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yourbuerokrat2 · 3 years

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Something your recent idea has made me think about: I am fascinated by the idea of love, trust and craving of affection coexisting with doubt, or possibly even knowledge that something is wrong, that the feelings aren’t really “yours”. Because while that knowledge is there and disturbing, the affection and “trust” is just as strong as before, so you just don’t make a love to oppose it. You don’t even have a reason like “I know the person only wants the best for me”, no. You just don’t have the ability to turn against this person, despite the knowledge that you should and would want to if you could want. But you can’t. Because this person has taken that ability from you and you know it. Yet you physically CANT feel upset about it. Maybe logically you know you do to some extent, but emotionally and instinctively you just cant. Now this definitely doesn’t fit the last Au, since Q there is still kind of respectful of such boundaries and plagued by guilt, but I feel like this would definitely fit a darker QCard interpretation.

Btw I’m sick right now, so my apologies if this is utterly incomprehensible

First of, I wish you well and hope it's nothing serious.

Ok, but this would fit a darker form of the dark prompt perfectly, where there was no attraction and no love or crush on Q in the firsts place and it was all just a fabrication/something made by Q.

And this would take a bit of a darker interpretation of Qs feelings for Picard as well since it is way less about caring for Picard as a person and doing what he thinks is best for both of them (since Picard in the first scenario did have feelings/attraction for Q and Q only made them stronger so Picard wouldn't be able to ignore them any longer) and way more about having him and Qs own happiness.

An interpretation where this could work would be in a verse, where Deja Q never happened and due to the jealousy about Picard flirting and being with Vash Q realizes his own feelings and what exactly he wants from Picard.

It would be strange at first, since I don't really think Q would be willing to see that he the great, perfect Q would fall for someone other than himself let alone a lower being.

But when Picard rejected him during Q Who, Q was angry at realizing that not only was his pride hurt but also his feelings.

He tried to ignore what exactly this could mean and instead distracted himself by enjoying 'the show'.

It's only when Picard tells him, that he needs him, that another feeling makes itself known. He really enjoyed hearing it. Sure, it was not entirely unprovoked that Picard said it, but somehow the thought of Jean-Luc Picard needing him made Q feel.. fulfilled in a way he didn't know before.

He goes away, trying to tell himself, that he has forced millions of others to say similar things to help them out, but he knows that nothing compared to this.

He floats around the universe and catches himself fantasizing about all the things that could have happened in the Shuttle Craft.

From time to time, he just stands outside and sometimes inside the Enterprise and watches Picard.

It should be boring. And, really, Q has so much better things to watch a starship captain go about his day.

So why does he feel a part of himself want to reach out? To just snap and let his newfound fascination know that he is there?

Why does it become harder and harder for him to leave someone, who doesn't even know he is there?

But it is when he spies once again on Picard (Q really has no excuse aside from his own obsession, but he still tries to justify it to a bored and amused Continuum that really didn't ask him about his whereabout and doings that it was all for the Trial) and sees Vash.

Once again, as he finds out, on the Enterprise. An old fling of Picard during his last vacation on Risa.

And a horrible (wonderful) realization hits Q as he watches previous interactions between Vash and Picard.

He wants to be in Vashs place. Q wants to be the one openly flirting with Picard and have him reciprocate.

Q wants to be the one able to kiss Picard. (A really strange thought, since to Q any bodily affection between organics was generally regarded by him as disgusting.)

And why shouldn't he?

After all, he could offer Picard so much more than whatever this woman could even dream of.

Coming to this conclusion, Q enters Picards office bringing him his offer.

Q thinks the comparison between himself and Picards more inferior options like Beverly Crusher and Vash would help his case.

Picard reaction is less than pleasant and if any other being human or otherwise would have dared to say what Picard said to him after Q reminded Picard that in the end Picard needs him, they would no longer exist.

But Q is not really angry, as he disappears as a reaction to Picard answer without a flash. He is hurt. Incredibly hurt.

And for once after a long, long time he feels worthless, simply because a simple, small, unimportant human seems to regard him as such.

Q grows angry with himself, for aeons he hasn't so much as cared about the other Qs and the universes opinion of him and a few words of a human are bringing him to this state where he is questioning himself?

He grows even more frustrated when he catches himself internally whining about Picard not wanting to have him when Q would do and give everything for him.

How dare Picard not want him?

How dare the universe show him something that would finally make him feel complete?

How dare the powers that be inflict such a want and obsession on him and make the object of it feel nothing for him return?

But, and here Q reassures himself, he is a Q. The Q. Since when has he ever cared about what the universe or 'the powers that be' thought and wanted?

The universe was his plaything and he could make it Picards plaything as well.

All that he would have to do is help his good captain realize the errors of his crude rejection.

An internal debate of which Q cared nothing about occured in the Continuum this precise moment as the other Qs realized just what Q was planning to do.

The faction that has grown weary of their own duties and what should and shouldn't be done won.

They hoped, that Qs obsession would prove to be at least mildly entertaining.

The want to make Picard fall head over heels for him was there.

But no, Picard is an intelligent man. The perfect human and Qs perfect partner. He would be able to see the truth and be able to overcome his own feelings if it were done so suddenly after his rejection.

So Q decided to play the long game.

First, make Picard forget the horrible confrontation and especially Qs insistence that his life would be so much better if he chose Q.

Change it towards an offer of taking Picard to an ancient civilization.

Then, plant a bit of an attraction. Make Picards heart skip a bit as he addressed him from horse as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Plant the question of how it could have been had he gone with Q just as Q and Vash left in his mind.

A few weeks later a dream of which he lets Picard wake up only to remember the pleasant things.

Q showed up again a few days later, telling him that Vash only used him to get to the riches and sell them later. He reassures Picard that Vash is doing fine and he once again lets Picard feel attraction towards him as he gets closer.

When Q appears the next time he hangs over Picards table and comes close enough that they can nearly kiss.

He gives Picard the want to just move forward and kiss him and for a short second Picard almost does till his human catches himself.

Q just smiles this time, knowing that in the end he would win anyway.

But Q is growing impatient with each person he so much as thinks is flirting with his captain and he ends up cutting the game short.

When the Enterprise next faces a great danger that seems impossible to escape (something which Q is mainly at fault for but none of them especially Picard need to know that little detail) Q makes a point to make a great entrance and save them.

It's a bit of a show meant to distract Picard from Q erasing all doubts he ever had about Q.

And when after that Q leaves only to later come back when Picard makes himself ready for bed, Picard asks him why he has done it.

As an answer, Q kisses him and in that moment he makes sure to make Picard fall in love with him.

----------------------------------------------------

When Picard wakes up the next morning only to remember that Q disappeared after their kiss, Picard finds himself actually missing Q.

But that couldn't be right could it?

The question of wether Q made him feel this way came up only to be shortly discarded afterwards.

Q would never do this. He has no justification why he thinks Q would never do this, but he is still (partly) confident in this.

When he is on the Bridge the memory of the kiss and his own feelings during and after it still haunt him.

Deanna asks him for a private talk afterwards and he can feel it on the tip of his tongue to say 'yes', but he ends up rejecting her offer.

He enters his office later only to discover it and all his rooms empty.

Picard is not sure why he is disappointed.

A part of him wants to tell Q to come back and explain himself. Another part just wants to ask Q to come back.

But (thankfully) his pride is too big for either of these things and he thinks that if Q decides to come than he will come.

---------------------------------------------

Q meanwhile is outside of the Enterprise.

Waiting.

Something rather foreign to him, he has to admit.

But he feels it is worth it this time.

He wants Picard to tell him to come.

He wants Picard to invite him in.

And he knows that Picard will.

When the third and the fourth day come and even though he knows that he made Picard fall in love and he knows that he made Picard miss him, Picard still doesn't call for him Q doesn't know how to feel.

On one hand, he is frustrated. After all, here he is the great, unfathomable Q. Standing outside a space ship like dog waiting for its master to call him.

On the other hand, he feels it is another sign that in the end Picard is the perfect partner for him. After all, Q recognizes the pride and stubbornness in himself as well.

So, in the end Q decided that he was willing to once again be the first one to initate the next step into their relationship.

--------------------------------------

When Q comes back after a long, tiring mission, Picard can't help himself but actually give him a half-smile as he enters his office only for Q to sit in his chair.

Q stands up, greets him and once again kisses him.

A part of Picard, that quickly gets silenced, wants to push Q away and yell at him. Demand of him to stop whatever he is doing to Picard and leave.

Instead, Picard reciprocates the kiss and lets Q put his arms around him.

He smiles up at Q (why is he smiling? and at Q out of all people?) and puts his arms around his (Q is not his. He does not want Q to be his) godlike being.

"Took you long enough.", Picard says.

"Oh you know, mon capitaine, I just can't stay away from you for long."

And just as Picard is pleased to hear there also is an underlying feeling of dread.

Like something is very, very wrong here, but he just can't say what.

And even though during their later meetings, Q seems to treat him like the best thing that has ever happened to him, the feeling stays.

When Q takes him (without really asking him) to other planets, sights no human has and will ever see, he is amazed but under all the fascination and the warmth he feels as Q pulls him close there is a buried anger and a fear that this time Q will not bring him back to the Enterprise.

That Q will take this choice away from him as well.

It is a strange thought to Picard however, as he sitting on top of a hill watching a comet shower made just for him all the while Q holds him in a warm (possessive. too tight. there is nothing warm about any of this) hold.

And as years later, when he reaches out to kiss Q as an answer to the entities question (demand) if Picard would like to spend eternity with him, a silent part of him screams.

#at one point Q tries to isolate him from his friends more and more since they are catching on what is going on #but what can they do?#nothing #the worst part is that Q himself at one point gets so wrapped up in his own made romance with Picard #that he makes himself forget what he has done #just so he can selfishly enjoy 'their love'#it's still just way more obsession and possessiveness than love and caring

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diavolt · 3 years

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Some of my human!Q headcanons (for my Captain Q fic where he’s always been a human, it’s a roleswap where Picard is the Q).

