#about tuvok and janeway and their friendship

[catgirljaneway]

Tuvok and Kathryn and the time Kathryn destroyed the timeline get Tuvok back.

/I Swear Somewhere This Works - Trista Mateer/

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok is not as autistic coded in-narrative compared to what I've seen of Spock or T'Pol where they're othered heavily by those around them and have themes and arcs about struggling/striving to fit in BUT I do think he provides the vital autistic representation of not really angsting about your differences from other people because you're too busy and unaware and then even when you ARE made aware you mostly just think 'glad that's not me'. I think it's vital to have that sort of totally unbothered rep. I love that Tuvok is completely satisfied and proud of being Vulcan, doesn't long to experience emotion or struggle with a desire to express himself in a way his crewmates will understand, to be closer to them. I love that he has a long time and close friend that respects who he is and doesn't try to change him and that how close they are isn't framed as being in spite of his Vulcan nature. I love that being Vulcan isn't framed as a hindrance to him, like a roadblock to living a full and rich life. He has a wife and four kids and is a devoted husband and father. He's getting into gay horror scenarios. Tuvok was born on autism planet and he's thriving.

[little-alien-duck]

the thing that makes kathryn janeway fun as a character is that if I think about her relationship with literally any member of the voyager crew I start to lose my mind. like there's her best friend tuvok who is a vulcan and logical and rational and yet has complete and total faith in his illogical and irrational and extremely human best friend and there's harry kim who is so much like her in the best and worst ways and would blow up everything just to keep the crew safe and one day that tendency could get far too destructive but there's no way for her to discourage that behavior bc as the captain she's leading by example and there's tom paris who is a starfleet brat just like her and whose father was her captain and a terrible father to him and her father was also a captain and is now dead and she's the reason tom's no longer in prison and to cap that friendship (???) off they have the same sarcastic sense of humor and there's seven who in a very real sense she kidnapped from her home but in another sense she deprogrammed from a cult who is now essentially her rebellious teenage daughter except the stakes are unfathomably higher and seven gets a lecture about organizational structure and working as a team from b'elanna who in turn got that same lecture years earlier from janeway herself, b'elanna who dropped out of the academy and became a terrorist now giving a lecture about starfleet rules after serving under janeway for a couple years. there are so many other examples too and there's the fact that any time janeway is talking to any member of the crew she has to first and foremost be The Captain and wear that mask all the time no matter what and none of that is even getting close to her weird situationship with chakotay. truly the character of all time.

[aquarterpastfour]

Resolutions, but it’s Janeway with different members of her crew (and none of it is played for laughs or romance)

Tuvok: Easily the most platonically domestic version of this episode. Two old friends, trapped together but comfortable with the dynamic. While Tuvok initially is reluctant to call her anything but Captain, he acquiesces to ‘Kathryn’ and supports her as she looks for a cure. We learn more about how they met, as they reminisce, and they are able to share with one another their core regret with being stuck on this planet. She will not get her crew home; he will not see his family. The tearful moment for Kathryn is that despite it all, he does not regret spending this time with a friend.

Tom: Bait and switch UST. Their early chemistry actually unravels as Tom slowly explores why he bounced off of Star Fleet so hard and why he’s flourishing under Kathryn’s expectations but could never do so under his father’s. She grows introspective over her own relationship with her parents, and there’s a genuine (even if left behind on the planet) friendship growing between two Star Fleet brats who have completely different futures than their childhood selves thought they’d have.

Harry: Some genuine melancholy from a young man who thinks his career and dreams are over before they could begin. He never stops calling her Captain, and Kathryn cannot really let her proverbial hair down. He’s a daily reminder of the oath she’s made to her crew: to get them home. And by god, she’s going to make sure Harry makes it back to Voyager so he has a chance.

B��Elanna: There’s a rage in B’Elanna that is different from what she’s shown before. Quiet, and very deep. Like Harry, she never stops calling Kathryn Captain, and we slowly learn through their interactions that her anger is because the only group she’s ever truly thought of as a family since her dad walked out the door is on a ship that has left them behind. This is the only time we see Kathryn say, explicitly, out loud and with emotion, that she thinks Chakotay will ignore her orders and come back for them with a cure. When he does, we see something in B’Elanna heal as they prepare to leave New Earth.

