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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Star Trek Doctors, Ranked By Crankiness

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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3.

In the very first filmed episode of Star Trek: The Original Series — “The Cage” — Captain Pike drinks itty-bitty martinis with the Enterprise’s chief physician, Dr. Boyce (John Hoyt.) And although it remains to be seen if we’ll be seeing Boyce in Stranger New Worlds, the tradition of the cranky — but wise — Starfleet doctor was started right there. After Boyce and Piper, Star Trek set the standard for cranky, wise-cracking doctors in space with the introduction of Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy; as played by the wonderful DeForest Kelley.

While Kelley passed away in 1999, the spirit of Bones lives on. Not just in the Karl Urban version of Bones in the reboot films, but also in the foul-mouthed, utterly hilarious Catian medical officer, Dr. T’ana (Gillian Vigman) on Star Trek: Lower Decks. In the most recent episode of Lower Decks, “Mugato, Gumato,” T’ana demonstrated some next-level crankiness, as she avoided her own physical examination, something Bones had to prod Kirk to do all the time, including his first-ever filmed episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver.” But is Bones actually still the crankiest Star Trek doctor? Has T’ana dethroned him?

The only way to find out is to rank all the Trek doctors from least cranky to most cranky, and find out who is the hardest to please, and as a result, possibly the doctor we paradoxically love the most.

(Note: With some exceptions, we’ve excluded characters who were Starfleet doctors who weren’t regular recurring characters. This is why Dr. Selar from TNG isn’t on this list, even though as a Vulcan, she’s inherently cranky.)

10. Dr. Tracy Pollard (Discovery)

The least cranky doctor on this list is easily Dr. Pollard on Star Trek: Discovery. This woman even puts up with Georgiou, a dictator from an alternate universe who wants to die. As played by the fantastic Raven Daudu, it’s very possible Dr. Pollard is the best doctor on this list. She also may never be recognized as such, because she’s really even-tempered, kind and way too busy saving people’s lives to complain.

9. Dr. Phlox (Enterprise)

Phlox isn’t just one of the nicest Star Trek doctors ever, he’s actively one of the most likable characters in the entire franchise. Played charmingly by John Billingsley in all four seasons of Enterprise, Phlox projected a childlike curiosity of the universe combined with a ton of knowledge and wisdom of having seen more of the quadrant than most of the other characters. Phlox is also, perhaps, the most tolerant Star Trek doctor, insofar as he never pushes his cultural views onto others, even though, in some episodes, like “Dear, Doctor,” he’s torn apart by his own set of ethics. Oh, and he saved the life of Porthos, Captain Archer’s dog in “A Night in Skybay,” AND while doing so, managed to make a joke that Porthos would develop lizard-chameleon powers in the process. That’s bedside manner!

8. Dr. Hugh Culber (Discovery)

Who doesn’t love this guy? Since Season 1 of Discovery, Culber has put up with shit from everyone, and very rarely has he snapped. Yes, in Season 2, after coming back from the dead, he was pretty pissed off at everyone. But, as he said in Season 3, “My murderer and I are good now!” In episodes like “Su’kal” and “Die Trying,” Culber is one of the kindest and simultaneously most practical Star Trek doctors of all time. He doesn’t lie to anyone, but he does know how to make you feel better. Out of all the Discovery regulars, Culber feels cut from the same cloth as someone like Deanna Troi or Guinan. He’s smart, insightful and empathic.

7. Dr. Beverly Crusher (The Next Generation)

Crusher certainly has the ability to sass her patients, but she’s basically a nice person. Whenever Crusher freaks out on anyone it’s always because she’s either in love with a ghost that lives in a candle (“Sub Rosa”), her feelings are being manipulated by a nearby Vulcan (“Sarek”) or Jean-Luc is messing around with her emotions. (All of The Next Generation.) Crusher suffers the fools she works with, but she does it with grace and dignity. That said, you kind of know she hates certain people in certain moments, which can probably just be attributed to Gates McFadden’s flawless talent.

