#I don't know if I'd join Starfleet

[freepassbound]

27. Would you live in the world of your favorite childhood TV show, if magically offered the opportunity?

30. When is the best time of day to vacuum?

33. How would you describe your dream dwelling, architecturally? (details?)

44. Why do you get out of bed in the morning (or whenever it is that you get out of bed)?

45. What question have you never seen in an ask list that you think would be an awesome one to include?

27. Would you live in the world of your favorite childhood TV show, if magically offered the opportunity?

Well, that would 'Star Next: The Next Generation', so... abso-fucking-LUTE-ly!!! Man, where do I sign up?!?

30. When is the best time of day to vacuum?

Whenever I come up with the motivation to do it. 😅

33. How would you describe your dream dwelling, architecturally? (details?)

Do you know, I once built one in a 3D home architect program (and I used to sketch others by hand - floor plans, anyway). It's lost to the mists of time, though (and computer obsolescence).

I do like an open floor plan, at least in the kitchen-dining-living room space - that would be most of the first floor. Downstairs would be a more casual 'family room' type of space, with a walk-out patio on one side (utility area on the underground side). Upstairs, a landing, open to the kitchen-dining-living room space (arched ceiling with skylights, of course), and the suite - the operative word for which would be big: big bed, big room (space for a sitting chair or two), big closets, big bathroom (walk-in shower, huge tub/jacuzzi). And, spanning all three stories, off to one side - the library: first and second floors open, with spiral staircase; lower floor for book storage. Then, a broad double-level deck outside - with a view.

44. Why do you get out of bed in the morning (or whenever it is that you get out of bed)?

Oy. Well... I guess it's to keep my job, at this point? There might be a few kids I'd do it for, but it hasn't even been a year yet - we're still feeling each other out.

45. What question have you never seen in an ask list that you think would be an awesome one to include?

That's not fair! I wrote this one! 😂

I'll say this: I have thought about writing a NSFW one...

[ur-battdoll]

Reasons why I shouldn't join starfleet

I'd pass the exams (I don't know what I'm doing)

Straight up would go to sickbay for a paper cut

I'd make it my duty to annoy the shit out of the captain (I'm getting sent to the brig 😭🙏)

My ass would walk past the main viewscreen when some bad guy is on it and probably make the situation worse 💀

I flirt too much

Literally can't pay attention for more then 5 minutes

I'm the kind of person who'd lay down in the middle of a shift an get pissed when someone trips over me 😭😭😭

I may or may not have tried to eat some of the weird things they find on different planets...

I'd try and trade my home for ownership of the ship

[cowboy-queer]

I don't know how big the overlap of Ace Attorney and Star Trek fans is (probably not that small), but I don't think I've ever seen an AU for it. SO I wanted to share my ideas

Phoenix, Larry, and Gumshoe are human, Edgeworth I think is half-Vulcan with Gregory as his human father.

I was thinking the von Karmas are Romulan. Manfred would find it a fantastic experiment to raise a Vulcan with Romulan philosophies. Then again, having Manfred be a corrupting force within the Federation and by extention Starfleet is also intriguing.

My first instinct for the Feys was to say Betazoid, but I think Trucy and Apollo fit that better. I think having Maya being a joined Trill carrying Mia's symbiont is kind of perfect. I imagine there would be a situation similar to Verad with Dahlia briefly stealing the Fey simbiont. Maya would struggle with adjusting to an unplanned joining, and she and Phoenix would have a very Sisko-Jadzia friendship. Also Susato would be a former host :3

The Gramaryes would be Betazoid, and Thalassa travels off world and falls in love with Jove (either Human or Bajoran). After a tragic accident, she moves back to Betazed and marries Zak (Betazoid also), having Trucy. Apollo is raised on Bajor briefly, but smuggled off world during the Cardassian occupation/a religio-political upheaval. (Bajor would clearly parallel Khura'in, so by extent the Sadmadhis would be Bajoran).

Athena is an android created by Metis, probably also a Betazoid? She made a child with Betazoid biology in mind, so Athena is somehow also an empath.

Cardassian Blackquills just make complete sense to me. You could make an argument for Klingon as well, but Cardassians having an emphasis on fixed outcomes in trials and women being expected to excel in STEM is perfect for them.

Simon takes the blame for Metis' murder to protect Athena from being deactivated, fracturing the relationship between Cardassia and the Federation. The Phantom is a Changeling, or a collection of Changelings, which furthers the mistrust between people in the Federation and stokes conflict.

Now hear me out about Vulcan Gavin. Kristoph strives to be the epitome of a Logical, Emotionless Vulcan while Klavier is V'tosh Ka'tur and enjoys Human culture quite a bit. Neither one subscribe to Surak's teachings but in opposite directions. Kristoph thinks he's above Surak's teachings, hates the IDIC, and believes underhanded tactics are the most logical way to succeed in life.

It being a Star Trek AU means that most of the characters should be in Starfleet, but for some reasons that's harder for me to figure out. I really hesitate to make Phoenix a captain, maybe he's a chief officer of something. Athena would be Science Blue, Phoenix Command Red, and Apollo Engineering Yellow. Mia was his superior officer until she was killed in action, leading to Maya needing to become a host for the symbiont before she was ready.

I'd make Edgeworth either a Commander/Captain in charge of a station or working as an Admiral at Starfleet Command on Earth. The other prosecutors would likely be doing the same. There would be a whole uncovering of corrupt Starfleet officials, including Lana and Gant. Ema would go to Starfleet to become a Science Officer, and either have to switch to Security or not get the assignment she wanted.

Lmk what you think, if you have any opinions about my ideas or ideas for characters I didn't cover!