Neelix: This one is rough. He starts chipper and plays the part of the “Morale Officer.” Again she remains Captain, but we see his happy veneer chip away as the hope of Kathryn finding a cure dwindles. When she is the one who tries to make him feel better after the storm, he breaks. What good is he if someone else has to make him feel better? That’s his job! It’s the strangest, yet most heartfelt mirror held up for her to see herself in. What is she without her job?

Kes: Kes’ optimism is more grounded than Neelix’s. She is certain that the Doctor will contact the Vidiians and that the crew will not stop him. She has seen the good in this crew she has decided to join, and she knows they will not leave anyone, least of all their Captain, behind. The episode is the second most domestic, soft. Even as Kathryn fears Kes is right, she has hope that she is as well.

The Doctor: Janeway alone is infected, and rather than leave her to malinger on her own in solitude, the crew provides her with a copy of the Doctor’s program. It is limited — because nothing there can house his physical matrix — just his subroutines and a text interface in case she needs assistance. He is fully aware and imprisoned in a senseless void. Loneliness creeps in, and she slowly works on giving him greater freedom — voice input, sight, and eventually a primitive, permeable matrix. He sees the outside for the first time and is in awe, and Kathryn learns to appreciate him for who he is: a man with no rights in an organic’s world who needs people to fight for him. When they return, this version of his program is reintegrated with the one left in the ship. On friendlier terms, Janeway hopes B’Elanna can make him a mobile emitter based off her work.

[lostyesterday]

I think most people agree that, of all the TNG major characters, Worf was the best possible one to bring into DS9. He fits the best into the DS9 cast, and it’s pretty hard to imagine fitting any other TNG character in at all as well. This made me think about the fact that, since all the 90’s Trek shows are set at approximately the same time, you could theoretically take almost any major character from any show and put them into another show. So I asked myself the question, which character from each 90’s Trek show would fit the best into each other show?

The best TNG character to be on Voyager: Easily Deanna Troi. I don’t think having a counselor onboard would genuinely fix the Voyager crew’s problems, but it would add an interesting layer, and we would get to see lots of disastrous counseling sessions. I also think Deanna could have particularly interesting interactions with B’Elanna and Seven, and I’d love to see her develop an unlikely friendship with Tuvok. The one major issue I can see is that there would be a bit of redundancy with Kes in terms of her empathic abilities, but at the same time, I think they could have an interesting dynamic.

The best DS9 character to be on TNG: Obviously Worf and O’Brien are discounted from consideration here. I’ll admit this is a hard one – the DS9 crew just would not fit very well on TNG. It also feels like cheating to choose Bashir because he had good chemistry with Data and Geordi in the crossover episode, so instead I’m going to pick Odo. I’m not sure how exactly the plot could be worked to make Odo’s presence on Enterprise make sense, but I think he would get along really well with Picard, and I think he and Data could have had interesting discussions. I also think Odo would slot interestingly into TNG’s typical moral dilemma episodes.

The best DS9 character to be on Voyager: Either Jadzia or Kira could be interesting. I think Jadzia would fit really naturally into the crew and could have filled the generally vacant main science officer spot. There would be interesting things to explore in her dynamics with basically every single main crew member, particularly Janeway and B’Elanna. Kira could be interesting in terms of how she related to the Maquis/Starfleet relationship, and I’d love to see her dynamic with Chakotay and B’Elanna. In general, I think both Jadzia and Kira would have some really interesting feelings about being stranded so far from the Alpha Quadrant.

The best Voyager character to be on TNG: Harry feels like he’d theoretically slot in the most naturally, but I think his role and personality would end up being too similar to Geordi. So, oddly enough, I think Tom might actually work the best in TNG. His backstory is based on that of a minor TNG character, and I think it would be interesting to see Tom work through (or not) his issues with Starfleet and his father in an environment that was not at all as far removed as Voyager was. He could have an interesting dynamic with Picard and Deanna, and maybe even Data and Geordi.

