#Enterprise commentary

[soulerflaire]

Something else I'm getting tired of is the writers putting the Enterprise into these moral dilemma situations where the choices are "Commit obviously evil act" or "Fail to stop the Xindi".

Especially when it's not that black and white. Archer didn't even think for a second to ask the aliens to take him and a few others to meet with Degra in exchange for the trellium-D. He went straight to boarding party, stealing the warp coil, and stranding the aliens in space where they would likely starve to death, since they said they weren't equipped for the 3-year journey it would take to get home without warp.

This is not Starfleet. This is not what I want to see in Star Trek. I want to see our heroes facing down impossible odds and sticking to their principles anyway. I want them to look at an uncaring universe and say "I care."

I do not want to see them resort to banditry and murder.

[dumb-alek]

Say what you want about SNW but I REALLY loved the way in the episode where Pike sees the future where Jim is not the captain of the Enterprise lil glimpses we get of him having just insane professional chemistry with Spock.

Like across realities and in different universes, Kirk sees Spock across the room through a video transmission and calls him impressive. It's like a jolt, bullseye, and laser focus towards eachother before they even meet in person.

They instantly agree and see eachother's point of view. There's SPARKS. I genuinely felt watching this as if they were the only people in the room (and I feel like the camera work in that conference room helped with that - purposely).

Not to mention Jim's full body turn he does when he watches Spock leave, which to me definitely betrayed some kind of interest on Jim's part.

I get being mad at comphet Spock, (though TOS did comphet Spock also so 🤷) and I think if snw went in a slightly different direction with Chapel they could do something interesting and canon-compliant, which is a shame.

But after finishing the 1st season I really do feel the show only gets better (when they lay off the one liners a bit and focus more on the honestly pretty cool episode ideas they have), and it looks like it's done with love, attention to details and understanding, overall, what star trek is. (Which I can't say about some other star trek media cough cough).

But most importantly, at least for the sake of this post and for the sake of the ship that started modern fandom culture, I feel like they understand the gravity of K/S.

Now, I'm not deluding myself that they're going to 'get together' within SNW, if it's to keep with the tos timeline even in the slightest. And as much as I enjoy the show, it doesn't seem likely for it to be breaking any new grounds. Besides, at this point in time it would make no sense, considering there's no space for them to be together in TOS until season three at best. Any alternatives would either be either out of character, or simply upsetting (such as an on and off relationship, a breakup, things I don't want to think about 😞)

HOWEVER. They already made a hint Chapel is bisexual, and while they do try to generally keep with TOS canon - they diverge from it only when they think they are the point A from which they can get to point B, which is TOS. I don't always agree with their vision, but I can respect it. So I wouldn't be that surprised (though ecstatic) if they hinted at at least at Kirk being bisexual, here and there.

And in TOS canon Spirk is inescapable. If we ignore the romantic interpretation, which is already pretty hard to ignore, then in their capacity as soulmates - a part of canon that's impossible to ignore. And with as little Jim and Spock as we got so far, I think they understand that.

In SNW keeping Kirk and Spock apart messed up the whole timeline! You could say that Spock dying is what really messed it up, but we can clearly see the episode we've seen in TOS from a different perspective and things went south the moment Chris started to act. Both Kirk and Spock are there - both the same as in the regular timeline, in their respective duties. But they're not together and them not being together is so bad for the universe that Chris has to go back in time to tell himself to die (well not die but suffer from a horrific accident).

And if it doesn't feel extremely monumental, soulmate level shit idk what to tell you

[mejomonster]

I found a watch podcast for DS9 and I am loving it a lot. The first watch/podcast that picks up on Garashir, that comments on characterization and writing changes over time (which is the kind of stuff I love most), and its got some fun trivia!

[more-better-words]

So, we’re off and running! Anything extra you can impart to your loyal readers about Chapter 2: Priorities, of The Place We Call Home, the fourth and final part of your “Built to Last” series? Thank you!

And we're immediately back to table setting! 😆

Because this is the story of Trip and T'Pol and their kids, so I have to get them to a place where kids can happen! The career realignments they were both working towards What We Build Here are going to shift a bit - after all, we've had a war since then. So Trip's taking some well deserved time off, and T'Pol...well, we'll get to her trajectory soon.

I am particularly proud of Malcolm's multi-tasking here - getting a drink with his dear friend AND trying to satisfy his curiosity about the Coalition conference, all at once! It was a valiant effort, Malcolm. Too bad Trip (house husband extraordinaire) wasn't falling for it. Better luck next time.

