#tng The Wounded

[filmjunky-99]

s t a r t r e k t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n created by gene roddenberry [the wounded, s4ep12]

'I was on Setlik three with Captain Maxwell the morning after the massacre. We were too late, of course. Almost everyone was dead.

The only people left alive were in an outlying district of the settlement. I was sent there with a squad to reinforce them. Cardassians were advancing on us, moving through the streets, destroying, and killing.

I was with a group of women and children when two Cardassian soldiers burst in. I stunned one of them. The other jumped me. We struggled.

One of the women threw me a phaser, and I fired. The phaser was set at maximum. The man just incinerated, there before my eyes. I'd never killed anything before. When I was a kid, I'd worry about swatting a mosquito.

It's not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I have become because of you.' - miles o'brien

[walkingstackofbooks]

TNG 4x12 The Wounded, and 5x03 Ensign Ro thoughts (rewatching, so possible future spoilers for DS9 too)

I’ve temporarily paused my DS9 re-watch after 2x20 Maquis Part 1 to go through all the Cardassian episodes in TNG to get a better picture of the build up. Honestly they're so spread out, I'm not surprised I can't remember much of it!

4x12 The Wounded

"They're our allies now"??? Not really, Troi, you're just at peace, you're not even going to have a treaty for the next three years!

KEIKO :D

It's like they've never eaten together before???

I know it's a throwaway line, but Miles' mum not believing in replicators and being "like a master chef" feels like something that should have come up in DS9, with Sisko's cooking habits. At the least, it would have prepared him for his time in Alixus' cult in Paradise

Their smiles and laughter together is cute :3

I like the Cardassian trying to make friends. <3 He really picked the wrong person though 😅

Miles pretending he's good with Cardassians - no, your wife knows you better thank that XD

I do like miles when I tried to better himself. You go have a friendlyish conversation with a Cardassian

"It's not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you." It's interesting when Miles gets self aware; it's a shame it doesn't always stick and he has to keep relearning these things

This Gul Macet is pretty damn decent, that was a good job done there

"I consider the matter closed." - Picard is a good captain

I like this burgeoning trust between the two captains :3

Picard calm questioning of Maxwell is so well done, I do like him

"I'll accept the judgement of history."

"When you've been through what we have, you tend to get inside someone." 👀 Okay Miles...

Of course there's a Star Trek episode where they win through the power of friendship and song :P

"Take this message to your leaders, Gul Macet. We'll be watching." THE STEEL

Really glad I re-watched, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Picard, and it was a great Miles episode. Also interesting that our very first view of Cardassians are of some good ones.

5x03 Ensign Ro

It's so, so weird watching this after ds9 - knowing loads about Bajorans rather than this being our first one

Ro!

No, that earring is just rude

Interesting, "The Bajoran custom has the family name first, the individual's second... It's an old custom. Most Bajora these days accept the distortion of their names in order to assimilate." That isn't very DS9, but I get the feeling Ro is from the Bajora disapora, and not Bajor? Maybe tradition stayed stronger there.

Also interesting for the people to be Bajora and not Bajorans.

Damn but I love her

She reminds me a lot of Kira actaully, and now I want them to meet

"You were innocent bystanders for decades as the Cardassians took our homes, as they violated and tortured our people in the most hideous ways imaginable, as we were forced to flee." "We were saddened by those events but they occurred within the designated borders of the Cardassian Empire."

^> How long have the Federation been at war with Cardassia. *googles* 20 years, okay. Because they were fighting a war, and that's hardly standing by? But I guess they weren't when the Cardassians originally occupied Bajor. We don't actually know why or when the border wars started, but memory-beta attributes some distrust due to the Bajor occupation.

GUINAN! I'd forgotten how incredible she is. "Sounds like someone is like to know." Perfection.

Of course she's angry, she did well even if it was against the rules

I'm glad Guinan exists <3

Yes, he's listening to her. And she has a hell of an explanation.

Oooh, I had guessed that no-one was on board, but I assumed a last-minute transport - clever to have guessed this from the start and left them planetside!

Love a happy ending with a corrupt official probably going to prison :D

"That's an interesting challenge. And I rarely refuse an interesting challenge."

The earring shouldn't have to be a condition! It should be accepted as standard! I get that it's supposed to be a cute ending but it's wrong

I love Ro a lot :3 This episode is so interesting to re-watch after DS9, it's super interesting to get more Bajoran points of view.

[spockvarietyhour]

Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Wounded" & Star Trek: Picard "Imposters"

[abitunexpected]

Setlik 2: ooooooo exciting time portal shenanigans

Setlik 3: cardassian boarder wars massacre, lots of death

[crowfootwrites]

Devotion & Diplomacy

I am nothing if not an impatient b, so I'm moving forward with posting! Tagging a few who asked/I think might be interested! This story is currently standing at 10 parts, so if you wanna be added to a tag list, lemme know! @horta-in-charge @deepspacedukat @bigblissandlove1 You can also read on AO3!

Daro doesn't make his first appearance until Part II because this first part is a lot of setting things up and getting to know our daring OC. We do, however, see some other familiar faces!

For some background, the Federation-Cardassian Armistice was signed in 2367; the Phoenix Incident occurred this same year, which helped settle the formation of the Demilitarized Zone. The Occupation of Bajor ended in 2369, at which time Cardassia withdrew from Terok Nor. There is a 3 year gap between when the armistice occurred and when the Federation-Cardassian Treaty was finalized in 2370 – this story will take place in 2367, with the understanding that our OC is basically traveling to and from Cardassia Prime frequently in order to broker peaceful relations and encourage the signing of the treaty.

Warnings: none really in this part; Jellico being a dick (canon-compliant) | Words: ~2,450

Anyway, without further ado:

Emrys sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of her nose as the voices of the men down the table from her increased in volume, desperate to be heard over one another. She’d been sitting at this table far too long for her own liking and it still felt as though everyone was talking in circles. It’d be a miracle if they accomplished anything today.

A familiar voice began climbing, adding to the chaos. Without looking, Emrys could identify it as her one-time communications partner, Varsek – a hulking Aenar with limited patience. How he’d managed a career in communications, Emrys would never know.

As had been the case over the two weeks, Emrys knew that once most of the Cardassians and Federation members present, Starfleet officers included, had descended into a rage-fueled argument, there’d be no progress for the remainder of the day. Out of the corner of her eye, Emrys spied the only person she could count on to always remain calm - another Federation delegate, the Vulcan, Romar - but even he was sporting a raised eyebrow. As the highest ranking Starfleet officer and only woman present, Emrys was disinterested in the prospect of another pointless day and opted, yet again, to put her foot down.

Placing her finger and thumb between her lips, she let out a short, shrill whistle. The yelling halted immediately, with all eyes suddenly on Emrys as she rose from her chair and planted the palms of both her hands on the long conference table before her.

