#romulan warrior

[coolseabird]

This was my experience as a Star Trek fan playing Baldurs Gate 3 with little to no prior knowledge of the DnD/Forgotten Realms universe and lore

Auntie Ethel is racist to my friend's half-elf Tav and apparently half elves often don't fit into either elven or human culture?

Wow my friend is like Spock 😃

Elves are a bunch of haughty pointy eared snobs and age much slower who also don't sleep normally and mostly meditate to restore their energy?

Wow just like Vulcans 😃

The Gith are a warrior culture obsessed with strength who speak harshly and have a seriously fucked up government along with political succession issues?

Wow Gith are like Klingons😃

Our companion has to try and navigate the complexities of her culture and wishes to regain her place among them while learning it's not all she was taught to believe it was and that mindlessly following her cultural leaders isn't always best?

Wow Lae'zel is like Worf 😃

Our companion was taken from her parents and brainwashed as a child and now with her newfound sense of individuality can try and reckon with her identity from before?

Wow Shadowheart is like Seven of Nine 😃

The Drow are a bunch of ruthless pointy eared psychopaths who love backstabbing and have a penchant for subterfuge?

Wow Drow are like Romulans 😃

There is a race that implants parasites or nanites into hosts, assimilating them into mindless drones and subjugating their personality unless their link to the hive mind is disrupted?

Wow Mindflayers are like Borg 😃

I’m annoying to play with and will continue to get worse. My brainrot has just begun.

[hellweaver]

In some parallel universe these crew members are having This Simple Feeling for each other (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

In my head they are former Maquis - a romulan dissident whose escape-from-the-empire plan went wrong and a socially awkward not-warrior-enough klingon

[worflesbian]

my vision for more worf content comes in the form of a post-ds9 series that's like expanding on ezri's iconic takedown of the klingon empire, so really a klingon-centric political drama around the turning point they find themselves at at the end of the dominion war. worf and martok would only be one plot thread cause we'd also follow lower ranking soldiers in the imperial fleet, a-list celebrity opera singers in first city, farmers in the overlooked rural regions of qo'nos and other ordinary, everyday klingons, and it'd all weave together to form this picture of a civilisation dependent on war, in the immediate aftermath of the most devastating war in centuries. the fleet is decimated, countless lives lost, and they've fought side by side with not just the federation but the romulans for the first time in history - where do they go from here? there'd be a strong call to double down on rebuilding ships, recruiting new warriors, but would this not also be thee moment for a peace movement in the empire, if there ever would be one? for a people once hungry for war to decide they've had their fill of it? and worf as federation ambassador would be a key piece of the picture bc it'd be crucial after the dominion were defeated to solidify the allegiance between empire and federation into a stronger treaty (since gowron broke the last one), and the idea of peace as a 'federation ideal' would be a real source of tension for any klingons trying to broach the idea of demilitarisation. overall the picture of an imperial force dependent on violence for so long facing the prospect of peace and the question of who the klingons might be without war is such a fascinating prospect to me and i have not stopped thinking about it, ever.

[leohtttbriar]

i do love dax's continual adaptability and mutability while still remaining so recognizable in the person. like she really is freedom defined but never in danger of floating away. and her skills as a romulan i agree would be formidable. she's got the chivalry and warrior-ese and Mind and she is several people at once which she commands from the helm. deleuze and guattari's "wolves" indeed. not only could she found rome, she'd ignore the gods and refuse to if she thought it was best.

[the-qalankhais-sweetheart]

OMG, y'all.

It's happening.

Thanks to @mutifandoms , I now have an Elnor crochet doll on his way to me sometime next week! 🥹🥰✨

I'll post the link for any of my fellow Elnor simps and fans who want one! Let's show the artist how much we love our favorite Romulan warrior 💖

[roguetelepaths]

In the Pale Moonlight is a great episode but I've been thinking way too deeply about it since I rewatched it the other day and it's genuinely driving me insane. Like what do you MEAN Sisko and Garak had to create fake evidence and fucking murder a guy in order to get the Romulans to distrust the Dominion enough to join the war against them. They're ROMULANS. Getting them to distrust someone ISN'T HARD. What the FUCK was going on behind the scenes that the Romulans and the Dominion were so ride or die, because I don't imagine that's easy to achieve, knowing how paranoid and slow to trust BOTH parties in that alliance are

Also, not to be a Dominion keyboard warrior on main (y'all know I am though) but knowing how the writers felt about the Dominion— looking at you, Ira Behr, with your tHe BaD gUyS hAvE tO sTaY tHe BaD gUyS comments to Jeffrey Combs— but I have to wonder what the writers' game was in creating an episode with the premise of, essentially, "oops! The Dominion is too nice and honorable to their allies! Time to frame them for a bunch of shit they didn't do because that's the only way to break this alliance!"

I'm inclined to believe they just didn't think about it at all, lmao. That seems the most likely answer

[quasi-normalcy]

I’d be in favour of this if I didn’t know in my heart that M’Talas would put in a scene where the two come to blows and Jack somehow wins because Elnor’s superior Romulan strength and upbringing by martial artists in a warrior convent is no match for Jack’s badditude as a candystriping mummy’s boy blatant nepotism hire roguish Han Solo-type.

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (Book 3) Chapter Twenty-Three

TOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Twenty-Three: Romulan Device

Summary: The Romulan Commander continues flirting with Spock and (Y/N), but their hearts and loyalties are already taken.

