#cyia batten

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k d e e p s p a c e n i n e created by rick berman, michael piller Tora Ziyal [indiscretion, s4ep4]

'The Cardassian prisoners, they told me this would happen. That you'd never let me go home. But I didn't believe them... I used to dream about you coming to save me. It's what kept me alive... If I can't be with you, then I'd rather die.' - ziyal [to dukat]

[conjcosby]

Stardate: 2024.6.7 ▫ While on route to their latest pilgrimage, Navaar and her sisters are caught in a nebula where their dreams comes to reality. 💚🖖 #CyiaBatten #Navaar #CrystalAllen #DNesh #MeninaFortunato #Maras #Orions #OrionGirls #OrionSlaveGirls #OrionSyndicate #Orion #StarTrekOrion #StarTrekOrions #StarTrekEnterprise #StarTrekENT #StarTrekUniverse #StarTrekFanArt #StarTrekFandom #StarTrekFan #StarTrekFans #StarTrekFamily #FanArt #Fan_Art #Friday #FanArtFriday #FanArt_Friday #Fan_Art_Friday

[defconprime]

Cyia Batten as Tora Ziyal

[thoughts-i-have-had-in-passing]

Okay. Time for some in-depth analysis that nobody actually asked for.

Memory Alpha states that Tain took over the Obsidian Order in 2348 and Garak was exiled in 2368. At some point in the three years after that Tain retired to spend time with his remaining heart valves.

We know that Tain is Garak's father, a fact stated by Garak and denied by Tain with almost his dying breath, but he was proud of him that one time when he was four which to a Cardassian is basically a signed confessional.

We know that Garak joined the Order and impressed Tain enough to be promoted quite highly, but we do not know whether Tain was in charge of things before that happened, or if he was still highly placed but not yet the Big Cheese.

If we take A Stitch in Time as canon, which most people do, we know Garak was sent to Bamarren when he reached 'the age of emergence'. He does not specify if this age is basically adulthood or the presumably earlier onset of puberty, but a statement is made that his 'childhood is over', and Garak appears to experience physical attraction to several people during his first year, therefore it is safe to assume that he is at least in the middle of, if not post puberty.

We have no information on how long birth-puberty takes in Cardassians - or do we?

Rugal is said to be twelve when discovered to be alive in the episode 'Cardassians'. He was played by the human, Vidal Peterson, who was 25 years old at the time, 13 years older than his character. This indicates that Cardassians reach their physical age of maturity faster than humans. However Rugal was still considered a child by Cardassian standards as their laws did not allow him to make his own decisions on who he should live with, therefore their mental age must mature more slowly than their physical one.

Second piece of evidence - Ziyal. She first appeared at the age of 19, played by Cyia Batten, who was 23 at the time of her first appearance. In subsequent appearances the actresses who played her, Tracy Middendorf and Melanie Smith, were 6 and 14 years older than the character. In other words, Ziyal physically aged significantly faster than a human would over the same period, although still after the most common human age of majority.

Finally, Dukat, aka rat bastard. Dukat made several historical appearances in flashbacks and time traveling episodes, and in all of them he looked exactly the same. These two pieces of information imply that Cardassians do experience accelerated aging (compared to humans) up to a point, at which point their aging slows down significantly for an extended period of time.

So where does that lead us with Garak? Bamarren is supposed to take nine years, but he's pulled out after year three to be sent somewhere else, and that his mother and adopted father no longer saw him as a boy when he briefly returned. It is likely, therefore, that regardless of whether the age of emergence is the beginning of puberty or adulthood, Garak is definitely an adult after his first three years there, and therefore - based on Ziyal being permitted to live on the station alone at the age of 20, likely to be about that age with some margin of error either side. It is at this age that he begins his Obsidian Order training. It is unclear whether Tain is in charge of the Order at this point or merely extremely high up. If he has taken over the order at this point, then Garak's lowest age can be estimated as approximately 40 (started Bamarren at approximately 16, joined the order at 19 immediately after Tain's takeover, plus 1 year of exile). But what about his upper age?

