#this has nothing to do with ds9

[notreallyworthreading]

Let's be real here. There are so many talented as fuck people here. Even if I don't understand what the hell you posted, it's all so creative my ears bleed.

[youngpettyqueen]

I am once again staying at my grandma's house for the night so if people wanna send DS9 prompts... lil requests... I would love to do some short writings tonight

[tuttle-did-it]

unpopular opinion, I could not stand Lwaxana Troi. I find her cringy and exhausting-- I know that was the point, but not in an 'aww she's so fun' way, just in a 'no really, this is the best they could come up with for the wife of the creator?' way.

I know the fans loved her, Majel seemed cool, whatever. But I couldn't stand her character. There is not a single episode with her in it that I enjoy. and I HATE that she was on DS9. I don't care much about TNG (ST:Picard made me retro-actively hate TNG) but DS9 deserved better. And her relationship with Odo never made sense.

Don't come for me. I know everyone loves her. I know you think I'm wrong. I don't care. I just hate her, and nothing is going to change my mind.

WHY IS LWAXANA TROI ON DS9 AND WHY IS SHE TRYING TO FUCK ODO

[icantspellthings]

I swear to god when you play a captain in star trek they fucking bathe them in a foutain of youth or something because why the hell do they all still look so good at their age, Shatner is fucking 90 and dude is still running around doing fan conventions, I swear sir Patrick Steward has been 60 years old for the past 40 years and literally nothing has changed at all. Avery Brooks still looks exactly the same as he did in Ds9. Like, are they signing a deal with a wizard somewhere that gives them eternal youth???

[garaks-padded-bra]

your "i'm having nightmares" julian looks like he's at that stage in life where his first reaction to getting stabbed is to giggle and say "oh you!" while garak somehow freaks me out. i think it's his tiny eyes - i'm too used to his excessively wide-open stare. also, i appreciate the ugly mustard yellow outfit.

When I first started drawing garak I drew him with big big big eyes - due to the whole wide open stare thing. But then as I kept drawing him I realised his eyes themselves aren't actually that big (compared to bashir, who's got absolutely massive peepers). Him having them wide open all the time certainly adds to the illusion though. I also found that when he's not doing his whole customer service simple tailor schtick (or when characters aren't looking directly at him) he squints his eyes closed hehehehehe. So I tend to draw him either o_o or -_- and little in between.

And yeah s7 depression julian is really funny he really got the worst ending outta anybody. Bro has nothing. Ezri breaks up w him 2 months after ds9 ends. Trust me. Interlifetime post nut clarity hits different

[lostyesterday]

Star Trek shows tend to give an interestingly consistent narrative role to ensign characters (or characters who aren’t ensigns, but are otherwise notably the lowest ranked/youngest of the cast). The Ensign generally represents youth and innocence in both its positive and negative aspects – simultaneously representing the perfect model Starfleet officer and the dangers of overconfident inexperience. There will be stories where The Ensign’s youth and optimism are the emotional core of the crew that actively saves the day, and there will be stories where The Ensign’s inexperience result in disastrous consequences.

The characters that fit most into this category are Chekov in TOS, Wesley in TNG, Nog in later seasons of DS9, Harry in Voyager, Tilly in early seasons of Discovery, Adira in later seasons of Discovery, and Uhura in SNW. It’s a bit different in Lower Decks and Prodigy since almost all the major characters in those shows are equally low-ranked/inexperienced, but most of those characters do share plenty of similarities with the typical Ensign archetype.

An important thing to note, though, is that this archetype implies the beginning of a character arc – generally a coming-of-age style one where we see The Ensign gain experience and perspective, losing both the positives and the negatives of their youthful bright-eyed inexperience. Nog’s war trauma arc is one example of this. Wesley gets a more classic coming of age arc. Tilly, Adira, and Uhura all get arcs about learning to trust in their own abilities, finding their place in the world, etc. And generally speaking, if their shows aren’t cancelled prematurely, these characters do gain rank or get promoted to new positions. It’s sort of an obvious part of what this character arc entails. Every single one of the characters I just mentioned gains rank onscreen at least once. Even Chekov, who comes from TOS where nothing really changes episode to episode, gets to be shown over the course of the movies gaining rank and experience.