- Q is dyslexic, similar to how JDL is dyslexic. He never let it affect him too much though because obviously in the future they have a lot of technology such as the computer being able to speak out loud. Despite being dyslexic, he’s an avid reader, and will probably get mad at you if you ask him why he spends so long on the same book.

- Also similar to JDL, he’s 1/4 French, his grandfather was French. He (Q) visited him a lot as a child so he’s fluent in French, but he mainly speaks Standard English. Sometimes he slips into French but the Universal Translator means nobody actually knows he’s doing it. I’m not fluent in French but I absolutely love learning the language and I studied it for a decent period of time, so I admit I’m biased and wanted to throw this in there. I mean Q speaks French all the time in TNG because of Picard, but I swear he just does it even if Picard isn’t there. Leading on from this, I think he has a natural aptitude for all languages! So he’s only fluent in those two, but he knows bits and pieces of a lot and can pretty quickly pick up on phrases and communicate if there’s translator issues.

- He has BPD. I have to admit I’m half-inspired by the blog with the name ‘Qhasbpdandthatsokay’. I don’t personally have BPD but after researching into it a lot I definitely think a lot of the characteristics match up with how Q acts. His FP (eventually) would be Picard. He also has a lot of health anxiety (unfortunately I do experience this one lmao). I base this on his canon experiences in Deja Q, where he comments on any strange human function as though he’s at some sort of immediate risk.

- Q needs physiotherapy for back pain. Obviously this also stems from canon Deja Q stuff, he has a lot of exercises to do and he visits the physiotherapist on the ship. Unfortunately I also relate to this one-

- Q is pansexual and demisexual. I think the Q!Q is also pan and demi, but he probably wouldn’t specifically have labels because ‘I’m beyond that’ or something. For human Q, people obviously assume he’s just this straight guy or that he’s got a normal sex drive/sexual attraction to women, so the labels are more necessary to communicate that he doesn’t. I feel like Q presents masculine and uses He/Him but doesn’t particularly feel any strong attachment to male or female identity. He’s agender as a human but doesn’t dwell on it particularly, he sort of considers the whole concept of gender roles to be something they should have gotten over by now. He doesn’t care about the gender of a partner, or even their species as long as they can consent obviously. Looks are a non-factor, but he can appreciate aesthetic attraction, and he has no libido until he’s in a relationship. He had a past fling with human!Suzie Plakson’s Q, but she left him because he’s too annoying. Based on my own experiences as a demisexual!

- I feel like Q is a polymath who knows a lot about a LOT of topics, especially history. He has little patience for people who can’t keep up with that. If I have more headcanons to post I think I’ll tag them under #Captain!Q

#qcard #star trek q #star trek tng #star trek #tng #picard #jean luc picard #I’m working on the third chapter atm!!#I may add my Q!Picard headcanons #Captain!Q

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qwertyfingers · 4 years

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we know that bobby only watched ds9 and dean watched the tos movies for sure which implies he's seen tos as well (plus he calls jack spock). so what do you think everyone's favorite trek is? sam is without a doubt a tng fan first and foremost. i think out of all tos movies cas prefers the wrath of khan because he Feels Things when kirk and spock do the ta'al through the glass. charlie has definitely seen some trek (we've seen her llap), do you think she's into tos first and foremost? anyway let's talk about star trek nights in the bunker.

OKAY SO I HAVE. MANY MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. SORRY THIS IS SO LONG.

like. like of COURSE bobby only likes ds9 of course he does i could have told you this without the show becuase like. bobby is That Bitch. i think rufus will have watched TOS at least because leonard nimoy worked hard on linking jewish faith and practices into the vulcan lore and i think that would mean something to him. bobby will catch rufus smiling at him sometimes while they’re watching ds9 and ask him what all gruffly and rufus will smirk at him and say something about sisko with jake and bobby with dean and bobby will just cough and take a swig of whiskey and rufus will raise his eyebrows but let it slide. rufus definitely makes a comment once about dean&cas being like jake&nog that totally flies over dean’s head but bobby is all knowing eyebrow raise about.

i think cas and jack would really like discovery. while it has some issues with inconsistency, pacing, being a little dark, it also does better than the other TV treks at utilising the nature of film as a medium to instill a sense of wonder, at space and the world, and that’s something they’d really appreciate. i have my own issues with disco, but an obol for charon is as close to the central core of trek that disco ever gets. cas and jack also like that one in particular because they like listening to all the different languages being spoken. they all love michael (everyone loves michael). cas’ faves are stamets and reno because they’re mean and gay, jack’s fave is tilly because she’s excitable and bright and he latches onto that. dean likes reno because she’s got spunk. sam’s fave is airiam and he will never forgive them for killing her off. sam, cas and dean all feel an uncomfortable kinship with both ash and culber - they’ve both been the one with monster teeming under the surface, controleld by something not themself, but they’ve also all spent that time in hell/purgatory, separated from everyone they love.

thinking about episodes that would really get to them all, darmok is. THE ONE. i have a whole unfinished essay about darmok as the platonic ideal of star trek; the perfect distillation of everything trek is SUPPOSED to be about. it doens’t always get there but by god it tries! that speech michael gives in the disco s2 finale - “There's a whole galaxy of people out there who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find that person who seems farthest from you and reach for them.” - that’s what darmok is about!!! it’s all about a situation where real communication seems impossible, where everything we know about talking and learning has broken down. and picard says, okay, i will find another way. i can’t relate to you, you can’t relate to me, but by god i’m going to try. we all meet people we have trouble communicating with in our lives, and often, those people will not care about changing their own ways to accommodate us. for people with autism, adhd, psychosis, the list goes on, this is a very common occurrence. it’s exhausting and frustrating and alienating. darmok is all about crossing that barrier. about reaching for someone through a world of difficulty and learning how to talk. learning how to share something with someone who seems out of our reach. it’s beautiful, it’s heartwrenching, it means more to me than i can easily put into words!

anyway i think the bunker fam would experience a lot of emotions watching it together. there’s defintiely a lot of hugging eachother, sam cries a lot and won’t look at anyone until after the episode ends. jack just asks a lot of questions and talks about his progress learning sign language with cas. dean snakes his hand into cas’ halfway through and doesn’t let go. doesn’t show the emotion on his face, but he clutches harder at the emotional beats. cas runs his fingers through jack’s hair and thinks a lot, and decides not to say anything unless dean talks first. its just a Lot for everyone.

dean def makes them marathon all the TOS and TNG movies. it’s an experience everyone needs at least once. i think you’re right about cas and TWOK with the ta’al through the glass, but also ‘this simple feeling’ and the hand hold would make him feel crazy. bones being the one that spock entrusts with his katra DEF makes dean feel some type of way because as much as destiel is kirkspock-coded, dean IS bones, and seeing spock trust bones so completely despite how at odds they were when they first knew eachother would dig deep into dean’s psyche and make him more than a little bit nutso. the movies are way too long for jack so he mostly sits and plays animal crossing while they watch and looks at the screen when everyone else gasps or when something exciting is happening that holds his attention for a while. sam’s fave is nemesis precisely because it’s terrible and he loves how camp it is.

dean has definitely seen all of trek. i refuse to believe someone who watches as much tv and films as dean wouldn’t sit and watch the whole shebang. i think he’s probably seen TOS and the TOS movies more than the others because its easier than sitting through 7 seasons, but i think rather than that being his favourite he’d just have really strong opinions about the best episodes of each one? like if you asked him what his favourite is he’d say you can’t answer that because they’re all so different from eachother

VOY - bride of chaotica, non seqitur, macrocosm for the favourite episodes. seven, janeway and tuvok would be his favourite characters. he think toms a bit of a knob but also feels a kinship with him for the similar brand of bab dad-ism but he wouldn’t be able to put that into words. he’s also a fierce defender of threshold being a good episode (he’s right for that)

DS9 - our man bashir it’s our man bashir. he doesn’t dislike ds9 but its very plot heavy and he didn’t care for it when he was younger. rewatching it after living through multiple supernatural wars he’d probably appreciate it more. i know for a fact he cries every time there’s an episode about sisko being a good dad. jadzia and garak are his faves

TNG - he LOVES q. he also absolutely will not be caught dead referencing how much loves q after cas comes into his life because sam will do the little brotherly knowing eyebrow raise at him and he will die of embarrassment. he regularly references ‘there are four lights’ because he’s a fucking nerd. he has made cas watch elementary my dear data and fistful of datas a half dozen times each at LEAST. cas KNEW how dean was going to be about the cowboy hat he’s defintiely got into full cowboy getup at home just for watching movies and in cas’ head star trek is fully to blame.

TOS - oh there are so many good TOS eps to choose from. obv he loves most of the series becuase TOS has MANY banger eps, his favourites are probably like. mirror mirror, amok time (baby dean defintiely had some kind of crisis watching it for the first time; i know the rituals are intricate). i know deep in my bones that dean watched the conscience of the king (introduction of the tarsus iv massacre) once and then spent his entire teenage years writing fic about that in his head, whether he posted it or not. dean related too much to those experiences of shared hunger. city on the edge of forever is one of everyone’s faves for a reason (and i’m STILL mad we never got a closer take on that episode in spn it could have been so fun).

