#star trek in theory

[startrekplotnthemes]

Season 4 Episode 25 In Theory

Data is working on torpedoes while talking with Jenna D'Sora, a crewmate aboard the Enterprise. Data assists D'Sora reminding her why she broke up with her previous boyfriend and complimenting her musical abilities. The two are working together when D'Sora kisses Data on the lips. After consulting various other crew members Data decides to pursue a relationship with her, bringing her flowers and complimenting her, running a program specifically to court her. While this has been going on, the portion of space the Enterprise has been flying through is heavier in dark matter.

They head deeper into the nebula to find the planet where life is said to appear only to be met with further distortions aboard the Enterprise. Data flails with romance attempting to use various learned tactics, quoting phrases, and instigating a lover's quarrel in order to give the appearance of romance. D'Sora is caught off guard by the erratic behaviors questioning what Data is doing while he attempts to calmly answer.

Data identifies the distortions on the ship as dark matter pockets and after one such pocket kills a crew mate it is determined the best way to predict and avoid them is for someone to fly a shuttle out ahead of the Enterprise to scan and earn the ship before they hit them. Picard elects to be the pilot, flying the shuttle ahead of the ship allowing the Enterprise to narrowly escape the nebula. Meanwhile, put off by his erratic but calm approach to their relationship D'Sora decides to break things off with Data informing him it is the lack of emotion that puts her off. Data takes this information neutrally informing her he will delete the romantic program he had installed.

While many episodes surround Data having emotions despite not actually having any, this episode deals with either the actual struggles he deals with as an android. It is in the way he lists her positive traits to Guinan valuing her as a worker and person. It is the careful yet intentional nature with which he pursues the relationship, checking in with everyone and getting second opinions. One could approach this episode with either a neurodivergent lens or an aro/ace one. Communication and navigation of relationships can be hard, I saw Data trying his best to accommodate D'Sora's needs using literal scripts and input in an attempt to be a caring partner for him. The neutrality with which he accepted D'Sora breaking up with him struck a chord within me. He was trying his best for her, actively learning and taking her criticisms into account while she ultimately breaks up with him for being too robotic.

[coolestpersontoeverexist]

No comment

[incorrectdarmok]

[macleod]

Told you.

[thresholdbb]

what's the threshold theory

There was a post about how Tom is the only crew member who isn't really affected by the Borg, and there's a theory that he has so much luck because he saw the past and the future when he crossed the transwarp threshold. He saw the past and the future, all of time and space. There's some subconscious part of him that remembers that experience. In fact, Tom refused to play a part in Chakotay indulging Annorax's temporal incursions, probably because a part of him knew nothing good could come of it.

If we extend that same theory to Janeway, some of her wild luck with time travel and other crack plans starts to make sense. She doesn't verbally hate time travel until after the events of Threshold, since it happens in Time and Again without complaint. Janeway has an uncanny knack for time travel, as evidenced every time she deals with it. She hates time travel, but it might be because part of her knows exactly how to manipulate the timeline. She manages to avoid the "inevitable" temporal explosion in Future's End, saving both Voyager and Braxton. She resets the entire timeline in Year of Hell, and no one else followed her reasoning. She pulled it off flawlessly. In Relativity, she senses the incidents are all related, despite it being just one reading that connects them. By the time she's involved, she has a temporal incursion factor of .0036 and a time travel protocol named after her, even if that may just be Braxton's personal grudge. Then there's Endgame, where she intentionally changes the timeline. Up until this point, she has been dragged into time travel, but for the first time, she jumps in on purpose. How does Admiral Janeway know how to get them home sooner in a way that completely avoids the Temporal Integrity Commission? It's because she has seen all of time, and part of her knows exactly what needs to happen so she can get Voyager home and do it in a way that becomes baked into the prime timeline. Maybe she doesn't consciously remember what happened during her transformation, but the experience lives in her mind somewhere, guiding her decisions.

[batvilletv]

Long live the king.