            The Romulan Commander guided Spock and (Y/N) into their dining chamber for the evening. The room was pink and had various curtains draped beautifully around the room. Clearly, effort had been made into making the night pleasing.

            “I’ve had special Vulcan and Celian dishes prepared,” said the Romulan Commander. “I hope they’re to your liking.”

            “I’m honored for the consideration, Commander,” said Spock.

            “It’s quite flattering,” said (Y/N).

            “An inducement for recruitment, I hope,” said the Romulan Commander, smiling. Her emotions were arm and pleased with the reaction Spock and (Y/N) had. “Though we have other inducements, as well.” She held up two drinks innocently, but the innuendo was out there. Romulan flirting was quite something.

            Spock glanced at (Y/N) to see if it would be crossing a boundary to take the drink. After all, they were in a relationship and currently standing in front of a woman flirting with both of them. Spock didn’t want to step over any boundaries by seemingly accepting the Romulan Commander’s advances by taking the drink.

            Spock could see (Y/N)’s face, and they nodded slightly, reaching out and taking one glass. Spock followed their lead and took the other.

            The Romulan Commander smiled, aura warming, and picked up another glass. She raised it and toasted to Spock and (Y/N).

            They all took a sip.

            (Y/N) glanced at the clock. The next part of the plan was coming soon, and they were probably behind. But with the Romulan Commander unexpectedly interested in Spock and (Y/N), there wasn’t much they could do yet.

l

            Dinner progressed easily. Spock and (Y/N) responded to the Romulan Commander’s conversation, but they skirted around the flirting. They made sure to not completely shut it down to keep her favor, but they also didn’t encourage it. After all, neither was interested in her. They were in a relationship with one another and didn’t need anyone else in it.

            Spock handed a fruit to (Y/N), and their fingers brushed. At least they were getting a moment together in the midst of all the issues going on.

            The Romulan Commander finished pouring another drink and handed the glasses out. She spoke, getting straight to the point after the lighter conversation of dinner. “You have nothing in Starfleet to which to return. I-We offer you an alternative.” The feeling of attraction in her aura grew as she leaned forward slightly. “We will find places for you, if you wish it.”

            “A place?” remarked Spock.

            “With me,” said the Romulan Commander. Before (Y/N) and Spock could respond, she continued. “Romulans are not like Vulcans or Celians. We are not dedicated to pure logic or amicability. We appreciate the wilder nature of emotions.” She leaned back and gazed at (Y/N) and Spock with want. “Our people are warriors, often savage, but we are also many other pleasant things.”

            “No culture is one single thing,” said (Y/N) simply.

            Even Vulcans had more than just logic. There was a deep, rich culture surrounding more than just what everyone viewed as pure logic. The same with the “amicability” of Celians. People saw their peacefulness and use of empathy for alliances with others as just simple friendliness. It was rooted instead in a deeper culture that many overlooked.

            “A Celian would be welcome in our society. We do not repress our emotions at all,” said the Romulan Commander. “And a Vulcan could study our culture. And a human could appreciate it.” She was carefully attempting to appeal to every aspect of (Y/N) and Spock’s identity.

            “I do appreciate other cultures,” said Spock, but his eyes drifted to (Y/N) and their bright golden Celian eyes.

            “There is a lot to be understood in different cultures,” agreed (Y/N), their gaze meeting his.

            The Romulan Commander glanced between the pair, beginning to realize that the connection between them was quite strong. It was like the connection she was trying to form. Now the Romulan Commander was deciding whether she was jealous or pleased since then all three could have a relationship and she wouldn’t mind that (not at all).

            “I am so glad,” she said, smirking. Then, she cleared her throat officially. “Now, one final step to make the occasion complete. You will lead a small part of Romulans aboard the Enterprise, and there you will take your rightful places as commanders.” She glanced between them. “Together, if you wish. You will lead the ship to a Romulan port, with my flagship at its side.”

            (Y/N) replied. They were, after all, the one who could more easily lie. “Of course.” They picked up their drink once more. “But must it be now? We’re enjoying ourselves, Commander.”

            Spock was quite glad his t’hy’la was so clever and could instantly create a plausible scenario to avoid the issue. However, the way the Romulan Commander gazed at them wasn’t quite as enjoyable. It seemed that every person with eyes found (Y/N) attractive, and that got them a certain amount of attention.

            Unwanted, too, thought Spock, knowing just how much (Y/N) preferred to be seen as a person rather than a pretty face.

            “We are enjoying ourselves,” agreed the Romulan Commander fondly. “But there is no need to call me ‘Commander.’ I have a first name.”

            “We’d like to know it,” said (Y/N), easily capturing the Romulan Commander’s attention.

            She smiled and leaned forward. She whispered, “Liviana.” Then, she sat back and gazed at the pair.

            “A pretty name,” said (Y/N).

            “Yes,” agreed Spock.

            Liviana gazed at them with barely concealed want (though the emotion was plain enough to (Y/N)). “If you will give me a moment, this Commander will transform herself…into a woman.” She rose and walked out of the room.”

            The doors shut, and (Y/N) turned to Spock. “We need to contact the Captain.”

            Spock nodded. “Indeed. It is high time to complete this mission.”

            “Are you alright, though?” asked (Y/N) as they pulled out their communicator. “I know this sort of attention may be unwanted.”

            “I have no issue as I know I am not attracted to you. It is you I am concerned for. After all, you deal with such advances far more frequently,” said Spock.

