't known until after shooting that it was the last episode and then reshoots that I'm sure are the extra length of this episode

I wonder if we'll see the Breen that went in before Moll and Burnham?

Huh Burnham had the same thought

Nooo Burnham

Oh there's one of three Breen cracked like an egg

And their is the other Breen not a happy one either maybe if the Breen had sent scientists instead of Soldiers they'd be more willing to work together Burnham

Damn that was a football tackle

About to be pulled away by a hurricane and still trying to punch damn Burnham is right "STOP IT"

Lots of slow mo

Damn the Breen is back

Why is Moll flying with a gun?

Why did Moll shoot the Breen? I mean the Breen is under her command

No wonder the Breen was so mad their own boss killed the other Breen like a cracked egg I'd be pissed too

Damn Moll is not likable even for a villain

Yeah that's what I thought

Now thinking about it I definitely thought that Detmer and Owosekun would be back by now tbh

Yeah Nhan stepping up suck it admiral

"At least the Breen have a vested interest" didn't you just kill your own Breen soldiers?!

Return of the spinning camera and a surprise appearance of shaky camera

Since it's the last episode I want to say I think DIS has my favorite Engineer crew out of all the Trek shows between Stamets, Adira, Reno and the occasional Booker, Tilly or Culber it has my favorite dynamic

There's one of the images that was spoiled them standing in front of whatever that ripple thing is

Oh they aren't fighting Tahal yet? Then what Breen Is Discovery fighting oh is it the Ruhn Breen Dreadnought or whoever runs it now Moll or that Asrisar Breen

"Ambassador Saru are you insane?" Is hilarious

Just like her Breen colleagues don't turn your back on Moll

Moll isn't very smart Burnham told you the clue and you didn't even use it

What was that scream Moll that was some serious yelling in lower case

Yes trust the good doctor odd visions or whatever

Damn Seru that was cold as ice

I swear Burnham is like the perfect Federation Captain because I would have been pissed

I kind of like that the most powerful tech in the universe is represented with some simple glass triangles

Ancient humanoid appearance!

Something before the progenitors? Mmmh interesting I know Q and the Guardian Of Forever were before the ancient humanoids I'm pretty sure but not much else is known

I love that it's Booker that's with Hugh others would try to explain or theorize but Booker is just like "damn that's crazy" the same nonchalant attitude when Hugn decided to join in the shuttle in the first place

Wow that's a lot of camera spinning

Separate the what?

Damn the ancient humanoids really trying to put this technology off on someone else

A TNG Enterprise D style saucer separation WOOOOOOOOOOO BABY

Is that the Breem Scout ship it looks nice

Ain't no way they just spun that colossal giant Dreadnought like a bayblade that was totally cool

Damn the Progenitor really gave Burnham a crash course on almost all of existence huh?

Honestly I've been thinking all season that kind of technology needs to go permanently

I'm sad Stamets won't get his legacy dream the spore drive program was canceled and made secret, spore drive didn't replace the regular warp drive in the 32nd century and now unable to study the progenitors tech what I'm really sad about is that this arc for Stamets won't be resolved because this is the finale

Picard Wine, Geordi old visor and a baseball presumably something to do with Sisko interesting

Kovich was Daniels all along?! This isn't what I thought the returning ENT thing was gonna be I'll be honest I was actually surprised

Yes! The Saru x T'Rina wedding what everyone was hoping for

Talaxian pirates? Mmmmh

All of the dress uniforms and fancy wedding clothes look great

Old Burnham and old Booker look like themselves but with gray hair I look forward to seeing irl old compared to TV old like they did for TOS, TNG and DS9 episodes where it showed a older version of a character and then people put up a image of them later irl when the actor was actually older

Burnham 33nd century civilian clothes look like she ready for the wild west I guess some fashion just comes around huh

Admiral you say

Oh that's a alien deer cool

Ooooo another uniform

They got kid in Starfleet already wow future jumps do that though

I like these even further in the future 33nd century uniforms that admiral one is nice I like the line going down the pants but I also liked that on the PIC S3 uniform too so I guess I'm just a sucker for that uniform design choice

I also like the new 33nd century Starfleet logo

For future versions of the Starfleet logo post ST Nemesis I think this new one and the Future Imperfect TNG one from the fake future are probably my favorites

Damn how many refits has that ship undergone to be still be in service

For a minute I thought she was about to pass down Discovery to her son

So a short explanation of Calypso but I still don't understand why Zora had to wait for Craft or the importance of Craft tbh and poor Zora has to wait 1000 years alone is so strange I also assume it was a life or death thing with the crew abandoned ship rather then this whole red directive thing its just kind of odd

Ah Detmer and Owosekun finally returned for the last few minutes of the finale

Ah a impressive fleet shot I do love the Merian Class, Kirk Class, Courage Class of my personal favorite out of the 32-33nd century ships the Eisenberg Class