Which all makes Harry’s perpetual ensign status on Voyager even weirder. I’ve seen people defend the decision to never let Harry gain rank (or any other real promotion in responsibilities/duties) by referring to the Ensign archetype. Star Trek shows always have an Ensign, so supposedly Harry needed to keep being The Ensign forever. But this argument doesn’t make much sense when you consider what the typical Ensign arc entails for basically everyone except Harry. If Harry followed the typical Star Trek Ensign character arc, he would have gained rank and responsibilities over the course of the show. It would be very inaccurate to say that Harry has no character arc over the course of Voyager – we see him become more experienced and hardened by the events of the show. But despite all of this, he gets an episode like Nightingale in season 7. He is never allowed to grow beyond the original parameters of The Ensign archetype.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

I alluded to this here and here, but to expand on it - when considering that the non-Miles O’Brien characters don’t get to react at all to the reveal that Bashir was genetically enhanced, I honestly think the lack of reaction from Sisko is the biggest loss there.

All we get is Sisko very calmly providing exposition on the fact that Richard Bashir has offered to give himself up in order for Bashir to keep his commission and medical license, without any indication as to his feelings about it. Nothing about his opinion on genetic engineering, his feelings about Bashir essentially lying to him by omission about illegally entering the medical field, or his feelings about Bashir in general! No comment on Bashir’s service or his accomplishments during his tenure at DS9 or anything Sisko might value about him as an officer, which seems like a relevant thing to bring up in this context.

The only point at which Sisko gets to show any kind of negative feeling about Bashir lying to him is in Inquisition, when Sloan brings it up during the interrogation - and in that case, it turns out to not actually be Sisko, but a hologram. And the way Bashir reacts to the accusation that he was lying to Sisko by concealing his being genetically enhanced - by admitting to Sisko that he should have told him the truth from the beginning - makes it seem like the issue has never been raised between them before, which is just bizarre. You’d think Sisko would want to have an immediate talk with him about that!

And I think Sisko genuinely would be angry with him, at least at first. He hates when people under his command deceive him or go behind his back. It’s the source of his grudge against Eddington; he gets angry at O’Brien for lying to him about getting involved with Orion Syndicate-related business while on leave (and at Bashir for covering for O’Brien); and he’s angry at the two of them for enacting their plot involving Section 31 without telling him in Extreme Measures. The fact that one of his officers kept him in the dark about his illegal genetic status should not be trivial to him! I absolutely believe he would still fiercely defend Bashir and do everything he could to protect his position, but… I think a more accurate response might be similar to his behaviour re: Worf in Rules of Engagement, when he fights for Worf when Worf is on trial but then dresses him down once they’re in private.

Just… a weird little lacuna in their relationship. With the reveal that Bashir has been illegally practicing medicine, you’d think more of a reaction from his commanding officer would be warranted.

[thepetitepiper]

For anyone who think that Garak x Bashir in Lower Decks is "fan-service," "sickening," or "ruining Star Trek", have you been paying attention?

Note this is not for those who aren't a fan of the couple or never saw it in DS9. This is for those who are actively complaining or find it "problematic".

To the complaints about fan service, have you SEEN Lower Decks? Lower Decks is filled with Easter eggs and fan service, but not just to appease or cater to the fans. It is evident that the show is made with love and understanding of Star Trek. Sure, it has a different tone and style, but the adoration of all things Star Trek is palpable. The amount of references made to various forms of Star Trek media, even lesser-known or less popular versions, is extensive and weaved humorously yet beautifully through the show.

"Fissure Quest" is another excellent example with Jolene's return as T'Pol, Alfre Woodard as Lily Sloane, more Curzon Dax, another EMH with a mobile emitter, promoted Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), etc. Also note that some of these actors had negative or frustrating experiences with aspects of their Star Trek journey (due to a previous show-runner) and I have such an appreciation for Lower Decks giving them, hopefully, a positive experience (similar to Jerry Ryan getting another opportunity to play 7 of 9 in Picard without Kate).

As for the complaint of making a fan favorite ship canon for the shippers. Did you not watch DS9? The actors have specifically stated they were playing up the flirtations and chemistry between the characters. Andrew J. Robinson played Garrat's first meeting with Bashir as "he was sexually attracted to this good-looking young Starfleet doctor." This ship was not just fans "seeing something that wasn't there." It was 100% there and intentional from both of the actors. Even one of the writers admitted that the character or Garak specifically should have come out of the closet after the episode "The Wire" but the writers never asked if they could (the assumption being that it would have been quickly shot down so they didn't try).

Rumor has it that the questionable relationships that both characters end up in were to distract from the obvious homoerotic subtext. Garak and Ziyal not only had little chemistry, the age gap was also rather wide and disconcerting for many fans along with Robinson himself. As for Bashir and Ezri, they were put together in the final season after Ezri's character was created to replace Jadzia. This relationship would never had happened if Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) hadn't left the show after season 6. She wanted to reduce her role on the show but Rick Berman denied her request leading to her letting the contract expire.