ENT - he definitely thinks enterprise is stupid and he’s not wrong but he has also definitely watched it and been very repressed about the whole thing. mans was like oh i feel a kinship with malcolm reed the obviously repressed queer man. i will never examine this feeling ever again thank you <3 he also makes fun of archer for being obsessed with, of all sports, water polo. shran is his favourite character because he’s a little shit and makes him laugh, and t’pol, because t’pol is a badass and he’d appreciate that. i can’t remember the title of a single episode off the top of my head though lol.

i can see what you’re saying about sam being a TNG stan. i’m conflicted though, I feel like TNG’s generally the favourite of 1) obnoxious nerds who think knowing trivia facts makes them smart, 2) men desperately trying to seem masculine and 3) people who’ve watched it three times and have extremely complex thoughts on the personhood and rights of robots. i could see sam fitting into the third group, but people who are in it for the robot feelings are a coin flip between voyager and tng being the fave, and i just have a feeling that voyager would be his favourite. i know kid sam is getting gender envy watching voyager in shitty motels while dad and dean are out, trying to find the words for it. his first semester at stanford he talks a friend into giving him the janeway haircut and rides that high for months. sam’s favourite characters are seven and EMH.

sam and dean have definitely had dozens of long drawn out debates about philosophical topics in star trek. do the holograms deserve rights and if so which ones. are the romulans and vulcans still meaningfully the same people. was spock right for trying to foment reunification by going undercover on romulus. can the borg be redeemed. etc etc.

i haven’t seen any of picard at all so i can’t comment. i also think sam and dean probably read a lot of the trek books? they’re pretty common to find in secondhand bookstores and cheap, would have been even cheaper back in the day. sam probably doesn’t care for them much, dean has a few solid faves though. i’ve only read the disco books so i can’t comment anything specifically (besides the fact that i think dean read dead endless and cried like a baby), but some of the TOS and DS9 books are gay as hell and i know dean was eyes emoji-ing that shit.

#spn #spn fic #tfw 2.0 #treknatural

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Star Trek Picard Season 2 Teaser Trailer: All the Easter Eggs & References

https://ift.tt/39N5lp2

Mild spoilers for Picard Season 1 ahead.

More than any of the new Star Trek series, Picard is the one that is the most stuffed with obvious Trekkie nostalgia. Yes, when Strange New Worlds starts showing some footage, we might feel differently, but because Picard is a sequel to the ‘90s-era of Trek, for this present moment, it connects with various generations of Trekkies at the same time.

On “First Contact Day,” Paramount+ dropped a minimalist, spare teaser-trailer, similar to the vineyard teaser for Picard Season 1. But this time, as we swept through Picard’s study in Château Picard, the trailer was basically nothing but Easter eggs. Here’s a full breakdown of what we caught and what it all might mean.

Château Picard is NOT a hologram

Notably, the first shot of the trailer is of the outside of Château Picard, which seems to imply what we’re looking at isn’t the holographic recreation of Picard’s study on the La Sirena, but instead, the “real” place. This could imply that Picard actually returns to Earth in Season 2. Unless this is some idealized version of his study we’ll never see.

Enterprise painting

This one is obvious. Prominently displayed in Picard’s study is that famous painting of the Enterprise which Picard had in his Ready Room for all seven seasons of The Next Generation, and the film, Generations. Like the Captain Picard Day banner in Season 1, you really have to wonder if this is the same painting. After all, when the Enterprise-D was crashed in Generations, we only saw Picard take his photo album with him, which seems to imply somebody else had to grab that painting for him later. That said, this painting looks a little different from the one made by Andrew Probert and Rick Sternbach for The Next Generation.

Is any of this real?

Paradise Lost

One of the books visible in Picard’s study is Paradise Lost by John Milton. Mostly, this is a book of verses about Satan and other fallen angels. Paradise Lost is a revered work of literature insofar as many critics cite its metaphoric power over a variety of subjects. The most famous quote from Paradise Lost is easily, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” Now that Picard is a Snyth/Golem (and no longer human) he might feel this way about himself. But, this thematic notion of Satan could also easily be applied to Q, a trickster god, often at odds with the other beings in the Q Continuum.

Star Trek also loves referencing this book. Khan alludes to this book in “Space Seed,” and Kirk explains to Scotty the significance at the end of the episode. When Chekov and Terrell find the Botany Bay’s cargo bays in The Wrath of Khan, a copy of Paradise Lost is clearly visible next to Moby Dick.

The Long Dark Tunnel

Sitting underneath the copy of Paradise Lost is a made-up book (meaning it doesn’t exist IRL!) of The Long Dark Tunnel. If you look close you can see the words “Dixon Hill.” Meta-fictionally, Dixon Hill a hardboiled detective who, in the Star Trek canon, was the main character of a series of crime noir novels published in the 1930s. The “author” of the Dixon Hill book was “Tracy Tormé” a writer on TNG’s early seasons. (The new Picard trailer honors that authorship too!) According to the Enterprise computer, “The Long Dark Tunnel” was the second appearance of Dixon in fiction. So, if you think of Dixon Hill like Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, then The Long Dark Tunnel is like Farewell, My Lovely, or, perhaps, more appropriately, The Long Goodbye.

“Dixon Hill,” and the detail about The Long Dark Tunnel, was first mentioned in the TNG episode “The Big Goodbye.” The last time we heard mention of Dixon Hill was in Star Trek: First Contact when Picard played him on the holodeck and pumped some Borg full of lead.

The Promellian battlecruiser- in a bottle!

You can barely see this, but on Picard’s mantle, underneath the Enterprise painting, is a model ship in a bottle. Some fans, including Jörg Hillebrand on Twitter, have zoomed in very close and think this is a Promellian battlecruiser, in a bottle! Why would Picard have this? Well in the TNG episode, “Ship in a Bottle,” Picard mentioned having built model ships and putting them in bottles.

Picard’s Shakespeare books

We’ve seen these before, but the two big glass cases containing books appear to be Picard’s collected works of Shakespeare. Relevantly, Q threw huge volumes of Shakespeare at Picard (literally) in the TNG episode “Hide and Q.”

The Kurlan Naiskos

Given to Picard in “The Chase,” the Kurlan Naiskos is an ancient alien artifact. It represents “many voices” inside of “the one.”

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The USS Stargazer

Perhaps the most prominent Easter egg in the teaser is Picard’s model of the Stargazer. This Easter egg may not mean anything, but then again, this entire teaser is focused on Picard talking about regret and “second chances.” Picard was the Captain of the Stargazer before he was the Captain of the Enterprise. His best friend, Jack Crusher, died on the Stargazer based on orders given by Picard. Jack was Wesley’s dad and Beverly Crusher’s husband. We’ve only ever seen the Stargazer for real in the TNG episode “The Battle.” Interestingly, the Stargazer is also an Easter egg for Picard Season 1. In the Picard episode “Maps and Legends” Jean-Luc is visited by Dr. Benayoun, who we learn was a medical officer on the Stargazer. Other than Jack (and maybe Beverly) the canonical info about the Stargazer officers — and that Trek time period in general — is limited.

The Queen of Hearts

This Easter egg seems linked to a scene at the very start of Picard Season 1. While Data and Picard playing poker, Data suddenly has five queens. It’s at that point that Picard relives the attack on Mars, and wakes from his nightmare. Back in 2020 Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman denied that this was an Easter egg for “Q,” but now, maybe, retroactively, it was?

Has Q just been hanging around, waiting to mess with Picard for a while?

While it’s probable that there wasn’t a plan to bring Q back in Picard Season 1, this Easter egg lets us believe that even if the writers’ didn’t intend for this reference at first, Q totally had other plans.

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Picard Season 2 is expected to hit Paramount+ sometime in 2022.

The post Star Trek Picard Season 2 Teaser Trailer: All the Easter Eggs & References appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3fIA5vj

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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ask-q-and-picard · 5 years

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Q, since you don't require sleep (and don't seem to enjoy it at all), what do you do when Picard is asleep?

Q: ... Is ‘staring at him’ an acceptable answer, sweet mortal?

Picard: Please tell me you don’t do that.

Q: Well, whyever would I? The whole of time and space runs permanently through my head, darling; every language, every being, every culture, every ancient ruin, every possibility. Whatever would compel me to endlessly analyse you instead?

Picard: Well, quite! So, what do you do? Can’t quite believe I’ve never asked, but you’re always here in the morning - I’m assuming you stay?

Q: ... Stare at you, mostly.

Picard: ... What? Why, when you’ve just said -

Q: That’s the problem with omniscience, Jean-Luc - it isn’t just knowing it all, it’s understanding it. You, though? You’re my favourite enigma. My only one, actually.

Picard: I... I’m just a simple human, Q!

Q: Oh, mon capitaine. You’re many things, not all of them complimentary - now, don’t give me that look, most of them are! - but one thing you are absolutely not is ‘simple’. The man who dared to stare a god in the face and tell him to get the hell off his ship; the man who talked his colleague out of having the universe permanently at his fingertips, or that saved three realities at once; the one who shares his quarters with someone who could deconstruct his atoms with a simple snap, and yet trusts him enough to fall asleep beside him every evening. Those idiots out there, however far away? They can’t compare, dearest.

Picard: ... You would never hurt me.

Q: No, but that doesn’t mean you’ve ever had to trust me.

Picard: And indeed, I didn’t for a while, but... we’re rather similar, you and I.

Q: Septillions upon septillions of miles, infinite diversity, infinite combinations, and yet no one else quite manages to feel like home.

Picard: ... You honestly think I’m the most fascinating thing in the universe?

Q: Oh, don’t be too overwhelmed, darling - I sometimes make my way through several baskets of croissants and watch terrible movies in your arms, too.

Picard: ... That would explain the immediate breakfast pastries, then... you’re quite mad, mon dieu.

Q: ... And yet you’re still letting me stay over. What does that say about you, I have to ponder?

Picard: ... Dear lord. I suppose we’ll just have to be quite mad together, then...

#anon #q speaks #picard speaks #qcard #anyone for pastry and superbad on permanent night cycle repeat?#holy HELL I've missed doing this #mon capitaine she's baaaaack

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starfleetimagines · 5 years

Text

Requests Are Open

I have now written all but one of the requests that got sent in (and that I had inspiration for). I will be writing the last request hopefully this week.

So, imagines, headcanons, and ships and personal blurbs are now all open. You may now send in more requests, but please read the following guidelines before sending in anything!! Please note that when I get requests sent in, I keep them in my inbox until I write them. If I choose to decline your request, I will post the ask with a brief explanation.

Imagines/headcanons

One-shots, generally 500-1000 words in length. Either character x reader or character x character.

