#I LOVE DISCOVERY AND I LOVE MICHAEL AND SPOCK DOES TOO

[fantasiavii]

I’m not going to lie I don’t like what SNW is doing with Christine and Spock.

Not like it’s written bad or anything it’s just

It takes what was Christine’s unrequited crush in TOS and makes it into a thing that actually happened and then makes all of Christine’s future pining in TOS aimed at a Spock she was actually with and who now ignores her like it never happened!!!! I hate this!!! I hate it so much!!! Feels bad!!!!!!

Not to mention the redundancy of Spock and T’Pring have a “break up” before The Break Up that we all know is coming anyway

And yes I’m being a whiny baby but I really liked how they were showing T’Pring and Spock worked and tried hard to make it work and it made sense that they would try their hardest before calling it off but to have them take a break now only to (assumedly) get back together later and then break up high drama style just uuuuuggggghhhhhh idk idk it feels like they’re trying to squeeze too much in

And in all that entire episode not one mention of Michael

[emonydeborah]

SNW and DISCO spoilers

so I watched the Una episodes of discovery with no other context. So it’s just the episode where they find the sphere and the last two episodes of season two.

they really go buckwild on this ship. Tilly is being eaten by fungus and no one tells anyone. Jett and the mushroom man get high and slap each other out of it. Also did Jett appear from the vents? Michael is having a family crisis. Saru asked his friend to help him commit ritual suicide and I think a part of his brain fell out. Also I didn’t know he spoke so many languages so that was cool.

they are so dramatic here. The shocked and horrified stares around at each other made the finale an hour long otherwise it would have been like 30 minutes. I expect this from Chris but good grief. The letters goodbye one bye one? Sarek and Amanda somehow showing up ahead of a whole fleet to tell Michael they love her? The sibling fight as the ship is being fired upon? (that one tracks actually) I like it for the big moments but are they always like this?? And is the “eyes up” thing a thing and why doesn’t Chris do it anymore?

I do like the found familyness I am sensing. The whole fam banding together to go with Michael was sweet. And their goodbye to Chris. This is the level of found family where I’d expect to find at least a few of those foster kid fanfics where they refuse to leave each other and the foster parents get six kids at once. I have not looked but I would be disappointed if there aren’t any.

Pike’s stepdad energy is so strong. The whole crew does what they want and loop him in when they feel like it. They are fine without him and have their own system and dynamics going on. He knows it, too, which is hilarious to watch from just knowing him from snw. He really just intervenes to keep his genius stepchildren from straying too far off the mission. They are running around like overexcited puppies (“the sphere is trying to communicate!!!!”) and he keeps them from gnawing on the walls. But he is a good stepdad in that he is ready to throw hands and use his ship as a shield so they can get away from section 31.

then as soon as he gets back to enterprise he brings all of the evil fbi apparently. Una is not surprised and has tricked out the whole ship and the shuttles for battle without prompt. She went Chris was out of my sight for too long we need to be ready to fight the galaxy.

and some more Una notes: Katrina Cornwell seemed tall and commanding until she stood next to Una and it was hilarious how small she was. Took me out of the dramatic bomb defusing moment but I still had fun. And Chris knew someone was going to die from that torpedo and got Una out as soon as he knew there were no other options. My pikeuna heart.

And Una choosing violence with the interrogation sent me. SNW fans know she has been hiding and afraid of scrutiny her whole life, and this is how she shows it. What a woman. She did not even tell them her name. Did we know she was Una at this point or was she Number One all the way until snw premiered?

“Follow the queen.” *Chris immediately looks at Una* I see you Chris.

it is obvious that they did not know how they were going to open snw with Chris being depressed and Una going missing but I liked their shock and happiness when Spock showed up beardless.

idk if I am intrigued enough to watch this whole show but I like Georgiou being their personal annoying gremlin. “Everybody hates you. Congratulations.” Also queen Po going if I die I die.

did not like Una going “in English please” to literally another navigator. We know she’s a genius let her be one y’all. If it were a science person going off a thousand words a minute I would allow it. But Una was talking to a pilot. Do better.

IN GENERAL, a good time. I was there for Una and she was not there much, but that was expected I guess. I was not prepared for how emotional discovery's crew would be. They are all in their feelings at all times. I liked them as a crew and maybe I will return one day.

[mylittleredgirl]

finally kept going on my strange new worlds watch! 1x04 memento mori. i don’t have much of value to offer about it at this hour of whenever this spits out of the queue but

i could not love uhura more!!

and her and hemmer bonding… 💙💙💙💙

SEN-SORS i love ethan peck more every time i hear it

m’benga and una are soul friends change my mind

I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT KYLE i forgot he was a legacy character for a minute 😰

shuttle galileo my beloved

thinking therapy should maybe be non-optional for some of these folks but maybe la’an just did a really great job at her Starfleet Bespoke Trauma Job Interview

i liked that moment between her and pike after the briefing room scene!

and the shuttlecraft mind meld scene was great too

i CRIED hearing michael’s voice 😢

i still quite literally do not understand the “the discovery crew had to be erased from history KGB style” thing either in or out of universe, to the degree that i mentally edited in the uss discovery onto spock and pike’s remembrance day pins

was spock so traumatized by it that he told starfleet command “this is the only logical thing to do [so i never have to talk about this again and legally no one can ask me to]” and they just rolled with it?

AND LIKE THE ENTERPRISE WAS LITERALLY THERE???

i’m sorry i will be annoying about this for the rest of my life it can’t be helped

ok

i’m focusing

everybody was so moist the whole episode from space hot weather and yet the SNW uniform does not have an undershirt option so we can ogle them?? 👎 👎

i looked up the costume designer just now specifically to make this face ☹️

ma’am i love the rest of your work but bernadette croft you have let me down in this specific matter

lastly, whatever the Theater Audio Setting is on my flat tv speakers means i don’t think i experienced the awful sound effect that @sarnakhwritesthings kindly warned me about. that might be another episode? was it the creaking of the bulkheads in the gravity well? the tinnitus is already dialed up from the symptoms™️ so maybe whatever it was is at the exact same pitch 🤷‍♀️

[fluorescentbrains]

I’ve watched snw and lower decks but haven’t watched discovery yet (not sure if I’m going to frankly) I feel like all I hear is negative things about it? And my opinion is that snw would be unwatchable without uhura and the occasional charm from some of the other characters (none of which are like. Consistently great even if they all have their moments) but lwd is really solid perhaps my favorite Star Trek thus far (I’ve seen up to season 2 tng of old trek watching in release order)

Is disco really that bad? Is it worth watching? I always kind of wonder if people hate on it excessively because it has a black woman as the lead (lwd does too ofc but she notably shares that role with a white man and it’s an animated workplace comedy as opposed to a serious space adventure)

so I think one thing that trips people up with discovery is that the first season is pretty grim and violent and a lot of the characters hate each other. i don’t know why bryan fuller went for hannibal rather than pushing daisies when he wrote season 1, but he did. i think this is what puts a lot of the tumblr demographic off. the tone changes a lot in later seasons and becomes more recognizably star trek, and you can really tell they went through multiple showrunners.

for the reddit demographic, i do think they’re just mad about a black woman being captain and gay people being featured in prominent roles lmao. they give themselves away when they say michael burnham is a mary sue—she’s no more mary sue than james kirk. the fact she’s spock’s adopted sister might seem kind of silly at first but i think the show actually does some really compelling stuff with it, and i loved their sibling interactions.

all that is to say, the show has some issues which may or may not impact your enjoyment, but imo yes, it’s worth at least giving a chance—it’s worth it just for sonequa martin-green’s performance as michael burnham, honestly, even if you’re not interested in the plot. saru and stamets are my other two favorites, and they get some pretty interesting stuff to do.

in conclusion—i understand why some people don’t like disco’s vibe and feel like it’s got too many convoluted plots and firefights for a star trek show. i agree with that to an extent, but i also think it’s got some really good characters and interesting takes on pre-existing lore.

[nursc]

hey! I hope this isn’t a weird question, but I was wondering if you could explain in detail what it is that draws you to spapel as a ship. I really want to like them, but a part of me feels a disconnect in that the writing almost positions the ship as something to benefit spock but not so much chapel. I was hoping that maybe, as a christine fan you could help me put it into perspective and understand it more.

(I really hope this doesn’t come off as rude, I genuinely would love an analysis of how spapel deepens christine’s character bc I love the concept of them)

i don't mind! and i hope i can explain well, i'm not the best sometimes at explaining things i love because. i end up babbling and only scratching the surface.

honestly, i do understand where you are coming from; it does enrich spock’s story more than hers. it plays into the themes the show is analyzing: his culture, his identity, how he connects with the world. they are opposites: she is someone who is greatly defined by being human, who is at ease in most social situations, who laughs easily and emotionally connects with people. and if we go back too discovery, michael recommends that he connect with the person who is farthest away from him. i tend to read that quote more as connected to sp*irk, but i think it can be applied here as well. to love her, to try and understand her, is spock stepping out of his comfort zone. which to me, is a very interesting concept. to see someone who is regarded as stoic loving someone who is more outwardly emotional is a great trope. to see him connecting with his emotions because of them?? that’s quality content. i love it when we can see people growing with each other. how a relationship affects and changes them.

but, that's not your question, is it?

how does this relationship benefit christine?

i think textually, we have to go to the ending of spock amok. christine says that relationships require mutual sacrifice, and that's why she avoids them. in the latest episode, we get spock literally risking another war with the klingons by waiting before destroying the ship in order to save christine. that's a big sacrifice. if we think about the fact her other famous relationship was with her professor, and that reading that now, in 2023, we recognize a woman in a relationship like that, marked by such a power imbalance, is the one making all the sacrifices.

so she was not talking about being the one doing the sacrificing. she was talking about being the one who always has to sacrifice for the relationship. the one who always suffers. spock, in this latest episode, broke that cycle.

i've been rewatching the west wing lately, and i think they provide a good example of that. donna, one of the main characters, who is clever and extremely capable, got involved with an older guy when she was in college, and she dropped out to pay the bills till he was done with his residency. and then he broke up with her. in these sort of relationships, the younger woman is the one who is always giving up parts of herself to appease a guy.