[trek-tracks]

hello! I am also diabetic (type one). I’m curious if when you think of star trek or yourself in Star Trek if you imagine having diabetes still? I think either way is valid, just curious. I go back and forth trying to figure out if they would have cured it or just advanced insulin pumps to the point of being practically seamless with day to day life. For me being diabetic is so integral to my personality I kind of don’t know if I would like to think of it as being cured? It’s cool if you don’t want to answer too! Just thought I’d ask :)

This is an interesting question.

I've always thought about my type one diabetes as being solidly on the second end of the disability "spectrum," so to speak, where the first end is "this is integral to my personality and who I am, accommodate but do not 'cure' me," and the second is "this brings nothing but pain to my life, please cure me immediately."

The only accommodation that would fully make my life better, in my opinion, (which is only my opinion about my own disability), is either a functional cure (artificial pancreas) or actual cure (no machinery necessary), the latter of which I would prefer, because frankly I'm sick of wearing a pump and a cgm 24/7 and the sheer amount of waste it produces, which is not my fault because I need to live, but still weighs heavily on me (and takes up a large amount of space in my apartment). Not to mention the scheduling--this message brought to you by me being woken up at 5am by an empty insulin pump and realizing that, no, I don't seem to have any unused cartridges left, so I have to use an old one and pray that the pump accepts it while waiting for the delivery of the supplies I just now ordered, which cost $750.

When I think about a life in the Star Trek universe, I can really only think about being transferred there now, as I am, with the life I have led, and I think that's what also shapes my decision. If I had been born into the Star Trek universe, there are so many aspects of my personality that might have been different, considering I wouldn't have to worry about scarcity and affordability of, for example, housing. Instead of being a theatre critic as a second job that feeds my soul but doesn't pay the bills, I'd probably be a playwright/dramaturg/critic full time. However, I might find not having a job outside of the theatre world to be detrimental, because when people don't have lives outside of theatre, their writing tends to get smaller and more insular.

This is a digression, but what I mean is: I can only see me as I am now joining a Starfleet world, rather than trying to envision the person I would be if I'd begun my life there. I mean, I certainly wouldn't be known for making memes about Star Trek, the TV show, if Star Trek were reality instead of entertainment, so things would be different in a number of ways. I can't even think about all the ways my life could have been different in this reality without getting a headache.

In that case, I have learned a lot from being diabetic, including patience and empathy for other people, and a strong sense of social justice. I've learned a lot about food and exercise and how they affect the body. I've learned responsibility and self-management. I've made more peace with aging than many of my friends, because I've felt prematurely "old" (aches, pains, contemplation of mortality) since I was a preteen. I think I would have some form of these things without diabetes, but my worldview would likely be different. In a way, I'm grateful for these lessons, and I don't know if born-into-Star-Trek me would be insufferable.

That being said, I firmly believe that having diabetes for more than 25 years means that diabetes has taught me all about life it's going to teach me. I'm done. If I were to wake up tomorrow without it, I'd, in the words of Beyond McCoy, "throw a party." A party with plenty of cake. Or, to misquote The Voyage Home, "The doctor gave me a pill, and I grew a new pancreas!"

Now that it's part of me, its absence might leave me somewhat adrift, but I think of all the time I've lost to it where I could have been enjoying life and been allowed to be the unfettered me I desired to be, and I say, good riddance.

[ohpike-mycaptain]

Shore Leave

Pairing: Captain Christopher Pike x Reader

Prompt: "Could you... hold my hand?"

Word Count: ~650

"Lieutenant?" Captain Pike questions when he catches you peeking around the corridor of the space port where the Enterprise is currently docked. "Is everything alright?" His voice is thick with amusement.

"Captain! Hi!" You wince when you hear how strained your voice sounds and it's almost an octave higher than usual. Great. Totally not suspicious. "I… uh…" Your thoughts trail off when you finally get a good look at him.

It's been a while since you've seen him dressed so casually. The henley he's wearing clings in all the right places and his blue eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief even as his posture straightens slightly in response to your nervousness. "I have seen you stare down the wrong end of a phaser without blinking, lieutenant. What part of shore leave could possibly have scared you?"

"I'm not scared. It's just…" You let out a sigh, trying not to get defensive because of some light-hearted teasing.

"It's just… what?" He says the last word in a hushed tone like you're about to confess some big secret as he steps closer to you.

"This is my home colony, sir, and my family came to welcome me back…" You try to look anywhere but at his face.

"We're off duty, you know you can call me Chris. And that sounds like a good thing. Or do you not like your family…?" He leans around the corner, not sure what, or who, exactly he's looking for. 

"No, they're fine." You wave off his initial assumption. "They've never really been thrilled that I joined Starfleet, but it's not a big issue. Or at least, I didn't think so…"

Chris focuses back on you and tilts his head slightly, prompting you to continue.

"I figured they would try to convince me to stay and finally 'settle down' but apparently they brought my ex to help." You rub your temple, trying to soothe the headache you can feel starting. "I don't know why I can't make them understand that I'm happy where I am. I love exploring space, and I love the family I've found aboard the Enterprise even more." You blush and look away. You didn't mean to admit all of that.

Your heart skips a beat when warm hands settle on your shoulders and your attention snaps back to the captain as he starts to speak. "Would it help if I went with you to meet them?"

"You don't have to do that, Chris. I'm sure you have plans for your leave already." Energy sparks through your nerves as he slides his hands from your shoulders to your arms.

"I'd be happy to help if I can. I don't want to lose one of my favorite lieutenants. And you can pay me back by showing me around." He grins and your stomach flutters. "Now, I'll defer to your expertise, how do you want us to handle this?"

You consider your options. What would show your parents that you're happy in a way they will understand? "Could you… hold my hand? And maybe not mention our ranks?"

He smirks. "Oh, I can do better than that." Chris slides an arm around your waist, pulling you protectively into his side. "How is this?"

"Perfect." You reply quietly, taking a moment to cherish the embrace, wishing it wasn't just an act. "Thank you for this, Chris."