The best Voyager character to be on DS9: Chakotay would be interesting, since I might have liked an alternate Maquis storyline on DS9 that actually had one of them as a major character. What would happen if Sisko was actually forced to work with a Maquis leader for some reason, and what if they actually ended up finding common ground and respecting each other? I’m thinking more along the lines of Sisko’s dynamic with Cal Hudson in the Maquis two-parter rather than his dynamic with Eddington. Again, I think Chakotay and Kira could have a really interesting dynamic as well.

[drakvuf]

I love every scene about Captain Janeway and Tuvok's friendship.

[walkingstackofbooks]

Thinking about a DS9 version of Voyager, that happened a few years later (late s4?), only they sent the Defiant along with Voyager to find Chakotay's crew. Mostly because I think it's really hard sometimes to think about what the Voyager crew lost/left behind in those seven years, whereas we know the families and friends of the Niners.

This is just a bunch of assorted floating character thoughts, really...

Maybe Sisko got Kasidy brought along instead of/as well as Tom Paris as a "Maquis expert" - but Jake definitely wouldn't be there. And the last time he saw his father, Joseph was having heart troubles, so there'd always be that question if if he'd even get to see his father again...

Miles of course is worrying about Keiko, who's pregnant, and Molly. Or maybe Kira's pregnant at this point... It would be interesting to have had Kira as the Maquis agent rather than Tuvok, but would also be interesting to see the pov of Kira who'd been left in charge of DS9 as she fairly often is on Starfleet things like this, and how they adapt on the station to losing most of their senior command crew.

Odo's almost definitely still on the station. He takes any feelings he totally denies having on Quark.

Hmmm, if we squeezed this into early season 5, we could have Nog going along as one of his first missions. Him and Jake barely get a chance to start arguing about living together before he's disappeared. Quark takes out any feelings he might have about this on Odo. And the new Starfleet commander, naturally.

If we're getting Nog, then Julian's already broken up with Leeta. (Sidenote - will she and Rom still get together, with Rom missing his son?) But Julian'll be missing Garak, who vice-versa misses him. (Sorry Garak, there's no way you were let in on this one.) I wonder if after a few years, when they feel really far away from the Federation, Julian would tell the crew about his enhancements? Or if it would be forced out in some incident?

Jadzia and Worf would all be fairly alright? There'd be the added no-trill-to-host-Dax-if-Jadzia-dies concern. And oooh, I can really imagine there being a massive conflict/solidarity love/hate relationship between B'Elanna and Worf...

To give enough room for everyone, I think the Defiant should remain intact, with Sisko as captain, and Worf as his XO. I think those two would be the only permanent fixtures though, as Janeway would insist they all act as functionally one crew and have a rota shifting the crew across the two ships.

Sisko would have a far harder time accepting the Maquis as officers though - while he'd have agreed with Janeway to work with them against the Caretaker, his personal negative feelings around Calvin and Kasidy and Eddington would not make him so agreeable to accepting them as crew for the long-term. I feel like he'd be more chill with the ones who'd never been in Starfleet, but Janeway's decision to have Chakotay as XO in particular he'd really push against. (Although, if Sisko could push past that all, it would then be a beautiful friendship imo - he and Chakotay are very similar people, I think.Maybe it turns out Chakotay knew and disliked Eddington, and they start to bond over that?)

Miles and B'Elanna would work well together, I think.He'd treat her fairly and respect what she could do - honestly, I think he'd be very happy to have someone that competent to rely on as his second. I think he'd be the first to ask Sisko to give B'Elanna an official Starfleet role of some description. I'd it possible to have a Chief of Ops on a starship? Maybe Miles suggests that he keeps that role and is responsible for the entire running of the ship, but B'Elanna's in charge of the engine room or something? I want to give her her well-earned seniority 😭

Julian and the EMH would be super interesting to see. Voyager's medbay would be used for both ships, and Janeway would want him there as CMO. Hmmm, although, maybe he could be incapacitated when the ships are pulled through and the EMH does still have to take over... maybe even in a long-lasting way - losing a hand, or something? - that means he has to rely on the EMH? Either they'd be firm friends or wouldn't be able to stand each other, but I think they'd play off each other really well, just spouting medical theories at each other without missing a beat. Although, Julian might soon realise he can't allow himself to get too carried away, because while it's a delight that the EMH can keep up with him, *he* shouldn't be able to keep up with the EMH in terms of quoting textbooks word-for-word etc.