“Gentlemen,” she began, before anyone could interrupt. “We are getting nowhere, and quickly.” She made eye contact with each participant around the table in turn, recognizing the importance of acknowledging everyone present, if only to soothe their pride. She found in the responding gazes of the Cardassians genuine frustration and hostility, but perhaps also some desperation there. And in her fellow Starfleet officers, exasperation and some retrospective shame.

“We’ve agreed that shouting will not solve the issues we’ve come together to discuss, but we seem to end up engaging in this behavior with every meeting,” Emrys continued. “It is unbecoming of us all.”

In her momentary pause, she was interrupted by the Cardassian Gul-Tar Ziven, who also rose from his seat. She met his gaze with a calm confidence that she hoped belied the feeling of overwhelm that had been slowly settling in her stomach. Failing in this mission could mean losing the peaceful relations between Cardassia and the Federation that had only so recently been won. And given everything that Emrys had lost in the Federation-Cardassian War, she couldn’t allow that to happen.

Stoic as ever, Ziven’s expression gave nothing away as he addressed the men and women, so recently enemies, gathered around. “Lieutenant Commander Beck makes a fine point,” he declared, his voice a peal of thunder across the table’s expanse. The lighting deepened the shadows beneath his eye ridges, his face a series of sharp planes in black and gray. He made for an imposing figure among the brutal Cardassian architecture of the room and clad in solid brown armor, and Emrys took a deep breath to try and remind herself that this head of the Cardassian Union was no longer her enemy.

“Perhaps it would be best,” he suggested, planting his clenched fists on the table before him, his widening stance reinforcing the power he commanded over the room, “if we took a recess.”

As Emrys opened her mouth to respond, Ziven held up a hand to silence her. “The short breaks we’ve been taking have clearly not had a lasting effect. I suggest that we adjourn for a few weeks, giving us all time to review proposals and consider our options individually. Perhaps when we reconvene afterward, we will all be more amenable to compromises.”

Emrys’ lips pursed into a frown as she exhaled hard through her nose. Although she agreed that a longer break might be more effective, she was loath to leave Cardassia Prime without anything set in stone. Peace was too tenuous at this point to feel confident that it would continue, especially without near-constant Starfleet presence to remind the Cardassians of what they’d lost in the war and why they had signed the armistice in the first place. The prospect of having to report yet another extended recess back to Captain Jellico and Vice Admiral Nechayev, without any results, also sat heavy on Emrys’ mind. They were sure to be displeased, and neither were known for mincing their words.

“I propose that we reconvene in three weeks time, so that our… esteemed guests,” he added with a hint of sneer that Emrys wondered if anyone else caught, “will have adequate time for travel in addition to this little hiatus.” Emrys glanced around at the various Federation members present, recognizing that some of them genuinely looked like they needed a visit to their homes. They had already been on Cardassia for two weeks, and for some, like Emrys, this was only the most recent in a long string of visits designed to soothe tensions with the Cardassian Central Command as they collaborated on developing a more formal treaty. 

“We are in agreement, Gul-Tar.” With a conciliatory nod, Emrys took her leave. She wound her way through the broad, windowless halls of the Central Command building lost in thought, and made for her temporary quarters. She hated the gloom of the capital buildings on this planet - it was much more pleasant outside, in the bright and balmy sunshine. But inside, surrounded by intense and inhospitable architecture, with dark halls and rooms bearing strange combinations of outdated construction and modern technology, she felt out of place and unwelcome. Like many of her fellow Federation members, she was eager to get off-world, although she would not have time to go home.

Not that she had a home to go to. 

In her quarters, she contacted Captain Jellico, trying to maintain composure despite her frustration as his face appeared on the viewscreen. 

He gave her a tense smile. “Beck. The negotiations?”

Emrys sighed. “Ziven has called for a three-week recess.”

“Three weeks?” His clasped hands on the desk before him tightened.

“Aye, sir. As I’ve mentioned, there has been significant opposition to the points presented in the last couple of weeks, and today’s session was devolving into absolute chaos, frankly. I will have to rethink our approach for when we reconvene. I believe we can still make progress, but there are some items that I don’t believe the Cardassians are willing to compromise on, such as their continued contact with the Xepol-”

“Commander, it sounds as though you might be losing some control here,” he cut in, sounding aggravated.

Emrys opened her mouth to object, but he continued on. “If you cannot bring the Cardassians to compromise on the Federation’s priority points, we will need to bring someone else in. This peace was too hard-won and is too precarious for us to allow the Cardassians to continue drawing this process out.” The edge in his voice had Emrys’ hackles up and she took a deep, discreet breath to calm herself. Jellico might be her superior, and one of the people who had helped initiate the truce in the first place, but he could still be an ass. Emrys knew from experience.

“Sir, with all due respect, you say that as if we have the power to pressure the Cardassians into meeting our demands.” She hinted at what she knew the captain wouldn’t say out loud, wouldn’t confirm, not to her anyway. “We don’t have that kind of power right now and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cardassians knew as much.”

“Enough,” he snapped. “That is beyond the scope of your rank. Your job is to follow orders and they have already been given to you.” Emrys sat back in her chair, aware of the ticking in her jaw. 

“You were selected for this position for a reason, Lieutenant Commander. Arbitrate, make them settle. Preferably in short order,” he demanded, glancing away from his screen for a moment, as though someone had come into his office.

Given a direct order from her superior officer, there was little she could say or do next.

“Aye, sir,” she replied through clenched teeth.

She watched as Jellico was handed a PADD by someone off screen. He reviewed it for a moment, then turned back to Emrys.

“The USS Enterprise is currently passing near the Cardassian border on a mapping survey before returning to cross Federation space. I am arranging transport aboard for you - their findings may be useful in nailing down some coordinates on the Demilitarized Zone,” he said almost dismissively. “They’ll be in touch to pick you up.”

Emrys sighed, barely managing to suppress the desire to roll her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”

Jellico ended the transmission without another word and Emrys tossed her head back against the top of her chair, heat rushing to her face as Emrys vacillated between wanting to scream and wanting to cry. She settled for neither, instead hanging her back over the deeply uncomfortable chair and gazing around at the temporary quarters she’d been assigned - a room that reminded her a little of a prison cell.     

— — —

Emrys clasped her hands tightly behind her back, her shoulders drawing upwards instinctively as she rematerialized aboard the Enterprise – transporting always made her stomach turn. With a deep exhale, she glanced around at the familiar faces gathered in the transporter room and smiled. 

“Welcome back aboard the Enterprise, Lieutenant Commander,” Captain Picard announced, and Emrys stepped eagerly off the pad to shake his hand. 

“It’s been a long time, Captain,” she replied. “It’s wonderful to see you again.” Without waiting for a reply, Emrys glanced to the Captain’s side and her smile grew into a grin as she launched herself into the waiting embrace of Counselor Troi. 