when she is around spock, she is at her brightest and wittiest. her most vibrant self. there are exceptions, of course. she retreats at the end of serene squall, acting like the kiss didn’t matter. but that’s what i find interesting! the development of the relationship, two people moving around each other and trying to figure out how they fit. and with spock, it is an interesting fit. part of why i love them, is.. that she is her most vibrant self around him. she always seems so happy, so delighted, and i love seeing christine happy.

how does it benefit her? i think for starters, christine allowing him to be completely in -- i don't think a relationship with spock specifically would allow any less -- would be something risky and different for her. something she tries to avoid by having one night stands and breaking up with people before it gets too serious. she would be putting her heart on the line and if it worked... the benefits? he is kind, and he is smart, doesn't underestimate her and values how smart she is. that's someone she can be herself with. someone she can talk to like an equal, who will treat her like an equal.

and i love a good pining story gone right! it is tropey! and i gotta be honest, i don't need something to fully benefit one party for me to like it. i like relationships that are hard, and require work. this relationship would require loads of it, they are complicated people, but it would also never be boring. with spock by her side, she'd never have a boring night off, they'd find something to do, even if it is just talking (because talking to him is incredible in her eyes... and like canonically, he is a clever guy with a quiet sense of humor). but it does benefit her as a person, to have someone who is more calm, more precise at her side. who can help her see things from a different perspective, who challenges her, emotionally and intellectually, to be at her best.

i think it deepens her character because love, and how someone is in love, it an important part to understanding someone. how they react, if they are afraid. to have someone like spock, that we know, and who is super complicated, to see how she reacts and loves him, gives us a good understanding of her character: she is loving, patient, warm, with a killer sense of humor, who does want to get into his pants, and despite all her protests about not wanting to get involved, gets involved. it provides us a very rich look into the sort of person she is!

also they are fun and pretty. that's like.. a big draw for me, i'm not gonna lie.

sdfghjk. i hope this helped, and made some sense?? honestly, to me they are a very interesting duo, and i think he provides a good balance to her personality, allowing us to get some great scenes. and it didn't come off as rude!

[jean008]

As a black person, it really makes me cringe when I see other black people that cannot see that is going on in hollywood  and their agenda to destroy black women. Instead we have black people like you somewhat defending hollywood.

The Idea that it is racist or sexist when people say Celia Gooding is miscast or presented poorly as Uhura is ridiculous and just shows the extent hollywood is brainwashing black people to eat their shit.

People have eyes and we are not silly. When I first saw the photo stills of Gooding as Uhura, I screamed because it is clear the show is trying to make uhura more masculine. that is just fact. 

Also it was from that photo still that I knew Chapel will be the love interest and not Uhura as there was no way a bald hair masculine presenting girl will be the love interest of spock. The issue with you is that, you are looking at it with a realistic eyes and not the eyes of the hollywood world that SNW is set in.

Gooding yes, is more stocky in build than fat and I do think she will look better if she lost some weight to play uhura that is meant to have action scenes. that is not fat shamming that is just pointing a truth that actresses will hear when they take on roles. 

Uhura is meant to be a action driven female character, it will be realistic for tv is she had the body for that too but the SNW showrunners dont care because they wanted uhura to be the ‘’fat girl’’ and by that, no threat to chapel in the eyes of the male audience. 

It is also not about Eurocentric looks. I say this as a person who grew up in the 90s and seeing brandy as the it girl of hollywood. Brandy does not have eurocentric looks.

there are many african women who look feminine with a bald hair cut, Celia Gooding is just not one. it does not suit her features. Calling that racist is insane. the bald hair cut only tend to look good on women that have A very long neck and square jawlines and it is not a race thing.

Maybe you should watch a show like america’s next top model when tyra banks is doing make overs. tyra was a black woman and she always did a good job with the black models makeover. I  can tell you that Tyra will never have shaved celia hair off.

We have a star trek show that has gone out of their way to downplay Uhura so she is no threat to Chapel and you are still defending the uhura they have downplayed?

I personally would not have minded spock/chapel if we had gotten an actual uhura that was as beautiful and feminine as nichelle nicolhs. Ceelia Gooding is not just it and they did not even attempt to try when in TOS, It was made clear that Uhura was meant to be very beautiful and guys are meant to take note of her beauty when they see her for the first time.

please my fellow black people stop and wake up to the agenda. as a black woman it is beginning to get on my nerves when i watch some of these shows and the make the black girl bald? like why? fine, make the bald girl bald but do the same with the white girl. make her bald too but hollywood is not doing that because they will rather have the white girl look the most feminine.

hair is part of a woman’s beauty and society needs to stop brainwashing black woman into thinking that it is not.

spock/chapel is not the issue. making uhura masculine and androgynous is the real issue here.

shows like SNW want to destroy black women, make us sexless, masculine and push the notion men don’t desire us like they do with the white girls  and some black women are still naive enough to defend the agenda. 

All what you need to do is watch star trek discovery and see who they presented Michael Burnham compared to strange new worlds Uhura. that should tell you how hollywood works.

Trust me when I say they will never have showcased celia gooding as michael burnham looking as she looks in strange new worlds.

"....Now, as soon as they cast Gooding and I saw pictures of her with short hair and premium grade melanin, I braced for impact, because I knew how a certain demographic was going to react. And sure enough...they didn't disappoint.

"The social media posts and comments have it all: racism, colorism, body-shaming, and--my special pet peeve--misgendering. It's all the usual complaints: she's "ugly", she's "butch", she's "too masculine", and there are endless complaints about the way her body is shaped. They're mad she's not a carbon copy of Nichelle Nichols and they are super, duper pissed about her hair.

"Like...just say you prefer Eurocentric beauty standards and go. It'll use less words."

[feetoffire]

Captain Christopher Pike, the rec list

I had this almost finished and ready to post, and then the kitten wiped everything, so here it is, a gazillion years later than I wanted. Yay. 

Ongoing - the fic is complete, but not all chapters are posted

WIP - fic isn’t finished

Incomplete - last-updated-more-than-a-year-ago WIPs

recs under the cut; spoilers abound

AOS

Gen

Pike’s Office by AnxiouslyGoing. Poor Jim has a Tarsus related panic attack, and ends up sleeping in Pike’s office/on Pike’s lap. Academy Era, bonus appearance by Spock, dad!Pike. 2k oneshot.

Another Life by LullabyKnell. Time travel fix it for ST2009. As ever, LullabyKnell gave us a spectacular, delightfully well-written fic. Dadmiral Pike, even if he’s technically a captain at this point. No pairings, everything is platonic. 12 chapters, 61k, T. Complete. 

Watching the Cloud of Dust by AngelQueen. Pike runs into Spock Prime while seeing the Enterprise off. Cue melancholy fluff (it follows Spock Prime around like a dog). 1.7k oneshot, G.

Phil Boyce/Chris Pike

horizons universe by gracieminabox. Massive, massive series spanning the whole of Chris’ life. Not canon compliant, i.e. Pike Lives. “Christopher Pike, in word and in deed.” Series, 263k in seventeen parts, G-E. 

Altered Horizons by InsaneSociopath. The bar fight goes very differently because Chris gets elbowed in the face. Featuring depressed!bipolar!Chris, who is Not Having A Good Time, Emergency Department (ED) doc Bones, and mother-hen!Jim. Phil is essentially Sir Not Appearing In This Fic, but he and Chris are married. Seven chapters, 14k, G. Incomplete. I adore this one. 

When Darkness Drifts by InsaneSociopath. Tarsus fic. Jim gets adopted by Starfleet but still ends up on Tarsus, except Chris is there. All Tarsus-related warnings apply. Jim and Chris centric; Phil is most present in the last few chapters. Six chapters, 44k, M. Complete. 

Kinktober 2017 by nerdqueenenterprise. What it says on the tin. Series, 13k in eight parts, T-E. Complete. 

A Vacation Long Overdue by nerdqueenenterprise. Reunion sex, mostly. They haven’t seen each other in six months, so they take leave on a remote beach. ~9k oneshot, E. 

The Weight of a Man by imachar. Another huge series charting the evolution of Chris and Phil’s relationship. Both canon compliant and canon non-compliant, so there’s a choice if you want it. Series, 174k in sixteen parts, M-E. Complete. 

shatterproof by gracieminabox. Will Make You Cry. Phil’s POV, STID compliant, featuring a picture from their early days. 4.3k oneshot, M.

Winged Desires and Veiled Persuasions by imachar. Post-Narada, ignores/was written before STID. Bones ends up hanging out with Phil and Chris at Spuhura’s wedding reception, and then the three of them have sex in Phil and Chris’ hotel suite. Pretty much pure smut. 12k oneshot, E. 

McPike

The Wind and Its Satellite by severinne. Long series, some BDSM, eventual Bones/Jim/Pike. Something of a McPike classic. Series, 186k in twenty parts, M-E.

Partridge Fallen From the Pear Tree by severinne. Post-divorce Bones works as a prostitute to make ends meet. Pike comes to town to recruit him, ends up paying for a night without knowing Bones is Bones, and then they both freak the fuck out when Pike realizes who he is. More-or-less just smut and angst. Pre-canon. Three chapters, 12k, E. Complete.

Singularities Verse by FrancescaMonterone. Bones and Pike fall in love, Pike adopts Chekov, Jim is Jim. Bonus Admirals Archer and Reed, and Archer/Reed. Mostly pre-canon, ace Pike. Series, 81k in six parts, T. WIP. 

Need by Noranem. Post STID, Pike and Bones invite Jim into their relationship and their bed. Established McPike, early days Bones/Jim/Pike. Four chapters, 12k, E. Complete. 

Pirk

See All The Stars by HoneyBeeBritt. Chris and Jim fell in love some time before Daystrom. Fluff and angst, with a happy ending promised in part four. I come back to this one regularly, especially part one. Series, 6.2k in three parts, T-M. Ongoing.