When sending in requests:

Please only send in one request at a time. This means not only to only send in one request per ask, but also please wait until your request has been posted (or the ask posted with an explanation as to why I won’t be writing the request) to send in another

Please don’t send in a request expecting me to write it instantly, or a request that is about something personal happening to you in the moment you send it. Sometime like, “I’m having a really bad day, could you write about x comforting the reader?” These make me feel very guilty and honestly a little annoyed because I cannot write them instantly and most of the time they won’t get written for weeks

Give me a general idea of what you want the imagine to be about (not too vague, please)

Don’t tell me about yourself (like how you look, name, etc.) because I write my imagines as reader-neutral as I can (Y/N is used in replace of a name - this means your name)

Tell me the character or characters you wish to be used for the prompt and unless specified in the prompt, tell me what kind of relationship you wish for the reader and the character to have (siblings, friends, partners, etc.)

Please understand that I have the right to decline your request if it isn’t something I feel inspired to write about or if it’s something I’m uncomfortable writing about

And please remember to be kind and patient with me while I work on the requests. I am but one human who, much to my dismay, does not have constant time, inspiration, and motivation to write

Series I write for:

Alternate Original Series/Kelvin Timeline

Discovery

Deep Space Nine

Enterprise

The Next Generation

Voyager

Character I write for:

AOS: Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu (male reader only), Chekov

Disco: Michael Burnham, Saru, Sylvia Tilly, Ash Tyler, Christopher Pike, Spock, Paul Stamets (male reader only), Hugh Culber (male reader only)

DS9: Benjamin Sisko, Kira Nerys, Jadzia Dax, Ezri Dax, Odo, Quark, Miles O'Brien, Julian Bashir, Garak, Worf

Enterprise: Jonathan Archer, Trip Tucker, Malcolm Reed, Phlox, Hoshi Sato, T'Pol, Travis Mayweather, Shran

TNG: Will Riker, Data, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Deanna Troi, Beverly Crusher, Wesley Crusher, Jean-Luc Picard, Q

Voyager: Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay, Harry Kim, Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, The Doctor/EMH, Tukov, Seven of Nine, Icheb, Q, Q Junior

Ships I write for:

AOS: Spock x Uhura, Scotty x Jaylah

Disco: Michael Burnham x Siylvia Tilly, Michael Burnham x Ash Tyler, Hugh Culber x Paul Stamets

DS9: Worf x Jadzia Dax, Ezri Dax x Julian Bashir, Julian Bashir x Garak, Odo x Kira Nerys, Jadzia Dax x Kira Nerys. Ezri Dax x Kira Nerys

Enterprise: Trip Tucker x T'Pol, Trip Tucker x Malcolm Reed, T’Pol x Jonathan Archer

TNG: Deanna Troi x William Riker, Geordi La Forge x Data, Beverly Crusher x Jean-Luc Picard

Voyager: Tom Paris x B'Elanna Torres, Chakotay x Kathryn Janeway, Kathryn Janeway x Seven of Nine

Topics I will not write for

Detailed/graphic sex (I may be willing to write some smut, depending on what the prompt is, though)

Unconsensual sex

Anything having to do with underage relationships

Sex with more than two people (I will write poly relationships, though)

Abusive relationships (mental or physical) (though I can write something where the reader was previously in one, I just won’t write about it directly)

Neurological disorders (I’m just not familiar with them enough to write them properly)

Certain mental illnesses: schizophrenia, bipolar, borderline personality disorder, dissociation disorders, addictions, and body dysmorphic disorders (again, I’m not familiar enough with these to properly write about them)

Death of a character (unless canon)

Miscarriages

Anything that’s too similar to an imagine I’ve already written

Topics I will write for

Certain mental illnesses: depression, anxiety/panic disorders, PTSD, OCD, ADD/ADHD, and eating disorders

Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood

Injuries

Being held hostage/tortured by captors

Anything romantic

Some intimacy (kissing, holding, touching, groping, and maybe NSFW stuff)

Sibling scenarios

TBH most topics that weren’t listed in the previous section

Ships and Personal Blurbs

ONLY DONE THROUGH COMMISSION THROUGH KO-FI

A ship/match-up with characters from up to 2 series and a short blurb about what your relationship with the character(s) would be like.

When sending in requests:

Tell me your name on Ko-fi so I can verify you sent in a commission

Tell me about yourself: hobbies, skills, aspirations, personality, and your position, species, or role in the Star Trek universe

Tell me which series you want me to use. I will only use two at the most, and I won’t do TOS (I’ve only seen a few episodes)

Please be patient with me while I get it done. I am a full-time university student, so I do these when I have time. However, because these are commissioned I will put priority on them

That’s it! If there’s characters or ships I have not listed, please ask. Happy requesting everyone!

#star trek #star trek imagines #star trek fanfic #star trek fanfiction #star trek aos #star trek alternate original series #star trek kelvin timeline #star trek deep space nine #star trek ds9 #Star Trek Discovery #star trek disco #star trek enterprise #star trek the next generation #star trek tng #star trek voyager

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weepylucifer · 7 years

Note

Picard notices that Q is sad that he can't mark Picard with visible hickies, so Picard starts introducing Q to everyone as his husband. "Mr Ambassador, we're honoured to have you onboard. This is my first officer, Commander Riker, and my beloved husband, Q" he's especially pleased when Lwaxana comes onboard like "oh, Mrs Troi, have you met my darling beloved husband? Q, come say hello to Deanna's mother"

Q is more than content with that solution, in fact he melts into a puddle every time Picard says the words “my husband”. internally he’s all “holy shit that’s me!!!!” also sometimes he just loves hanging on Jean-Luc’s arm and being nothing but the Captain’s civilian spouse, not a representative of the continuum, not a god, just Captain Picard’s Husband

also listnen, Picard thinking that this’ll solve his little Problem with Lwaxana but then she and Q HIT IT OFF and she becomes like his third-favorite mortal and they tell each other anecdotes abt the wild shit they did (bc they have a wildly similar sense of humor) and exchange fashion advice and Picard suspects they gossip about him and the next time Lwaxana comes on board she greets Picard with “ah Jean-Luc!! where’s that husband of yours”

#answer'd #Q's second-favorite mortal? vash #also lwaxana can dig a man whose thoughts she absolutely cannot hear #qcard

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littlestooge · 8 years

Text

Dear author

Hello, Writer!

I am so excited for Chocolate Box! Thank you so very much for writing something for me. I cannot wait to read it!

Yep: happy endings that doin’t fall into syrupy sap, loyalty, domesticity, downtime where the characters just hang out and bond, still waters running deep in terms of emotions (some characters may have trouble expressing emotions but they certainly have them), found families, friendship, emotional bonding, loyalty. If you want to write smut, that’s fine by me! If you don’t, that’s also more than okay. I do prefer sex with an emotional bond present, and that all parties have a good time (winkwink).

Nope: rape/dubious consent, fusions, crossovers, BDSM, scat, sex with people aged under 18, sex with animals, sex with more than two people involved in a single encounter, OT3s, dom/sub, A/B/O-verses or A/B/O dynamics (or similar) in genenral, trans/pansexual/demisexual/asexual headcanons.

Thank you so much for writing for me!

MY REQUESTS

The X-Files

Fox Mulder/Dana Scully; Mulder/Scully & William (their son) My very, very first OTP from when I was just a little girl is Mulder/Scully. I ship them. And I ship them HARD.

Was I utterly thrilled that the shw came back for six new episodes in 2016? Yes! Was I disappointed in episodes 1, 5 and 6? Sure! Was I annoyed that Mulder and Scully had broken up for reasons unknown? Definitely!

But, sadly, I was willing to forgive Chris Carter for writing three terrible episodes (and whoever the hell let him do it!) just for some more time with these two awesome people, and some new information about their feelings about their much longed-for son. And I am looking forward to the new episodes Fox has indicated will land in 2018. Which I very much hope will not suck.

But until then, I would love absolutely anything written about these two crazy kids, at any point of the series (from the Pilot all the way through til now, and anywhere in between). I’d also love to see anything featuring either or both of them and their son. If you’d like to write smut, that’d be great, but I would ask you to remember two things, please: the desperately deep feelings Scully and Mulder have for each other, and the fact that Mulder has an oral fixation...which I’m sure keeps Scully very happy. Ahem.

Star Trek: Voyager

Chakotay/Janeway; Janeway & Q; Janeway & Tuvok; Janeway & Kes; Janeway & Seven of Nine Chakotay and Janeway are an OTP of mine from way, way back, and few lazy canon additions have annoyed me as much as the tacked-on Seven of Nine/Chakotay ‘romance’ in the finale episode (which I already have plenty of issues with).

I don’t think I’m alone in loving their trapped-on-a-planet-together episode, Resolutions, back in Season 2. I also doubt I’m alone in thinking the likely original intentions of The Powers That Be were to put Janeway and Chakotay together as a couple at some point.

So I’d be down with a fix-it that gets rid of the stupid Chakotay/Seven pairing (Seven is probably best with the Doctor, to be honest), and puts Janeway and Chakotay together. I’d just really like some shipfic of these two, please. Anytime in the series (or after it) is fine. And a fic that ignores the finale is fine. And fic that refers to Resolutions would be awesome. An AU where they’re on New Earth for longer, or an AU where they get together at some point after the episode once they’re back on the ship, or anything along those lines? Awesome!

I also love Janeway’s long, deep friendship with Tuvok, her frindly yet antagonistic friendship with Q, and her affectionate, maternal friendships with Kes (who should have never been written out of the series) and Seven.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Kira/Odo; Kira & Odo I admit that DS9 is not my favourite Trek series. It’s not that I hate it, it’s just that I haven’t made the time to sit down and watch all of it the way I have with most of the other bits of the Trek universe. So I’m nowhere near as familiar with the intricacies of the overarching plots and story arcs.

But one part of DS9 I love is how badass Kira Nerys is. I also really love Odo, and how well his confusion and isolation is represented and acted. But most of all, I love the relationship between Kira and Odo, and how it grows and changes throughout the series.

