#sarek has a favorite child

[sarue]

[dark-elf-writes]

Okay, I love good husband/father Sarek, but just imagine him running out to get whatever it is that Amanda craves while pregnant with Spock.

It’s three am and Sarek is logically bribing the Andorian place by their home to open back up after hours for the third time that week because it’s all Amanda has been able to keep down for days. He pays them ten times the normal amount every time it happens. They become far more agreeable to keeping later hours when he does.

Sarek’s control being put to the test when he sees Amanda dip pickles in her shake.

It’s two am and Sarek is making plomeek soup because “Your baby thinks it sounds good, Sarek!” (He will not admit the illogical thrill that runs through him when she says his baby. He will have to meditate on it later.)

Hearing Amanda crying while he’s meditating and sprinting to her side only to find she is holding an empty box she had mistakenly put back in the cabinet and she wants that particular snack right now.

The clerk that works the night shift at the convenience store by their home knows him by name. They keep a collection of Amanda’s preferred snacks behind the counter just in case.

The Andorian couple give him their personal number and promise to make all of Amanda’s favorites is he just calls ahead first. He tips them generously.

Sarek using his touch telepathy to know what Amanda is craving before she does and taking the worst of her nausea/pain away. She pouts at him, not liking that he is feeling discomfort for her. He tells her it is only logical as she is the one carrying their child.

The clerk at the convenience store calls him “Mr. S” now. It seems illogical to correct them when they are the only two people in the store in the dead of the night and Sarek is still in his sleeping robe.

He often comes up behind her and holds the weight of their child for her. It is the least he can do. The faint almost thoughts of their son that he can feel through the thrum of Amanda’s relief and joy and love indicate that he wants plomeek soup.

Amanda gives birth to their child and he is perfect. She has never looked more radiant than she does lying there exhausted but smiling as she holds their son, their Spock.

The Andorian couple ask when they are planning their second child.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Leonard McCoy

By Ames

We’re still boldly going through all the characters of The Original Series in A Star to Steer Her By’s latest blog collection, and this week the spotlight is on Dr. Leonard McCoy! We’re not even going to be at all objective about this one because Bones is the favorite TOS character of most of the hosts here at SSHB, so be prepared for us to gush about his curmudgeonly actions, witty one-liners, and constant back-and-forth with Spock.

It helps that DeForest Kelley brings so much more to the role than is on the page, so let’s dive in and discover what our favorite McCoy moments are, scrape the bottom of the barrel for some lesser moments, and generally fan all over the CMO of the starship Enterprise. Read on below and listen to this week’s banter on the podcast (discussion at 1:04:23) for more about this old country doctor. We hope you have a mint julep handy!

[Images © CBS/Paramount

Best Moments

Promoted too fast One of McCoy’s most highlighted facets is his obstinance, which is often played to hilarious effect. So when the ship is under threat from Balok’s Fesarius in “The Corbomite Maneuver,” it’s quite fitting that McCoy is stubborn enough to make what might be his last living action writing up Lt. Bailey just to spite Kirk for promoting him too fast. Now that’s no bluff!

Well, either choke me or cut my throat! Make up your mind! McCoy is at his most badass in “Space Seed” when his patient, Khan, has grabbed one of the good doctor’s handy wall knives and held him up. “It would be most effective if you would cut the carotid artery just under the left ear,” Bones says while his life is being threatened, and everyone watching this show goes “Daaaaaamn.”

Something called a mint julep. It’s a drink, Jim! Speaking of McCoy being a straight-up badass, when the subsonic transmitter is undoing the euphoric effects of the spores in “This Side of Paradise,” he straight up slugs the guy who dares imply that his job as a physician may have become obsolete on a planet with no disease. Without so much as dropping his drink! Grade-A badass right there.

My patients don't walk out in the middle of an operation Don’t forget that McCoy is a half decent doctor, especially considering most medical work in the future is waving a medical tricorder over people. But he proves his physician’s skills in “Journey to Babel” when he performs surgery on Sarek, transfusing a blood sample from a reluctant Spock and saving the ambassador’s life, all in the middle of a battle with Orions!

I’m trying to thank you… As we mentioned in the Spock spotlight post, the jail scene in “Bread and Circuses” is just stunning acting work from both Nimoy and Kelley. It’s such a short scene, but it’s got everything. And when McCoy ponders that Spock is afraid of living, afraid of showing his human half, afraid of feeling, they display in their acting that they’re both in the same emotional place and I love it.

A child could do it Like in “Journey to Babel,” Bones gets to prove his medical prowess in “Spock’s Brain,” even if it’s a little bit laughable overall. He does need help from the Teacher to give himself the temporary knowledge to reconnect Spock to his big Vulcan brain, but when that wears off, he keeps it together, and with a little help from his green-blooded friend, gets the job done.

Please give yourself every minute No wonder this episode was our favorite from TOS. What a great showcase for DeForest Kelley. His grappling with impending death in “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” is expertly played and beautifully explores how to measure a life’s happiness. McCoy’s romance with Natira is lovely and I heartily wish he didn’t have to leave her, though as I said in my review of Sawdust to Stardust, the novel Ex Machina revisits Yonada and is quite good!

I’ve been drafted There’s just something about Bones McCoy in The Motion Picture, standing on the transporter pad that he hates so much, grumbling at Kirk about getting drafted back into Starfleet, complaining like a cantankerous old coot about all the renovations made to his medical bay, all while wearing the most disco of civilian attire that is just plain charming.

I choose the danger While we found it a biiiit presumptuous for Spock to cram his katra into McCoy in The Wrath of Khan, it allows for some just plain great DeForest Kelley acting in The Search for Spock, so we can kinda forgive the violation. All movie long, McCoy gets to act like he’s mildly possessed by Spock, and then bravely face the fal-tor-pan ceremony that could be dangerous to humans. “Hell of a time to ask.”

What is this, the Dark Ages? While it could be seen as a blatant infringement of the Temporal Prime Directive to give a kidney pill to the woman on dialysis in The Voyage Home, you’ve just gotta love it when Starfleet doctors take matters into their own hands for the sake of a patient. Does the Hippocratic Oath trump the prime directive? Probably not, but McCoy is a hero to that woman regardless.

Not long after, they found a cure Sometimes Star Trek just doesn’t deserve DeForest Kelley, whose acting chops are frequently the best on the show, in our humble opinions. And the debated worst of the TOS films actually has some legitimately great McCoy moments – watching him euthanize his father only to learn a cure has been later found in The Final Frontier is such a moving scene that we really feel for.

Aside from a touch of arthritis… Only Leonard McCoy could get away with cracking a joke during his conspiracy trial prosecuted by relentless Klingons, as he does in The Undiscovered Country. And he even gets a couple of laughs out of the spectating Klingons in the audience, which may make up for getting convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Take that, Chang!

—

Worst Moments

I was thinking about the buffalo The very first introduction of McCoy in “The Man Trap” sees him doing some pretty irrational things. How is Plum’s mind so clouded that he can’t see Nancy for what she really is, especially when she’s literally sucking the salt out of the captain? And it’s an emotional scene, but I still can’t forgive McCoy for killing the M-113 creature, a sentient being and the last of its kind.

Don’t peek! Something rubbed us the wrong way about Bones’s flirting with yeoman Barrows in “Shore Leave.” Maybe it’s the age gap. Maybe it’s that they didn’t have a ton of chemistry. Maybe it’s that we ship him and Natira way more. Or maybe it’s that when she asks him not to watch her change, his response is “My dear girl, I am a doctor. When I peek, it’s in the line of duty.” Gross, doc.

Two drops of cordrazine can save a man's life Every so often, we really question Dr. McCoy’s doctoring skills and how his shenanigans wouldn’t fly in later series. And as much as it serves as the impetus for one of the best TOS episodes, being careless enough to inject oneself with a hundred times the normal dose of cordrazine in “The City on the Edge of Forever” – time ripples or not! – is just plain ineptitude.

You are out of line… sir. McCoy says in “The Doomsday Machine” that he hasn’t had time to run an examination on Decker to declare him medically or psychologically unfit to command. Well, why not, doctor?! If in “The Deadly Years,” we had time to hold a trial about Kirk being too senile to command, you surely have the authority to order the commodore to a checkup. You’re the CMO for chrissakes!

I’m a doctor, not an escalator Everything McCoy does on Capella IV in “Friday’s Child” is very strange to me. a) Why had McCoy been there when these people are still in primitive stages? b) Why didn’t McCoy TELL Grant that drawing his phaser would get him killed? c) What fetishist wrote the slap fight with the pregnant woman? This whole incident was just eyebrow raising, one of McCoy’s specialties!

A total resentment towards women See what I mean about Bones not understanding doctoring sometimes? A woman crewmember makes a mistake that bonks Scott on the noggin, so McCoy diagnoses Scott with misogyny in “Wolf in the Fold,” and prescribes a trip to a brothel. That was a thing that happened. What incel wrote this nonsense? Sometimes, Star Trek, your being written in the sixties really shows.

They reproduce bisexually Another weird medical gaff McCoy makes is stating that the tribbles reproduce bisexually in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Someone on the writing team apparently had no idea what that word means and it resulted in making McCoy just sound incompetent. The tribbles reproduce asexually, and their being born pregnant is what Bones was trying to relay when he flubbed it hard.

I think I left it in Bela’s office Not only did McCoy NOT get to play dress up in gangster clothes like Kirk and Spock in “A Piece of the Action” (what a waste; he would have looked great!), but the button at the end of the episode reveals that he’s left his communicator on Sigma Iotia! Well. Go and get it, nincompoop! That’s cultural contamination! Beam it up! Amateurs, I swear to Okmyx.

…you pointed-eared hobgoblin! Most of our worst McCoy moments have been a bit tongue-in-cheek until now, but you do have to admit that McCoy’s constant stream of casual racism at Vulcans is absolutely problematic. And as much as we credit the beautiful jail scene in “Bread and Circuses” (as I already did above), it’s also the time that he called Spock a “pointed-eared hobgoblin” and that’s not okay. The rest of that scene is still great though.

Will I become like Chekov, doctor? Okay, doc, I know everyone’s going mildly nuts in “The Tholian Web” because of the space crazies, but Uhura’s claim that she saw the captain should have been taken seriously. It was a symptom no one else had displayed. You already knew Kirk was vanishing and reappearing. And later you take Scott seriously when he makes the same claim. Justice for Uhura!

They've lost confidence in you We mentioned this episode in our Spock coverage, but it bears repeating. Everything was out of place in “The Tholian Web,” and McCoy was in rare form being extra racist to Spock the whole time. Even if it’s for good reason (Spock is terrible at command!), McCoy comes off as petty, emotional, and cruel all episode long and that’s not the kind of light-hearted ribbing he usually gives Spock.

It tastes just fine One final blundering McCoy moment comes in The Animated Series episode “The Eye of the Beholder.” “The water is too pure,” according to Spock, before McCoy reveals that it tastes fine. What are you doing drinking untested water on a planet where people have disappeared, bonehead? And getting crushed by a dragon somehow? What is this, amateur hour?

— This blogpost is dead, Jim! We know Bones is a doctor, not an engineer, so fittingly next week we’ll make sure to aim our character spotlight at an engineer! Join us for our celebration of all things Montgomery Scott here on the blog, and also in our continued watchthrough of all Trek over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast. You can also hail us over on Facebook and Twitter, and maybe don’t keep your scalpels mounted above the biobed, doc. Just a thought.

[strangenewwords]

List O' Fics on AO3

now with update status! (10/30/23) slownorimo update (6218 over the goal!)

Spirk

TOS/SNW

don't you know me - Still being updated.

One morning, Admiral Kirk's unbreakable bond with his husband is suddenly severed. The cause? A temporal anomaly that has turned the 55-year-old Spock into his 31-year-old self. Now, they find themselves on an uncharted path, facing an uncertain future where their shared journey hangs in the balance, teetering between continuity and divergence.

Mature (for talk about sex, but sex is kept in oneshots). Chaptered and incomplete.

we ran aground - Completed.

Set when Kirk is the XO of the Farragut and Spock is the science officer on the Enterprise. Both ships are in dry dock for repairs, and Spock runs into Kirk at a bar. He walks him home. Things progress. There's chess. And sex.

Explicit. More porn. Can also do the standalone thing, but falls in Don't You Know Me universe.

take me how you want me - Completed.

Kirk and Spock are on Vulcan for their wedding. Spock can't seem to find his center. Jim helps. With his body.

Explicit coz porn. Can be read as a standalone but is backstory from don't you know me.

Sarek x Amanda

TOS/SNW/DISCO/AOS

we can blame it on human nature - Paused

Yet another Amanda and Sarek origin story.

When four-year-old Sybok arrives on Earth to live with his father, Amanda Grayson's life takes an unexpected turn. She can't resist falling for the charm of this endearing child, but things get even more intriguing when she meets the tall, dark, and utterly captivating Sarek.

As Amanda and Sarek navigate the complexities of their newfound connection, they discover a magnetic pull between them that defies all logic. Together, they must chart a course through the chasm of their differences, all while exploring the depths of the emotions that bind them.

Teen, and it'll stay there. This is a sweet story with a dash of heat.

beyond logic - On Pause

The blurb is wrong because it's going to be redone. But Sarek x Amanda and dark and steamy.

So, so much Explicit.

Captain Shaw

burn the whole house down - On Pause

Captain Liam Shaw is a shitshow held together by the terrors of his past. This is a story of him finding something else to live for.

Mature for language, but'll probably go up to explicit because my Shaw is sex!driven. Whatcha gonna do?

Spock x Chapel

tangled memories - Completed

When nightmares haunt Christine, Spock becomes her anchor.

Teen, with some implied sex but no actual sex.

Deep Space Nine

forever and more - Completed.

