#i love ds9's pilot episode

[sensitivelittlevorta]

I watched Enterprise on Netflix the last weeks, but I thought it would be better to watch the DVD on my computer because of the timestamps...

I am so confused the first DVD is literally only the first (two) episode(s). Then it took me a few seconds to figure out launch is start and when it played in english and I needed to change the language it took me again a few seconds to realise communications meant languages. LOVE IT THOUGH. But I was so confused. The DS9 DVDs are completely different.

But yeah, I am going to watch the pilot episode and do the commentary, while I wait for my food to arrive from the new indian restaurant. I hope butter chicken and mango lassi taste good, I paid more than 20€ for that and there is no one at home who would eat the leftovers.

And yeah I watch in german because I need to get used to the english voices and honestly at the moment I still hate Archers english voice. The german voice is so calm and soft.

[thegeminisage]

it's time for a star trek update: finale edition. wednesday we watched ds9's "in the hands of the prophets" and tng's "descent part i."

in the hands of the prophets (ds9):

ok first of all it's fucking wack how relevant this shit still is like more than 20 yeasrs later. miss politician literally just pulled a r*n des*ntis trying to rile up her base about religious panic to get votes that she lacked

secondly they BOMBED a SCHOOL??? actually it works as a nice reminder of how the bajorans made their pleasure known under cardassian rule...for awhile there, federation was no different

LOVED o'brien being willing to beat a guy senseless for making his wife sad. good for him.

DID NOT LIKE kira and sisko fighting...........i liked that kira had that wake-up call at the end but i feel like ds9 has been a little unclear on whether or not she was a true believer til now, and i was a little surprised she thought the curriculum needed changin at first - then i was like well yeah i guess she was really upset when kai opaka died but then at the end she was like guess i'm not as much of a believer as i'd like to be! so a little hazy. but that might be a me problem

i liked that sisko took the time to sit down w jake and be like. people have a right to religion. lest this episode seem one-sided or unfair. it was a nice touch

the assassin being obriens little shadow was SUCH a nice touch but once they let you in on the joke she's like always suspiciously in the back and it kept cracking us up

the flirting scene was really good also. "on your toes o'brien" he read the room and headed immediately for the exit and good for him i love him sm. probably my favorite part of the entire ep i laughed really hard

overall felt like a weird choice for a finale, but not necessarily a BAD episode, just one of their weaker ones. i would have picked duet for sure but i guess it just doesn't involve as many characters, let alone Sisko, The Main Character

though side bar ther ehas been a disappointing lack of sisko-centric content in s1...........all he really got was the pilot and the plot with jake sneaking out to teach nog to read. fingers crossed for more of him in s2

descent part i (tng):

DATA....................................

the reason i was banned from reading the summary of this ep prior to watching was that it spoiled literally all 3 major plot twists 1. data gets an emotion 2. the borg 3. lore

i felt geordi was a little dismissive of data having an emotion here ("how would you know it's really anger") but i liked that deanna treated him really niceys. i thought his brainwashing at the end was a little scary but ULTIMATEL not his fault!!! somebody save my boy

i looooove seeing the borg again. even though these guys aren't the real borg i love the borg in any form <3

shoutout to hugh and that time picard DIDN'T experiment on a sentient being like a lab rat! and then this whole episode he was like damn i should have experimented on his ass. never change ig.

back to geordi, i think he should have helped data with the experiment. i don't know that it could have changed anything but it might have given them a clue...like yeah data is taking his life into his hands or whatever but geordi surely has a phaser. like he could say END PROGRAM at any time. furthermore, surely he culd ask data to step out and then tell the computer to PRETEND it was putting data's life in danger without actually doing it? it's wack that the holodeck can and nearly has killed people by the way. unethical horrific technology.

oh and i almost forgot how cool was it that the REAL LIFE STEPHEN HAWKING was in this episode, playing himself...and gambling :') i bet he was so stoked that was literally so fucking cool. i hope he had a great time

TONIGHT: tng's "descent part ii" and ds9's "the homecoming."

[jonfucius]

Great Star Trek Rewatch - Enterprise S1

Originally posted on Twitter 20 August 2019 - 6 September 2019

Enterprise Season 1 is up first. Mini-reviews will document my progress.

Broken Bow: a fantastic pilot episode sets up the unfairly-maligned prequel series. This is my ultimate “comfort food” episode. 10/10

Fight or Flight: the first scene on the Axanar spaceship is creepy. I’m glad Hoshi gets a focus episode so early in the series, but it leans way too heavily on the fear of flight trope. The armory set is cool. 7/10

Strange New World: ENT’s first planetary away mission. The sinister flowers are a nice call back to TOS. The breakdown scenes are nicely acted. Well-executed body horror with the transporter mishap. 7/10

Unexpected: Yeah, it’s the “Trip gets pregnant” episode. The pregnancy jokes are tone-deaf, but the truly alien Xyrillians and their ship are an interesting addition to the franchise. T’Pol’s gambit to broker détente is very Spock-like. 6/10

Terra Nova: I love that ENT is filling in its own history while filling in the history between STFC and TOS. Kids surviving disaster is shades of “Miri”. The “alien” makeup is on point, and the guest cast (incl. the great Erick Avari) is excellent. 7/10

The Andorian Incident: ENT’s first truly excellent episode after “Broken Bow”. I wish they had focused on the Vulcan-Andorian conflict the first two seasons instead of the Temporal Cold War. Jeffrey Combs’ best character, Shran, makes an immediate impression. 10/10

Breaking the Ice: A rogue comet leads to an encounter with a stuffy, arrogant Vulcan. Capt Vannik is, I think, supposed to come off as arrogant, but to me comes off as a caricature. The effects are good and the Vulcan snowman is good fun. 8/10

Civilization: ENT’s first alien disguise mission. Riaan is a charming, determined local who impresses the audience and Phlox with her detective skills. We get to meet the Malurians before their off-screen extinction in TOS. Otherwise a cromulent episode. 6/10

Fortunate Son: Some folks are born made to haul cargo Ooh, they're slow to go And when the Nausicaans say “Give up your cargo” Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't for me, it ain't for me, I ain't a fan of Fortunate Son 5/10

Cold Front: Our heroes host a religious event, while Silik and Daniels advance the Temporal Cold War. The temporal observatory is a slick piece of VFX. Otherwise, it’s pretty slow for a high-stakes episode. Phlox continues his campaign for Most Interesting Man in the World. 7/10

Silent Enemy: I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this episode just clicks for me. Maybe it’s our heroes cut off from Earth, the enigmatic aliens, or the crew coming together to upgrade their own ship. Just a fun plot-driven episode. 8/10

Dear Doctor: No Prime Directive? No problem! Epistolary episodes can come off as trite, but I enjoy this one thoroughly. One of ENT’s best hours. Phlox is given great development here. The late Kellie Waymire pops up again as Cutler, and it’s a shame she left us so soon. 9/10

Sleeping Dogs: the Somraw is a cool retro design. T’Pol, Hoshi, and Reed spend most of the episode in a sinking ship. Bu’kaH is slightly overacted, but otherwise fine. Somewhat derivative of DS9’s “Starship Down”. Still, an okay romp. 6/10

Shadows of P’Jem: ENT isn’t serialized like DS9 or DSC, but it’s great to see consequences from the excellent “Andorian Incident”. Another fine call back to TOS. 9/10

Shuttlepod One: Strip away the Trek trappings and the scenes on the NX-01, and you’d still have a damn fine one-room two-actor play. More Reed on the heels of “Silent Enemy” is my only complaint. 9/10