“Deanna!” she exclaimed, pressing her face into her friend’s shoulder, letting her excitement run rampant, knowing that Deanna would feel the wave of it and realize just how much she’d been missed.

“It’s so good to see you, Emrys,” the counselor murmured, squeezing her tightly. The two women had attended the academy together and been fast friends ever since – but their veering career paths had led them away from each other for far too long. 

As Emrys withdrew, she noticed Captain Picard tempering a grin of his own as he cleared his throat and moved to introduce the other crewman present. He motioned to the handsome human man with striking blue eyes standing beside him. “You know my first officer, Commander William Riker, I presume?”

“Of course!” Emrys exclaimed with a firm shake to Will’s hand. “Good to see you again, Will.”

“Good to see you, Emrys. Glad to have you on board,” he said with a wink. 

Deanna ushered Emrys into the hall, the captain and Will lingering back in the transporter room. “I’ll show you to your quarters, and then perhaps we can grab some dinner and catch up,” she offered. Although she and Deanna corresponded regularly, Emrys was excited for the chance to catch up in person, and eagerly agreed.

After tossing her bag atop the bunk in her quarters, she and Deanna headed for Ten Forward, grabbing a table near one of the large glass windows. Emrys’ shoulders relaxed at the sight, glad to be back in space and off Cardassia Prime for a while.

“So, how have you been?” Deanna asked eagerly, a spoonful of chocolate ice cream halfway to her mouth.

Emrys groaned. “I’m better now,” she muttered. “But long stretches on Cardassia listening to men argue about exact coordinates of the Demilitarized Zone hasn’t exactly been pleasant.”

“I take it the peace talks aren’t going well?” she murmured, glancing to make sure no one could overhear her. Emrys appreciated her consideration. The last thing the Federation needed was more worried citizens.

Emrys shook her head behind her glass of Alvanian brandy. “We’re a little… stuck,” she said quietly. “I think it will turn out alright, I mean, negotiation is an art, you know? We have to cycle between slow and quick progress. If everything happens too quickly, or we push too hard, the Cardassians may find themselves having misgivings. We could wind up right back where we started. But my superiors don’t seem to agree - it’s like they expect progress at warp nine.” 

Deanna patted her hand empathetically. “Yours is a difficult spot to be in. I certainly wouldn’t want to do your job.”

Emrys snorted. “They’d shit themselves if you offered. They’d consider your abilities to be giving them the upper hand.”

Deanna smiled around a spoon full of ice cream. “That’s why I’d never offer,” she muttered. She paused thoughtfully before pinning Emrys with a meaningful stare.

“Have you been home recently?”

Emrys sank back into her seat. A pang of guilt settled below her heart. “I haven’t had a lot of time to make it all the way back to Earth,” she muttered, not meeting her friend’s eyes. “And… with Silas gone, there’s really no reason to.” She shook her head slowly, trying to clear the dull ache that was forming behind her eyes as she thought about her brother. 

Deanna, perhaps sensing Emrys’ discomfort, changed the subject. With a sly grin, she sat back and crossed her legs. “And have you been… seeing anybody lately?”

Emrys laughed harshly, the sound carrying in the mostly unoccupied Ten Forward. “Yeah, a whole bunch of angry Cardassians.”

Deanna snickered, but doubled down, wanting an actual answer. She waited, gazing at Emrys with a raised brow.

With a sigh, Emrys shook her head. “This post has been taking all my time and energy. I go where they tell me, leave when they tell me - I’m always working or on my way to work, essentially.”

“What about that Vulcan on your team? What was his name? R-”

“Romar,” Emrys groaned after another pull of brandy.

“Romar!” Deanna repeated excitedly. “What about him?”

Emrys shrugged, trying not to call to mind her efforts to become closer to Romar, only to be brutally (for a Vulcan) rebuffed. “He wasn’t interested.”

With a frown, Deanna grasped one of Emrys’ hands. “I’m sorry, my friend. It seems like you don’t have a lot of time for yourself right now, and I can’t imagine how difficult that must be,” she fretted. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Emrys pulled her hand from under Deanna’s, only to place hers on top and pat Deanna’s hand softly. “Let’s just talk about you, hmm?” She gave her friend a small smile. “I’ve missed you, you know?”

With a hum and smile tinged with heartache for Emrys, she nodded. “I’ve missed you too.”

[metronn]

if you don't like the next generation you have bad taste and also go fuck yourself

[sshbpodcast]

Episode 98: Lizard Men and a Devil Woman

TNG: "The Wounded" and "Devil's Due"

And here they are! The Ferengi arrived with a whimper and the Borg, while terrific, are a bit too big to be a regular nemesis. But now the Cardassians have come onto the scene in "The Wounded" to become one of the most consequential races of late 24th century Trek! O'Brien gets a past and we get a story of war, revenge, and insisting the right thing be done the right way. And then there's "Devil's Due", which feels like a rejected TOS script and sort of was. Kind of. You'll see.

Also this week: the obvious Cardassian joke, Mr. Potato Head, and really wanting to not talk about "Devil's Due"!

Timestamps: synopses: 0:46; The Wounded: 9:25; Devil's Due: 40:36

[startrekplotnthemes]

Season 4 Episode 12 The Wounded

Picard and the Enterprise are seeking to meet up with the Cardassian when they are fired upon by the very group they were supposed to have an alliance with. It is revealed that another ship of the Federation attacked a science station. Picard responds immediately, taking the Cardassians aboard the Enterprise after getting in contact with command and getting orders to contact the offending vessel that threatens the peace between the Federation and Cardassians.

They hail The Phoenix attempting to reach it's captain Benjamin Maxwell, yet he ignores all hailing attempts. Gul Macet, the Cardassian leader demands Maxwell's location and sends more ships at Maxwell's ship but after a short engagement more Cardassians are killed. Maxwell beams aboard the Enterprise vehemently insisting that the Cardassians are up to shaft business. Picard reins him in, demanding him to take The Phoenix in and resign his position. He foolishly let's Maxwell back onto his own ship where he immediately goes after a Cardassian freighter and the Enterprise and Phoenix are caught in a stalemate.

In the B plot of the episode Chief O'Brien has been interacting with the Cardassians aboard the Enterprise, confronting his own prejudices from being at war with them aboard Maxwell's old vessel. He breaks out of his unacknowledged cycle of biases to realize his own guilt and feelings hold his opinion of the Cardassians stagnant and unable to change. It is why he beams aboard The Phoenix in order to confront Maxwell. He sings an old song reminiscing with Maxwell and having him confront his own pain and reasons for still hating the Cardassians. He convinced him to return to the Enterprise. Rounding out the episode Picard confronts Macet revealing he knew Maxwell was right about his suspicions of subterfuge, but that he wanted to avoid a war. He tells them the Federation will be keeping a close eye on them going forward.