Julian and Miles have bad habits. Julian keeps saying he'll stop. Garak is there to pick up the pieces.

Mature for sex, but not porn.

Father Brown

you used to be my favorite memory - On Pause

Sidney Carter and Inspector Sullivan knew one another in London years before Sullivan showed up in Kembleford. Sullivan's astonished to run into Sid again in this tiny, out of the way town. Sid can't believe Sullivan is getting on his case after the way things went down. They try to figure out where each of them fits into this new arrangement, especially when they can't seem to keep of out each others way.

Teen, but may bump up to M as I move forward.

pinch me - Completed

Sid and the Inspector regularly heat up the caravan. In the aftermath on this afternoon, their conversation drifts to how things started and where they are

M for implied sex, fondling.

[bumblingbabooshka]

What being Sarek’s Favorite Child Does to a Motherfucker AKA: Mutiny Specialist

[Comic One Transcript] Michael looks off to the side as she speaks with Spock. They are both children. It is implied that Spock has asked Michael to tell Amanda she loves her. M: Why don't you just tell Amanda you love her? Instead of trying to live vicariously through my humanity. Spock appears flustered, caught off guard by the accusation. S: That's not-! I am simply... You are the only one who can do it, Michael! You are the only one and yet you will not- you will...not...n-not... Michael’s gaze stalls Spock’s tongue. Her expression is impassive with a hint of distain. Real or perceived? Her control is iron clad, unlike her Vulcan brother’s. Spock stops speaking, intimidated and suddenly self-conscious. He has seen this look before.  S: Those eyes...the eyes of Vulcan. [Comic Two Transcript] An adult Michael looks tired and disgruntled, vaguely annoyed. She has wrapped a ratty blanket around herself and she is speaking to Spock, ostensibly out of view. M: Spock, I could have spent every second of our childhoods telling Amanda how much I loved her. Seeking out and receiving hugs, kisses and praise. It would still never have been enough for you. You would still resent me. Because it was never about me and my (real or imagined) distance from Amanda. It was about yours. Michael pulls the blanket tighter around her. She looks remorseful. Her previously iron clad control has softened to a circle. M: ...And I am sorry. I'm sorry you could never say you loved her. None of us could, in the end...I wish I could have said it for you. I wish I could have held her for you. But I think you would have only hated me more if I did. [END]

[mysticninetalis]

My Star Trek HeadCanons

Hiya! I just had a lot of head-canon's running around in my head so I just wanted to share a few! These are an amalgamation of things grabbed from Memory Alpha/Beta, as well as what I just like to think are implications of happenings that took places in these character’s lives. I also have a more adult list for more sexy and/or serious HC’s (if you wanna see those)

~~~~~~

Jim Kirk

Certified genius, by both Human and Vulcan standards

Very ADHD

Loves to dances, especially as a kid

This man has freckles everywhere

Had a pet mini-cow named Pickles

Graduated highschool at 16

Got his Masters in Xeno-linguistics and Engineering from UC Berkeley & MIT respectively, by the age of 21

Lover of old 20th/21st music ( think the Beasty Boys, Nickelback, Red Hot Chili Peppers, FFDP,  Lil’ John, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, ect.)

He purposely fucks with Bones by singing “Get Low” anytime the joke call for it ‘cause he know the old Grumpus hates it

Has a cow plushie that he has kept to this day, it was his dad’s.

Loves himself a good Pina Colada

Is honestly a huge bookworm (his guilty pleasure is dirty novels lol)

loves to cuddle (especially with Bones or Galia)

allergic to most fruits and flowers (including a lot of aliens fruits. Also strawberries, which sucks because he loves them), as well as most nuts

He’s such a sucker for gelato, but Bones restricts how much he has :(

A very loving and open pansexual 

Loves to wear all kinds of clothing, especially a good dress every now and then

Met Sulu in his 2nd year because he joined the fencing club

Took Chekov under his wing and they were study buddies

Spock

Has a stuffed Sehlat  names Muffins that Sybok gave him when he was 2 

Queer as shit

Follower of the “Talk Shit, Get Hit” way of life

Followed Sybok & Micheal everywhere (even sneaking out with whenever they did during the older sibling’s shenanigans)

Always got carried by his “scruff” by I-Chaya whenever he was getting into things he wasn’t supposed to

His answer to everything when in trouble was “Following one’s curiosity is logical, it is how one learns” (his made Amanda always laugh and Sarek question his life)

Has a tattoo of the vulcan G’teth bush & Induku tree wrapped in Terran roses on his left shoulder (an homage to his family’s humanity and vulcan culture) as well as the mark of the Khas-wan wrapped along his left bicep.

He has a few ear piercings and actually likes ear jewelry (it is one of his few illogical indulges)

Is a avid poetry reader

Mastered the art of Suus Manha around the age of 10

He very much understands human colloquialisms and metaphors, he just acts like he doesn't to fuck with people.

During the customary show-and-tell every child has after their Khas-wan, Spock brought the pelt of a young Le-Matya he had killed, because it was only logical to tell in detail how he survived to his classmates (and rub it in Stonn’s face)

Totally has a secret love for ABBA (and disco in general), Reggaeton, American Country music, and dancing of many terran verities thanks to his mother and her side of the family (including but not limited to knowing how to whine, the tango, the waltz, and southern line dancing)

Dyslexic as shit, but learned to overcome it thanks to his mama

Such a Mama’s boy, will beat of anyone who talks shit about Amanda, including adults when he was a child

cried for days when Sybok was sent off planet, and again when Micheal left, and no one was able to comfort him besides Muffins

Leonard Horatio “Bones” McCoy

The gentlest person alive under all that bluster

Half-Hispanic on his Mama’s side

Makes tamales during the christmas holidays

The galaxies #1 Daddy, he has a mug that says so

Was in charge of hair day when they lived together because he was the parent that braided the most efficiently (plus it kept his hands very dexterous for work)

Knits Joanna sweaters (he also crocheted her a stuffed Tinkadink because it was her favorite Pokemon and like the fact that it hits other pokemon out of the sky)

Wore a pretty floral white and lavender sundress dress to Daddy-Daughter day because when Joanna was in 3rd grade she wanted to try out some “boy” clothing but was worried her friends would think she was weird

Loves Country music (especially Mark Twain, Morgan Wallen, and Dolly Parton)

He’s also a metal-head

Always lets Joanna dress him whenever they visit, they also paint each others nail

Almost tore Joanna’s 5th grade teacher a new one because some little twat kept bullying her about her hair

Applied to the VSA with an amazing transcript and medical journals to his name and was denied for some bullshit reason, which is why he’s salty about Vulcans

Discovered he was Bi at a young are because he saw an interview of Ambassador Sarek holo and thought he was real pretty

Graduated highschool at 16, got his MD and PHD is Psychology by 21 and finished his residency at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta

Married Jocelyn Treadway at 19, and had Joanna at 22

Makes time for the gym even if his week is hellish (both when he was in school, as well as at work), has very much a well built dad-bod with a big chest and thighs

Was the captain of his high school track team

Danced competitively all throughout his childhood (mainly traditional hispanic cultural dances and was in a more contemporary crew throughout high school and college when he had the time)

Was a exotic dancer starting at 18 to pay for college, which is also where he met Jocelyn

He also took Chekov under his wing and would given anyone who made comments about the whiz kid a patented McCoy glare and just the best passive aggressive bedside manner whenever they were under his care

Wears his Daddy’s Saint Raphael necklace that has Joanna’s birthstone

Nyota Uhura

Secretly loves those cheesy rom-com holovids

a pansexual Queen

A woman who lived by the motto “Gaslight, Girlboss, Gatekeep”

Hated when Kirk and Galia would always cuddle in their dorm room, but eased up one night when she heard Kirk singing a Orion lullaby to a sleeping Galia.

While she puts her career first, she is a very maternal person at heart and loves to babysit whenever Joanna would visit the Academy/Enterprise

oddly enough, shes an amazing impressionist

Beginning halfway through her second year (Kirk’s first), Kirk started to randomly talk to her Vulcan, than Klingon and slowly it turning into an ongoing competition to see who between the two of them know more languages

Loves to do Yoga as well as leaned how to traditional Orion dance from Galia as a form of exercise

Found out after a night of drinking with their friend group that Leonard knew how to poll dance and asked him for lessons whenever their schedules lined up, it be came a bi-monthly thing for them

Always gets her family cute little odds-and-ends for their birthday, as well as a card that says how much she loves them in different languages rotating every year

Shares Spock’s love for earrings and will get him a new pair for his birthday

During the bi-annual talent show, she and Spock usually did an act together

One year it was a tie between her Spock, and Jim & Galia’s dance act

Her, Hendorf, CHristine and Leonard have a once a month girl’s night where they meet in Nyota & Galia’s dorm and talk shit

When she heard that Gary Mitchell spread rumors about Jim being a whore, she did everything in her power to make that man’s life miserable

Sometimes the odd person will make a misogynistic/racist comment about her or her appearance, and miraculously Jim and the person who said it willinup at Medical with Leonard being extra mean to said misogynist (and if Spock hears anything while he’s out wither her, they’ll get the verbal ass whooping of their lives as well as a demerit in their file)

[helianthusaster]

I have the TOS brainrot ♡

Have a headcanon!

Semi-spoilers for S2 Ep10: Journey to Babel

So, basically, Scotty and Spock are cousins because they're my favorite blorbos and it works ok!!!

Spock & Scotty's grandparents, Muriel and Patrick Scott, divorced when their mothers, Amanda and Anna Scott were 10 years old. Amanda Scott, later Grayson--her mother's surname, moved to New England (take your pick, I personally get DC vibes) to work for Starfleet while Anna Scott stayed in Aberdeen with their father.

Amanda, after kicking Sarek's ass for "insulting her intelligence" and subsequently marrying him (cause that's totally how that went), moved to Vulcan and had Spock; who canonically left Vulcan at 18 to attend Starfleet Academy.

During the summer, at her request, Spock stayed with his Aunt Anna, in the hopes of connecting with the nephew she didn't know she had until literally 2 hours prior because communications between Vulcan and Earth take Far Longer Than They Should and also Amanda and Anna kinda lost contact 3 years after "The Separation". Through this random arrangement, Anna was able to connect with her nephew, who got both incredibly homesick and lonely during his time on Earth, by teaching him how to play Earth games like Chess and Stramash. He, in turn, opened up a bit and was able to teach Anna a few Vulcan phrases like "hello" and "goodnight", because--contrary to popular belief--Spock was far more antisocial and silent in his early days at the Academy than he ever was on the Enterprise because his Aunt Anna (he called her "Aun'tanna", and she called him "Squawk" in return cause we love a Canonically dyslexic family ♡; Anna having visual and Spock having deep and visual) and her son, Montgomery (or "Won'ry" as Spock called him), worked really hard to undo all of the literal child abuse he had been faced with.

Sarek did his best with what he thought was right for a Vulcan child but did not take into account that Spock is not only dyslexic (canonically) but also autistic (fanonically) and did not know how to accommodate him because it was an Undocumented Phenomenon (The term "Autism Spectrum Disorder" was created in 1988 but was not made a formal diagnosis until 2013; which could not have happened in Star Trek: TOS because it is preceeded by The Eugenics Wars from 1992-1996) in Both Humans and Vulcans, so she defaulted to "spare the rod, spoil the child." (If you don't believe me go rewatch Journey to Babel and tell me that's the first time she's done that to him based purely on his reaction. You know the scene.)

Also, Scotty didn't realize they were cousins until month 3 of their 5 year mission on the Enterprise when Anna brought a photo album with her shortly after they docked for shore leave and showed them pictures of her and her sister as kids. He thought that Spock was just a random Vulcan exchange student living in their house for like 4 years that his mom kinda "adopted".

Spock has drunk Scotty under the table (the equivalent of a full keg of Scotch) before immediately passing out after a single Scottish Jersey (Scotch Hot Chocolate).

And thus, this image was born!

Operation: Give Spock As Many Friends As Possible (also Operation: Everyone On The Enterprise is Neurodivergent) is in full swing! :D

I hereby dub this hc "S'Cousins"!

[eco-lite]

New Star Trek book review!

Diane Duane is one of the only people I trust with Spock’s character. Besides Original Series writer Dorothy Fontana and Leonard Nimoy himself, nobody else captures Spock in the way I see him. So obviously Duane’s novel Spock’s World is essential reading for me.

This book takes a very literal approach to the title, splitting its time between the present day plot and an account of Vulcan’s history going as far back to the literal formation of the planet. The “Enterprise” plotline focuses on the current tensions on Vulcan, whose government is teetering on the edge of seceding from the Federation. Each chapter of the “Vulcan” plotline follows people (all implied to be Spock’s ancestors) living during critical points in Vulcan’s history, from the planet’s genesis to Spock’s birth.

It was really interesting to see Duane’s take on Vulcan’s history. We don’t know much from canon besides the fact that Vulcan’s history was very war-torn until Surak’s philosophies of logic and embracing diversity caught on. In my head, I always imagined that following Surak’s teachings allowed the Vulcans to finally reconcile their differences and work together to achieve all of their technologies and space travel. But Duane posits that Vulcan had already developed many advanced technologies and was using them for intraspecies destruction long before Surak. It was these technologies’ horrifying power that jolted Surak awake and inspired his future teachings. Duane also claims that the Romulan split was post-Surak, which… idk, that just seems way too recent to me. I’m not buying that bit. But my favorite aspect of the “Vulcan” chapters was the visual motif of Vulcan’s sister planet T’Khut standing watch over all Vulcans, and Vulcans in turn looking to her for guidance and inspiration. I could picture the looming T’Khut’s sunset visage so vividly. Wonderful imagery.

While the “Vulcan” plotline shows us Vulcan’s past, the “Enterprise” plotline shows us the threat of its possible future outside of the Federation. Despite the popularity of Surak’s “infinite diversity in infinite combinations” philosophy, xenophobia is very much alive amongst the Vulcan population. Certain individuals (I won’t give it away, but I will say I think it’s VERY contrived) have taken advantage of the population’s anti-human sentiments to leverage their own agendas. It’s up to Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sarek, and others to convince the public that secession is not the answer. McCoy in particular really shines in this story. Despite how often he gripes and pokes fun at Spock’s Vulcanisms in the show, he adamantly believes that the relationship between humans and Vulcans benefits everyone and is a crucial part of what made the Federation the utopia it has become. Everybody clap for character growth! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 There are also many delightful moments of the triumvirate just hanging out and chatting while they’re on Vulcan and the Enterprise, which we love to see.

My main gripe with this book (besides the contrived antagonist) is that there’s not enough Spock content! For a book called Spock’s World, I expected it to be from his perspective. There are a couple of scenes from Spock’s POV, but Kirk is the main perspective here. And though Kirk is great, Spock is who I’m really here for. I wanted to get deep into his feelings about the situation given he’s a child of both worlds. But I guess I’ll stick to AO3 for the truly emotional fanfiction.

Other than that though, Spock’s World is full of great character moments and interesting exploration of Vulcan’s history. A must-read Trek novel. Thank you, @dianeduane !

[ao3feed-spirk]

The Emotional Relevance of Gravitational Pull

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/43646415

by overteen

James T Kirk is a man who knows pain. He is a man who has watched the world go up and flames and went into the blazing fire to save everyone. His love of humanity despite everything it has done to scorn him is what makes him Jim. His love of humanity is what drives him into the heart of a man who hates his humanity. Then the arms of a man who wants to destroy humanity.

He sat in the back of the walk in closet he shared with his brother. Sam had told him to cover himself with clothes and to not breathe too hard in case Frank wanted to go after both of them. The clothes smelled like the laundry soap Sam always used. He said it was Dad’s favorite, but Jim would never know the difference. To him, this was the soap that Sam used. The scent of comfort was cedar laundry soap and old campfire smoke. Sam always said he preferred to cook over the fire because the replicators were always horrible. Jim knew that he was lying. Frank didn’t let them use the replicator because he didn’t think they were worth it. Jim liked it when Sam made dinner though, it was always more filling. There was a loud crash, followed by screaming. Sam’s screaming.

Words: 5818, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Christopher Pike, Winona Kirk, Khan Noonien Singh | John Harrison, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Gaila (Star Trek: Alternate Original Series), Sarek (Star Trek), Amanda Grayson

Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock

Additional Tags: follows aos timeline but uses a lot of tos lore/canon, Tarsus IV, Tarsus IV Trauma (Star Trek), Post-Tarsus IV Massacre (Star Trek), Angst, pike is a good uncle, Academy Era, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/43646415

[rustystars]

favorite sarek depiction forever & ever going to be grad valucan because grad vulcan always wins always. the maybe two lines of dialogue he has MAX but the whole time speaking to spock in the same way one speaks to a small and beloved child

[elen-aranel]

Okay but

Come Dine with Me: Enterprise Edition

Ortegas is the first to go. She starts out with a plan and then winds up winging it. She only burns two components and winds up making a sauce that she tasted on shore leave, but didn't plan on making.

Spock is next. Everything is delicious, but it's...Oddly too perfect? Like in an accidentally off-putting way. And he's used a lot of pre-made foods because it's illogical to make everything from scratch when the prepackaged ingredients are perfectly sufficient

Pike goes third. He has an unfair advantage, what with being Captain Dad and knowing everyone's favorite foods. Everything is delicious. He personalizes dessert. He's adorable.

La'an goes last. Like Ortegas, she goes in with a really good plan, but she actually sticks to it. She's done so many test runs, it's impossible for anything to go wrong.

Yes to all this!

First of it’s been a while since I watched it but

Ortegas would’ve have done really well on like ambiance etc but her guests were a little bit too anxious for her because she couldn’t quite cover the fact that things weren’t going to plan

That said, the sauce was excellent, and totally distracted from the burnt bits

Chris made sure to get the recipe afterwards

Here is a hill I will die on:

Spock never learned to cook as a child.

It was not logical for Sarek to spend his valuable time preparing food.

Sarek low-key insists on only eating Vulcan food

Amanda does not cook, and she especially does not cook Vulcan food. I think she went to a class once. The teacher was kind of anti-human and it did not go well. Amanda leaned into the idea that the wife of Sarek has better things to do with her time than cook.