Fusion: Ehh. The v’tosh ka’tur are an interesting concept. T’Pol being repulsed by the idea of a mind meld is interesting, though I wish Tolar suffered more consequences for what he did to T’Pol. 5/10

Rogue Planet: Interesting concept, competently done, but nothing special. Shout out to the late Stephanie Niznik as the Wraith. 6/10

Acquisition: As Ferengi episodes go, this one isn’t awful. A smaller number of Rules exist at this time. The episode bends too far to keep our heroes from finding/figuring out who the invaders are. The guest cast is top-notch, including three Trek vets. 7/10

Oasis: I liked this one better when it was a DS9 episode called “Shadowplay.” 2/10

Detained: An episode that has become somewhat more prescient in today’s world. It’s fun to see Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula share scenes again, but it’s an otherwise paint-by-numbers plot. 6/10

Vox Sola: I like what they were trying to do here, but I still don’t get much out of this one each time I watch it. Invention of the forcefield comes a little too easily (and early). 6/10

Fallen Hero: I’m a sucker for race-against-time episodes. Fionnula Flanagan is a delight as V’Lar. Just a well-executed bottle show. 8/10

Desert Crossing: Another trope I always fall for, the “two characters lost in the wilderness” trope. Clancy Brown steals scenes like none other. Would’ve been fun for Mayweather or Hoshi be trapped with Archer. Still, fun to learn more about Archer & Tucker’s friendship. 8/10

Two Days and Two Nights: Our heroes finally make it to Risa. Unfortunately, the Reed/Tucker subplot is marred by juvenile and transphobic humor. Hoshi’s subplot is charming in its own way. Phlox’s scenes are hilarious. Archer has to deal with the fallout from “Detained”. 7/10

Shockwave: A slam-bang finale that starts with an appropriately somber tragedy. Just when the audience thinks our heroes have saved the day, the rug gets pulled out from under everyone. Stranding Archer in the future is a fun twist on plots like “Time’s Arrow”. 9/10

And with that, Season 1 of Enterprise comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 7.12/10. Highest score(s): “Broken Bow,” “The Andorian Incident”. Lowest score(s): “Oasis”

[worldcatlas]

DS9: Emissary (Part 2)

Read part 1 here. This is the last article wrapping up two-part episodes, which will be in a single article from here on out. Thank you for reading!

Part two of Deep Space 9’s pilot episode opens in Ops, giving us several lovely close-ups of Major Kira’s uniform, including her Bajoran-style comm badge and belt. The badge appears to be made of a brassy metal material, and is in the shape of the Bajoran logo, much like its Starfleet counterpart. The belt, in a deep burgundy colour that matches her uniform, has a texture that suggests reptilian leather (or, perhaps, a replicated substitute). We can also see in this early episode that Kira’s makeup originally included a slight brow ridge, like Ensign Ro.

I guess they still have cosmetic surgery in the 24th century.

Odo beams into Ops to join the team, briefly giving us a full head-to-toe view of the goo he has shaped into a brownish-beige Bajoran uniform. My favourite part are the Uggs boots. Do all the Bajoran uniforms come with little booties? They’re not particularly intimidating for the Chief of Security, although they do look like they’d be great for someone on their feet all day.

Fighting crime in comfort.

We can also see in this scene that the costume department has decided to flare out the lapels on the Starfleet uniforms; I actually don’t remember if this trend continues into future episodes of DS9, but the same uniforms lay flat on Voyager (which hadn’t yet premiered at this point), so we’ll check back in on that. It’s an interesting styling choice, and kind of makes Bashir and O’Brien look like they’re hitting the club after work.

I mean, I guess I don’t know that they aren’t…

Inside the wormhole, Sisko converses with the locals through his memories, and we see the aliens speak to him through various characters. Among them are Locutus in his full Borg makeup and Kai Opaka in elaborate Bajoran religious garb. We saw Opaka in this outfit in part 1, although it looks like they may have draped the outermost layer differently here.

It’s hard to tell what’s changed through the Memory Haze™.

The aliens also take on the appearance of the Chicago Cubs in old-timey uniforms – worn by fictional holodeck characters – and Sisko’s former crew in a TNG-era look. The baseball uniforms will show up again in Deep Space 9, but I suspect the Starfleet uniforms are recycled directly from The Next Generation, giving them a nice on-screen send-off before retirement.

These are all core memories for Sisko.

Back on the station, we get a better look at Major Kira’s Bajoran earring as she jumps on a subspace call with her #1 fan, Gul Dukat. The jewelry is made of a silver metal, with lower and upper pieces connected by a fine chain.

It channels her pagh, as well as six stations of FM radio.

Dukat, of course, shows up wearing the same thing Cardassians always wear, made out of old recycled tires.

It’s actually very eco-friendly.

Going back to Benjamin, we finally get some new costumes as Sisko finds himself snuggling his dead wife. Well, one of the aliens inhabiting the memory of his dead wife. They’re dressed for a lovely picnic in the park, Ben in a striped jewel tone shirt, Jennifer in an elegant pink dress.

Does this human look good on me?

We can see that the fabric on the top section of Sisko’s shirt has been pleated and pressed flat before being sewn, a trick that seems to be used a lot in Star Trek to create more exotic and visually interesting looks from regular Earth textiles. In this case, it complements the fabric’s vertical stripes nicely. The shirt also has a geometric neckline with a notch in front, giving just a little flirty peek of chest. As we zoom out, we can see it has been paired with an extremely high-waisted pair of olive green pants. From this angle, we can also see that Jennifer’s silky-looking dress tapers at the waist, and has been paired with matching tights and shoes. It’s an adorable look somewhere between “prom queen” and “dance recital.”

This is what it looks like when you can just beam to a picnic site instead of hiking.

In a scene that’s no doubt just as pleasing to our Commander, we next see him in the memory of a holodeck baseball game, wearing a baseball mitt and cap, while an alien inhabits the image of his son (dressed in a catcher’s uniform) nearby.

Is this going to become a theme, Dad?

In an incredible bit of attention to detail, even the background actors in this scene appear to be dressed in period-appropriate suits and hats. Then again, it’s very possible Paramount already had these costumes in the back, and they were among the few outfits they DIDN’T need to make custom for this episode.

Look, son: normies.

Back on the station, Cardassians have begun to attack, meaning we get to see a crowd of evacuating civilians in one-colour co-ords. Among them is the real Jake Sisko, who isn’t sure about all the monochrome matching.

It just doesn’t feel appropriate for the season.

Also present is– what the? What the heck is this guy?! I don’t even know what this alien is, but it has a cute hooded blue dress. If anyone recognizes this species, please leave a comment with the ID!

Is it visiting from the Star Wars universe?

We finish out the episode – at least in terms of costumes – with a fantastic showing from Quark. He hasn’t changed since part 1, but we do get a better view of the details of his outfit, including the giant, spherical, shiny buttons on his jacket, which may actually be small doorknobs. The jacket also features sparkly black bands around both arms and wide lapels that flare open dramatically. Like Sisko earlier, he finishes the outfit with olive green pants pulled up as high as they’ll go.

The Ferengi who invents belts will be drowning in latinum.

—

The Costume Designer for this episode was Robert Blackman. The Wardrobe Supervisor was Carol Kunz. Key Costumers include Maurice Palinski, Phyllis Corcoran-Woods, Jerry Bono, and Patti Borggrebe-Taylor.