If you think this is "ruining Star Trek" or is Star Trek becoming "woke," you don't know Star Trek. It featured the first interracial kiss on television. Gene Roddenberry wanted to include gay characters but couldn't in TOS because he feared the series would be canceled. He intended for there to be representation in TNG but passed away. Berman took over and any form of LGBT representation became minimal or easily written off by those who would oppose it (non-binary but played by a woman, previously a heterosexual couple but now in female bodies, thematically queer episode, etc).

If you find it "sickening", I don't need to tell you why. You know why and so do we.

You don't have to like Star Trek: Lower Decks and its depiction of Garak x Bashir (from alternate universes, mind you). Not everyone likes the characters together and some prefer a friendship dynamic, there's nothing wrong with that. However, if you think that it is somehow catering to shippers or demonstrates how Star Trek has "become woke", you are simply wrong.

[cdr2002]

I gushed about the DS9 mirror universe in a previous post and how I feel the setting is more fluid than stories centered on the dominance of the Terran Empire, but I really do love the way it handles inverting and “mirroring” characters and concepts

“The names are the same, but the players are in different places” I think Prime Kira put it

The Federation and the mirror Cardassian Union are direct parallels. Both powers enjoy beneficial alliances with the Klingons and Bajor, and a severe dominance over Alpha Quadrant politics. The Alliance is on a larger scale essentially the mirror Federation of this era. Kira at the beginning of the series worried that the Federation would be just like the Cardassians. Oh the irony.

The TNG era is generally considered to be the Federation at its height, before the losses suffered at the hands of the Borg and the Dominion, at least. Meanwhile in the mirror universe, the Terrans, vulcans, and others are at their absolute lowest. They are in essentially the same position that the Bajorans were under the Cardassian occupation. And the Bajorans are, at least in part, among their oppressors.

Kira’s nemesis is Gul Dukat. The Intendant has Gul Dukat’s old job, and behaves similarly to him in many ways. Both Kiras are fundamentally the same person enough to understand each other, but in the ways that they differ are all traits that Intendant shares with Dukat. Kira is second in command of the station, under Sisko’s command. The Intendant commands the station, and Sisko works for her. The reversal of their egos is the most obvious, and the component Nana Visitor herself has commented on.

Prime Garak is an exile. Mirror Garak is still trapped in Cardassian military service, and seems miserable with it, much the way I imagine Prime Garak would have found himself eventually.

O’Brien has a loving family. Smiley has nothing. This very fact helps to inspire him to become a revolutionary. O’Brien knows what he lives for. Smiley has to find it.

Both Siskos “lost” Jennifer. One to the Borg, one or his own hubris.

Prime Bashir is a genius and a savant. Mirror Bashir is kind of a thug.

Prime Quark is arrogant and swaggering. Mirror Quark is timid and quiet, but also more outwardly kind. Too outwardly perhaps, considering he got caught, but we can’t fault him for doing the right thing.

Prime Worf was raised by humans. Regent Worf is all Klingon. If he knew the Rozhenkos, they were probably house servants or something. He was intentionally written to be like Gowron.

Similarly, Mirror Nog is very Quark-like.

The situation that the Rebellion finds itself in forces them to operate and conduct themselves VERY similarly to the Maquis, ironic considering how many of our Starfleet characters have mirror selves who are members of this Rebellion, and who in the prime universe, have opposed the Maquis. Sisko being the most prominent example. They even use more or less the same vehicles and weapons as the Maquis, and I think there are a few shared background actors between both groups, potentially the prime and mirror versions of the same peoples.

Similarly, Tuvok is a spy for Starfleet within the Maquis in the prime universe. He is genuinely 100% a rebel in the mirror universe. Both Tuvoks also have the same outfit in their wardrobe.

Prime Rom is relatively timid. Mirror Rom is fairly aggressive.

Ezri received the Dax symbiont in the prime universe. This never happened in the mirror universe, and the episode makes sure to emphasize this. She’s also tough, guarded, sassy, and aggressive where Prime Ezri is somewhat meek, fairly open, friendly, and usually cordial but does say what’s on her mind, bringing a similarity between her and her mirror counterpart. Mirror Ezri ultimately choosing to become a member of the rebellion could also be argued as a similarity.

Mirror Jadzia is unfortunately quite underdeveloped and boils down to mostly sleeping with people Prime Jadzia ordinarily doesn’t. But there is an interesting note to Mirror Jadzia seeming to be a more frivolous and carefree person (or at least fronting as such), while Prime Jadzia is a relatively more serious person, and while both engage in casual sex, Prime Jadzia is a lot more considered when it comes to starting long term relationships than her counterpart, who doesn’t see Bashir’s immaturity as an obstacle to his compatibility as a partner.