If we assume Bamarren was begun at the latest possible age then he may have been 20 in his first year and had just become an adult. He would therefore be 23 at the time he joined the Order, so the real question of his upper age hinges on whether Tain was already in charge or not.

Certainly by the time Garak's adopted father dies Tain appears to be in full command. Garak's own words describe the time passing between him joining the order and going home to see Tolan die as 'years' however, so it is possible Tain took command at some point inside of those years. If we assume 'years' to be perhaps 5, and Tain took command halfway through those years, then Garak's upper age at the time he first meets Bashir can be estimated as approximately 46.5 years old.

But can we go further? How far can we stretch the limits of the scant data we have?

If we assume that Garak joined Bamarren at the latest possible age of adulthood, which seems to be 20. Spent three years there before joining the Order at 23, spent 10 years advancing until he was known as one of the 'Sons of Tain' and (and this is key) Tain had not yet taken over the Order, but was rather one of several Seconds in Commands whose extremely competent division Garak was assigned to, then his maximum plausible age at the time he met Bashir is between 53 and 60, but most likely towards the lower end of that range.

Of course at the time of their first meeting Andrew Robinson was 51. As has been noted, the humans playing Cardassians tend to end up about 14 years older than their characters so it's entirely possible that I'm overthinking it and Garak was 37 in the first season of DS9, with Tain retiring at an impressive 52. Dukat and his actor being an outlier in this case who should not be counted.

So in conclusion: All your headcanons are true, especially the lies.

one of the funniest things about ds9 is we have no idea how old garak is. he could be like 30

[acecroft]

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, 4.17

[dilfgarak]

[therealmrpositive]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

In today's review, I head back to the start, as I attempt a #positive review of the 2006 origins of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning #AndrewBryniarski #R.LeeErmey #JordanaBrewster #TaylorHandley #MattBomer #DioraBaird #LeeTergesen #TerrenceEvans

The age-old question of what makes these unspeakable people do unspeakable things is a lucrative quandary. Podcasts, Documentaries, and deep criminological studies all dedicated much thought to the discussion, Fiction also devotes a lot of thought to this, with origin stories aplenty attempting to shine lights on what made their captivating characters so bewitching. In 2006, a prequel film was…

[ziggy-solarecreator]

Hey Marc haters and anyone who is saying he was a creep:

I have multiple quotes from people calling him a nice man, sweet even. Even -gasp- Nana herself! example one: Cyia Batten (the first Ziyal). "Marc Alaimo was simply the sweetest man on and off set. Such a pro. I just adored him and was so grateful I got to work with him." Here's a link to the interview where she talks about her roles in Star Trek: https://www.startrek.com/article/enterprises-orion-slave-girls-part-2?fbclid=IwAR3WkSSIUvJ7rCtnvqzutG45Dlfr9yfEp4kVx8xb77Y_aL4zxP98o4Cr9Rk example two: "The mind meld was way cool. I had a wonderful time working with Marc Alaimo, who played Gul Dukat. He was such a gentle, sweet guy." (Bertila Damas, 'Sakonna', startrek.com) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmkT3oRJuaA example three: According to her old interviews, Nana had trouble separating Marc from his role but it wasn't against him personally: A May 1996 interview http://nanavision.com/?p=13 (...) Marc Alaimo is an interesting story because of what I was saying before about my scenes with Dukat being difficult for me to do. Marc is the sweetest man in the world. He has had my son Buster and me over at his house and we spent the day with him. He’s delightful, but when he’s on the set, he is Dukat. He’s already in makeup and I can’t see him as anything else. I don’t banter very much with Marc. It’s just something visceral in me that goes right into Kira.” From someone's report from Novacon convention in April 1997: Nana used to say that she never liked to work with Mark Alaimo (Dukat). She always saw him in makeup and just never wanted to be near him at all because of what his character stood for. There was always tension between the two of them on the set, lines would be changed. Just before Thanksgiving last year someone on the set asked Mark if he had any plans for Thanksgiving and he said "no." Nana then invited him over to her house for the holiday and said he'd come. Come Thanksgiving he shows up and they have dinner "and he is sweet and funny and charming and incredible with the kids... rolling on the floor with Buster." She realized that she hated him as Dukat and not as a person. After dinner she said she wanted him to come over again so they could talk and have a good time, but when they met again on the set later in full make-up, she said this curt "Hello" to him and ignored him feeling awful -- she couldn't get past what his make-up represents to the Kira character.