(I can't not mention the potential Harry/Julian/Tom/B'Elanna mess? They all make each other worse...)

I'd like to see Kasidy getting on with Neelix and Kes, feeling a bit on the outside. She'd be able to bring her diplomatic skills to the table - maybe internally at first, helping to smooth Maquis-Starfleet tensions? But it wouldn't be easy for her, as a captain, serving under either Janeway or Ben on their ships, I don't think. I think she and Kes could have a really lovely friendship though.

Sisko would, at the very least, love Neelix's idea of a kitchen and try to get involved in cooking something as often as he could. And the whole crew would conspire to make this happen because 1. It makes Sisko happy and 2. They get fed much better on the days he's in charge XD

There's definitely way more to explore here but I need to go and make lunch and I'm trying not to grow my draft box too much again, so hey, have some random food for thought!

[stargatesimp]

Can I just talk about how much I love Star Trek friendships?

Shipping is fun and all, ship whoever you like! (Starship? I don’t know if that’s a term used in this fandom but if not it should be)

But I don’t think platonic friendships and platonic love are talked about enough. God I love adorable friendships in shows. Give me two best friends who would die for each other. Found family is where it’s AT.

Like,

VOYAGER: So. many. Good ones.

Janeway and Tuvok. Tom and Harry. Chakotay and B’lanna. The Doctor and Kes. The list goes on!

I just love them all dearly. Voyager has such a great found family dynamic. I grew up watching this show with my family every day after school and it holds such a special place in my heart. I could spend a million hours talking about it.

Not to mention DS9.

Sisko and Dax, Miles and Julian, Kira and Dax, Jake and Nog, Odo and Quark (best frenemies. Sheriff and outlaw)

DS9 is my absolute favorite of all Star Treks. The writing and development is insane. If you told me what these characters would go through after watching season one, I don’t think I’d believe you. Another one I could talk hours about but this post is long enough just listing the dang names.

Those two are the majority of what I rewatch, but man, the others have amazing ones too.

Enterprise was just Archer being a father to literally everyone on the ship. And him and Trip being another of my favorite friendship duos.

TNG is a classic, a lot of people’s favorites. I always loved Geordi and Data. Guinan and literally everyone. I think I need to go back and rewatch it soon to fully appreciate everyone in the crew.

And as controversial as it may be, I never really got into the original series. But obviously some great friendships there too.

But man, I love Star Trek. The feeling of hope it gives you, the despair, the moral quandary, the wonder and magic. The wonderful mix of witty and fun humor balanced with severe stakes and serious narratives. A balance I feel a lot of modern sci-fi lacks. And I just love the characters that go through it all together. The journey they take.

Tell me some of your favorite Star Trek friendship moments! Let’s talk about em.

[catgirljaneway]

Tuvok and Kathrym and the time Kathryn destroyed the timeline to get Tuvok back.

/I Swear Somewhere This Works - Trista Mateer/

[bumblingbabooshka]

Every time I watch the cold open of Memorial and B'Elanna tells Tom about how she ASSEMBLED a 50's television set from SCRATCH just to surprise him (there's no reason beyond that - just an incredibly sweet and thoughtful gesture) and replicated popcorn for him to eat while he watches and Tom says "They didn't have remote controls in the 50's ♥ Also where's my beer?" I contemplate murder ESPECIALLY because B'Elanna responds cheerfully to it - GIRL!!! LEAVE HIM!!!!!! IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE CHARMING IN THIS SCENE????

[a-most-beloved-fool]

btw i DID manage to actually start watching voyager in preparation for threshold day and i have some thoughts on the first episode i'd like to share

-the first two minutes were very star wars. i was amused. scrolling synopsis leading STRAIGHT into space warfare?? which massive sci-fi franchise am i in again??