The mirror Klingons and Cardassians find success and dominance in aligning. In the prime universe they go to war, to their mutual detriment.

DS9 ends with the prime universe Cardassian Union brought low and made to suffer a form of ironic penance for their past sins at the hands of a greater fascist power than themselves, much like the fall of the Terran Empire. But where the Empire was conquered by the Alliance, Cardassia is brought back to its feet by the Federation.

I don’t know precisely how intentional any of this was but I found it fascinating.

Oh and Mirror Bariel has a personality.

[marta-bee]

Original source here; I saw it via @liberalsarecol here. I went a bit off and didn't want to piggyback on their post. (What is the etiquette in these situations? I'm never quite sure.)

They said "Walking away from Trump is healthy." To which I can only respond it's not only healthy, it's damned heroic. Star Trek and US politics thoughts below the cut.

I've been thinking about Damar (from DS9)'s character arc in the final season, and how it to relates to the people swept up in Trumpism. Liz Cheney, Gov. Mike Milley, but also just run of the mill conservatives. They all went along with this cult that is MAGA because it worked for them at some level, because it claimed to give power and voice to something they actually believed in (conservative principles of independence and freedom, an economy that let them support their families, being told who they were was something to be proud of). Not the values that resonate most with me, but I can see someone believing them and acting based on it.

Then came something that should be the bridge too far. The thing they couldn't support. Maybe it affected them personally, maybe it was just extremism beyond what they could swallow. Most people caught up in this movement have a point like that, but not all are brave enough to turn aside. Even if it means admitting they were wrong. Even if that leaves them without a party that represents their view. Even if they have to set aside their own policy preferences and vote for a Democrat because there's more important things at stake.

Which, as I said reminds me of Damar. If you don't know the show, it's built around a war between the various species of the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion, a fascist regime from the other side of the galaxy. The Cardassians are a militaristic, duty-to-the-state heavy species that makes an alliance with them as a way to get military strength and influence. It doesn't work out so well for them. As Damar, a Cardassian military leader turned rebel terrorist, says:

Seven million of our brave soldiers have given their lives to fulfill our part of the agreement, and what has the Dominion done in return? Nothing. We've gained no new territories. In fact, our influence throughout the quadrant has diminished. And to make matters worse, we are no longer masters in our own home. Travel anywhere on Cardassia and what do you find? Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and now Breen. Instead of the invaders, we have become the invaded. Our 'allies' have conquered us without firing a single shot. Well, no longer.

The thing about Damar is he's no flower child or unblemished angel of a character. I can't remember offhand if he was involved in the occupation of Bajor, but given his background it's hard to imagine he wasn't involved in the occupation of somewhere. He shot Ziyal. it's his personal humiliation more than some grand moral awakening that ultimately drives him to rebel. And probably billions died because of how he tried to pursue power and gave the Dominion an Alpha Quadrant foothold. But when it came down to it he said no more, he gave up his pride and the way he'd woven his pride and position and future in with the Dominion, and he changed course.

I mean, I never thought I'd be cheering on a Cheney either. What a world.

My point is, it's hard to take that leap -- much more challenging than being on the right side of things from the beginning. And while it doesn't wipe away getting it wrong to begin with and all you did because of that, the changing course is still pretty heroic in my book.

[therealsullivan3000]

Currently watching Star Trek DS9 again and thinking about this line from the episode Fascination:

(Odo is briefing his Starfleet stand-in for the Festival.) ODO: I usually make it a point to drop by Quark's three or four times a day at random intervals, just to let him know that I'm thinking about him. But seeing today is a holiday, he'll be busier than usual. I suggest you station a man there full time. I think that about covers it. If you need me, I'll be on the Promenade.

Like um... I don't think it's normal to go to Quark's that often just to let him know you're thinking about him. Odo couldn't even be bothered to say, "Oh I go by to make sure everything is in order and to make sure nothing illegal is going on." He literally just says that he wants Quark to know that he's thinking about him?!?? Also why are you telling this to the poor random sap who has to do your job during the festival. What's he going to do, stroll into Quark's and say, "Btw Odo is thinking about you," at least 3 times a day? Do you want to just put a guy there to remind Quark every few minutes that Odo is thinking about him every second that they're apart???

Odo, buddy, denial is a river in Egypt. You want to kiss the stupid little career criminal Ferengi bartender so bad.

[fancoloredglasses]

The Tribble Saga (what happens when invasive species come to the Federation (oh, the irony!)), Part 1: The Trouble With Tribbles/Trials and Tribble-ations

[All images are owned by Paramount. Please don’t sue me]

Of all of the ridiculous episodes Star Trek (the Original Series) has done (and let’s not forget that among those episodes we were treated to a planet of modern Romans, a planet of gangsters, a planet of Nazis, and space hippies), there is one bout of silliness that is fondly remembered by fans. That would be the episode featuring these little guys:

However, as Star Trek expanded beyond the Original Series, there were two other episodes that featured the Tribbles (including one that revisited the original episode thanks to *sigh* time travel)

I would like to note that it took me 40 years to realize that the original series episode that started this all was about the dangers of introducing an invasive species into a favorable environment.

Anyway, on with the saga, which starts nearly a century after it begins. If you would like to watch the episodes in question, they’re available on Paramount+ or behind your favorite paywall.

We open with a shuttle approaching Deep Space Nine

(Thanks to Mike Johnson)

And what was the Enterprise up to at this point?

We begin with an info dump about Sherman’s Planet, a world in dispute between the Klingons and the Federation, with colonization rights ultimately given to whomever can most efficiently develop it.

Suddenly, the Enterprise receives a Priority-One Distress Call from K-7, a space station on the border of Klingon space. Kirk assumes the Klingons are attacking the station and rushes to the station, phasers hot, to find no Klingons. If they has been and gone, the station would likely be nothing but debris. Surely K-7 didn’t send out a false alarm?

Kirk contacts K-7 to find out what the hell is going on. The director of the station (Director Lurry) apologizes and asks Kirk to beam over to explain why he issued the false alarm.

With that, Kirk and Spock beam over to K-7, where they encounter…

Nilz Baris, a diplomat from Earth who is now in charge of the development of Sherman’s Planet.

…and his assistant, Arne Darvin.

Varis drafts the crew of the Enterprise to guard the storage compartments in K-7, as they are filled with quadrotriticale, a genetically altered grain designed specifically to thrive on Sherman’s Planet.

(If you think I’m gonna keep typing quadrotriticale throughout this review, you’ve got another think coming! From here on out, I’m just gonna call it “grain”)

Well, as long as the Enterprise is stuck at K-7, Kirk authorizes shore leave for the crew while off-duty.

Back in the present, Sisko explains that Waddle stunned the crewman guarding the Orb and used it to send the Defiant over a century into the past to the Enterprise’s mission to Deep Space Station K-7.

[QUICK NOTE: The producers of DS9 managed to cast Charlie Bill (the actor who played Darvin in The Trouble With Tribbles) as Darvin in this episode]

Worf explains that Darvin was altered to look human and was a spy, but his mission failed and he was disgraced and left the Empire. Unfortunately, Worf isn’t sure if Darvin beamed to the Enterprise of K-7, so he has the teams split up to search both crafts.

Sisko tasks the crew to find Darvin before he can do what he came to this time to do (whether warn his younger self about his future, or even murder Kirk), but to do that, they’ll need to disguise themselves (after all, those stylish Federation “grease monkey” uniforms won’t exactly blend in with 23rd century garb, not to mention the fact that they have a Klingon among them!), so they have the replicator make them uniforms.

Obviously, history isn’t Bashir’s strong suit (also, I think his “23rd century” hairstyle makes him look more dorky than usual). Then Dax shows up in her minidress uniform.

Keep it in your pants, Julian!

Using Treknobabble, O’Brien explains that there are moments of “blind spots” in the Enterprise’s sensors that will allow the Defiant to decloak long enough to use the transporters (well, that closes one plot hole, at least) The human members of the command crew will search the Enterprise while Worf and Odo search K-7 and Kira coordinates the teams and takes command of the Defiant.

With that, the humans beam aboard (Sisko and Dax in the fore with Bashir and O’Brien in the aft) However, they have a comical bit of culture shock when they don’t know how to operate a 23rd century turbolift.

(Thanks again to Mike Johnson)

Worf has a seat (FAR from the Tribble) and explains his dislike of the creature.

Odo then mocks the Klingons, who committed genocide and destroyed the Tribbles’ homeworld for good measure.

Back at the bar, the trader (Cyrano Jones), sells his Tribble to Uhura, but not before the Tribble eats the sample of the grain Chekov was carrying.

Suddenly, alarms blare throughout K-7 and the Enterprise! Sisko checks in with Kira, who reports a Klingon battle cruiser is approaching K-7.(Well, THAT can’t be good! Did they find out there was a Tribble peddler on K-7?)

Kirk warns Lurry about the Klingons, but Lurry doesn’t seem worried about an attack, since the Klingons’ captain is in his office.

Kirk immediately beams down to talk to the captain, a Klingon named Koloth.

And what did Koloth want with K-7?

(Thanks to April 5, 2063)

Dax recalls Kurzon Dax knew Koloth and wants to transport to the station to meet Koloth help Odo and Worf. Sisko sends Bashir and O’Brien instead.

