#snw are you listening to me

[2063april5]

Every time snw producers say they're gonna do something completely new that has never been done in trek before I think "like address the Tarsus thing?" and I remain hopeful to this day

[dadbodbensisko-moved]

[through tears] i need jim kirk in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots and i need it now

[bumblingbabooshka]

SNW Christine has the vibes of someone who pours a glass of wine, hands it to Uhura, then starts drinking from the bottle. SNW Christine says she’s going to have “one glass of Romulan ale” and then pulls out a comedically large glass as a goof. Christine wore white converse with her thrift store dress to space prom. I can see this all clearly. She is this to me:

[weepylucifer]

Oh yeah btw i am mad that they’re cancelling Discovery just as it was really getting good. Was it perfect? No. But at least it was trying to do something new during the last 2 seasons and actually moving the Star Trek universe forward in time instead of endlessly dwelling in the nostalgia zone. I like Lower Decks and SNW but you have to admit that all ongoing Trek shows now are endless nostalgia bait and “omg are they going to have a cameo by a legacy character”. It’s just yet another huge symptom of an entertainment industry no longer having the courage to try something even the littlest bit new and weird

[pinazee]

SPOILERS FOR S2 E3

Fully on board wesley kirk now! I loved this episode so much! Classic time travel episode, classic Kirk gets-the-girl! Another iteration of Khan! This is the first ep i think ever rewatched immediately after.

P.S A+ marketing for having the going-in-the-past episode released two days early

[acatwithstockings]

One of my favorite things to do is to talk to fellow Trekkies on the english side of the internet and just sprinkle in some agressive german pronouciation of names .

It's not that i like the german pronouciation quite far from it, i just find it hilarious.

[thesearchforbluejello]

THEY LET UNA BE MEAN

ETA they let her say "Are you kidding me?!" I'm living

[cactusnymph]

[ID copied from ALT: "A drawing of La'an from Star Trek: SNW floating in space with Una as they floated in zero gravity in the recent episode Subspace Rhapsody. La'ans ponytail is floating in the lack of gravity and she's wearing her red starfleet uniform. Una is wearing her yellow skant uniform. They are holding hands and looking intently at each other. There is space in the background with blue and purple sky. " End ID]

keeping secrets 🎶

[gallavichsreddie1128]

What is with you? (Spock)

Description: When Spock suddenly becomes human, he can’t hold back.

Warning: Smut

Word Count: 1,357

Request: If you feel like writing smut/fluff Spock (SNW)/reader, I would be eternally grateful ❤❤❤ it seems I've read everything in the tag....

Y/N was so confused when Spock tried attacking Sam Kirk. She had always assumed that he hated the man but Spock did pretty good with holding himself back. The other officers had to hold him back as Sam kinda looked scared. Y/N’s eyes were wide at the sight. Spock never acted out like this before. “Control your boyfriend.” Kirk told her and got up to leave the room.

Y/N rolled her eyes. Spock wasn’t her boyfriend. They were good friends and while she wished that they were dating, they were not. “Spock, are you okay?” Y/N asked once Sam left the room. “Yeah I don’t know everything about me is changing. I’m human now.” His ears did look human now that he pointed it out and even his hair wasn’t in his usual style.

“So you can’t control your emotions?” She asked, walking up to him. “It appears not.” She nodded. “Well, welcome to being human.” She joked. He chuckled, something he never really does. 

The rest of the day was crazy. Spock had no idea what his body was doing and Y/N felt so bad. He went on and on about wanting to kick Kirk’s ass. “He sucks.” Y/N agreed with him. “And he spreads rumors about us.” Y/N points out. Spock looked at her confused, “Rumors? What kind of rumors?” Y/N sighed.

Does Spock really have no idea? “That we are dating.” He didn’t look mad about that rumor after all. He almost looked pleased? “I know it’s not the worst rumor that could be going around.” She said and he agreed. “But don’t let him get to you, Spock.” She told him but she had no idea how different and hard this was for him. “That rumor is not bad compared to what others have said about me.” He looks down. He was getting sad. Y/N set down her fork and grabbed his hand. He was no longer Vulcan so it shouldn’t matter. But she almost missed the dark look in his eyes as he looked at their hands.

