#bajoran women with a decision to make

[wehadfaces]

they really should’ve 1) skipped the Ziyal/Garak thing altogether or 2) after Ziyal saw how upset her father got at her going after Garak, she should’ve intentionally turned her attention to Kira. and we all know Major Kira loves making the Right decisions but. having her returning Ziyal’s romantic feelings would’ve REALLY made the Dukat and Kira’s mom Thing a season later so much tastier with Kira retroactively seeing herself in Dukat/Dukat in her in some way and adding to her own internal morality struggle prior to teaming up with Damar later on. and it would give a better explanation as to why Dukat called her to tell her about being with her mom post-Ziyal’s death. plus Ziyal using this as “I’ve tried to connect with the Cardassian part of me, it failed, going full tilt Bajoran now, especially to manipulate my father” and that bringing Dukat's attention to his failure as a Cardassian, to seeing himself in her, and his own preoccupation with Bajorans in her in a new way too, and making his alignment with the Pah Wraiths somehow more meaningful. and also, it must be said, for the purposes of women kissing each other

[slippery-domjot-balls]

DS9 S4 E11 Homefront & E12 Paradise Lost, slippery thoughts

Wow....let me catch my breath. That was a wild and tense ride. Nice scenery too. Obviously these are just my opinions, but I wanted to share them because Star Trek makes me happy and passionate. I want you to be happy and passionate too!

Given the intensity of these two episodes I completely forgot it started off with Jadzia pulling off the most specific pranks on Odo.

Jadzia: I sneak into my coworker's private quarters and move his furniture by 3 cm every couple of days.

Quark: That's weird. They would not even notice that change.

Jadzia: Oh, no no no. He sees it every time and it drives him insane.

Audience: Oh you silly worm!

And I loved that we got to see these two besties playing pretend. We need more Miles and Julian aviation adventures. Super cute pals.

R.I.P. Clive

Playtime is over now because the changelings have basically infiltrated Earth and are ruining everything all the time and it isn't fun anymore....or are they? They are, but are they? Possibly. Probably. Perhaps.

To me this kind of episode is the pinnacle of what Star Trek writing has always been about. We see a complex evaluation of choices in conflict. It is not about an obvious "right" or "wrong", but one decision versus another. This is a battle between perspective and reason. All sides contain some merit. This episode also shows good intentions taken too far and taken beyond the ethical reasoning that initially inspired the action.

If this episode were to have a villain it would be fear and paranoia itself and not any particular character.

Vice Admiral Leyton was an amazing character. It was brilliant to establish that he had a close professional history with Sisko early in the episode because it immediately made me trust him. You sneaky writers!! But that was the whole point. The story that was unfolding to the audience purposefully made us feel betrayed with Sisko. We co-experienced in real time the feeling seeing a close friend commit treason.

Enter the most powerful man on Earth. He can move the most stubborn hearts, calm the most irrational mind, and fill up the most starved stomach. Replicated foods beware of Grandpa Sisko. I see where Jake gets his style too! It was so believable that these three were family. You could see how cadences, mannerism, and behaviors in Granddad Sisko were passed to Ben and then passed down to Jake, but in their own naturally developing ways in each generation.

*Spoiler Alert* Grandpa Sisko also saves the day.

Just when I thought this episode had all the ingredients for perfection Nog the keeper of all things pure and innocent shows up. Look at that smug Ferengi. He knows that he is the best thing at the Academy and so do we.

A great thing about these two episodes is that every character acts as an essential part of the story. Nog will lead Ben on the chase with his talk of the Red Squad. A+ Nog!

This ain't your normal seagull. This one loves Bajoran women.

Around this point we have all the main details of the episode. Admiral Leyton and Captain Sisko are working together to protect Earth from a suspected Dominion infiltration and invasion. The President of the Federation is against the proposed worldwide security changes but reluctantly allows their implementation.

With security personnel, blood tests of all crucial Starfleet staff and family members, and martial law practically in effect everywhere we are ready to repel any Dominion attacks. After all, the wormhole was winking at DS9 a lot so perhaps a cloaked invasion fleet is on Earth's doorstep.

HERE WE GO! Papa Sisko challenges Daddy Sisko's paranoia. Ben is seeing changelings in his sleep and not the Odo kind either.

So we start to see the episode present one of it's many challenges:

How far should we trade individual autonomy for protection?

And THIS is why I love Star Trek. Grandfather Sisko is absolutely correct!! And yet, Ben Sisko is also correct. Both want to protect what they love, life ad they know and perceive it.

We search for the highest good in each situation. Ben wants to secure and save everything he loves on Earth. He wants to protect his family, his home, and everything therein. Grandpa Sisko wants the EXACT same thing. The methods to achieve their shared goal is in conflict.

DS9 writers have a candy bar on me. Well done!!! (engage smooching sounds)

This very moment is crucial for Ben. His paranoia is pushing him toward the type of dictatorial control that Admiral Leyton is calling for, but Ben has found that not only is something odd happening in the background but this entire movement smell stinky.

Nog is such a good cadet. I love him with all my little heart. He provided critical information about Starfleet Academy's unofficial super special secret mean girls club Red Squad. This little snack of information sets Ben Sisko on the trail of breadcrumbs leading to the smorgasbord of treason committed by Leyton.

Smug Shapeshifting O'Brien is a gift. Enjoy every second of this hilarious goop boy. Colm really did a great job. We do see that there is a Dominion changeling on earth (saw it earlier in Homefront as well). We understand how real the threat of their activity can be. We especially see how terrifying a changeling can be when Dominion version O'Brien has a little chat with Ben. It might only take one hostile changeling to completely destabilize an entire world.

I do wish we figured out how the fake changeling blood was created to trap Sisko. Clever girl, Admiral.

I felt bad for Leyton. He is someone caught in a difficult position of authority and personal fears. His own paranoia drove him to the utmost extreme. I imagined that maybe he has a cute little family with a kid back home. I imagined what it might be like in his shoes. It would be hard to live thinking that your lack of effort led to the death of your child or friend or family member or significant other. It would be hard to go to bed knowing that the person you once shared it with prematurely died because of that you thought you failed to do. Even in much of the two episodes his facial expressions show a man full of internal strife and conflict. It is as if he kept questioning his actions as he made them.

What if his fear of failing his community drove him to radical dictatorship? He wanted to keep all that he loved safe, but he betrayed everyone he loved. He demanded that all his loyal friends trust him. Trust is a two way exchange though. He abandoned trusting his friends and confidants. That was the beginning of his downfall.

Leyton wanted to protect society at the cost of society itself. He could not see beyond his fear of losing society to war and enemies abroad to the point of blindness. He became an enemy of all he cherished, and I honestly think that he knew that too. He was just so scared that he desperately dug in to the one aspect of his life that he thought he could control, which is so relatable. We all can act irrationally under stress and pressure. This is not justification or approval. This is accepting that life may not have as many villains in it as we are told to believe. People are just trying to be people, meet their obligations and responsibilities while preserving what little bit of life exists to enjoy.

We are all prone to brash behaviors in order to protect what we love, but sometimes it is healthy to set down the admiralty bars and accept that you can't do it all, especially alone.

Remember that everyone in this episode wanted the same thing. Leyton wanted to protect life. Sisko wanted to protect life. Grandpa Sisko wanted to protect life. Everyone held the same belief and motivation.

I appreciated how solemnly Leyton gave in and how respectfully he surrendered. It actually felt less like defeat and more like he was relieved of a burden that he was too overwhelmed to carry alone. He didn't need to carry it alone but chose to go alone. In a symbolic way by removing the admiral bars he set down his fear and moved on.

The amount of time taken for these shots impressed upon me the symbolic significance of it. Sisko also lets go and moves on with Leyton. By setting the phaser down he too lets go and agrees it is time to move forward from this conflict. He is still betrayed and disappointed, but he is not stuck or trapped in the past. He sets down his weapon and joins Leyton in facing a reality outside the oppression of their own paranoia.

I loved that Paradise Lost ends with the restaurant opening up again. It is the resolution these episodes needed. It was closure showing that being open to others and not letting the world cloud you of the humanity in others is fundamental to life.

Despite the many differences in all these characters, regardless of where they were in the progress of their own lives, no matter the goal or intention, we all essentially desire the same things.

Star Trek is the future I hope for!

If you made it to the end of this post and are reading this then 10,000 sweet kisses to your forehead. If you didn't make it then I am still giving your forehead tender kisses, you are just not aware of it.

[trip-is-bad-at-go]

The only examples of Cardassian women without any blue coloration that I can find in a quick search are Jil Orra in TNG: Chain of Command, Part II, Asha in DS9: Cardassians, Tora Ziyal in DS9, and an unnamed delegate in DIS: ...But to Connect. If it is indeed a secondary sexual characteristic, it would make sense that Jil Orra and Asha, two children, wouldn’t display it, and I can see Ziyal’s Bajoran heritage precluding it as well. The delegate in Discovery is harder to explain, but is most likely a result of the production staff of Discovery making their own creative decisions about how the aliens in their show should look. The Holographic Cardassian Mariner fights with in LDS: Strange Energies doesn’t have any blue color at all, but Kejal, the Cardassian hologram in VOY: Flesh and Blood does, which is curious, but again explainable by differences in production and maybe the limits of the animated media.

I’d be interested to see any other examples, but I’m not aware of any canon sources that definitively declare the blue color to be either an affectation or an inherent feature of Cardassian women. Seems to me there’s room for both interpretations. 

I did Garak in makeup.

First is eyeliner, second is eyeshadow and the spoon, and that's when my computer crashed from looking at the hotness.

Julian takes one look, and uh... "I'll be in my bunk" ensues.

[mythomagically-delicious]

Season 1 Kira: “It was so much easier when I knew who my enemy was.”

Season 5 Kai Winn: “I knew who my enemies were. But now...nothing is certain.”

Season 1 Kira looking between the Federation, the Cardassians, and Bajor’s own splinter groups (former friends and former fighters alongside her) and trying to figure out where her loyalties lie in accordance with what is best for Bajor.