[tuttle-did-it]

the commie shit was the reason I love DS9 so much. It is literally my favourite Trek because of all the commie shit.

DS9 is the ONLY Trek where the women are allowed to talk to each other about Not Men Things

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to not force the women main characters into skimpy outfits that were painted on and 6-inch high-heels.

DS9 is the ONLY Trek to really explore Unions, workers rights, and the manipulation, consumption, exploitation, and exhaustion of workers- even under the eye of the precious perfect Federation

DS9 is the ONLY Trek to explore what life would be like for a Single Black man and his son in a military setting

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to allow women to be angry, emotional, and a total mess at times- and we love Kira for it

DS9 is the ONLY Trek to explore what life would be like for a Black man in 1940s America

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to allow even the concept of same-sex relationships in canon

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to allow even the concept of a Trans-coded character (Jadzia, to a much lesser extent Ezri and Odo)

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to question all the utopian occasionally fascist-coded Federation, especially with the Section 31 stuff

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to properly explore PTSD, trauma, and war in multiple fronts for multiple characters. Sisko has scarred-over trauma (Picard, Borg), Kira has fresh trauma (freedom fighter her whole life), O'Brien gets new trauma every episode he is the focus of. Every character on DS9 has some baggage somewhere. And that's okay.

DS9 is the FIRST Trek to allow the characters to evolve and change from the pilot to the finale- every character changes and grows, sometimes because of trauma, sometimes because they become better people

DS9 is absolutely, hands down, the queerest Trek (Bashir/Garak, Garak/Odo, Garak/Everyone, Bashir/Miles, Kira/Dax, Kira/Kira hehe, Dax/Lenara, Dax/Kira, Dax/Arandis, Dax/multiple lifetimes, Q is very queer, Odo as Agender/literally gender fluid, Quark/Odo, Quark/Pel, Quark/Everyone etc.)

I AM HERE FOR DS9'S COMMIE SHIT

And this has very little to do with DS9 but I support the #WGA strike because of that commie shit

@writergeekrhw

I think ds9 would be better if they dropped all the commie shit

- quark in Bar Association (s4e16)

[staringdownabarrel]

I'm not someone who's 100% convinced that Bashir is autistic, but I feel like the best evidence of this theory stems from how the people around him treat him.

One of the things I've generally noticed about autistic people in real life is that the people around them often get frustrated easily with them. Sometimes this is over the autistic person's inability to pick up on social cues that neurotypical people take for granted, and often, it's over things that aren't really considered wrong, just a bit weird. For me at least, as a neurotypical person who generally won't realise someone's neurodivergent unless they explicitly tell me so, this is often the only real indication I'll pick up on that someone might be autistic (although, obviously, it's not a 100% thing).

This is a tendency that's very true for Bashir. Even early on in the show, people will go out of their way to not interact with him. In The Storyteller for example, O'Brien almost begs Sisko to find someone else to pilot the runabout for Bashir because he still doesn't like him at this point, and struggles to articulate a reason why. Later on, in Explorers, O'Brien says that people will either really love or really hate Bashir.

This isn't something that's limited to just O'Brien, either. Kira takes a dislike to him during their first meeting (and honestly, for good reason; he doesn't come off well). Even later on, in Crossover, Kira would prefer to meditate than to talk to Bashir. Some of this can be chalked up to religious reasons obviously, but I also feel like some of Kira's motivation in this scene was because she felt quietly meditating would give her a reason to not have to talk to Bashir.

People's tendency to prefer not to interact with Bashir so much continues even late into the series. In The Sound of Her Voice, the second to last episode of DS9's sixth season, Sisko comments that he prefers Bashir when he's quiet. Keep in mind that for the most part, Sisko tends to be a reasonably personable commanding officer: for him to prefer one of the people under him to be quiet, something about them must rub him the wrong way somehow.

Really, the only person who didn't seem to have this kind of reaction to Bashir was Garak. Some of this may be because Garak doesn't know that many humans early on so he may have figured they're all kinda just like that to varying extents, but some of it also may be that the things other humans find grating he genuinely finds endearing.

I think all of this generally fits with reading Bashir as autistic. If it was just one or two people who didn't like him at first, that could be written off as one or two people just not liking him. Given that it seems to be a pretty regular occurrence though, that'd generally fit with what I've noticed with autistic people in real life.

[getoutofmyjaneway]

Enterprise is also Leaving Netflix. What Should you Watch Before it Boldly Goes Away

So let’s talk about Enterprise shall we? The black sheep of Trek, it is very different from what came before it. And you are right, Enterprise starts off slow.  R e a l l y    s l o w.  Do not let that stop you, Enterprise has a lot to offer! How you can watch depends on how much you have to put into the show:

Option 1 - Long Option

Enterprise is primarily comprised of story arcs in its third and fourth seasons. You can see Star Trek actively starting to transition its’ form of storytelling from usually one- or two-episode stories to the multi-episode to season-long story arcs we typically see in TV today. I will also not be the first to say that Enterprise really blossoms in those two seasons. Because of this, it is really hard to just jump into an episode in the middle of a story arc without being a little lost

Your best option is to watch all of the Xindi story arc and most of the story arcs in season 4.

Start at season 2 episode 26 The Expanse and watch all the way to season 4 episode 21 Terra Prime. This is the true series finally, do not watch These are the Voyages, it is one of the most insulting series finales, like worse than Seinfeld.

Please note that you can skip season 4 episodes 18 and 19 if you don’t like/ are annoyed by the Mirror Universe. These are for-fun episodes that I enjoyed, but I understand are not for everyone. Additionally, season 4 episodes 10 and 11 are not part of any broader story arc, but I would only skip episode 11, Observer Effect. I personally really like episode 10, Daedalus, which gives insight into the history of the Star Trek Universe.

This leaves you with anywhere from 42-46 episodes to watch. Now if that seems like a lot, don’t worry! You can always watch:

Option 2 - Just 10 Episodes

Season 1 Episode 13 - Dear Doctor

Ship's Doctor and resident non-human character Phlox is on Enterprise in a type of exchange program, with a human taking his place on a Denobulan vessel as they strive to learn more about each other's cultures. Phlox writes his human counterpart a 'Data's Day' style letter in which he recounts the adventure of the day. So what's on the menu today? Oh, I don't know, just the origination point of the Prime Directive, you might have heard of that before. 

Season 2 Episode 23 -  Regeneration

Regeneration is a follow-up to the movie, Star Trek First Contact. Yes. I am serious. A group of scientists encounters a crash site where they find Borg corpsickles and so kindly bring them back. This means that the Borg's attack at Wolf 359 was actually a predestination paradox created by the same man who leads the charge against the Borg at that very battle. Yikes. Overall though, a Borg episode was surprisingly appreciated, reminding us that this is overall still a part of the current Star Trek canon.

Season 2 Episode 24 -  First Flight

The point of Enterprise was to give us a glimpse into the early years of human space exploration. While we only saw so much, we did see the beginning of humans traveling at faster than warp speeds. As part of the NX program that spawned Enterprise herself, many tests had to be made to push the maximum possible speed. Of course, being the prolific piolet he was, Archer was there. Making drama.

Season 3 Episode 8 -  Twilight

Enterprise ran into an anomaly that slams into a corridor where Archer and T'Pol are. T'Pol becomes trapped and Archer frees her. This allowed her to escape, but he did not share her fate, being rendered unconscious by the same anomaly. That was 12 years ago. As a result of his injury, he can no long-term memories and Archer has to come to grips with what has been lost during that time. This is my favorite episode of Enterprise, that invokes shades of DS9's The Visitor and Voyager's Year of Hell. In my research, I found out that this was originally pitched as a Voyager story which is now so obvious. The relationship between Archer and T'Pol is never romantic, but you can see the true care they have for each other in their interactions here.