So! Spock only really interacted with cooking when he started serving with Chris, and he doesn’t entirely see the logic of dealing with unpredictable fresh ingredients when the synthesiser is fine and produces nutritionally perfect sustenance. And! He also has Opinions about whether you should add salt or pepper or how much sauce (like seven of nine will when she gets into cooking)

(I think Sarek may have staff. Or disciples who also cook for him.)

Pike is Pike. Really he should win. But

La’an’s food is really really good. She workshopped the menu with Una, and tried it on a bunch of cadets going through the security rotation, and perfected it on Uhura. And while relaxing with friends still doesn’t come completely naturally to her, she makes the effort (Uhura took her life into her hands and told her to chill) and everything isn’t quite as controlled as it was for Spock.

So I think when the votes are in, everyone ends up marking Chris a little more harshly because this is his bread and butter so he comes second, and La’an wins.

[skimblyspones]

No but an interesting aspect to the spones dynamic in Friday’s Child isn’t just that amazing hand-cheating scene, but also just. The conceit of the episode. That of the three, it’s Bones who knows this alien culture, and knows it well. Bc, as we know, he doesn’t Get Vulcans. He doesn’t understand them and he’s made uncomfortable by their culture, most likely because he doesn’t know its intricacies (there’s also the added factor of Spock being half-human while taking every opportunity to shittalk humans, and he seems to be Bones’ main avenue to Vulcans. So we see him get confrontational and xenophobic abt Vulcans, but this is also often in the context of him and Spock sparring words, where most of the time they seem on the same page). So now we get a Bones who isn’t just open to but actively, deeply aware and respectful of an alien culture in a way that he isn’t with Vulcans.

There’s one episode between Friday’s Child and Amok Time in terms of production; Amok Time coming after. Bones is one of the first to know Spock’s behaving strangely. He goes to Vulcan; he is honored to be invited to the surface by Spcok. He sees most of the ceremony. Vulcan is no longer this vague alien thing represented solely through Spock. There’s still a whole lot he doesn’t know or understand, he was on the planet for less than a day. But he’s now seen Vulcan as a planet; as a people; as a culture.

Journey to Babel was produced well after Friday’s Child (they are 12 episodes apart). In Journey to Babel, Bones shows interest in the Vulcan salute, tries to imitate it, and considers attempting it again for Sarek before putting his hand back down. His comments are also far less barbed when made, but this could also be because, you know. They are literally hosting The Vulcan Ambassador. But there’s an effort there. An attempt to learn what he doesn’t know and be respectful.

...And then Immunity Syndrome happens a few episodes later. A full vessel of Vulcans dies, and Spock is noticeably overwhelmed with the telepathic connection/severance, and with the ensuing grief. And he and Bones fall out of sync. In his distress, Bones ushers him to Sickbay. There are some usual quips about ineffable Vulcan anatomy, which don’t get a response, but then the disconnect becomes clear. Bones is trying to understand what’s going on; he doesn’t understand how Vulcans tick; what he thought were the rules for telepathic connection aren’t carrying through here. And 400 instantaneous deaths strains human comprehension.

But the way he approaches the topic is in his typical fashion; that is, he words it confrontationally. “Not even a Vulcan could feel a starship die.” And because we’ve gotten to know McCoy, we can probably, safely assume that he’s not trying to be like “You’re lying, the starship didn’t die,” so much as “This is new information to me, and I am struggling to comprehend the scope of what’s happened.” But Spock literally just experienced 400 simultaneous deaths and is, shockingly, Not In The Mood, and reads it as invalidation. And the hurt is p obvious in his voice. So Bones clarifies with “But 400 Vulcans?” Spock picks up now that it’s not disbelief of his experiences but a struggle to swallow what has happened, but he’s still hurt and grieving, and turns it into an attack on humans, as well as a specific call out towards McCoy’s usual comments abt Vulcans as unemotional.

McCoy isn’t the only one aboard to make these comments, and usually no matter who says it, Spock is able to understand the context and that it’s usually said without active malice. But he’s hurting, and Bones is here, struggling to understand the depth of loss, and what better time to release your resentment over your crewmates’ favorite joke than when your hurt seems to be being ignored? “You speak about the objective hardness of the Vulcan heart. Yet how little room there seems to be in yours.” Bones has often been the one to worry about large-scale loss of life. Bones is a doctor. He already has to compartmentalize death. He never planned on joining a branch of the military where combat and death are more likely to happen. And now 400 Vulcans have died. He is not heartless. But Spock is grieving, and the two have generally tended toward callousness toward each other.

McCoy lets the comment sit until Spock is almost out the door, offering a small parry of “Suffer the deaths of thy neighbor, eh, Spock? You wouldn’t wish that on us, would you?” It’s a gentle pushback to be understood in the way they talk to each other. It’s, “I understand, in theory, what it is you’re going through. It’s true that I can’t fathom it. I validate that this is a horrible experience to go through. However, it’s not fair to call me heartless because I can’t fully understand your experience.”

And Spock, still hurting, answers by playing dumb to what McCoy was primarily angling at, instead saying “It might have rendered your history a bit less bloody.” He is not backing down on his claim about humans’ capacity of grief and feeling. He is not in the mood for a back and forth. So McCoy leaves it there.

In general, Spock is able to collect himself after this. Instead, we get Bones in a more agitated-than-usual state in the episode. He’s had his capacity of dedication challenged. Going out into the giant organism is a scientific opportunity, yes, but Spock is also a Science Officer and, as he mentions in the episode, knows how to use the Life Science equipment. Bones is not so stubborn as for his indignation over Spock being chosen to be solely based on missing out on a chance at glory.

Anyway. Back on the topic of what I meant for this post to be out, that being a small arc in terms of Spones and Bones’ approach to Vulcan culture.

The confrontation in front of the Shuttle launch bay. Bones covering the control pad. And first of all just. “You’re determined not to let me share in this, aren’t you?”  UGH that line kills me. As I mentioned before, I don’t think Bones is so thick-headed as for that to just be about scientific discovery; he’s talking abt the risk to self;  specifically the risk to self in order to help the crew at large. His compassion as a doctor has been challenged and it hurts (and also bc Spones--they never want the other to be the one at risk). But Spock isn’t backing off, specifically wrt the aftermath of The Intrepid’s loss. He wants to make up for it. It’s not just his pride or his self image, it’s about righting a wrong done to his people.

“Whether you understand it or not, grant me my own kind of dignity.”

“Vulcan dignity? How can I grant you what I don’t understand?”

He’s still being defensive, but. He removes his hand from the panel as he starts to speak. He’s giving Spock the chance to leave. And he doesn’t outright refuse Spock’s request, but reiterates his issue that started their miscommunication in the episode: He Doesn’t Understand Vulcans. He doesn’t say “what do Vulcans need with Dignity” or “Isn’t pride a forbidden emotion on Vulcan,” something to that effect. He literally doesn’t understand how to give what’s being asked.

“Then employ one of your own superstitions. Wish me Luck.”

And now Bones’ genuine statement that he can’t do what’s asked of him because he doesn’t know how is met with a genuine compromise. There’s no diminishing of the human culture of wishing someone else Luck; there’s no implication that wishing him Luck is an inferior behavior but will still “do”. McCoy has admitted that he doesn’t know what to do, and Spock offers him an option; he bridges their gap in comprehension.

And, of course, as we know, Bones is a petty bitch and doesn’t wish Spock luck until the Vulcan can no longer hear him, giving the later “Tell Dr McCoy he should have wished me Luck,” comment extra Ow Factor, both to Bones and to us the audience, but he still does what is asked of him. He was asked to do something for Spock, said he didn’t know how, was given a substitute, and did that substitute.

He also opens the door for Spock, who seemed to already expect he would do so, even if he is rather visibly disappointed by Bones’ silence. The quiet door opening could be read with hostility, in a “get out already” sense, but it can also be seen as Bones relinquishing his grudge. Spock doesn’t need Bones’ blessing to leave; he doesn’t need to be wished Luck and indeed goes out thinking Bones is mad at him. All the same, Bones let him go. He didn’t quip or argue.