Season 5 Kai Winn looking between all she has done up to this point to gain power, and comparing it to all she has suffered in the past. From the beatings she suffered in the (5 years of) Cardassian labor camp, to her faith in the Prophets, to Kira and Sisko and how she feels of their interference/assistance in many matters. 

Both of these women are on the verge of decisions that will allow them to walk a better path. Kira is deciding to allow herself to trust Sisko and do what is best for Bajor, even if it means turning her back on those she used to know.

Kai Winn is on the verge of rethinking all of her past aggression toward the federation, toward Sisko and Kira especially, as B’hala has been discovered and it changes so much in terms of who they were as a people. Except it might mean turning her back to the power she fought so desperately for, and she isn’t ready to surrender that (in fact, she never is able to do this).

[jacensolodjo]

Sometimes I think about B’Elanna Torres.

No, no stay with me for a second let me gush abt my fave mixed engineer.

I think about this woman who, before the Maquis, she had nobody. Her mother was only the Klingon gods know where, her father fucked off when she was a kiddo because he was a racist prick. She was teased mercilessly by people she was, arguably, smarter than simply for the crime of being part Klingon.

And like, yeah we talk about how Star Trek timeline is ~post oppression~ but if you watch Voyager and DS9 you know that isn’t true. It comes in different forms, different species of intelligent life. But it’s there. The biggest of which of course being the Bajorans vs. Cardassians.

And here we have B’Elanna Torres. Half-Klingon, fighting against that half of her all of her life because she was told since birth it was Bad Wrong. But she joins the Maquis. She has a spirit that still hasn’t been crushed. She was ‘betrayed’ by Starfleet (read: dropped out because things were racist there too). She is a good person no matter how much she rails against the idea of being so. And she finds a family with the Maquis. She doesn’t start thinking about it until of course suddenly she’s trebuchet’d across the fucking galaxy to a totally different quadrant.

And she is once again surrounded by Starfleet, made to feel Bad Wrong. She’s smart, exceedingly so. She’s still acerbic even to Chakotay who she is arguably closest with next to Seska who turns out to surprise be one of the enemy (aka Cardassian).

She has earned her attitude. She has earned keeping people at a distance. Nothing she could say or do would make things better or worse anyway, so why not just protect yourself?

But then. Shock of all shocks. Janeway appears like an angel descending from the fucking clouds (insert harp music) and she almost immediately trusts B’Elanna’s word despite their first impressions not being too great. Janeway was there because of the Maquis. B’Elanna is Maquis. But she’s a damn fine engineer. Janeway makes this honestly almost out of left field decision to trust Chakotay’s word (perhaps with Tuvok admitting despite everything that B’Elanna is as good as Chakotay says cause he’s seen it and he knows they can’t afford to lose such a fine engineer in an unknown scenario).

B’Elanna has the total capacity to be loyal. She’ll be a pain while being such but she is loyal. And everyone learns that. Her family is no longer just Maquis. But it’s Harry Kim, it’s Kathryn Janeway, it’s even on some level Neelix of all people. And then we add Seven of Nine down the line who instantly recognizes B’Elanna’s skill and authority regardless of how mean B’Elanna is for a while there. Given her trials when she first got the job I don’t blame her being on guard with Seven especially given this is an ex-Borg we’re talking about. Seven doesn’t sit there and question B’Elanna’s orders, though, and that’s so key (she may feel she has a better solution but she accepts B’Elanna gives the orders even if she does do stuff without orders for a while there). She is maybe the third person who has so quickly accepted who B’Elanna is and what she’s capable of and that is just so uplifting. Sure, they’re antagonistic for a while but things settle. They recognize each other’s skill and expertise. It’s never explicitly them jockeying for position as the go-to engineer, they’re just made to do that by the script on a meta level. 

But the Voyager crew. They accept she is who she is. ‘Forehead and bad attitude’ and all. She is accepted without hesitance for the first time in her goddamn life and I’m not supposed to be emotional about that decades later? To say nothing of getting to see this brown woman, who is a successful engineer with a family, struggle with things like Depression. I mean, at that point non-white people weren’t allowed to show emotion like that. They weren’t allowed to be vulnerable. Still aren’t on some level now. Especially women without being accused of having some motive or whatever. She is also allowed to be angry without being accused of it being her time of the month every time you turn around. In fact I can’t remember a time she was ever accused of PMSing when she had an outburst. Though I guess it depends on how you feel abt it being blamed solely on her klingon side. 

But she gets through it not exactly through the power of love but the power of acceptance not just of the emotions she has that are negative (depression) or deemed negative (anger) but of her as a person. Bad shit happened, she can’t change it, but it’s okay to feel like shit abt it, too. They don’t ‘save’ her. They stay there while she saves herself.

Lieutenant B’Elanna fucking Torres. Chief Engineer. USS Voyager. She is the hero of her own damn story whether you like it or not. With a little help from her friends family.

[rotationalsymmetry]

General gripes about DS9 and gender (some spoilers) (content notes: some references to sexual abuse/trauma, and specifically spiritual abuse/sexual misconduct in religious leaders, also death/murder):

I swear to fuck these people do not know how to write female characters without shoehorning them into romance plotlines. (Or weird fucked up stuff, like when that Cardassian serial murderer kidnaps Kira.) Especially noticeable with Ziyal -- when Kira takes her to DS9, the writers apparently can't think of a single thing to do with a young woman other than ship her with a much older Cardassian. Then, she's starting to get her own life and make a name for her as an artist, and they fucking refridgerator her. The fuck. (And: the focus is on how her death affects Dukat, that fucker. Which, obviously sure it's going to affect him...but it's also going to affect Kira, who sees Ziyal as like a younger version of herself and was trying to protect her. And then Ziyal dies. That should have some sort of effect on Kira! And did no one else on the station make any sort of connection with her when she was there?) This is arguably not primarily a gender thing, but it is partly a gender thing: the show keeps demanding Kira find sympathy for her oppressors, over and over again. (This is a gripe fest: of course there's a lot of things about Kira's character that are done really well.) She keeps getting thrown in situations that show (some) Cardassians in more nuanced lights and that more or less force her into relationships with them, while meanwhile her old resistance cell friends all get killed off, her parents are dead, if she has any other family we don't hear about it, and she's basically left with no Bajoran friends even, as far as we know. She gets Bajoran lovers who... OK, about that. First, Vedek Bareil. Now, Bajorans are shown to have a pretty relaxed attitude towards their clergy (eg Kira is frequently rude to Winn even after she becomes Kai with apparently no consequences) -- but still. Vedek is roughly equivalent to, what, cardinal? He's high up in the heirarchy. And, he's put himself in a role of spiritual authority relative to Kira: she gets access to one of the Orbs through him. They've got a power imbalance and one that's connected to Kira's ability to do her religion. I don't care what the social norms are on Bajor that is 100% sexual misconduct on Bareil's part. If something went wrong in their relationship, it could fuck up Kira's connection to her faith. And in the show it's presented as no big deal.

(Star Trek seems to be aware of this when it comes to ship's captains! For all that Kirk notoriously fucks everyone, he never voluntarily (/outside of the mirror universe, outside of odd transporter malfunctions that split him into two parts, etc) came on to a crew member. But it's no less important for religious authorities.) (Also: this has nothing to do with celebacy. I'm fine with Bajoran religious figures being allowed to have sex and being allowed to have sex outside of marriage. But: a religious leader having a sexual relationship with someone who they're in a pastoral relationship to is wrong, and while Bareil isn't exactly Kira's pastor I think there is some level of, he's providing spiritual guidance to her. That means she's off limits to him, or should be. In the same way that bosses shouldn't fuck their direct reports, college professors shouldn't fuck their students, therapists definitely shouldn't fuck their patients, etc. Regardless of how they handle their sex life outside of those restrictions. And regardless of whether there's love involved or not -- romantic love absolutely does not make it better.) And then there's Shakaar, the former leader of her resistance cell. That she joined as a teenager. It's...yeah, it's been many years, yeah she's not directly under him any more, and yeah goodness knows a band of resistance fighters is probably not going to have a clearly written up sexual harassment policy so it's not necessarily unrealistic...it's not as blatantly "oh god no" as Bareil, but it's got some...is anyone thinking of potential abuse of power issues here? Anyone?

There was one episode where Jake and Nog were double-dating and it goes badly due to Ferengi, uh, gender roles not meshing well with Federation egalatarianism. And, then the rest of the episode is all about how they're going to repair their friendship. And I was thinking: we didn't see either female character either before or after, and why is a sexism issue being shown from the lens of "how can I, a nice guy, stay friends with my male friend who has sexism issues" and not "how am I, a young woman, going to deal with this affront to my basic personhood" or "how am I, a young woman, going to repair my friendship now that I talked my friend into a double date so I could date the guy I liked but his friend turned out to be garbage?" Like...out of all the potential relationships there, why is Jake's friendship with a guy with sexism issues (who's made it clear he's not going to change, at least as far as dating goes) the one presented as being in most need of preservation? I know, it's because Jake and Nog are more central characters and their friendship has been significant in the show for seasons now. But...that just brings up more questions. Like why does this show have a significant bro friendship between two teenage boys, but there's no friendship between two women (or between a woman and a man for that matter) that's given as much weight? There's some bonding between Kira and Dax, but it doesn't have the same presence and significance as Jake and Nog or, say, Miles and Julian. (I'm having first name/last name inconsistencies here. Ah well.) Keiko has no on-camera friendships. Kira has no on-camera friendships that have Jake & Nog or Julian & Miles weight. Dax maybe does with her Klingon buddies from Curzon's lifetime. (Benjamin Sisko also doesn't.) Ziyal could have, but doesn't. Molly could have, but doesn't. Miles doesn't seem to have any (on-camera or otherwise acknowledged) parent friends (like...there's one couple mentioned who can babysit Molly at times? That's it? We never even see them?), which is weird because fuck knows parenthood can make it hard to have any friends who aren't parents. Odo's got his weird frenemy thing with Quark. Garak has his standing lunch with Julian (if you read that as platonic, which ... yeah, there's not a lot of arguments for seeing it as platonic beyond "they're both men.") I am, don't get me wrong, extremely for showing male friendships. Very much for it. It's just...I want friendships that aren't between two guys also. And I want them to be shown as significant and meaningful and worth overcoming obstacles for. Friendships between women, friendships between people of the same race or culture (or alien species, since we are talking Star Trek here), friendships between men and women that aren't just a precursor to romance. And...parenting that isn't just...I want to see Keiko have problems with parenting that she overcomes with help from other people. I want to explore the emotional ramifications of Kira being a surrogate mom to Kirayoshi or being a semi adopted mom to Ziyal and then having her die. I want Kira to talk about how her own upbringing in times of famine and war and occupation affects her sense of her ability to potentially be a parent. I want a female character to calmly talk about her decision to not become a mother and have that decision be treated with the utmost respect. I want the sort of struggles that male characters have with parenting on the show, like Worf's difficulty connecting with his son or Benjamin's conflict over watching his son grow up and get less interested in spending time with his dad, be shown for female characters as well. And the joys, like when Benjamin remembers holding Jake as an infant, like when they reunite after Jake gets caught in a war zone. Rather than parenting be this thing that mom characters apparently do on autopilot without any internal conflict or feeling out of their depth or particular moments of joy and amazement. There's so many plot lines and moments and bits and pieces that could be amazing moments that give