So that's it the end of Discovery it had its hurdles but it also started Nu-Trek I personally am indeed a fan of the show this and Lower Decks are definitely my favorite of the Nu-Trek shows I am sad to see it go

It started my tradition of watching Nu-Trek and drinking canned Guayaki Yerba Mate late at night and it started many fond memories I've never said this online before but I never watched the last episode of ENT until the pilot of DIS came out I waited years to watch it but I couldn't bring myself to "finish" Star Trek until a new show was announced so I waited years to watch that last episode of ENT and after years of waiting and it was terrible but luckily this finale was better then that

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: B’Elanna Torres

By Ames

Get ready to have an honorable day as we swivel our character spotlight over to the Voyager’s chief engineer this week on A Star to Steer Her By. Every day is an identity crisis for B’Elanna Torres, whose half-Klingon, half-human pedigree serves to frequently explore mixed heritages, familial disputes, and issues of self loathing as the series goes on. But mostly, Torres is just a wildly creative and intelligent character who is so frequently pushed to the brink, as is this show’s wont.

So grab a fork and dig into a whole freakin’ blood pie as we take a deep dive into Torres’s complex character and rich backstory. Read on below for some choice moments and listen to our recitation of the Klingon plea for the dead over on this week’s podcast episode (warp over to 54:21). Qapla’!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Did we just become best friends? Early in the series, Torres has a lot to prove, both as one of the Maquis terrorists that joins the integrated crew and as a character who clearly has a permanent chip on her shoulder about all things Starfleet. So it’s a wonderful moment of bonding with Janeway when they work together in “Parallax” to escape the event horizon of a quantum singularity using science!

Me, myself, and identity crisis It always amazes me that “Faces” is slotted in season one of Voyager because it is so successful at exploring the dual nature of Torres’s makeup while her character is still getting her footing. When she is split into her Klingon and human halves, she really gets to take a closer look at herself (literally!) and how her two identities make her whole (also literally!). Early character work for the win!

Nothing, just talking to myself For the first (but not last) time Roxann Dawson voices a homicidal computer, we are treated to Torres figuring out how to disarm the Dreadnought in “Dreadnought.” She’s prepared to sacrifice herself to stop this weapon from taking out a planet, but it’s a triumph to listen to her argue with herself until she succeeds, even if she did create the weapon in the first place…

Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming We totally missed mentioning this one on the podcast, so I’m squeezing it in now because it’s such good work from Dawson. In “Prototype,” she tries so hard to help the automated units find a way to reproduce, creating sentient life in Prototype Unit 001, which is impressive on its own! So that makes it all the more devastating when she has to deactivate him, her first child.

A more honorable Klingon than Worf We gave Worf some stink for refusing to donate blood to the dying Romulan in “The Enemy,” and in “Lifesigns,” Torres goes the other way. When Danara Pel needs some of her Klingon tissue, Torres looks past the trauma that Vidiians inflicted on her and sees that Danara is an individual. Lumping everyone of a species together is not the Starfleet way. Worf, take note.

Learn the truth for yourself There’s a lot that we like about “Remember,” and a lot of that comes down to some stellar acting from Roxann Dawson. Torres won’t stand by quietly as the Enarans sweep their problematic history under the rug and pretend they’ve been a moralistic society all along. She steps up for learning from the past, acknowledging where we’ve come from, and being better for it.

You’re not going to learn anything from being with these lollipops Another instance of Torres not letting someone take the easy way out comes when she meets the Doctor’s The Sims family in “Real Life.” She reprograms his bubblegum characters to have something closer to agency of their own, challenging the Doc to learn to compromise with and respect his fake wife and fake kids. Ya know, skills that he can use with his actual crew!

B’Elanna and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Honorless Day I’m a sucker for the quiet reflection and character study that we see in “Day of Honor” when Torres and Paris are on the brink of death, floating in space helplessly in EV suits. In confronting what could be her final moments, Torres finds some clarity in her existence. And it’s just a touching admission for her to voice her love for Tom, kicking off their romance arc.

I’m going to have to deactivate you It’s telegraphed from pretty early in the episode, but it’s still impressive when Torres takes out Dejaren with an isomimetic conduit in “Revulsion.” We do give her credit for trying to help the wayward hologram in the first place, but she’s also smart enough to see through his facade and keep herself alive when he predictably goes nuts and tries to kill her because she’s corporeal.

Where’s the boob tube? This is a smaller detail but it’s indicative of the Torres-Paris relationship. When Tom returns from a two-week away mission, B’Elanna surprises him with a classic TV set in “Memorial.” It’s surprising Tom didn’t already have one, so it’s a good touch to see that B’Elanna knows exactly the kind of thing that would make his day, like a loving and thoughtful partner would.