This episode introduces O'Brien as a more prominent cast member before, serving as the protagonist alongside Picard as well as introducing the Cardassians all in an interesting way. Focusing on cycles of vengeance and finding ways going forward. I almost feel that the message of wanton violence and moving forward is somewhat undercut by the reveal that the Cardassians were guilty of subterfuge as Maxwell suggested. It undercuts messages of peace positioning them as exactly the type of people that Maxwell and O'Brien thought of them as. It is much more ambiguous and poignant if Maxwell has been in the wrong, focusing on his past trauma to essentially attack and kill innocent people, exposing flaws in some of the Federation's trained Captains.

[wheelybard]

The "Saint in Paradise" speech really puts the TNG episode "The Wounded" in perspective.

O'Brien's former captain was merely a scared person with PTSD that thought he was right.

[wolfesona]

A snippet of the near future. Major spoilers for TNG

It played with her mind.

Harlow panted as she glared at the figure in front of her. Her body shook as it sustained intense wounds. But she couldn't be more alive.

She saw the figure dash forward, but the twenty year old was faster. She dodged all swipes of her assailant's blades and Harlow almost cut off her attacker's twin ponytails.

"Harlow you don't want to do this. I know you."

She grinned, her visor growing dark. She circled her attacker feeling the fear underneath J's mocking tone.

She relished the feeling.

"You have no-" She bolted so fast, her visor now showing a glowing X eye light along with a normal glowing one. She ran so fast that they left a light trail.

Harlow stabbed her tail into her mother from behind feeling the way it pierced through and came out the other side.

"-idea"

...

It finally let go of her mind, but what met her eyes was pure horror.

She saw the body at the end of her tail.

It wasn't J.

"No...No"

She saw the solver grin at her from a distance. Relishing the way she was in horror.

And Harlow shrieked in pure heartbreak, watching the body drop from her tail. She cradled the body, hoping she would hear a corebeat...

[quasi-normalcy]

Best "Cardassian" Episodes by Series:

TNG: "The Wounded"; "Chain of Command"

DS9: "Duet"; "The Wire"; "Second Skin"; "Civil Defense"; "Improbable Cause"; "The Die is Cast"; "Return to Grace"; "In Purgatory's Shadow"; "By Inferno's Light"; "Call to Arms"; "A Time to Stand"; "Rocks and Shoals"; "Favor the Bold"; "The Sacrifice of Angels"; "Waltz"; "When it Rains"; "Tacking into the Wind"; "The Dogs of War"

VOY: "State of Flux"

[lichqueenlibrarian]

Not to be Weirder than normal about things but I am literally doing anything except read my copy of Doctor’s Orders because it’s the last TOS era Diane Duane book and I love TNG (and definitely bought Dark Mirror) but I’m not really ready to have no other Diane Duane TOS novels yet?

Reasonably sure reading The Wounded Sky and Spock’s World rewired my brain.

[nerdgatehobbit]

To celebrate Star Trek DS9’s 32nd anniversary, I read the “Emissary” novelization. Overall, I really liked it.

Early on, there’s this quote: “Sisko realized he was bigoted against bigots, but it was one bias he did not strive to transcend.” Page 23 in my edition) That is certainly a good way of framing the paradox of tolerance.

About a hundred pages later, there’s a section in Jake’s POV about how Benjamin has been teaching Jake on respecting different cultural beliefs. The handling of Jake and Nog’s interactions is a bit rough and I’m not quite sure yet how I feel about it. Poor Rom hasn’t been named yet at this point- he appears but only is referred to as Nog’s father. Going back to Jake, I do appreciate how the novelization is more open about how Jake has also been grieving and has been affected by his father being ‘stuck’ in the moment of his mother’s death. The idea that Jake struggled to make long-lasting friendships at the shipyards makes sense and adds more nuance to why he latched onto Nog.

The handling of Benjamin & Jadzia’s friendship was a bit off-kilter, but I get the sense they were leaning into that awkwardness of the adjustment to the new host. Captain Picard gets a bit more focus, especially in his discomfort upon realizing exactly why Sisko holds a grudge. It initially sat uncomfortably with me that at one point he views Sisko as “young”. But Memory Alpha says that the characters were born nearly three decades apart (2305 for Picard; 2332 for Sisko) so fair enough.

Keiko and Molly get to be reoccurring characters here, to the point that I wonder if this novelization was based off an earlier script that included them before realizing they needed to streamline the pilot to highlight the new characters. This book also helpfully has Miles O’Brien reflect on his history with Cardassians, which gave me enough information to be able to look up he’s thinking about events that were featured in the TNG episode “The Wounded”. I say ‘featured’ because I am pretty sure some were flashbacks and others were then-current.

Sometimes the narrative was a bit heavy-handed in spelling out the subtext of characters’ motivations but to be fair there are a lot of characters & motives taking place. I think the book went too easy on Bashir’s “frontier medicine” remark, easier than I feel the actual episode did. Though maybe that’s my 2020s perspective talking.

The spots where it was clearest this book was rooted in the pilot are when it touches on Odo and Bashir’s backstories. Odo’s past with the scientists hadn’t been established yet, nor Bashir’s augmentation. There is also no mention of Garak but maybe he’s lying low and/or repairing his shop at this point in-universe? I’m unsure if Nog’s scorn about living with a mother when Jake asks is from to the writers not yet figuring out the form of sexism in Ferengi society versus Nog being on the defensive about his mother’s absence. It can be read as the second in hindsight.

I think that it wouldn’t take much to edit Bashir’s musings without giving away the big spoiler. Just tweak it to something along the lines of “for almost as long as he could remember he’d been cleverer than his peers”, “he became more aware of his outsider status as a teen”, and then outright add in somewhere, even in a different POV section of his, him wondering if there were any telepathic or empathic species on the station. To those starting the show, the first 2 would seem like more of his ego and last another nod to his wide-eyed fascination on his first posting. But those in the know would definitely know the significance of the 1st two, and the last is admittedly a handwave on why Bashir wouldn’t even be thinking too loudly about his augmented status.

Kira’s prickliness is well captured, with her still being respected by the others. Okay, O’Brien is a bit uneasy, but to be fair, she’s his superior so having one with an obviously short fuse is admittedly not a great way to start a new posting, especially as he hadn’t quite realized of her being targeted in her wrath rather than indiscriminate.

Jadzia is remarkably chill here and hasn’t yet gained the complexity she got in later seasons. Which is understandable but also still frustrating. Jennifer remains more someone being grieved than a character in her own right, but that still is a storytelling issue now, let alone three decades ago.

I do greatly appreciate how the book does spotlight Benjamin Sisko’s complexity and the changes he undergoes in the pilot. After all, he is the main character. It is touched on that his dad was a gourmet chef, so that aspect must have been thought up very early in the process. The book does a good job conveying the layers of Brooks’ acting.