            “Thank you, dear. I’m alright,” said (Y/N), smiling and opening their communicator. “Spock and (L/N) to Captain Kirk.”

            “Kirk here,” came the swift reply.

            “Captain, are you prepared to beam over?” asked Spock.

            “I’m already on board,” said Kirk. “Do you have the information?”

            “Yes,” said (Y/N). “The cloaking device is in an area near the Commander’s quarters.”

            “It is closely guarded and off-limits to all authorized personnel,” said Spock. “What is your present location?”

            “Near my cell,” said Kirk.

            “Alright, then follow these directions.” (Y/N) gave an efficient description of how to get to the cloaking device’s room.

            “I’ll get the device,” said Kirk. “Will you two be able to get back to the Enterprise without attracting their attention?”

            “Unknown, Captain,” said Spock. “At present, we’re—”

            (Y/N) closed the communicator as the doors opened, and Liviana walked back in wearing an off-shoulder black and white dress.

            “Is my…attire now more appropriate?” she asked flirtatiously, walking up to the pair.

            “It is a fine dress,” said Spock, admiring the quality more than anything but the words easily suggested something else.

            “Thank you,” said Liviana. She looked at (Y/N). “If you would like anything outside of uniforms, I could provide you with it.” She reached out and touched (Y/N)’s hand gently. “I’m sure you’d be beautiful.”

            Spock’s focus narrowed in on the touch, and every bit of his Vulcan possessiveness flared. Yes, the hands were as intimate for Celians or Romulans, but Liviana clearly knew what it meant for Vulcans, and the touch was intentional. Spock was displeased. That action was for him and (Y/N), him and his t’hy’la. Not for a Romulan, a no one.

            Liviana ran her hand up (Y/N)’s fingers, and (Y/N) fought to hide their wince as her emotions were that much stronger with touch. They were about to step back and remove her hand themself when a voice appeared at the door.

            “Permission to enter,” said the voice of Tal.

            “Not now, Tal,” said Liviana in frustration as (Y/N) stepped back.

            “It is urgent, Commander,” said Tal.

            “Enter,” said Liviana, composing herself.

            Tal and several guards walked in. “Commander, we have intercepted an alien transmission.”

            Uh-oh, thought (Y/N).

            “Locate its source,” said Liviana.

            “We have, Commander,” said Tal. “This room.”

            (Y/N) and Spock exchanged looks. Kirk had hopefully completed the mission now. However, their personal situation…

            All eyes turned to them, and Liviana’s emotions sharpened to anger. “The cloaking device.” She glanced at her guards. “Bring them.” She stalked out of the room, and (Y/N) and Spock were pushed after her.

            They went through the halls until they arrived in the room containing the cloaking device. They found a guard unconscious on the ground, and the device was gone. Kirk had done it (and hopefully escaped).

            “Commander, the cloaking device is gone,” reported a guard.

            “Full alert,” said Liviana. “Search all decks.” The guards ran out into the halls, and she was left staring at Spock and (Y/N).

            “That will be profitless, Commander,” said Spock, lacing his fingers behind his back. “I do not believe you will find it.”

            Liviana’s anger flared. “You must be mad.”

            “We are quite sane,” said (Y/N).

            “Why would you do this to me?” demanded Liviana, as hurt as she was angered. “What are you that you could do this?”

            “Lieutenant Commander of Negotiations and Communications aboard the Enterprise,” said (Y/N).

            “First Officer of the Enterprise,” said Spock.

            Liviana tried to slap him, but (Y/N) blocked her hand. They wouldn’t let Spock get hurt, no matter how much of a betrayal this was to Liviana. Yes, she had been vulnerable, but just like her, they had a job to do. Not to mention, if they couldn’t get back to the Enterprise, they would be executed, so there was no point in getting injured now. ((Y/N) really didn’t want to consider that option, though).

            “Take them back to my quarters,” said Liviana harshly. “I’ll deal with them there.”

            The guards forced (Y/N) and Spock back through the halls with Liviana’s anger hovering around them in a dark cloud the entire down.

            Once in her quarters, Liviana dismissed Tal. “Return to your station, Sub-Commander. The boarding action on the Enterprise will begin with my command. If they resist, destroy her.” Tal saluted and left. Liviana, Spock, and (Y/N) were alone. “Execution of state criminals is both painful and unpleasant,” snapped Liviana. “I believe the details are unnecessary.”

            Spock and (Y/N) were both willing to face the consequences of their actions due to their mission being a success. However, they were simultaneously unwilling for the other—the person they loved—to face those same consequences. That left them at an impasse.

            “The sentence will be carried out immediately after the charges have been recorded,” said Liviana viciously.

            “We demand the Right of Statement first,” said (Y/N), pulling every bit of Romulan culture they knew to give the Enterprise time to, hopefully, beam them back.

            Approval entered Liviana’s aura as someone she found attractive impressed her, despite her anger. “You understand Romulan tradition well. The right is granted.”

            “Thank you,” said (Y/N).

            “We shall not require much time,” said Spock. “No more than twenty minutes, I should say.” That should be enough.

            “It should take less time than that to find your ally who stole the cloaking device,” said Liviana. “You will all die together.” She pressed a button on a computer. “Recording: the Romulan Right of Statement. Proceed, Commander Spock, Lieutenant (L/N).”

            “Our crime is sabotage,” said Spock.