The “Romulan Interference” Arc

Season 4 Episode 12 - Babel One

Season 4 Episode 13 - United

Season 4 Episode 14 - The Aenar

I have decided to select this three-episode arc which is defined by Memory Alpha as the Romulan Interference Arc. By trying to turn the founding members of the federation against each other, the Romulans accidentally created one of their biggest rivals. Oops. Of course, the Romulans are not the main focus, where this really shines is the interplay between the different cultures of the founding races, the humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. You can see that this was originally planned to be long and drawn out, but they did a good job of condensing it into a nice little arc. Andorians are at their best in Enterprise and this is the most in-depth look that we see in the series. Star Trek Legend Jeffery Combs plays Shran and of course he is amazing, his chemistry with Archer is real. As a reoccurring character, this is not the first or last time we see Shran, but probably the most focused look we have on the character.

The “Xenophobic Humans” Arc

Season 4 Episode 3 - Home

Season 4 Episode 20 - Demons

Season 4 Episode 21 - Terra Prime

Another arc here to round off the list. I had originally only planned on placing episodes 20 and 21 here, but as there is setup done earlier in the season, episode 3, so I have also included it here as it contributes to a bigger part of the story. It makes sense after all that people have been through after the Xindi war, there would be pro-isolation groups. Heck, they probably were already there, but it makes sense that here, the tension would grow. It’s kind of ironic that after all of these struggles with alien races, the climax of the series sees a struggle not among aliens, but among humans. As a premise, this is what we all expected of Enterprise, a Coalition among explorers coming together to see what is beyond their shores. This is the true ending of Enterprise.

Again there are multiple ways to watch Enterprise, and again, these are just snippets. I know I left out some episodes that people will probably enjoy like The Expanse, Carbon Creek, or even the pilot Broken Bow (which in my opinion is the best pilot episode in the pre-reboot Star Trek era). This list was composed of episodes that would best give the Enterprise flavor, and in my opinion, the effect of an episode on Star Trek mythology was one of the biggest contributing factors. Would love to know what you think or if there are other episodes that should be added. 

[goldstarsappho]

I want the Deep Space Nine abridged introductory episode list

Okay amazing. So, first I want to say that this isn't intended as a best of list. The goal of this list is to find episodes that tell a very solid story and give you a good introduction to the characters, even if you don't know anything about Star Trek. Personally, I don't think the pilot of DS9 sells the show all that well to newcomers.

One of the good parts of DS9 having aired in the nineties is that every episode is intended to be basically watchable even without any background on the series. I think starting with a few actual episodes gives you a much better impression of the show. That said, especially as things become increasingly serialized as the series goes on, a lot of episodes need background knowledge, and a lot of episodes contain revelations that don't hit the same without a decent background on the character. An episode like In the Pale Moonlight, while incredibly good, is essentially meaningless without the seasons of character work Sisko had had up to that point. So this is meant to be a list of good starter episodes that balance out being interesting with being approachable to newcomers.

Cardassians (S02E06) - One of the best starter episodes, imo. Bajor was recently liberated from decades of genocidal rule by the Cardassians. When the Cardassians withdrew from Bajor, they left behind many orphaned Cardassian children, who in Cardassian society had no status. One of these children has been adopted by a Bajoran family, and a legal struggle ensues when both the Cardassian government claims he is their citizen and requests his return. The station head, Commander Sisko, litigates, while Starfleet officer Julian Bashir and his Cardassian exile friend Garak investigate some mysterious things in this Cardassian-or-Bajoran child's background.

Necessary Evil (S02E08) - A flashback-heavy film noire story exploring Constable Odo, the station's Chief of Security, how he became an investigator during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, and how he developed his close friendship with Bajoran Kira Nerys. Explores collaboration and what justice actually means in the context of a genocide the characters are helpless to stop.

...Nor the Battle to the Strong (S05E04) - Jake Sisko accompanies the station's doctor on a conference while working on a profile of him, but things go off track when Bashir receives a distress call from a besieged Federation world under attack. Jake learns about himself and about the reality of war.

And a few episodes that are good, perhaps not as a very first episode, but if you've seen even a couple other episodes:

Bar Association (S04E16) - The downtrodden employees of a Ferengi company, a culture that values ruthless capitalism and views amassing profit as a sacred duty, violate Ferengi law and social norms to form a union. Best if you've seen Rom getting pushed around by Quark before, but really good.

The Wire (S02E22) - You really need to have seen at least one episode with Garak to appreciate this episode, but this was only his third appearance. When Garak, an extremely secretive Cardassian exile on the station, takes suddenly ill, his close friend Dr. Julian Bashir begins to unravel a few hints of his past while treating him.

Crossover (S02E23) - You need to have seen at least a bit of Kira and of Dukat to appreciate this, but basically in this episode Kira and Bashir are accidentally transported to a universe where the power dynamics have been shifted. Bajorans, rather than extremely oppressed, are the extremely privileged rulers of their part of space. Interesting character work for Kira, born a slave in a society of slaves, as she meets Mirror Universe Kira, born a king in a society of kings.

Explorers (S3E22) - Commander Sisko and his son take a meandering trip through space in a reproduction of ancient Bajoran spaceships. Really lovely messages about postcolonial reconciliation.

Inquisition (S06E18) - Based, in part, on anti-Augment prejudice (Bashir spent several years hiding his status as an Augment, a despised minority within the Federation), Bashir is accused of having been turned by the Dominion, enemies of the Federation, during the weeks he was imprisoned by them, and of having become a double agent and spy. Best if you've seen at least one Bashir episode before.

I think these episodes give a really good taste of some of Deep Space 9's most important ideas and themes, whetting one's appetite for more of its fascinating universe.

[azazelsazaleas]

My suggestions, as a life-long Trek fan:

Option 1: Just keep watching Strange New Worlds. Yes, it's built on other shows in the franchise (particularly The Original Series and Discovery), but it largely follows the classic adventure-of-the-week format that's been a staple of the franchise since the beginning, so you shouldn't actually need that much context to appreciate it. Also, the pilot episode does a great job of setting up what Starfleet - and by extension, Star Trek in general - is all about. The writing's great, the acting's great, and the effects, production design, etc. is all modern, so you're not going to be wading through weird 60s/80s/90s cheesiness in the 'off' episodes.

Option 2: Go look up a list of the best episodes from The Original Series and/or The Next Generation, work your way through those, and then dig deeper after that. TOS and TNG were both developed with syndication in mind, so (two-parters notwithstanding) the episodes were written with the expectation that viewers might not see them an any specific order. In other words, there tend to be a LOT of stand-alone episodes that let you go in blind between the two shows. (Personal favorite episodes of mine from these include Balance of Terror, Devil in the Dark, Arena, and Trouble With Tribbles from TOS; and The Inner Light, The Measure of a Man, Darmok, and The Best of Both Worlds parts 1&2 from TNG, should you decide to go this route.)

Option 3: Watch the movies! Specifically the ones made in the 80s with the original crew. Watching Star Treks 2, 4, and 6 along with TNG was how I fell in love with the franchise back in my formative years.