-i enjoyed getting introduced to crew members i knew were going to instantly die. hello first officer and doctor who i will never see again!

-noooo janeway won't get to see her puppies!!!!

-humongous fan of what appears to be an instant ride-or-die friendship between Harry Kim and Tom Paris

-i think it's fun that neelix (and the the kazon?) don't seem to have beaming technology and are very impressed by it. i hope that's a running theme.

-DON'T like how we're getting b'elanna blaming her "klingon half" for things RIGHT off the bat. GIRL YOU'RE MIXED. YOU'RE ONE UNIQUE THING. DON'T DEMONIZE HALF YOUR HERITAGE. also like frankly she's trapped in a strange place with a stranger (who was very recently and may still be an enemy) while suddenly dying of a mysterious illness so i think her reaction is perfectly understandable

-poor tuvok, it's only episode one and already you're going thru it (having to go fetch neelix out of a bath and hold up a towel for him as he emerges naked)

-i've seen clips from voy before but apparently never heard kes's voice and for some reason it wasn't what i expected. i don't quite know what i was expecting though it just didn't feel quite right.

-neelix did you like. need to shoot those water containers, or was that just an extra "fuck you" to those guys? i mean i understand if it was. they did apparently beat kes up. but.

-tom you seem a little too invested in chakotay's life being "yours" what's with that

-but also oof augh more racism TOM. TOM YOU CAN'T BE SAYING THAT. TOM.

-enjoying the vibe of everyone being like "finally! a doctor i'm ALLOWED to ignore!" with regards to the emh. just turn him off! walk out on him! what can he do? complain? not til u turn him back on!

-fascinated by how quickly chakotay went from being like "i am an enemy to starfleet" to being like "she's the captain🥰😍🥰" like man aren't you supposed to have fundamental ideological differences or some shit. are you just janeway's bestie now or are we ever gonna address that. remains to be seen!

-i would be VERY surprised if all the maquis are just Fine with suddenly being starfleet though. you just unilaterally made everyone starfleet?? you've been FIGHTING THEM! i hope someone gets angry about that, at least. i'm assuming this will come up in future episodes?

-i liked janeway's ending speech <3 hell yeah

anyways i had fun <3

i've been meaning to start voyager for Ages but in spite of having a blog dedicated to a tv show i am comically bad at actually Watching Things (so i definitely don't promise a voyager liveblog lmao. you'd be risking like. three months between episodes at times.) but i finally started it!! exciting.

[isagrimorie]

You know…. for all of Neelix is the moral officer, and post-Kes he really did try. And I do actually like him if I forget a lot of the things in the earlier seasons.

But honestly, I think the heart of Voyager was Tuvok.

It’s not obvious because he’s very Vulcan about it but he is everyone’s closest friend.

Tuvok is Janeway’s oldest and closest friend, Neelix and Tuvok are friends and when he’s unguarded Tuvok has a fondness for Neelix. He is close to Seven of Nine, and he tries his best to be mentor to Kes even though he knows its not his wheelhouse. He even tries to be a counselor to B’Elenna even though he knows he isn’t trained for it.

Who else was gonna step up, really? Chakotay’s idea of mental health is the spiritual thing which Voyager tried to do less because they uncovered their subject matter expert was a scam artist. Also Chakotay’s other go-to is to subject B’Elenna to some tough love even though she wasn’t ready for it. It only worked because B’Elenna made it work.

He played Kal Toh with Harry and tolerated Harry’s impromptu musical concerts on the Bridge during Night.

About the only one he wasn’t close to was Chakotay because for the most part Tuvok was playing the “I’m her bestfriend.” rivalry thing with Chakotay. Eventually, they did come to respect and work together especially when Janeway seems to run headlong into another death wish scenario.

Tuvok was even great helping Sam Wildman during the time they were all trapped in a shuttlecraft.

And… Tom. In terms of working relationships Tuvok is Ron Swanson and Tom Paris is Tom Haverford. Or they’re the two guys from Mythbusters. They work well enough but they are not really close nor best friends. (I think this is mostly because Paris keeps encouraging him to get together with other women when he is very very clear how he is committed and loved his own wife. And I love Paris, but c’mon, dude, stop doing that. Wingman Chakotay, instead).