“Spock, don't listen to them. Those people suck and are racist.” She tells him and gives his hand a squeeze. He looked up at her and the sadness that was in his eyes for not even a minute was gone. It was replaced with something that she wasn’t aware of. “Spock, are you okay?” She asked. She pulled back her hand just for him to grab it again. “So uh tell me Y/N. What do you think of these rumors of us?” She looked a little surprised by his actions and words.

“Uh well, like I said it’s not the worst rumor that could be spread.” She said and she noticed the grip he had on her hand. “What about you?” She asked him. “I think that rumor shouldn’t even be a rumor.” She nodded. “It should be true.” Her eyes widened at her friend. “Spock…” Before she could finish her sentence he was on her side of the table with his lips on hers.

Her eyes widened during the kiss and she pulled back. “Spock, what is with you?” She asked. “I’ve held back for years but now since I’m human I can longer do that.” He almost growled and kissed her again. “Spock, maybe we should take this back to your quarters.” She looks at the people watching them. 

The second they are in his quarters and the door is shut he nearly pounces on her. Her back was against the wall and his lips practically eating her up. He had her pinned to the wall as his lips left hers to kiss down her neck. She closed her eyes and let out a pleasured sigh as he bit and nipped at her neck, definitely leaving a mark or two. His hands pulled up her shirt and he sank to his knees.

She watched as he kissed down her stomach and to her pants. He looked up at her and smirked. The dark look in his eyes no longer made her nervous but made her wet. He pulled down her pants and smirked at the sight. She had forgotten to wear panties. “Fuck.” She whispered but he chuckled. “That’s perfect.” He said and ran a finger to gather her wetness. She held her breath. His eyes darkened at the gooey substance on his finger. She was really wet.

She looked down at him with pleading eyes, silently begging him to do something. He looked up at her pleading eyes and put his finger in his mouth. He moaned at the taste and his eyes nearled rolled back. Her jaw dropped as he did this. “Spock.” She whispered to the man. “You taste so good.” He grunted and she threw her head back against the wall. As she did that he rubbed his perfect nose against her clit.

She gasped and felt his hot breath against her wet pussy as he chuckled. Both his hands rubbed up her thighs to get a good grip on them. He gave an experimental lick on her clit and her hands went down to grip his hair. He took that as a good sign and began eating her out like a hungry man. Her moans filled his quarters and she gasped as she felt one of his fingers circle her dripping wet entrance.

“Please Spock.” She almost screamed as he teased her hole. Her legs were shaky, almost too shaky as he inserted a finger inside of her. His mouth sucking on her clit. She could barely stand as the pleasure coursed through her body. Spock took notice of this and placed her legs over his shoulder. Before she could let out a sound, he stood up and she was higher on the wall than she was. Spock was tall. If she was to open her eyes she would be able to see all of his quarters. But his tongue and now two fingers pleasuring her was making it very hard for her to focus.

Her thighs were trying to shut as they squeezed around the vulcan’s head but that seemed to excite him and continue his abuse on her pussy. “Spock.” She whined. The whine was very loud and if anyone was outside his quarters they definitely heard it. She felt like she was floating. Being in the air and getting her pussy eaten out was definitely something that needed to happen again.

It was too long until he felt her thighs shake and her pussy squeezing his fingers. Her breathing turned to panting and her whines turned to whimpers. She was close. He added a third finger causing her to gasp his name and release on his fingers and tongue. She was trying to catch her breath as he ate her out like a meal and worked her through her orgasm. It wasn’t long before he pulled away from her and looked up. She was still trying to breathe and her eyes were closed.

He tapped her thigh and her eyes opened and looked down at the man and gasped. His face was covered in her slick as were his fingers. “Spock, that was amazing! But what the hell has gotten into you?” She asked. He helped her onto the ground, ignoring the question and kissed her.

She moaned as she tasted her sweet juices on his tongue. She never really thought about how she would taste but she totally understood why he was going at it. She pulled away and looked at him. He was still Spock but something was different about him.

Not just him fully being human but the look in his eyes. She was ready to drop to her knees and repay the favor but a chime was heard through the quarters that someone was at the door.