I love getting to write the little cozy domestic moments with Trip and T'Pol like the one this chapter ends on. It's catnip for me - I need an excuse to just endlessly write about them coming home from work, having dinner, and just enjoying being together. It would probably bore anyone else to tears, but it makes me so happy to give them that.

And also to give them the kids they so dearly and desperately want. Enter our old friend V'Ryn! 😁

[sensitivelittlevorta]

Enterprise Season 1 Episode 1 and 2 Broken Bow

1:42-1:50 Dude, that looks uncomfortable. Also, the way he pushed his ass through like he was swimming.

2:06-2:15 what the hell was stored in that thing no way that was just the weapon?! I thought that’s like a silo and there is just food in there?! But no?

2:40 OH MY GOD THE THEME SONG OH MY GOD I LOVE IT. HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THEME SONG?!

6:20 Klingot… Gringotts

7:20 Ooooh, the creepy smile doctor

7:45 isn’t dying because of wounds you got in battle but not in the actual battle actually pretty bad for a Klingon and you won’t go to whatever-it-is-called or is it the same? For the norse it is bad, I remember Thor telling Sif that in the fourth Thor movie.

8:22 (this is terrible, because of mouth movement or translating issues of idioms which don’t exist in other cultures they sometimes have to change sentences and they changed ‘knock you on your ass’ to ‘über’s Knie legen’ which literally translates to laying someone over their knees (so you can spank them (in a disciplining way)) but you can imagine what I thought when he figuratively said he wanted to spank her…💀 )

9:18 oooh, soval didn’t like being called out

10:20 Theee dooooooooggggg. Riiiiighthhtkjadk. They had a dog on board in this series!1!!!!1!!!!!!!

14:30 POOOOOOORTHOOOOOOS111!!1111!11!!!111!!111!!!!!!!111!11

18:20 why does the Enterprise have a disc slot…? Although it looks more like a snow shovel in this shot.🤣

20:04 is the Chinese food in San Francisco in 2150 authentic? Is the food there now authentic?

20:25 What do you think is in your normal day food? There’s literally bugshit in some candies. Don’t be so shocked about the droppings of some alien animal to be used as medicine.

21:27 that grin. That godamm grin. Also I think it made Archer doubt his life decisions for a split second

21:28 I remember that scene!

22:50 yeah… I definitely remember that scene… what a funny joke… third hand… funny… why? he doesn’t even have three hands🥲

24:10 I really wonder if we will still eat meat regularly in 2150. The number of people who don’t is rising, but how high will it rise in the next 100 years?

25:04 how many times did she have to try that?! Also, Archer is not impressed but very amused.

31:00 The Vulcans are out there and really think they know everything and are allowed to dictate the humans how to live life. What about meddling with other species? Oh yeah, my bad. That’s only forbidden until the species can use warp drive. After that they can just tell others what to do and what not to do. This really makes me hate Vulcans, but pretty sure that’s wanted, so…, good writing?

31:31 wäääähhhh!

31:46 wääääh. I don’t want to look at that! Please close him up. I don’t care about his lungs.

35:10 those green guys’ skin reminds me of those red rubbery running tracks. Also, I hate it when they speak a different language and require me to look at the screen to read the subtitles, I have no idea what they said in the beginning because I was looking at my phone

36:20 those jackets look awful. Ugly snake leather jackets

37:03 and you just know those Rigellians are smaller than Klingons?

38:45 are they naked? Are they clothed? Are they both?

39:40 gosh. I remember that scene and I am pretty sure I didn’t like it

40:04 please don’t say anything Trip. You have no idea what’s going on.

40:22-40:43 I told you! don’t say anything! If T’Pol says that, then please believe her. And she is right with interfering. Please don’t gimme anymore secondhand embarrassment.

41:03 can you at least give me one thing an enclave can mean?

43:27 pretty sure being bigger than an alien doesn’t mean you’re also stronger than them or that they don’t know how to turn that against you.

43:45 dude what? Why? Girl?! Why? I wouldn’t want to get kissed by some random alien that’s holding me captive… no matter how attractive they seem to be… Especially when she looks completely different after it!

44:09 and very close contact can’t just be skin contact? Like cheek on cheek? Or just hand on hand? Does it need to be the head? Can’t you just hug him? Why does it always have to be something sexual?

46:18 she dead. (also what kinda run was that steppystep over her and then steppysteprun XD)

46:47 you really should remember where you parked your car. My father taught me that since I was little. I thought Vulcans and Humans of the 22nd century should know that.