Anyway, tldr, Tuvok is the beating heart of Voyager. He is the one with meaningful friendships with most of the main cast.

[ramblingrose74656]

Happy Pride Month! I wanted to read all the trans Janeway fics I could find on AO3, but this isn't much, so please give me any more you might have:

"Beautiful" by mystery_ink (transfem Tuvok, background transfem Janeway, J/C and Tuvok/T'Pel, lighthearted)

"A Qte Family" by notdeannatroi (transfem Janeway, transmasc B'Elanna, gender issues about parenthood)

"Change of Course" by Themiscyra (transfem Harry, background transfem Janeway, gender issues and suicide attempt, unfinished)

"Logic Actually" by SweetPollyOliver (transfem Janeway, coming out, Janeway&Tuvok friendship)

"Cross-Casting" by Anonymous (nonbinary/genderfluid Janeway/Tuvok, fluff and smut, kink, genderplay)

[redwolf41-blog]

Ok, so this got a little out of hand so I'm putting it under a Read More. I just love this show so much and can talk about it so much and have no other outlet for it than Tumblr. So... Here you go XD I'm keeping the first paragraph above the line break to help y'all get a peek of what I'm blabbering on about under the break. I might add more to this, who knows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grew up watching Star Trek Voyager. I was between the ages of 3-9 while the show was airing, so most of the episodes I remember were either reruns or episodes in the last couple seasons. It was a show my father and I watched together all the time. I'm rewatching it again now, at 32 years old. I've rewatched it before, many years ago, but watching it now, and thinking about how it shaped me as a child has lent me a very interesting perspective of the show.

Captain Janeway was always my favorite character. She was someone I looked up to, and quite possibly my very first queer awakening. I watched the show mostly for her, so it was to her I looked and her actions I paid the most attention to. What little girl wouldnt adore her? She's strong, confident, self assured. She commands her own starship with grace and kindness and compassion, but also with a fierce determination that is almost unrivaled. For a little girl with no mother in her life, no other female role model? It was no wonder I turned to someone like Captain Janeway.

Watching these episodes, and watching her protect her crew so fiercely, watch her having to make all the hard decisions in an effort to do anything to get her crew home without sacrificing her own morals or principles, her trying to make as many friends with other races as she can along the way, affected my growth in ways I'll probably never understand, but will always be thankful for.

And its not just her actions that I feel this show did so well, but the relationships between the characters. On one side, you have Janeway and Tuvok, (a topic I posted about earlier), two old friends who stand by each other through anything and everything, an unfailing and fierce loyalty to each other that is a delight to behold. On another you have Janeway and Chatokay. Two people who used to be enemy captains who eventually see in each other something profoundly different. Their loyalty to each other is new, and takes time to grow at first, but, in my opinion, is no less fierce than it is between her and Tuvok. In her, Chakotay sees a future and perhaps salvation for himself. Its a beautiful relationship that never steps past the threshold of "what could have been." It feels like decades are left unsaid between them, and as a member of the audience I used to think that was tragic. I was so upset that they didnt get together when I was a child, but now? Its a relationship more media needs, in my opinion. They respect each other very much, and want the other to be happy, but they never quite take that extra step. Its a wonderful depiction of friendship between two people of the opposite sex. I dont remember if something like that was common in the 90s, but I feel like modern media has completely ignored this kind of relationship. They're too busy pairing off all the lead male and female characters. Seeing a relationship like Janeway and Chakotay is so important for people to see.

And then there's the crew. I finished watching Revelations just a bit ago. This episode, out of all the episodes Voyager ever aired, was the one episode I never forgot about growing up. The crew love Captain Janeway so immensely, they were willing to face down what could have almost been certain death (or worse) in order to get her back on the ship. Janeway's ship, previously running like a well oiled machine, was breaking apart at the seams without her. Their love, and their loyalty for their captain, and their willingness to do anything for her just like she's willing to do anything for them, is such a heartwarming relationship.