mother characters balance and nuance and characterization, but they only ever get shown for fathers. (And this is not just Star Trek either...look at all the kids movies that are about father/son or father/daughter bonding, and somehow the moms...just aren't there. It's so good when there are single father storylines, just...where are all the mom storylines that could be like that?) And why do teenage boys get focus and their own stories (especially with Jake in DS9, but also TNG has Wesley Crusher and Alexander, and TOS had one story centering on a teenage boy) but girls either aren't there at all or don't get to have stories that are about them? Ziyal's stories aren't about her, she doesn't get to form her own friendships and only barely gets to develop an interest of her own before her life is taken away from her. Molly doesn't get stories that are about her. (And yeah, Molly's a lot younger than Jake, but those are still choices: DS9 could have been set when Molly was a teenager, or the show could have introduced a different teenage girl as a significant character, or Jake could have been a girl rather than a boy, or Benjamin could have had two children...)

[warsofasoiaf]

Overall, thoughts on DS9? Was it as "anti-Trek" as some claim? What characters and plots stood out? Are you following @realguldukat? Was it the last good Star Trek show?

We’re talking about some weighty stuff as well as some spoilers, so I think I’m going to throw a cut in here.

I think it was a great series. While the Dominion War had its rough spots to the point of needing a Wormhole Alien bailout that was incredibly clumsy, I liked the direction DS9 went overall. I liked the idea of the Dominion as being a war where the Alpha Quadrant were often on the back foot, and exploiting the Dominion’s need for ketracel-white by starving supply being both a practical military strategy and a dig at the Dominion’s genetic slavery was a good idea. I liked the exploration of non-Federation cultures that developed positive aspects and negative aspects such as the spiritual Bajorans who used religion as a source of comfort and generosity or intolerance and cruelty (hello Kai Winn!). By putting in some positive aspects of “evil” races like the Cardassians or the Romulans, the series offers the very real possibility that the oppressive societies of those planets can be redeemed for the better. The message that it is our actions that define us for good or ill is a positive one. Cardassia could become something that isn’t a militaristic police state, but reinforce positive notions of family and service, with their fleets doing things like shutting down Nausican piracy instead of conquering. The Romulans are supremacist xenophobes, but their embrace of passions could perhaps be channeled into a positive, passionate society with a strong artistic sensibility if reformed. After all, we see the Ferengi embrace Rom and move away from the exploitative practices toward women and workers. No reason that can’t happen to the Romulans or Cardassians.

I don’t think it was very anti-Trek. I can see the arguments. Section 31′s attempted genocide of the Founders with the morphogenic plague (and its use of ally Odo as a vector) is definitely horrifying as is Starfleet’s rather blasé acceptance of the agency’s actions. For the Federation to have an equivalent to the Tal Shiar or the Obsidian Order, or enacting a move that the Dominion did in “The Quickening,” can easily be seen as stomping on the foundations of what the Federation was supposed to be, but the Federation always struck me as incredibly unrealistic when adhering to the Rodenberry bible. The idea that the Federation wouldn’t do awful things or make awful decisions, that the right governance and evolution could ‘cure’ mankind of the terrible actions of its past, is as naive as it is impossible. The idea of truly examining the Federation in moments of adversity, in seeing it stumble and seeing where its members stand up for its principles, such as Sisko in “Paradise Lost” or Bashir in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” is a worthwhile examination and why I don’t think it was anti-Trek because to be truly anti-Trek would be to mark those two as stupid. In the former, Sisko is ultimately proven right and the coup plotters proven wrong, but I think they stumbled with the morphogenic plague by not fully comprehending the implications of such an action.

This is a problem I’ve noticed when really heavy concerns are written with the end already in mind. There’s something that’s lost when an action is examined with the conclusion already spelled out, whether that be Section 31′s attempted genocide of the Founders or Dorne murdering Daeron I at a peace conference. Since the Founders weren’t actually going to be exterminated and the war not escalate to the “make a desert and call it a peace” level, these actions get a bit of a pass on evaluation, but it’s important to remember that the conclusions would require clairvoyance, something that wouldn’t be known when evaluating the action in-universe.

Overall, I considered DS9 to be phenomenally well-written and well-acted. I’d even go so far as to say it’s replaced TNG as best Trek, in my eyes. I’m happy I watched it.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[autisticburnham]

The Maquis: Part 1

Dax, you're turning down a date with Kira for Captain Boday????

Jesus, how did that explosion not take away half of that pylon?

Dax said don't interrupt me when I'm technobabbling

Benjamin kept the clock he built last season!

I don't think that any of the shows give us enough information for us to make a fully informed decision about the morality of the Maquis, but considering how many of them are Bajorans or Native people who had to flee to these planets in order to escape the oppression on their own worlds, I do definitely understand why they are so attached to these planets

Hot Vulcan!

Ben said "Jake-o!" and my sister said "Jiggle?"

Fuck off, Dukat

Benjamin hates him so much and Dukat thinks they're just playfully ribbing each other

Quark being into women who can and will kick his ass part 4!

(What happened to part 3, you ask? I realized Kira actually should have been part 1, which makes Jadzia part 2 and Natima part 3)

"The Federation does not conduct secret wars!" Ben, you're gonna be so disappointed when you find out about Section 31

I don't really trust someone still in Cardassian custody saying the Cardassians are treating them well

Oh, yeah. "Suicide in his cell." Definitely

Cal basically just said the Cardassians run space sundown towns. I don't blame the Maquis

I want to see Ben in lederhosen

Dukat, I don't think you swearing on the lives of your children means anything

I know there's a whole episode where Quark gets involved in arms dealing and hates it. I didn't realize he did it at this point

God, I'd love to see Nerys and Laren interact. I really want to hear both of their perspectives on serving in the Bajoran Underground vs the Maquis

Odo, stop complaining about people having rights, you fascist

"The station was safer during the Occupation" die, Odo

I think I'm gonna save the rating until I finish part 2

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

Hi there! I was hoping I could request a little writing/drabble from you where the female reader and Dukat are in a bit of a sudden argument over something and in the heat of everything, the reader accidentaly confesses that they have romantic feelings for him and...he's actually kind of surprised because he feels the same way about them. If you're not interested or you can't think of anything good, that's quite alright! Thank you~~

{ Uhm, interesting.

I took the liberty of using oneof the bad things happen prompts, because I really want to use them.

Then I have something specific inmind and, honestly, with Dukat I don’t imagine anything good, romantic orhappy, so this story doesn’t have an happy ending.

Here the reader is a Bajoranwoman named Laha Herjea, you can also see her as an OC. It takes place during the occupation of Bajor. Herethe station is still called Terok Nor.

I’m satisfied of this fanfictionand I took several hours to end it so I hope you guys will read and like it. Ihad fun writing it and I needed some angst. Yes, there is a lot of angst here! }

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Don’t forget to tell me your opinion about and leave a like or share if you liked it, it would make the writer very happy.

Prompt: Grief / Mourning

Challenge by @badthingshappenbingo

Words Count: 4171

Fandom: Star Trek DS9

Pairing: Dukat x Female! Bajoran Reader / Bajoran OC!

Triggers: Cardassian Oppressors, occupation of Bajor, angst, death, suicidal gesture, prisoner. But Dukat acts strangely nice.

– The beauty and the Reptile

~ PART 1 ;

A terrible fate fell on Bajor; afate of terror, destruction and desolation because Bajor wasn’t the planet of atime anymore but something else. It was infected by a virus, it was justdestroyed and usurped like the population who lived here. They had been treatedas slaves, strangers of their own land by the invaders of another planet, theirunexpected oppressors.

Cold-hearted aliens had stolentheir home, plundered their fields, killed their children and abducted theirwomen for their own pleasure, because they just felt superior. The Cardassian,their slavers, felt like real gods, they had even desecrated their temples anddishonoured their Prophets, but the Prophets were still there for Bajor,because nobody would have been able to stole their faith, it was immortal,immense and warm. This was the only thing the Bajoran people possessed, theirfaith in the Prophets.

The end of Bajor seemed near butthere were still people who fought for its liberation, who fought for what theybelieved, for their freedom and faith. Faith for prophets, for life and hope.Things the Bajoran cared a lot, things that had been stolen from them. Someday,they would have taken them back, no matter how hard and painful it could be,they would have won. Someday.

Laha Herjea was one of thosewomen who had been brought to Terok Nor, the space station of the Cardassians,to become the lady-in-waiting of one of them.

Actually, entire groups ofBajoran women had been stolen from their family and conducted there for thesame reason.