            “We freely admit our guilt,” said (Y/N). “The oath we swore as Starfleet officers is binding.”

            “And specific,” remarked Spock. “As long as we wear the uniform, our duty is to protect the security of the Federation.” And my t’hy’la for as long as I may live.

            “Your new cloaking device is a threat to that security,” said (Y/N). “We carried out our duty.”

            “Everyone carries out their duty,” said Liviana bitterly. “You state the obvious.”

            “There is no regulation for what our statement should be about,” said (Y/N).

            “May we continue?” questioned Spock.

            “Very well. Your twenty will soon run out,” said Liviana.

            “Thank you. In addition to the Federation oath, Vulcan loyalty plays a large role in—”

            Spock and (Y/N) began to dematerialize as the Enterprise finally got a lock on them. Liviana’s eyes widened, and she ran to grab the pair, disappearing with them as the lock grabbed onto her, too.

l

            Scotty stared in shock as (Y/N), Spock, and Livianna appeared. He hesitantly reported it to the Bridge, still surprised. Luckily, security was stationed within the room, and they pulled out their phasers in case Livianna tried anything.

            “I suspect the Captain wishes to see us on the Bridge,” said Spock.

            “Yes, Mr. Spock,” said Scotty.

            “Let’s go, then,” said (Y/N).

            The security team kept an eye on Liviana, and she followed them in irritation.

            The moment she stepped onto the Bridge, she leveled a glare on Kirk and spoke. “I would give you credit, Captain, for getting this far, but you will be dead in a moment, and the credit would be gratuitous.”

            (Y/N) looked at Kirk’s face in surprise. It was modeled to look like a Romulan. Or a Vulcan. In short, it was weird. Kirk didn’t look as attractive as Spock with those ears or eyebrows. Not at all.

            Kirk ignored Liviana. “Lieutenant Uhura, open a channel to the Romulan vessel.”

            “Aye, sir,” said Uhura while Spock and (Y/N) took their positions at their stations. Next to each other, a pair as always.

            “We have Sub-commander Tal, sir,” said (Y/N).

            “Establish two-way visual contact,” said Kirk.

            “Aye,” said Uhura, and the viewing screen switched to display Tal.

            “We have you under our weapons, Enterprise. You cannot escape,” said Tal.

            “This is Captain Kirk, hold your fire,” said Kirk, knowing that, clearly, no one recognized him as the supposedly-dead captain. “We have your commander aboard.”

            “Commander,” said Tal, seeing Liviana.

            “Destroy this vessel!” she snapped. “I gave you a direct command.” Kirk jumped up to stop her from speaking, but the screen switched off as the Romulans cut contact. Too late.

            “Scotty, we’re running out of time,” said Kirk over the communications.

            “Captain, I’m working as fast as I can!” called Scotty in response.

            “You see, Captain?” said Liviana proudly. “Your effort has been wasted.”

            “Mr. Spock, distance from the Romulan vessel?” asked Kirk. His worry brushed over (Y/N), and they knew they needed Scotty to finish soon.

            “150,000 kilometers, Captain, and closing very rapidly,” reported Spock. 

            “Stand by phasers,” said Kirk. “Commander, you’ll forgive me if I put up a fight.”

            “Of course. It’s expected,” said Liviana.

            “100,000 kilometers,” said Spock. “They should commence firing at us within the next 12.7 seconds.”

            “Scotty,” said Kirk.

            “It’s ready now, Captain, but I don’t know whether our circuits can handle this alien contraption,” warned Scotty, worried about his baby the Enterprise.

            “Throw the switch,” decided Kirk.

            “It’ll likely overload,” said Scotty.

            “Throw the switch!” ordered Kirk.

            Scotty obeyed, and the Enterprise faded into darkness as the cloaking device activated.

            Kirk wasted no time continuing the escape. “Mr. Sulu, come about, 318 mark 7.”

            “318 mark 7, sir,” said Sulu. “Executing.”

            (Y/N) was aware of Liviana’s disappointment and frustration as Romulan tech was used against her people.

            “The cloaking device is working perfectly,” reported Spock.

            “And even the Romulan sensors cannot track a vessel so equipped,” said (Y/N).

            “Thank you, Mr. Spock, Mx. (L/N),” said Kirk, turning to face Liviana. “We’ll let you off at the nearest Federation outpost.”

            “You are very generous, Captain,” said Liviana stiffly. “If I may be taken to your brig, I will take my place as your prisoner.”

            Kirk shook his head. “You will be given quarters. Mx. (L/N) and Mr. Spock will escort you to them.”

            Oh, no, I don’t think that’s the best idea the captain’s had, thought (Y/N).

            Liviana nodded in acknowledgement. “Captain.”

            “Commander,” responded Kirk.

            Spock and (Y/N) walked over to Liviana, and they all stepped into the elevator.

            “It is regrettable that you were made an unwilling passenger,” said Spock honestly.

            “It wasn’t intentional,” said (Y/N).

            “All the Federation wanted was the cloaking device,” said Spock.

            “The Federation,” said Liviana coldly. “And what did you want it?”

            “For the mission to go smoothly and for no harm to come to you, your crew, or our own,” said (Y/N) honestly.

            Liviana swallowed. “You realize that very soon we will learn to penetrate the cloaking device you stole.”

            “Obviously,” said Spock. “Military secrets are the most fleeting of all.”

            “You two made your decisions,” said Liviana.