Watching this show so young, during such formative years, its no wonder I turned out so much different than my conservative father. I can only speculate on why he watched the show, but very little of it would be flattering. I doubt he saw the same things I did, or internalized them in any way similarly to me. I feel like Voyager had a powerful and profound message of friendship, loyalty, strength of character, determination, and the importance of kindness and never giving up. I'm so very glad this was one of the shows I got to grow up with, and I wish more shows were like it.

If you made it this far, thank you and I'm sorry. I get rambly when I love something, so I'm both sorry for rambling, and thankful for anyone who made it this far. Feel free to share your own thoughts if you'd like. I'd love to hear them

[councilman-horsemeat]

The Greatest Star Trek Characters, Ranked

I was recently reading a few articles ranking the various Star Trek characters and got really infuriated. I started punching my solid wood table until my fists were blooded and filled with splinter. Kirk, Spock, Picard- who gives a shit? There was no flavor, no spice to these lists. After taking a long walk and eating some meal, I decided I oughta make my own. Here it goes; In no particular order, so they're not actually ranked at all.

Sylvia Tilly Star Trek: Discovery is full of people whose lives have sucked, in a way which reflects their outlook on life. Some are hardened, some burdened, some both. Sylvia Tilly offers a delightful contrast to these characters. I’m not through the first season of Discovery yet, but I hope she and Michael Burnham become best friends forever.

Mobar (Fake Tuvok) Part of a criminal group that travels the Delta quadrant scamming various strangers through various schemes. Mobar and his friend Dala ended up acting as Tuvok and Janeway, fooling hapless aliens into joining the “Federation”, which meant little more than handing over their starships or cargo. Mobar ended up getting WAY into character, oftentimes chastising his fellow criminals for not adhering to Starfleet protocols. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make him not a criminal, and in the end he went down like a chump. RIP to a legend. I don’t think he died but whatever.

Dax (Jadzia, Ezri and Curzon/Odo) Jadzia Dax, our first true look into what trill really are. The fusion of Jadzia and Dax created a woman with wisdom far beyond her years, enough to make her approach life in a very confident, laid-back way. This, along with her highly analytical mind and charm, would have made her a perfect ship’s captain. Gone too soon.

On the other hand, I really liked Ezri Dax too. I’m conflicted, because seeing what it’s like for an unprepared, naive trill to be joined (despite never training to) was really interesting, and I even wish we got more than just the one season with her- but I also wish Jadzia could have been around for the finale.

When they were temporarily joined in a trill ritual, Curzon brought a certain down-in-the-dirt, slob attitude to the usually uptight Odo. I really liked him. He could have been less of a pervert.

Bearded Geordi LaForge Beautiful. Majestic. Just a touch of rogueish charm. Too bad he only had it for two episodes and like some movies or whatever.

Mirror Sarek I understand WHY he has a goatee. They needed to make him visually distinct from normal Sarek and it’s an homage to mirror Spock from way back when. The problem is that the homage only works if you didn’t already think mirror Spock’s goatee is funny as hell. They also call him the prophet for some reason. All in all a weird guy, which means I like him.

Neelix He brought a genuine heart of gold to the crew of the voyager when they needed it the most. A rock, a true friend and a shoulder to lean on. His friendship with Tuvok allowed him to occasionally bring out a different side of the indomitable vulcan. I also liked that his eye color randomly changed with no in-show explanation.

T’pring Spock’s almost-wife T’pring probably has the quickest turnaround from “WTF why is she so needlessly brutal” to “she’s a genius and she’s so logical” of any Star Trek character. She will always have my respect.

Sela It’s just really funny to me that she had all that buildup on top of already being the return of a written-off main character’s actor. And then like, nothing happened.

Kai Winn Opaka There’s something so incredibly about Louise Fletcher’s performance as Kai Winn in the later seasons that I sometimes have a hard time putting into words. She just captures the self-righteous, holier-than-thou, but also absolutely desparate character in such a captivating way- while also maintaining this underlying confidence and power.

“Klingon Chef” Deep Space Nine’s resident Klingon chef/opera singer showed a side of Klingon culture we don’t often see - the civilian side. He truly made the most of his few appearances, and I will always love him for it.