6. Emil, Rios’ EMH (Star Trek: Picard)

Rios has a lot of cranky holograms in Season 1 of Picard, but his medical hologram is not even close to being the most difficult of all of them. In fact, he’s pretty cordigal, and reasonable, which is odd considering the situation he’s in. Clearly, among the holograms on the La Sirena, Emil is one of the most well-adjusted. You wouldn’t want him as your primary physician in real life, and because he’s basically connected to the personality of Rios the possibility that he might become super cranky is certainly there. But, so far, he’s right on the line.

5. Dr. Julian Bashir (Deep Space Nine)

Okay, we’re crossing over into slightly cranky territory here. Bashir began his journey on DS9 as a cocky jerk, which isn’t the same as the kind of crankiness we’re talking about here. The Bones-style of crankiness is the kind of crank we can get down with. Bashir’s off-putting personality was — at first — not something anyone admired or liked. That said, as Alexander Siddig evolved the character, Bashir didn’t become more cranky, but he did develop righteous indignation. When Bashir got his indignant buzz on in episodes like “Past Tense,” or “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges,” he was really at his best. To be clear, Bashir isn’t a nice doctor, and this is where we cross the threshold.

4. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Star Trek: The Original Series)

Although he set the standard for crankiness, in the entire canon of Trek, Bones is somehow not the most cranky Star Trek doctor. The reasons for this are threefold: First, there are three characters on this list who are much crankiner than him. Second, Bones is actually a sweetheart deep down, and demonstrates his love for Spock over and over again, despite his terrible, terrible comments. Finally, Bones can’t be the crankiest doctor on this list because Dax heavily implied in “Trials and Tribble-ations,” that one of her previous hosts — Emony Dax — totally hooked-up with him. For some reason, this detail makes it seem like he’s a lot nicer than he comes across. And again, The Search for Spock exists.

3. Dr. Katherine Pulaski (The Next Generation)

In 1988, Pulaski would have easily been number one on this list. She mispronounces Data’s name, doesn’t feel bad about it, and proceeds to kind of make everyone else on the ship feel awful. Pulaski is a pretty good doctor, and not remotely a bad person, but she’s pretty damn cranky. The brilliant Diane Muldar plays Pulaski like someone who has been transferred to a job she doesn’t really want, which is sort of amazing considering at this point, Roddenberry didn’t want Starfleet characters to have interpersonal conflict.

In “The Icarus Factor ” (which the latest Lower Decks also referenced) Pulaski also thinks Riker’s deadbeat dad is hot and tells Riker this point blank when he’s reminding her that his dad is the worst. This alone gives her deeply strange tastes, and makes her super cranky and weird AF. Don’t mess with Pulaksi! If you talk about how your friend is mean, she might throw it in your face and say she likes them better than you anyway!

2. Dr. T’ana (Lower Decks)

Okay. So Dr. T’ana is almost the most cranky Star Trek doctor ever. Combining the best qualities of Bones, with that weird go-shove-it-vibe from Pulaksi, Gillian Vigman turns it all up to 11. It helps that T’ana is a cat-person (I.E. the Catian species) but her crankiness is more than that. She’s kind of sadistic, and isn’t afraid to use boulders to knock “strange energies” out of people when the time comes. T’ana is sort of burnt-out, but also, is kind of unflappable too. Like, you get the sense that she’s sick of all this space sickness stuff, but she’s got too much proffensionality to say she can’t do something. The secret crankiness of Dr. T’ana is that seemingly she can fix anything that is wrong with anyone. But, she’s going to make fun of them for it, and get pissed off if you look at her the wrong way.

That said, like Bones, you get the sense that none of it is personal. Which is what makes her Starfleet all the way.

1. The EMH (Voyager)

Robert Picardo’s Emergency Medical Hologram is the best cranky Star Trek doctor. There are many reasons for this. His arrogance. His constant complaining. The fact that he has good reason to complain, considering he’s a hologram that has to do other people’s bidding. But the reason that tops all other reasons is the way that Picardo can make his crankiness clear with the simple inflection of his voice. It’s not what he says. It’s how he says it. And if you need proof, all you have to do is go back to the very first Voyager episode ever, “Caretaker.” When the Doctor has to start triage on the wounded crew, he asks somebody to hand him a tricorder. He looks at it, and realizes it’s not the right kind of tricorder, and hands it back and says “medical tricorder.” The amount of venom in this comment cannot be communicated in print. The way Picardo says medical tricorder is so dismissive and frustrated, that he basically created a new level of crankiness with one single utterance.