We’re still alive and I’m still asking Star Trek overall is hit or miss when it comes to character relationships (one day, we’ll cover them all!), but Tom and B’Elanna just work. Sure, they both do stupid things sometimes, and you’ll see them in our Worst Moments lists, but Torres marrying Paris in “Drive” is weirdly right. It’s a joy to see how much they complement and expand each other’s characters. <3

Not every Cardassian is arrogant and cruel Wow, Torres gets held hostage by holograms a lot, doesn’t she? The thing I like most about “Flesh and Blood” is Torres’s interaction with the Cardassian hologram engineer Kejal. As we’ll see below, Torres has a bit of a tiff with Cardassians, but like she did with Danara Pel in “Lifesigns,” she’s able to treat this one like an individual and work together to save the day!

—

Worst moments

I know this weapon very well You know I love it when the same episode pops up on two lists. Even though Torres did a great job disarming the Cardassian missile in “Dreadnought,” don’t forget that it was her fault that this thing was careening around in the Delta Quadrant in the first place. She knows this thing like the back of her hand because she was the one that reprogrammed it for the Maquis!

No means NO! I will shit on pon farr every opportunity I get, the same way I shit on oomox jokes. So even though Torres herself isn’t to blame for contracting pon farr in “Blood Fever,” it sure is the writers’ fault. It’s just so gross to watch this strong character lose her agency because of that creep Vorik, and it’s even worse that she tries to rape Tom even when he rightly tells her no.

No PDAs next to the warp core The Torres-Paris relationship is quite cute, as we stated up above, but their constant making out in the middle of engineering in “Scientific Method” is unprofessional. Guys, your coworkers on the first floor can totally see and hear everything, and we know how loud Klingon mating is, so keep it in your quarters when you’re off the clock before Tuvok writes you up.

If thoughts could kill… Even compared to other Klingons, Torres’s temper is substantial. The strength of the violent mental image she concocts in “Random Thoughts” pushes the Mari who experience it into committing murder. So really, how bad must it have been if it had such an exaggerated effect on people that their police force wanted to lobotomize her? Nightmare fuel, no doubt.

Try to remember that we are not just a bunch of drones Ever since Seven of Nine first joins the crew in “The Gift,” Torres is a major bitch to the former Borg. She’s opposed to working with her in “Day of Honor” because of her background even though Seven is recuperating, and it’s not until Chakotay orders her to chill out on the poor woman in “Message in a Bottle” that Torres shows her any respect at all.

Where’s Counselor Troi when you need her? We will say on the podcast that Voyager badly needed a counselor until the cows come home, and “Extreme Risk” is the perfect example of that. Torres is clearly coping with trauma, among a lot of other stressors, but instead of coping with it in a healthy way, she opts for the dangerous solution of getting herself injured in the holodeck all the time. At least program a Freud puppet!

As far as I’m concerned, they’re all cold-blooded killers Somehow, even though Torres was able to put racism aside in “Lifesigns” to help Danara Pel, she won’t give an inch to Cardassians in “Nothing Human” to save herself. And this Cardassian isn’t even real! It seems like a weird hill to literally die on for Torres to be so stubborn and willfully naive to refuse care. At least ask the Doc to reprogram Moset’s face first!

You must learn to master your emotions So most of “Juggernaut” is a Best Moment for B’Elanna but I ran out of slots above, so here we go. Even though she successfully figures out the whole Malon ship problem and discovers the true identity of the Vihaar, so much of the episode feels like a regression because Torres spends so much of it angry and violent – a backpedal for how far she’s come as a character.

Death becomes her Speaking of character regressions. This show can’t seem to decide where Torres ever stands in her relationship with her Klingon culture, and “Barge of Dead” goes all in on mystical claptrap. Despite five previous seasons of keeping her roots at an arm’s length, Torres uncharacteristically jumps into this dangerous death ritual with both feet. What the Gre’thor?

Such a Mary Sue It’s sweet that Torres is so nice to Kellis the playwright while he writes his Voyager fanfiction in “Muse.” But she crosses the line when she decides to improv an ending for Kellis’s play just because she’s so egotistical that she doesn’t want him to kill her character off, beaming out in front of the whole audience. It might be the most selfish reason for breaking the Prime Directive yet!

I’d say you’re capable of a lot more than delivering PADDs, if you know what I mean I blame this one more on the writers than on B’Elanna, but it still made me uncomfortable. Icheb gets it into his hormone-fueled head that Torres has taken a romantic interest in him in “Nightingale,” which is just peak adolescent boy fantasy. Unknowingly, she leads him on, and what I’m sure was supposed to be a joke just feels cringe. Really, she should’ve decked him.