He ushers you around the corner and starts down the corridor. "Just point me in the right direction." He glances down at you and grins, the mischief returning to his eyes. "Depending on how this goes I might need your local expertise for the remainder of our shore leave."

You blush at the implication of spending your entire stay with Chris instead of your family. "I think I'd like that."

He laughs, head tilted back and you curl into his side. Maybe this shore leave won't be as bad as you thought.

[i-dont-know-nor-care-go-away]

St:SNW rant

I just saw the most amazing gifset of that moment in momento mori where chapel tells una "it's like giving birth through your mouth" (edit : it was @startrekuniverse who made the dope gif set, I love you btw)

Una and Christine are the MOST UNDERRATED dynamic. Genuinely I need to see them interact more. I've said before I don't think that T'pring is Christine's character mirror foil or whatever bc she isn't really. Una is the opposite of Christine.

Una is so put together. She is the literal poster person of first officers. She is always put together and just radiates dignity. (Somehow she gives like. Teacher vibes but I can't see her teaching a specific subject?? Maybe she just authority-s so hard I'm getting confused idk) She has been trying to be the picture perfect officer for years. She said it her self, she worries how people would see her (as an illiyern(fuck spelling I'm tired)) if she wasn't Ms. "She's beauty she's grace she's gonna punch you in the face" Because she hasn't ever had the chance to exist in starfleet without that threat of being discovered, she holds her self to this impossible standard that she some how achieves. Outside of that, she is a silly little workaholic who loves her job a little too much at times. (I mean. Tbf it's STARFLEET I'd also love it)

Compare that polished, put together-Ness of a first officer to someone who didn't even technically join starfleet, Chrsitine is part of an exchange program. (I'm only considering snw, sorry) Christine is bouncy and open as soon as we meet her, she sasses back at La'an and jokingly flirts with spock. She has the worst bedside manner and loves to chase people down hallways. Her reaction to Una bring Illiriyan was basically "I'm not a cop, I'm cool with it" She radiates weird girl in the best way possible. We see her be messy in relationships and goof off here and there. (Can you tell I hyperfixate on her all the time?) Uhura is "unburdened by conversational boundaries" and will say things on accident, Christine will say the weird thing and she will say it with her chest.

Christine is so unabashedly herself while Una is always on duty as the first officer, so professional. Una ties a lot of herself to her job and Christine loves science to the point she will chase it to other planets, she isn't tied to the ship.

There is so much space for tension and conflict between them. I can see Christine making a joke during a hard time and Una snaps. Maybe Una makes a tough call command wise that Christine disagrees with because they could've done something, the head vs the heart. They would also make an excellent team, Una with her tactical experience while Christine has science and leaps of faith.

You know those videos where the magnets are on a track and they collide really hard and the thing in the middle gets fucked up? That's what I want with them. I know im seeing the shrimp dynamics but I swear something there is worth exploring I SWEAR

[itsmyfandomandilikeit]

A Minor-to-Medium Prediction for Prodigy Season 2

All right so I'll admit, I haven't gotten to the TOS episodes about Organians yet, so I'm kinda making a lot of assumptions.

(season one spoilers under the cut)

So I've been thinking about Dal's Augment abilities, and I think it's really important to the story that they remain fairly minor. The series is about Dal's growth as a person, and him getting a bunch of random superpowers does not help that. I find the story of someone who starts from nothing and fights to become somebody very inspiring, so I do truly hope his character remains more important than his DNA, and I also think it would be a mess if we had to sit through an episode about each of the minor traits he gets from each of his component species. He's his own person, that's like the point of the series.

But I do think he'll still have some variation in ability. He's got his neck-tail thing, he seems to be pretty acrobatic, and telepathic abilities seem to be a recurring motif.

I think he might not be able to really rely on his ability to swap bodies, at least not to the degree that he can cheese it like a Quirk or anything, but I do think he'll be able to use it and skills like it again. I think it will be interesting to see how the minor telepathic abilities of his component species can interact, especially since the way they work seems to be so... undefined. He can swap bodies with a person he knows, so long as there's SOME form of physical contact, like a phaser beam across starships. It's transitive. But we don't know what all this can interact with, and how else it can be used.

Next season will take place, it seems, largely on Solum. A planet that exists in two separate timelines, one in which it is almost entirely devoid of life and one in which its future remains uncertain. It sort of reminds me of Dal, whose past is pretty dark and empty but whose future could be better, we'll have to wait and see.

Anyway I'm kinda rambling but I think next season he's going to swap bodies with Gwyn. I don't know when and how this will impact things, but I think it's where the story is going. Honestly he'll probably go to a place where she is in the other timeline and think about how he misses her, and they'll swap places and have to deal with each other's situations. That's my theory. I don't think this will be the ending to the season or anything but I think it'll happen in the middle somewhere so they can provide some insight to the other's situation that helps but doesn't entirely solve some problem. It also, as in Mindwalk, really doesn't allow them to talk.

I think it's going to turn out that the reason Solum was so conflicted about joining the Federation is that they would have to give up genetic engineering. We've seen they have advanced technology in other fields, but I think we saw in Kobayashi that Gwyn was genetically engineered. I think the reason the word "progeny" was emphasized so much is because it has to do with how Vau Nakat reproduce. Gwyn isn't an exact clone of her dad- they don't have the same facial markings.

Overall I've almost convinced myself that Dal will learn and grow under Janeway, but ultimately leave Starfleet to forge his own path. It's unfair but I think neither he nor Gwyn can join Starfleet and for the same reason- and we're less than a year out from the events of Picard S1. But I think, if things are going the way I think they are, it'll be a powerful story nonetheless. I think Dal as an independent actor who attains far more success and influence than the likes of Okona could be a very satisfying ending. Not to mention the fact that I don't think I'd like watching him be treated like garbage by Starfleet and still decide to dedicate his life to it.