A couple other things to keep in mind:

If you decide to watch TNG in production order it is highly recommended by most fans to skip the first season, possibly 2 (other than The Measure of a Man and a few other episodes). While the show is regarded as one of the best ST series overall, the first season was infamously, well, crappy; and the second was not much better. In fact, the Rick Berman era in general (TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise) was known for taking a couple seasons for each show to find its footing, although the other shows' first seasons weren't quite as rough as TNG's.

Deep Space Nine is an absolute masterpiece that's been gotten more love from the fandom since the advent of streaming and binge-watching. It's also the franchise's first real attempt at more serialized, long-form storytelling, and it was made on a mid-1990s production schedule, which means you'd have about 175 episodes (give or take) to work through. On top of that, it's a bit of an oddball within the franchise, because it doesn't really follow the "fly around the galaxy and explore alien planets" format that almost every other Star Trek show is a variation on the theme of. With that said, the premise and the approach the writers took allowed them go a lot deeper in storytelling, characterization, world-building, and thematic exploration than most other shows in the franchise were able to. It's a time investment, but if you're willing to make it, oh my GOD is it worth it.

If you like animated comedies, Lower Decks is great. I've seen a lot of fans hesitant to recommend it because there's a lot of self-referential humor in it (there's some SERIOUSLY deep-cut Star Trek jokes in there), but I've also heard of a lot of people who've barely watched Star Trek (if at all) who really like Lower Decks anyway because it holds up as a great show in its own right (my sister-in-law being one of them).

Get ready to start ugly-crying when you get to TNG's The Inner Light or DS9's The Visitor.

if someone unfamiliar with star trek wanted to watch it but had no time for uh. ALL of it what would be the best series to choose?

[itsclydebitches]

ngl voyager gets a whole lot of very disproportional hate from the fandom and i'd hazard a guess that a lot of that is just garden-variety misogyny (and probably racism mixed in, considering how many of the most prominent characters are women, poc, or both). like, is voyager perfect? absolutely not. and no spoilers but there was a lot of executive meddling that wound up leading to the finale/conclusion being lacking and there's a lot of reasonable dissatisfaction with that--but again that was largely thanks to the execs fucking the show over and i recommend looking into that if you can once you've finished the show. but overall? voyager is trek right to its very core--it has heart, it's about family, and it never loses sight of that imo, even if some episodes are weaker or just duds (but, like, would it be a trek series without some episodes that just kinda suck but are still fun to watch???)

anyway, i absolutely love that you're getting into voyager, it is my all-time favorite trek series to this day for a lot of reasons, and i hope that ppl like that anon dont put you off bc i'd love to continue to see your thoughts as you watch the series!

Oh, it would take a whole lot more than some anons being salty that others enjoy things to turn me off :D 

Thus far (I lost internet last night so I’m still only on Episode 7 of Season 2), Voyager is the Trekiest Trek I’ve watched. Which is a weird sentence, but I mean it in the way you said it’s “trek right to its very core.” What is Star Trek, if we strip the intent of the story down to its basics? It’s about exploration, discovery, that “wagon train to the stars,” wrapped up in the argument that life is fundamentally good. We have problems, but we can work past them. We have differences, but they strengthen us. Diversity is the lifeblood of the universe and the future will continue to improve so long as we embrace that. 

Voyager is (again, from what I’ve seen so far!) basically a love song to that premise. I didn’t do too deep a dive because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but I did look at a couple threads discussing why Voyager is so hated. Again and again I saw the same reason pop up: wasted potential. Now, a lot of fans left it at that (as if the answer to what potential Voyager apparently missed out on is self-evident. It’s not), but those who did expand on the idea consistently claimed that the show needed to be darker than it was, even if they rarely said it like that. Why aren’t the Federation and the Marquis at each other’s throats? Why isn’t the crew going crazy under these circumstances? Why aren’t characters getting killed off left and right in hostile space? “Anything could have happened out there and they played it safe!” but the “anything” here is always... awful. There’s this very pervasive idea that the world is inherently cruel, people are inherently divisive, that when pushed to the brink everything will fall apart... and that (while making for one kind of great story) is very much not Star Trek. 

See, Voyager created an unimaginable scenario--lost in space, 75 years from home, forced to live indefinitely with strangers--and their answer to the question of “What happens?” is “People make it work.” They learn to respect one another, they uphold their ideals, they maintain a love of life and discovery, and they create a family. And that’s fucking fantastic. That’s Star Trek! I’m not going to pretend there aren’t problems with the show, with plenty more to come, I’m sure, but I don’t think this is one of them. Why do so many viewers think that hatred, horror, death, and growing jaded is the only potential here? Why would they expect that in a Star Trek show whose premise is the very antithesis of those things? 

“But they don’t do enough with those things, even if they have happy outcomes.” They do plenty, they just do it in an episodic rather than serialized nature. I can point to multiple episodes where the replicator rations or Maquis differences are driving the characters’ actions. “But without that horror there’s no conflict.” There’s plenty of conflict. Hostile aliens aside, I just watched an episode where Tuvok and Chakotay are pissed as hell at one another because they fundamentally disagree over how to handle problems, but--because they’re adults with a well-tested respect for one another--they apologize and work through it. “But the characters don’t develop at all.” You mean they don’t grow harder. That’s not the same thing as no development. Tuvok is figuring out how to be more flexible, Chakotay is becoming more willing to accept cultures he doesn’t agree with, Harry is growing more confident now that he’s far from home, the Doctor is learning to see himself as a person, Paris is grabbing his second chance with both hands by making strong ties, and Janeway is learning to command and care for her crew simultaneously. I honestly believe that a lot of people think of “character development” as the character becoming a fundamentally different person, unrecognizable from where they started out. But  characters can also grow into the people they wanted to be in the first place. “We’re far from home, in hostile territory, tempted to do horrific things to survive... but no. Right now at least, we’re holding onto who we are. We’re scientists, so we’re going to explore and learn. We’re peaceful, so we’re going to make friends with as many species as we can. We’re members of a society that teaches acceptance, so we’re going to form a family on this spaceship.” That’s incredible!! Did fans miss why Seska was an antagonist in the episode she was unmasked? Because she was trying to convince them to give up everything they believe in in the name of survival, an ends justify the means argument. And the crew said no, we will not give up what we believe in just to make it through. I legit saw a ton of fans saying some version of, “I can’t believe they were that far from home and actually followed Starfleet’s rulebook.” It’s because those rules don’t exist for the hell of it. Overlooking their practical function, they’re a philosophy that the characters believe in, and they’re figuring out how important that part of their identity is to them under these circumstances. Am I willing to steal a specie’s technology if it gets us home? Am I willing to die to help another uphold their own philosophy? (Chakotay in “Imitations”). What regulations should we bend or change to accommodate our new situation? The first two things Janeway does are a) giving the guy who just came out of a penal colony a rank and b) deciding that she needs to be more familiar with her crew than is normally encouraged for a captain because she’s essentially their mom now. Developing doesn’t have to mean characters do a 180 on their initial personality, or characters getting killed off when stuff gets “boring” so that others can do edgy things in response. 

Voyager upholds Trek’s premise and runs it to its logical conclusion: 

Voyager has the most literal trek--a trek back home. 

Voyager has the most diverse crew--a woman Captain, Native American First officer, black Vulcan, Asian-American communications officer, and a White Dude pilot that realizes he wants to be soft and kind towards those who took a chance on him because Toxic Masculinity who? 