[nofacednerd]

so which senior officer lets him absolutely destroy their private bathroom with purple hair dye every few months

[dftea]

OK, hear me out:

In The Wire, Julian has to use his emergency medical override to gain access to Garak's quarters.

But! In Improbable Cause, when Garak is giving Julian directions to find the secret compartment (in which resides the isolinear rod for consumption), he says "If you go into my quarters[...]".

Which! Implies that some time between Season 2 and Season 3, Garak has given Julian free access to his quarters.

In this essay I will

[abardnamedreginald]

this but they're actually two old men in rocking chairs on a porch because they actually grew old together shut up i'm not in denial!!!

[notfernintheslighest]

me and the bad bitch i pulled by being autistic

[lonesomedreamer]

I expect nothing, Mr. Scott. It is merely logical to try all the alternatives. Doctor McCoy, a reading on the atmosphere, please.

STAR TREK | The Galileo Seven

[drchucktingle]

any thoughts on the theory that you're chris pine?

i do not FULLY endorse buds trying to figure out identity of chuck because in many ways this would be outing someones sexuality and neurodivergence. when this pink bag over my dang head is off my bi way (and autistic way) are not outwardly visible, and while i would certainly say with pride YES THIS IS MY WAY to a close bud who asked, it is a very different journey in public.

however this has changed over time as i have gotten louder and louder in my bisexual way outside of chuck. i am more comfortable and one day we might chat without this mask who knows. maybe right before i board the lonesome train in many decades.

anyway ALL THAT SAID the chris pine theory is something that i find very moving and touches my heart. chuck said on twitter a while back why and i think i summed it up pretty well so i will post screenshots here

i just find it very powerful to see that perception of autistic buds like myself has changed to the point where buds will say 'yes chuck could be this sex symbol'. i think this proves love.

ANYWAY it is complicated issue and DEEP DIVES should probably not happen but maybe a surface skim for a little bit of fun is okay.

LOVE IS REAL thank you for question

[odo-apologist]

Me showing up at the office of an English professor at my university to tell them I'm considering writing yet another thesis on 90s sci-fi television

[astralbondpro]

Star Trek: The Original Series // S02E16: A Private Little War

[residentdork]

In defense of that SNWs first look...

I'm holding out judgement because I think there is more going on in this scene. I agree with everyone the perfect control of emotions and racism are not inherently genetically Vulcan. And I think that's the point.

Like that promo scene from the first season where Jim Kirk says "I'm from space" and we all got mad. But then discovered that it was because it's an episode from an alternate timeline. I think we're supposed to question the legitimacy of the scene.

In fact I think I know what might be going on here. It's just a theory but I think it's because the alien serum they are using is from a group of aliens that don't understand humans or Vulcans. And it's based on their understanding of Vulcans from Spock's perspective. I think the exaggerated control and well very blunt discrimination by the newly "Vulcan" crew is because they are becoming what Spock sees Vulcans. It's his inferiority complex taking hold. And maybe it's also leaning into what some fans assume Vulcans to be. (Because there's also no way the show is trying to tell us the discrimination is logical). I hope the rest of the episode is about unpacking what actual Vulcans are like, how their emotions are different and how their control of those emotions is a cultural thing. Maybe unpacking a bit of Spock's trauma.

Or maybe it's bad writing.

But I'm willing to wait it out and see what they'll do with it.

[kaffkanya]

scratches head dont flame me for this but sometimes i kinda......hate the star trek worldbuilding (this is tos. we're in tos territory) cause they want soooo bad for me to believe that earth is past internal conflict and the federation promotes a classless society and no ones opressed anymore and we dont even use currency! and we aint even colonizers and definitely not a militarized force. far from it, actually. thats like, earths bloody past. we are not Them. but like... i dont know, dude. it wants me to believe in this incredible utopia without touching on the nasty stuff. and that just falls flat in on itself BECAUSE its a 60s show. because it was made during the cold war. and above all else, because its an us show, to us citizens. and gene roddenberry was a fucking cunt.

anyway, everyone should read this article: