#also wow garak was a tough one

[404sketches]

Wow how random that I happened to end up drawing Garak and Bashir at the same time. What a coincidence!

[colnerys]

if not for 90s homophobia i think kira couldve had some truly messy wlw romance arcs like here lemme give some example:

her and jadzia having so many will-they-wont-they moments in s1 and early s2 which eventually leads them to dating before s3 happens or smth.

the whole joran shit happens with dax, life support happens with kira (i think bareil wouldve been her wise bestie with the good kush), and honestly ds9 major canon events happen

which leads to s7 having kira struggle to not kill dukat with her barehands because she knows if she kills him he'll haunt her forever and thats exactly what he wants : to live in her head rent free.

so ezri shows up, theyre awkward for a bit but kira loves dax so they kiss n hookup but kira also knows abt the reassociation taboo and respects how much love jadzia had for her people despite the system fucking over dax.

so she knows how important it is for ezri to find her own identity but shes so drawn to dax ... or is it ezri?? she doesnt know!!

so she makes the hard decision of beginning the rite of separation with ezri and ... i guess j.ezri can happen ??

and kira n dax just shoots longing looks at each other across ops every day until one day kiras sent to cardassia

and if we think about it the amount of stardates thats passed from when she met with damar to when the war on cardassia prime ended was roughly 3 months

kira definintely went in there knowing she could die and that the odds were stacked but she had to fight to live.

so in garaks basement during the down time she had a lot to contemplate about life and reflect. she thinks abt her relationship with jadzia and then ezri

realizing she liked them for different reasons and remembers how jadzia was there for her when she didnt really know who she was after the occupation

me thinking abt how her wanting to see her found family again, see sisko play baseball again, and just to be able to talk to dax one more time giving her the resolve to survive

so kira comes out the other side and the minute dax and her see each other they just leap into each others arms and kiss

its okay bc in the ideal universe jezri at the time realize they arent good fit then and needed time so they stay friends

anyways, they talk for hours n hours n kira really gets to know who ezri was prior to joining

shes smitten but in the "oh shes so awkward like me" way not in the "oh wow shes so together, shes so wise, so smart, so kind, nothing like me" way she felt for jadzia. which tbh reflects a kira self love journey also

anyways she promises to support ezri thru her tough times and all is well

...well u never know its trek

or alternatively:

kira having aliens of the week encounters with wlw / nblw characters

imagine her with natima lang — how messy is THAT?? like shes still in her i hate cardassians phase but like is slowly opening up. and she sees natima and just quietly admires the shit out of her for risking her life for the future and truth

her and grilka finding each other in the gym and sparring and then it becomes a heated affair that leads to kira being the subject of gossip and her blushing profusely for like days

those three cardassian scientists

obviously cannot forget keiko

her and kahn having a moment and it being messy bYE

anyways my point being kira had such potential on that front and still have it be true to her character. narratively it wouldve been interesting to have a character who isnt actively flirting all the time, a character whos entire background is embroiled in sadness, loss, and tragedy to just have love and connection be there for her constantly

[heroesandvillainsofmbti]

DS9 MBTI: Doctor Bashir, an Introduction

One precept that DS9 set out to challenge from the beginning was the idea that characters on Star Trek couldn’t come into conflict with each other. This idea made it tough for the writers to create interesting stories, so on DS9, non-Starfleet and non-Human characters were introduced to spice up the mix. Doctor Bashir, however, is fully human (if a little enhanced), and though he’s idealistic as any Star Trek character, his youth and naivete actually served to make him the biggest jerk on the show.

He annoyed everyone for most of the first couple of seasons, until his natural do-gooder-ness began to mature. It was a risk the writers, and actor Alexander Siddig, were willing to take. Though some fans never overcame their first impressions, I think the gamble paid off.

And speaking of maturing, can we talk for a minute about how well Alexander Siddig has aged?

Wow. Just…(knocks back a drink)

Okay, on to the episode list.

Best Doctor Bashir Episodes

“If Wishes Were Horses” (season 1)

Fans generally hate this episode (almost as much as “Move Along Home”), but I think it’s a hoot (ditto “…Home”). If nothing else, it shows you Bashir at his absolutely annoying, immature worst, setting you up for the arc he would go through in the future.

“The Wire” (season 2)

This is the moment Bashir starts to grow up, and it’s arguably one of DS9’s best slow-burn dramas. He’s persistent but caring as he nurses Garak through the withdrawal from his implant, and sees all kinds of ugliness from his friend. I don’t know how you can still be annoyed with the doctor after this riveting hour.

(“Distant Voices” is Bashir’s only Season 3 ep, but I don’t think it works. We do get the reveal that Bashir intentionally missed his infamous exam question here, and I use the screenshot of the elderly Julian at his birthday party for many a birthday greeting.)

“Hippocratic Oath” (season 4)

After getting them to begrudgingly like each other, the writers threw Julian and Miles into conflict again. Bashir wants to help a group of rogue Jem’Hadar beat their white addiction, so that they can be free of Dominion control, but O’Brien has no patience or trust for their enemy. It’s a classic Star Trek ethical dilemma, with both sides making good arguments, and both making hard choices that leave you thinking.

“Our Man Bashir” (season 4)

A campy, DS9-style romp, this adventure finds most of the main cast turned into holographic characters in Julian’s James-Bond-style fantasy. This is just good fun, and it takes a nicely dark turn at the end when the skeptical Garak butts heads with Bashir over how to best survive the scenario without killing the others. The accents alone make this one worth watching.

“The Quickening” (season 4)

Season 4 was a great year for Bashir, especially after the dry (for him) Season 3, and this episode remains the quintessential Doctor Bashir story. The man’s trying to save an entire planet, working obsessively to find a cure for the Blight, certain that he’s the medical hero for the job. Good support from Jadzia, too, as the patient-but-wiser sidekick who helps him regain his perspective.

“Doctor Bashir, I Presume” (season 5)

A controversial character choice by DS9’s writers brought us the surprise reveal here that Julian Bashir is genetically engineered. They hadn’t planned it, but there are seeds of this throughout the series if you look for them in retrospect. Alexander Siddig does great work going through a whole range of emotions, from pride to shame to affection for his parents, who are played by a lovely pair of guest stars. The subplot with Rom and Leeta’s romance, with Robert Picardo visiting as well, is also a lot of fun.

“Statistical Probabilities” (season 6)

I have mixed feelings about the Jack Pack characters, but Bashir’s certainly trying his hardest to do good here in his work with these genetically engineered misfits.

“Chrysalis” (season 7)

If we didn’t have the Jack Pack, we’d have never had this lovely episode, one of Star Trek’s best romances. A superb guest turn by Faith Salie (who’s also doing fun work these days on NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”) gives Bashir a chance at love at a time in his life when he finally isn’t desperately chasing every attractive woman in sight. Of course, he’s also trying to fix her, and he’s idealizing her beyond what she can cope with, but the chemistry between them is so cute and sparkling, you want it to work. I also read queer subtext into this episode when Bashir speaks about finally being able to love without hiding who he is. And that impromptu a cappella scene breaks my heart every time.

(I didn’t include Bashir’s Section 31 episodes, because that plot annoys me, despite William Sadler’s epically oily turn as the villainous Luther Sloan. “Inquisition,” from Season 6, is suitably mind-trippy and entertaining, if you want to catch it.)