52:00 Why is this so sexual? I have no idea what they’re talking about because I am too busy feeling unwell because of that sexual massage thing they have going on.

52:25 why did she just shortly smear the cream on his back and then went to his legs? Surely, he is very capable of doing his legs himself. Can you please smear it on his back? Again, shortly back to the back and then suddenly his shoulders and his ears. He can do that himself? Just smear it in a nonsexual way on his back, please?! Now that we can’t see her doing his back, she is doing his back? They just show the sexual parts, yes? And the normal back one is off camera? Of course. And then he just leaves. Are they even allowed to leave yet? (imagine that with Archer and Shran though. In the same weird sexual way, but they just talk normally about their mission and then leave, and the audience is just hungry for more)

53:23 yummy…

53:43 (why are his legs less hairy than his chest? Is that normal? That’s a serious question, I have no knowledge about stuff like that)

45:30 is it logical to do that?

58:45 safety belts seem to be a good idea in general on board of starships. The amount of times people fly out of theirs seats on those series is way too high to not have seatbelts xd

59:49 that’s the Caretaker's array

1:01:20 Hoshi is about to get a panic attack

1:01:30 is that their tractor beam?! When was the tractor beam invented? That’s just two gacha claws on strings? How do you even aim that? If you miss with them, you have to retrieve them and shoot them again. I love it.

1:01:55 is that making fun of themselves because in the other series their displays also look like that?

1:03:38 would it? I thought nothing beats accidentally killing an alien when you just wanted to stun them…

1:03:58 sounds like you have a few squirrels in the controls

1:06:10 how you know that wasn’t killing?

1:11:08 disco!!! Where’s the music though? That was an elevator? Just more reason to wonder where the music was.

1:11:45 *snickers* *snorts* *starts laughing out loud*

1:13:10 why do those people always claim to know more about someone then the person themselves? I mean it makes sense in this setting with timetravel and all that, but in general, why do they think they know more? They can’t look into their heads, so why do they say that? Just to impress or frighten the other? I would be neither impressed nor frightened. Although I would be frightened to be in those situations in general 😅

1:15:10 is the timethingie going on in there also changing the way sound moves or why can’t neither of them locate the other by the origin of their voice?

1:15:25 that looked like it should have crushed his skull

1:16:00 eeeww

1:15:49-1:16:05 first scene: green running track guy has a strange hold on Archers uniform

                second scene: green running track guy suddenly has Archer in a strange chokehold

                third scene: green running track guy suddenly doesn’t have Archer in a strange chokehold anymore

1:16:25 same. I would be glad to be in one piece too. His face and hands though

Absolute shock on his face of having been beamed and he's still in one piece.

1:17:48 that smile…

1:18:13 The information is in his DNA?! That is small. Very small.

1:18:47 but I want to know what he said?! Tell me, Hoshi!

1:18:54 POOOOORHTOOOOOS. Awwww, his little tail is wagging so hard it’s just a ‘woosh’. Little baby boy.

[tangleweave]

Which Of the TOS Crew Are You?

Beta Ray Bill's Incredibly Wrong Result:

CHEKOV(?!)

I won't lie - you're kind of a bastard, but you're also a genius (no wonder you're the youngest member of the bridge crew!). Even if you mess up sometimes, you remain confident and daring. You're probably a master at trolling. Some may find you annoying, but they're probably just jealous of your stunning hair and nationality.

"... When this device asked my name, I said Beta Ray Bill, not Peter Parker."

--

Tagged Demanded by: @mutiineer

Tagging: Nope, not gonna tag anyone for this one, I'm lying on the ground from the sheer wrongness.

[giffingthingsss]

Condensed Commentary: Dead Stop

Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong

[daisyachain]

The language of sci-fi was developed alongside pulp adventure stories in ‘exotic lands’ during an era when Britain and France were fighting tooth and nail to keep colonies subdued by any violence necessary up to and including deploying nuclear weapons in range of civilian populations, and were supported by their populations in doing so. Also in an era when the colonization of the Americas was considered a heroic democratic effort and not genocide. The language of space colonization has carried forward even in modern sci-fi and the concept is distinctly different—usually even sci-fi authors consider the eradication of alien species to be more boring than coexistence—causing a bit of whiplash. People in Battlestar Galactica keep referring to ‘colonies’ and ‘colonial’ laws or rules or customs and the effect is the same as when anyone in Star Wars talks about the Empire.