Spock rolled his eyes and asked who it was. M’Benga and Christine found the cure. “Be down there in a minute.” He yelled out. Y/N tried to stand up so he could go get fixed but he kept her on her knees. “I’m not going anywhere until you repay me.” He winked at her.

[spirkme915]

spirk fics i've read in the last two-ish months and loved

I will have you (if you let me) by ros3bud009 @roseymoseyberry (TOS) - starting out this list with a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fic. i loved everything about this fic - the premise (k&s know they're t'hy'la from the second they meet), the yearning, the journey, the love. i could live in this fic

Spock 🖖 by vaksur, WerewolvesAreReal (TOS) - need a laugh? this one is it. spock decides to use emojis in his comms. shenanigans ensue

A Friend Like You by kierawrites (TAS, yes you read that right an animated series fic!) - pre-slash, a glimpse into their lives after the episode "mudd's passion." this one is short and yet is packed with *them*

A Different Perspective by Maeko (AOS, SNW) - transporter malfunction fic, and this time it brings AOS Spirk to SNW verse. loved this one for the AOS Spirk dynamics, but mostly the SNW Spock and AOS Spock interactions and Maeko's perspective of Vulcan telepathy. it's a fascinating character study!

in the dying of the light by scar_a_mouche (zanni_scaramouche) @zanniscaramouche (AOS) - i'm not sure how to categorize this one, other than to say that i had this *ache* in my chest through every sentence and it just felt so AOS Spirk that i wanted to drown in it. one of my faves over the last few months

Personal Personnel Protocol by dothedeux (TOS) - another comedy entry for the list. this time it's not just the bridge crew that knows what's up, it's the computer. such a fun read and so sweet too

Professor Kirk by TonightNoPoetryWillServe (AOS) - cadet spock, professor kirk, and all kinds of fluff with only a touch of angst. perfect bedtime reading

Let Forever Be by gunstreet @gunstreet (TOS) - listen. i need everyone to drop what they're doing and read this fic. it's a city on the edge of forever fic that is mostly a jim character study but pulls in queer history. it breathes compassion and humanity, and is stocked with OCs you'll fall in love with. another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read

Shall We? by Jenna Hilary Sinclair (JennaHilary) (TOS) - yet another comedy entry? what has the world come to? i love my angst just as much as the next spirk truther, but when comedic spirk is done right it hits perfectly and this one is definitely done right

And When the Bond Breaks by LadyRa (TOS) - finishing this spirk list with a final ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. this became easily one of my favorite TOS fics of all time. it's from 2003 and deserves WAY MORE hits, kudos, and comments than it has!

for the non-spirk entries this time around:

StarDate.org by Exxact (TOS/AOS fusion) - christine/t'pring and online dating. fluff and friendship. perfect

The Time of Neither by gunstreet (SNW) - spoimler nation rise! your definitive fic has arrived!

My World Is No Longer Hollow by existentialcrisistime @existentialcrisistime (TOS) - a mcspirk fic about finding where you belong. so beautiful

and two recs for WIPs for you to read and subscribe to:

Place Your Hand In Mine by remylebae @twinkboimler (AOS) - a super sweet mckirk fic about leonard having a secret admirer (who could it possibly be??)

It's Not An Illusion by Borealisblue @thetimetostrikeislater (AOS) - gorgeous story about healing and gorgeous artwork? i'm sold!

please do send me recs, and don't be afraid to self-promo! you can find all my recs here

[twinkboimler]

October 2024 fic recs

I'm back with another TOS/AOS/SNW fic rec post! Here's some recent fics I really enjoyed!

SPIRK

I Shall Do Neither by onwhatcaptain. TOS. Mature. 166,262 words. Heavy angst, grief, pon farr aftermath. The writer chose not to use archive warnings, and I recommend reading through all the tags on this as well. This fic explores what might have happened if Kirk had died during the kal-if-fee, stretching across the months that follow. This is an emotional fic. There were chapters where I was crying the entire time I read through it. I won’t spoil what plays out, but I was completely satisfied with how this fic ended. It’s a heavy fic, and it’s not for everyone, but god is it good. Plus I love a spirk fic that really highlights the importance of McCoy in their lives; this one really shows how valuable McCoy is to them. I think this fic should be enshrined as a Must-Read when you enter the fandom.