And anyway this got way away from my initial v general thought while rewatching Friday’s Child but uh yeah there u go. bit of a s2 arc for spones wrt the Vulcan Culture Ignorance aspect

[jillianallen14]

Spirk fanfic rec

Some amazing Spirk fanfic to bless your dash because I’m falling in love with this shit all over again (this is like the 10th time this has happened lol):

Entering Orbit:  Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch; rated m; 30,957 words

Papers in the Roadside:  Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control; rated e; 49,637 words

Take Refuge in What You Know:  AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma; rated e; 120,334 words

Listen, this is not only my favorite Star Trek fic of all time, it’s also one of my favorite fanfics in general. It’s right up there with Text Talk and The Shoebox Project from the HP fandom, which if you’ve read, you know are incredible and frankly life-changing. And this fanfic changed my life. The description the author gives doesn’t do the beauty of this fic justice. I suffer from agoraphobia and Spock’s depiction as an agoraphobic man was probably the most well-researched, sympathetic, empathetic, caring, realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be agoraphobic that I’ve ever witnessed in fiction. It made me cry like a child because I had never felt so seen and understood. This writer is incredible, and this fic is incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an AU, which I’m usually pretty wary about, but it barely even feels like an AU. It just feels like Jim and Spock. The author’s understanding of both of their characters’ is perfect, like just a spot-on portrayal of who they are. This fic genuinely helped me accept who I am and helped me understand that I am capable of & deserving of love. If you don’t read any other Star Trek fics (and you def should read more Star Trek fics because they’re amazing), then let this one be the one you read. I dare you not to read it three times in a row like I did.

Observations:  First Officer Spock comments on life aboard the Enterprise and his service under Captain James T. Kirk; rated m; 500,000+ words.

So the author of this fic actually did a thing where they made this fic into two books (similar to what The Shoebox Project authors did many years ago in the HP fandom). They don’t get any money from people buying the books; the cost is just to go towards producing the books. This fic is the equivalent of two LARGE novels. We’re talking 600 pages & up. It’s a huge fic. Now, that being said, I read it in one day. ONE DAY. It’s that good. This is another one of my all-time favorite fics, though not quite as dear to my heart as the one I listed above. It’s focused on AOS, and tbh, I forget that what happens in this book isn’t actually canon. Like it’s so well-told, it just feels like it’s now part of the timeless story of Kirk & Spock. The “professional” Star Trek writers would never be brave enough to do what this author does with Kirk and Spock, though. This fic will make you angry, will make you laugh, will make you cry. It has such a good grasp on every single character. It also shows the love between the crew of the Enterprise, which is always a treat, and it’s beautifully done in this fic. It has a sorta-enemies-to-lovers arc between Spirk and an enemies-to-close-friends arc between Spock and McCoy that is beautifully done and fleshed out. This fic is definitely a journey to go through, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s extremely slow burn, and you will want to slap both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) upside the head at certain points lol. 

Of Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves:  The progression of a relationship, through Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves. Basically, it’s an AU where Kirk works at a coffee shop to pay his way through school, and Spock visits often. rated t; 16,429 words

Love, love, love, this fic. It’s cute, it’s in character. They have kind of a rocky start together, so it’s got a little bit of that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy i-hated-you-but-now-i-love-you-marry-me vibes to it. I’m a sucker for that, if you haven’t figured that out by now lol. It’s really good, and a really enjoyable read. And it’s not too long, if you’re in the mood for something on the shorter end of things.

 Please Don’t Touch the Vulcans:  The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it. Jim is chipper about having time off for the holidays. He asks everyone if they want to spend time together but sadly, everyone ditches Jim over the holidays because they have plans. McCoy visits his daughter, Nyota visits her family, and everyone splits. Not knowing Spock has feelings for him, Jim doesn't even bother asking if he wants to spend time together figuring he has something to do. Something cute, romantic with the boys spending time with one another and confessions; rated m; 17,690 words

Super cute and has lots of Sarek, which idk about y’all, but I’m always a fan of. Sarek and Jim kind of get to know each other a bit, and it’s cute. Sarek knows about they’re in love before Spock & Kirk know lol. If I remember correctly, there’s also some appearances from everyone’s favorite: Old!Spock! You also get a little bit of jealous and protective Young!Spock. So you’re in for a real treat with this one. 

The Ren shat’var Trilogy:  A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection; rated e; 184,411 words

Textual Attraction:  Valentine’s Day does not bring up pleasant memories for Cadet Kirk. But the serendipitous switch-up of his cell phone with a particular Vulcan professor’s will make his day far more interesting –and romantic. Perhaps some new memories can be made! 15,900 words

SO GOOD. Just SO good

Spaceman:  Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it. rated t; 3728 words

Short, sweet, funny. You’ll love it.

Subtext: Texting your Vulcan first officer in the middle of the night is never a good idea. Especially when you have an obsessive crush on said Vulcan.The holidays are approaching and Jim is left entirely Spockless aboard the Enterprise when his First takes shore leave on New Vulcan. After some midnight pining, Jim sends a text he instantly regrets. That is, until Spock responds and willingly continues their textual communications to an inevitable conclusion; rated t; 13,032 words

Cute, sweet, funny. It’s a texting fic. I think you’ve probably figured out I love those. This one makes me laugh so fucking hard. Like actually laugh-out-loud-omg-did-i-just-snort kind of funny. Spock is great in this one

All Spock Wants For Christmas:  While Jim is away on a delegation mission, he panics about what to give Spock for Christmas. With help from Bones and Uhura, and in between some spam texting with Spock, Jim realizes he already has the perfect gift. And all it needs is wrapping paper and a bow; rated t; 11,966 words

And here we have another cute, sweet, funny texting fic. Sue me lol

The Morning After:  Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble. After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind; rated m; 50,381 words

HAHA. This fic fucking cracks me up. You’ve got drunk boys pining over each other & not realizing it. You’ve got accidental marriage. You’ve got bed sharing. It’s great, it’s cute, it’s funny. 

Take This Sinking Boat (And Point It Home):  In which Spock pines, Jim isn’t stupid (except he kind of is), and Christopher Pike has had enough of this bullshit; 6698 words

Pike is great in this one, and it’s super, super funny.

Extracurricular Activities:   Spock returns to the Academy from a tour of duty to find an intriguing cadet captures his attention; rated e; 15,433 words

Veritas: Basically, Kirk and Spock are on trial because the Federation thinks they are emotionally compromised by each other, which is putting the lives of their crew in danger. They have to convince a court they’re not actually in love with each other. They think the claims are bullshit. They think it will be easy to prove that they aren’t in love or emotionally compromised, damn it. It isn’t; rated m; 186,80 words

This one is so, so good. A real gem off of Fanfic.net. I remember it was actually one of the first Spirk fanfics I ever read, and it blew me away. The progression of their relationship is really well-done and interesting. It has star-crossed lovers vibes and has some really emotionally intense moments in it, especially for Spock. 

A Habitual Affection:  Living in 1930s New York with the Vulcan you're secretly in love with is no simple thing. But Jim never liked anything simple. And then, the big snowstorm hit...; rated t; 7998 words

A beautiful TOS fic about one of the gayest episodes of Star Trek. Love this one. 

Atlas:  Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning; rated t; 135,529 words

A beaut. Really great characterization, and the progression of Jim and Spock’s relationship is really well-done.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Happy father’s day!

- Sarek after his kids all message him

[kinetic-elaboration]

April 30: 2x17 A Piece of the Action