Quark is Quark, with his hidden depths not yet seen. As previously mentioned, they don’t seem to have a firm grasp on Odo, though some of that could be him not doing much self-reflection. I’m now wondering if Odo and Quark did simply dislike each other during the Cardassian occupation and at the start of the show, with the tangled mess of multiple emotions coming later, or if it’s something established by later episodes that they’ve always had a complicated dynamic that supersedes the pilot novelization in terms of ranking what’s canon.

They don’t fully understand Gul Dukat’s misunderstanding of himself as the hero, but they did describe his behavior at one point as “imperious” as an example of they knew how he behaved very well, just needed to get a better grasp on the why. Fair enough for the pilot, though.

I’m probably forgetting to discuss at least one something, but this is all I can think of right now. It was an interesting read, particularly in putting a slightly different take on the events of “Emissary”. Has anyone else read it?

[crowfootwrites]

Devotion & Diplomacy - Part II

Y'all, I'm SO PUMPED to share this chapter with you! Daro has finally arrived! Much of this chapter follows the events of TNG S4E12 "The Wounded", but with the spin of our OC being present - but it felt like the perfect introduction for Daro in the show, and it feels that way for this story, too, I think.

Anyway, Emrys and Daro meet and it's all heart eyes and shit. 🥰

Part I of Devotion & Diplomacy | Read on AO3

Warnings: Miles being a traumatized bb boi; spoilers for TNG S4E12 | Words: ~3,100

When Emrys awoke the next morning, she was sorely tempted to remain snuggled under her blankets - spending weeks at a time dealing with the tense atmosphere of peacekeeping and treaty-writing was beginning to wear on her. She had stacks of PADDs to work through and she almost certainly had new, pressing messages from her superiors, the tone of which she could already guess.

She sighed and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, rubbing away the sleep and steeling herself for the day ahead - at least aboard the Enterprise she could be a bit more leisurely. With no Cardassian timetables to keep to, and no meetings to report back on to her superiors, Emrys could sit and review things methodically and interruption-free.

As she flung the covers away from her, a tremendous jolt rocked the ship and sent Emrys rolling off the bed. She stumbled to her feet just as the thunderous roar that had followed died down. Immediately, the red alert klaxons began to wail and Emrys reached for the comm in her quarters.

“Do you need any assistance, Counselor?” she called to Deanna. If her memory served her correctly, her friend would be on the bridge this morning.

“We’ve got things under control for now, but standby.” Emrys could hear Lieutenant Worf barking orders in the background and let her communication line close. They’d call her if they needed. Trying to keep any anxiety at bay, she took to pacing.

— — —

A brief chime sounded, interrupting Emrys’ review of what little progress her group had made on Cardassia Prime, before Captain Picard’s voice came floating through her temporary quarters: “Commander Beck, I hope I’m not interrupting, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead, Captain,” she responded, gathering up the stack of PADDs on the table before her. The red alert klaxons had stopped sounding not too long ago and she had a sinking feeling this favor had something to do with that.

“The red alert this morning was called after we were fired upon by a Cardassian vessel,” he began, and Emrys frowned. “The crew of that ship was apparently retaliating, due to reports of a Federation starship destroying an unarmed science station in the Cuellar system.”

Emrys couldn’t contain the groan that pulled at her throat. This incident certainly wouldn’t help when she had to return to Cardassia next. 

“The USS Phoenix is responsible for the attack,” the captain continued, “but they have since gone silent and are not responding to Starfleet communiqués. Admiral Haden has asked us to find the USS Phoenix, and the crew of the Trager, the Cardassian vessel, have offered safe passage, provided that we allow a delegation aboard while we do so.”

Emrys blew out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as quietly as she could. The tension that was sure to accompany these Cardassians aboard would be difficult to navigate. Peaceful relations were so new that there were certainly still members of the Federation who would be unable to stay quiet, even if it went against orders.

“Given your experience on Cardassia and in helping to navigate the formation of the treaty in general, I was hoping that you might be available to assist in the… handling,” Picard added delicately, “of their delegation while they’re aboard.”

Although the situation was sure to be tense, Emrys reasoned, drumming her fingers on the tabletop, it had the potential to be a net positive. The vast majority of Emrys and her team’s interactions on Cardassia had been limited to members of the Central Command. That made sense, of course, but Central Command wasn’t exactly known for its tolerance of dissenting opinions. If she could manage to broker or at least maintain positive relationships with the delegates who came aboard, perhaps she could gather some additional perspective to take with her into negotiations. 

Emrys cleared her throat and tossed her stack of PADDs into her travel bag. “Of course, Captain,” she replied. “I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

“Excellent,” the captain responded. “The gul and two of his aides will be beaming aboard in one hour. Please meet us in Transporter Room Three.”

“Aye, sir.”

Gulping down the rest of her red leaf tea, Emrys rushed to get ready as her first day of “vacation” was suddenly dashed. A strand of hair came loose from her braid as she tugged on her boots and she blew it out of her face exasperatedly. Smoothing the wrinkles in her uniform shirt determinedly, she stepped out into the hallway to make for the Transporter Room with only a few minutes to spare. 

In the Transporter Room, Emrys took her place beside Deanna, who gave her a friendly bump with her shoulder, and Will, just as three imposing Cardassians appeared on the transport pad. Their helmets still donned, and clad in brown armor, Emrys was reminded acutely of her trips to Cardassia over the past several months, far from friendly faces and never too far from underlying currents of tension and anger.

Immediately, Emrys noted that she didn’t recognize any of these men in particular, although she understood their insignia easily – the aide to the left of the gul had a much friendlier look about him than the other two. Although the firm set of his mouth remained, his wide eyes curiously took in his surroundings, and Emrys smiled to herself.

“Welcome to the Enterprise,” Will offered. “I’m First Officer William Riker.”

He motioned to the two women beside him. “Counselor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Emrys Beck,” he introduced, as Deanna and Emrys nodded in turn. Emrys smiled as the friendlier-looking aide caught her eye and dipped his head in acknowledgement.

“I am Gul Macet,” the Cardassian in the center declared, stepping down off the transporter pad. “My aides, Glinn Daro, Glinn Telle,” he added as his men followed, standing at ease behind him.

“This is our Transporter Chief, Mr. O’Brien.” Will motioned to Miles as he spoke and Miles nodded curtly at the group. A tinge of dread began pooling in Emrys’ stomach as she watched the interaction, remembering that Miles’ reaction to the Cardassians on board would hardly be an isolated incident. A glance at the mostly well-concealed concern on Deanna’s face told Emrys that she wasn’t alone in her worries.

“Shall we?” Will asked, leading the group into the busy halls of the Enterprise.

The group was quiet as Will guided them to the Observation Lounge, and Emrys found herself wanting to bridge the gap, to be as welcoming as possible, if only to shake off the lingering effects of Miles’ terseness. 