[biblioflyer]

Legacy should be more than legacy.

A wish list for Legacy that embraces as best as it can the warring tribes of Star Trek and could avoid another "The Last Jedi" scenario.

People who have read my Season Three commentary will know that I am far from the last person to cry "memberberry" (did I spell that right? I actually really dislike the concept.)

In processing the broad swath of fandom reaction, it breaks down into a few categories worth thinking about:

People who enjoyed it and see no flaws.

People who enjoyed it in spite of the flaws.

People who disliked it for narrative reasons.

People who disliked it for "meta" reasons.

I would say I'm firmly in that second category. Take for instance Jack Crusher. There's a lot of commentary about him that strikes me as bizarre. A backlash to the implication that there is a portion of the fanbase that is uncritically fawning over him. A segment of the fanbase that I have yet to encounter, although I will admit to not having sought it out.

My initial reaction was to dislike the character for both narrative and meta reasons. Narratively I thought his very existence ran counter to a lot of preconceived notions I had about what the "definitive" version of Jean luc and Beverly are, whether or not they'd even conceive, and if they did how they would handle it. Frankly I felt their relationship had largely been put to bed late in TNG's run and in a very mature way. Not everyone who loves each other needs to be in a relationship or actively bonking. This is a lesson I myself have learned in the fallout of relationships after coming to terms with certain incompatibilities while retaining affection for the whole person in spite of the illogic of maintaining a conventional romantic relationship.

The meta reasons are that he's rather clearly "replaced" in some sense both Elnor and Wesley, although they are both alluded to in the dialogue. I do believe its reasonable to assume we were meant to insert either Elnor or Picard's ex post facto reconciliation with his memories of his father into what is left unstated when he says he would never have been his father. Beverly also references losing both a husband and a son to the stars that Picard was infatuated with.

However, I held my own feelings about this loosely enough that the character was able to prove to me that he "deserved" to exist. That he could be an interesting part of the story.

I was not any less disappointed by the absence of Elnor and Wesley not showing up at all seems completely daft, but the narrative made a satisfying argument to me that Jack could have a place in the story if I was willing to give a little.

As I told the Anon who messaged a while back to say I was being snotty to people who prefer more plausible and immersive worldbuilding and less of the camp and contrivances (and presumably the "memberberries" although I would not want to put words in your mouth if you're still following):

Star Trek belongs to all of us. I believe in a big tent fandom.

Which is why I think that if there is to be a "Star Trek Legacy" it needs to not so much move on from fan service, but to be holistic in its fan service. A particular kind of TNG fan got love bombed by Season Three. I find no sin in this but this also isn't the ideal format for an entire series.

I have repeatedly made note that I think the entire Enterprise-G stuff is not ideal. I don't think the starship service pathway makes sense for Seven, Raffi, or Jack. I think it does a disservice to their character arcs and the broader argument that Star Trek Picard has been making that Starfleet is not the sole source of moral authority in the universe. There are other valid ways to do much needed and good work in the universe. The Fenris Rangers being one example. Jack and Beverly acting as a sort of "Doctors Without Borders" in space being another.

I also don't believe in petty retcons and I do recognize the symbolism of re-christening a heroic ship that is already filled with heroic people "Enterprise" in order to say that what makes Starfleet great isn't its scientific acumen, how many cool gadgets can be stuffed into a frame, or the number and potency of its phasers and photon torpedo launchers, but rather the courage, grace, and openness of its people.

It is in someways symbolic that a path that began with the Federation putting itself between the Romulans and the Synths has now hit another mile marker: with a crew of people who are willing to bend rules in the name of radical decency we are returning to a more "bottom up" Starfleet.

That we arguably already have this in the form of Strange New Worlds is beside the point.

So duly noting that I would have preferred something more like Star Trek La Sirena with our more anarchist characters doing their own thing in their way plugging the gaps that Starfleet can't plug for itself for all of the reasons that Shaw continuously argued, I'm going to lay out a vision of how Star Trek Legacy could be awesome.

Now do DS9

I've long been captivated by the idea of a show that is inspired by the Global War on Terror and the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, but not in the same way that Enterprise or Picard were. Originally my thought was that the post Dominion War Cardassian space would be a good setting for this. Show the reconstruction and the painful work of trying to knit Cardassian society back together and trying to create something that is both pluralistic and functional.