At the very end of season 1, Janeway walks off and asks the children if they're coming with her on their new ship. They all chase after her, except for Dal, who stops and watches Gwyn’s shuttle leave. I think that was foreshadowing. I think he'll grow under Janeway's guidance but ultimately become his own person.

[cyberspacenine]

Not a question exactly, but I was just thinking Mariner is such a refreshing Star Trek protagonist because she has zero desire to move up in rank, or move Up in general. So many characters on Star Trek are massively ambitious and career-driven (a fact I always have to remind myself of, because I myself am very much a Mariner in this regard lol, I would SO much rather just vibe with my besties in the lower decks forever than have us all be separated and reassigned and given More Work!) Anyway I feel like you have great Thoughts About Mariner, so I was just wondering what draws you to the character, what you like about her, what you'd like to see for her, etc.

I hope you have a better weekend <3 <3 <3

thank you so much for the ask:))!

first of all, i completely agree with you: if i absolutely had to join starfleet, i'd never want to like rank up, i'd just vibe.

i think the reason i'm really drawn to mariner is because, (as you said) on one hand i relate to her as someone who's not super career-motivated.

i too have parents who really want me to do more and be more, but i just can't rn, and i understand that frustration she has with people trying to make her into someone who she's not.

secondly, i absolutely love that even though everyone is used to seeing her as the slacker & the cynical one wrt starfleet as an organization at large and her duties, she is actually the one who arguably cares the most. she's like this because this is her everything, her home (because her entire family is starfleet!), she wants it to be better. she's at times starfleet's biggest critic, at times most passionate defender. it's the hater/lover duality 😌😌😌

below ill get into lwd spoilers for the last episode of the latest season

i know i always bring this up but. the writers should have let her leave starfleet for longer.

how fucking cool would it have been, if the scene at the end happened, with her calling all of the california-class ships to help the cerritos, but then, after being offered a spot back on the ship, she still says no.

it's entirely reasonable that she'd want to save everyone, yet still feel hurt by what happened. i don't think she has to just brush that off so quickly, regardless if it's on her or not, that the crew expected her to sabotage the interview like that.

like the fact that she (as far as we know) did not leave starfleet after serving in the dominion war, but she left after this? idk, i think it should have been a bigger plotpoint.

[sapphosewrites]

12 and 16, for the ask thing?

Yay, thank you so much! (I love an ask game). This is for the choose violence ask game here.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Okay, to be fair I think it's gotten better recently but I feel like Ezri Dax gets the extremely short end of the stick from garashir shippers who view her as being in the way and Jadzia fans who resent her for being the replacement, which is not at all fair because she's a fascinating, complex character in her own right. She left a domineering parent to join Starfleet and stand on her own legs and help people, and suddenly everything she is and knows and wants is turned completely upside down by a being/act of major cultural importance that she feels at most ambivalent towards. Ezri's struggles with the joined Trill multiplicity of self are such an interesting character conflict- how do you know who you are when I is suddenly a plural word? And it offers so much room to explore what it means to be Trill and what it means to be joined, in ways that Jadzia doesn't because she presented as so self-confident and self-knowing. I could talk about Ezri forever!

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I don't understand fics which have Garak being all totally honest and sincere and weepy without it costing him anything to get there. Like, maybe it's the fantasy of being healed and safe and seen? But the whole point of Garak is that he's a dangerous liar with sharp edges and a mysterious past we'll never entirely understand. Even in a fluff fic or a get together fic, I expect at least some measure of deflection or lying or angst about potential dangers or something. When I see a fic where Garak is like "my dearest darlingest Julian I love you and I'm so certain of it that I will tell you so regardless of the circumstances and also marry me" and then they both cry happy tears and everyone on the station claps, I wonder what the appeal is. If that's what you want, wouldn't a different couple (possibly even a different show) make more sense? (That is a sincere curiosity, by the way. If people following me like those fics, as a writer or reader, I'd love to know more about why.)

[starrylol]

Day 8 - Past

Varek and Leia’s first meeting, I felt like this was perfect for this prompt and I really love how it came out.

Drawing them younger is fun and Varek has changed a lot but at heart he’s still an emotional person despite what he might show, they met when they were in starfleet academy and from then on became the bestest of friends! I’ll provide the rest of the short story I wrote underneath.

"You look like you need some company," a serene voice said behind him

Varek glanced behind him, a betazoid woman with long curly hair and friendly eyes. She sat down next to him, ordering a glass of rose wine.

"Is it that obvious?" Either his mental shields had dropped after consuming hot chocolate, or he looked depressed.

"Maybe… Would you like to talk about it? My name is Leia Vai, by the way. "

"Varek," He sighed. "I just… feel like an outcast, I suppose that's why I joined Starfleet."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm considered too emotional"

"There's nothing wrong with that." He glared at her. "What I mean is, so what if you don't conform to Vulcan standards. Being expected to show little to no emotion is a massive burden, at least I imagine not everyone wants to do that, and that's totally okay but to condemn someone just because they're different is cruel. "

"I suppose so."

"I can't say I know what you've been through because I don't. All I can say is that you can only be what you are. I can sense that you're a good person. "

"Thank you,"

"How about I buy you another round of… Hot chocolate?" She frowned

"Vulcans are more sensitive to sucrose, it tends to mimic the effects of alcohol on humans"

"So basically, you get drunk off chocolate?"

"Yes." He rolled his eyes. "What do Betazoids drink?"

"Well, I personally like any type of wine, I prefer sweeter drink, but it really depends on the person." She took a long sip of her wine and smiled at him

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. He thought more about their spontaneous meeting. The Betazoid must have sensed his strong emotions. He found that he didn't mind.

"So what're you taking at the academy?"

"I am studying command and control and Xenolinguistics. What about you?"

"Oh, sweet! I'm doing Xenoanthropology and, of course, psychology. I'm surprised we haven't met before!"