here's some more: Star Trek Monthly, January 1998 http://nanavision.com/?p=14 That rhythm was evident earlier today, when Visitor and Marc Alaimo squared off in Sisko’s former office. “It was Dukat at his most offensive. Things are heating up very much on the station, and I’m interested myself to see where it’s going to go between the two of us.” That mounting tension is so real, one wonders if Nana Visitor has a hard time separating Marc Alaimo the actor from the evil Cardassian he so wonderfully portrays. “It always has been hard for me,” she confesses. “I’ve found through the seasons that I’ve treated Marc badly, because every time I’ve seen him, he’s made up like a Cardassian, and all the prejudices hit me right away of what my character thinks of Dukat. But this season, probably because things are emotionally very sensitive in the scenes, we’re dealing with more layers than just one. We’ve been fooling around and talking about scenes and actually having more of what we have on weekends than we usually have on the set.” (http://trekbbs.com/.../true-the-cast-did-not-get.../page-2) another positive marc quote: Melanie Smith, The 7th Rule podcast episode #146, December 13th, 2021: "There was a natural intensity to Marc . . . he came to truly love Ziyal. . . . he would have to come to understand forgiveness after that. . . Marc has a strong, direct personality that really helped me play my character. And it gave me something to push against and it gave him something to fall against that was gentle. So it was nice chemistry with us."

WITH SOURCES

don't hate on my boi again.

honestly, tw: dukat and everything he is.

i think the scariest thing about dukat is that he's real. i mean this in two ways: first, marc alaimo is an asshole. if you haven't seen "what we left behind," the ds9 doc, try and find it. the cast members were not shy about telling how they felt about him. he made nana visitor just as uncomfortable as gul dukat made nerys.

second, our world leaders are literally like this. you have to be in order to justify the kinds of things those people do. dukat is a psychotic narcissist who was able to justify his sickness by destroying an entire civilization.

i don't mean this in an ugly way, bc people can like whoever they like and it literally does not affect me. but, i could never find him likeable, or even "hate to love." he's disturbing. he's well written, and terrifying.

[danceoftheday]

Performed by: Carmit Bachar, Cyia Batten, Drew Barrymore, Kasey Campbell, Cameron Diaz, Nadine Ellis, Hannah Feldner-Shaw, Staci B. Flood, Lucy Liu, Shanti Lowry, and Hayley Zelniker

Number: “The Pink Panther”

Choreographer: Marguerite Derricks

Style: Burlesque

From: Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

[movieometer]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

So this is interesting, because it’s a prequel. It’s supposed to detail the events leading up to the events of the previous movie, and why Leatherface does what he does, and how the family came to be. It starts out with his birth, and it’s interesting to see that he was an abandoned baby with absolutely no relation to the family. Also interesting how the sheriff became the sheriff (hint: he murdered the real one and assumed his identity). This movie could have been done better. The story could have been more interesting. They linger on Leatherface’s early life for maybe 5 minutes. Interesting note: I saw this movie in theaters when I was just barely 14, at a theater that didn’t card kids, and it gave me my very first migraine - specifically the scene with the girlfriend hiding under the table her boyfriend is strapped to. It still makes me sick.

Rating: F. Matt Bomer looks completely unrecognizable.