Voyager has the most literal family--not just a 5+ year mission, but a crew who expects to raise the next generation. They have no choice but to work together, so they indeed come together rather than pulling apart

Except they do, of course, have a choice. In “The 37′s” the crew is allowed to stay on the Earth-like planet with a city of other humans and Janeway is convinced that a sizable number will choose that. After all, they may never get home and this is a safer, kinder future for them. In fact, the real question is whether so many will stay that they can no longer run the ship... but Janeway would never dictate her crew’s choices in that manner. So she swallows her worry down, opens the door... 

... and finds that not a single person decided to stay behind. And the show has ensured we understand that this is not just because they all have some unshakable belief that they’ll get home (many don’t), but because this is their family now. This is home. 

And fans want to toss that out for a generic, gritty, sci-fi adventure where hope is scarce, the universe is cruel, and people need to be pushed to the limit just to admit that they maybe, sort of, like each other?? Obviously like what you like, but that’s a hard pass for me. I’ll take the bridge crew comforting each other in “Twisted,” thanks. Besides, we already have shows like that. And we already have DS9 which grapples with many of those dark, pessimistic themes. Voyager feels like a breath of fresh air, even within the breath of fresh air that is Star Trek as a franchise. It’s a show that says, “Yes, when everything goes wrong people will come together. They will love each other. They will make it through.” 

What’s more Star Trek than that? 

[hooved]

bro what's the best order to watch star trek? bc your quark-posting has gotten me super interested 👀

i’m one of those ppl tho thinks it’s fine to watch it however you want but also personally i think either TOS or TNG is best to start with depending on your taste. TOS has that fun 60′s cheesiness but it’s got some genuinely good episodes and is overall just really entertaining no matter what imo (i will say tho that the pilot does feel a bit slow). it’s also referenced sometimes in later shows and a few characters even make appearances in them so it’s good to have context for that. definitely has its flaws but i’d still recommend it based on the fact that it’s probably the most influential piece of sci-fi media in history TNG is still plenty cheesy (all star trek is honestly) but with more of an 80′s action drama edge to it. i feel like this one’s generally easier to get hooked on and it’s also many ppls introduction to the series (it was mine too, like....10 years ago), but the first season can be reeaally hit or miss. as a whole, simultaneously a lot more flawed but also better in many ways than TOS, tho i love them pretty equally for different reasons. if you’re interested in something slightly more modern, i’d recommend this as your first since some ppl just can’t really get into the campy 60′s acting of TOS. i also feel like TNG is just good at preparing ppl for the weirdness of star trek in general again tho, you’re not obligated to start with either of these and i’d love to recommend DS9 to everyone but for the most part it has a much more serious tone than the two before it (but also manages to be even goofier at times too), and there’s a few characters you might appreciate more and conflicts that’d make more sense if you have more backstory/context (most of which you’d get from TNG) but if you’re really that hype for quark then i’m not gonna stop you lmao. my only warning about him in particular is that i’m not exaggerating when i say he’s a (lovable) scumbag, but like most characters, he does improve. a lot less that others, but an improvement nonetheless (and also i adore his dynamic with odo but i’m not gonna get into that rn). anyway, i think it’s a fantastic show, my absolute favorite, and i’d go as far as saying it’s the best in the whole series but you’d definitely get more out of it with some prior knowledge of star trek canon. that being said, i know lots of ppl whose first star trek was DS9 and they absolutely loved it either way. not to mention the whole cast is just SO good aaand i don’t have many positive opinions on the shows after that except for voyager (not counting the few i haven’t seen but am still interest in, i don’t know enough about them yet) but i still wouldn’t recommend it as anyone’s first. i dunno what else to say and i’m not sure if this helps at all but whichever one you wanna start with, i definitely hope you enjoy it

[thunderlovesbird]

My friend has never seen Star Trek and asked about the different series, the best place to start, and what makes each stand out.

I told him to start with a handful of the “better” episodes of TOS cause it’s very “monster of the week” in nature and it doesn’t really matter if you watch them in order, plus that 1960’s sci-fi can be a little hard for people to get into. He told me to text him some episode recommendations, and when I did he responded with:

“I’m watching DS9 right now”

The pilot? YES. This mans first introduction to Star Trek is THE PILOT EPISODE OF DS9. That movie length fever dream of wormhole prophets and flashbacks and Avery Brooks set loose on the world.

Like... i love DS9 deeply but it’s such a wild place to start that it’s causing me physical stress.

[smallblueandloud]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for the writing ask- I AM SO SORRY I COULDNT STOP!!! xoxo

aaaah these questions look SO GOOD thank you so much <3 <3 for this ask meme, which will be open all weekend!

1. tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

i pulled open all of my WIP google docs for this and my laptop started whirring ominously, lmao. this is going to be a Little Long but i love talking about my wips so who cares!! (under the cut because EXCERPTS)

guys and dolls but gay - very, very casual rewrite of guys and dolls if sky masterson was a woman. i’m loving how chill i’m being about this one because it’s so much fun to not have to worry how i’m going to write lyrics in a not-weird way and just focus on the story. this one’s first because it’s theoretically closest to being finished.

sky, laughing: “oh? people. all the people you turn down every day. well, i imagine there’s someone out there that’ll catch your eye.”

sarah, stiffening: “...yes, there will be.”

sky: “and what might this person be like?”

sarah: “he will not be a gambler, for one.”

sky does not miss the pointed pronoun. “i’m not interested in what he won’t be, i’m interested in what he will be.” she sits down on the desk, in a pointedly masculine pose, and sets her fedora next to her - at her most Hot Queer, basically. “how will you know when he gets to you?”

my fic for the aos rarepair fic exchange - i can’t give any plot or ship details, for obvious reasons, but it’s 1.3k and i’m having fun with it!

steven roadtrip of destiny - canon divergent fic set at the end of steven universe future where steven goes on a roadtrip instead of... canon. it deals with some heavy emotions and it’s also a character study so it’s tentatively shelved until i get around to rewatching suf. but i am projecting on steven like crazy and it’s really, really cathartic. it’s taught me a lot about myself too lmao.

He’s never been anonymous before. He kind of likes it. It means he can fold his arms on the table and put his head down without Pearl worrying about his posture, or someone asking him if something’s okay.

In the last few months, he’s grown to hate people asking him how he’s doing, or if he’s okay. He always ends up lying, because he doesn’t want to worry them, and he ends up feeling worse.

Probably because it’s more of him supporting other people without supporting himself.

He should have told someone how he was feeling. He should have reached out. Sadie could’ve helped him. Lars would’ve listened. Connie would have hugged him and then found him the appropriate mental health professional.

(God, Steven wants a hug. Also the appropriate mental health professional? Whoever that would be.)

untitled aos fic - i don’t want to give a lot of details because :eye emoji: and also i don’t know much about what the plot of this is going to be anyway, lmao. but here’s an excerpt:

daisy “that actor who doesn’t shut up about data harvesting” johnson (@daisyquake) tweeted: two weeks :eyes emoji:

Elena Rodriguez | Seven Cents S2 Streaming On Netflix Now! (@yoyorodriguez) retweeted and added: the problem with being friends with daisy is that you SHOULD have some insight into what her tweets mean but you still have no idea

Fitz (@justfitz) retweeted and added: Try being married to her

untitled star wars twins fic - because i am a total and massive nerd. i’m just kind of stuffing everything i have feels about from the post-anh era into this and planning on figuring it out later? i’m really loving talking about the culture of alderaan (and the culture of the survivors) and also i just love writing luke and leia’s relationship... so much......