Genetic modification is the treatment of choice Close to the end of the show, we’re back to Torres’s fraught view of her Klingon genes when she learns her unborn daughter will have head ridges in “Lineage.” Torres falls yet again into a spiral of self-loathing, assuming Tom will leave her the way her father did, and she tries to trick the EMH into surgically altering the fetus to remove any Klingon attributes. That is without honor!

—

Let’s restore some honor to this post before we move on to our next character spotlight. Keep watching here as we go through the whole Voyager crew and also keep following along as we’ve finally reached season 4 of Enterprise over on the watchalong podcast at SoundCloud or whatever listening app you like best. You can also bond with us about science over on Facebook and Twitter, and if you’ve got Klingon rage problems, maybe talk to the EMH about it.

[spockvarietyhour]

Jane Badler as Diana in V's "Dreadnought"

[ashes-2-ashes57cba]

The Clone Wars: Unfinished Business

The 4th and final part of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc with my OC: Specter! If you've stuck around this far, dear reader, thank you so much for taking an interest in Specter. Her story has just begun and I will be posting the first episode of The Bad Batch: Specter next Friday (5/10/24). As for the format of this episode; since the original went back and forth between Anakin's team and Obi-wan/Mace's teams, this will remain with Anakin and the Bad Batch, just to keep continuity towards Specter's perspective. this has been edited. Enjoy!

Specter finished adjusting her hair just as Crosshair and Hunter arrived with the rest of their gear. Wrecker hung out near her while Tech made a final inspection of the Marauder before their next mission. 

Echo apparently had a plan to help the Republic take back Anaxes; while Generals Windu and Kenobi had the ground, the Bad Batch, Rex, General Skywalker, and Echo would infiltrate Admiral Trench’s dreadnought and counteract their attack patterns. She couldn’t care less about the specifics, as long as it would lead to a Republic victory.

“Tech, is everything ready?” Hunter asked.

“Yup, Sarge. We are ready. Still not sure how we’re gonna land on that ship.”

“Don’t worry. Echo says he’s got a plan,” Rex assured, coming up behind Tech.

“That makes me feel so much better,” Tech replied flatly with a shake of his head.

“What do you mean by that?”

“To be blunt—”

“He’s always blunt,” Specter said as she passed by. Tech sighed and continued.

“His mind belonged to the Separatists until we unplugged him. We don’t really know where his loyalties lie,” he admitted, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

“Right.. Well, I do know. Now, get moving,” Rex said gruffly. 

Once everyone was on the ship, they took off, veering away from the Republic fleet heading towards planet-side battle and up to the Admiral’s dreadnought. 

“Please tell me we are blowing something up,” Wrecker hoped with almost child-like anticipation.

“Sorry, Wrecker, once again, this is strictly stealth,” said General Skywalker. 

“I hate that word,” the brute groaned in complaint. 

“I don’t,” Specter said with a smirk.

“Well, of course you wouldn’t. Your name is Specter.”

“Both of you, focus, please,” Anakin chided before turning. “Echo, you’re up.” The clone nodded and went toward the console.

“Don’t worry. As soon as I plug in, I’ll send a signal to the command ship.” He plugged his scomp-arm into the port.

“What type of signal are you gonna send? Nothing that’ll give us away, right?” Hunter eyed Echo cautiously. The entire Bad Batch was uneasy about the situation: the situation being Echo. Specter couldn’t help but agree with what Tech had said earlier, worried the Separatists could easily turn Echo against them, or somehow find out their plan of attack. 

“As far as the droids are concerned, we’re just gonna be another one of their shuttles coming in for a landing,” Echo explained.

“And the regs think we take risks,” Hunter mumbled just loud enough for Specter to hear. She chuckled, playfully elbowing him in the ribs with a smirk.

“Sending the signal now.” 

The team waited in silence, hoping the plan would work. 

“Roger, roger, Shuttle TC-159. You may approach and land,” a battle droid said through the radio. Specter let out an audible sigh of relief.

“I’d still rather blow it up,” Wrecker grumbled as they approached and landed on the underbelly of the massive ship.

“I have a feeling you’ll get your chance, given our track record,” Specter muttered.

“Shall we bet on it?” Tech asked from the pilot’s chair. She snickered.

“Let’s not bet on the chances of a certainty.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The team landed aboard the dreadnought undetected. So far, the coast was clear as the Bad Batch, General Skywalker, Rex, and Echo snuck through the corridors of the ship and towards the comm vault. 

Specter led the group, occasionally signaling for the team to proceed. Her pistol was raised and ready for any potential scuffle. 

They reached the vault. Specter held up a fist, the group paused before she scanned the area and indicated the coast was clear, letting Tech come forward and use his datapad to open the vault. He followed the General, Captain, and Echo inside while the others stood guard.

It was all up to Echo now.