T’ana may be creeping up the EMH from behind, but this cranky crown will be hard to swipe. Especially from a hologram.

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Lower Decks airs new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+.

The post Star Trek Doctors, Ranked By Crankiness appeared first on Den of Geek.

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redrose689 · 3 years

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Chapters: 2/34 Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Discovery Relationships: Amanda Grayson/Sarek, Mirror Amanda Grayson/Mirror Sarek Characters: Mirror Sarek, Mirror Amanda Grayson

Chapter 2 - First Contact [Excerpt]

Amanda swiftly began to clean up the space. She placed every single tool and book in a seemingly specific location with clean, precise movements. "Now - tell me. Sarek, what do you want?"

"To serve the Empire."

"That’s lovely. Let me rephrase that: why are you here?"

"The Empire requested - "

"No, I requested. I requested a Vulcan familiar with the language. Any Vulcan, really - and I got you, Sarek of Shi'Kahr. Did you even want this position?"

"That query is irrelevant."

"By the dead gods." Amanda raised an eyebrow. "I was assured that Vulcans were intelligent, but it's like talking to a broken toy. No wonder everyone here thinks your people are all cloned and brainwashed at birth."

"If that is true, then it is indeed necessary that you acquire a consultant to correct such an erroneous, nonsensical belief."

"Oh, I angered it! That's good - anger I understand. Now, I'm going to repeat myself one more time. I do so hate repeating myself, so you must give me a fascinating answer - what do you want?"

She expected dishonestly - all Terrans did. So he'd give her the truth. "It is my intent to acquire the position of Vulcan Ambassador."

"Well, that is quite ambitious. As flattered as I am that your government thought so highly of me - enough to give me one of their soon-to-be top official, this is quite much."

"You are displeased by my over-qualifications."

"Simply puzzled on why a Vulcan such as yourself - a physicist no less - was specifically chosen to assist me."

Amanda waited, smiling.

"This position provided me with the opportunity to familiarize myself with Terran culture prior to becoming ambassador, which would require frequent interaction with your people. Furthermore, as a consultant," Sarek began, his words distinct. "I will educate you now that my people find that entertaining hypotheticals, analogies, and suspicions ineffective. I am certain that you will find my assistance adequate for your needs."

Amanda gazed at him thoughtfully, and he looked back steadfastly. It was her eyes, he concluded. Dark and downturned - they made Amanda soft, almost gentle. This with her modulated voice - which did not once raise gratingly - gave her a misleadingly docile appearance that contrasted sharply with the cutting, twisting nature of her words.

"Aren't you a darling? Well, I'm very glad to hear it.” She carefully closed the box's lid and leaned purposefully across the table. Her dark brown waves rippled underneath the light, and a strand caught against her lip. “Sarek, we will be seeing quite a bit of each other for a while, and so I'd like for the experience to be smooth - for both our sakes. This means that I would so appreciate it if we approached each other honestly.”

"As would I."

Her smile was slanted, he noted. She stood, thus concluding the meeting was over.

Amanda did not offer to shake his hand, but she did impart a last few words that were uttered not unlike a promise.

"Darling, I think you are going to be of great use to me."

#sarek #sarek/amanda #amanda grayson #star trek #mirror universe #s'chn t'gai family

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biscuitreviews · 4 years

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Biscuit Reviews Star Trek Discovery (Season 2) (SPOILERS)

After watching the first season of Discovery, I thought, “what first season of Trek isn’t awful, maybe Discovery will hit its stride in the second season.” Then I watched the second season...

That was a thing.

As mentioned previously in my season one review, technological inconsistencies will not matter and Lore will be taken on a case by case basis. Season 2 will be judged on Season 2 alone, but I will bring up Season 1 events if appropriate. I won’t be going over every episode as Season 2 had a continuing storyline.