“Gul Macet,” she remarked, matching her pace to his as he looked at her in mild surprise, “on my most recent visit to Cardassia, I had the opportunity to speak with the Prefect of Bajor stationed on Terok Nor, Gul Dukat. I can’t help but notice that you bear a striking resemblance to him - are you of any relation?” Emrys turned to await his response, noticing the glance that the two glinns walking behind them shared.

A dark look passed over Macet’s face. It was quick, but Emrys caught it and filed it away to be analyzed later.

“Yes,” Macet responded blithely. “Dukat is my cousin. Although, I am significantly more interested in hearing what brought you to Cardassia, my dear.” He appraised Emrys with a critical eye. Even with the armistice in place, few non-Cardassians came to his home world for any reason.

“Well… I assisted in forming the armistice between Cardassia and the Federation,” she admitted. “And now I lead the team of Federation members who are working with Central Command to formalize a treaty.”

“Ah, so you’re a diplomat.” He seemed almost disdainful, but Emrys thought she’d seen the barest hint of a smile on his face.

“Not entirely, Gul,” she countered. “In fact, I’ve served as a communications officer on several Starfleet ships. Weeks at a time on Cardassia is the most time I’ve spent on land in years,” she added with a light laugh.

Emrys was robbed of Macet’s response as the door to the observation lounge opened and their group joined the captain, who was already seated at the head of the table. Emrys found herself seated beside Glinn Daro as Miles and Commander La Forge trailed into the room. 

As Will and the captain discussed the steps they were planning to take to locate the Phoenix, Emrys allowed herself the opportunity to subtly study the Cardassian beside her. He seemed more at ease than his counterparts, his broad shoulders relaxed as he listened intently to Captain Picard. Emrys had spent more time than she could reasonably quantify around Cardassians in the last year, and none of them had been half as agreeable as this one. She wondered briefly if it was an act, some elaborate display designed to catch adversaries off guard. She dismissed the idea just as quickly, however; Cardassians could certainly be devious and underhanded, but in the more recent past, they’d preferred to rely on brute strength, a trait that Emrys had noticed was perpetuated by most members of the military and Central Command. She then wondered how this Glinn Daro’s seemingly pleasant nature served him there.

The sound of Miles snapping at something the gul had said brought Emrys back to attention. As the captain intervened, she made a mental note to have Deanna check in with Miles later. If the information Emrys had from Vice Admiral Nechayev was good, the Federation wouldn’t be able to handle falling back into conflict with Cardassia; they were still reeling from their losses to the Borg. Emrys often felt that her job was akin to walking a tightrope, and she wanted to ensure that at the very least, no one on this ship would be pushing anything off balance.

The captain’s combadge chirped as Worf summoned him to the bridge. The gul and captain exited the lounge and Emrys turned to the glinns, rising from her seat.

“Would you like to join me in Ten Forward for a drink? It seems likely that it will be a while before we catch up to the Phoenix.” 

Daro nodded his agreement and gave her a small smile. Emrys was struck again by Daro’s height as he rose from his seat; he was several inches taller than her, and carried himself with a cool confidence that only accentuated his stature. Telle fell in step with them as they approached the turbolift, looking for all the world like someone had just hit him. 

Emrys’ heart rate picked up slightly as she stepped into the turbolift and realized that Miles had joined them. 

Miles called for deck six and Daro, seemingly intrigued by the command protocol, called for deck ten. There was a moment of awkward silence while Miles glared at the wall, but just as Emrys opened her mouth to break it, Daro spoke up.

“Your captain is most impressive,” he proffered kindly. She couldn’t be sure whether he was speaking to her or Miles.

“Yes, he is,” Miles agreed, his voice clipped.

Daro’s eyes slid to Emrys’ for a moment and she gave him an encouraging smile.

She watched as he bolstered himself slightly, standing up just a bit taller. “Chief O’Brien, our transporting system is still operating with active feed pattern buffers. I would like to talk with you about your technology.”

Emrys felt a momentary fluttering in her chest. He was trying to be friendly! Even though Miles had already been standoffish, Daro was still trying to build bridges, something Emrys could certainly appreciate. His attempts to break the tension in the turbolift were endearing.

“I’ll have to get Commander La Forge’s approval on that.”

“I understand.” Daro paused, as though hesitant. “In the meantime, we’re going to your Ten Forward. Will you join us?”

Emrys felt the dread deadening her limbs again as the turbolift halted and she glanced at Miles’ face. He looked murderous.

“If my Commander tells me to discuss the transporter with you, I will,” he began acidly. “If Captain Picard orders me to tell you everything I know about Ben Maxwell, I will-”

“Miles,” Emrys warned quietly. 

“But who I choose to spend my free time with,” he ground out, ignoring Emrys and stepping into Daro’s space, “that’s my business.” His proximity to Daro suddenly sent anger crackling through Emrys like lightning.

“O’Brien,” she barked, placing a hand between the two men. Miles glared at her before stepping aside and exiting the turbolift. The doors closed and they were off again. Emrys exhaled sharply before finding a smile for the glinns.

“My apologies. In my experience, the chief is not usually quite so… prickly.”

Telle, who Emrys had yet to hear speak at all, addressed her sternly. “Perhaps that is your experience because you are human.”

“That is very likely,” Emrys replied softly. “I apologize for it nonetheless.” The turbolift halted and she guided Daro and Telle to Ten Forward, eager to move on to more pleasant conversation.

At the bar, over kanar and Alvanian brandy, the trio kept the discussion light, discussing how the glinns came to be posted on the Trager and how Emrys was enjoying her visits to Cardassia. Emrys did most of the work, which she had anticipated, but once she started getting responses from the thoroughly stiff Telle, she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

After a while, Telle excused himself and Daro seemed to relax even further. Until Miles appeared. He spotted Emrys and Daro and approached hesitantly. Emrys appreciated that he at least had the decency to look a little ashamed of himself.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. Emrys glanced at Daro questioningly. He gestured to the open barstool and Miles sat down as Emrys hid a small smile behind her glass of brandy, affected once again by Daro’s civility.

“I wanted to say,” Miles began sheepishly. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have popped off like that in the turbolift.” He peeked at Emrys before looking down at the bar top.

“I think…” Daro replied quietly, “This has been hard on all of us. I know I’ll be happy when I’m back on my own ship.” A delicate tendril of something like sadness curled around Emrys.

Miles nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that’s true. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I was on Setlik III with Captain Maxwell,” he continued, “the morning after the massacre.” Daro’s eyes widened just slightly. Emrys knew this story - knew how Chief O’Brien became the “Hero of Setlik III”. She understood why Miles felt the way that he did. Part of her job in the formation of the treaty had been thoroughly reviewing Cardassian war efforts, in addition to all the things she’d experienced firsthand. There were atrocities she’d seen and heard about that she’d never be able to forget. But she was also capable of considering the big picture, the long term: that continuing to behave like enemies would only lead to a ceaseless war that no one could afford, certainly not the Federation. 