"Perhaps you and I should become more acquainted." He quirked an eyebrow

-

"I'd like that,"

[joju-but-trek]

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Episode 15: Ascension, Part 1

Use the Force, Dal.

This episode definitely feels like it's building to the finale. A lot of things are starting to happen, but nothing pays off yet because it's part 1. I do like it, but most of my assessment is going to depend on part 2. 8/10

The main plot picks up with Ascensia returning, somehow. She's mastered the ability to bend time, and taken over Solum, and begun a war on Starfleet. It's a good mystery during the episode as they unpack how she's come as far as she has in such a short time, and it's well-paced. I also love how she plays off Janeway in this episode. It's a good way to give her a personal stake and giving Janeway an independent plotline specifically within Prodigy.

There was also a fun subplot with Dal joining Nova Squadron. It makes a lot of sense for Dal that this is a thing he'd want to do, and it was set up at the start of the season, but part of me thinks that this would have been a better arc for season 3, separate from him struggling with if he's meant to be a leader. That being said, the sequence where he's flying is so much fun, and I stand by the Star Wars joke that all he needed to do was turn off his computer and fire on the Death Star already.

Zero's back to deteriorating this week, which makes sense. I don't remember seeing them use a cane at any point during the last episode as I think about it. I could have missed it, though. I like the direction of that arc, with Jankom making them a new body. The scene in sickbay was also the best Doctor moment on the show so far, when he offhandedly mentions the amazing world of advanced synthetic bodies in development right now!

Props to the Prodigy team for running with that thread from Picard. Having it hang over the whole season has been so fun to watch, and part of me thinks that's what Jellico hung up on Janeway to deal with. I don't know if I want it paid off explicitly, but I'd trust the show to do it well. Well, this is part 1. For all I know that could be how part 2 starts.

[eiirisworkshop]

Chiaroscuro

A Star Trek TOS fanfiction Complete fic available to read on Ao3 here.

~

Chapter 1

“Considering how well things went last time 'round,” McCoy griped, “I can't say I'm looking forward to this.”

Kirk clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I don't think Starfleet much cares whether any of us are looking forward to it, Bones. The Summit meeting is on our way and at least this time we only have one ambassador to worry about.”

“Yeah, yeah.” McCoy tugged at the cuff of his dress uniform tunic. “But the one we've got is the one I'd most like to avoid. If he's not dyin' on us, him and Spock'll be glaring at each other the whole damn trip and swearing they're doing no such thing. I dunno that I've got the mettle for either.”

Kirk stifled a grin. “Well, you have about five minutes to prepare yourself.”

McCoy huffed and grumbled something to do with a Southern summer not being enough time.

Right on schedule, five minutes later, they were docking at Hestia-1, an independent space station variously described as a floating city, a grand bazaar, and an island of lost toys. It also happened to have been the site of a recent trade agreement signing, which had brought Ambassador Sarek and his wife to the station. Now Kirk went to meet them—as was his duty, even if it was merely a formality—and escort them to the ship, McCoy and Spock in tow along with a couple security officers.

Sarek and Amanda were waiting for them in the station's gardens. Kirk plastered a standard, diplomatic smile across his face. “Ambassador, I hope you're in better health.”

Sarek contemplated him a short moment. “I am.”

“Glad to hear it.” He turned to the ambassador's wife. “And Lady Amanda, always a pleasure.”

“So nice to see you again, Captain,” Amanda said pleasantly before turning to greet her son. “Spock, how are you?”

“I'm fine, Mother,” Spock said diplomatically.

“Of course you are.” Amanda gave a faint smile, almost a smirk, Kirk wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined—at least until Spock's eyebrow twitched up in turn. Amanda's smile widened as she turned again. “Doctor, I trust you're well.”

“Doing quite alright, thank you, ma'am.” McCoy gave a half bow.

For his part, Sarek just nodded his way through the niceties.

Once the ambassador and his wife had been shown to their quarters, the ship had been resupplied, and all the necessary bureaucracy with the station had been seen to, the Enterprise continued on her way.

The end of Alpha shift found Lady Amanda sitting in the Officer's Mess with Lt. Uhura and Nurse Chapel, sharing an angular pot of aromatic bright pink tea between them.

“He does have to be mindful not to overexert himself, still,” Amanda said to Nurse Chapel. “Even so, I can tell he is much more comfortable thanks to you and Dr. McCoy, and Spock, of course. I wish he'd tell you himself how grateful he is, but….” She trailed off, shook her head, and sipped her tea. “In any case, I know he'd rather be alive than dead, and I must admit I prefer him that way, too. At least since the council meeting on Babel I've managed to convince him that as his wife I deserve to be kept abreast of his health.”

“You have the patience of a saint,” Nurse Chapel said dryly.

“I genuinely don't know how you stay sane,” Lt. Uhura breathed, pouring herself another cup of tea.

Amanda shrugged. “I love him. It's amazing what love will teach us to tolerate, even to find endearing. Even so,” she grinned at them, “it is quite nice to have the opportunity to relax and spend time with other human women once in a while.”

“We have to stand together,” Lt. Uhura said, holding her cup out for Amanda to clink her own against. “Otherwise these men are going to drive us all crazy.”

“No matter their species,” Nurse Chapel added, clinking her cup with Uhura's, too.

Amanda laughed.

“Anyway,” Nurse Chapel began, “is that why Ambassador Sarek's been in your quarters more or less ever since the two of you joined us? He's having to rest?”

“So he says.” Amanda sighed. “I suspect, though, that the greater part of the truth is he's taking it as an excuse to avoid most of the crew. I do believe he's still rather embarrassed over causing such a fuss last time.”

“Sarek? Embarrassed?” Uhura teased. “That sounds unlikely.”

Amanda laughed softly. “The thing about Vulcans is they're not unfeeling, as much as they claim to be—I think you've both worked with my son long enough to know that. If anything, they feel more deeply than we do, it's just that it does take more to rouse their emotions than it does for us, and of course, no matter what they're feeling, they won't admit it. That part's mostly cultural and it's the most frustrating.”