She didn’t even want to thinkabout her fate because it didn’t appear bright or worthy to be lived, it seemedterrifying and all the women around her were crying, were lost and scared andsome of them would have wanted to die rather than face this terrible destiny.

Laha didn’t live a long life, shewas only 19 years old when she was taken and brought to Terok Nor.

She lived with her father and herbrothers in a little town in the South of Bajor. Her mother Zaha died when shewas 15 years old because of an illness, while her father Janal was a farmer,just like her big brother Nika. Her other brother Paarya was a professor ofBajoran history and this was the subject she would have desired to study, thepath she would have liked to follow, because she estimated a lot her brotherand she wanted to spread her culture all over the universe. This was her dreambut it had been broken before it could even start.

“What do they want to do withus?” a woman said, looking around.

Laha didn’t know either of thesewomen but she could perceive their fear and preoccupation because she felt thesame feelings but she didn’t say a thing because the question of the woman wasabout to be answered.

A group of Cardassian soldierscame in, their looks were curious, they started scrutinizing the Bajoran womenas predators who were chasing after their prey.

Laha tried not to be scared bythese reptile men and she just looked at the void in front of her, but she wasable to hear the deep breaths of her companions, the way they trembled andsighed.

Some of the Cardassians laughedseeing the young women so terrified and vulnerable until a voice scolded them.

“Sirs, get a hold of yourself!”and then all the Cardassian soldiers became serious, standing at attention,“Can’t you see? These poor ladies are completely uncomfortable. They shouldfeel like home here.”

Another Cardassian man walkedinto the room, he was the possessor of the voice, that rough and severe voicewho was able to stop their laughing.

The man grinned, tall and fierce,admiring the line of women and studying them as if they were kinds of pieces ofart.

Laha supposed he was their bossbecause all the other Cardassians looked at this man with respect and fear,even she felt intimidated from this sinister character.

There was something in his eyesshe could not define, maybe it was lust, a malicious curiosity, or maybe it waspride, the kind of hubris of someone who felt better than anyone else, maybe hetruly felt superior, perhaps even more superior than the other Cardassians,this was the first impression she had of this man.

Soon, she even learnt his name,“I’m Gul Dukat, nice to meet you, my gentle ladies. I’m the one who controls this Station, you can consider me as your mentor, your new family because thisstation will be your new home.” He smiled, “Terok Nor is very big andlonely, and your job is to keep it warm and lively. Don’t see yourself as mereslaves, you’re more than that. You’re guests.”

Yes, guests that had beenkidnapped from their land and given to these malicious and merciless reptiles,she thought, it could not be defined as a gentle act of courtesy.

Dukat appeared veryself-confident, austere but kind in his strange ways but she didn’t trusthim.

Nobody trusted him.

Then he placed his glance on her,Laha didn’t look in the other direction, she just stared, serious and cold. Herlast desire was to lose her integrity and honour because of some Cardassian.

Dukat smiled, and then spoke,still looking in her eyes, “Let’s get to know each other better.”

He still didn’t take his eyes offof Laha, it seemed he was speaking with her and maybe he had already taken hisdecision and in that moment, when Dukat spoke to her, she understood she was inserious trouble.

“What’s your name?” he asked witha soft tone of voice.

“Laha Herjea.” She answered, coldbut polite.

“Oh, such an adorable name.You’re very young.” Then he got closer and raised her chin with his thinfingers, “And very beautiful.”

Dukat caressed her cheek, histouch was cold but soft, and then he moved a lock of her light brown hairbehind her ear.

His grin made her shivering as ifsuddenly the temperature got lower, it was not a pleasant feeling but shenodded, trying to stay calm and do not lose her mind.

Dukat still smiled, something ofhis smile frightened her but also made her wondering what was hidden behindthat mask of charm and self-confidence.

The meeting with the Cardassianslasted ten minutes and everyone left after they all chose their lady-in-waitingand ordered to their Bajoran counsellor –a traitor, she would say- to dress thewomen up in a more decent and delightful way, as if they were real dolls, just little toys that had to satisfyevery kind of fantasy of their oppressors.  

Then Laha’s fate was clearer thanbefore, her preoccupation became reality and she just could not escape from thissituation. The only thing she could do was hoping, hoping the Prophets wouldhave given to her the strength not to fall apart.

 ~ PART 2 ;

Laha had been chosen as Dukat’smaid, he said it was the greatest honour and she was lucky. She had privilegesall the other Bajoran maids didn’t have. She wondered which privileges theywere.

It was her first day of work as maid, she was in his office, he was reading some documents without paying herany attention, and maybe he didn’t even know she was there and that she wouldlike to be somewhere else.

“Oh, sorry, my dear. I was sodistracted by these bureaucracy documents, it’s so boring but job must bedone.” He said, placing his papers on his table, hands joined and his usualconfident smile on his face. Laha found all of this disgusting but she didn’treply.

“I’m such a bad host, I haven’teven offered you a proper meal, you must be hungry.” Then he stood up, reachingthe replicators, “What would you like to eat? Some typical Bajoran plate?Unluckily, I’m not an expert but I could ask to our chef to prepare something specialand real. I don’t really appreciate these food simulacrums. It doesn’t do anyjustice to the original flavours of our dishes.”

Dukat kept speaking, he was agreat talker, and his tone was always so courteous and soft, Laha asked herselfif he was really the person he appeared to be. She didn’t know enough about himyet.

“So, dear Laha, what’s youranswer?” he asked again and then he looked at her, getting closer.

“Honestly, I’m not hungry, atall.” It was a lie but it wasn’t, too. Because her hunger went away the moment shecrossed the door, it vanished and she only was confused and mad. Even if on herface any emotion could be read.

“Are you sure?” he asked,suspicious.

Laha just nodded.

He didn’t appear angry and heseemed understanding, then he asked to his Bajoran Counsellor to accompany Lahato his quarters where she should have prepared herself and waited for him tohave dinner together since it was still morning and he had a lot of work to do.

Laha didn’t like this idea but,at least, he didn’t insist and left her alone.

Dukat’s quarters were very big,comfortable and elegant, they had the typical Cardassian décor but she didn’tcare a lot about it. She still found her out of place.

Then she admired the space out ofthe window and she observed Bajor, her home planet, how beautiful it was fromup there, she thought, and she could not reach it. She could not break thisglass and jump there. Warm tears crossed her cheeks as she contemplated herhome, she sighed, sad and alone. Then she fell on her knees and prayed theProphets to look after her family, to help her people and herself to believe.Help her to be strong and do not give up.

Then she put herself on the couchand she fell asleep.

Laha stood alone there, asleepand annihilated, for the rest of the day.

 ***

Dukat found Laha still sleeping,traces of tears still wet her face.

His expression was mortified, buthe didn’t wake her up but he just relaxed himself, reading a book and observinghis sleeping guest.

Laha was not tall but not evenshort, she was about 1.7 metres tall, but she looked so delicate, thin andinnocent there.

After some minutes, she moved andshe woke up.

“Oh, welcome back in reality,dear Laha.” He said, his tone seemed ironical, because this was not the realityshe wanted to live.

She had had a very beautifuldream, she dreamt of her family, she was gardening with her father, it was asunny day and Bajor was luxuriant, free from every oppressor but it was only adream.

Then Dukat stood up and seatednext to her, caressing her cheeks and realized, she had cried.

“You haven’t cried because youmissed me, haven’t you?” he asked, whispering and she blushed, she hatedherself for it.

Laha didn’t answer because it wasa stupid question, she had thousands of reasons to cry.

“You’re not so talkative, I’msorry, I’m just impatient to know you better.” He said, smiling, “But you don’thave to worry about your family.” And she opened her eyes wide.

“Oh, I’ve caught your attention.”He grinned, “By the way, they’re fine, I don’t want you to be sad, they’ve notbeen hurt.” His voice was gentle but Laha didn’t smile back.

How could she trust the man whohad abducted her and forced her to live in this station?

“Should I believe you?” sheasked, serious and wary.

“Oh, finally, you’re speaking.”He seemed satisfied, “I’m telling the truth and, since I don’t want you tomistrust me, I’ll permit you to speak to them and ask them in person how dothey feel.”

Dukat’s words surprised her, shewould have never expected such a proposal.

“Really? Can I see my father?”she asked.

“Yes, you can… But then you haveto stay and enjoy your permanence.”

It sounded more like a threatthan a gift, even if Laha didn’t have any choice, she had to stay here, she waslike a prisoner, so she just nodded because if she would have the chance to seeher father, how could she refuse.

“Now that you feel morereassured, can we have dinner?” he asked, smirking.

Laha forgot about her hunger, andshe felt a little better after his promise.

She guessed, he could havechanged his mind if she would have refused his invitation and it was only a dinner.

In fact, it was just a dinner andLaha was surprised how good he behaved. Dukat didn’t make her uncomfortable ortouch her, he just spoke a lot, he spoke so much but she didn’t care and shejust nodded, faking smiles and filled her stomach.

This man was kinder than shethought for being a Cardassian and maybe she had judged him too fast.

 ***

Several days passed and Laha wasable to speak with her father. He was fine and her brothers as well.

The Cardassians didn’t hurt themand this was a miracle because she heard so many bad stories about otherfamilies she knew. Maybe she was truly lucky. These were the privileges Dukat hadtalked about.

“Are you ok, dear?” her fatherasked.

“Yes, I’m fine, they didn’t hurtme, they give me food, a bed to sleep…” She smiled at her father.

“It would be better if you wouldbe here.” he said and then the signal started freaking out until the video communicatorblacked out.

“Dad! Dad, what happened?” shespoke to the black monitor and she sighed.

At least, she had the chance tosee him, for some minutes but she was glad he was fine. Now she had to keep herpromise too and just appreciate her forced permanence on Terok Nor.

 ***

 “Have you seen your father?”Dukat asked.

“Yes, but not for a long time, thevideo blocked at a certain point.” She explicated.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you’ll try againanother time.” he smiled and then he took her hands, delicately.