Shining On The Quay by topaz. Post-Narada through Beyond, ignores STID. Chris and Jim fall in love, get together, and figure out how to keep a relationship going when one of them is in space and the other is an admiral. Series, 32k in three parts, E. Complete. 

You Still Got Wheels, Kid by withthepilot. Yes, this is partially on here because it’s one of the few (good) fem!Pike fics. Pre-canon, Pike finds out Jim’s alive because she (not Winona or Sam) is listed as his emergency contact. Prostitute Jim. Takes place two years before canon, I think. 12k oneshot, E. 

Moments along the path by InsaneSociopath. Jim, through no fault of his own, is assigned to Pike as an aide bc Command thinks he’s a loose cannon. Pike is delighted /s. (he warms up eventually.) Some Tarsus PTSD; also a fair amount of fluff. Academy Era slow burn that goes right through to (immediately) post-Narada. 46k oneshot, M. Second chapter is artwork. Long but 100% worth it. 

How Do You Want Me, How Do You Want Me? by babykid528. Get together via smut. Feelings abound but talking about them does not. 3k oneshot, E. 

The Ocean Between Us by severinne. They get a drink in a bar. They’re both dead. Something of a get-together fic. Can and Will sucker punch you with feels. STID compliant. 1k oneshot, T.

Mutual Profusion of Good Feeling (aka Wherein the Aliens have a Flair for Mood Lighting) by kayliemalinza. This doesn’t really count as Pirk, but it’s not platonic enough for the gen category. Away mission, the premise is ‘aliens made them do it’ but there’s no sex or fade to black. Romantic, I guess? I really don’t know, but the prose is gorgeous. Also a Pike Lives/returns to the Enterprise AU. 5k oneshot, T.

Timeline Shenanigans

In plain view by IceCream_Junkie, Killermanatee. Pike/Pike. What can I say? The image of Greenwood’s Pike and Mount’s Pike together is very pretty. 2k oneshot, E.

Out of This World by TheAsexualofSpades. Space Puns. That is all. 1.1k oneshot, G. 

Discovery/quasi-SNW

Gen

A Small Storm by EKthered. Spock goes to visit his captain and ends up comforting him instead. Post Boreth. 2.3k oneshot. 

you were never broken by ordinary things by SiderumInCaelo. Michael Burnham & Chris Pike. Michael has only an inkling of what’s going on, but she manages to comfort Chris anyway. Post Boreth. 1.2k oneshot. 

Piler | Chris Pike/Ash Tyler

the chair and the badge by ninjamcgarrett. The boys are soft and in love. Lots of smut, but a fair amount of plot. Their respective traumas are addressed too, so there’s plenty of h/c. Honestly? My favorite from this pairing. Series, 59k in five parts, M-E. Ongoing. 

Reality by aishahiwatari. Initially a take on how these two idiots settled their differences, and evolution from there. Part two is post-season two of Disco. Series, 5k in two parts, E. Complete.

survival is insufficient by topaz. Post-Disco; they get together to remember Discovery’s crew, and then they get together. Traumas are addressed. Part two is a sort-of case fic, TW starvation. Series, 33k in two parts, E. WIP.

Feeling Too Deeply by NightOfTheLand. Established Piler, post-Disco season two couch sex. 6k oneshot, E. 

dancing to a beat of our own, flying with the speakers blown by wolfhalls. Neither of them want to talk about anything, aka Horrible Coping Mechanisms TM. Bottom Pike, quasi-hurt/comfort. 2.7k oneshot, E. 

Christmas in Sickbay by lah_mrh. Chris is accident- and injury-prone and has a new reason to hate spiders. Ash just wants to spend time with his boyfriend. 1k oneshot, G. 

The Pillow Will Disappear When I Forget I Put a Pillow There, Worry Not by prototype_malice. Sleepy fluff and cuddles. (they deserve it.) 665 words, oneshot, G. 

Chris Pike/Una | Number One 

it will take place without witnesses by love_in_the_time_of_kohlinahr. Post Disco, Pike is struggling with the knowledge of his future, so he and Una play chess until stupid o’clock in the morning (as one does), and then he lowkey has a panic attack. Una POV. Also features sleepy sex, but it isn’t plot-important and can be skipped over, if you wish. 2k oneshot, E. 

Overtime by Astronoddingoff. Una has Thoughts about Chris working doubles for the better part of a week. Also men get pegged. Definite sub!Chris. 7k oneshot, E. 

Terminal Velocity by Astronoddingoff. Una pegs Chris and drags his favorite fantasy out of him. Chris is On Board with all of this. Implied poly!Chris (i.e. Boyce/Pike) and hardcore switch/sub vibes from Chris. 6.8k oneshot, E. 

All for One by knightinmourning. D/s universe, where Pike had/has to hide the fact that he’s a sub to make (and stay) captain. Mostly reccing for part two, which has a fair amount of hurt/comfort (and also hints at threatened sexual assault and definite torture; be forewarned). Technically also Chris/Phil and Chris/Spock, but there’s no pairing sex, and part two is entirely Una’s POV. Series, 4.2k in two parts, M-E. Probably incomplete. 

A Gentle Touch by jedi_harkness. Chris and Una shower together. Body worship, no sex. So Much Fluff (and also happy tears). It’s super sweet. 1.7k oneshot, T.

Phil Boyce/Chris Pike

Decompression by Astronoddingoff. Chris is elated by a recent treaty success and the time spent dirtside. Phil does his best to make him even happier. Lowkey sub Pike. Implied poly!Chris (i.e. Pike/One). 3.5k oneshot, E. 

Most Pike/Boyce fics fall under the AOS tags

Una/Phil/Chris

Triangulate by Astronoddingoff. Sex pollen, but they’re already-kind-of-mostly in an established relationship. Recent miscommunications lead to angst. They all love each other and they’re all idiots. Lowkey sub Pike. Two chapters, 20k, E. 

Holy by Astronoddingoff. Self-actualizing featuring religious guilt/conflict, i.e. Pike is a sub and religion is weird about enjoying yourself. 2.7k oneshot, E. 

Happy Birthday by MeganMoonlight. It’s Phil’s birthday. Cue breakfast in bed. 530 word oneshot, G. 

[lorcaswhisky]

I really, really liked the growth of the Michael/Book relationship in Scavengers, and I think I've realised why.

Book says thank you.

(Spoilers for s3, ep6 of Star Trek: Discovery under the cut)

From the very start, people have called on Michael again and again to help fix things. They expect her to fix things, or measure her value in how useful she is to them. Georgiou mentioning Ash was very apt, because Michael loved Ash, and he was a good guy, but she explicitly had to take a step back from him because he needed to do the work of recovery himself and not rely on her. Before that, Lorca uses Michael for his own gain. She gets to stay out of prison during the war, but only because she's an asset. Sarek told Michael to her face that the reason he adopted her was to help Spock learn empathy (and then implied it was her fault that the lesson didn't take, which, no). Die Trying was painful because every single exchange Michael had with Saru and Admiral Vance was them talking down to her about how she needed to mind her behaviour, oh but also there's this thing we need you to do, no, not like that...

But in Scavengers, Book doesn't expect her to fix his mess. He gets into trouble while trying to get hold of something he knew she wanted, and he still doesn't expect anything from her. Doesn't even really expect her to turn up at all. But she does turn up (because Michael), and although he's scared for her, he doesn't get angry with her about it, or tell her she should have done it differently.

He says thank you. And nobody ever, ever remembers to say that to Michael. She saved all the things, and nobody has bothered to say that to her, except for him.

Maybe Michael does need to learn to take less on her shoulders. Maybe Book needs to learn to trust that there are people who will come back for him. But maybe, just maybe, a few more people need to learn to say thank you too.

[qwertyfingers]

we know that bobby only watched ds9 and dean watched the tos movies for sure which implies he's seen tos as well (plus he calls jack spock). so what do you think everyone's favorite trek is? sam is without a doubt a tng fan first and foremost. i think out of all tos movies cas prefers the wrath of khan because he Feels Things when kirk and spock do the ta'al through the glass. charlie has definitely seen some trek (we've seen her llap), do you think she's into tos first and foremost? anyway let's talk about star trek nights in the bunker.

OKAY SO I HAVE. MANY MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. SORRY THIS IS SO LONG.

like. like of COURSE bobby only likes ds9 of course he does i could have told you this without the show becuase like. bobby is That Bitch. i think rufus will have watched TOS at least because leonard nimoy worked hard on linking jewish faith and practices into the vulcan lore and i think that would mean something to him. bobby will catch rufus smiling at him sometimes while they’re watching ds9 and ask him what all gruffly and rufus will smirk at him and say something about sisko with jake and bobby with dean and bobby will just cough and take a swig of whiskey and rufus will raise his eyebrows but let it slide. rufus definitely makes a comment once about dean&cas being like jake&nog that totally flies over dean’s head but bobby is all knowing eyebrow raise about.

i think cas and jack would really like discovery. while it has some issues with inconsistency, pacing, being a little dark, it also does better than the other TV treks at utilising the nature of film as a medium to instill a sense of wonder, at space and the world, and that’s something they’d really appreciate. i have my own issues with disco, but an obol for charon is as close to the central core of trek that disco ever gets. cas and jack also like that one in particular because they like listening to all the different languages being spoken. they all love michael (everyone loves michael). cas’ faves are stamets and reno because they’re mean and gay, jack’s fave is tilly because she’s excitable and bright and he latches onto that. dean likes reno because she’s got spunk. sam’s fave is airiam and he will never forgive them for killing her off. sam, cas and dean all feel an uncomfortable kinship with both ash and culber - they’ve both been the one with monster teeming under the surface, controleld by something not themself, but they’ve also all spent that time in hell/purgatory, separated from everyone they love.