“I can imagine,” Uhura said sympathetically.

“I can't.” Nurse Chapel snorted faintly. “I have almost the opposite problem, working with McCoy. His mood changes on hardly anything and I have to keep up.”

“Somehow, that's why he and Spock are friends,” Uhura said conspiratorially.

“Are they really?” Amanda asked. Uhura and Chapel nodded. Amanda smiled. “I'm glad to hear that. I knew he and the Captain were friends, but I'm heartened that he has more than the one.”

“The three of them are like this,” Uhura said, twining her index, middle, and ring fingers together. “The three Musketeers. There are jokes among the crew that one of these days we're going to find a planet where triple marriage is the norm and the whole world will assume the three of them are hitched, and they probably won't even notice until someone starts asking about their honeymoon.”

Amanda had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Nurse Chapel almost choked on her tea with mirth.“I hadn't heard that one!”

“I heard it from Sulu,” Uhura giggled. “He says it's been going around Engineering.”

With a soft fwshh, the door to the Mess opened and Spock walked in, hands clasped behind his back. The three women looked at each other and burst out in redoubled laughter.

One of Spock's eyebrows twitched up. “Am I...interrupting?”

“Of course not.” Uhura smiled angelically.

Spock fixed her with a stony stare for a moment then turned his gaze to Amanda. “You wanted to see me, Mother.”

“I did.” Amanda got smoothly to her feet and stepped around the table. “Are you free now?”

“If I weren't, I would not be here,” Spock pointed out.

“Naturally.” Amanda folded her hands into her flowing sleeves.“I was hoping you'd show me around the ship.”

“You've been given a tour of the ship previously,” Spock said, with a vague hint of puzzlement.

“I have,” Amanda agreed, “but never by you, and it's been some time. Indulge me, won't you?”

Spock took a breath and ever so slightly dipped his head. With a warm smile, Amanda followed her son out of the Mess.

“I sense,” Spock said softly as he and his mother walked down the corridor, “that you have ulterior motives for this.”

“Yes, but I'm hardly hiding them, Spock.” The cowl neck of Amanda's dress slipped off her shoulder and she fixed it. “I so rarely have the opportunity to see you, and even when I do we barely get to talk. Show me around, I'd love to see your favorite places on the ship, and I'm sure you've seen all sorts of incredible things during your duties that you could tell me about.”

“Well,” Spock began thoughtfully, turning his steps toward the ship's botanical garden, “have you ever heard of tribbles?”

“I haven't.”

~

End of chapter! Read the rest on Ao3 here.

[morns-fevered-dream]

Live blogging Lower Decks again this time I don't know anything about this episode at all so I'm going in blind I'm excited and obviously Spoilers ✨️

Season 4 Episode 5

Is that new it looks like the Big Cosmic Koala in the Nebula cloud thing in the star trek intro thing?

Angel One honestly seems like the place three batazoid "ambassadors" would go for fun

I'm losing it over them flirting with both of them

Freeman reaction to the flirting lmao

"I'll take anything glowing and green" lol

Why is Billups so jacked??!

Synthetic Betazoid meat?! Chef don't judge I guess

I too say that to Rutherford "Don't say that about my friend" to said person Rutherford is just like for real

I have the feeling this episode is about the same thing as that DS9 episode about Betazoid sharing their feeling telepathically

I thought I was smart for figuring it out but then it became apparent 30 seconds later

Security Officer charades? Sign me up right now

She took an oath to not eat patients lol

62? ... 62?!

I love that Vulcan are always older then they seem

Kayshon naruto running? I had to look up how to spell naruto

Love Kayshon

"Your one of the most distant people I've met! You mean that?" I love it

"Fuck yeah logic bitch!" Gotta love Mariner lol

Yes Starfleet security getting to be badass

Ah the power of slam poetry

Starfleet Security protects your emotions? I like that

That's it if I could join Starfleet I'd be a Security officer

Well that was a really fun episode definitely a favorite of this season a fun T'Lyn focused episode and I love the way this show portrays Starfleet Security

[section-69]

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on 8 and 13 for the choose violence ask game

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

First one coming to mind is the idea that any problems with our shows can and should be blamed on a single producer. Don't get me wrong, I hate Mr Berman with the best of them, we Know he fucked up a whole lot of it. But TV is fundamentally a collaborative effort, and we just can't keep blaming every problematic happening on a guy who notoriously never came to set. There were other writers and other producers and other directors who made bad choices, and I think that ignoring it pushes forward this narrative that sexist/racist/homophobic/etc. plot points or characters are caused by one bad apple rather than a more systemic problem.

13. worst blorboficiation

Actually I strongly dislike the term blorbofication. There's this weird return of cringe culture here recently, where people are mocked for... having a favourite character? And posting about their favourite character? On the posting about your favourite character website? I don't get it.

That said, there's a few examples of characters in the shows being under developed because they're a writers favourite, I think that's what the question is getting at (like something adjacent to defanging your faves?). I'd point to Mirror Georgiou in Discovery as an example. Really irritated me how the narrative treated her as an oh funny slapstick violence person we let join us as a mascot, we can rely on her prime version's character relationships to carry her through! Just ignore that she was the leader of a fascist empire. She's redeemed because the main characters like her (do Not ask why).

Plus Picard's Jack Crusher. At least he's not textually a fascist, but he Is textually a nepotism baby, which we're supposed to laugh at and think wow, isn't it good that Starfleet has no institutional corruption 🥰 every issue got removed with the goo people 🥰 he can sit in the captain's chair because he's everyone's special boy 🥰

[summerinohio]

I for one am completely unimpressed with how they've handle Beverly and Jean-Luc's relationship so far, it felt cheap and out of character. So here's how I would have done the story. If I could write, I'd just write a fic but instead here's this long winded thing.