His skin was so cold, it wasstrange, she could not define this feeling.

Somehow, she found it pleasant,different from the first time she met him. She wasn’t afraid anymore.

Since now, he had only treatedher as a special friend, a real guest, with respect, kindness and a sort ofdevotion as if he was afraid of offending her.

Dukat always had that sinistersmile on his face, the one that hid something, but she learnt to ignore it andjust appreciate his company. Laha would lie to herself if she said she feltuncomfortable with him.

Then Dukat got closer and hetouched her cheek and kissed her lips gently, so delicate, chaste, she barelyperceived it, Laha didn’t move and the Bajoran let him to get further. His kissbecame more passionate until she was unable to resist and Laha just kissed himback, her senses were completely lost, and her mind possessed by her lustingemotions.

He embraced her in a strong hug,even if his skin was cold, she could perceive warmth and her entire body washeating up.

Everything happened so naturally,with no pressure, no excuse and she felt good, loved and satisfied.

She had to trust him, she had noreason to misbelieving and she was glad, if any prisoner could feel fine in itsprison but she didn’t feel as a prisoner anymore.  

Laha had found her new home hereon Terok Nor, here in Dukat’s arms.

 ~ PART 3 ;

A month passed and Laha evenforgot about her previous issues.

She still missed her home and so Dukatpromised her they would have visited Bajor but this promise had not been kept yetbut she knew he had a lot of work to do.

Despite her beautiful days, thesituation on Bajor was still hard because people still died of hunger, childrenwere still killed, cities were destroyed and nothing really changed. Bajorbecame a hell and the Cardassians were the demons who ruled it.

Laha was used to spend her daysin Dukat’s quarters reading, writing or sewing clothes but some other times shewas even able to take walks through the promenade or talk with the Constable Odo.Laha didn’t go so far because she didn’t want to meet other Cardassians, shecould trust Odo but walking with all those Cardassians around made her veryuncomfortable.

During one of these walks, sherealized an awful truth, the truth she had ignored until now. The reality sheleft behind, the agony every Bajoran was living. She forgot everything and afeeling of doom and guilt took possession of his mind and heart. Because shefelt like a traitor, like an enemy.

She was living carefree, safe andsound in Dukat’s quarters, while her people were fighting and dying for theirplanet.

A peculiar fact had opened her eyes,because that day took place a riot in the middle of the promenade. Some Bajoranworkers revolted against the Cardassians, it seemed, it was an organizedassault. They were three members of the resistance of Bajor but they had beencaught and executed.

Laha was there, on the top of thepromenade and she observed the scene from above as the men screamed, fought andthen fell on the cold ground as dead weights but they were not dead yet. Thiswas not the end they deserved, it would have been too gentle for theCardassians.

Those men had been hanged infront of everyone, their last words had been prayers dedicated to the Prophets.

Laha saw, she saw all of it andshe was left speechless as the men died, but they didn’t cry, they were proudand even glad to die for their people. They didn’t lose this battle becausethey became martyrs.

Then she understood. Lahaunderstood it was unfair, she lost her mind, her dignity. She was just anobject, a little toy, she lived in a golden cage and those people, the peoplewho had killed her compatriots, had put her in that cage. She could not be gladof it anymore. Could not be blind anymore.

Laha started crying and then sherun away to her quarters, she could not stand it anymore.

She wanted to forget the terriblescene she had already seen and just disappear and sleep forever.

 ***

 Dukat tried to comfort her but hefailed

“I didn’t want you to see that,it was awful…” he said, “I’m sorry, dear.” He spoke, kissing her wet cheeks, sogentle, so mortified.

“What did they do?” she asked,sighing.

“They have injured a Cardassian guard andtry to escape.” He said, his tone was neutral and it seemed, it was a logicalreason to execute someone.

“Why kill them?” she asked andher tone was harsher, because she could not still accept it. She could notunderstand it.

Dukat seemed confused and thatquestion was strange because it was the normal procedure. Killing Bajorans wasnormal for any Cardassian. Especially for him.

“Who gave the order? Who hasdecided the execution?” she asked and Dukat’s face freeze.

Laha understood, it was soobvious and she felt stupid, naïve and scared because she was facing the personwho had condemned those men. The person who had killed so many Bajorans and shehad even loved that person. She felt dirty, outraged and she stood up, shaking.

“No, it’s not me, they haveassaulted a group of Cardassians, they were dangerous. They were members of theresistance.” Dukat explained as if it was not a real problem.

“No, they were not dangerous.They were slaves, all we Bajorans are slaves for you. I’m just a slave foryou.” Laha burst into tears.

“No, dear, you’re not a slave.Believe me, you have nothing to do with that. You should have not stayed thereand seen that scene.” Dukat seemed anxious but he didn’t lose his temperament.

“No, you have lied to me untilnow. How could I be so blind? So stupid?” Laha didn’t want to listen to hislies any longer.

“No, Laha, it’s not truth, I’venever lied to you. I truly love you.” Dukat said and she could not understandif those words were lies or maybe he truly felt something for her.

Only echoes were crossing hermind, the voices of those Bajoran men who hung on the promenade, their prayersand the cries of all the Bajoran who were dying.

Then she just hid inside her roomand there she stayed for several days, before she took a decision.

If Terok Nor was her new home, itwould have been her grave, too.

 ***

Laha spent three days locked inher room and Dukat was very worried about her

He didn’t pressure her or forcedher to invite him to enter, he also called his Bajoran counsellor but it was useless.Laha didn’t want to talk with anybody.

The execution of those men hadshocked her so much that she became even unable to fall asleep without hearingtheir screams, the words of hatred the Cardassians told to them as they hang tothe rope. She could not save them, she could not do anything, she just watched themdying.

The next day, Laha decided to goout of her room, she took a sonic shower and then she kneeled and she prayedthe Prophets for her people, for Bajor and for herself. She asked to theProphets to forgive her because she had betrayed her compatriots and she feltas if she deluded the Prophets, too. She didn’t feel as a true Bajoran no more.

“Oh, dear, finally you came outof there. How are you?” Dukat asked, he seemed truly worried.

For once, his voice appearedsincere and even his grin was not sinister or lascivious. He didn’t even smile.

“I’m fine.” She said, withoutlooking at him, she just observed the space in front of the window.

“What are you doing?” he asked,he was not used to see her like that.

“I’m talking with the Prophets.”Laha said.

Since she knew Dukat, she hadstopped praying so often and she hadn’t realized it at first. Staying in thisplace made her forget about her true values. What she was before had stopped existingthe moment she fell in love with him. It was true, an awful truth.

Dukat didn’t answer and he lether pray, totally unaware of the world she had inside, of the thoughts she washaving that moment.

Laha understood. The moment hadcome.

  ***

 Laha stood up, leaving herquarters and then she kept walking through the promanade.

She stood there, in the sameplace where those men died, where their bodies were hanging and she still feltsad for them but nothing else. She just felt anything at all.

The young Bajoran placed herhands on the handrail and she climbed it, it was a sort of ledge, she couldobserve the Cardassian guards who walked under her.

She stood up on the handrail andshe closed her eyes.

No sounds could be heard, no morevoices of desperation or cries, but only the warm embrace of the Prophets, ifthey would have ever forgiven her, was waiting for her on the other side.

Then she jumped, her body aslight as a feather but her mind so heavy, full of thoughts and worries.

Everything just disappeared.

May the Prophets forgive hersins.

 ***

 Everything happened so fast,nobody realized it at first.

Some Cardassian guards hadpointed to her and other Bajorans that were there started screaming.

Surprisingly, the most shocked onewas Dukat, he was not there when it happened and he just saw the corpse of thewoman he loved in the sickbay, lifeless, cold and broken.

He should have known, maybe he hadsuspected it but he just ignored the signals because he was still too selfishto care about somebody else.

That same day, Dukat made Lahacorpse transported to her home on Bajor, giving Laha’s body to her father.

That was the place where sheshould have been, where she should have returned.

Dukat hoped he would haveaccompanied her there, and maybe even the occupation would have stopped and anew era would have come but reality was different from his dreams.

He was not welcome in in thathouse, nowhere on Bajor, but he felt glad he had been able to love someone likeher. Maybe she saw something good in him, not everyone was able of this, butnow everything was over and he could only mourn the death of a person he trulyloved. Because it was not a lie, not an illusion or a Cardassian trick. It waslove and it was dead, it was resting with her, in her grave.

It was more than that.

It was the love of a marthyr.

[molly-suggestion]

My good friend @b4-suggestions tagged me to fill this out! This is a fun game, and I like it.

are you named after someone: Yes! The first Molly O’Brien lived on Earth a long, long time ago. Back in those days, people had wrong ideas about ladies, and we weren’t allowed to vote. Molly O’Brien worked very hard with other ladies to change the bad law, so that women won the right to vote in Irish elections in the year 1918. I still can’t vote until 2384, though. I’m not 16 yet.

when was the last time you cried: I cried last night because I didn’t want to stop playing and go to bed at bedtime. This morning, I understand that happened because I was too tired and needed bedtime even more than usual. I think that’s what Daddy calls a pair-of-docks?

do you want/have kids: Yes, I do. I would like to have kids, because I think I would make a good mommy.

do you use sarcasm a lot: I have nooooo idea what sarcasm is. (Yes! Yes, I do, and I just learned it, and it’s really fun to use! The grownups always look at you funny, and sometimes they don’t expect it so you can fool them!)

what is the first thing people notice about you: My long, long hair! And sometimes my best purple shoes, but only when I’m wearing them.

eye colour: Very dark brown, just like Mommy’s and Yoshi’s. There’s a word for why Daddy’s light eyes didn’t show up in either of us kids, but I can’t remember it. It’s the same reason I don’t have his color hair.

scary movie or happy ending: "The Princess Bride” is a very scary movie, but I love it lots!

any special talent: I am an artist! My talent is coloring.

what was the last thing you dreamt of: I had a dream about the shiny arch and the lonely cave the other night. It wasn’t very nice, but like she always does, the kind lady with the bracelet like mine showed up, and gave me Lupi, and sent me back to my family. So it was good in the end.

what are your hobbies: I like to color and I am learning to cook. I also do other kinds of crafts. I think my dollhouse is a hobby, too? I love it more than my other toys.

what sport did/do you play: I take swimming lessons in the holosuite, and I am learning Mok’bara with Mister Worf and General Martok and Commamander Dax. When I am tall enough and can swim well enough, Daddy’s going to teach me kayaking! We’re going to start on a really calm, shallow river first, though.

how tall are you: I was 122 cm tall at my last checkup: Julian measured me. I’ve probably grown since then.

what is/was your favourite subject at school: I like Science and Math and Reading and History and Bajoran Reading and Health and Phys-Ed and Art and Music Class and Multiculture Class and...

dream job: I would like to be an explorer, and also a teacher, and also someone who helps people, and also a warrior, and a person who makes lots of important decisions. I’m not sure what that job would be, but probably an Admiral? Admiral Molly: I like that!