I need a drink of cool, cool rain by Moreta1848. TOS. Explicit. 12,298 words. This fic was beautifully written. It introduces new ideas about Vulcan culture and rain and explores these ideas in a way that I really loved.

milk and honey by spaceisgay (ChancellorGriffin). SNW. Explicit. 28,651 words. Aliens made them do it, temporary amnesia, smut. Spock and Kirk wake up in a prison cell with no memory of who they are. They’re asked to perform an alien ritual… I’m sure you can guess what that entails. Really liked how this was written and it really nails characterizations for SNW spirk.

SPONES

Overthink, Overdrive by fangirlandiknowit. TOS. Explicit. 12,677 words. End of 5-year mission, getting together, love confessions. Aliens force a love confession, and McCoy and Spock handle it just about as well as you’d expect them to. I love when these two are just awful at talking to each other.

The Doctor and the Mailman by bongbingbong. TOS. Teen and Up Audiences. 9,606 words. Western. McCoy is a small-town doctor, Spock is the mailman. Everyone tells McCoy that he should stay away from Spock, but he refuses to listen. First in a 3-part series, I really enjoyed all three parts!

Ashaya (Tehs-tor) by Adenil. TOS. Teen and Up Audiences. 57,762 words. Fake dating/marriage, mutual pining. Spock goes to McCoy when he’s expected to take a spouse. I read this fic during one of my most-recent flights and it was exactly what I needed to sink into while killing time on my flights and at the airport. 

Handle Me With Care by Affixjoy. TOS. Explicit. 5,234 words. Hurt/comfort, friends with benefits to lovers. While on an away mission on a cold planet, McCoy realizes he has appendicitis and has to perform the surgery on himself with Spock’s help. This fic is inspired by Leonid Rogozov removing his own appendix in Antarctica! The spones moments in this fic really tugged at my heartstrings!

MCKIRK

That's why I won't get vulnerable by strangenewwords. AOS. Explicit. 18,074 words. Academy era, 5+1 things, porn with plot, genital piercings. I love some porn with plot and feelings, and this one just hit. If you like McKirk struggling to use their words and instead using their hands and mouths instead, this fic is for you.

the way things unearth by kurgaya. AOS. Explicit. 11,299 words. Academy era, Jocelyn comes to visit. I absolutely love how this fic wrote Jocelyn and McCoy’s past relationship. Their backstory was so different from any other fic I’ve read. Jocelyn really felt like her own person in this, not just his ex-wife. 

MCSPIRK

Moving across, then coming through by lesbobaggins. TOS. Explicit. 2,754 words. Starts as mckirk but turns into mcspirk. Smut, glory holes, a hot and funny fic where Jim finds out what some of the bathrooms on the ship are used for.

do you love your neighbor (is it in your nature) by Muir_Wolf. TOS. Teen and Up Audiences. 20,071 words. Hurt/comfort, corporal punishment, denied food as punishment. While stationed aboard a small vessel after volunteering to help when the medical staff comes down with a flu, McCoy is unfairly punished by the admiral in charge (of course, it’s far more complex than it may initially seem). I love how much time this fic takes to explore the aftermath of McCoy’s experiences—the comfort in this is so good.

GEN

Give Thy Thoughts No Tongue by WerewolvesAreReal. TOS. Teen and Up Audiences. 38,757 words. Mind control, misunderstandings. Spock is captured while on an away mission, and when he returns, he won’t talk about what happened—but not for the reason you might think. Loved this fic!

[flippyspoon]

NOTE: Lil SNW Spirk drabble.

Spock was just about to dig into a steaming bowl of plomeek soup when Lieutenant Kirk of the Farragut sat down across from him, grinning in his friendly manner.

Spock blinked at him and said, "May I help you, Lieutenant?"

"Don't let me interrupt your dinner-"

"Thank-"

"Only I was wondering if you could give me the basics on how that ion storm disrupted our ops systems? I'm sure it's something I'm going to see again."

Spock started to speak, frowned, and said, "Have you never encountered an ion storm?"

"Well, yes. But I could use a better understanding of how they work."

Spock forgot about his dinner and fixed Jim Kirk with a wary gaze.