(Thanks to Dputiger)

Back on the Enterprise, Kirk and Spock enter the Lounge to discover Uhura’s Tribble has had a litter. Spock notes that the cooing from the Tribble has a soothing effect on humans.

…he says as he’s gently petting the Tribble. McCoy takes one of the Tribbles to analyze in Sickbay.

Meanwhile, Sisko and Dax spot…

(I do enjoy seeing the Forrest Gump effects being used to integrate the two casts)

…Baris contacting Kirk to chew him out about letting the Klingons on K-7.

Dax admires the pair from afar.

Sisko comments on Kirk’s reputation with the opposite gender.

Dax is amazed that Sisko doesn’t want to meet Kirk. Sisko admits he does, but it’s more important to find Darvin and not pollute the timeline.

Meanwhile, Kirk goes to Sickbay to deal with the dual headaches caused by Baris and the Klingons, when he sees the Tribble Uhura gave McCoy…or, should I say…Tribbles!

McCoy figures out that a Tribble’s internals are geared toward making more Tribbles, but he needs to further examine them.

Kirk addresses the crewmen going on shore leave, telling them to avoid conflict with the Klingons, and leaving Scotty in charge to keep them out of trouble.

On K-7, Bashir and O’Brien spot the others in the lounge.

(Once again, thanks to Mike Johnson)

[Clearly, that “Long Story” Worf is referring to is “Brannon Braga couldn’t be bothered to come up with a plausible explanation before the scripts were finalized and shooting began”]

Anyway, the Klingon kept goading Kirk, and when that didn’t work, the Enterprise.

Well, you can insult Kirk all day, but NO ONE insults the Enterprise in front of Scotty and gets away with it!

With that, the bar erupts into an all-out brawl!

Even Worf gets in on the fun on the Starfleet side (at least he knows where his loyalties lie) until Odo spots Darvin and they go to apprehend him. However…

…Security shows up and detains all Starfleet personnel. Kirk then dresses down all of his (and Sisko’s) men involved.

No one rats out Scotty, so everyone is confined to quarters and dismissed…except Scotty. Kirk wants to know from the one who was supposed to prevent this sort of thing who started the brawl.

When Kirk heard the insults thrown by the Klingons at himself and the Enterprise, he understood, but still had to punish Scotty.

Since Bashir and O’Brien have no official quarters on the Enterprise, they wander off randomly until they run into…

That can’t be good!

It’s not all bad news for the crew of the Defiant, as Odo and Worf have captured Darvin, who reveals he’s set in motion a plan to murder Kirk.

(Thanks to April 5, 2063)

And so…

…they scan Every. Single. Tribble. Unfortunately, the Tribbles are breeding MUCH faster than they can scan!

Fortunately, Dax has a brainstorm: the bomb must be somewhere that Kirk will be in the next half hour or so, so the new plan is to shadow Kirk and hope they scan the bomb before it goes off.

Meanwhile Kirk has Cyrano Jones brought in to deal with the Tribble problem. Jones says he’s done nothing wrong, despite the fact that the Tribbles are breeding out of control. At that, he saunters out of Lurry’s office as Baris storms in with a bone to pick with Kirk.

He accuses Kirk of allowing a Klingon spy free reign over the station, namely one Cyrano Jones. Kirk all but laughs in Baris’s face, having thoroughly checked Jones’s background.

Later, Dax and Sisko are in the Enterprise lounge when Kirk comes in for lunch.

Then Scotty comes in and announces the Tribbles have gotten into the air ducts, and Kirk realizes there are similar ducts leading to the storage compartments on K-7 (where the grain is stored), so Kirk and Spock rush to the transporter, and Sisko and Dax get beamed to the storage compartment and quickly start scanning as Kirk gets to the storage container and opens it.

(Thanks to Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project)

And as this happens, inside the bin…

(Thanks to Star Trek Clips)

…and no one noticed the explosion?

But the last of that clip is getting a bit ahead of ourselves. We’ll circle back to that as Kirk has Cyrano Jones brought to Lurry’s office as Koloth also enters, demanding that Kirk apologize to the Klingon High Command for how the Klingons were treated while on shore leave.

Baris says that such an apology will be basically handing them Sherman’s Planet. However, Kirk first wants to know how the Tribbles wound up in the grain and what killed them before he gives the Klingons the time of day, let alone an apology. Koloth asks that, before proceeding, the Tribbles that have settled in Lurry’s office be removed.

As Security removes the Tribbles, Darvin enters.

Kirk asks Jones why the Tribbles are acting like that. Jones says he’s only seen that sort of reaction with Klingons. Kirk then takes the Tribbles and tests them against the people in the room first the Klingons, which causes them to screech once again.

Then Spock, whom they like.

Followed by Baris, whom they also like.

But yet, they screech at Darvin. Kirk asks McCoy to scan Darvin.

McCoy then gives his report on what killed the Tribbles in the storage compartment: the grain they ate was poisoned! Under threat of being locked in a room with the Tribbles, Darvis confesses to sabotaging the grain. As Darvin is arrested, Kirk tells Koloth to get his ship the hell back to Klingon space.

As for Jones…

(Thanks again to April 5, 2063)

By this time, Kira had learned how to use the Orb of Time to return the ship to the present.

(Thanks one last time, Mike)

[NOTE: The scene with Kirk and Sisko was NOT from The Trouble With Tribbles, but Mirror Mirror, with Sicko replacing Lt. Moreau]

…and so Odo managed to re-introduce the Tribbles to the galaxy thanks to the wonders on time travel. I suppose the crew could round them all up and send them through the Wormhole? If this happened in Season 6, they could’ve been a nasty “gift” for the Dominion!

However, this wasn’t their only appearance before the Klingons Wiped Them Out For Good (only for Odo to ruin all of their hard work)

[walkingstackofbooks]

This started off as an idle crack thought but I have now lain awake for more than an hour thinking it over and I need you to know I have never been more serious:

Worf&Garak forced marriage AU.

Through *circumstances* the two of them become married (while neither of them are dating anyone else), and they absolutely hate it, it's the worst, they can't stand each other and have practically nothing in common.

Unfortunately, they have each come to the conclusion that, however strangely this marriage has come about, it is both legally and morally binding... and one of the very few things they share is a deep belief in the Importance Of Marriage. The idea of divorce never crosses either of their minds. They're both utterly committed until death do them part.

They don't end up developing romantic feelings for each other. They probably don't even become friends. But they are utterly exclusive and monogamous, and they take their duty of being a husband extremely seriously, even if they don't take their husband seriously.

It's incredible. Please, imagine with me a Broken Link or In Purgatory's Shadow where these two are married. Almost nothing changes but everything's more intense. I can't stand it.

They live on the Defiant, because any respectable family lives together where possible - but they have quarters as far away from each other as possible. They try to live their lives as separately as they can, keeping out of each others' way. They adopt a war orphan the same age as Ziyal because having a "fruitful" marriage is important to Garak. (As is fucking with Dukat by getting close to his daughter... They do both hate Dukat.)

They trust each other implicitly, more than anyone else in their lives. Family is more important than anything. Garak knows if Word ever agreed to report his activities back to Sisko, he'd tell Garak what he was doing. Worf has no idea what Garak will do at any given moment, but knows he'll put Worf and their daughter first, at least. They are constantly disappointed with how honourable/underhanded the other is, and exhorts their kid not to follow in their other father's footsteps.

(Everyone else on DS9 takes their duties as an honorary aunt/uncle VERY seriously to try and make sure this kid gets through Worf and Garak's parenting relatively unscathed. But eccentric as the pair of them are, they're both extremely consistent and protective, and it works out for the kid, in a weird way. A very weird way.)

And it really is a lifelong commitment. When Worf becomes Klingon ambassador, Garak accompanies him. A few years later, he becomes Klingon ambassador to Cardassia, and they settle there together. They're not unhappy. They're still definitely not in love, or nowhere even near it.

I've never been more invested in these characters and desperately want this as a background ship in every other fic I write XD Probably mostly because I should have gone to bed four hours ago and am slightly sleep deprived, but idk, it feels like something has just clicked. THESE TWO. THEY HATE IT. THEY NEVER ONCE DREAM OF "CHEATING". IT'S A BEAUTIFUL , AWFUL THING AND I NEED IT.

[icantspellthings]

Star trek show inspired by DS9 called Deep Space 99 where they really are in deep space in the middle of fucking no where not even near a planet or any stars just floating in the vast expanse of space with nothing to do. The outpost has a crew of just 10, and the entire 24 episode series is just about the station officers having a The Light House style homoerotic mental breakdown, starting sexual charged fights and hallucinating having sex with aliens due to the sheer terrifying isolation they're in.

[lostyesterday]

There’s an ethical question in Star Trek I’ve seen several people here talk about that I’ve thought about a lot. Basically, what are the ethics of having a romantic or sexual relationship with a non-sentient holographic version of a real person? This issue is brought up several times in canon, but never dealt with well, in my opinion. The main canon discussions of this topic that I remember (and it’s possible I forgot something) are in Booby Trap (TNG) where Geordi has a very brief romantic relationship with a holographic version of a real woman he’s never met, in Hollow Pursuits (TNG) where Barclay presumably has romantic/sexual relationships with extremely out of character holographic versions of Deanna and Beverly, in Meridian (DS9) where a guy wants Quark to sell him a holographic version of Kira to have sex with, and in Human Error (VOY) where Seven has a semi-long-term romantic and sexual relationship with a holographic version of Chakotay.