            “It is the only option we could take,” said (Y/N). “For the Federation.”

            “For one another,” said Liviana, looking between the two. “I suppose there were truly no inducements for you.”

            “No,” confirmed Spock.

            “We appreciate all of your kindness and hospitality, but nothing can take us from where we are,” said (Y/N).

            Liviana nodded. “I understand. Your loyalty is to be respected.”

            “As is yours,” said (Y/N), and Spock inclined his head.

l

            “Entering the Neutral Zone,” reported Chekov finally.

            “Very good, Mr. Chekov,” said Kirk, and the entire Bridge (and crew) was thankful to be returning to Federation space.

            “Sick Bay to Bridge,” said Bones over the comms.

            “What is it, Bones?” asked Kirk.

            “If all the shouting’s over up there, I’d like for you to report to Sick Bay,” said Bones.

            “What for?” asked Kirk, and behind him, (Y/N) and Spock returned to their stations.

            “Well, you’re due in surgery,” said Bones. “I’m going to bob your ears.”

            “Captain, please go,” said Spock. “Somehow, they do not look aesthetically agreeable on humans.”

            “Well, are you coming, Jim, or do you want to go through life looking like your First Officer?” teased Bones.

            “Bones, the problem isn’t that he looks like Spock,” said (Y/N), grinning fondly at their boyfriend. “It’s that he isn’t as attractive as him.”

            Spock straightened at the praise, pleased.

            Kirk sighed. “I’m on my way. I’d hate for my good looks to be ruined.”

            The Bridge laughed.

l

            “How are you feeling, Spock?” asked (Y/N) as they stepped into his quarters with him.

            “I am pleased with the mission ending in success,” said Spock. “However, I admit I was not pleased with the advances of the Romulan Commander.”

            (Y/N) nodded. “She was kind, but I didn’t like seeing her flirt with you.”

            “Nor I with you,” said Spock. He reached up and touched his fingers to theirs. “I know that you have no feelings for another.”

            “And I know the same about you,” said (Y/N).

            “Nonetheless, her touch to your hands made me…” Spock considered his words. “Vexed.”

            “Spock,” said (Y/N), allowing their fingers to run against his. “Even if my hands aren’t as intimate to touch as yours in Celian culture, I still understand what it means to you. And because it means something to you, it means something to me. It is how we share our affections.” (Y/N) lifted his hand and kissed his palm. “Know that I didn’t want her touch. I knew she was being intimate. I was going to step back before the Sub-commander arrived.”

            Spock nodded. (Y/N) was honest with him, so he had no reason to doubt them. They were always understanding and caring. They were his t’hy’la. Despite any jealousy, he knew his relationship was secure.

            “I appreciate your words, T’hy’la,” said Spock.

            “Of course, Dear,” said (Y/N), fingers still intwined. “You know I love you, and you’re the only one I want to be with.” Forever. In marriage, if you’d have me.

            “And I love you,” said Spock. “You are the only one with my heart.” The only one who will ever have my heart.

            (Y/N) smiled at Spock, and as he ran his fingers along theirs, he allowed himself a soft smile in return.

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

@h-l-vlovesvintage

@neenieweenie

@keylimeconstellation

@wormwig

@technikerin23

@ilyatan

@nthdarkqueen

[grayrazor]

I really don't like the recurring idea that if the Federation and Klingons go to war, the Klingons run roughshod over the Federation and can only be defeated by a deus ex machina.

It feels very conservative, very Red Dawn or Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, that a liberal bureaucratic state is weak and womanly, and will be inevitably dominated by a strong manly warrior race.

If anything, it'd be more reflective of what we know now about WWII, the Cold War, and after, if Klingon aggression is mostly a bluff.

They know the Federation massively outclasses them in terms of population and industry, and are ruining their own economy dumping everything into the military in the hopes that the Federation doesn't realize it too.

"The Federation says they're all about peaceful coexistence, but what if they're lying? How would we survive?"

Section 31 was created to explain how how such a pacifist organization as the Federation could survive with hostile empires on all sides. I think it’d be better if it was really just because the UFP is such a diverse alliance, it inherently has more population and industry than the many single-race empires.

If on a full wartime footing, the Federation should probably win simultaneous wars against the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians even if just by burying them in starships and soldiers.

I give Discovery a lot of crap for this, but much as I love DS9 they were really bad about buying into the whole "hard men making hard decisions win wars" idea, both in terms of portraying the Federation as needing the occasional war crime to survive, and in terms of the Terran Empire being overrun by the barbarians after they became more progressive.

[azazelsazaleas]

I finished watching through DS9 a few weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to do a rundown of my thoughts on it. Here goes:

- Oh my god that was fantastic. I really wish it’s given it a fair shake back when it was on the air; I was a dumb teenager who resented it for not being TNG and was going through a weird self-loathing phase where I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was the massive nerd that I am. This seriously lived up to the hype. I may have to do a TNG rewatch because this might just have upstaged it as my favorite 90s Trek.

- Andrew Robinson should’ve been made a full cast member. Ditto Max Grodenchik and Aaron Eisenberg.

- Damar’s transmission at the end of The Changing Face of Evil lives rent-free in my head. I cheered out loud at that.

- One thing the show did fantastically that a lot of other SF/fantasy properties don’t quite get right is that it lands a pitch-perfect balance of “these characters are major, important figures in the larger multinational conflict” and “this conflict is absolutely massive and not everything revolves around the same small group of people.” The fact that Sisko, Worf, Kira, Odo, et al are so important is entirely plausible and it never feels like the writers are trying to gratuitously bring everything back to them.