thinking about episodes that would really get to them all, darmok is. THE ONE. i have a whole unfinished essay about darmok as the platonic ideal of star trek; the perfect distillation of everything trek is SUPPOSED to be about. it doens’t always get there but by god it tries! that speech michael gives in the disco s2 finale - “There's a whole galaxy of people out there who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find that person who seems farthest from you and reach for them.” - that’s what darmok is about!!! it’s all about a situation where real communication seems impossible, where everything we know about talking and learning has broken down. and picard says, okay, i will find another way. i can’t relate to you, you can’t relate to me, but by god i’m going to try. we all meet people we have trouble communicating with in our lives, and often, those people will not care about changing their own ways to accommodate us. for people with autism, adhd, psychosis, the list goes on, this is a very common occurrence. it’s exhausting and frustrating and alienating. darmok is all about crossing that barrier. about reaching for someone through a world of difficulty and learning how to talk. learning how to share something with someone who seems out of our reach. it’s beautiful, it’s heartwrenching, it means more to me than i can easily put into words! 

anyway i think the bunker fam would experience a lot of emotions watching it together. there’s defintiely a lot of hugging eachother, sam cries a lot and won’t look at anyone until after the episode ends. jack just asks a lot of questions and talks about his progress learning sign language with cas. dean snakes his hand into cas’ halfway through and doesn’t let go. doesn’t show the emotion on his face, but he clutches harder at the emotional beats. cas runs his fingers through jack’s hair and thinks a lot, and decides not to say anything unless dean talks first. its just a Lot for everyone. 

dean def makes them marathon all the TOS and TNG movies. it’s an experience everyone needs at least once. i think you’re right about cas and TWOK with the ta’al through the glass, but also ‘this simple feeling’ and the hand hold would make him feel crazy. bones being the one that spock entrusts with his katra DEF makes dean feel some type of way because as much as destiel is kirkspock-coded, dean IS bones, and seeing spock trust bones so completely despite how at odds they were when they first knew eachother would dig deep into dean’s psyche and make him more than a little bit nutso. the movies are way too long for jack so he mostly sits and plays animal crossing while they watch and looks at the screen when everyone else gasps or when something exciting is happening that holds his attention for a while. sam’s fave is nemesis precisely because it’s terrible and he loves how camp it is.

dean has definitely seen all of trek. i refuse to believe someone who watches as much tv and films as dean wouldn’t sit and watch the whole shebang. i think he’s probably seen TOS and the TOS movies more than the others because its easier than sitting through 7 seasons, but i think rather than that being his favourite he’d just have really strong opinions about the best episodes of each one? like if you asked him what his favourite is he’d say you can’t answer that because they’re all so different from eachother

VOY - bride of chaotica, non seqitur, macrocosm for the favourite episodes. seven, janeway and tuvok would be his favourite characters. he think toms a bit of a knob but also feels a kinship with him for the similar brand of bab dad-ism but he wouldn’t be able to put that into words. he’s also a fierce defender of threshold being a good episode (he’s right for that)

DS9 - our man bashir it’s our man bashir. he doesn’t dislike ds9 but its very plot heavy and he didn’t care for it when he was younger. rewatching it after living through multiple supernatural wars he’d probably appreciate it more. i know for a fact he cries every time there’s an episode about sisko being a good dad. jadzia and garak are his faves

TNG - he LOVES q. he also absolutely will not be caught dead referencing how much loves q after cas comes into his life because sam will do the little brotherly knowing eyebrow raise at him and he will die of embarrassment. he regularly references ‘there are four lights’ because he’s a fucking nerd. he has made cas watch elementary my dear data and fistful of datas a half dozen times each at LEAST. cas KNEW how dean was going to be about the cowboy hat he’s defintiely got into full cowboy getup at home just for watching movies and in cas’ head star trek is fully to blame.

TOS - oh there are so many good TOS eps to choose from. obv he loves most of the series becuase TOS has MANY banger eps, his favourites are probably like. mirror mirror, amok time (baby dean defintiely had some kind of crisis watching it for the first time; i know the rituals are intricate). i know deep in my bones that dean watched the conscience of the king (introduction of the tarsus iv massacre) once and then spent his entire teenage years writing fic about that in his head, whether he posted it or not. dean related too much to those experiences of shared hunger. city on the edge of forever is one of everyone’s faves for a reason (and i’m STILL mad we never got a closer take on that episode in spn it could have been so fun). 

ENT - he definitely thinks enterprise is stupid and he’s not wrong but he has also definitely watched it and been very repressed about the whole thing. mans was like oh i feel a kinship with malcolm reed the obviously repressed queer man. i will never examine this feeling ever again thank you <3 he also makes fun of archer for being obsessed with, of all sports, water polo. shran is his favourite character because he’s a little shit and makes him laugh, and t’pol, because t’pol is a badass and he’d appreciate that. i can’t remember the title of a single episode off the top of my head though lol.

i can see what you’re saying about sam being a TNG stan. i’m conflicted though, I feel like TNG’s generally the favourite of 1) obnoxious nerds who think knowing trivia facts makes them smart, 2) men desperately trying to seem masculine and 3) people who’ve watched it three times and have extremely complex thoughts on the personhood and rights of robots. i could see sam fitting into the third group, but people who are in it for the robot feelings are a coin flip between voyager and tng being the fave, and i just have a feeling that voyager would be his favourite. i know kid sam is getting gender envy watching voyager in shitty motels while dad and dean are out, trying to find the words for it. his first semester at stanford he talks a friend into giving him the janeway haircut and rides that high for months. sam’s favourite characters are seven and EMH. 

sam and dean have definitely had dozens of long drawn out debates about philosophical topics in star trek. do the holograms deserve rights and if so which ones. are the romulans and vulcans still meaningfully the same people. was spock right for trying to foment reunification by going undercover on romulus. can the borg be redeemed. etc etc.

i haven’t seen any of picard at all so i can’t comment. i also think sam and dean probably read a lot of the trek books? they’re pretty common to find in secondhand bookstores and cheap, would have been even cheaper back in the day. sam probably doesn’t care for them much, dean has a few solid faves though. i’ve only read the disco books so i can’t comment anything specifically (besides the fact that i think dean read dead endless and cried like a baby), but some of the TOS and DS9 books are gay as hell and i know dean was eyes emoji-ing that shit. 

[transxfiles]

I originally followed you for Lumberjanes and because you felt like a friend, but after seeing so much about Star Trek...I’m curious. What’s the premise and where can I watch it? (Explain it to me like you’d explain it to a child, I don’t watch live action TV)

I want to start out by saying that this ask is so sweet and it made my day, so thank you so much :D 

Star Trek is a bit hard to explain in a sense simply because there’s so much of it. I’m gonna stick to what I know (and what I post about) which is The Original Series (other people will abbreviate it to TOS, I abbreviate it to STOS bc I think of it as ‘Star Trek Original Series’) which came out in the 1960s, and I'll briefly explain Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST: TNG or just TNG), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), and Star Trek: Discovery (often simply referred to as Discovery, ST Disco, Disco, etc.) bc I post a bit abt them too, though not as much.

The Original Series is what I mainly watch. It’s about a crew of people from all over Earth (and some other planets, but mostly from Earth) who are traveling in a spaceship called the Enterprise. They’re supposed to be finding new worlds and species, but really they just fuck around and find out. Most of the time they don’t even follow basic lab safety, which gets them into many shenanigans that will have you yelling at the television abt how stupid they are. 

This is Captain Kirk. He’s a Human from Riverside, Iowa and his job on the ship is basically to be dumb and pretty. In a good way. He comes up with some good plans and some bad plans, but no matter what he’ll pretty much always divert an entire mission to save his First Officer, Spock. He’s a romantic who likes flowers and antique books, and doesn’t know what black holes are. 

This is Spock! He’s in charge of Science with a capital S (we don’t really know specifics, but he’s really smart...) and he’s Captain Kirk’s first officer. He’s the only main character who’s an alien - he’s half-Human, half-Vulcan, and was raised on Vulcan by his Vulcan father and Human mother. Vulcans are a species who, unlike Humans, follow a strict philosophy of logic, which means that Spock often appears emotionless and unfeeling to his Human coworkers. Every seven years after hitting puberty, he goes into a mating frenzy when this logic leaves him and he has to have sex or he’ll die. He really likes playing chess, hanging out with Captain Kirk, and the word ‘fascinating’. He does not like McCoy, which is reasonable, because McCoy is basically space racist.

This is McCoy, sometimes referred to by the nickname Bones. He’s the Chief Medical Officer of the ship, an old country doctor from Georgia, and it’s implied that he’s working in space because of his divorce back on Earth. He spends a lot of time with the main crew which will make you question who’s actually on ship taking care of the Medbay. He likes hyposprays (super fast space shots that work like a charm) and drinking hard liquor on the job. He’s an old friend of the Captain. He’s incredibly xenophobic; he does not get along with Spock, and often refers to Spock using words that in-universe are essentially slurs against Vulcans. 

These two guys are Sulu (on the left) and Chekov (on the right). They navigate the spaceship. Sulu likes fencing, botany, and messing with Chekov. He’s friends with everyone on the ship. At one point Space Madness causes Sulu to run through the ship with a fencing foil shirtless and cackling. Chekov’s Russian and won’t shut up about it. He claims that everything was invented in Russia, including but not limited to the book Alice In Wonderland and the invention of the Warp Drive. One of his best lines is “Oh yes, I’ll live, but I won’t enjoy it.” 

In this photo, we see Uhura (on the left) and Scotty (on the right). Uhura’s in charge the ship’s Communications Officer and is a xenolinguist, which means she’s a master of pretty much all known alien languages. She likes big earrings and has a beautiful singing voice. Scotty (on the right) is the ship’s Chief Engineer, who fixes all the problems when Kirk or aliens break the ship. He’s Scottish and you won’t ever forget it. He and Bones are probably drinking buddies.

This is Nurse Chapel. She runs the Medbay when Bones is dancing around on the Bridge or various alien planets. She’s pretty chill and has a little crush on Spock that sometimes causes problems. She and Uhura hang out sometimes.

And finally, this is Yeoman Rand. She and Sulu hang out sometimes. She also vibes with Uhura. I’m not really sure what her exact job is - she delivers food to people sometimes, but she also eats it when no one’s looking. She has the wackiest hairdo on the show. I love her so much.