Skywalker reappeared a minute later, the rest of the team gathered around.

“Alright, Echo will be in the system in just a moment. Are there any other entrances to the vault?”

“Not that we’ve seen, but we could always do a quick sweep,” said Hunter. “You, me, and Wrecker can double-check the perimeter. Twins? You two keep an eye on things in this immediate area, but stay off comms. If we end up detected, it’ll be best to give you more time. If none of us find anything, we’ll rendezvous back here,” Hunter ordered. They nodded and split, sans Specter and Crosshair. The former of the two slouched against a wall and sighed dramatically.

[I’m bored], she signed with her hands, exaggerating the slouch in her shoulders and letting her head fall back against the wall.

[We just got here], he replied, frustratedly signing, Specter could tell he wasn’t in the mood for her antics, which gave her all the more reason to continue. 

[But we’re just keeping guard and I'm not detecting any activity in this area.]

[Would you rather be in there?] he nodded towards the inner chamber. Specter sighed, contemplating. [Do you trust him?]

[No], that answer was easy. [But we’ll see how he pulls through. I think he can tell we don’t exactly like him.]

[I'm not a fan of ghosts], Crosshair shrugged as he signed. Specter’s shoulders bounced in silent laughter. 

[I’ll try not to be offended.]

[I’m not a fan of you either], he teased.

[I'll never forgive you now.] He made the motion of swiping at her, shaking his head. [I really wonder if the Separatists could take control of him again], she signed, keeping an eye on the room. 

[Anything is possible], he shrugged. 

“What are you two talking about?” Hunter asked, reappearing with Wrecker and Skywalker. 

“Nothing,” they simultaneously said, crossing their arms. 

“Oh yeah? Then what’s Echo’s status?” Hunter waited for an answer, they said nothing, only sheepishly hanging their heads and taking arms once more. Wrecker laughed, taking a position by the main entrance, while Hunter shook his head and took off his helmet, moving to stand by the door with Skywalker. 

“I’m intercepting a transmission,” Tech said from the inner chamber, catching the group’s attention. “Trench is ordering all of his droids… to the assembly complex.” 

The same one Generals Kenobi and Windu were attempting to take back. Specter gripped her rifle a little tighter, craning her neck to peer inside. 

“Alright, Echo, what are you trying to pull?” Hunter accused, stepping towards the clone.

“Don’t worry, that’s what I told them to do,” Echo assured, seeming all too confident in his risky move. His tone made Specter uneasy.

“That’s making me worry more,” Specter chimed in. Crosshair shot her a look and she shrugged. 

“Our troops will be vastly outnumbered,” said Rex, seeming to doubt his friend for a moment.

“Not when I send them a feedback pulse that shuts down all the droids,” countered Echo.

“Oh, right. Sure thing. Problem solved,” Specter remarked sarcastically.

“How do we know that’s what you’re really trying to do?” Tech questioned.

“We have to trust him,” Rex said after a beat of silence. 

“Rex is right,” Skywalker affirmed. “Echo, we’re all counting on you.” The clone nodded and went to work. Hunter motioned for Specter to stand down, but still shared a wary glance with her and Tech. Crosshair went to stand by his twin—who had rested her rifle against the wall—watching as Skywalker reported to the planet-side Generals.

“Master Windu, I know this sounds crazy, but it’s about to get a little more crowded where you are.” Crosshair looked at her, she held up a hand for him to wait and hear.

“We have our hands full as it is. What is your plan?” Windu replied. 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it isn’t my plan. Echo is drawing all the droids to your position so he can neutralize them all at the same time,” he explained. 

[Is he really?] He signed

[I can’t say. Best we can do is trust him and wait], she replied. [I don’t like it either.]

So they waited with baited breath, either for the clone forces on Anaxes to be overwhelmed, or for Echo to come through and shut down all the droids. Hunter and Skywalker exited the room, allowing Echo to finish the job. Specter anxiously and instinctively brought a hand up to chew on her nails, but forced it back down, not wanting to take off her helmet or seem unprofessional. Several minutes later, General Windu came through the comm.

“I am pleased to report that we are in control of the assembly complex, and all of the fronts are falling to the Republic thanks to Echo’s plan,” he said. Skywalker smiled, nodding toward Hunter and the twins before turning back inside. 

“That’s good news, Master Windu. We’re on our way back to the base.”

“May the Force be with you.”

[And also with you], Crosshair signed. Specter choked back a laugh and smacked his arm.

It worked, she thought to herself with a sigh of relief. While she still didn’t exactly trust Echo, she would consider him off of her radar of suspicion. 

“Good job, Echo,” Skywalker complimented.

“Well, I guess you actually are on our side,” said Hunter.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Echo gave a playful salute and smile. 

Hunter looked as if he might say something before Tech interjected, “Some,” blunt as usual. 