So, first of all, I don’t think that any of those instances mentioned are morally okay. Booby Trap is the most complicated case morally speaking since, to my memory, Geordi didn’t intentionally initiate anything romantic, though he didn’t stop it once it started either. I don’t want to imply that what Geordi did is morally as bad as the other examples I’m discussing, especially since Geordi is the only character of color being discussed here and his actions are not really equivalent in intention or impact to the other characters’. As an episode, Booby Trap doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of whether or not what Geordi is doing is unethical. In fact, it felt to me as if that question wasn’t something that occurred to the writers at all (until Galaxy’s Child, but that’s a whole other thing and the hologram portion of it is arguably the least messed up thing there, so I’m ignoring it in relation to this topic). Hollow Pursuits does portray what Barclay does negatively, but I feel like the episode is much more concerned with the negative emotional effects this has for Barclay rather than for Deanna and Beverly. Meridian, from what I remember, is the only episode to portray this situation as definitively bad, and Kira is portrayed as justified in being angry. However, the episode is a mess in other ways and does not explore the topic with nuance, making light of it with humor when I think it needed to be taken more seriously. Human Error is in some ways the most baffling case here because what Seven does is portrayed almost positively, as something that is a potentially good step in Seven’s “social development”. Apparently, there is no thought given to what Chakotay would think of the situation. I’ve seen people suggest that the narrative and fandom treatment of Seven versus the other characters is a gendered double standard, which I do think makes sense.

But the problem here isn’t having a sexual/romantic relationship with a hologram, the problem is that the person didn’t consent to having their holographic image used this way. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having sex or a relationship with a hologram not based on anyone’s image, or based on the image of someone who gave clear consent to have their image used in that way. But using someone’s image this way without their consent is pretty obviously analogous to making nonconsensual porn of someone. Do the ethics of this situation change if the hologram is of a historical figure? What about a famous person who is still alive? I don’t necessarily have answers here, but I do think the situation can become more complicated.

And then there’s another factor to consider – is the sexual/romantic relationship the biggest issue here? In the cases of Hollow Pursuits and Human Error, Barclay and Seven’s simulations of the crew are much more extensive than just the romantic/sexual portions. Would it have been all right for Barclay to create potentially offensive and demeaning holographic versions of his crewmates if there was no romantic/sexual component? Would it be okay for Seven to recreate a version of every Voyager crew member and live out an intricate alternate life with them without any of their consent if she never had romantic/sexual relationships with any of them? Is it any less a violation of someone’s rights to use their image without consent for, say, a propaganda campaign for an issue they disagree with, or a story that portrays their holographic version as a horrible person? That second scenario is the plot of the Voyager episode Author Author. This episode seems to take the moral stance that it’s bad for the Doctor to use the images of his fellow Voyager crew members to portray horrible characters, but there are other questions it doesn’t raise. Would it have been okay for the Doctor to use their images without consent if he had portrayed their holographic versions positively? What is the line between an acceptable and unacceptable usage of another person’s image without their consent? Is it ever okay to use a person’s holographic image without their consent? Is such consent implied when a person agrees to holographic scans of their body? What exactly is one consenting to when they consent to have a holographic version of themself created? I don’t necessarily have answers to these questions, I just wish any of these episodes had explored these issues with more nuance. And I do think that it’s important to consider extending the question of consent here beyond sex and romance.

[planetlongjourney]

I find it incredibly funny when, in Star Trek, they change the look of a species, to make it stand out more, to generally make it look more alien because makeup and prosthetics are getting better or just because they decide the old one wasn’t good enough, but then pretend that nothing ever happened.

I’m not talking about the Klingons, as they actually do talk about their old designs (also their design change was fair enough) but I’m talking about the Trills, who randomly changed up their WHOLE look from that one tng episode, and it’s never mentioned. 😭

Like, are they different species or something??? Their newer design was literally taken from another species, so did they one from each race have a baby together and started a whole new race of people in the span of like, 5 years???

Also, the Bajorans. In tng, Ensign Ro has a weird nose/eyebrow ridge thing that makes her look like she’s really angry (honestly yeah go off) but that is taken away and never mentioned again.

Actually, pretty much every species from tng into ds9 had a design change, or a personality change, and eveyone is just kind of like “ah yes, the way things always were, nothing has ever changed”.

By the way, we don’t talk about discovery aliens here. That stuff was scary. 🫠