I especially like season five’s Children of Time (and not just because I love time travel as a trope, which I totally do). Odo’s love for Kira is shown as being both a strength and a weakness: the Odo who was trapped on the planet after the Defiant crashed has been able to grow and develop as as a person because of his love for Kira, but he is also driven to extreme lengths (which includes sacrificing his own existence) just so that Kira will live. Kira’s reaction to this news is far more realistic than usually allowed on TV: she is conflicted, touched that Odo loves her, but more than anything, horrified by what that love has caused him to do, especially as she had said she was at peace with her supposedly fated death.

That’s not to say that the writers handled this relationship as well as they could have (a mishandling which I’m almost certain had a lot to do with executive meddling, rather than the writers not knowing what they were doing).

But I’d love to see any fic featuring these guys, during or after the series. Preferably either when they are a couple (perhaps one or both considering the reality of the romantic relationship versus what they thought it would be, especially for Odo), or perhaps just before they take the plunge. When did Kira realise she loved Odo? How did she feel about his feelings for her?

Star Trek: The Original Series

Kirk/Spock; Kirk/Spock & McCoy Ah, Kirk and Spcok! The granddaddy of slash pairings. Who invented slash, damnit. So I love these two. So, so much. And I ship them HARD. I love these two, and I don’t care when any fic about them is set: before the series, during the series, between the series and the films, during the films, after them. Kirk was likely Spock’ first real, close friend, and definitely helped Spock out of his shell, and helped him with his loneliness. And Spock also became friends with McCoy through Kirk, of course. So the three of them could be awesome together!

Christine Chapel & Nyota Uhura & Janice Rand Some of the original awesome sci-fi ladies! I love these three, and I loved them even more when I found out Majel Barrett (who plays Christine Chapel) was originally meant to play the ship’s first officer. So Gene Roddenberry, for all his faults, was certainly a progressive! So I’d love to see some fic featuring any or all of these ladies being BAMFs, please. As they likely would have been presented all the damn time, had executive meddling not got in the way.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Picard/Guinan; Picard & Guinan

Why did we never get any real insight into this relationship, goddamn it?! How did these two first meet? (And no, not in Time’s Arrow; how did Picard first meet Guinan?) And why is their relationship “beyond family”? Genfic or shipfic both very much appreciated!

Picard & Tasha Yar; Guinan & Tasha Yar

There are few pointless deaths in canon that shit me more than Tasha Yar’s. I know Denise Crosby wanted to leave the series because she felt the character was being under-utilised. But goddamn it, that should have promoted The Powers That Be to fic the issue, not let her walk away when Tasha was such a fab, kickass BAMF of a female character. Christ!

I liked the growing relationship between Picard and Tasha: Picard obviously felt very fatherly toward Tasha, which was lovely. And Tasha, who was orphaned at a young age and had to struggle to survive when the colony world she lived on went to shit, obviously held Picard in high regard. So I’d love to hear more about them! I’m more than down for an AU fic where Tasha doesn’t die, too.

And while we only saw Guinan interact with an alternate timeline Tasha in the truly epicYesterday’s Enterprise, it’s still an intriguing realtionship between two awesome women. Would love to see what friendship they could have had had Tasha survived!

Picard & Data; Data & Spot I admit it. I love Data, and the way in which he struggles to understand humans and our emotions. And that shows a lot in his relationships with Picard (who he sacrifices himself for in Nemesis - that’s love!) and Spot, who he clearly loves.

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)

Romy White/Michele Weinberger; Romy White & Michele Weinberger; Romy White & Michele Weinberger and Heather Mooney; Heather Mooney/Sandy Frink Near the beginning of the film, Michele asks Romy if they should “have sex sometime” to check if they’re actually lesbians. Romy says no, but to “ask me again” if they reach 30 and are still single.

What happens when these two awesome ladies get to 30? They’re obviously successful business women (for real!) by the time they’re 30, but they’re still single. Do they decide to check if they’re lesbians after all? What happens?

I also really love Heather and Sandy as characters. What happens to them next? Do they get together? And what LA adventures do Romy, Michele and Heather get up together?

Frozen (2013)

Anna & Elsa Finally! A wildly popular, money-spinning animated Disney movie featuring a strong female protagonist who doesn’t have even a potential future love interest in the form of some dude hanging around her by the end of the film!

I love the relationship between Anna and Elsa, and the fact that this familial love (and between two women! Who aren’t competing with each other over who is prettier or over some dude or whatever!) was the main love story of the film. And was the love that saved the day.

I understand why some people would like Elsa to be lesbian or bi or ace or whatever in the sequel: there is just so little representation, especially in mainstream media. But simply that she is presented as a female character whose main goal in life isn’t to find someone to shack up with is incredibly refreshing. Which I loved.

(I liked Brave for the same reason: the bond between Merida and her mother. But remember, there were those Scottish lads who were competing for her hand at the start of the film. And Frozen made a hell of a lot more money.)

I’d love to see some more Anna and Elsa bonding, please. I don’t care what they’re doing or talking about. I don’t mind if it’s during the film or after it. As long as it’s not incest (which I admit squicks me), I’m happy!

The Martian - All Media Types

Mark Watney & Ares III Crew This movie also really surprised me with how awesome it was. I admit I have yet to read the book, although it’s on my list!

I just love the bond between Mark and the crew, and would love to see what happens when he gets back to the ship at the end of the film. How do the crew - another chosen family - help Mark put himself back together?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (movies)

I need to say, firstly, that I was really surprised by how much I loved this movie. I loved the Harry Potter book series growing up (and still do), but I was always “meh” about the movies. But this movie was great!

Well-rounded, non-stereotypical characters, all of whom are actual adults (read: I am so sick of seeing movies and other media featuring characters who are all 24 and under. I’m in my twenties and I couldn’t care less for these brainless stereotypes! Give us some real, complex people who are all at least a decade out of puberty! Please! Jeez.) and have actual personalities.

Tina, for one, is neither played by an anorexic 21 year old, nor is she inappropriately attired for either the time period or HER GODDAMN JOB AS AN AUROR. WHICH SHE COULDN’T DO IN HEELS. THAT YOU VERY MUCH, BRYCE DALLKAS HOWARD IN JURASSIC WORLD. FFS. Even Queenie, who is far “girlier” is still wearing clothes and shoes she can comfortably move around in, and both women have actual depth to their characters. Awesome!

Queenie Goldstein & Tina Goldstein

Just like Anna and Elsa above, I adore the sisterly relationship presented between these two. These two appear to have been on their own for a while, so I’d love to see any genfic featuring these two, please. Before the movie, after it, during it. I don’t mind! They’re both such asskicking BAMFs, and I’d love to see more of it.

Queenie Goldstein & Tina Goldstein & Jacob Kowalski & Newt Scamander

Do I love the found family/family of choice trope? Why yes. Yes I do. All four of these characters are interesting separately, and lose none of that depth when they come together as a little tribe, taking on the world together. And I love the bond these grown ups (who have all lived, at least a little bit, and experienced love, loss, and war, and have grown from it) form. And I’d love to see more of it!

They’re all great characters, and it’s so nice to see such kind characters find each other, and to be able to help the others. They’re all a bit damaged, after all, but they try their very best to rise above it and live the best lives they can.

Newt Scamander & Newt Scamander's Magical Beasts; Frank The Thunderbird & Newt Scamander

To say that Newt cares for his animal friends is putting it mildly. Much was made of the fact that Newt is a true Hufflepuff and attempts to settle his battles with his wits and mind rather than his fists, which was just awesome to see in a mainstream film.

Before Newt finds Jacob, Tina and Queenie, his magical beasts are very much his family of choice, and it’s clear they love him. After all, he travels to America purely to free Frank! So any fic featuring them all being awesome together would be great. How did he find Frank? How did he know where Frank originally came from? How did he begin to collect these animals?

Queenie Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski

I truly surprised myself with how much I ship these two. The affection between them felt so deep and real, and they (surprisingly) completely avert the schlubby-guy-and-beautiful-woman-fall-in-love trope. I really did buy it when psychic Queenie told Jacob she was intrigued by who he was as a person, and that she knew he wasn’t just attracted to her because she’s pretty. The friendship between them felt real, and I’d love to see more of it.

I was actually a bit teary when Jacob stepped out into the amnesia rain at the end of the film, and actually smiled when Queenie came into his bakery at the end of the film. This pairing is just begging for reunion fic. Pretty please? Jacob might get his memory back, or he might not. But I’d love to know what happens next!

Jacob Kowalski & Newt Scamander; Jacob Kowalski/Newt Scamander

I just love these guys. I both ship them and like them as BFFs, so would be happy with them being presented as either. This pairing is just begging for reunion fic. Pretty please? Jacob might get his memory back, or he might not. But I’d love to know what happens next!

Tina Goldstein & Newt Scamander; Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander

We all already know that, in canon, these two end up married: Luna Lovegood marries their grandson, and they have twin boys. And I have a feeling Luna and her dad would get on gangbusters with Newt and Tina.

I really like how the film ended with these two as friends, rather than with their damn wedding. Tina is a grown ass woman, and she has better things to do than go moping after some English dude with floppy hair. And I love how polite and non-douchebaggy Newt is (both in general, and in the way he doesn’t crack on to Tina like a fucking stalker, whining about how he’s “such a nice guy!”).

They clearly are good friends before they ever become a couple, so I’d love to see either genfic featuring these two as friends, or shippy fic with them as a couple, or pre-relationship UST fic, please. Or whatever you’d like to write! Maybe a flash forward to what they got up to during WWII? Or either of the wars with Voldemort?

Leta Lestrange & Newt Scamander; Albus Dumbledore & Newt Scamander

I don’t think you need magical powers to know that these two relationships from Newt’s Hogwarts days will play a larger role in future films. So any exploration of these relationships would be wonderful!

Harry Potter (book series)

Dumbledore/Grindelwald I’ve long found this relationship fascinating, and the news (from J.K. Rowling herself!) that Dumbledore was gay and in love with Grindelwald was most intriguing. Did Grindelwald return those feelings? Did he not? Did he never know Albus loved him?

Oh, the possibilities! I am also really pleased that JKR herself is writing the Fantastic Beasts movies (rather than the hodge-podge mess the original movies often were, scripted by other people) because we may finally have some light shed on this relationship, which is obviously so crucial to everything that follows it in the wizarding world. So I’d love to read more about it!