Spoilers will be discussed so if you haven’t watched either the first or second season, you’ve been warned.

Season 2 immediately picks up where Season 1 left off, with the USS Discovery answering a distress signal from the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. With the Enterprise heavily damaged, Starfleet has tasked Pike to take command of Discovery to continue his mission on investigating seven signals that mysteriously appeared with no explanation.

Having Pike come in is once again an excellent way to bridge this series with the TOS timeline. We also get to see more of Pike himself as our only experience seeing Pike in action is the TOS pilot. Pike is a Captain that will do anything for the crew he serves. He upholds Starfleet’s ideals of peace and exploration. We even get to see Pike still continue to carry the guilt of being able to do nothing during the Federation/Klingon war, something that we also saw in the pilot episode of TOS which was a really nice touch of connecting that this Pike we are seeing is the same Pike from the pilot.

As for where we are exactly in accordance to the TOS timeline, Season 2 takes place at an undetermined amount of time after the events of the TOS pilot. However, from what I have observed with what Discovery presents to us, my guess would be we are about 8 years away from the first episode of Kirk’s command of the Enterprise which we saw in “The Man Trap”. Which would put the events of the pilot happening around the first or second year of Pike’s command of the Enterprise. Take that little detail with a grain of salt, but again, with what we’re presented, I feel this makes the most sense in terms of the timeline of the Prime Universe.

However, despite how awesome Pike was, I felt season 2 used him as a crutch to keep the series up. It seems that the second season wanted to highlight Pike as the main character rather than Michael Burnham, you know, who the series is actually supposed to be about?

Speaking of Michael, what’s her story this season? Finding Spock after he broke out of a psychiatric hospital. Why is Spock in a psychiatric hospital you might ask. He’s there because he’s connected to the seven signals somehow and believes that the creator of the signals, known as the “Red Angel” is communicating with him. Spock also enters a “logic breakdown” trying to figure out if the Red Angel is real or not, seeing how he’s the only person that has had any form of contact with this being.

We’ll get more to Michael’s story soon, but first let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room. How is Spock in Discovery? He’s fine. I don’t have a problem with this Spock showing more of his emotional side as it lines up more with how Spock was portrayed in the pilot of TOS. However, what I do have a problem with the conflict he has with Michael Burnham and how the writers handled the rest of Spock’s family. Spock resents Michael, why does he resent Michael? The reason for said resentment is what I consider to be one of the most offensive things to happen to Spock himself.

Amanda Grayson, Spock’s mother, saying how she couldn’t give all her love and support to Spock because she didn’t want to confuse him with his Vulcan/Human heritages and being raised the Vulcan way.

What the fuck.

Look, I know canon established that Amanda had difficulties with raising Spock and how she faced challenges with the Vulcan upbringing. But even through all of that, she still showed her love towards Spock and did her best to give Spock the support he needed during his formative years. We’ve even seen Spock in TOS and the movies be very warm towards his mother, even AOS reflected this. To have Amanda say she gave everything to Michael not only gives more unnecessary resentment Michael faces to the longtime Trek audience, but also does a disservice to the established relationship between Amanda and Spock that we see in TOS and the movies.

Let’s not forget the other reason Spock has resentful towards Michael, because she called him a half-breed when they were kids. The reason Michael did that was also really weird, which was for the sake of protecting him from the Logic Extremists to show that they hated each other. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that would stop a terrorist organization trying to harm Spock. This seems like another case of the writers needing a patchwork reason to show why they never went after Spock as a child to uphold established Lore and that was what they came up with.

As for Spock himself, well my complaints for Spock are the same as Pike’s. He was used as a crutch for the season to keep interest, which was not necessary. A Spock appearance was inevitable with the adoptive nature he shares with Michael, but to have him play the large role was unnecessary, especially with what we learn about Michael’s connection with the Red Angel.

Now Sarek, this season, I will have to admit, he was handled much better than the previous season. We see a Sarek that cares for Spock, even partaking in Vulcan rituals to attempt to reach out to his son when Spock is missing. We see Sarek doing everything possible to help Spock. Even when he’s faced with a dilemma between turning Spock over to the Federation for questioning, we see that internal conflict he faces on whether it’s the best course of action.