- That said, I kind of love that Admiral Ross’s leadership approach during the Dominion War eventually consists of doing whatever the hell Sisko tells him to do.

- God, the acting was incredible. Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Marc Alaimo, and Louise Fletcher were real standouts, but everyone was just so damned good.

- Actually, I really need to give special mention to Shimerman. The man went above and beyond to make Quark be something more than a joke character, despite how obvious it was that basically the entire production team wanted him to just be cartoonish comic relief. He worked harder to flesh out his character and show his race as a race of *people* (not just caricatures) than just about any actor playing an alien on Star Trek before him except for maybe Nimoy. Give the man a goddamn Emmy. Don’t believe me? Go rewatch the iconic root beer scene from The Way of the Warrior.

That said: I do have a few criticisms:

- Pretty much all of the (canon) romantic subplots were just…yikes. The only major exception I can think of Sisko/Yates, where they actually seemed to have a healthy dynamic, fall legitimately in love with each other, and generally treat each other like adults in a serious relationship, not bickering teenagers.

- Seriously, Worf/Jadzia got so hard to watch and then the fallout with Ezri was just ugggghhhhhhhhh stop please for the love of god

- Why did the writers need to try to romantically pair off all the female characters? Just, why?

- Kira had more sexual tension with that Romulan lady in half an episode than she did with any of her bucket-of-paint boyfriends over the course of seven years.

- I totally get the behind-the-seasons reasons why things panned out the way they did, but (hot take) I think Dax’s whole arc would’ve worked better if they had killed Jadzia off after the first season or two and brought in Ezri earlier. Jadzia was fun, but she was just too perfect to get many interesting stories and her relationship with Worf felt too much like manufactured drama. Having a trill who didn’t want to be joined, agreed to in a life or death emergency situation, and now has to reckon not only with taking on this symbiotic relationship with no preparation whatsoever but also succeeding this beloved person in the eyes of her loved ones is such a better setup for a character and it’s a pity we didn’t get to see that play out properly.

- Sisko deserved a better conclusion to his story. Give the man his damned house on Bajor and let him raise his kid with Kasidy. He’s more than earned it.

- Next time I rewatch the series, I’m skipping the mirror universe episodes and the ones with the genetically enhanced walking-90s-neurodivergent-stereotypes.

Other random thoughts:

- Dukat’s storyline should’ve ended with him getting killed at the end of Waltz. Either by Sisko, or by deluding himself so thoroughly that he does something suicidal. The pah-wraiths subplot felt like a lazy afterthought (except for the episode where he pretends to be Bajoran and starts fucking Kai Winn) and as much as I liked watching Marc Alaimo act, his story arc was basically over at the end of Sacrifice of Angels….which, incidentally is when Damar actually starts to get interesting.

- I loved the O’Brien must suffer episodes but I thought Hard Time was kind of overrated. Mostly for the plot line with the cellmate; I think I’m a little burned out on seeing stories that have a moral of “deep inside us is a line between humanity and savagery and when pushed to the limit, even the best of us would turn to murder.” It’s been done to death, and it’s really not truthful, at least for many people.

- I think I may have a little bit of a crush on Major Kira. It would never work out if I met someone like that in real life, though. I’m a laid-back, atheist, creative type; she’s a deeply devout former insurgent. Given certain real-life crushes I’ve had recently; maybe I’m just into strong women with big, expressive eyes who wear their hearts on their sleeve and have a spine made of fuckin’ steel. I have no idea what this says about me.

- MORN

- Favorite Episodes: In the Pale Moonlight, The Visitor, Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast, In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light, In the Cards, Duet, The Wire, Civil Defense, The Magnificent Ferengi, basically the entire Dominion War arc.

[omgpurplefattie]

Star Trek fusion for Mysterious Lotus Casebook -- you don't need to know about Star Trek to understand this! I will follow the planet-of-the-week format for the different cases, with a work for each case. Each case is broken into several chapters where the commercial breaks would be, for the more authentic Star Trek feel.

Fang Duobing is a human from Earth itself, not a colonial brat; Di Feisheng is a very unconventional Klingon, and Li Lianhua is a self-proclaimed space bastard of undisclosed provenience. His companion animal Fox Spirit is probably not just a dog.

The sects are ships from different species; at this era in Star Trek, we mostly have the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans. The Lotus Lodge is a small research vessel, RV Lianhua Lou which conducts 'research' only by virtue of her owner, Li Lianhua, being a doctor. Or maybe solving cases with Fang Duobing counts as research, too?

Episode 1 -- The Red Queen's Domain pt. 1

Having solved a sordid, pitiful and all-too-human murder in the mining colony of Jade City, Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing discover that the place hides a much deeper secret.

In a mined-out quarry, the crew of the RV Lianhua Lou find a hidden cave where a Klingon lies in cold sleep inside a cryo pod. Li Lianhua, he of many lies and secrets, seems to have some shared past with the freshly awakened warrior.

[northstarfan]

Trek Central Interview With Evan Evagora

An hour-long Twitch interview with Evagora, with lots more discussion about the proposed Exiles anime.