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k d e e p s p a c e n i n e created by rick berman, michael piller [return to grace, s4ep13]

'I'll take good care of her.' - kira

'Well, Major, it appears that whether you like it or not, our lives have become deeply intertwined. - dukat

[conjcosby]

Stardate: 2024.3.8 ▫ While on route to pilgrimage, Navaar, D'Nesh and Maras are intercepted by a woman they believe to be a myth. 💚🖖 cyia crystalallen13 meninafortunato startrek startrekonpplus #cyiabatten #navaar #crystalallen #dnesh #meninafortunato #maras #oriongirls #orionslavegirls #orions #orionsyndicate #startrek #startrekorions #startrekuniverse #startrekenterprise #startrekent #startrekfan #startrekfans #startrekfandom #startrekfanart #startrekfanfiction #startrekfamily #startrekwomen #startrekladies #womenofstartrek #ladiesofstartrek #fanart #fanfic #fanfiction #happyinternationalwomensday #internationalwomensday

[defconprime]

Cyia Batten as Navaar

[spacelizardswhopassedthreshold]

So... Ziyal was played by three different people...

[ID: Wikipedia page that reads "Her given name, Ziyal, is a popular Cardassian name. She was played by Cyia Batten in "Indiscretion" and "Return to Grace", by Tracy Middendorf in the episode "For the Cause", and by Melanie Smith, over six episodes from season five's "In Purgatory Shadow" to season six's "Sacrifice of Angels". End ID]

[apolesen]

The recasting of Ziyal is a thorny subject. I don’t know why Cyia Batten, who was the first actor to play  Ziyal, did not continue to do so. I’ve heard that the second actor, Tracy Middendorf, had issues with the prosthetics (which, speaking as someone who’s cosplayed as Ziyal with latex prosthetics, I completely get), and that was why Melanie Smith was brought in to replace her. There are rumours that the first recasting was done because they wanted to push the Garak/Ziyal storyline, which is possible, but I can’t find anything to corroborate that. 

But in-verse, why does Ziyal go from looking like she’s in her early to mid-teens to looking like she’s an adult, all in the course of about a year? 

One thing leaps to mind: hormones. 

Bajorans and Cardassians are two very different species, enough that it’s a wonder they can produce young. (I tend to just suspend my disbelief and say that through some very odd evolutionary coincidence, it’s possible.) A Cardassian-Bajoran hybrid will in all likelihood have some unique medical needs. Generally, hybrids tend to not be able to reproduce. At least in the case of Star Trek hybrids (I don’t know if it’s the case in real-life hybrids), it seems like they might struggle to reach sexual maturity – in Amok Time it’s stated that they expected that Spock would not go through pon farr. With that in mind, it would make sense if Ziyal basically hasn’t hit puberty yet. Once she’s rescued and taken back to Cardassia Prime, Dukat probably finds her the best hybrid-specialists. I would not put it past him to even bring said specialist with him when he leaves Cardassia – imagine a pissed-off doctor aboard the bird-of-prey who’s been made to leave all her research and patients and forced to follow Dukat of all people into exile. 

When Ziyal is put on hormones, she would start going through puberty. Fairly rapidly, she will look much more adult than before. The fact that it doesn’t happen at once might be an indication that they hold off for a little while - she’s been without medical attention in some very harsh conditions for six years, after all. Nonetheless, I can see Cardassian doctors thinking that kickstarting puberty is important. They might in fact feel it is particularly important that her puberty is Cardassian rather than Bajoran. Attempts to make Cardassian-Bajoran hybrids look more Cardassian is a thing (as attested in Enigma Tales). Although the Project Enigma treatments seem to have been done on prepubescent children, puberty might also play a role. In A Stitch in Time, it is established that the facial ridges become more pronounced after puberty. That doesn’t really seem to have been something that happened with Ziyal, but it might still have been something they hoped for.

(Photo credit: Trekcore)

[data2364]

via Trekcore.com

Nana Visitor (Bajoran Major Kira Nerys) with Marc Alaimo (Cardassian Gul Dukat) and Cyia Batten (Tora Ziyal – Cardassian-Bajoran Daughter of Gul Dukat) 1996 in the „Star Trek: Deep Space Nine“  Episode „Return to Grace“.

https://data2364.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/daily-star-trek-20-februar-2017/