However, his reason for turning him over was a really dumb reason.

“Because the Federation can take better care of Spock.”

I’m sorry, but every piece of Lore, every Star Trek series, has shown that nothing can take care of a Vulcan better than another Vulcan when it comes to these mental issues. We see this in TOS, we see this in DS9, we see this in Voyager, and we see this in the movies. But it’s the thought that counts I guess? Not really.

Another reason for turning Spock over is that it’s because he believes in Spock’s innocence and that he believed it was logical to have Spock, Pike, and Michael provide their evidence regarding the Red Angel and why Spock didn’t commit the murders he was framed for. He knew that for Spock to be cleared, it was logical to appear cooperative and with the Discovery crew actively investigating the Red Angel and Spock’s alleged crime, it made sense. That part I get, and I wish that was just the reasoning, instead of tacking on the whole “Federation can take better care of Spock because of his condition.” It would have really highlighted Sarek’s loyalties to the Federation, while at the same time showing his love for Spock. But we didn’t get that. Instead we got the Federation can take better care of a Vulcan than another Vulcan.

Now, what about the other characters? Staments’ storyline dealing with the revival of his husband Dr. Culber I’ll admit is something I was not a big fan of. If anything the revival of Dr. Culber, got rid of the development and drive Staments had in the end of the first season and the need to want to leave Starfleet at the beginning of Season 2. It had the potential to tackle a sci-fi issue, is this alternate version of a character the same person, or are they a completely different person?

The initial answer I’ll admit was rather intriguing. Dr. Culber can recall the experiences, but those experiences are not his and he even stated as such. He even moves out of the shared quarters with Staments to figure out who he is as well as show that this Dr. Culber is indeed a different person. I was looking forward to the two of them getting reacquainted and see a new type of relationship develop. A new romance, a friendship, or maybe not get together at all. Instead, we got the new Culber picking the relationship back up with Staments without any real meaningful development or reasoning as to why he chose to re-enter said relationship.

Now Trek has always played with character deaths. In fact, Voyager is a series that played with it alot, at least every character died at some point, but got revived because of either breaking time loops, changing the past, or having alternate universe versions just take over. The reason it worked with Voyager is because the crew were in an unknown part of galaxy and were doing everything possible to get back home. All of it was written and ingrained in Voyager’s story and DNA.

With Discovery, this felt more like a mistake they were trying to correct in season one by negating the “killing the gay” trope to be like “see, he’s not dead. It’s Trek, just write it off!” No, I’m not going to write that off, Alex Kurtzman, you just did more of a disservice towards these two characters just like the disservice that happened to them in season one.

Saru’s arc is not only amazing, but also in many ways relatable to his self-discovery as a Kelpian. We learn that Saru’s planet, his species actually used to be the oppressors towards the Ba’ul many years ago. Now that the Ba’ul have risen to power, they have turned their revenge on the Kelpians and are now oppressing them. Saru begins to enter a stage in a Kelpian’s life where it has been long believed that he is entering death. Instead he’s entering an evolution in his species. The fact that he doesn’t know what this new stage will do or how to go about it is very relatable. As a human person, I sometimes don’t know the inner workings of my body. Everytime we see a species in Trek, they know everything about their biology so to see an alien species actually not know something about theirs is very relatable.

I did love Tilly’s arc with communicating with the mycelinal network. Thinking she’s losing her grip of reality little by little, coming up with the conclusion on what was happening, reaching out for help when she needed it and the Discovery crew giving her actual honest help. If only they actually provided that level of support for another character that reached out for help. Don’t worry, I’ll be getting to Ash Tyler later. Hell, when Tilly was taken into the mycelinal network, Discovery did everything they could to get her out. The second part of her arc, which occured in the finale, was handled terribly in the writing sense as it actually required you to watch another series known as “Short Treks” to understand as it introduces a new character, Me Hani Iki Hali Ka Po (which I will refer to as Queen Po moving forward).

Yeah, I’ll deviate from Discovery a little to briefly mention Short Treks. Short Treks was meant to be more of a supplemental series telling short stories within the Trek universe. It’s a great idea for lore building but to have one episode required to understand how something in the finale happened left a bad taste in my mouth.