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tardisgirlepic · 7 years

Text

Ch. 2: “The Empress of Mars” Analysis Doctor Who S10.9: Friday, Odin & the Doctor; Missy’s 2 Faces; Etc.

Apologies for getting these 3 chapters for “The Empress of Mars” out after the airing of “The Eaters of Light.” I post first on Archive Of Our Own, which I did before the 10th episode. With photos, it takes more time to post here.

If you missed the 1st chapter, check it out Ch. 1: Fastballs, Mars-Not-Mars, Rassilon References, Etc.

NOTE:

TPEW = “The Pyramid at the End of the World” TRODM = “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” THORS = “The Husbands of River Song” CAL = Charlotte Abigail Lux, the little girl from the Library TOS = The Original Series of Star Trek TNG = Star Trek: The Next Generation

Norse Mythology & Vikings Have a Big Role

Roman and Egyptian mythology aren’t the only mythological references in “The Empress of Mars.” Norse Mythology, for example, has a huge role in the episode, as well as other Viking references.

Egil & Eagle

At NASA, we see a sign “EGIL” in front of the Doctor in the image below, which refers to Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicized as Egil Skallagrimsson). The Doctor, The Ghost, is associated here with Egil. At first we see the sign without the Doctor.

According to Wikipedia, Egil “was a Viking-Age poet, warrior and farmer. He is also the protagonist of the eponymous Egil's Saga. Egil's Saga historically narrates a period from approximately 850 to 1000 CE and is believed to have been written between 1220 and 1240 CE.”

Egill was born in Iceland, the son of Skalla-Grímr Kveldúlfsson and Bera Yngvarsdóttir, and the grandson of Kveld-Úlfr ("Night Wolf"). His ancestor, Hallbjorn, was Norwegian-Sami.

Here’s another wolf reference, where the Doctor-mirror is the grandson of a metaphorical wolf.

When Grímr arrived in Iceland, he settled at Borg, the place where his father's coffin landed. Grímr was a respected chieftain and mortal enemy of King Harald Fairhair of Norway.

OK, the term “Borg” automatically conjures thoughts of several Star Trek: TNG episodes where alien cyborgs known as the Borg show up to assimilate people, turning them into Borg and absorbing them into the collective. They first show up in the episode “Q Who?” Um… I never thought about this before, but wow, just change Q to Doctor! Captain Picard gets converted to a Borg in “The Best of Both Worlds.” Part 1 was the finale to Season 3, while Part 2 was the premiere of Season 4.

Egill composed his first poem at the age of three years. He exhibited berserk behaviour, and this, together with the description of his large and unattractive head, has led to the theory that he might have suffered from Paget's disease. As professor Byock explains in his Scientific American article, Paget's disease causes a thickening of the bones and may lead eventually to blindness. The poetry of Egill contains clues to Paget's disease, and this is the first application of science, with the exclusion of archaeology, to the Icelandic sagas.

Here’s a reference to blindness.

Egil had a very bloody history. At times, he was marked for death, but his epic poetry, fit for kings, saved him. So words saved him, just like they have saved the Doctor time and time again.

“Egil” is another overloaded word, as its homophone is “eagle.” The Doctor is either a bird, being a proxy of Zeus, or Zeus, himself. Zeus’s Roman equivalent is Jupiter. In Norse mythology, Odin is the chief god. He’s not a one-to-one correspondence, though, to Zeus and Jupiter, like the typical Greek and Roman gods are to each other. Odin, among other things, is also a god of war like Mars. He’s a tyrannical leader who is not concerned with justice, and this sounds like Morbius, who may be the possessed Doctor.

Odin, too, was a shape-shifter and turned himself into an eagle. It’s one of his many disguises.

Valkyrie Has Multiple Meanings

The Martian probe Valkyrie, while probing the Martian ice caps, is named for multiple references.

Operation Valkyrie & “Let’s Kill Hitler”

Operation Valkyrie was a German plan during WWII to assassinate Hitler, take control of German cities, disarm the SS, and arrest the Nazi leadership. Although the participants made lengthy preparations, the plot failed. Of course, this also refers to the 11th Doctor episode “Let’s Kill Hitler,” where River was engineered to kill the Doctor. Of course, that lengthy plot failed, too, at least for the time being.

In “The Lie of the Land,” we saw the Doctor involved in a totalitarian government with the Truth logo, which looked like it could be a type of Nazi logo with an SS (mirrored Ss). Interestingly, Daleks were created as symbols of the Nazis.

Valkyries of Norse Mythology

In Norse mythology, valkyries are female figures who decide the fate of those who die in battle.

According to Wikipedia:

Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"). When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

Ravens and horses are certainly significant. In fact, ravens are indirectly referenced at least 4 times in the current story. We’ll examine more about the raven in a few minutes. And we’ll look at them in more depth in regards to Clara and the Doctor in the next chapter.

Valkyries today tend to be romanticized in a way, but in heathen times, they were more sinister and sound like they have a connection to the 12 Monks. According to Norse-Mythology.org:

The meaning of their name, “choosers of the slain,” refers not only to their choosing who gains admittance to Valhalla, but also to their choosing who dies in battle and using malicious magic to ensure that their preferences in this regard are brought to fruition. Examples of valkyries deciding who lives and who dies abound in the Eddas and sagas. The valkyries’ gruesome side is illustrated most vividly in the Darraðarljóð, a poem contained within Njal’s Saga. Here, twelve valkyries are seen prior to the Battle of Clontarf, sitting at a loom and weaving the tragic destiny of the warriors (an activity highly reminiscent of the Norns). They use intestines for their thread, severed heads for weights, and swords and arrows for beaters, all the while chanting their intentions with ominous delight. The Saga of the Volsungs compares beholding a valkyrie to “staring into a flame.”

The Norns sound very similar to the 3 Fates, which we examined in my analysis in TPEW, where I likened the Monks to weaving a tapestry and compared them to the 3 Fates who weave destinies. It seems likely then that the 12 Monks may symbolize the 12 Valkyries, who are weaving the tragic destiny to come.

Valhalla & the Cloister Wraiths

Valhalla is a the hall where the dead are deemed worthy of dwelling with Odin, and it’s located on Asgard, which brings in the references to the Doctor and River picnicking on Asgard. This picnic entry in River’s diary came up in “Silence in the Library,” as well as “The Husbands of River Song.”

Wolves guard Valhalla’s gates, and eagles fly above it.

According to Norse-Mythology.org:

Odin presides over Valhalla, the most prestigious of the dwelling-places of the dead. After every battle, he and his helping-spirits, the valkyries (“choosers of the fallen”), comb the field and take their pick of half of the slain warriors to carry back to Valhalla. (Freya then claims the remaining half.)

According to Norse-Mythology.org:

The dead who reside in Valhalla, the einherjar, live a life that would have been the envy of any Viking warrior. All day long, they fight one another, doing countless valorous deeds along the way. But every evening, all their wounds are healed, and they are restored to full health. They surely work up quite an appetite from all those battles, and their dinners don’t disappoint. Their meat comes from the boar Saehrimnir (Old Norse Sæhrímnir, whose meaning is unknown), who comes back to life every time he is slaughtered and butchered. For their drink they have mead that comes from the udder of the goat Heidrun (Old Norse Heiðrun, whose meaning is unknown). They thereby enjoy an endless supply of their exceptionally fine food and drink. They are waited on by the beautiful Valkyries.

But the einherjar won’t live this charmed life forever. Valhalla’s battle-honed residents are there by the will of Odin, who collects them for the perfectly selfish purpose of having them come to his aid in his fated struggle against the wolf Fenrir during Ragnarök – a battle in which Odin and the einherjar are doomed to die.

From what we’ve seen in “Hell Bent,” the Cloister Wraiths are, at least in one way, like the dead who reside in Valhalla. As the Doctor said, they are the dead manning the battlements. We may be experiencing the unreality of the symbolic Valhalla right now. The relative calm before the Ragnarök storm.

The Ice Queen Mirroring a Valkyrie or Odin

The Ice Queen, Iraxxa, decided who died and who lived, especially when it came to Colonel Godsacre. (God’s acre actually means “a churchyard or a cemetery, especially one adjacent to a church.”) Therefore, Iraxxa is mirroring a Valkyrie or even Odin, given her position of leader of the hive.

Odin, Ravens & the Valkyries

According to Wikipedia,

In Germanic mythology, Odin is a widely revered god. In Norse mythology, from which stems most of the information about the god, Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and is the husband of the goddess Frigg. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, Odin was known in Old English as Wōden, in Old Saxon as Wōdan, and in Old High German as Wuotan or Wōtan, all stemming from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic theonym wōđanaz.

BTW, WOTAN is a reference to a 1st Doctor story called “The War Machines.” According to the TARDIS Wikia, “WOTAN was one of the first artificial intelligences created on Earth by Professor Brett. Its name stood for Will Operating Thought ANalogue.” It goes on to say, “Deciding to conquer the world, WOTAN ordered the construction of mobile, armed computers which were designated War Machines. These were constructed in locations across London.”

Anyway, according to WizardRealm.com:

Odin (or, depending upon the dialect Woden or Wotan) was the Father of all the Gods and men. Odhinn is pictured either wearing a winged helm or a floppy hat, and a blue-grey cloak. He can travel to any realm within the 9 Nordic worlds. His two ravens, Huginn and Munin (Thought and Memory) fly over the world daily and return to tell him everything that has happened in Midgard. He is a God of magick, wisdom, wit, and learning. He too is a psychopomp; a chooser of those slain in battle. In later times, he was associated with war and bloodshed from the Viking perspective, although in earlier times, no such association was present.

Interestingly, Odin has ravens. And this is another example of how “The Empress of Mars” has quite a few indirect references to ravens. Because Clara is associated with a raven, it brings up a reference to her, too. However, there are very pointed Clara references, which we’ll examine in the next chapter.