I don’t know who to tag, so I guess I will tag all my Mok’bara teachers? @worf--suggestion and @martok-suggestion and @jadzia-suggestions . Oh! And also Chester and my friend Marit’pran.

[chronotopes]

kira nerys?

all right time to get back to The Real Shit

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: hmm. i’ve got a lot to choose from. i think like in Moral terms it’s her capacity for empathy, one that she discovers isn’t mutually exclusive with her past and is in fact necessary to move forward. on a purely “i like authoritative women” level i also LOVE how good she is at strategic stuff and that the show contains at least three (3) moments where she schools someone on how to run an effective resistance against an all-powerful enemy. worst quality: i mean often she lets her gut instinct get in the way of compromise or shared decision-making . me about all of kira’s bad qualities is “understandable. have a wonderful day” though. like obv she’s a very flawed character but this is what makes her rank among the best constructed female characters in trek imo . ship them with: mmm senator cretak or bust. jadzia but not as much as a lot of other ppl do? also keiko. brotp them with: BEN!! i care so much about those two god. well also jadzia and shakaar (shakes fist at show for the whole romance thing) and mmm others that i’m forgetting currently? oh, worf! i think we should have gotten more episodes about Nerys And Ben And Worf as a command trio it would have slayed me. ah well that’s what fanfiction is for. [side eyes ds9 fic writers, realizes as i am doing so that as of publishing ‘our love keeps the things it finds’ on ao3 i am one of them, SIDEEYES MYSELF] . OH AND ZIYAL. can’t believe i forgot ziyal. and, with allowances for how she doesn’t have to respect him at all if she doesn’t want to but ends up doing so, HER AND GARAK IN S7. qomrades! gay/lesbian solidarity baby.needs to stay away from: dukat obviouslymisc. thoughts: i just saw the last jedi and the rey and kylo arc in there reminded me a lot of 4x14 return to grace i rlly wasn’t kidding when i said that earlier. even while i acknowledge that it’s a shitty time for kira in the episode herself it’s actually one of my favorite episodes. uhh i like battles of will between beautiful principled women and terrible slimy men where the women end up triumphant?  fuck yeah. as for shipping them fuck no of course, that’s gross. uh i mean i obviously have a lot of other kira thoughts (points upward at worf and ben stuff). i think she should have more bajoran friends in the show like i think we should have gotten to see her and leeta hang out. bryan fuller i love you but killing off all her resistance friends was really mean and you shouldn’t have done it. speaking of: that girl who dies in that episode whose name i can never remember, fala i think? TRENTIN FALA YES memory alpha says i’m right. somebody should write gay backstory fic about them. they seemed in love.  

[zenosanalytic]

DS9: Looking for par’Mach...

So, on the technical filmmaking side of the equation(the acting, the pacing, etc) this was a good ep, but everything else about it I didn’t like.

To begin with, the whole Cyrano de Bergerac trope is just gross. It’s tricking a woman into having sex with a man, because the man doing the tricking is bitter and resentful of his own inability to approach her, or his previous rejection. And, if the other man’s, the one she’s being seduced for, natural demeanor is so off-putting to her, then won’t he become intolerable to her the minute his romantic note-cribbing ends anyway? It’s just bad, in a moral sense, and folks need to move away from it towards a more self-improvement and consensual version of romantic mentorship stories. 

Secondly Worf wouldn’t deceive a non-enemy for any reason other than to hide an injury/weakness or because it was the only beneficial(to the deceived) solution to a difficult situation, let alone someone he admired, let alone someone he was attracted to, let alone for so petty and selfish a reason as to prove he knows how to woo conventional Klingon women because someone questioned if he could. And, even with an enemy, how he’d use deception would be limited; he might disguise himself to get close enough to challenge an enemy, but he’d never attack them without warning or from behind, or from cloak unless the tactical situation dictated that such an advantage was necessary(he’s outnumbered&outgunned, stuff like that). In fact this is part of DS9′s(and 90s Trek’s in general) argument about Worf not being Klingon enough; that his concept of Honor, and how he relates loyalty to it(but that’s a different post), is more “human” than “Klingon”; that, whereas a conventional Klingon’s view of Honor is more interested in outcome(achieving victory) and social-status, Worf’s is more interested in personal moral character and how one acts(ethics)[1].

But anyway, I just found it unbelievable that Worf would pull a Cyrano on Grelka just to help Quark, a person he despises, get laid, and to salve his wounded pride. It’s completely out of character. If they’d wanted to do this storyline they should have presented it in a way that allowed it to be an honorable thing to do from Worf’s perspective. Perhaps if Quark’s interest was genuine rather than just Lust, had been established before hand, and had been a source of bonding for Worf and Quark, and Grelka made her interest in Quark clear to Worf, and she came to him asking him to teach Quark the forms he needed to follow to pursue her without creating problems for her with her House, or with wider Klingon society, then it would have been more believable/acceptable. They also did a really terrible job of tying that all in with Jadzia’s interest in Worf[2], which I kinda feel like they should have tried to parallel in this episode. Like: while Worf is mentoring Quark, Jadzia’s advice to Worf ought to be her trying to mentor Him in wooing Her, or maybe they could have replaced the frankly awful Miles/Kira subplot with Grelka mentoring Jadzia about how to woo Worf(I would have LOVED this and, while a previously established friendship via Quark would also be appreciated, I think Grelka’s the sort that having Jadzia strike up a friendship with her in this ep, for this purpose, wouldn’t feel completely out of character).

Which brings me to the part that I REEEAAALLY hated about this ep. Just to be clear, the handling of Keiko and Visitor’s pregnancies in general is horrible. I’m not going to go into the whole thing because that, also, is Another Post, but it’s just bad, poorly conceived, a crummy concept, and frankly unnecessary given Kira’s relationship with Shakaar, her previous relationship with Bareil, and the undefined process and nature of Bajoran reproduction before these eps[3].

What, specifically, about DS9′s handling of this plot-arc in this episode[4] annoys me, is the Miles/Kira subplot they introduce, all the snide, snickering, puerile commentary written around it coming from the other characters in this ep, and the gross and mean decision to write Keiko as culpable for Miles’s “straying” emotions for, in her obliviousness to their growing attraction, urging them into intimate situations.

Like so many character-beats in this series, this just comes entirely out of left-field. There’s no indication before this episode of any romantic or sexual interests between Miles and Kira, or one-sided from either of them towards the other. Introducing the subplot through Quark and Julian eavesdropping on the O’Briens’ Quarters is just a gross choice. Odo’s sarcastic needling of Kira is particularly galling given his feelings for her, and just ended up coming off as bitterness to me. Julian’s comments to Miles on the topic are also weird and, given how important Miles’s marriage has been to his characterization up to this point, inappropriate, even as teasing from a friend. Not to mention that his previous jealousy about Keiko makes Miles’s interest in Kira particularly skeevy. Then to have Miles and Kira keep Keiko entirely in the dark about it, rather than just explaining that they want some time apart(and, better, why), is both annoying and not terribly in keeping with the whole “24th Century Humanity is less emotionally constipated” concept that Trek is supposed to be partially about.

And it’s all made more annoying by the fact that they could have done something much more interesting and funny by just having Miles/Keiko/Kira be a poly relationship. Like; they could have had the two of them being super stressed out about this issue for most of the episode, then confess it to Keiko, and have her be like, “Well, those feelings don’t HAVE to be a problem, you know, and why didn’t you ask me how I felt about this?”, and the three talk it out, and have a friendly and mutually satisfying fling throughout the pregnancy. Or, they could have started writing a Keiko/Kira arc earlier in the series(maybe from the very beginning; maybe they bond over a mutual interest in plant biology, or they work together on the numerous agricultural reclamation projects Kira’s always being stuck with and that grows into a friendship, and just keeps growing), and have the culmination of it being Keiko wanting to bring Kira into her marriage with Miles, which then leads to Kira’s pregnancy, rather than what they did(I mean, they knew about Visitor’s pregnancy for months before they decided to do this stupid transfer business). Rather than giving us this odious hetero- and mononormative episode, we could have had one funny ep subverting those expectations and tropes, or a whole series of episodes stretching back multiple seasons exploring relationship-forms that were(and are still today) discouraged as a result of cultural hangups.

Notes under the Cut:

[1]This is sort of a tangent, but I wonder if this is why Worf has so much less trouble finding acceptance and a sense of belonging in Klingon cultural, philosophical, and religious traditions/communities, than he does finding it among the Klingon military/political elites who, to a large extent, not only don’t care about that stuff, but actively disdain it?

[2]which was never really well established in the first place; that she had a particular interest in Klingon culture aside from Kurzon’s life and memories was never made clear until they started pushing Worf/Jadzia, and then that mutual interest was the ONLY basis for her attraction, and it was just stated, not displayed. Worf’s interest in her was handled even worse; basically non-existent until she jumped him in the holosuite

[3]for instance, they could have written it as Bareil’s kid, and had Bajoran women able to store genetic material and put off pregnancy for months or years like Sebaceans from Farscape, then tied her decision to become pregnant with his child to her process of mourning him and moving on with her life. Or they could have just had it be Shakaar’s kid, which would have been the simplest solution

[4]Though the constant repetition in this ep of “she’s carrying My Child” from O’Brien and “O’Brien’s Child” from everyone else, as if Keiko had nothing fucking to do with it at all, is also pretty blood-boiling.