Dates and whatnot are probably slightly off. Who cares?

After the loss of the Enterprise D and Deanna/Will leaving sends Beverly into a tailspin. She'd been so set in her life and now all this change had her rethinking things "perhaps it's time to finally stop being afraid." So after the wedding Beverly tests the waters and tries to figure out how to bring it up. The real wine served at the party helps. It's so easy to cross that line. And when they do the world doesn't stop. All her fears feel foolish now.

Then it happens. Data is gone. Jean-Luc was almost killed. The E almost destroyed. Everything has been pulled out from under her again.

They have months while the ship is being repaired, inbetweet the court martials. They talk a lot. There's a push for him to move on, become an Admiral. Maybe just maybe it's time to give up space and make a life here on Earth.

When the conversation about children comes up, Beverly is truly caught off guard. He'd never shared all he saw in the Nexus but that night he does. Tells her about the woman with the red hair. Her wrong face. Even in a fantasy he wouldn't truly allow himself to want what he really desired. She wants to poke fun at it. But she doesn't. She knows a part of him is still stuck there. Living and reliving that moment over and over.

"I don't know about THAT many but maybe, maybe one?" she says unsure. Did she want another child? At their ages? After all they've been through would it be smart to want something so fragile? They spend the whole evening talking. Planning. They decide one more year on the Enterprise. One last hurrah and then off to a quiet life of Admiral and head of Starfleet medical. And the theoretical child? They wouldn't exactly be trying but if one should happen? That would be nice too.

Things are going well. The ship is almost good as new. The new crew is settling in. But the hole left by Will, Deanna and Data is huge. She knows she's ready to move on. To their foolish little dream. And she thinks he is too. And he is. He's sure of it.

Until news comes about Supernova. Everything happens so quickly there's no time to be upset or angry. This is what they signed up for. Save the world. It's what they were made to do.

She'd been so caught up in everything. His quick exit. Worf stepping up to Captain. The whole fleet changing direction that she doesn't notice right away. All the little signs she brushes away as stress related. Even doctors can be stupid at times.

He calls on her as much as he can. Tells her all about his new XO. He can't wait for the two to meet. She can see just how tired he is already. The mission had barely started. And already it was all-consuming. She knows how much this is all going to weigh on him. Is it even possible? She's lost in her own thoughts when she finally blurts it out.

His ashened sullen expression quickly changes. Face aglow. She almost forgets for a moment the state of things. He starts talking quickly. Manic almost. She'll come at once. He'll have Raffi make the arrangements. But she knows this won't work. Where he's going is going to be very dangerous. And she had already asked about joining him. Surely he'd need one of the best doctors on this mission. But she was shut down by the higher ups.

"Yes, right of course" the giddiness seeping out of him as the malaise once again settles across him. For a brief moment he talks about stepping down. Letting someone else come in to take over. But they both know he's the right person for the job. The good of the many....

So instead she goes to Earth. She spends some time at Starfleet headquarters. In the early days Jean-Luc is planet side often. However every moment things are changing. They spend as much time together as possible but it's not much. They decide on the name together. It's only fitting to name the boy after someone they both loved so dearly.

He's not able to make it for the birth. Another bombing. Even more dead. It seems silly to be so happy in a moment like this.

It's not been long but the atmosphere has changed. This isn't the Starfleet Beverly knew. The rumors. The whispers. It's horrible. She resigns shortly after Jack came along. Bought a small place outside of London. A little land. Plans to work on the backlog of research she never had time for.

Jack had just started walking the last time she sees Jean-Luc. He's not the same man. She doesn't expect him to make it out of this alive. A quiet fact that eats away at her. Raffi and him sitting in her small kitchen, Jack sat on the table between them. He smiles at the boy but it doesn't reach his eyes.

She wants to tell him about her plan. There's so many out there in need of medical help and Starfleet isn't doing enough. Raffi tells her about the state of the camps. What's really happening. She knows she has to do something. She'd spent a short time with Will and Deanna after the birth of Thaddeus. Will, somehow knowing where her thoughts had been mentioned a ship that was up for sale. The Eleos. "It would make a great medical ship." he said passively.

Jean-Luc gives Jack one more kiss before turning to her. She knows in this moment this is goodbye. She thinks he knows this too. His "I love you both" is only half heard as transporter whisks the two away.

"Well Jack my boy it's just you and I, now. What do you say we help papa out?"

A few short years later it's Seven who breaks the news. The Eleo's hull is full of new supplies. The rangers she'd come to learn were the only things truly holding this part of the galaxy together. Everyday Starfleet had been pulling more and more resources out of the area. She worked along side them often. Did whatever she could and they kept her in supplies. It had helped that she'd known Seven from one of the many Voyager Welcome Home parties. Sometimes she felt as if she knew the former Borg on some other level.

Jack is running around chasing after Deet when Seven asks "did you hear about all that shit that happened on Mars?"

And just like that life is turned upside down again. She tries to reach out to him. But never hears back. She gets one message from Raffi. It's short and hard to listen to. She can hear how completely broken she is. What had Starfleet done to them? How could something she used to stand behind so strongly gone so evil.

Raffi says she hasn't heard from him and disconnects the call. After all the trials he just disappeared. She thinks about going. Showing up at the vineyard where she knows he's hiding. Making him understand this isn't his fault.