(no excerpt for that one because i’ve basically posted all of it in various posts lmao)

aos ds9 au - i’ve posted a LOT about this already and i want to keep the plot a surprise but fsk is in this and married and half the cast is aliens, what else do you need in life.

“Good morning,” says Jemma, coming into the room with her hair wet and her uniform crooked. “Hello, darling.”

“Hi,” says Daisy, turning her face up for a kiss. Jemma obliges absently as she walks past, looking around the room.

“Has anyone seen my hair clip?”

“No,” say Fitz and Daisy in unison.

and of course, last but never least in my heart, chapter 3 of the magnum opus - writing this is on hold until my brain decides to stop hitting me over the head at every possible moment, but there’s like... 2k written so far? it’s. it’s going.

“Yeah, yeah,” says Coulson, and makes quick work of the right gauntlet. It’s only halfway through the left one that his fingers slow and he says, quietly, “Simmons designed these, didn’t she?”

She lets out a quick breath. “Yeah.”

He stays quiet for a few more seconds, finishing up the last of the straps, making sure they’re tight enough. Finally, he says, “She should be helping you with these.”

Daisy pulls her arms back and swallows down some words, or maybe a couple of feelings, or maybe a sob. “Yeah, well.”

2. tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

the last sentence of the magnum opus!!!!!!!!!!

no, lmao, i’m gonna try to be serious. i really, really want to write some librarians fic in the near future? also MORE OF THE SENSE8 AU. i’m DYING to write some stuff about that. especially sam’s cluster, for some reason? Let’s Make Him Suffer (Comedically)! one day i’m gonna finish that list of what cluster/situation each song is about and then it’ll be over for all of us!

3. what is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

i spent about eight months imagining a scene where riza hawkeye was really injured and mustang was holding her in his arms (basically the promised day scene but with more privacy) so does that count?

hmm, just for some other possibilities: glinda telling dorothy about elphaba, laura somehow seeing or speaking to natasha during catws, a good omens au of the good place (specifically the ”i don’t even like you!” / “you doooooooo” scene), kencyrath au of star wars (ESPECIALLY THIS ONE, except setting up the first scene alone would take 7k, but i want to talk about leia and luke and their MESSED UP TRUST ISSUES in this au).

oh, also, something about star trek tng where jean-luc and beverly and jack were in love and then jack died and picard left. more specifically a scene set during the pilot episode where jean-luc very cordially offers beverly the option to transfer off the enterprise, that he wouldn’t dream of holding it against her, and beverly very cordially telling jean-luc to go fuck himself. i want to write 30k of that broken triad. i want it so bad. i dream of that fic. maybe one day when i find myself with a completely empty month or two, i’ll binge all of tng and Write Some Stuff.

4. share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

since you and i have tww in common, i’m gonna do a tww fic! otherwise i’d have to reread literally every fic i’ve ever written, lmao.

(this is long but i put this post under the cut so i have RIGHTS. also consider this a sneak peek for the j/d fic in the sense8 au?)

“It’s okay,” says Helen. She sits for a moment in silence, seeming thoughtful. “The Congressman and I are in the same cluster,” she says eventually. “I’d- I supposed that’s easier on the Secret Service?”

“Yes,” says Donna. “The-”

She stops herself from saying anything further. President Bartlet and the First Lady aren’t exactly quiet about who’s in their cluster, especially with senior staff, but that doesn’t mean she should go talking about it in an unsecured room in LA, of all places.

To cover for her blunder, she gives up something else: “The same with Josh. They got really lucky with him, actually. It’s just him and me, so they won’t have to worry about anyone threatening the Chief of Staff through the barista in the local Starbucks.”

Helen looks up from the Ohio numbers she’d drifted back to, a slow smile creeping up on her face. “Josh is in your cluster?”

“Uh-” says Donna, feeling like national security wasn’t worth whatever she’s just blundered into. Oops. “Josh- Josh is my cluster, ma’am.”

She catches her mistake the second it’s out of her mouth, but Helen doesn’t call her on it, more focused on other revelations. “No wonder you two look at each other the way you do!” she says, sounding delighted. Donna shuts her eyes, praying for this to go away. It’s not that she’s ashamed of Josh - it’s just so, so complicated, and other people never think about how difficult it was. Still is.

i’m just... i really liked the idea of donna fumbling and having to reveal this to cover up for what else she was going to say? i don’t know why i’m so charmed by this. i think it’s because it would be impossible in the show - you can’t show what someone was going to say on television, not without a lot of setup and very careful scripting. it’s just a really fun situation to write about and i’m really proud of this conversation in general.

also helen santos was a dream to write and i love her a lot. i kind of want to write one of the fics in the series about her and her cluster solely because like... look at her. she’s a delight in literally every scene. i love her.

5. what character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

daisy johnson!!! i love writing daisy johnson!!!! she is the most adhd character i’ve ever written and i literally just have to transcribe my own inner monologue and it works perfectly!!!!!

Swing shift: 1600 hours to 2400 hours. Daisy always ends up getting back to her quarters at like 0030 hours, when Jemma is asleep and Fitz is reading some kind of technical journal. Then she has to eat replicated pizza, alone, and freshly replicated pizza is actually pretty hot but it feels cold at that time of night, like, spiritually.

6. what character do you have the most fun writing?

...whoops i literally just answered that lmao. uh. i also really love writing sky masterson in the guys and dolls fic? she’s just weaponized hot queerness in a suit and i love her for it. she is intentionally trying to seduce this repressed lesbian and it’s really funny and also really hot of her and it’s so much fun to write.

also, i wrote chidi for the tgp fic and it was possibly the most fun i’ve ever had with a pov, although that was also because i was purposefully trying to mimic the tone of the show. i still think that line about michael and a grenade is, like, the funniest i have ever been in my life. but chidi’s panic was surprisingly easy to write? all of tgp’s characters have such STRONG voices, it makes writing fic ridiculously easy as long as you don’t get stuck on a plot for six months.

7. what do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? would others agree?

oof, this one is ALWAYS tricky. uh? uhh?? i’m going to ruin everything by saying this but i basically alternate between the same two sentence structures and i am really frustrated about it. i also alternate between the same two styles of endings and i always use the same beginning (set scene, main character pov, thoughts-as-exposition, back to scene).

BUT ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE i like to talk about emotions and relationships and character development!! i have my “queer subtext goggles” superglued to my face, lmao. i like to think about how characters must have felt about things in canon and how it must’ve influenced them. i like making people deal with the consequences of their actions, especially how it’s influenced they themself. i also just really, really like writing people who love each other, whether it’s romantic or platonic or anything in between. i just want them to be happy! i just want them to stick together! doesn’t matter what fandom, i stand by it.

[colonel-kira-nerys]

Literally the only scenes I care about in DS9’s first episode, “Emissary: Parts 1 & 2” are ALL of Kira Nerys’ scenes, and the ONE where where Commander Sisko confronts Picard about how his time as a Borg resulted in the death of Jennifer Sisko. That’s it.

In my opinion, the writers were too ambitious to use the PILOT EPISODE of DS9 to feature an alien species that doesn’t acknowledge linear Time. I’ve loved Star Trek all of my life and I still don’t follow the religion/politics of the “Wormhole Aliens,” from just the first episode. These writers were definitely trusting that Star Trek fans would watch any pilot the franchise involved. Because even re-watching it, I’m baffled as to how any person who hasn’t been an avid fan in the past could possibly follow the first episode of DS9.

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.09: Missions Reviewed, “Waltz,” “Who Mourns for Morn?” and “Far Beyond the Stars.”