[heroesandvillainsofmbti]

ENFJ: Dukat, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”

ENFJ – the Giver, the Mentor, the Believer

I’ve no idea if it says anything about the franchise that the biggest nemeses in two different Star Treks are ENFJs. Even TNG had Lore, the ENFJ cult leader. Seems like Star Trek may have a running theme about the dangers of following crazed, charismatic leaders with big but empty promises.

(P.S. I feel really gross using my cheesy terms like “Believer” and “The Garden Fountain” for someone like Dukat, but that’s the format.)

Dominant Function: (Fe) Extraverted Feeling, “The Garden Fountain”

Gul Dukat needs to be loved. We all do, of course. Dukat, however, lives and breathes off the adoration, honor, praise, and hero-worship of others—which he never gets.

Back when he was made Prefect of Bajor during the Occupation, Dukat believed a gentler approach was needed. He enacted policies to ease the burden on labor camp workers, but strangely, the Bajorans failed to show appreciation for his compassion. They seemed to dislike being occupied by an invading force no matter how nice he was about it. They continued to resist him, and Dukat felt compelled to strike back and punish their ingratitude.

This cycle describes much of Dukat’s life and career. He wants to lead, but when his subjects or fellow leaders don’t like him, he struggles. He either overcompensates and looks desperate, or lashes out and becomes the angry tyrant he claims not to be.

Dukat is ready to kill Ziyal, his secret half-Bajoran daughter with a Bajoran woman, to preserve his reputation in the Union. He makes a hard choice to keep her alive and accept the disgrace, and then spends the rest of her short life trying to make sure she knows him as a good man. She falls for it (largely, I believe, because she is an ENFJ as well, as least in her final incarnation), and when she’s killed, Dukat loses the last attachment he had to any kind of innocence.

Nevertheless, Dukat is a skilled orator who can see which way the political wind is blowing and talk his way into positions of influence and power. He works his way up from disgrace as the Prefect of Bajor, then again after the reveal of Ziyal, this time masterminding Cardassia’s alliance with the Dominion. He gives fantastically inspiring speeches to the Cardassian people, promising a return to greatness and a purifying of the Union from the presence of its enemies.

And when that role fails him, he appoints himself leader of a cult of gullible Bajorans in the ways of the Pah-wraiths. His final con finds him seducing the Kai herself into believing he’s a simple Bajoran farmer, leading her down his dark path with flattery and appeals to her ego. The two Fe-doms decide that Bajor is worthy of neither of them, and must be destroyed.

Dukat gets exactly nowhere trying to seduce the two Fi-dom leaders of DS9. He makes continued creepy advances on Kira, hoping to win her heart, but she resists (especially when he reveals that he had a relationship with her mother, which makes him more attracted to her and her more disgusted by him). He straight up kidnaps a wounded Captain Sisko and pretends to care for him on a deserted planet, hoping that Sisko will finally see how wonderful a person he is; but Sisko isn’t having it, ultimately deciding that there is nothing redeemable at all about the man.

Auxiliary Function: (Ni) Introverted Intuition, “The Labyrinth”

Dukat survives despite repeated failure thanks to his ability to see a way forward in any situation. No matter how far he falls, Dukat has a vision to climb back to power—crusading against rogue Klingons in order to avenge the honor of Cardassia, or allying the Union with the Dominion, which temporarily makes him the leader of one of the greatest powers in the Quadrant. He believes in the superiority of the Cardassian people, and their sovereign right to rule the galaxy, which justifies any decision he makes that causes harm or distress to inferior races like the Bajorans.

He’s completely deluded about his own importance, idealizing all his actions into a mythology of a great man unappreciated in his time. Any criticism that cuts at that vision makes him defensive and angry. While his foresight can sometimes make him a canny political strategist, his overconfidence can also blind him to his enemy’s moves—for instance, when he’s stranded on DS9 by a security program left there by his superiors, who distrusted his loyalty.

Dukat’s final ploy involves following the path of the Pah-wraiths, the devils of Bajoran religion, in an ultimate grab for cosmic power.

Tertiary Function: (Se) Extraverted Intuition, “The Kitchens”

Dukat’s Se sometimes leads to him running through aggressive loop behavior, enacting more extreme measures and harsh punishments to gain control of his image. He can make ruthless decisions in the moment, and fight his way out of a corner. Despite being a devoted husband and father, he enjoys the company of Bajoran comfort women, which leads to his affair with Kira’s mother and his illegitimate daughter. He’s wily and quick, and survives no less than five assassination attempts during his tenure as Prefect of Bajor.

Inferior Function: (Ti) Introverted Thinking, “The Laboratory”

Like all Cardassians, Dukat was raised with strict mental discipline, and can even resist the intrusion of a Vulcan mind meld. That said, he lacks the ability to examine his obsessions critically, and melts down rather quickly when robbed of his goals. After Ziyal is killed, he loses his mind and can no longer function as anything but a purely emotional, rage-driven creature.

His biggest personal breakthrough is to realize at last that the Bajoran people will never love him. He decides they are weak, inferior creatures who don’t deserve his love. It’s their fault—and Sisko’s, and Kira’s, and everyone else’s—for not understanding him.

Dukat enacts a plan to wipe out Bajor, eventually ending up defeated by Sisko and knocked into some sort of cosmic hellscape, where he no doubt spends eternity blaming everyone in the galaxy for his failures.

[cinaed]

My Deep Space Nine Thoughts

So instead of doing anything productive with my life for the past two months I have been watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I...mostly don't regret that decision since right now my ability to write anything is null and void, but also because DS9 was a very good show (though I do have several quibbles with the final season).

But anyway! My thoughts on DS9 aka SPOILERS GALORE:

When I attempted to watch the show back in.... *mumble* undergrad back in 2006ish *mumble* I bailed at around season 3, which meant my favorite characters were pretty much Garak and Bashir and that was about it. This go around I loved pretty much everyone, but Kira, Nog, Garak, and Rom were the ones I enjoyed watching develop the most. (I still love Garak, and still ship Garak/Bashir but wow do I want to shake Bashir a lot A LOT.)

All of my favorite episodes ended up being either Kira episodes, Quark/Ferengi episodes, Jadzia being awesome episodes, Garak/Cardassians episodes, or episodes where Sisko gets to shine without being bogged down with the Prophet stuff like the Gabriel Bell episodes and Far Beyond the Stars.

I enjoyed how many different friendships and relationships there were on the show! Personal favorites include Jake and Nog, Dax and Sisko, Jake and Sisko, Worf/Jadzia, Garak/Bashir, Quark/Odo, Sisko and Nog, Garak and Odo, Kasidy/Sisko, Quark and his family, Odo/Kira, Kira and her Cardassians, every single one of Quark's weird romances (why did that awesome Cardassian dissident lady come back? why did Pel never get to show up again? you failed me show!), and all of Sisko's weird nemeses shouting "HATE/LOVE ME, SISKO!"

That said, BENJAMIN LAFAYETTE SISKO! How dare you pull a Goku on your family? I don't care what the Prophets told you! This is not what Kasidy signed up for in the "for better or for worse" portion of marriage!

Also I realize I should be annoyed by LGBTQ characters only being allowed in the Mirrorverse and being mostly evil, and I am, but I also loved all the weird shenanigans of Kira and her harem, Ezri/Leeta, and Garak hitting on Worf, like...I can't help it, that was great. But also I feel like gender/sexuality should be unimportant for joined Trills after a while, and also with the Ferengi culture being so toxic towards women that there should be a lot of male partnerships.

Most of the villains were fascinating! I really loved Kai Winn and for the most part Gul Dukat, as well as the Dominion threat, and really wished that we'd focused on the Cardassian resistance in the final season instead of the Prophets/pah wraiths deal. Also...someone please help the Jem'hadar. They deserve better.  

My biggest complaint was the dim lighting, because half the time I couldn't figure out what was going on. Let us see the characters in the scene guys! I would like to see people's expressions during vital conversations!

Fanworks I want:

Fix-it for Ziyal. Just imagine her staying on the station and becoming an artist collaborating with Jake for his books and news articles! Imagine them being Joseph Sisko's pride and joy as they help the abandoned Cardassian orphans on Bajor, visit Cardassia Prime post-show to tell the galaxy about its rebuilding efforts, write about the female Founder's trial, go to Ferenginar to study the social revolution, or just roam around the galaxy.

Post-show look at the Jem'hadar and the Vorta in the aftermath of the Founders' defeat and the Federation trial of the female Founder. What do they become when they have no battle to fight? When they see their gods brought low and defeated? I actually feel like the Klingons and the Jem'hadar both have a lot in common and both need fundamental changes to survive and would be really interested in seeing their races change and adapt.

After a discussion with bookelfe, an AU fic where Bashir manages to save Jadzia but Ezri still ends up with the symbiont, because it would be messy and complicated and interesting, with Ezri still having to adjust to being joined when that wasn't in her plans at all, still having some of Jadzia's memories, while Jadzia now has no memories of her joined hosts and she and Worf have to work through their relationship as Jadzia learns to live with just herself in her head.  

I realize "Bashir goes to Cardassia and reunites with Garak" is a staple and the equivalent of post-seine JVJ fic but I want all the varieties! There are a bunch of ways I can see Julian ending up there and I'd like to see all the options play out.

Also Bajoran and Cardassian rebuilding stories, both of them recovering from the different occupations, with guest stars like Quark's ex and those awesome female scientists! What does Bajor do in the aftermath of the Dominion War? Do they finally join the Federation? How about Cardassia?