As usual, I’d recommend watching the actual interview for context, but some interesting tidbits about the Star Trek: Exiles proposal:

- Elnor would have left the Academy after the trauma of dying/resurrecting in PIC S2 - Elnor would belatedly respond to the Qowat Milat's request for help from PIC S2 and find their base on Vashti destroyed. - Hugh would have been back as a hologram companion - Alexander would have still been struggling with the expectation of his being a Klingon warrior - One of the crew was a stranded time-traveler from the future obsessed with 1980's Earth culture - The Gorn would have been the big bad, exploiting Borg technology the RFS on the Artifact had put out into the galaxy - Would have been some exploration of the Romulan Free State's political strength and Romulan culture in the wake of the supernova - Lots of swordplay, and not just from Elnor. Running with a mixed sci-fi/fantasy vibe

[staringdownabarrel]

I know the copy-paste fleet from PIC's Et in Arcadia Ego, Pt. II tends to get a lot of people riled up, but honestly, I feel like it makes a lot of sense from an in-universe perspective.

Like, one of the big issues Starfleet had in the TNG and DS9 eras was that basically any time a new threat rolled up at the border, their threat response was just whichever ships they could call up at short notice. This was one of the bigger reasons why the fleets in episodes like The Best of Both Worlds, Redemption, Pt. II, and the Descent two parter were a mish-mash of different classes: from Starfleet's perspective, it was quite literally just whoever they could drum up in the moment, not which ships were actually best for this job.

During the DS9 era, there was a shift from fleets being just whoever they could drum up to being actual formalised big fleets that consistently did maneuvers together. This is why it went from DS9 getting seven ships as reinforcements during the battle in The Way of the Warrior to there just being hundreds of ships that operated together a few seasons later. This is apparently a trend that continued after the Dominion War, too: in Nemesis, the fleet the Enterprise-E was supposed to link up with towards the end was referred to as Battle Group Omega.

I think having a couple hundred Inquiry-class ships operating as a single fleet would make sense in this context. A lot of the ships that were in service during the TNG/DS9 era would have been decommissioned or destroyed by this point, and Starfleet would have had to replace them with something. In seasons two and three of Picard, we've seen some of the other ships that have been introduced over the intervening decades; having a few rapid response units would also make sense.

This wouldn't necessarily square with Starfleet's exploratory and scientific missions, but I don't think it'd necessarily need to. Even in TNG, there were more military-focused officers like Captain Jellico and Admiral Nechayev who were very concerned with the Federation's security, and they didn't get in the way of the Enterprise-D's exploratory, scientific, or diplomatic missions.

The same would be true of the late 24th/early 25th century of PIC's first season: they could easily have both the heavily militaristic officers and the more pacifist officers working different missions for the most part. It's just that the part of the fleet we saw was the military part.

Plus, from a thematic point of view, this would tie into why Picard left Starfleet to begin with. In Remembrance, Picard straight up says he left because he felt that Starfleet wasn't Starfleet anymore. Having a noticeable chunk of the fleet set up to be the immediate military response to a new threat would make sense in that context. Picard's traditionally been the kind of guy who prefers peace and diplomacy (though he is a capable military guy when the chips are down), so Starfleet immediately being able, and potentially willing, to respond to everything with deadly force really would rub him the wrong way.

The other reason I don't mind there being a fleet of hundreds of Inquiry-class ships ready to go is because of the makeup of the Romulan, Klingon, and Cardassian fleets during DS9. While these powers did have some varieties in their fleets, for the most part they're just as guilty of flying copy-paste fleets as Riker was in Et in Arcadia Ego, Pt. II. While Starfleet was flying fleets with a large variety of ship classes, the Romulans were almost exclusively flying D'deridex-class warbirds, the Klingons mostly Vor'cha- and Negh'var-class battle cruisers with the occasional bird-of-prey and K'tinga-class, and the Cardassians exclusively Galor- and Keldon-class ships.

This doesn't necessarily mean that these are the only ships these powers had available, but they were very much the backbone of their battle fleets and were clearly considered to be the most capable of combat. Their other ships were probably made for much more specialised purposes.

This is probably a design philosophy Starfleet probably took as well. Instead of having most of their larger ships be jack-of-all-trade ships, they spent more time having specialised ships for specialised purposes. The end result of this is that they could have 200 Inquiry-class ships ready to go for this purpose rather than just have dozens of different classes that might not be the best for it, but would do in a pinch.

I feel like this is also something people would have warmed to a lot more over time, had the Picard writers not immediately try to back peddle in season two's opening episode, The Star Gazer. Had they just said, "Well, this is a new era, both of production and in-universe, and this is how Starfleet does battle fleets now," it might still be a contentious thing but people would eventually get used to it.

The other thing they probably should have done--and I still think they should do this at some point--is have a show set during this same period that focuses heavily on a five-year mission during this period. That'd allow room for an explanation that the copy-paste Inquiry fleets are mostly just for emergencies, and that other ship classes exist for different purposes. (I know eventually someone will say, "Yeah, but Lower Decks and Prodigy exist", but keep in mind they're set twenty-ish years prior to Picard.)

I think this would allow for starship classes to clearly be for much more set purposes rather than just be the jack-of-all-trade ships they've traditionally been. While there's been exceptions to this like the Oberth- and Nova-classes mostly being science vessels, the Defiant-class being a warship in all but name, and the Olympic-class being a medical ship, but these are mostly the exceptions.