Benjamin Sisko is on a ship transporting Gul Dukat from a mental institution to his war crimes trial. The ship is attacked by Cardassians and Sisko and Dukat end up with a wounded Sisko in a cave on a small world. 

The Defiant is out helping search, but they have to leave the search in just over two days to escort a Federation troop convoy. Sisko is at Dukat’s mercy, but the Cardassian has set up the emergency beacon and has gathered supplies from their shuttle, setting it to an open distress call so whomever catches the signal first will come to get them. Meanwhile, Dukat is seeing visions of Weyoun, Damar, and Kira, all telling him his inner thoughts.  Sisko realizes the beacon was not activated and manages to get it running while Dukat is out. Dukat’s mania becomes stronger though, and he is beginning to actively debate Sisko and the voices in his head all at once.

 When he discovers that Sisko has activated the distress call, he beats him, and desperately tries to get Sisko to admit that he admires Dukat, and that Dukat had no CHOICE but to be the tyrant he was to the Bajorans. Sisko knocks him out, and makes it back out to the shuttle, but Dukat follows him there, then abandons him on the surface before leaving with his “voices” on the shuttle. Dukat has decided he will have his vengeance on Bajor and will need Sisko in place to do it.  Dukat contacts the Defiant just before they break off their search to rescue Sisko. Sisko indeed vows that he will be there to counter Dukat wherever he turns up.

Pulling Dukat out of his madness (kinda) is no mean feat, and indeed every performance here is great.  Marc Alaimo showing us the public, smarmy Dukat, now tempered by the loss of Ziyal, then swinging into raving Dukat is really worth watching, as of course is Avery Brooks. My issue here is a larger one.  We know they are setting up Dukat to be Sisko’s foil in the last two seasons, in particular with the upcoming Pah-Wraith storyline, but it seems to me this robs Kira of her dynamic with Dukat.  I love the show, but I think it might have been even greater to allow Dukat to believe he was the equal to Sisko, when it turns out to be Kira who takes him down after all.  (Note: The Author may be biased by his complete and utter infatuation with Kira Nerys.) SHUT UP PARENTHETICAL VOICE!

“Who Mourns for Morn” begins when our favorite barfly dies in an ion storm, and bequeaths all of his possessions to Quark.  First Quark finds that there is no money, then that cargo-wise Morn only had several crates of rotting beets.  Then, when inspecting the deceased’s quarters he finds only the black velvet painting Morn got at auction last season (In the Cards) and a tub full of mud. In the mud however is a naked redhead who claims to be Morns ex-wife. She says Morn has 100 bricks of gold-pressed latinum somewhere, and she wants her proper cut as an ex, but would be very…grateful.  Soon, two rather criminal brothers show up to say that they loaned Morn money they want back, in the sum of 100 bricks of gold-pressed latinum. As Quark is now dodging three of Morn’s old friends, he is approached by a fourth, who is a member of Laurian security saying that Morn is the crown prince of the royal family, and that money belongs back in the treasury. Quark finally figures out that ALL of these people are lying, and helped Morn with a huge robbery years before…of 100 bricks of gold-pressed latinum. 

The statute of limitations has run out and they want their cut. Since Quark has now found it in a Bolian bank, he has it delivered to the station, and it is not long before the four turn on each other, allowing Odo to capture them all. Quark checks the loot to find the latinum has been extracted, and the bricks are now just worthless gold. Despondent, Quark goes back to his bar and finds Morn! Morn had faked his death to draw out his old rivals, and now can access the latinum freely.  He has in fact pulled the mercury like fluid out of the bricks, and has kept it in his second stomach all these years.  He regurgitates enough to be the equivalent of about 100 bricks into a glass for Quark to thank him for his troubles as Quark proposes a business arrangement.

For a joke character whose name was just an anagram of “Norm” to be the barfly back in the pilot, Morn without a single word of dialogue has become a fixture on the show, getting a whole episode devoted to him, and an entertaining one at that.  There’s a very noir feel to this as the various criminals come looking to collect, and Quark is the perfect character to drop in the middle.  Keep an eye out in the memorial service scene. As Quark talks about making sure someone always keeps “Morn’s chair warm,” he guides a Bajoran man to sit there. That man is Mark Allen Shepard, the actor who plays Morn. (Mustard colored shirt sitting on the right in this pic:)

“Far Beyond the Stars” begins with Sisko getting the news that a dear friend has died in the war while Joseph Sisko visits the station from Earth. Ben’s father tries to comfort him, but the younger Sisko begins to think maybe he can’t fight the good fight anymore and it is time to leave Starfleet. Soon after, he begins seeing people in 1950’s Earth clothes, including a baseball player. He follows the man and finds him self on a street in the 50s where he is hit by a car.  He wakes up in the infirmary and Bashir tells him that it would appear the part of his brain that gave him visions in the episode “Rapture” is active again. Soon Sisko finds himself as Benny Russell, a Black man in the 50s working for a small science fiction magazine.

 Each person with whom he works seems to be someone form the station, though Benny seems oblivious to this until the magazines artist presents him with a picture of a station, and Benny begins to write the adventures of a Captain Sisko,  a Black officer commanding the station 400 years in the future. The editor, a more human Odo, declines to publish the story, but Benny keeps seeing an old preacher (Joseph Sisko) telling him to “walk with the prophets” and to “write the words that set us free.” He persists and writes more Sisko adventures and his colleagues suggest that the story could be framed as a dream, and the editor moves forward with publishing. Benny is out celebrating with “Kassie” (Kassidy Yates) when his young friend Jimmy (Jake) is shot down by two racist cops (Weyoun and Dukat). When he protests, they beat him nearly to death.  He spends weeks recovering and finally returns to his office the day his story will appear in the publication.  The editor returns however to reveal that the owner has pulped the entire run for not “meeting the usual standards.” 

Benny is livid, talking about how real and important it is to tell this story, and they can’t wait; a good man must do what he can, and the idea is important. He breaks down however, and again awakens in the infirmary on DS9 surrounded by family.  Bashir reveals that whatever happened has stopped, but Ben has taken Benny’s lesson about standing up to the unjust to heart and will stay on the station in Starfleet. He wonders to Joseph though if their lives might be the dream, and Benny Russell is still out there dreaming, far beyond the stars.

Let me not prevaricate: holy shit. This episode manages to deal directly with racism, and still frame it within the show with the Prophets providing insight to The Emissary with episodes from his own world’s past. Everyone’s simply amazing in the 1950s versions of their characters, and the world comes off as believable. It is an added joy to hear them talk about “Heinlein” and “Bradbury” in context, and a great way to sneak in some easter eggs as the cover of one of the SF magazines Benny samples is a matte painting from The Original Series, and Nana Vistor’s 50’s character is “K.C. Eaton,” a woman writer who has to use her initials to cover up her gender so people will read her. This harkens to the story editor and arguably the best writer on TOS, Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, who went on to write and edit for TNG as well. Avery Brooks manages to star in this episode while giving one of his most riveting performances and also direct this tale that is obviously a story close to his heart. This is a tour de force, and belongs right there on the level with “The Visitor” and the upcoming “In the Pale Moonlight” as great DS9, great Star Trek, and great Science Fiction. See the world you want, and tell others. It’s how you bring that world to fruition. Don’t wait until it is safer. Do it now. You are the dreamer, and the dream.

NEXT VOYAGE: A strange anomaly shrinks a Runabout and its crew down to the size of something that would fit on my shelf in “One Little Ship.”