Being the god of magic, wisdom, wit, and learning, Odin has a lot in common with Merlin. Odin actually disguises himself as an old man and travels Midgard (Earth) looking for heroes for the coming of Ragnarök.

According to WizardRealm.com:

If anything, the wars fought by Odhinn exist strictly upon the Mental plane of awareness; appropriate for that of such a mentally polarized God. He is both the shaper of Wyrd and the bender of Orlog; again, a task only possible through the power of Mental thought and impress. It is he who sacrifices an eye at the well of Mimir to gain inner wisdom, and later hangs himself upon the World Tree Yggdrasil to gain the knowledge and power of the Runes. All of his actions are related to knowledge, wisdom, and the dissemination of ideas and concepts to help Mankind. Because there is duality in all logic and wisdom, he is seen as being duplicitous; this is illusory and it is through his actions that the best outcomes are conceived and derived. Just as a point of curiosity: in no other pantheon is the head Deity also the God of Thought and Logic. It's interesting to note that the Norse/Teutonic peoples also set such a great importance upon brainwork and logic. The day Wednesday (Wodensdaeg) is named for him.

It’s really interesting that Odin’s wars are fought on the “Mental plane of awareness.” This corresponds to the Doctor being a creature of pure thought through the Great Work. This also corresponds to him being a mirror of CAL, who is also a being of pure thought in a mental plane of awareness.

Odin & the Doctor

In “The Girl Who Died,” the Doctor pretended to be Odin when the Vikings took him and Clara captive. We then saw another extraterrestrial claiming to be Odin, shown below. His helmet is obviously symbolic in some ways of a bird. Are the wings those of an eagle or a raven? There are symbolic feathers on the top of the helmet, too, but that’s where the similarities to a bird end.

The crest looks more like something a Roman soldier would wear on his helmet. And then there’s the weird part covering his forehead that looks like 2 eyes and a nose. Is the representation supposed to be 2 faces in One? The symbolic eyes are empty, perhaps, representing The Ghost. Odin is a dark mirror of the Doctor, and it seems to me from the symbolism that Odin represents the possessed Doctor, who has an augmented eye. That could be a reference to the Eye of Harmony.

The Doctor actually does more than just pretend to be Odin in this episode. Like Odin in mythology, the Doctor decides life and death here. He assumes Odin’s role. Ashildr dies, and the Doctor literally brings her back to life, another signal of the coming of Ragnarök. Clara represents a valkyrie, the Doctor’s helping spirit.

But this isn’t all. Extraterrestrial (ET) Odin in “The Girl Who Died” has a connection to the “Robot of Sherwood.” The sheriff’s boar emblem looks very much like ET Odin’s helmet when placed behind someone’s head. Check out this image below of the arrow bearer in this perfectly centered camera shot where the emblem of the boar’s ears (yellow arrow) now looks like the wings on Odin’s helmet.

In fact, the sheriff looks a lot like Odin without the helmet.

Interestingly, we have seen a character in TRODM, Lucy Fletcher, whose name means arrow maker or to furnish (an arrow) with a feather. Through all the mirrors we’ve examined, she connects to Amy, who connects to River. Susan connects to River, too. And River may connect to Missy. We know Missy has been controlling the Doctor through Clara, and she’s running a con game now.

Who’s Behind Controlling the TARDIS?

Check out the image below in the darkened TARDIS when Nardole goes to get some gear to help Bill after she falls into the pit. The bookcase is lit, which is very abnormal. And it’s only one bookcase in particular. This indicates it’s River.

In fact, interestingly, Missy has 2 faces when we first see her at the end of “The Empress of Mars.” The blue arrow points to her face that looks like it’s inside the TARDIS, while the yellow arrow points to her other face. The TARDIS symbolizes the Doctor’s wife and the Doctor’s mind.

The Doctor is being controlled by his wife is what part of the subtext is pointing to. We saw in “The Lie of the Land” analysis that with the 2nd Doctor story “The Mind Robber,” where the Master was the author who controlled things in the same way River controlled things in “The Angels Take Manhattan” with her novel. We know River is one of the architects of the rescue plan.

Friday Has a Norse Connection

Of course, the name Friday comes from Robinson Crusoe. However, given the plot along with Friday’s name, appearance, and references, there are other allusions intended, too, making Friday a brilliant name with overloaded meanings.

Friday & Odin

“Friday,” as the actual day of the week, is named after Odin’s wife. In Old English, her name is Frīge, so it’s "Frīge's day." Other spellings, according to Wikipedia, are Frigg (Old Norse), Frija (Old High German), and Frea (Langobardic).

So the character Friday automatically has a connection to Odin and can represent Odin’s wife. However, there’s more.

Like Friday, Odin has one eye.

In fact, according to Norse-Mythology.org:

Odin’s quest for wisdom is never-ending, and he is willing to pay any price, it seems, for the understanding of life’s mysteries that he craves more than anything else. On one occasion, he hanged himself, wounded himself with his spear, and fasted from food and drink for nine days and nights in order to discover the runes.

On another occasion, he ventured to Mimir’s Well – which is surely none other than the Well of Urd – amongst the roots of the world-tree Yggdrasil. There dwelt Mimir, a shadowy being whose knowledge of all things was practically unparalleled among the inhabitants of the cosmos. He achieved this status largely by taking his water from the well, whose waters impart this cosmic knowledge.

When Odin arrived, he asked Mimir for a drink from the water. The well’s guardian, knowing the value of such a draught, refused unless the seeker offered an eye in return. Odin – whether straightaway or after anguished deliberation, we can only wonder – gouged out one of his eyes and dropped it into the well. Having made the necessary sacrifice, Mimir dipped his horn into the well and offered the now-one-eyed god a drink.

Odin’s story of trading an eye for a different type of perception and knowledge meshes with the concepts of the Eye of Harmony and the Matrix. We’ve examined how the Matrix gives the gift of prophecy.

ENGIN: Yes. Trillions of electrochemical cells in a continuous matrix. The cells are the repository of departed Time Lords. At the moment of death, an electrical scan is made of the brain pattern and these millions of impulses are immediately transferred to the DOCTOR: Shush. I understand the theory. What's the function?

ENGIN: Well, to monitor life in the Capitol. We use all this combined knowledge and experience to predict future developments.

And the Eye of Harmony from TRODM clearly has to do with the Matrix. The Eye, as the 8th Doctor said in the movie, is his.

DOCTOR: Lee, this is my Tardis. This is my Eye and I'm in my own body. The Master has run out of all his lives. Now he plans to steal mine. That's the truth!

Anyway, in Friday’s case, because he defers to Iraxxa, he symbolically could represent Odin in disguise as an old man. After all, he did tell the Doctor:

DOCTOR: Why have you really come back? FRIDAY: (sigh) I am old and tired and spent.

The reversed roles of the queen and Friday could also possibly be explained through the gender change.

Friday & The Vikings

After the Doctor and Bill discuss the Ice Warrior, Bill mentions a movie and an eye gouging when Friday is present, tying the movie to Friday.

DOCTOR: Yes. The indigenous species. An ancient reptilian race. They built themselves a sort of bio-mechanical armour for protection. The creature within is at one with its carapace. The Ice Warriors. They could build a city under the sand, yet drench the snows of Mars with innocent blood. They could slaughter whole civilisations, yet weep at the crushing of a flower. BILL: Like The Vikings. DOCTOR: Yes. Yes, very much. BILL: Yeah, Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. Oh, the theme tune is amazing! There's this brilliant bit where his eye gets gouged out (Friday stops and Bill notices the missing eye.)

Friday’s missing eye resembles that of Kirk Douglas’ character in the 1958 movie The Vikings.

Wikipedia says

The King of Northumbria is killed during a Viking raid led by the fearsome Ragnar (Ernest Borgnine). Because the king had died childless, his cousin Aella (Frank Thring) takes the throne. The king's widow, however, is pregnant with what she knows is Ragnar's child because he had raped her during that fateful raid, and to protect the infant from her cousin-in-law's ambitions, she sends him off to Italy. By a twist of fate, the ship is intercepted by the Vikings, who are unaware of the child's kinship, and enslave him.

BTW, the queen sends the child with the monks.

Many years later, we see that the boy has grown into a young man named Erik (Tony Curtis), who is still a slave. After some events take place, Erik in retaliation orders his falcon to attack Einar (Kirk Douglas), Ragnar's legitimate son and heir. The falcon gouges out Einar’s left eye.

The enmity between the half brothers is exacerbated when they both fall in love with the same woman, Princess Morgana, who is to marry King Aella but gets captured in a raid. In a way, this is like the 11th and 12th Doctors with River. BTW, I forgot to mention this, but the Doctor in Missy’s execution scene in “Extremis” and in the scenes in “The Lie of the Land” wears an old raggedy coat, which would represent the 11th Doctor. In fact, the 11th Doctor’s theme music does play in the latter episode.

Anyway, at one point Aella captures Ragnar and, according to Wikipedia, “orders the Viking leader bound and thrown into a pit filled with starved wolves. To give Ragnar a Viking's death (so that he can enter Valhalla), Erik, who is granted the honour of forcing him into the pit, cuts the prisoner's bonds and gives him his sword. Laughing, Ragnar jumps to his death. In response to Erik's "treason", Aella cuts off his left hand, puts him back on his ship and casts him adrift.”

(Amy cuts off Rorybot’s hands in “The Girl Who Waited.” Rorybot is sentient. So is this movie scene significant to the story?)

In the end, Erik and Einar fight for Morgana, and Erik mortally wounds Einar. Wikipedia says, “Echoing the scene with Ragnar, Erik gives Einar a sword, so that he too can enter Valhalla. In the final scene, Einar is given a Viking funeral: his body is placed on a longship, which is set on fire by flaming arrows.”

Friday not only represents Einar with his eye gouged out, but also Erik, as a servant.

Erik is a hybrid, half-Northumbrian and half-Viking, mirroring the hybrid nature of the Doctor.

Also, it’s interesting that Erik and Einar are half brothers because I’ve wondered for quite some time if the Master and Doctor were brothers (as was originally planned in Classic Who) or half brothers. The idea that the Doctor has a half brother has come up in the subtext before. In fact, it most likely relates to Castor and Pollux, which we’ll look at below.