Classes like the Constitution- and Excelsior-classes are nominally explorer classes, but have been shown to be used for military missions as well for example, and that tends to be the general rule for larger ships. For the most part, if they're a medium-to-large ship for the era, then they're used as a jack-of-all-trades ship rather than for a specialised purpose.

So really, the writers on Picard had the opportunity to really do something interesting with how starship classes get used and having a set canonical purpose for each new class, but then they chose to not do it because it didn't really gel with a lot of people. I feel like this is ultimately an unfortunate thing.

[theshadowrealmitself]

Thinking about the fact that even though Romulans and Klingons and Vulcans all have their history in being warriors and stuff,,,,they’re all science nerds trying to one up each other with science

[isagrimorie]

continued from this post:

@lovecanbesostrange: For the Borg stuff, pretty much what you usually talk about. I mean we can't go back and add that many visible implants/reminders. They really gave us beautiful-woman-in-tight-suit and when it fit the narrative it was "btw her head can open up and this is her actual vision". But mostly it felt like her nanobots and some enhanced senses were a nice deal. tbh I don't think PIC S2 did that good of a job to highlight what it meant for Seven to be 100% human. And in a show

Honestly? I agree with you -- it's like they had it in the first 3 episodes, and then just lightly touched on it after -- again, 10 episodes is not enough time with a story with such big ideas.

There's so much they could have done more than the visual of Seven not having her implants anymore. Seven was fully Human -- not just visually Human.

This means a lot of changes to Seven, not just intellectually. She had a visual acuity of 99.3% or something. She could see temporal changes. Her vision had a green filter.

The fact that she's not bowled over at seeing full color the whole time, like people who were color blind and seeing the full spectrum of color the first time is frankly astonishing.

Seven, being frustrated at not being as strong, being amazed she doesn't hear anything more than the ordinary person.

And she doesn't have steel running through her bones, which means she is also physically lighter.

She should find trade-offs to being fully Human. She finds that she loves it but also realizes she kind of hates it too and misses some of the things her implants gave her.

But the show is called Picard and at the end of the day, they will prioritize the time and scene-stopping moments when Picard has to hallucinate about his dead mother. (Sorry, I'm salty about the middle part so much).

lovecanbesostrange: with her as the center character again, we could maybe find some odd curiosities about her day to day behavior. Like everything you mention here. Including the standing for example. || I was actually more interested in the Romulans and the Borg separately than anything to do with the main AI storyline. Everything was way too big in PIC (which is also why I don't enjoy lots of stuff in DSC; make it smaller!).

This is where I trust in Terry Matalas, I know Terry from 12 Monkeys, and I trust he would handle Seven's story well. I also tracked what he said he wanted to do if given the chance to run with a new show -- and that he would love to go back to episodic storylines with some linking arcs.

Terry also likes writing about characters who carry a lot of guilt for what they've done in the past and complicated and messy characters who, in the end, are trying to do the best they can, which is something Seven fits to a tee.

(If you haven't seen 12 Monkeys yet, I highly recommend it! 4 seasons of great sci-fi time travel TV! And Jones is really very much influenced by Janeway!)

But my dearest wish is for the possible show to have Seven falling in love with Science again. I missed her doing science. I miss her turning up in a Jeffries tube unexpectedly doing repairs because it calms her down.

I miss her popping into an Astrometrics lab just to watch the stars.

I love warrior!Seven, but being a warrior is not just all who Seven is. She's a scientist, an engineer. She wanted to put star charts up on her wall because they pleased her aesthetically.

Seven was the unofficial Science Officer of Voyager. I hope we get that reflected, I hope in the pinning ceremony, Janeway quizzes her on all things science just like that one Admiral did to Janeway in Relativity.

I wish, I wish, I wish.

[hazelcephalopod]

…like it’s cool we got to see more TNG characters but overall how did “alright synthetics lost rights but get them back but also there are probably evil synthetics in… somewhere where they can access the current time and place and have named themselves like protectors of all synthetic life(?) and might do immense violence to further that goal. So the… nvm. Anyway… something about the borg. Oh and look the Romulans, they are sad now, also they have warrior nuns and this one dude; also a weird cult bent on preventing the synthetic apocalypse by any means and they might be kinda right -but also might also be causing the things they fear most. But actually fucketh all that let’s do time travel and a new mirror universe. The borg queen is here and it’s all Q’s fault. One of the crew fuses with the borg queen. They have to figure out what to do with half the cast. Well fuck that too, hey look all the old guys. Neat. Look changelings, alright cool. Anyway that was fun but screw it. It’s the Borg! Surprise!” happen?

Ya know, I liked season one. I thought it brought a couple cool ideas we’d get to explore. Elnor, who wants to be a warrior nun, and is Picards like pseudo adopted son kinda but not because fucketh that. Rios and Rafi and 7 who have fucking problems, and that’s kinda interesting. Picard, he is old and has so many problems. Soji the android who has been pseudo Manchurian candidate for an while and is just kinda a cool character idea. Unpopular ‘pinion but that Neras Narak guy, what was his deal? Why did he have that like inferiority complex, was that anything? But again, the weird evil synthetics and all those newly freed Borg and then they all just go away. But that was neat! We sweep “synthetic’s get rights (back) and the romulans uh, I guess they are around somewhere? Those borg are mostly dead tho(?)” right under the rugs and tbh those weren’t fully baked ideas but they were baking into something potentially interesting. So, it’s all just a little disappointing.

I hope maybe it will do some neat stuff in the future. In something. Idk.