"Lieutenant, this is the sixth question you've asked me today concerning a subject about which I'm sure you are already knowledgable. You have already asked me about diplomatic relations with Andoria-"

"Your thoughts on it were invaluable!"

"And about experiments in the use of neutronium-"

"Well, yes, I've read about that. But I thought a science officer like yourself might have new insights."

"Lieutenant, is there a reason you continually ask me questions to which you already possess answers? Are you testing my knowledge?"

"Not at all, Mr. Spock! I ...suppose I just enjoy listening to Vulcans explain things to me."

Spock raised an eyebrow, perking up slightly. "Do you know many Vulcans?"

"No," Kirk said, resting his chin on his hands. "You're the only one."

"I...do not understand."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Kirk said. "You're the best mind in the fleet after all."

[sincosma]

So. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I need to sing this show’s praises (no plot spoilers!) and if you’re a Trek fan, you need to watch it ASAP.

LISTEN. This show is on another fucking level. I know a lot of trekkies have been complaining about “New Trek” (even though a lot of their complaints are curiously similar to the complaints about VOY and DS9 back in the day), but SNW is genuinely one of the best Trek shows PERIOD. Say whatever you wanna say about the missteps of early Discovery or the massive stumbles of ALL of Picard, but SNW came out the gate FINE-TUNED and honed in on the show’s message, identity, and place within the canon. And it SHINES. No weak pilot or cumbersome first seasons; SNW knows what it is and goes for it without hesitation. Love the irony that a show about the captain from the TOS pilot (which had very strange circumstances) and yet his own show knocks it out of the park. Delicious. At last, justice for Jeffery Hunter’s Pike!

They absolutely perfected the episodic-mini-serialized-arc style that DS9 pioneered. Pike is hands down the best all-around captain in the entire series, with the friendliness and openness of Archer, the daring and charisma of Kirk, and the principles and empathy of Sisko all rolled into one. There’s even a little bit of our beloved Janeway’s questionable decision-making and stalwart loyalty in his character!

The way they’ve highlighted each crew member with barely a single character arc fumbled is supremely impressive. Special mentions to the character arcs so far for M’Benga, Chapel, Uhura, and La’An. Ethan Peck’s Spock goes places that truly delight and shock me. The fan service has been subtle and tasteful (e.g. incorporating young Jim Kirk, references to future TOS show/movie villains, etc.). The deep lore cuts have had me shouting incoherently at the TV in excitement. Watching Lower Decks crew nerding out over TOS-era characters while SNW crew geek out about Archer, Hoshi, and Travis from Enterprise NX-01. These moments are so skillfully handled and feel so natural. It reminded me fondly of the incredible DS9 episode where Dax and Sisko end up on Kirk’s Enterprise.

Side note, I have to specifically mention episode “Subspace Rhapsody”…man, THIS is how a musical episode is DONE. Fucking BRAVO.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I’m truly impressed with the topics they’ve been unabashedly tackling with true Star Trek earnestness, optimism, and reverence. The challenging ethics of prejudice, eugenics, racism, sexism, fascism, war crimes. It’s all here, man. Yes, it’s not perfect and SNW of course has some issues, but this show hits the bullseye overall. Its flaws are completely overshadowed by its triumphs.

TL;DR: STRANGE NEW WORLDS IS STAR TREK AT ITS BEST.

[sophiaforevs]

Between the early cancellation of Discovery, Seven/Raffi and Mariner/Jenn being erased in their respective shows, and SNW having queer coded characters but not confirming anything on screen, I'm really afraid that we're entering another "No Gays in Trek" era.

For those who don't know, 90s era star trek featured so few queer characters b/c Rick Berman largely held a policy of not wanting any homosexuality in his shows. And yes, we all remember the handful of episodes that slipped through that addressed it but the fact remains that there were no canonically queer main cast members before Into Darkness in 2016 gave us a five second shot that could be cut when whoever was showing the movie found the idea of two men in a loving relationship disgusting.

Then we got Discovery with multiple queer characters that allowed people to feel seen. And people never stopped bitching about them. The amount of times that I've had to listen to people complain that Adira's only character trait is that they're non-binary despite that literally being a single thirty second scene and never brought up again makes me understand that they very likely don't want to like the queer characters in that show. And it's not that there aren't criticisms to be made about the queer representation in Disco: Discovery Buries it's Gays before the end of the first season. Making your trans characters aliens who already have a history of gender fuckery is problematic b/c it somewhat plays into the idea that queerness is unnatural for human beings. But I never hear those complaints. Only the pronouns. Only the "We get it you're gay but don't shove it down our throats." But I don't want to get too off topic.

Now Discovery is being canceled early. And by early I mean, the writers weren't given proper notice that their show was ending. They were halfway through production and allowed to adjust the end episodes of the season to try to give a satisfying ending.

In Picard and Lower Decks, we got two sapphic relationships ("sapphic" meaning a romantic or sexual relationship between two women who aren't necessarily strictly lesbians) and they were pretty good. People had been asking for Seven to be queer and Jeri Ryan had been playing her as such since her introduction (see again: Rick Berman) and to see her finally get to express that was really healing. Mariner got off to rocky feet when the creators tried to pull a "Dumbledore is gay" where they said she was bi but didn't commit to it, but they she actually got a fairly satisfying relationship in season 3.

But in their most recent seasons, both were completely written out. Seven/Raffi gave us no explanation beyond that they "broke up." They went out of their way to keep them from being on screen together for most of the season. Mattis said in a Reddit AMA that he wanted Seven to be captain and Raffi to be first officer at the end of the season and that Starfleet would have regulations against relationships between the two despite the biggest reason Seven was promoted to captain was that she was a rule breaker. We didn't even get that much for Mariner/Jennifer. Jenn just wasn't in this season except for two background appearances.

And in Strange New Worlds there's just… nothing. SNW is the most recent new show and there's no queer representation. They code Ortegas as gay but don't actually confirm it on screen. There's just… nothing.

And this is how you loose the culture war. The bigots make enough noise that the show that is supposed to be a beacon of diversity doesn't necessarily side with them but they just kinda bow out of the conversation. They decide that it's easier to not bother than to take a stand. And so I and many many queer star trek fans are left wondering:

Does the franchise even want us any more?

[purplespacekitty]

Fake Ad: Galactic Melodies

A couple weeks ago, I reached out to @thecitybee to ask if I could use her work in a magazine project about transnationalism in Muslim music that I'd been working on with two other people for a class on Islamic pop music. Bee agreed to let me use her work so long as I gave her credit in my bibliography and included one of her socials in the finished product. So...voila! Above is the fake ad I created for a concert featuring Spock and Uhura and below is @thecitybee's original artwork, which was commissioned by the author of the fic that inspired it, @jolaosongoni:

When I saw this piece and recognized the kora in Uhura's lap, I flipped out. I love every chance we get to see Spock and Uhura play or listen to music together in TOS and SNW and this immediately sparked a lot of joy.

What I love most about this piece is that it places Uhura in a very specific cultural, familial and musical context, something that the Star Trek franchise itself hasn't ever really done. The kora is a West African string instrument widely played by griot families. Griots are musicians, storytellers and poets who preserve genealogies, oral histories and traditions of their peoples. The kora allows some griots to preserve these cultural histories through music and praise singing. While the practice of playing the kora has historically been passed down through patrilineal lines, there are women who play kora like Gambian griot musician Sona Jobarteh, who was featured on the cover of my group's magazine (she's a really cool musician, I highly recommend checking out her work). Star Trek doesn't have a great track record of giving their characters of color distinct cultural backgrounds beyond having them be played by actors of color (and sometimes, they don't even do that). Having Uhura be a kora player makes her an active participant in and carrier of West African history and culture, a living legacy of a particular and greatly honored line of musicianship. It intentionally creates her as a West African woman, or at least as a direct descendant of West African kora players and solidifies the cultural importance of kora playing beyond the past, present and into the 23rd century, celebrating Uhura's Blackness and African identity as things that are inextricable from her character.

Thank you so much to @thecitybee for agreeing to let me include your work in my own! You made a fellow trekkie and huge music nerd very happy :)

For anyone who's curious, here is a link to Sona Jobarteh's website:

[miminmimikyu]

Episode 7-8: so, one day after drinking that coffee + espresso abomination Dal thinks diving into a Borg transwarp conduit to save travel time is a good idea. And later starts admitting that he has a tendency to forget about everything else when there’s an important mission to focus on. Who does that remind me of?

So the death racing episode that disabled Zero is simultaneously a breather episode lmao

Of course the Kazon Maje wasn’t the big bad in this episode, that would ask for some unprecedented competence from them :’D love how so far they’ve been relegated to “child abductors for a despotic slaver” and now “doing kidnapping for a rogue ai that’s channeling world’s worst tutor”. Not even that really, this Maje pretty much is forced into an “NPC who makes you do a racing sidequest on pain of death” role.

Ohh I really love the personality swaps in the holograms! The voice acting is so good! Brett Gray’s version of Zero was so spot I had to go back a bit just to listen if it wasn’t actually Angus Imrie imitating Brett Gray’s voice @_@ Same for Angus Imrie’s Dal!! Rylee Alazraqui’s Jankom shouting at the Doc and Jason Mantzoukas’ Rok Takh being so sweet and innocent are so funny! Also, taking the Gwyn hologram out is such a convenient way to prevent Murf’s personality from talking

only just realising the Maj’el - Majel Barett name connection!!

Ovidia IV is so pretty and the designs of the corporeal non-corporeal aliens are so cool but it’s a trap it’s a trap it’s a trap, it’s giving me Star Trek TOS vibes of “Faustian bargain aliens” or “planet with a death ritual masquerading as a incredible party”.

After watching the whole episode, setting aside the scenes on Voyager-A, episode 8 really really felt so much like a TOS episode with a modern twist to me! It had the uncanny idyllic planet, the race of telepaths enthralled by their senses, the weird euphoric call to death, culty death festival, the inability to leave once you’ve made The Choice.. but then it has the emotional arc you see in NuTrek and also includes a beautiful, thrilling scene flying on top of the Nazamon (very Discovery). And obviously without the gruesome deaths and madness that would have accompanied a TOS episode. (Ok maybe TOS deaths aren’t that gruesome compared to Disco/Pic//SNw but when I was 9-10 and watching TOS repeats with my dad on Sunday afternoons against my will it was terrifying so that’s what in my brain now). And despite the weird vibes they weren’t actually bad people, just dangerously secretive.

Zero’s arc is also so interesting. Their desire to obtain corporeal body is such a contrast from S1 Zero, who waxed lyrical about life with other Medusans, how they miss it and how it’s like nothing the others can imagine. It figures that now they’re liberated from being a living torture device and have had time to spend so much time enjoying freedom with their corporeal friends, they are able to put into words something might be missing. The joy on their face and in their voice after the transfiguration was so sweet! Also I like these shots through Zero’s cracked visor

I think it’s also an interesting juxtaposition that the previous episode, which ended in Zero performing a self-sacrificial, disabling manoeuvre, started with the gang diving into a Borg transwarp conduit and Zero voicing discomfort (fear) at that. Zero did stop talking less about their Medusan physiology post-Borg encounter (also after injuring Gwyn?) iirc. There was that fear of hurting others just by being Medusan. But this episode talks about fear being an essential aspect of life (ok. corporeal life i guess). Also interesting that Prodigy is framing the corporeal/non-corporeal thing as a binary. I hope it's going to delve a little deeper into that and go a little more complex. I can't wait to see if Zero’s new body lasts and what its possible deterioration will mean for Zero and their feelings about living as a Medusan among humanoids.

Another thing that I like about this episode is that the gang only cares that Zero was properly informed about what choice they were making and that they were safe during the process. They are sure that Zero knows what’s best for Zero.

Poor Gwyn can't catch a break, even her hologram is traumatised now.

Can’t believe how strong this first half of the season is already. If season 1 is anything to go by it’s going to be a hell of a two parter for the midseason finale!!!!!

(I’m still in doubt about the Entity being a time-displaced Chakotay, because in the second message it called Janeway “Janeway” and not “Kathryn” or “Captain” or “Admiral”. Even if he was trying to hide his identity for timey wimey reasons I can’t imagine he’d call her just Janeway and not “vice admiral Kathryn Janeway” or some other more businesslike title.)

Oh no these posts are getting so long OTL