Now I am skeptical of the potential of the real world analogs of post war Cardassia (Iraq and Afghanistan) to have been successful regime changes even under conditions of maximum cultural sensitivity on the part of the occupier and the prudent allocation of resources rather than wildly throwing money at problems in ever growing boondoggles that are utterly useless to the people on the ground but sound logical to the vulture capitalists and well intentioned but largely clueless political scientists infesting the State Department and the staffs of politicians. Consequently I would be very wary of normalizing the idea of military occupations.

However, Starfleet is a good vehicle for exploring the ins and outs of trying to rebuild a society shattered by war. Something that is even more relevant than it was when DS9 first started dabbling in this with its stories centering Bajor.

Now if we're to keep going under the assumption that its been more than two decades since the Dominion War, we could update this to the Romulan resettlement zone. Dropping this storyline like a hot potato after season one is one of my great frustrations with Picard because I desperately wanted to see explicit confirmation that the Federation had indeed been thoroughly shamed into rediscovering its wide eyed, do gooder spirit.

With Discovery and Picard ending, there is a space for a serialized narrative show. While I am very wary of this based on how not great the meta-narratives of Discovery and Picard have been and the addiction to epic stakes, I think it could be done and done well.

So an opportunity presents itself to tie up other loose ends.

Nazi Hunting and Church Committees

Give me more Raffi/Worf buddy cop action.

Give me accountability for Section 31.

Give me justice for the Romulans.

Justice for Elnor!

Put Seven, Raffi, and Jack's skillsets and personality to their best use.

How?

Bring back Sloan.

Whoa whoa whoa. Don't click away. Hear me out. You've read this far.

Project Phoenix? That wasn't for Kirk.

Here's the setup. Section 31 was lobotomized by Sloan's death. By its very nature Section 31 was set up in a set of cells with no one but Sloan knowing the full picture. Independent cells were able to keep going after but after the agency's existence became public knowledge, their existence became ever more precarious. Their list of allies in Starfleet growing ever thinner as their collaborators were exposed or burned Section 31 to prevent exposure. They needed Sloan or at least the contents of his head to find more safe houses, caches, and closets with skeletons in them.

Laris catches wind of Sloan via old contacts. This time its Jean luc who is off world on business and doesn't need to know the details.

With the assistance of Worf and Raffi, a team is assembled to pursue Sloan. The Enterprise-G as it happens, is already there on an errand of mercy making good on almost two decades of back owed aide.

Already aboard? At least two individuals with relevant knowledge and an axe to grind:

Elim Garak, plain, simple reconstruction and conflict resolution specialist.

Julian Bashir, frontier medicine and medical infrastructure reconstruction expert.

If the performers are down for it, I'm okay with canonizing them as queer representation. I'm not necessarily a big shipper in general, but I'm not anti-ship.

Elnor's affinity with the Sisters of the Absolute Candor would also feature in as the Sisters are about as likely to love Section 31 as they do the Tal'Shiar.

Jack is...slightly expendable. Not because he's a bad character but because I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how he's not redundant skills wise. His knowledge of the less savory parts of the galaxy would be a bit fresher than Seven and unlike her, he's not the Captain. Overall I think that he should hew closer to his mother in this role because I think the Jack that was doing orderly work was more interesting than action hero Jack. Him being a legitimate counselor would also be an interesting twist as we have yet to see a male mental health worker in Trek IIRC.

For more like this check out my other essays reevaluating Star Trek Picard and interrogating the widely held fandom criticism that Picard made the Federation into a Dystopia.

[theblueblurhero]

"Like i thought you're resting and not trying to end me and make me broken and your freet. Wow Was that bark without any bite comments? Go ahead and rest then Eggy~"

[soulerflaire]

"There's nothing going on with any of us. Between any of us."

Bro, Cole literally kissed you and made it clear she planned to do it a lot more in the future. There is definitely something going on between you two. Why is he being all coy about this?

[noblehcart]

excuse us as gleb is busy signing the space adoption papers for chekov ok

[finalfronticr]

TAG DUMP !

[more-better-words]

Chapter 19: Into Your Own, of The Place We Call Home, the fourth and final part of your “Built to Last” series brings us two touching scenes, including a tribute to Gary Graham. Any other inspiration or tidbits about this chapter which you can share with us? 😁 Thank you!

You see why I had to change up that previous chapter, because I could NOT do that to this one! This really is a T'Pol spotlight chapter, and I was going to let her have this.