Today’s ep was A Piece of the Action, one of the greatest of all time. Honestly, as far as feel good episodes in particular go, it’s one of my ultimate faves.

Uhura seems to be having a lot of fun listening to Kirk trying to communicate with this alien.

Yes, Kirk, please explain how it took you a hundred years to get back to this alien society.

I actually like this whole back story a lot. If the Horizon met the Iotians 100 years ago, and the planet is on the edge of the galaxy, it must have been one of the earliest contacts between the Federation and another planet. Or did it even pre-date the Federation? I’m too hungry to try to figure out timelines lol but still, the plot kind of relies on it being an early contact: pre-Non-Interference Director, pre-modern communication methods.

Also just really curious about the Horizon in general. What kind of ship was it? What was it doing out there? What was that first contact with the Iotians like? I do not want subsequent “Star Trek” to explain this to me, I just want to speculate.

Woah who is this guy filling in for Spock? He looks like a Spock impersonator.

Kirk just turns Spock and McCoy around: “We’re beaming down now!” Has to take his BFFs on the mission.

The aliens are SOMEWHAT imitative?? This doesn’t look somewhat to me.

“Home was never like this.” Lol well he’s from Iowa so it’s probably missing some corn fields I guess.

This is clearly an open-carry state. Are they imitating Texas?

Spock is truly not bothered by anything at all. He’s so chill.

Heaters.

Baby blue eyes. McCoy looks so offended at that. It’s a compliment, Bones!

This is a great triumvirate ep because you can see their very different reactions to the whole thing, basically on a spectrum of chill (Spock) to alarmed (McCoy)

“I distill it myself.”

Compared to all these suits, the Starfleet uniforms really look like pajamas.

Ah-ha, Spock has found something interesting!

Published in 1992?! I want one.

AOS Kirk would have actually played pool with this alien gangster.

“This is the contamination, Captain.”

These “fancy heaters” lol.

The way the Iotians interact with the Federation aliens is honestly so interesting to me.

Come on, man, Kirk isn’t an arms dealer.

What’s this? It’s a cell phone, obviously.

What would these aliens do with an iphone? It would probably destroy them.

Oh, Scotty, so confused, trying to keep up with the slang.

I like how the secretary looks up like she can see the ship.

I feel like if you looked up “heater” on the Enterprise language banks, it would not be helpful. Imagine Scotty personally making and the beaming down 100 space heaters.

I love that Kirk knows so much random Chicago history. True Midwestern Boy.

Love those old pinball machines in the back of the room.

Lol Kirk trying to subtly get Spock to shut up and stop being truthful. “Don’t mess this up for me, babe.”

Fizzbin is a true classic moment in television. I love how much fun Kirk is having with it. And Spock nodding along like this makes sense to him. Adorable, supportive boyfriend. Also, I feel like fizzbin is a particularly effective strategy for this culture because they are imitative. A chance to learn a new game?? Amazing.

Kirk is so great in this episode.

“Mr. Spock--Mr. Spock? What are you doing on this frequency?” He’s on it because he finally figured out how to work the primitive radio.

I feel like real Chicago gangsters didn’t have “Boss” engraved on plaques next to their front doors.

“I never been arrested my whole life!”

“How’d you get back up there?” Lol. Well at least he remembered Spock was supposed to be a hostage.

“Why would he put a bag on our Captain?”

I realize that it is correct to refer to the gangster aliens as indigenous but it still amuses me.

Kirk is going to save himself while Spock is working on saving him. My boy is so smart!

“Ship’s log. Incredible as it seems, Dr. McCoy and I have been fooled again.”

You can tell Spock is trying super hard not to laugh here. His lips in that very thin line.

Kirk saves the day again!

It’s hilarious to me that in the time Kirk was kidnapped and escaped, Spock and McCoy got all the way up to the Enterprise and then all the way back down.

“I admit logic won’t work here, so let’s go wild with some cosplay instead.”

I love that Kirk canonically cannot drive and I think about this EVERY time he’s forced onto a motorcycle in AOS.

TOS Kirk has never been on a motorcycle in his life. But TOS Sarek definitely does own one.

But CPine would look good in this blue gangster suit.

AOS Kirk can’t drive stick any more than TOS Kirk can but he would be way more confident about thinking he can.

Spock is definitely going to veto Kirk buying an old car.

“I’m calling you a babe.”

Wow but I love Kirk and Spock and their adopted alien son. This kid is smart and bold; he is a good K/S surrogate child. And I definitely appreciate that when he calls for “daddy” two men show up.

I am now going to refer to the Federation exclusively as “the Feds.”

Kirk is having so much fun with this whole thing and I love that for him. “The whole ball of wax.” “Sawbones.” “Spocko.” The exaggerated accent.

And Spock is... just trying his best. I love this nerd. He wants to play but he’s just not got the hang of it.

Scotty and Uhura just hanging out, as they do. She definitely gets what Kirk is doing before Scotty does.

Scotty’s so proud of the term “concrete galoshes.” Well, close but no cigar.

Honestly I really want to know what the cars on Vulcan look like.

Kirk calling Scotty “baby” and “sweetheart.” Confirmed space bi.

Even Spock is getting into it. He even said “You’s.”

I have PTSD from the phrase “run government like a business.”

Spock and Bones are definitely Kirk’s boys.

“Now we have hostages again.” There’s something legit hilarious to me about that line.

“Isn’t that logical?” He hopes he’s pleased his space husband.

Is it really fair to say that the mobs are a criminal organization when, as far as we know or have seen, there is no actual government? Like what laws are they breaking?

Don’t at me about the paternalism of using the Feds’ “cut” to somehow inch the Iotians away from mob governance.

That ending with McCoy and the communicator was great lol. The image of the imitative Iotians taking apart the communicator and just going to town makes me happy.

I’m quite serious when I say I want this ep rebooted with the AOS cast for the costumes alone, as compensation for having to sit through yet another film about Khan.

Also I really love these aliens. They might be among my favorite aliens. I just like how they attach themselves to things they find interesting and then make them the centerpiece of their culture. Like, what were they doing before the gangster thing? Besides farming?

Also I love how they have no problem at all with the aliens showing up in their big ass space ship. They just think ‘oh, maybe they’ll give us stuff, like last time.’ I kinda feel like they weren’t weirded out by the Horizon, either. They know what they’re about.

My new stance on Kirk and cars is that probably, being from Iowa, he can drive, just not stick, but since he’s lived in San Francisco and space his entire adult life, he probably hasn’t driven since he was 18. Thus why he thinks he’s better at this than he is.

Spock has never been behind the wheel of anything, ever, though, in either universe.

Next up is The Immunity Syndrome. The only thing I remember about this is that all the Vulcans on the Intrepid die. And I think it’s the one where Spock flies a little ship into the amoeba and Kirk and McCoy rescue him? In other words, I remember the beginning in and the end, and nothing in the middle. So, should be fun!

[rebel-ezra]

Get to know me! ღ thanks for tagging me @benjiiskenobi <3

rules: make a new post, bold whatever applies to you

APPEARANCE

i’m an i-need-to-pull-the-driver-seat-all-the-way-in kind of person // i wear glasses or contacts // i have blonde hair (kinda idk anymore) // i prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair (but not in a while) // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or have had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i wear makeup // i don’t smile often // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball hats backwards

HOBBIES AND TALENTS

i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with friends // i travel during school or work breaks (in a pre covid time yea) // i can do a handstand

RELATIONSHIPS

i am in a relationship // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have dated my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have a long-distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i have met up with someone i met online

AESTHETIC

i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sunrise// i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colors // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favorite season

MISCELLANEOUS

i can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i make up scenarios in my head to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least one dog // i have a cat

tagging: @theythemidiot @space-helen @lesbian-sarek @sukaal @startreklesbian @dykereno @cptnburnham @doitforstamets and anyone else who sees this :) if you don’t want to do this that’s fine ofc! have fun <3