Seven of Nine (Possessed) Maybe it’s because of Seven’s usually stoic, reserved demeanour, but seeing Jeri Ryan take on the exaggerated personalities of a Klingon warrior, a Ferengi DaiMon, and the EMH of the USS Voyager amongst others, was one hell of a lot of fun. Enough fun to end up on this list! Unfortunately, not enough for that Oscar nom. Next time!

Dr. Michael Dingo Dingo’s brief stint as nurse aboard the Enterprise-D established him as little more than a grumpy old man, but he really shone after his promotion to main cast member and CMO of the USS Pioneer. His usual snarky personality being torn down upon meeting his long-believed-to-be-dead wife went down as one of my favorite moments in all of Star Trek. His refusal to poison the crew on behalf of his madly sick captain gave me goosebumps.

Lwaxana Troi She started out as no more than “Deanna Troi’s Annoying Mom” but evolved into so much more across her many appearances. Absolutely wonderfully played by Majel Barrett, the writers explore many facets of sorrow, motherhood, and what it means to grow old. I also believe that she should have ended up with Odo instead of Nerys, but whatev.

Falow The leader of the Wadi, a gamma quadrant species that value various types of games above all else. He and his entourage visit Deep Space Nine and end up throwing the main cast INTO a highly-advanced video game where they think they’ll actually die, but it’s actually just a game. What I like most is that he truly looks like the Most Advanced Gamer. If I was a highly advanced space-gamer this is what I would want to look like.

Riker Picard’s number one actually features on a lot of these lists. They usually list his loyalty or how cool he is or whatever. I’m mostly interested in his absolutely off-the-charts adventurous spirit. He was the first starfleet officer to serve aboard a klingon ship and was GLAD to eat gagh. When he learned that a trill symbiont needed a new host he practically jumped at the chance, despite the fact that no human had ever hosted a trill symbiont before. And he had absolutely no shame in wearing his slutty outfit in ‘Angel One’. There’s many similarities between Riker and Kirk, but Kirk would never have worn it so proudly.

Horny/drunk-ish Picard Patrick Stewart’s performance as a pseudo-drunk and very horny Jean-Luc Picard in The Naked Now has seared itself into my mind forever. It’s like he’s screaming, but also whispering, and sort of putting on an accent? Deciding just how to portray the usually stoic captain so completely out of his element must have been quite the challenge, and Patrick Stewart ended up making some very inspired choices.

Alyssa Ogawa She may not have done much more than help out in medbay every now and then, but the conversations between her and Crusher were the first to show that the main crew actually DO have friends outside the “inner circle”. Does that truly earn her a spot on a list of the greatest Star Trek characters of all time? Probably not but I don’t really care and neither should you.

Grand Nagus Zek Every time he got more screentime I remembered how much I loved his dumbass voice. His shrill bleating is hilarious, and every time he shows up I can’t wait to find out what his latest scheme is. His behavior towards women is regrettable, but that’s true for a lot of Star Trek men and unlike most of them, Zek actually sort-of changes.

Ishka And who is Zek without Rom and Quark’s moogie Ishka? Despite the usual underestimatable Ferengi personality traits, I genuinely believe Ishka could have one of the highest power levels in all of Star Trek canon. Women not even having the right to wear clothes has been a part of Ferengi culture for centuries and she managed to turn it around COMPLETELY in a handful of years. If she put her mind to it, I genuinely believe she could have brokered peace between the Cardassians and Bajorans, and that’s on the prophets.

Jae Yeah, I got a bit of a crush on this frankly random Enterprise-D crewmember. I think she’s friends with Picard? She sat next to him at a poetry reading once. I’m not sure if she even had any speaking lines.

[lostyesterday]

Some really good Star Trek friendships that have a particular flavor that makes them extra special: Dax & Sisko, Jake & Nog, Data & Geordi, Janeway & Tuvok. It’s something about two characters from different species with vastly different backgrounds who connect to each other so deeply anyway, and maybe they’re a little in love with each other but most importantly they’re best friends who would literally follow each other anywhere.