But there is so much work to do out here. She can't just abandon these people. And now it'll be harder than ever.

~~~~~~~

Some fifteen years later. Sitting under the stars in La Barre. Elnor was on his first shoreleave. Seven and Raffi decide to join him on his visit to France. It had been a bit since they'd returned from the past. What was left of their little found family was setting to go their separate ways.

They're drinking wine. Elnor and Number One are off in the dark, chasing the yellow barn cat again. Jean-Luc looks at Raffi and asks if she had any luck tracking them down.

Seven shoots them a look. "Not yet" Raffi says with a sigh. She truly wanted to be able to help reunite them. It'd been almost 10 years since there had been any concrete leads on where the two had been. She wants to tell him he was a dumbass for letting his family go but she knows it's not her place. She didn't let her own go. They left willingly. But she imagined the pain was the same.

Jean-Luc had finally come to terms with everything. He had been too broken. Too ashamed at his failure to think she'd ever want to see him again. He gave up everything and the Romulan people still lost. But after everything that had happened in the 21st century he knew he had to try.

"Who are you looking for?" Seven asks again. Annoyed.

"My son and his mother"

"You have a son?"

"I did, once. I'm not sure if he'd still consider me a father however."

"What's his mother's name?"

"Beverly. Beverly Crusher"

Seven slightly taken aback. She'd never mentioned the Doctor to him, never felt right telling him about how closely she knew him during his time as Locutus. She should have known. She had some of his memories from his short time in the collective. She knew how important Beverly was. She was the thing he clinged to the longest as each part of him was ripped away. She should have known.

"I know where she is...."

AND THE GANG SETS OFF IN THE LA SIRENA TO TRACK DOWN BEVERLY AS SHE'S FACING OFF AGAINST CHANGLINGS SOMEWHERE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SPACE

-FIN

seven and beverly banged

thanks for coming to my ted talk

[walkingstackofbooks]

DS9 3x25 Facets thoughts (I’m re-watching, so beware spoilers for future episodes!)

(06/06/2023)

I love Nog's determination to join Starfleet, he really is putting his all into it, and good for him.

"Why can't you take after your friend here? He knows enough to stay out of Starfleet. Even a human can see that there are a lot more profitable opportunities out there for a young man with ambition." "Uncle, he wants to be a writer. There's no profit in that." XD yep Quark's argument definitely backfired there - surely he knows humans work for enjoyment, not profit!

"I've noticed they've [Jadzia and Leeta] been spending quite a bit of time together." Oh I can really see them being excellent friends, I wanna read more about Leeta&Jadzia...

Oh I've just realised what episode this is - hell yeah! Definitely looking forward to seeing this again!

"If you don't mind... I'd like to borrow your bodies for a few hours." I'm sure they've all heard of stranger things, but also That is Quite The Request to just come out with. 

Leeta being the one person super informed about the Trill is everything - and Julian looks at her so admiringly, it's sweet :3

The way Kira says yes is somehow so intimate, I can't with the way she smiles at Jadzia.

Ughh, I HATE oomax being used to force Quark into doing things, at any time, it's just gross - but especially here, when he's being asked to do something uncomfortable with his body but is expected to agree straight away without being given thinking time.

The special effects are so weird - the memories glow?

"I was one of the first women to serve as a council member. When I started out, I talked with my hands a lot. Lots of emphatic gesturing. I discovered some of my male colleagues were imitating of me, so I started to do this." It's always strange but interesting to see alien societies have the exact same problems as Earth - though for Trill, this was in the mid-late 2100s, so (god I hope!) long after women were treated equally on Earth. I'm curious now about how Trill society treated joined women whose symbionts had lived in male hosts, or if they once had a strict gender binary that meant symbionts were only passed down in same-gender lines? 

"It's so strange. It's like you really are Lela." Actually I had completely forgotten it was Kira's body too - Nana Visitor is an incredible actress!

I love how tenderly Shimerman is acting as Audrid - he isn't playing this for laughs.

I cannot take Torias' American accent seriously I'm sorry XD I can't tell if it's believable or not but at the very least it sounds wrong coming out of Julian's mouth!

The music and Sisko's soft voice... Chills

"I think that's enough of Joran for now." And you just believed him, Jadzia? That didn't even SOUND like Sisko!

I do love it when there's a scene and someone's head just pokes around a corner. 

Rom's bumbling about is very endearing no matter what Quark says

Rom ordering a uniform! So cute!

Odo kissing Quark on the forehead! Odo saying "Did I ever mention you're a magnificent scoundrel?" WELL THEN

This Curzon/Odo thing is quite a lot of fun though. 

"He's right, you know. And it's not fair. Starfleet has no idea who it's passing up. Nog, you would have made a good officer." Quark! That's so sweet?

"Yes, but the truth is, I felt sorry for you." FUCK YOU CURZON

QUARK YOU DID WHAT?!!! THAT'S WHY YOU WERE SO NICE TO HIM EARLIER?? YOU'RE THE WORST!!!

"And if you ever do anything to hurt Nog again, I'll burn the bar to the ground." "You wouldn't dare." "Oh yes I would. My son's happiness is more important to me than anything, even latinum." Rom is just so good. (Also, makes me think of when Angelica sings, "I love my sister more than anything in this life, I will choose her happiness over mine, every time!" in Hamilton.)

He's definitely far more Curzon than Odo imo - he's got Odo's mannerisms but Curzon's enjoyment of life and personality.

"You can't intimidate me, Curzon. And I'm not a little girl anymore." YOU TELL HIM, JADZIA

The music.. Are we supposed to feel sorry for Curzon about his revelation he loved her? Because nope. No. 

I love how we get to see Julian and Miles playing darts and Sisko, Kira and Jake having dinner together just cos. That scene could have started with any generic Quark's bar shot but it didn't :3

ROM IS SO SWEET. 

Everyone's fond smiles <3

Nog it's too :3333 "I know I haven't earned the right to wear it yet, but my father got it for me." He's obviously a little uncomfortable knowing he shouldn't be in uniform yet but he still wears it to make his father happy <3

"It just occurred to me. As soon as that kid graduates from the Academy, I'm going to have to call him sir." I love how O'Brien says this with fond amusement.

"What can I get you, Nog?" "A root beer. It's an Earth drink. Something they serve at the Academy." "A root beer. This is the end of Ferengi civilization." Always so dramatic, Quark.