As far as plot goes, in The Original Series, there isn’t any. They run around on alien planets and sometimes little paper mâché rocks are thrown at them from offscreen. Sometimes they fight Klingons, which are their main enemy (though that doesn’t happen a lot). Sometimes they end up on a planet that’s entirely composed of gangsters from the 1930s and 1940s, sometimes they end up on a planet that’s actually run by the Greek god Apollo, sometimes they end up on a planet but all the people on it are being eaten by space ravioli, sometimes they end up on a planet and a space ghost is killing people to eat their fear, etc. 

You can watch The Original Series on Netflix, and you can generally find copies of it in various Google Drive folders or on video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo. There are also six movies: The Motion Picture, The Wrath Of Khan, The Search For Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, and The Undiscovered Country. But really you can stop watching after The Voyage Home if you want.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is basically the first series but with more plot, and we have some more aliens plus an android in the mix. Also the characters aren’t nearly as stupid as they are in The Original Series, which makes for less yelling at the screen. (You can watch this on Netflix)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine focuses on a group of people who work on a space station instead of a spaceship. There are some humans in the mix, but this crew also has a bunch of aliens. There is a bunch of plot, and religion, and the aftermath of war and colonialism. (You can watch this on Netflix)

Star Trek: Discovery has the most plot, and follows Spock’s adopted sister, Michael Burnham, after she accidentally starts the war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. She ends up serving on a spaceship called the Discovery, where she starts working to discover the secrets of the ship and those who work on it. (You can watch this on CBS’s streaming service but it’s not worth it to get a streaming service just so you can watch one show so I recommend just buying the DVDs on sale at like, Target, if you really wanna see it).

Sorry this ended up being kinda long, I hope this is helpful! The main takeaway is that The Original Series is mostly just a bunch of science fiction short stories in TV episode format. 

[nonbinaryhatboxghost]

Okay, today has been a quiet Saturday morning so far, I have some time, and I like lists. So here is my random (personal) ranking of Star Trek series and movies, out of what I’ve seen, which is everything but seasons 5-7 of Voyager, all of Enterprise, and all of Picard. I’m only counting shows with three or more seasons because it’s easier. But let the record show that I love Lower Decks so far and The Animated Series is actually a blast.

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

Series Ranking

The Original Series - As influential of a show as it is, I constantly forget how much damn fun the original Trek is. There is an almost Community-like variance in tone and genre throughout the show. And I’m a sucker for a future that embraces primary colors. It is the Trek show I revisit the most so far, and it remains my favorite.

Deep Space Nine - This one comes close, though. It starts out as a solid spinoff with very well-defined characters, and then becomes a big, sprawling epic that had my eyes welling up by the end. It feels more like a sequel to The Original Series than The Next Generation did to me. It dealt with subject matter both different and darker than was expected for the time. It had characters at odds with each other. Religion was explored in a way that balanced brutal honesty with genuine respect. War and the various traumas it induces were acknowledged. And it had “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I only finished this one recently but I look forward to watching it again.

Discovery - I was rooting for this show to be good even as it went through so much behind-the-scenes drama during its first two seasons. Even with all of that going on, the show became a fascinating watch as you saw it change from its arguably-too-dark beginnings as a prequel, to the almost Doctor Who-like second season with its joyful embracing of classic Trek, and finally to its current iteration that at long last gives us a Trek show that’s not bound by prequel limitations. Michael Burnham is such a great character and getting to see her arc alone makes this one of my favorite Trek stories. The queer/nonbinary representation also warms my heart.

Voyager - I’m just starting the fifth season, but the show has settled into an interesting groove with its characters. And Voyager’s characters are so damn good that they counterbalance a lot of the show’s early problems. It takes a while for Voyager to realize that the Kazon do not work very well as villains. But once the show realizes that, it begins an upward trajectory in quality that reminds me of Deep Space Nine after it began doing Dominion plots. And Seven of Nine’s effect on the crew dynamic lives up to the hype. Any scene between her and Janeway demonstrates such a unique relationship between captain and crewmate that an episode plot can be meh and still worth it for a scene with those two. Also, Janeway is the best captain character. No other Trek show (that I’ve seen so far) comes close to showing us the weight of leadership like Voyager, and Mulgrew constantly brings it.

The Next Generation - This is my first Trek show. It’s the one that my dad watched. There are several standout episodes to me, but I find myself less drawn to revisiting TNG than the other Trek shows because ultimately it took me too long to understand and care about its cast of characters. If you were to ask me to describe any character from any other Trek show, I would be able to. Ask me to describe a TNG character and I would likely fail to give any good adjectives for any character besides Data and Worf. As iconic as the show is, and as great as it became, it doesn’t have the same pull on me as other Trek shows. But it was the template for the spinoffs that followed, and the portrayal of Picard’s trauma post-Borg assimilation earns its reputation as an all-timer for me.

Movie Ranking

VI: The Undiscovered Country - I’m surprised this one isn’t talked about as much as other Trek movies. It’s a very frank depiction of prejudices and learning to deal with them. It has one of the best Kirk/Spock scenes ever. Christopher Plummer as a Klingon. The ORIGINAL cast credits sign-off (yes, Avengers: Endgame borrowed from this). A score that carefully balances menace with eventual hope. A fun whodunit structure. I could go on and on. It’s just so damn great, and so far the only successful send-off to a Trek crew in any of the movies.

II: The Wrath of Khan - It’s a classic for a reason. I’ve probably rewatched this more than any other Trek movie. You got your great villain, your classic crew beginning to deal with their mortality, an all-timer death scene, a kickass early James Horner score. What more could you want?

The Motion Picture - This is an interesting one. When I first watched it as a teen, I hated it. I agreed with every critique of it being thinly plotted and having an excessive runtime. When I revisited it in my 20s, it became a favorite. It’s Star Trek’s exploration of existential dread, and the struggle to find agency and identity within that dread. It has possibly Jerry Goldsmith’s greatest score. It is the best that the Enterprise has ever looked. This movie envelopes you with eerie and epic imagery, culminating in a finale with interesting philosophical ramifications and a well-earned return to optimism from its crew. This one is criminally underrated.

First Contact - This one is just rock solid all around. The best-ever TNG villains, further exploration of Picard’s trauma from Borg assimilation, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, fun action, the genesis of the Federation. It has the best balance of darkness and fun out of all of the Trek movies. It also has a character actually say the words “star trek” in a way that never ceases to make me smile. I don’t know if it’s a good line, but it’s funny regardless.

Beyond - Like The Motion Picture, I initially disliked this upon first viewing. I was still in the middle of watching The Original Series and was in the wrong mindset for this mashup of TOS and Fast & Furious. But it’s one of the most underrated Treks because it’s a perfect balance of the more kinetic action found in the 2010s with a very well-done breakdown of the inherent point and value of Star Trek: learning to be better and move beyond fighting the same battles among ourselves.

IV: The Voyage Home - This one is such a satisfying culmination of the crew’s arc starting in The Wrath of Khan that the joy of the 1980s material is almost just a bonus to me. Nimoy does a good job of keeping things light without disregarding stakes. He gets the best portrayal of the crew’s camaraderie in this and The Search for Spock. And Spock’s reaction to the concept of “exact change” always makes me laugh.

III: The Search for Spock - I revisited this one recently and it held up better than I expected. Seeing the weight of Spock’s death on Kirk in the beginning hits hard. Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon villain is casually one of the best Trek movie villains. And seeing the crew uniting over trying to bring back Spock gives us some of the best on-screen moments of this cast.

Star Trek - One of the reasons I love Beyond so much is that it retroactively makes this one better. I was crazy for this movie when it came out. I was in high school, Star Trek in general was something I was only really aware of because of my dad. But this is the thing that got me into Trek. And as mixed of a bag as it now plays to me, ‘09 Star Trek being a gateway for me to general Trek, combined with the perfect casting of the crew, the excellent Giacchino score, and the emotion of the opening sequence, thankfully makes this one still a blast to revisit.

Nemesis - I have only seen this twice, and both of those times without having seen TNG in its entirety. This was also the very first Trek movie I ever saw. Nostalgia is a factor for why this is higher than the others on the list. Curiosity is another, as I was unaware of Tom Hardy when I watched this, and have no idea what my opinion will be on rewatch. But what I always remembered of this movie was its ending, which even to a novice like myself when I first saw it had an impact.

Generations - There are quite a few great scenes that Stewart gets in this movie. Malcolm McDowell is also great in it. But the whole plot feels too forced for me to get actually swept up in it. And as fun as it is to see Shatner and Stewart share the screen... it ultimately has no impact and leads to a strangely lame death for Kirk.

Insurrection - The idea of Enterprise going rogue against the Federation for forcibly relocating a population for a natural resource is such a good concept... which makes the goofiness and half-baked writing of this entry all the more confusing. All the elements are there, but it feels like the tone was forced to be lighter than the material warranted. It’s frustrating because Frakes’ directing chops that he showed off on First Contact are still visible here. But for whatever reason, this one just falls apart.

Into Darkness - This one is low on the list mainly because it represents almost all the negative traits of the modern blockbuster to me. Darkness without depth, franchise callbacks without substance, and no character development/change by the end. Another reason why Beyond works better as a sequel to ‘09 Star Trek than this one is that Into Darkness feels more like it’s trying to make Star Trek a bigger movie franchise rather than develop this iteration of the Enterprise crew. Nothing and no one is changed by the end of this story.

V: The Final Frontier - It is the most difficult Trek movie to sit through, and yet I can’t call it a disaster. For all of its misfirings on the comedy front (dancing Uhura, for instance), the camping material with Kirk, Spock and McCoy is genuinely great. The premise of its villain being on a quest to find God is ultimately a misfire, but it leads to a very engagingly ridiculous climax centered around the question “What does God need with a starship?” There are far too many undeveloped ideas in this one, but that scene is worth seeing this movie for. At least, now that we know it didn’t kill the franchise, as so many apparently feared when this came out.