First, we have her doing some A+ mothering, allaying T'Mir's concerns about her impending new sibling. I find that the longer I write Trip and T'Pol as parents, the more I enjoy mom!T'Pol. Trip as a dad is easy, but T'Pol as a mother really requires digging into her character, and I like it. It felt very true to have her explain the situation to her daughter as she does.

This is a love that can never be diminished,” T'Pol said. “Only increased.”

I was pretty proud of that.

And then there's the conversation that makes up the back half of the chapter, between her and Soval. I never got to include quite as much Soval as I wanted in this series, and I think I wanted to write this conversation to make up for it. So this was planned right from the earliest stages… in other words, before Gary Graham's passing. He died shortly before I started writing this chapter, which gave it a very bittersweet quality. I liked that this talk was about the future, and how T'Pol views both her personal and professional lives as having the same goal - laying the groundwork for a future she won't necessarily live to see. That too feels very true.

[calmlythrilling]

...you know there's a gym on board. Likely has a punching bag.

[gaelforcewinds]

all super valid and most definitely lacking in trek series', which is absolutely a failing of the franchise and i agree tbh

i will hit back with the idea that the showrunners of trek shows were intending other planets to be analogous to exploration of one human people group to another human culture or nation; for example, your point of keiko making "japanese" food. which region of japan? which culinary heritage? i remember hoshi sato on ENT making her mother's oden as a comfort food, but would a japanese person consider sato's or keiko's cooking to be exemplary of "japanese" cuisine? which would a non-japanese person choose?

we can look at those scenes and say "well, even though hoshi made oden and not sushi, its still japanese cuisine" and that's true! But a cardassian, a vulcan, a bajoran, wouldn't have that insight. they would see oden as a singular representative of japanese food, of earth food, and while their understanding would be limited, it would still be correct.

by the same token, when kira is eating/making hasperat, we don't know if that's a specialty of the dakhur province where she was raised, or something the entire planet would know about at this point in its development. we just know that hasperat is a bajoran dish in the same way gagh is a klingon dish in the same way oden is a human dish.

this is why modern critiques of DISCO klingons fall short to me as well; genetic diversity in the klingon empire (it's an empire spanning several worlds!!) would mean that the klingon culture, fashion, religion, and language are much more diverse than we currently know! seeing hairless, black-skinned (or pale-skinned) klingons, conducting religious rituals we have never seen before should be considered a triumphant installation to klingon lore and worldbuilding!! same with SNW's exploration of the klingon war, and the people who survived it.

i would LOVE, as OP was arguing, much more diversity in cultural exchanges on star trek (food, language, appearance, worldview, religion), but there's a lot in there that i think should get some credit lol

i.e. in ds9, we have a klingon restaurant on the promenade, klingon operas and their lore (lol) and impact on history, cardassian scientists who want to get away from cardassian food (as well as all the cultural explorations of cardassian literature, history, poetry, and art), bajoran history and religion (and religious extremists!), ferengi underground suffragists movements, and more

BUT ALSO there's the consideration of how angry fans would be at what they may consider a "cultural departure," which (unfortunately) p+ has to consider. which sucks.

in ENT, the reason i bring it up specifically is that there is the exact exchange OP was searching for in Judgment, when Archer's klingon advocate, Kolos, muses about klingon culture and society:

Kolos: "We were a great society, not so long ago, when honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed."

"My father was a teacher. My mother, a biologist at the university. They encouraged me to take up the law. Now, all young people want to do is to take up weapons as soon as they can hold them. They're told there is honor in victory – any victory. What honor is there in a victory over a weaker opponent? Had Duras destroyed that ship, he would have been lauded as a hero of the Empire for murdering helpless refugees. We were a great society, not so long ago. When honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed."

this was the first time in trek that we have seen a klingon critical of what he calls "the rise of the Warrior Class," implicating there are multiple classes of both career and birthright within the klingon empire before the war. by the time worf comes around, though, there is only the warrior class in power, so seeing this schism is fascinating and satisfying (which is why it's frustrating it happens in ENT, an otherwise ......not good......franchise installation)

this isn’t anything new or revolutionary to say but i hate how star trek portrays alien cultures as a monolith, maybe with two or three different subgroups at most. first of all it contributes to a lot of the weird bioessentialism written into the show second of all that’s just not how culture works. look at all those posts going around here joking about how what’s considered rude in one culture is polite in another, and that’s just in humans! “all klingons inherently have the Warrior’s Spirit” can you imagine if we said that about humans. sorry guys my ancestral scottish highlander genes are calling me to go beat the shit out of some englishmen i’ll brb