“I second that,” Specter called into the room. Rex chuckled and waved his arm as if dismissing her.

“Come on, brother, unplug and let’s get out of here.”

[Happy now, Specter?]

[Yes, finally], she signed with relaxed hands. She picked up her rifle and walked with him further down the corridor, closer to Wrecker, ready to escape the dreadnought, until Echo called for them to-

“Wait, I just scanned a new order from Trench. He’s initiated a countdown. There’s a bomb hidden at the assembly complex, but it’s big enough to destroy most of Anaxes.”

“Can you stop it?” Skywalker asked.

“Well, I can try,” answered Echo, though he didn’t sound too certain. Skywalker seemed to have an idea and wasted no time running down the hall.

“General, where are you going?” Rex called after him. 

“If you can’t stop the detonation, perhaps Trench can!”

“Detonation?” Wrecker enthusiastically wondered allowed after the Jedi had run past.

“Against the Republic,” the twins replied, shutting down his excitement.

“So we have to hope Echo can shut it down?”

“Yes.”

“Would you two stop saying things at the same time? It creeps me out!” Wrecker cried. 

“No.”

“Awwww, c’mon it's weird!”

At that moment, a metal clanging down the hall caught their attention; Crosshair peered around the corner, pulling back just as a blaster bolt flew past his head. 

Trench knew they were there.

Without another word, the three took positions and fired back, though they didn’t make much of a dent in the oncoming forces.  

Hunter eventually caught up with them, Tech, Rex, and a barely conscious Echo trailed behind.

“We got company!” Wrecker shouted, charging forward to assist Crosshair and Specter in their coverfire. “What happened to him?” he nodded towards Echo.

“Electrical feedback overloaded his systems,” Tech answered. “Sabotage from Admiral Trench.”

“Great,” muttered Crosshair.

“Hey, we’re almost through!”

“Don’t jinx it, Wrecker,” Specter warned as she switched from her rifle for her shotgun. Taking center stage, she fired a few shots at the droids, bright bursts of plasma knocked the enemy back and gave Wrecker and Crosshair enough cover to shoot them down and clear the way.

“Now, let’s get moving before another wave comes,” Hunter ordered with a nod.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wrecker, Crosshair, and Specter cleared the way ahead while Hunter and Tech provided cover from droids approaching from behind. The unit created a protective circle around Rex, who had Echo slung over his shoulder.

“We can’t blast our way out. There’s too many of them,” Rex said, placing down Echo when another wave of droids appeared in their path. Without another word, Wrecker handed Hunter his blaster and cracked his knuckles, Hunter aimed down each end of the hall. 

“Oh, here we go,” Specter caught sight of Wrecker punching his fists together and running into the line of fire.

“What’s he doing?” Rex asked.

“Time to release the wrecking ball!” he shouted, charging at the droids. He barreled through them, punching and throwing them down, clearing their path.

“I honestly feel bad for those droids,” Hunter mentioned as the team crouched down, waiting for the assault to finish.

“You don’t feel bad when he crashes into me during training,” Specter accused. 

“I think you turned out fine.” 

Wrecker made his way through the last of the droids, pounding the last one’s head.

“It’s all clear!” he shouted, waving. The group got up, ready to move out.

“More droids,” Tech noticed them approaching down the other end of the hall. 

“Go. I’ll buy you some time,” Crosshair said, moving in front of Tech. He threw a reflective puck at the small group; it stuck to a droid and he shot it down. Firing again, the blaster bolt bounced off the reflective surface, hitting all the droids.

“We’ll meet you at the infiltration point,” Rex said as the group vacated the area.

“Hey, if you die, can I have your stuff?” Specter asked before she left. Crosshair looked at her, his silence an indication of his deadpan expression underneath his helmet. She giggled and ran off.

“Oh! He’s gonna try and top me,” Wrecker complained as Hunter gave him back his blaster. “You watch.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group made it to the infiltration point, but Tech turned back towards the halls.

“I’m picking up dozens of droids on my sensors, all heading this way,” he announced.

“Hope you’re not waiting on me,” a voice said. It was Anakin, running down the hall to meet them. 

“Now all we’re missing is Crosshair,” Hunter reported.

“Speaking of,” Specter said, noticing as he sprinted, leaving behind a trail of more reflective pucks on the walls. 

“You miss me?” he asked once he met up with the group. A big group of droids were right behind him.

Who wouldn’t miss your ever dramatic charm? Specter thought with a scoff.  

“How touching,” he drawled, using the platform on his shoulder-piece to stabilize his rifle. He fired, hitting the last reflective puck, and the blast ricocheted down the hall, hitting every droid as it bounced from puck to puck. 

“He thinks he’s so cool when he does that,” Specter muttered, walking off with her rifle slung over her shoulder. Wrecker lifted up his helmet, gaping at the damage.