[copperclawed]

i love that there are...echoes, if that's the right way to put it, of michael/ash in michael/book, in the sense that book too is michael's refuge, the way ash was. in this ep she comes to him when she's feeling completely lost and weary, when discovery doesn't feel like home but he does--and then he reciprocates that sentiment at the end of the ep, "you feel like home". i love how supportive he's been throughout this ep, staying by her side and holding her hand and listening to her stories about spock, even tho we know he's quite uncomfortable being on a federation ship. i love their playful teasing too. "Endearing messianic complex" ;__;

[space-helen]

Unlovable

Words: 2555

Pairing: Spock x reader

A/N: I like elements of this fic in their different sections but I think I need to work on my transitions and make them less choppy. Thank you for the request and I hope you all enjoy.

Summary: Spock has been spending a lot of time with the reader after they got off on the wrong foot. He comes to terms with his feelings for the reader after an away mission and being confronted by Pike. Not much Romance/Intimacy in this one! Sorry, but I’ll be sure to write more Spock with romance/intimacy.

Request: Since you're taking Spock requests, could you possibly do one where he expresses/opens up about his feelings for the reader? In Disco there were some bits about how he worries he can't love or will be unlovable. So just how the reader would access that part of him, how they make him feel loved and able to do so? And some romance/intimacy too maybe?  - @allthetrek

Warnings: Mentions of gunshots and blood.

____________________

You sat in alone with your lunch in front of you. Looking around you sighed and picked up your fork before beginning to eat your salad. You couldn't waste any more time of your lunch break waiting for Michael.

You pushed the small tomato around the plate before stabbing it. “Woah, Y/N what did the tomato ever do to you?” You looked up to see Michael stood in front of you, she flashed her contagious smile as you stood and hugged her, before noticing the man next to her, he was tall, adorned in dark clothing, his face was covered with a beard and his eyes sparkled in the light. “Y/N, I'd like to introduce you to Spock, my brother. Spock this is Lieutenant Y/L/N.”

You placed your hand out to shake the man's Michael shook her head slightly and placed her hands on yours to knock them out of the way. Spock nodded towards you “the pleasure is mine Lieutenant” his low voice spoke.

“Please sit,” you said gesturing towards the empty seats and taking a seat. The man turned slightly to look at Michael as you noticed his perfect posture.

“Sit Spock, I'll go get us some food.” Michael turned away while Spock took a seat opposite you.

The man sat with his hands grasped together on the table, the two of you sat in silence while you waited for Michael to come back. The silence was awkward yet you had no idea what to talk about, you'd just met the man. You knew what had happened with the man and that he was accused of murder, but although you'd never met the man you knew he couldn't have done it. The way Michael had been talking about the situation told you everything you needed to know. You began to think about what you were going to say to the man when every conversation starter you could think of wouldn't be good enough to carry a good conversation.

You opened your mouth to say something when Michael returned and placed a tray in front of Spock before sitting next to you with hers. “Why you two are very chatty aren't you?”

“Perhaps the lack of communication between Y/N and I is down to the fact she is afraid of me, much like many your colleagues are”

Your jaw slacked and you dropped your fork onto the tray “Spock, no”

“Perhaps it is instead because I am Vulcan.”

Michael stared at her brother “Maybe the most logical explanation is that she doesn't know what to make conversation about since you two have just met?”

You cleared your throat “If I may interject?” The two siblings diverted their attention to you. “I didn't make conversation as I was lost in thought and I started overthinking about what I was going to say, and by the time I was going to say something Michael came back.”

“That does sound like a reasonable explanation,” Spock said as you saw his eyebrow twitch upwards slightly.

Spock looked down at his food in slight embarrassment, but it's not like anyone could tell on the outside. Michael had told him about how Y/N was a very close friend of hers and how she had always believed in her. She also told him how Y/N would listen to her when she spoke about Spock and always believed that he didn't kill anyone. Michael had also expressed how she felt that Y/N and he would get on well and would even possibly form a friendshiply bond. Spock had found that somewhat amusing as he only had one person he saw as a friend in a way and that was Captain Pike. He couldn't imagine making friendships with anyone else.

“Well, I need to be back on the bridge. I'll see you later Michael.” You turned to the man and gave him a smile “Have a nice day Spock.”

“Likewise Y/N”

With that, you quickly cleared away your tray and made your way towards the bridge.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N you are relieved of your duties for the day” Captain Pike spoke from his chair. You quickly stood and walked to the turbo lift.

The doors closed and the lift began to move before it abruptly stopped and opened its doors. The ride was too quick to be your floor. You looked up to see none other than Spock join you in the lift. “Spock, how are you?” You greeted the man.

“I am well thank you, Lieutenant Y/L/N. How are you?”

“I’m good, I just finished my bridge shift so I'm going back to my quarters now.”

The man next to you nodded as the lift fell into silence. The silence only lasted a couple of seconds but to you, it felt like an age. Spock turned to you slightly before speaking again. “I am sorry for our misunderstanding earlier at lunch. I have not had the warmest of welcomes recently. However, the best welcome has come from the discovery. Yet it will take some time to get used to. As of recently, people have been trying to arrest me rather than give me a warm reception.”

You smirked slightly at what the man said. Was this an attempt of a joke from the Vulcan? “There's no need to be sorry. It's my fault for not saying anything and getting too caught up in my own head.”

“That may be the case but I must take some of the blame as I was at fault for not saying anything either.”

You smiled at the man “if you insist” the turbo lift came to a halt and you began to exit it “well this is my floor. Will I see you at lunch tomorrow? Maybe we can have a proper conversation then?” You asked the man as you stood in the doorway.

“Certainly” the man gazed at you.

You smiled in return “Well have a nice evening Spock, see you tomorrow.” you gave the man a small wave and received a small nod back. Turning you exited the lift and walked down the corridor as the doors closed behind you.

It had been a month since you'd met Spock formally at lunch. You both had been spending a lot of time together after shifts, discussing a wide array of things. You never thought you'd say it but you would see the man as a very close friend, and you even maybe had feelings for the man. You never wanted your discussions to end. However, he would usually insist that the night ended in order for you to get enough sleep.

Other people had noticed your growing friendship as well, Pike noticed that Spock had become a little less snippy towards everyone and he would make time for you and would always let you contribute your ideas if you had any. He was also the one who suggested that you should go on the away mission with the Captain and himself. That's how you'd found yourself stood on the transporter pad waiting for the other two men to join you.

You holstered your phaser and looked straight ahead, the mission was simple to go down to the surface collect some rock samples and do a scan of the area. There were natives to the planet and they were less than welcoming, so the mission would need to be carried out quickly.

The two men entered the transporter room, Pike standing next to you and Spock the other side of him. “This shouldn't take too long. We'll go down to the surface, Lieutenant Y/L/N will gather rock samples while Spock does a surface scan, I will watch out for natives. The atmosphere of the planet is not suitable for us to breath therefore, we have set up a temporary atmosphere circle for us” Pike stated.

“Let's hope none of the natives stumble across us” you nervously joke “let's not get injured on this one”  you quickly added.

“Well, that would be the most logical thing to do” Spock quickly turned you and raised an eyebrow during his response. You're not sure but you think one side of his mouth twitched quickly into a smirk as well.

“Alright, guys less of the chit chat let's do this.” Captain Pike smiled and raised a knowing eyebrow at you, and with that, you were transported down to the surface.

You got to work quickly, heading towards the rockface you began to take samples of the different rocks in front of you. Spock began scanning the area and sending the readings back to the ship. “Captain I am detecting unusual activity from the planets -” Spock was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

Pike quickly responded by letting off a phaser blast. You quickly dropped the rock you were surveying and turned to run to the men when you heard another gunshot followed by intense pain in your leg. You fell to the floor with a thud and quickly moved your hands to your leg to apply pressure to the wound.

With that, the ground began to shake violently and the rock face shed rocks as it did. You placed your arms over your head in order to protect it from the downfall. The natives fired a couple more shots before retreating.

Spock and Pike began to run to you but the ground began to shake again this caused a large boulder fall from the rockface, cutting the atmosphere containment size down substantially. They stopped dead at the border as they realised you were the other side. “Pike to bridge, 3 to beam up”

“I'm sorry Sir but we are unable to get a lock on Lieutenant Y/L/N.”

Spock looked towards the man “according to my calculations we have approximately 90 seconds to get to Lieutenant Y/L/N before the oxygen in her system reaches very dangerous levels. The rockface is unstable and will also collapse very soon. Lieutenant Y/L/N's chance of survival is approximately 43%.”

“We can't just leave her?”

“I did not suggest we should.” And with that Spock ran out of the atmosphere containment and towards you. Pike stood watching astounded by the man's actions.

When he reached you, you were violently gasping for air while trying to maintain pressure on your leg. The man carefully placed his arms under you before running back into the atmosphere containment. “3 to beam up” Pike called and within a blink of an eye, you were back on the discovery. 

As soon as you rematerialised you were taken from Spock's arms and rushed to medbay. He watched as you were taken out of the room, he took a step forward to follow you when he felt a hand on his chest stop him. He followed the arm to see that it belonged to Captain Pike. “Could everyone leave the room please?” The captain requested as Spock raised an eyebrow.

“Sir what is it that you would like to discuss?” The Spock questioned.

“What was that down there Spock?” the man asked quietly.

“What was what Captain?”

“You just went to help Lieutenant Y/L/N even though she had a 43% of survival. That was an illogical act which you wouldn't normally do.” Pike stated.

“Are you expressing your disappointment in me because I went to save Lieutenant Y/L/N?”

“Not at all Spock, I would have gone if you hadn't jumped on the situation first.” The man paused “Why'd you do it, Spock, if it had been a month ago you would have never have done such a thing”

The man thought for a second and lowered his gaze to the floor before looking back up to the man “Perhaps it is because I have developed feelings for Lieutenant Y/L/N. We have been spending a great amount of time together. We sit and talk about a whole manner of subjects, we understand each other, she helps me understand my feelings somewhat, she trusts me, I trust her, she is not judgemental about others and will do her best to help anyone. I always thought I'd be unable to love, however, Y/N has changed that”

Pike had his mouth slightly open in shock but this quickly changed to a beaming smile as Spock stopped talking. “I'm happy for you Spock.”

“The downside is I believe that I am unlovable Captain, and I do not believe that Y/N feels the same way.”