The chief carried on, as if determined to get this out. “We were too late, of course. Almost everyone was dead.”

To Emrys’ surprise, Daro spoke. “That was a terrible mistake,” he murmured, gazing down at his kanar glass. “We were told the outpost was a launching place for a massive attack against us.”

Miles shook his head sadly. “The only people left alive,” he contended, “were in an outlying district of the settlement. I was sent there with a squad to reinforce them.” His eyes studied the wall behind the bar despondently. “The Cardassians were advancing on us… moving through the streets, destroying, killing. I was with a group of women and children when two Cardassian soldiers burst in. I stunned one of them. The other one jumped me.”

Daro regarded him wide-eyed.

“One of the women threw me a phaser and I fired.” Miles grimaced. “The phaser was set at maximum. The man just… just incinerated there before my eyes.” He looked at Daro meaningfully. “I’d never killed anything before. When I was a kid, I’d worry about swatting a mosquito.” Grief swelled in Emrys’ chest for Miles, knowing that nothing would ever take away or undo the burden he carried from his time in the war. It was yet another reminder for Emrys why she was working so hard for this treaty.

Miles got up from his barstool abruptly, and both Daro and Emrys regarded him with concern.

“It’s not you I hate, Cardassian,” the chief added with a note of finality. “I hate what I became because of you.” Before Emrys could even consider responding, he was gone.

Daro studied the glass in his hands intently. Emrys opened her mouth, but he cut in. 

“Please don’t apologize for him,” he said, finally meeting her eyes. “I understand him.” He nodded, seemingly to himself. “We all carry things with us that we’d sooner forget.” He drained the last of his kanar and set the glass down lightly.

“I think,” he added quietly, “that I should return to my quarters.” That tendril of sadness around Emrys squeezed a little tighter, wishing that this visit could have been easier, more positive. A small part of her whispered that it also would have been nice to have more time to talk to Daro alone. But she couldn't imagine how exhausted he must be, how uncomfortable.

“Of course,” she replied. “May I walk with you?”

Daro gave her a small smile. “I would enjoy that very much.”

Emrys noticed how Daro slowed his pace as they made their way through the halls of the Enterprise and hummed thoughtfully.

“You know, Glinn Daro,” Emrys admitted, tucking her hands behind her back and glancing up at him thoughtfully, “you are unlike any Cardassian I’ve ever met.”

His eye ridges rose slightly as he looked back at her. “Is that a good thing?”

Emrys nodded emphatically. “Definitely. You are infinitely more approachable.”

“Well,” he replied as they reached his door, “if that is what has allowed me the pleasure of your company, then it is a trait I am happy to have.”

Emrys flushed, dipping her head to hide her flustered expression. Forcing herself to look at him, she found her voice again.

“The pleasure has been all mine, truly.”

The warmth in his eyes seemed to spill over as he gazed at her. “I bid you goodnight, Commander.”

Emrys inclined her head, allowing a smile to pull at her lips. “Goodnight, Glinn.”

[fast-moon]

DS9 Season 3 Thoughts

On to Season 3! Last time, the crew made contact with members of the Dominion who told them to stay off their lawn in the Gamma Quadrant. Will Sisko comply?

Probably not, so here we go.

1-2. The Search: Sisko gets a new ship to play with that's better than those wimpy runabouts. All simulations show them losing if the Dominion attacks them, so Sisko figures they can't fare any worse if he just takes the entire senior staff with him to go face the Dominion on their own turf. They all promptly get captured, while Odo has some slime time with his own people, only to discover that they're the Dominion's founders.

3. The House of Quark: Quark kills a guy, is sentenced to marriage.

4. Equilibrium: Dax gets a song stuck in her head, but unfortunately the Shazam servers in the future take a week to return a result. Also, when did they get the Defiant back? Two episodes ago it was trashed and adrift in the Gamma Quadrant. Did the Dominion really let them go back to get it?

5. Second Skin: Kira gets gaslit like a pilot light, ends up with a Car-dad-ssian.

6. The Abandoned: Odo adopts a baby Jem'Hadar, who quickly becomes a violent, angsty teenage Jem'Hadar with an enzyme addiction who runs off to join a gang. Also, is the series trying to set up an Odo/Kira relationship? Almost every episode this season has given them a "moment", and now she's bringing him flowers. Like, it's cute, but I'm still all for Ace Odo and the ability for a female and male-identifying character to have a platonic friendship (I don't count Sisko/Dax because Sisko has made clear that Dax being Curzon is all that's keeping him from hitting on her).

7. Civil Defense: O'Brien decides he wants to try out that "killing everyone by accidentally tripping a hidden deadly security protocol" bit from "Armageddon Game" for real. Gul Dukat tries to gloat, but ends up getting stuck there with them. We still cool, guys?

8. Meridian: An extremely creepy guy pursues Kira in order to make the moderately creepy guy pursuing Dax come across as less creepy by comparison.

9. Defiant: Holy crap, it's Riker! But not that Riker, the cheap transporter accident knockoff Riker from TNG. He's still got a complex about that and thinks stealing the Defiant and blowing up some Cardassians will make everything better.

10. Fascination: This season's bout of crazypox breaks out around the station, this time making everyone fall madly in love with each other. Odo is once again immune, but they seem to be setting up a love triangle between Odo, Kira, and Bareil, which is a damn shame because love triangle stories tend to be terrible and make me hate every character involved, which is extra sucky because Odo and Kira are my two favorites (just not together).

11-12. Past Tense: Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally get transported to... (checks calendar) ... three weeks ago, and are forced to participate in a homeless riot in order to maintain the timeline. Unfortunately, someone had already messed up the timeline, which resulted in there being bulky CRT monitor computers, giant bricks of flip-phones, and shotguns being the terrorist weapon of choice in 2024 (though, to be fair, if they can just keep that last change and stop the proliferation of military-grade semi-automatic rifles to civilians, that would be great).

13. Life Support: Winn wanted to be Kai for the perks, not the responsibility, and literally works a mortally wounded Bareil to death in order to get a peace treaty she can take credit for. Otherwise a fairly poignant episode about when to stop treatment and just let someone go.

14. Heart of Stone: After the death of the hypotenuse of their love triangle last episode, Odo and Kira confess their feelings for each other. But, of course, since Odo is never allowed to have nice things, Kira turns out to be a Changeling who's just here to troll him. #JusticeForOdo.

15. Destiny: Goddamn I hate "prophecy" stories that end with, "Well, if you redefine the meaning of literally every word in that word salad, it ends up vaguely resembling what happened, therefore there must be something to it." No, it was not as the prophecy foretold. Shit just happens and you just twist your vague predictions to accommodate it and then give yourself a pat on the back and demand people take you seriously. Go away.