“Relax, Wrecker. You’ll top him next time,” Hunter comforted.

“No he won’t,” the sniper chimed in, following the group. The brute pouted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They made a quick escape, everyone piling into the ship as Tech detached from the underbelly of the dreadnought and flew away.  

“I’ve got a present for you, Wrecker,” Anakin said, holding up a detonator for the clone. 

“Oh, seriously?” he said excitedly. “I get to blow it up? The whole stinking thing?” Wrecker grabbed the detonator and almost cradled it in his hands. He wiped away a tear. “This is the happiest day of my life,” he said between sniffles. He pressed the button.

Specter watched as explosions erupted a second later, destroying the dreadnought and the surrounding ships, from her spot near the rear cannon, smiling at the damage done.

Mission accomplished.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Captain Rex, Corporal Echo, and Clone Force 99,” General Windu said as they all stood at attention, “you all have done a great service for the Republic. Thanks to your courage and effort, Republic shipyards will soon be up and running again.” The Jedi walked away with a respectful nod.

“You’ve got some medals coming your way,” General Kenobi said with a smile before following Windu.

“Thank you, General,” Rex said. He and Echo went to walk, but Echo noticed the Bad Batch did not go to follow.

“You coming?” he asked.

“Not really our thing,” Tech admitted.

“Accolades,” Crosshair hissed. 

“Yeah, we’re just in it for the thrill. Yo!” Wrecker said with enthusiasm, pumping his fist.

“We know we’re good, we don’t need a medal to tell us so,” Specter said with a smirk and a hand on her hip. 

“You sure it’s your thing?” Hunter asked Echo. 

“What do you mean?”

“Your path is different,” he explained before giving a deep huff of a chuckle, “like ours. If you ever feel like you don’t fit in with them, well, find us.” Echo watched as Hunter nodded his group back to their ship. Rex came up to his friend.

“Those are some of the finest troopers I’ve ever fought alongside.” The captain put a hand on Echo’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “Echo. You and I go way back. If you feel that’s where you feel your place is, then that’s where you belong,” Rex encouraged, patting his shoulder and turning to go. Echo looked toward the Batch again.

As Rex walked he knew Echo wouldn’t stay; he turned and saw him talking with the group. Echo turned back to Rex and saluted, leading the rest of the Bad Batch to stand at attention and salute too. Echo was one of them now.

And that's the end of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc! I hope you enjoyed that! Stay tuned for next week!

[elbiotipo]

Honestly surprised the rest of south America doesn't hate Brazil. We were such pieces of shit in the 19th century lol. Constantly installing puppet governments in Uruguay and Argentina, killing 80% of Paraguay's male population, etc. Real empire stuff lol

It was a big deal between the mid XIX and early XX century, the Argentina-Brazil rivalry today is mostly fútbol but back then it was a real geopolitical thing (see the South American Dreadnought Race, one of the stupidest episodes of the continent). I'm not sure when the modern sense of Latin American unity started to develop (since the idea predates independence) but I think it was in the period of relative peace in the XXth century. Perón is one of the first Argentine leaders of note who especifically talks about an union with Brazil to overcome imperialism.

When I look back at the sad mess that was the XIX century and the wars of independence and "national organization" it only reinforces my belief that you can't understand Latin American history without taking it as a whole. Brasil intervened in Argentina, Argentina intervened in Brasil, Chile with Bolivia and Perú, Colombia with the Caribbean, and all with the interventions of the European powers (IIRC Spain tried to invade Perú as late as the 1840s) and the US, it's all connected.

[kudosmyhero]

Daredevil (vol. 1) #121: Foggy Nelson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Read Date: July 04, 2023 Cover Date: May 1975 ● Writer: Tony Isabella ● Penciler: William Robert Brown ● Inker: Vince Colletta ● Colorist: Don Warfield ● Letterer: Karen Mantlo ● Editor: Len Wein ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● DD kinda deserved that smackdown, the body-shamer! ● but then Nick Fury turns around and body shames, too. [sigh] ● heh, DD and Widow’s sparring session

● 👏👏👏

Synopsis: Daredevil and everyone gathered at Foggy Nelson's New Years Eve party are shocked to learn that the reason why Hydra crashed it is because Nick Fury intends on recruiting Foggy into S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury explains that congress has decided that S.H.I.E.L.D. is to be independently run and named Nick Fury Director of Operations. However, official S.H.I.E.L.D. policy is to be determined by a five man committee and Fury has tabled Foggy Nelson as one of the committee members. When everyone begins to wonder where Matt Murdock is, Daredevil makes a hasty retreat so he can sneak into another room and change into his civilian identity.