Pike put a reassuring hand on Spock's shoulder and let out a small laugh. “It's funny how someone as incredibly intelligent as you can't see what's right in front of them. She likes you too Spock. You are relieved of duty, go see her.”

With that Spock left the transporter room. Pike put his hands on his hips and shook his head with a big smile on his face. He couldn't believe it.

Spock entered the medbay with haste. He saw you lying on a biobed and he calmly made his way over. You turned your head sideways and looked at the man and smiled as he approached your bedside. “Hi, Spock” you spoke weakly. As you tried to sit upright.

The man placed his hand on your shoulder and gently pushed you back down towards the bed “please Y/N lie down you must rest, you were without sufficient oxygen for a substantial amount of time.”

You gave in and lay back down, staying silent for a moment. “Thank you for saving me, Spock.”

The man looked down at you “there is no need to thank me.”

You went quiet again and fidgeted with your hands “Spock, why did you do it? Why did you save me?”

The man looked you in the eyes “I will not lie to you Y/N. The act in saving you was not the most logical choice, however.” The man hesitated for a second “I believe I have, as humans say, developed feelings for you. I saw you in the beginning as both a colleague and a friend now I believe I feel something more.  I cannot be certain though as I do not know what it is supposed to feel like. Therefore, I would suggest that we.” He paused again “see how things go.” He raised an eyebrow as he finished his speech.

You smiled up at the man “I feel the same way too Spock. We'll continue what we've been doing and see how it goes. If that's ok with you?”

The man nodded “that would be best as I do not wish to jeopardise our friendship if things were not to work out. I truly enjoy our conversations and time together.” There was a small silence “You must rest, I'll leave and come back later” the man turned to leave.

You put your arm out and gently grabbed the arm of his jacket “this might sound selfish but I don't want to be alone. Will you stay and talk?”  

Spock faced you again and took a seat in the chair next to your bed “If you wish. I shall stay with you for as long as you want.”

With that, the two of you fell into conversation like the many times you had before.  Tag list:   All: @allthetrek @mrscasnovak @carrie-85 (Tag lists are open)

[cosmicbeastie]

I know that Spock having a fucked up childhood is mostly Sarek's fault, but considering what we've learned from Discovery I'm not too pleased with Amanda anymore either because she clearly played a hand in it, too.

She openly admitted to Michael that she felt she was allowed to show more love to her than Spock because Spock was expected to be only Vulcan despite having just as many human emotional needs as his mother and foster sister. She claimed that she did it because she didn't want to confuse him by encouraging him to embrace his humanity when everyone else in his life expected him to be only Vulcan, but she had to know that distancing herself from him (from a human mother's perspective) was worse and clearly hurt him deeply growing up. Especially since she allowed herself to be a human mother to Michael right in front of him the entire time.

All that considered, it was pretty hypocritical of Amanda to look down her nose at Michael after learning that she'd intentionally hurt Spock so he'd distance himself from her when she essentially did the exact same thing, but for worse reasons. Amanda had the power to assure her son that he wasn't broken or a bad Vulcan for having emotions, but she did nothing, or at least she didn't do enough. She could have been his safe haven while he grew up surrounded by racists who shamed him for possessing normal human qualities he couldn't help nor healthily suppress. Instead she stood by while Sarek made their son believe that it was wrong to experience his human emotions and that he had to suppress them to be accepted.

Again, I know that Sarek (as well as the racism and elitism that permeates Vulcan society in general) is mostly to blame, but learning about how passive Amanda was to all of this definitely does not warm me to her at all now.

[ladypeck]

Not By Blood

Ship: Spock/Michael

Rating: E

Labels: Explicit sex. Spock/Michael romance. Why? Because I ship the fuck out of it. May have typos.

No one would understand his desires. His parents wouldn’t. His fellow officers. Being honest with himself Spock didn’t understand it. He simply accepted it. The girl he’d once thought of as a sister had broken his heart, and for awhile even his mind. He had pretended to be unaffected by her apology when she came to explain why she’d rejected him, called him names, and then walked out that night.

At some point he’d stopped pretending he understood and treated her with cool indifference. It wasn’t until he was nineteen years old and hit puberty, grossly early for a Vulcan, that his feelings regarding his foster sister shifted from indifference to naked hostility, because it wasn’t until he hit puberty that he began to realize Michael Burnham was female, and just how powerful sexual attraction could be.

She had breasts. She had developed a curve to her hips, and other places, that her own turn with puberty had developed in her. She even smelled different at different times of the Earth Standard Month by which she and his mother measured their lives and their menstrual cycle. That scent deeply affected him.

For Spock the change in her scent began about a week before she bled. It was at that time he reacted in ways that shamed him. The smell incited a visceral response that made him wonder, every time it happened, if he was going through the pon farr. He’d awaken with a racing pulse, sweating, and those damned erections that plagued him.

It wasn’t just her reproductive cycle that affected Spock. Her body did. Michael would exercise in tight shorts. He’d look at the shape of her body, the roundness of her ass, the way her thigh muscles flexed, and, of course, what was between her legs, and he’d harden with startling speed and intensity, and every time he hated himself for the reaction. Every time he loathed her, blamed her, for something he couldn’t control, much less she. That created a sense of guilt, which made him angry, and during that viscous cycle of lust and self-loathing, he was fully aware that Michael wasn't at fault. Neither of them were, yet he was powerless to not feel the way he did. It was all so damned illogical.

Their years coexisting as teens in the same house did more damage than anything else that happened between them. He hated his changing body. He hated the lust he felt for her, and his struggle to hide it.

“She is your sister,” Sarek had reminded him once.

“Not by blood.”

The night she came home from graduation, tipsy from drink she’d indulged alone on a bluff overlooking Forge Valley, because she hadn’t been invited to celebrate with her classmates, he’d watched her try to sneak into the house. She leaned on him as he’d helped her to her room, and before he could leave she’d asked for help getting ready for bed. He’d obliged, only to find himself with his face inches from her exposed thighs. He had a clear view of her white panties, and he could smell her.

It was madness to reach for her, to rub a thumb clumsily over her, hoping his vague knowledge of the human female anatomy served him well enough to touch her clit, arouse her. She’d gasped, blinked at him with glassy eyes, thinking perhaps it had been a mistake, an accident, but the second stroke couldn't be dismissed as anything innocent.

He’d pushed her back, onto her bed, his big hands clumsy as he pulled at her panties, smelling her arousal getting stronger, and his erection throbbing between his thighs, as he continued stroking her.

“You’re my brother.”

“No, I am not. Tell me you want it. Tell me and I’ll give it to you.”

“I…I…want it. Don’t stop.”

He’d tasted her then. Licked at her pussy without any experience or finesse. He poured longing, lust, and years of hurt into eating her and was rewarded with stifled moans she released into her pillow. He prayed the privacy dampeners covered the sounds of his wet fingers sliding into her. Or his own moans escaping as her juices dribbled down his chin and he jerked himself off to the taste of her heated flesh against his tongue.

When it was over Spock stood, tucked himself away, and left her with her panties around her ankle, her thighs spread wide, her face covered by her pillow, body shaking with sobs of guilt and shame. He felt the same, but he shoved those feelings down. Buried them, and fell asleep without difficulty.

They pretended nothing had happened for months after. Then he came home to find their parents gone to some diplomatic function at the Tellarite embassy. As soon as he’d looked into her eyes that night came back. Only this time there was no shame. This time there was only lust. He gave in to the primal urges within and threw Michael over his shoulder, ran up to his room with her, and without care or an attempt at pleasing her, ripped her dress away and thrust into her. She’d cried out in pain, making him impossibly hard. He felt her get wetter with each thrust until she was dripping over his balls and down his thighs.

“Spock! Spock please!”

She cried his name with every thrust, begging him for mercy, gentleness, that he denied, but she never asked him to stop. He felt her nails dig into his shoulders as she held on, sobbing from pleasure and pain, her own hips rolling against him, grinding hard. He was brutal, holding her in the air, her body helpless in his arms like a rag doll. She kissed him, bit his lower lip and drew blood, which aroused him even more. Lust was a monster in their bellies, and they fed it by dropping to his bed, thrusting, scratching, screaming. She rode him, and he watched her in the mirrored glass of his bedroom wall as she came explosively, watched her pussy gush with every thrust, felt the wet heat of her soak both him and his sheets, putting a scent in them he'd never forget.

Spock wanted her to stay, wanted her to share his bed, but didn't have the words or the bravery to ask. Michael left his bedroom on unsteady legs, naked, her ruined dress and underwear his to do with as he pleased. She never returned. She studied half way around the planet. Joined Starfleet, then took the assignment on the Shenzhou, never reaching out to him, nor he to her. He hated her once again for leaving him. Abandoning him. Rejecting him.

Now, on Discovery, they’ve found peace. Their encounters from years past are an unspoken thing that he doesn’t expect her to bring up, so Spock is surprised when Michael shows up at his door in the dead of night. She has shared quarters with Tilly but he sleeps alone. She stands at his window, watching space streak by at warp, silent.

“Something troubles you?” he prompts.

She turns to him, a slight smile on her lips, before reaching up and pulling his coat open, and then down his arms, until it falls to the floor, and he knows she's not there to talk. At least not with words. Her hand on the center of his chest is much gentler than any hand he’s ever touched her with. She pushes him to the chair beside the port. He removes his shirt without word. There’s no need to question it. To fight it by calling her sister, or him brother. They haven’t been siblings in years, if ever. He’s hard for her before she can undo his trousers and pull him free.

“I should’ve been gentle the last time. Treated you with respect,” he says.

“You hated me, Spock.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I hated you too, as much as I wanted you. We’ve put that behind us. Let’s have this while we can. Let’s be…human. Let me see a side of you I never have.”

When Michael takes him into her mouth she does so with considerably more expertise than he possessed all those years ago with her. When he reciprocates he does so with skill that makes her cry out with pleasure untainted by pain, or shame. There’s no resentment in the roll of her hips, or anger when he thrusts into her. Neither hide the sounds of their pleasure. Their hands are gentle, their kisses deep and slow. There's love and respect in the act, as much as there's lust. Spock let’s Michael feel his desire, hear his pleasure, see the love he feels for her in his eyes. After, when he carries her to his bed, their bodies sweaty and sated, they lay there in contentment. Peace.