More about the social revolution on Ferenginar that happened off-screen (come on show, that would've been a more interesting episode than O'Brien and Bashir rummaging around that Section 31 guy's mind!) because I have decided that Pel gets to come back and become Rom's financial adviser. Also more Ferengi women getting to go out and do business and make profit.

Quark and Kira post-show, missing Odo together. Kira in general, because her as the person in charge of the station was a great character choice and I'd love to see more of her life post-finale.  And Nog’s further life in Starfleet!

More of Garak and Bashir’s book club! I want more about them discussing Cardassian and human literature, maybe even try some Bajoran literature. I also keep getting side-tracked imagining potential shifts in Bajoran lit during and post-occupation. Also laughing at the thought of Garak insulting whatever human novel Bashir got him to read and Worf walking by and going “The only human literature worth reading is Russian” and then being annoyed that he was even a little bit nice to Garak. 

I want Ezri to get a cute girlfriend. How about Jake’s ex-girlfriend, Mardah the Bajoran lady who was working the dabo tables before going to school to study entomology? 

Mirrorverse Ezri/Leeta also intrigues me. How did Leeta, a Bajoran, decide to break away from the Alliance and work for the Resistance instead?

[heroesandvillainsofmbti]

DS9 MBTI: Jake Sisko, an Introduction

Typing Jake Sisko was far easier than typing Trek’s previous resident youth, Wesley Crusher. Both are good kids, in my opinion, but Wesley was shoehorned into the crew while Jake was allowed to be himself. Since he wasn’t there to save the ship, Jake mostly occupied B-stories, shoring up the background themes of family and friendship that lie at the heart of DS9.

He was listed as a series regular, but if I'm doing my math right, Cirroc Lofton actually appeared in fewer episodes than Kes in her three years on Voyager. Still, his father-son chemistry with Avery Brooks rang so true and warm that you could never forget he was there. Any decision Sisko made had to factor in not only that he had a son, but a son he was raising alone, a challenge that no other Trek captain had to wrestle with.

As Jake got older, he had a few adventures on his own, often paired with his best friend Nog. He was never going to be a Starfleet officer like his dad, so the writers had to find fresh new ways to get him into the thick of things. So they made him a writer, and Jake chased stories.

Personally, writers writing about writers usually bores me—Little Women and Stephen King novels excluded—especially writers reliving their early years of proving to the world that they can be writers. There’s a line at the end of “Paradise Lost” where Grandpa Sisko suggests opening a Creole restaurant on the Promenade, and Jake actually looks excited at the thought. So in my head canon, Jake stays on DS9 during the Dominion invasion because he’s part of the community there, running a restaurant with his girlfriend Ziyal, which he has a sort of Romeo-and-Juliet-our-fathers-hate-each-other romance with, and she doesn’t have a creepy romance with Garak, or die to make us feel bad for Dukat, and she designs the menus for the place, and they become business partners with Quark…sorry, where was I?

Oh yes, Jake adventures.

Jake Sisko’s Best Episodes

“Progress” (season 1)

This is a Kira episode, but the Jake-and-Nog B-story is one of their most fun. It’s the genesis of the self-sealing-stembolts running gag, and the name The Noh-Jay Consortium. The boys often got up to shenanigans in the first couple seasons, but none paid off so well as this half-baked business plan.

“The Jem’Hadar” (season 2)

Season 2 introduces us to DS9’s Big Bads by way of a happy vacation Jake and Ben take with Nog and Quark in tow. The episode’s light, almost farcical beginnings betray no hint of the gigantic turn of fate everyone’s lives are about to take, and the father-son camp out scenes are intimate and charming.

“Explorers” (season 3)

Jake announces to Ben that he’s going to be a writer in a wonderful, low-key father-son adventure, where the Sisko men strike out in an ancient Bajoran vessel that’s like a little sailboat in space.

“The Visitor” (season 4)

Pack your tissues. I think I was not mature enough to appreciate this episode when it first aired, but it hits me harder every time I watch it. It’s heart-warming and tragic all at once, a time-spanning epic love story between father and son that makes every top 10 DS9 episode list.

“The Muse” (season 4)

Ha! Just kidding. This is one of DS9’s worst episodes of all time, beaten only by “Profit and Lace.” The actress playing the titular alien is suitably unearthly looking, even without prosthetics, and would be a campy joy to watch if the episode were better written. Take a stiff drink and go for it if you like.

“Nor the Battle to the Strong” (season 5)

For a moment, the “O’Brien Must Suffer” rule passed to Jake. He gets stuck with Dr. Bashir in a sort of M*A*S*H-On-An-Alien-Planet that’s under siege by savage Klingon forces. Jake goes into the experience expecting to tell tales of heroism, and ends up bloody and battered and scared out of his mind. This episode does not pull its punches, and lets Jake grow up several years at once.

“Rapture” (season 5)

This is mainly a Ben Sisko episode, but the drama falls on Jake’s shoulders at the end when he has to decide whether his father lives or dies.

“In the Cards” (season 5)

My favorite Jake story pushes him and Nog through a quickly escalating series of deals and bargains that tangles them up with nearly everyone on board, from Kira to the Kai. And it’s all because Jake just wants to bring a little happiness to his dad.

“The Reckoning” (season 6)

This episode pushes some of the more mystical elements of DS9 to the point that it feels more like a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings story than Star Trek. But I find it a lot of fun, and Cirroc Lofton, who had grown quite handsome at this point, looks really bad-ass possessed by an evil Pah-wraith. It’s the reverse situation from “Rapture,” where Ben is the one who has to decide if his son lives or dies.

“Valiant” (season 6)

A tense and disturbing episode strands Jake and Nog with a bunch of elite Red Squad cadets who are completely out of their league in real war. Jake makes the mistake of showing compassion to one of the overwhelmed young not-quite-officers, and his best friend, who’s taken in by the raw boldness of Red Squad, for once doesn’t have his back.

And of course, Jake Sisko appears in the final image of the final episode of Deep Space Nine, staring out at the stars into which his father has vanished, so go ahead and watch if you have any of those tissues left over from "The Visitor."

[heroesandvillainsofmbti]

ENTJ: Zek, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”

ENTJ – the Commander, the Field-Marshall, the Trailblazer

Zek almost starts out as a villain, a caricature of big business and greed run amuck. Eventually, he develops a bent toward social justice (which kind of makes him even more of a villain from Quark’s perspective). This new conscience isn’t simply the development of his Feeling function, though. As long as he’s convinced that the emancipation of women and the establishment of social welfare and environmental protections increase the prosperity of the Ferengi people, then in Zek’s judgment, it’s the smart—and profitable—thing to do.

Dominant Function: (Te) Extraverted Thinking, “The Workshop”

Grand Nagus Zek stands at the top of the Ferengi food chain. No one matches his business acumen, and much of his job is to set an aspirational standard of greed and success to live by. Zek doesn’t see a difference between business and pleasure, and in fact the first time he announces his retirement (which turns out to be a dodge), it’s after 85 years of never taking a vacation.

Zek always works to make the best deal for himself. Nothing comes without a measurable cost. Kira and Sisko are able to convince him to make a charitable donation to Bajor in return for Bajor’s good favor in the future, but when he acquires a lost Bajoran orb, Zek intends to make the Bajoran people pay through the nose to get it back.

By law, he should have Ishka thrown in prison for daring to make profit as a female, but she’s so good at it that Zek must admit to her worthiness as a Ferengi.

Auxiliary Function: (Ni) Introverted Intuition, “The Labyrinth”

Zek plans long-term, always negotiating with an end game in mind. He sees significance in Quark, not necessarily as a person, but as a useful conduit of information from the Gamma Quadrant that could lead to profitable ventures. When he passes his position to Quark and fakes his death, it’s to see if his son Krax has the lobes to seize power correctly (he does not, and we never hear from him again).

As he explains to his clumsy failure of a son: “You don’t grab power, you accumulate it, quietly, without anyone noticing.”

Zek sends Quark into the Gamma Quadrant to open negotiations for tulaberry wine, proclaiming that the untapped resources on the other side of the wormhole are destined to be Ferenginar’s next great frontier. He’s really not interested in wine, though. What he’s really hoping for is to catch the attention of the Dominion, the real power in the Gamma Quadrant. Thus the Ferengi end up making contact—and forging relationships—with the Dominion before anyone else from the Gamma Quadrant even hears about them.

Zek is so keen on sniffing out potential business opportunities that he tries to use the Orb he’s found to see into the future. This does not go well for him, as the Prophets temporarily turn him into a philanthropist (my best guess is that he becomes an ENFJ for a while, but I don’t want to knock the idea of an honest-to-goodness ENTJ Good Samaritan; I just think it would look different than this version of Zek).

While Zek is as shocked as any Ferengi male to discover a Ferengi female making profit, it turns out he’s not as bound to tradition as others. He doesn’t care much if females wear clothing, as long as they keep it inside the home. Once he’s in a relationship with the radical Ishka, he adopts many of her far-sighted reforms, pushing Ferenginar in a new direction.

Tertiary Function: (Se) Extraverted Sensing, “The Kitchens”

Zek loves life’s pleasures—beautiful females, good beetle snuff, succulent tube grubs, steamy holosuite adventures, rousing games of Tongo and Dabo. His throneroom is opulent, and his robes the finest. He knows he has no shot with Kira, but tries anyway because it can’t hurt to ask.

Zek’s an opportunist at heart, which has helped him succeed, but when he starts to lose his mental faculties, he ends up making rash choices like traveling to the Mirror Universe in an ultimately pointless and dangerous bid to find new sources of profit.

Inferior Function: (Fi) Introverted Feeling, “The Deep Well”

Zek is renown for his ruthlessness, not allowing emotional or ethical concerns to interfere with his business decisions. He seems mildly troubled that the Ferengi’s dishonest reputation has hampered their ability to do business, but his solution is to go into the Gamma Quadrant where no one knows them. His relationship with Ishka prompts many radical new ethical and social policies, which almost costs him his throne. It’s worth it, though, for the hand of the woman he loves.