The idea of Valhalla and a Viking funeral for the Doctor is important for several reasons. The first is that Rory gave the Doctor a Viking funeral in “The Impossible Astronaut” after River killed him. (Interestingly, though, there is a hidden face of the Doctor’s in the reflection in River’s helmet. Things didn’t quite happen the way they appeared.)

The ideas of Valhalla and a Viking funeral lead to redemption for the Doctor and his fate. We’ll look at this more in the next chapter when we examine the Victorians.

The First Time We See Friday

The first time we see Friday, something curious takes place. The Ice Warrior comes toward the Doctor in a threatening manner. However, the Doctor diffuses the situation with an Ice Warrior greeting.

DOCTOR: I know your people of old. I was once an Honorary Guardian of the Tythonian Hive.

(A rifle bolt is moved.)

However, we then hear Godsacre’s voice, and he says and does something curious.

GODSACRE: Don't move. I'll sort this beggar out.

(A red-coat with white pith helmet is pointing what ought to be a Martini-Henry breech loading rifle at them.)

DOCTOR: No, no, no, no! You don't understand. This creature is no threat. He may look like a monster to you

(A rifle shot at the Doctor's feet makes him jump back.)

GODSACRE: I wasn't talking to you. Are you all right, Friday?

The Doctor is portrayed as the monster here, not Friday. To make that clear, the Doctor even says, “He may look like a monster to you…”

This really is interesting behavior, especially since the Doctor looks human here in this altered reality. What does he really look like?

Friday, the Doctor & Shakespeare’s Henry V

Since the Doctor is metaphorically Shakespeare, it seems as though there may be another connection with both the Doctor, Friday, and Henry V. Since they can be a symbol of Odin, walking through Midgard in disguise, they could also symbolically be King Henry V, who disguises himself as a commoner and walks around camp, where nobody recognizes him as the king.

Actually, we already saw this type of thing with Queen Liz 10 in “The Beast Below,” where she walked around with her mask on, not wanting to be recognized. Therefore, we should expect that something like this is happening now.

If the Doctor has been possessed, mind controlled, or some other type of usurpation, then there is a disguise of sorts going on.

Castor & Pollux: The Master/Missy & the Doctor?

Are the Master/Missy and the Doctor mirrors of Castor and Pollux from Greek and Roman mythology? The references have come up in the subtext before, and it seems appropriate to consider this since the plan in Classic Who was to have the Master and the Doctor be brothers. However, once Roger Delgado, the 1st Master, died in a car crash, the plans never came to fruition. In fact, the 3rd Doctor, Jon Pertwee, who was good friends with Delgado, left DW because of Delgado’s death.

Anyway, there are multiple versions of the Castor and Pollux myth, where they could be brothers or half brothers, depending on the version. Since The Vikings refers to half brothers, I’ll concentrate on that version.

Castor and Pollux were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi. According to Wikipedia:

Their mother was Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been born from an egg, along with their twin sisters or half-sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.

In Latin the twins are also known as the Gemini or Castores. When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellation Gemini. The pair were regarded as the patrons of sailors, to whom they appeared as St. Elmo's fire, and were also associated with horsemanship.

There was a common belief that one child would live among the gods, while the other was among the dead. That’s interesting since the Doctor is associated in multiple ways with ghosts.

Anyway, here’s yet another reference to Zeus. We know the Doctor has been cast as either a proxy to Zeus or Zeus, himself. However, there are multiple versions of the Doctor. Is one the father and one the son while a third is a ghost? Like in the Trinity?

We also see other important references. We know horses are important. Sailors could also possibly refer to space and time travelers. And the topic of eggs comes up a lot. For example, we saw the moon as an egg in “Kill the Moon.” Missy, too, mentioned that Nardole looks like and egg in “The Lie of the Land”:

MISSY: You haven't been to see me in six months. No-one has! Not even that bald bloke who looks like an egg.

However, eggs also come up in other episodes, like the 9th Doctor episode, “The End of the World,” which we looked at in the analysis of “The Lie of the Land.” And there’s an indirect reference to eggs in “The Empress of Mars” where the Doctor mentions “Tythonian Hive” when he meets Friday.

DOCTOR: By the moons, I honour thee. I'm the Doctor. What is your name? (The Ice Warrior growls. He has one eye missing and a scrape across the helmet nose guard.) DOCTOR: I know your people of old. I was once an Honorary Guardian of the Tythonian Hive. (A rifle bolt is moved.)

The Tythonian Hive reference, BTW, makes no sense when relating it to Ice Warriors. The term refers to the 4th Doctor episode “The Creature from the Pit.” However, there are other important pieces of information in that episode. For example, it also refers to a pit, which Bill happens to fall into in “The Empress of Mars.”

“The Creature from the Pit,” the Egg & the Y symbol

I had never seen “The Creature from the Pit” before, so I was surprised when I watched it that there were no hives or references to Ice Warriors. I haven’t seen this happen before with a reference that didn’t make sense, but obviously, we are supposed to get other things out of that reference.

When it comes to this episode, many things don’t make sense. There is a giant structure that looks like a flat wall, but the Doctor calls it an egg and eggshell and says it’s alive:

ADRASTA: Yes. My huntsman heard you say that the shell was alive. DOCTOR: Alive and screaming in pain. ADRASTA: The shell? Then why can no one hear it? DOCTOR: Because it can only be detected on very low frequency wavelengths. ADRASTA: What's the shell screaming about? DOCTOR: Ah. More to the point, for whom is it screaming? Its mummy? By the pyramids, imagine the size of its mummy.

Not only is it an egg, but here’s something once again that is looking possibly for it’s mummy, like “The Empty Child.” Also, it’s screaming but can’t be heard like the Star Whale in “The Beast Below.” Both the Empty Child and the Star Whale are metaphors for the Doctor.

Nardole is associated with an egg, just like the Doctor is with the moon as an egg concept. And Nardole is an unactualized mirror for the Doctor. The egg also symbolizes going back to the beginning. This meshes with other things we’ve examined like how the universe was only 23 million years old in “The Pilot.” Also, the Doctor’s timeline is going backwards, and we see that in the opening credits.

In “The Creature from the Pit,” there’s also a pit, of course, with a creature in it. The Doctor actually jumps into the pit, like the 10th Doctor jumped into the pit in “The Satan Pit.” Both find gigantic creatures. Bill falls into the pit in “The Empress of Mars” and finds a gigantic hive and the sinister Captain Catchlove.

However, the 4th Doctor calls the creature a giant brain. Um… this doesn’t make sense, either.

Here’s what the TARDIS Wikia says

The Tythonians were massive, blob-like organisms, sometimes hundreds of feet long. They were glowing green and had an outer membrane that was deeply creased. They had no true limbs, but had two large pseudopods. One pseudopod was shaped like the letter Y, while the other was simply a large tube. They had no vocal cords and communicated with the aid of Tythonian communicators. Tythonians could live for forty thousand years.

The Y shape refers to a plague of deaths. The humanoids throw people down into the pit for the creature to eat.

While this all is important, I also see the whole pit and creature reference important, which refer back to “The Satan Pit” and the war for freedom from slavery. The 4th Doctor does help free the creature in the pit, who actually doesn’t eat people.

Therefore, this episode is hugely symbolic of what is happening in Season 10; however, not by the Tythonian Hive reference.

Living Underground As a Theme

Not only do the Ice Warriors live underground, but the Silurians do too, as we saw in the 11th Doctor episodes “The Hungry Earth” and “Cold Blood.” In the 1st Dalek story, “The Daleks,” the Daleks also live underground. The creature in “The Creature from the Pit” and the Beast in “The Satan Pit” also live underground.

In all these cases, it’s not really by choice. They are forced to live underground because conditions on the surface are problematic, or the creatures are imprisoned underground.

It’s interesting that on Gallifrey everything looks dead, as far as the landscape is concerned. The Doctor and Master talked about how it used to be beautiful with grass, trees, etc. While people live in the doomed city, where do they get their food from? Of course, we are only seeing a small portion of the planet, but it still makes me wonder.

Skaro looks much the same.

Tunnels & The Thing

Interestingly, Bill mentions the movie The Thing, tunnels, and how the Doctor would like the movie because everyone dies. The latter seems really odd for the Doctor we know, unless we consider the Doctor as the mirror to alternate-Donna in “Turn Left.” Both have to die, along with the parallel world. The Master, Morbius, the Valeyard, and some others would also like to see everyone die.

BILL: (walking away) Oh, it's like the underground tunnels in The Thing. DOCTOR: The what? BILL: It's a movie. You'd like that one too. Everybody dies.

There are several movie versions of The Thing. In the 1982 version, the setting is in Antarctica, which fits the Ice Warriors. Where is the ice for the Ice Warriors anyway? The setting is reminiscent of “The Planet of the Ood” and the large brain found on the ice. Also, it also is the setting of “The Seeds of Doom,” another 4th Doctor usurpation story that we looked at.

The creature from a crashed spaceship can perfectly duplicate other beings, like “The Zygon Invasion” and “The Zygon Inversion.” This creates a very similar situation that we saw in “Midnight,” where at first Skye got possessed and people freaked out. The being then possessed the Doctor, and they freaked out even more. It was mob mentality and a witchhunt, just like the movie. And they turned on each other.

This also brings in the idea of “Love & Monsters,” the 10th Doctor episode where Victor Kennedy/The Abzorbaloff, absorbs people into his body.

Here are more themes that are being repeated.

The Next Chapter

In the next chapter, we’ll examine the Victorians and how Clara fits in in multiple ways, along with the ravens. I’ll show you what I call collective symbolism vs. individual symbolism.

Go to next chapter => Ch. 3: Clara, Ravens, Victoria(ns), Oh My!

#doctor who #twelfth doctor #bill potts #nardole #clara oswald #river song #eleventh doctor #amy pond #rory williams #tenth doctor #meta #analysis #the empress of mars

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