“Is that another smile?”

Spock strokes her arm with gentle fingers. “Indeed it is.”

She falls asleep first. He remains awake to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, the taste of her in his mouth, and without any hurry to hide the smile that lingers upon his lips.

[theromanticrationalist]

Short Treks: My Thoughts

Now that I’ve finally caught up on Short Treks, I thought I would share my thoughts on the series and the future of Star Trek. 

Short Version: It’s a bizarrely mixed bag.

Now for the long version. (SPOILERS)

Short Treks: Runaway

I love Sylvia Tilly (who doesn’t?), and this new era of Star Trek has certainly given us some interesting and lovely characterizations. This was a pretty solid short story, and I loved that we got to spend more time with Tilly. I also enjoyed how they tied this story into season 2 of Discovery, which added more depth to her character. Yes, Tilly just makes friends with random alien queens. It’s just what she does.

I also appreciated Po’s dilemma in her fears and struggles with her people about the coming changes of them becoming a warp-capable society. Thanks to Po’s ingenuity and talent, she has given her people a way to stabilize Dilithium crystals, but Po has done this out of a love of science and creativity. She fears the exploitation of her discovery and inventions for selfish gain. As a creative myself, I could relate to Po’s anguish as she desires the purity of her creation’s purpose, the soul, to be preserved above all else. #TheStruggleIsReal

In the end, though, both Tilly and Po mature and grow a little, which was satisfying to see. I look forward to seeing Tilly’s continued trajectory to her inevitable captaincy! 

Short Treks: Calypso

Another really solid story, but the only thing was that it didn’t feel like Star Trek to me. It just seemed like a beautiful and haunting science fiction story, maybe something that would be on Amazon’s Electric Dreams (love that series!). It certainly has some interesting implications for Discovery’s future, but overall it felt out of place in the lore. Despite that, this is probably the strongest of the Short Treks in writing, pacing, and emotional impact. Give me a love story with an AI/robot any day of the week.

Short Treks: Brightest Star

This was the one episode of the first batch of Treks that I was most excited about seeing. I think the strongest character and ideas of this new era of Star Trek is the character of Saru and his people, the Kelpiens and their predatory “overlords”, the Ba’ul. The planet dynamics of these species and how they’ve evolved together, and the mystery of how they are inexplicably linked is absolutely fascinating to me. Unfortunately, I feel like the writers really squandered the full potential of the ideas, which disappointed me greatly. 😞However, despite my disappointment, I did enjoy this story, albeit it was much to short. I think it needed to be 20 or 30 mins to really give the full impact of Saru’s struggle as an unusual Kelpien who looks up at the stars and speaks to them. But we don’t really get an explanation of how Saru is able to understand technology at all. We just have to accept that “he’s different”, so he just has the ingenuity to figure things out. I would have loved to have seen him when he was younger giving us examples of how his unorthodox thinking manifested in other ways in order for us to believe that he would be smart and capable enough to tinker and use technology beyond his people’s understanding. It would have also given us a chance to really immerse ourselves in the culture and mindset of the Kelpiens, to understand the psychology that shapes Saru’s very identity. In short, WE NEEDED MOAR KELPIENS AND SARU.

Overall, though, this episode was one of the very few that felt the most like Star Trek, as it exemplifies themes of questioning, seeking, searching, and asking and how that curiosity can lead us to worlds and realms beyond - that we are made for so much more than we could possibly imagine. 

This story also gave me Isaac Asimov vibes, which was cool.

Short Treks: The Escape Artist

This one was really disappointing and, frankly, very dull. Don’t get me wrong, Rainn Wilson does a fabulous Harry Mudd. He really adds nuance and cleverness to a character that originally was pretty one dimensional and campy. However, this was the one episode that NEEDED to be shorter, as it went on for far too long, and the pay off wasn’t worth it. It also left me feeling like, what was even the point? Why did they make this short story about Harry Mudd without telling us anything new about him? Yeah, we know he is conniving con man, we get it. It also doesn’t make sense continuity wise in Star Trek because I thought Doctor Noonien Soong was the leading roboticist/android expert, and Data wasn’t anywhere near to looking as life-like as Mudd’s replicas. Somehow Mudd is able to create perfect hosts-from-Westworld androids that sweat, bleed, bruise, and otherwise act like organic matter, able to express the full nuanced range of human emotion as to be clone-like duplicates of himself. Um. Okay??? I guess this lone con man fugitive has made these ingenious and world-shattering discoveries and inventions in robotics and technology. Yep.

Short Treks: Q&A

The absolute best of the Short Treks, IMLTHO. (Yeah, I may be biased...) You can read my thoughts on this episode here: X. 

Short Treks: The Trouble With Edward

Yeah. So this one is W-E-I-R-D, even by Star Trek’s standards. I also didn’t get it. I didn’t understand why it was made or why it took the tone that it did. It was funny, yeah, uncomfortably amusing, like we were watching The Office: Star Trek Edition, but WHY. Did someone ask for this? What is going on? WHY DID THEY HAVE THAT PARODY CHILDREN’S CEREAL COMMERCIAL AT THE END ABOUT EATING TRIBBLES WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

It also doesn’t fit continuity-wise in the timeline. If someone at Starfleet was responsible for making tribbles the way that they are, then how come Kirk and the Enterprise weren’t notified as such? McCoy was the one who examined and discovered why they were breeding so much, but he could have just looked up Starfleet’s records apparently and got all the answers he needed. 

I’m not one of those fans who gets upset about continuity errors in world building, but really, there are just some things you should obviously know better not to do. 

Personally, I think the writer’s room was on Stamet’s mushrooms when they wrote this one, tbh. 😉

Short Treks: Ask Not

This was one was just ridiculous. The scenario wasn’t plausible, it was predictable, and the implications were kind of disturbing. For one, we all knew Captain Pike hadn’t turned. Yes, this perfect, plush, teddy bear of a man who is THE NUMBER ONE Space Dad of All Timeᵀᴹ who has absolute, unwavering integrity and honor is someone we are supposed to buy as having committed mutiny, or at least convince us that Cadet Thira Sidhu buys this obvious load of malarky. 

Uh, I don’t think so.

Also...THIS IS SO MESSED UP WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR CADETS. Why would you put them through this manipulative farce just to test their devotion, commitment, and integrity?! If I were this cadet I would be seriously angry and upset that I was tricked and made to go through the emotional turmoil, trauma, and distress of standing up against your commanding officer in a life endangering scenario! What the heck?? What sick, perverted, twisted mind thought of this cruel -

Oh.

Haha, okay so I think it is kind of hilarious just how merciless Number One is that she would actually come up with this kind of test. This episode was TOTALLY worth the little Spock and Number One Mutual Appreciation Society moment, as Spock, with stars in his eyes, admires Number One’s cutthroat tactics. I mean in AOS, Spock did come up with the Kobayashi Maru so it is all making sense. However, at least in the Kobayashi Maru the cadets knew they were taking a test. Cadet Thira Sidhu did not. The lighthearted and warm fuzzy ending to this episode did not at all jive with what had just happened. It would have been much more interesting to have dealt with the implications of Number One’s test on the cadets, while expanding on her character as well as telling us why Pike would even partake of and allow this to happen, but oh well. 

Short Treks: Ephraim and Dot

The idea? Creative. The characters? Cute. The animation? Really nice with an old school flair. And yet I was once again left feeling like what was the point? I mean I’m sure 3-5 year olds would enjoy watching this little short, like something akin to Looney Tunes IN SPACE, but really there wasn’t much substance here. Frankly, it just seemed like it was a nostalgia trip and Easter egg dump. 

Short Treks: The Girl Who Made The Stars

This is another very creative idea with excellent animation and an interesting look into Michael’s childhood and the ideas that shaped her. I suppose it accomplishes what it sets out to do, and is pretty effective, but personally it didn’t do much for me. It was sweet and inspirational and that’s about it. 

Short Treks: Children of Mars

This was a prologue of sorts before Picard begins, and so it was interesting to have our first look into what we will come to expect from that series. It was, undoubtedly, emotionally effecting, as it actually brought tears to my eyes. However, I did have an issue with it and I was trying to figure out what that was. I then realized - it felt like a commercial. Like one of those long commercials that tells a poignant little story in order to sell an idea or product, whatever it may be. It was too glossy, stylized, and seemed like it could be used as a kind of propoganda-esque promotion of Starfleet and its ideals. I know that is a kind of cynical way of viewing it, but that is how it felt to me in the way it chose to tell its story. I think if the girls had been allowed to be real characters we could have immersed ourselves in their story and what the both of them ended up having to face together in the end. It would have felt much more real and earnest, instead of just tugging at our heartstrings in a syrupy kind of way. 

Also, it kind of gave me The Expanse vibes. Just an observation. 

Conclusion

These Short Treks, and subsequently the CBS era of the Star Trek franchise, are a really weird mix bag for me. On one hand, I do admire their creative risks as they decide to try new ways of telling Star Trek stories, which I know not all those in the fandom appreciate or desire. Yet on the other hand, most of the time the writing is just poorly done and generic, so it all seems to just cancel itself out. 😕

Creating memorable, enjoyable, and original characters: 100%

The level of Feelzᵀᴹ felt from the storytelling and acting: 1000%

Creativity through set, costumes, and stylistic approaches and ideas: 100%

Writing: Subpar, 20%

Science: Not Even Science

In the end it seems like those running this new era of Star Trek have a lot of heart, but not enough analytical thinking or patience to take the time to build the necessary character and plot logic that makes for much more satisfying storytelling. Just saying “Space, the final frontier” a thousand times doesn’t make this Star Trek, and making us feel things through excellently composed music and acting isn’t good writing. (Also, people saying that they love science all the time doesn’t mean they are actually doing science!) So, I don’t expect much from this CBS era, but I’ll be watching it and enjoying it anyway. I’m Star Trek trash. What can I say?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Source for images: X