16. Prophet Motive: The wormhole entities turn the Grand Nagus into a communist, so Quark threatens to annoy them for eternity unless they turn him back.

17. Visionary: O'Brien starts jumping through time, and they figure out every component of his time-skips to the point they can trigger them at will and see the future. And then will likely never utilize this knowledge again. Though the episode really should have ended on O'Brien going to bed, yet another O'Brien popping up, and him just lamenting, "Oh god, NOW what?"

18. Distant Voices: Deep Space Nine presents Inside Out, starring Bashir as Sadness, Dax as Joy, O'Brien as Fear, Kira as Anger, Odo as Disgust, and Garak as Bing-Bong.

19. Through the Looking Glass: Mirror!O'Brien shows up and kidnaps Sisko and takes him back to the universe where everyone is horny all the time. Really hope this doesn't become a recurring thing, since "multiverse" stories that are merely "it's the same people, but they're different!" are rarely compelling.

20. Improbable Cause: Bashir's boyfriend is in trouble again, and this time it's Odo to the rescue. They track down Garak's old boss who offers to let them join a war against the Dominion, and Garak... accepts?

21. The Die is Cast: The Cardassians and Romulans launch an attack on the Dominion, but it was all a trap thanks to a Changeling replacing the Romulan commander. Makes me wonder how many other characters have or will become replaced by Changelings, or if they're going to even bother trying to come up with a way to detect it, since even Odo can't tell and has been fooled twice now.

22. Explorers: A pleasantly low-stakes episode in which Sisko can somehow build an entire functioning spaceship by hand in only three weeks, the flies it to Cardassia just to prove that he can.

23. Family Business: Quark goes home to teach us that the only thing a Ferengi values more than profit is oppressing women, even if doing so causes a massive loss of profit. Also, glad they finally gave a shout-out to how many runabouts they've trashed and the need to get new ones.

24: Shakaar: Winn continues to fail upwards by becoming the presumptive next president due to having no viable opponents and the Bajoran populace getting all their information from BOX News and not realizing she's a piece of shit. So Kira nominates a popular upstart last minute to run against her and actually make her work for it, and Winn cries "coup" and "rigged election" and good fucking god this episode is too prescient. They may have gotten the state of affairs of 2024 wrong in the episode that was literally about 2024, but then accurately predicted them in pretty much all of their Winn episodes.

25. Facets: Dax asks the people closest to her to host her previous lives so that she can talk to them. Including... random girl who had two lines a couple episodes ago who's now acting like she's part of the inner circle. And Odo, who has historically been immune to psychic shenanigans. But the episode continues to exemplify that Curzon was a piece of shit, and that Dax-centric episodes still manage to have nothing to do with Dax herself, but rather her previous incarnations or Trill customs, leaving Dax with still no solid personality or motives three seasons in.

26: The Adversary: Sisko gets promoted to Captain and decides to celebrate by almost starting a war and blowing up the entire senior staff due to bad intel from a Changeling imposter.

Three seasons down, four to go! Bashir is doing a lot better this season, since his womanizing and bragging have been toned way down and he can actually focus on being a doctor. Dax is still just a cardboard cutout there to remind people of the opinions and actions of her previous incarnations, but still have no identity of her own.

And then towards the end of the season they just awkwardly brought in a couple of women simply to be love interests to our crew members who are still lacking a heterosexual partner. At least, I'm assuming what's-her-face who had two lines and hit on Bashir at the beginning of one episode and then was suddenly chummy enough with the senior staff to participate in Dax's memory roulette ritual a few episodes later is supposed to be a love interest for Bashir. Go away, random lady, he already has Garak.

The choice of crew of the Defiant also reminds me of a really, really old Star Trek joke I read as a kid about the "Kirk Maneuver", which is "Kirk knows this is the most dangerous planet in the universe so takes his entire senior staff with him when he beams down". Like, shouldn't there be a separate operations crew for the Defiant so that you don't suddenly lose your entire station leadership if something were to go wrong? But, nope, The Main Characters Do Everything.

[biblioflyer]

Finding hope in an Age of Apocalypse: maybe Xavier’s dream isn’t dead, just wounded.

X-Men ‘97 ends on a series of cliffhangers: the team split between eras, likely having to choose between helping a mortal enemy or altering history in unpredictable ways but probably for the worse, and with the present day team facing a new wave of anti-mutant sentiment and the potential for President Creed. Yet contained within this ending are seeds of hope.

This is part 5 in a series of discussions about the pessimism of the X-Men setting, its origins, its consequences, and whether that’s even a fair assessment.

Part 1 laid out some of the core conceits of the setting.

Part 2 discusses theories of historical change.

Part 3 is about the messiness of allegories.

Part 4 compares X-Men to other popular settings and their status quo or evolution.

I hold out hope the next season of ‘97 might complicate the status quo a bit. Maybe build upon Steve Rogers looking very unhappy when the Magneto protocol was authorized to show us humans and superhumans who are more willing to buck the system. President Kelly is likely to be seen as a big disappointment by idealists who want to work within the system, such as Steve. 

If ‘97 does go forward with a transition from having a President who is sympathetic to Mutants but whose ultimate priority is order to a President who is a fire breathing anti-mutant extremist, that would be a fruitful way to bring in dissenting humans and superhumans. It would be interesting to see the status quo, from the perspective of supportive non-Mutants, move from unjust but seeming to have room for reform to one that is intolerable.

It’s very much not Captain America’s show and there is no obligation to depict him in a sympathetic way in the X-Men’s corner of the setting, but adding extra dimensions to the conflict by having a broader ideological mix of Humans would offset the fatalism of the first season and the potential extra gloom of a President Creed arc by bringing a smidge of optimism that Sapiens vs Mutatis does not have to be a zero sum conflict.

I’m just personally not a fan of settings without hope. It’s what frustrated me about the way the Star Wars Sequels wiped away the achievements of the legacy characters as if they had been built on sand and without even really giving us any appreciation for what, if anything, they did achieve. It’s what made the first couple seasons of Star Trek Discovery kind of a chore, not that there wasn’t hope, but you really had to dig deep to find anything approximating the idealism of TNG. 

I know things are hard, I know the world is a mess, and I’m fine with fictional worlds being hyperbolically messy but give me hope dammit! I don’t want to come away from an epic journey feeling fatalistic about reality by finding no hope in fiction.

Which is incidentally why I want to thank the writers of ‘97 for capping off the season by having the touching moment with Scott and Cable and for Xavier being willing to die trying to break through to Magneto, even after everything Magneto had done.

Grim is okay if it's complemented by heroes being that much more heroic for contrast.

If I wanted bad people doing bad things, having bad things happen to them, and becoming worse people for it I’d reread Game of Thrones.

If I wanted all of that with superpowers, I’d pick up the original The Boys comics.