Later that day, Daredevil and Black Widow are training in Matt's private gym. Daredevil is distracted because he's worried about Foggy. Much to his surprise however, the Black Widow has sent Ivan to keep an eye on him and make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps him safe. When Matt attempts to entice a romantic moment with the Black Widow, Natasha rebuffs him telling him she is not ready to dive back into their relationship again and that she needs time. While at Hydra's secret headquarters, El Jaguar reports back to the Supreme Hydra of his failure. Wishing to capture Nelson, the Supreme Hydra decides to send the robotic Dreadnought to collect the District Attorney.

The next day at City Hall, Ivan and the Black Widow are staking out the place while Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson attend to business inside. As soon as the pair exit the building they are ambushed by Hydra agents, who are then counteracted by S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives that have been hiding out in the area. The Dreadnought arrives and knocks Matt aside, allowing for Murdock to change into Daredevil. As he is occupied, the Black Widow attacks the robot, but finds herself woefully outmatched.

When Daredevil joins the fight not even he is much of a help and the Dreadnought manages to easily defeat both heroes with it's various devices. Foggy surrenders to the robot when it threatens to kill the Black Widow, and is soon carried off by the Dreadnought.

When they all recover from the fight, Black Widow demands that Fury give her all the intelligence he has on Hydra, as she intends to go alone and rescue the man who gave himself up so that she might live, vowing to destroy Hydra if they have so much as harmed Foggy Nelson.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Daredevil_Vol_1_121)

Fan Art: Twart - 60s Nick Fury by ronsalas

Accompanying Podcast: ● Josh and Jamie Do Daredevil - episode 20

[spacefinch]

A list of Star Trek episode titles that are one word each:

TOS:

Miri

Arena

Catspaw

Metamorphosis

Obsession

TNG:

Justice

Haven

Datalore

Symbiosis

Conspiracy

Contagion

Manhunt

Evolution

Allegiance

Sarek

Family

Brothers

Legacy

Reunion

Clues

Qpid

Redemption

Darmok

Disaster

Unification

Violations

Conundrum

Ethics

Relics

Schisms

Rascals

Aquiel

Tapestry

Birthright

Lessons

Suspicions

Timescape

Decent

Liaisons

Interface

Gambit

Phantasms

Attached

Inheritance

Parallels

Homeward

Masks

Genesis

Firstborn

Bloodlines

Emergence

DS9:

Babel

Dax

Vortex

Progress

Duet

Cardassians

Melora

Sanctuary

Rivals

Whispers

Paradise

Shadowplay

Crossover

Tribunal

Equilibrium

Meridian

Defiant

Destiny

Visionary

Explorers

Shakaar

Facets

Indiscretion

Rejoined

Crossfire

Accession

Rapture

Resurrection

Waltz

Inquisition

Valiant

Afterimage

Chrysalis

Covenant

Chimera

Penumbra

Voyager:

Caretaker

Parallax

Phage

Emanations

Cathexis

Faces

Jetrel

Initiations

Projections

Elogium

Twisted

Parturition

Tattoo

Maneuvers

Resistance

Prototype

Alliances

Threshold

Meld

Dreadnought

Lifesigns

Investigations

Deadlock

Innocence

Tuvix

Resolutions

Basics

Flashbacks

Remember

Warlord

Macrocosm

Coda

Unity

Darkling

Rise!

Displaced

Scorpion

Nemesis

Revulsion

Hunters

Prey

Retrospect

Unforgettable

Demon

One

Night

Drone

Timeless

Counterpoint

Gravity

Bliss

Juggernaut

Relativity

Warhead

Equinox

Alice

Riddles

Pathfinder

Virtuoso

Memorial

Tsunkatse

Collective

Fury

Imperfection

Drive

Repression

Nightingale

Shattered

Lineage

Repentance

Prophecy

Workforce

Q2

Homestead

Endgame

Enterprise

Unexpected

Civilization

Fusion

Acquisition

Oasis

Detained

Minefield

Marauders

Singularity

Dawn

Stigma

Canamar

Judgement

Horizon

Cogenitor

Regeneration

Bounty

Anomaly

Extinction

Rajiin

Impulse

Exile

Twilight

Similitude

Stratagem

Harbinger

Hatchery

Damage

Home

Borderland

Awakening

Kir’Shara

Daedalus

United

Affliction

Divergence

Bound

Demons

Discovery

Lethe

Brother

Scavengers

Su’Kal

Anomaly

Rubicon

Rosetta

Lower Decks

Envoys

Veritas

Grounded

Reflections

The Animated Series

Yesteryear

Bem

Albatross

Short Treks

Calypso

Runaway

Picard

Remembrance

Nepenthe

Penance

Assimilation

Watcher

Monsters

Mercy

Farewell

Disengage

Imposters

Dominion

Surrender

Võx

Strange New Worlds (so far)

Charades