Take Saru for example. He had a Short Trek episode that showed how he joined Starfleet. Yet it’s not required to watch as Saru gives what you need to know in the main series, but if you want the full experience you can watch the Short Trek episode or don’t, either way, you have everything you need. Even the Picard prologue episode doesn't require you to watch it first as again, what you need to know is in the series itself.

But Tilly’s episode regarding Queen Po, if you don’t watch it, you’ll be lost as to why this new character is important as well as her connection to Tilly.

So what about Ash Tyler, what’s he up to. He’s on Kronos! Maybe he’s acting as a liaison between the Federation and the Klingons? Nope, he’s now the husband of the new Klingon Chancellor, who was his rapist. He forgave his rapist and then married her.

Do the writers just not know what to do with him?

I’m sorry are we going to forget everything that he went through in season 1? How he would enter a mental breakdown at the mere mention or sight of her. Are we going to forget all of the physical and mental abuse that was done to him, just sweep it under the rug and forget that everything happened because they now love each other?

Look, I know canon established that Klingon women are very violent and physical towards their mates. But you know what Trek also established, that it was consensual when someone would engage with a Klingon in any sort of courtship or sexual relationship. But everything that happened to Ash Tyler wasn’t a part of Klingon culture and courting, it was not consensual, it was torture and rape in a time of war!

Look, the writers need to do better. He had some great potential to highlight issues such as PTSD and male rape victims. But it got bungled so hard that I don't even know how they can fix the mess they have made of his narrative. Would certainly be better for him if the writers stop trying to have him be a posterboy of issues that they clearly do not understand how to convey.

Oh, they have a kid too. But the father was the Klingon who’s personality and soul was fused into Ash Tyler and now he needs to protect the kid, because reasons. So he and the Chancellor fake Tyler’s death and the death of their child. Those events bring him to join Section 31.

Now, Section 31 has been mentioned here and there in Trek lore, we would see their presence every now and then in DS9. We learn that Emperor Georgiou has actually become a member of Section 31 and would be an ally to the Discovery crew. Seeing a Mirror Universe person try to acclimate themselves to the way of life in the Prime Universe, which is a very drastic change compared to what she’s used to was a very refreshing change of pace involving anything that deals with the Mirror Universe.

From being a leader of an empire that nearly brought the galaxy to its knees, to now taking orders from Starfleet. Not only that, but she must also obey her superior officers and report to her commanding officer, Leland. Whom in classic Mirror Universe fashion, does what she can to become a new commanding officer of the ship.

I’ll admit seeing more of this is something that I would like and I really hope that the Section 31 series starring Emperor Georgiou really takes off.

Leland will actually be our “big bad” for the season. He will be killed and have his body taken over by a Section 31 AI known as Control. Control’s immediate goal is to obtain consciousness, however, it’s the connection with the Red Angel that explains why Control is a threat.

The Red Angel is Michael’s mother, Gabrielle, who was thought to be dead. This actually added a lot to Michael’s backstory. Michael’s mother worked for Section 31 and was developing a time travel suit. Why was she working on a time travel suit? Because Section 31 obtained evidence that the Klingons were developing time travel technology. That little part I’m a bit weirded out on as I don’t think Klingons would even waste their time on time travel tech. Honestly that seems more like something a Romulan would do than a Klingon, but ok, I guess we’ll go with that.

When the Klingons attacked, she attempted to use the suit to go back in time to get her family out before the Klingons came. But, instead of going into the past, she ends up 950 years into the future, where Control has evolved and eradicated all life in the galaxy.

With Michael hoping for a joyous reunion with her mother, we find Gabrielle determined with one mission and one mission only, to stop Control. I actually really liked Gabrielle’s coldness towards Michael as it shows that she has been trying to stop Control for a long time. The exhaustion on her face, the zero emotion she had when reuniting with Michael and the sharpness of her dialogue delivery show a woman that has seen everything she cares for die in front of her repeatedly. So much so that Michael’s attempts to reach out to her are met with a callous mindset that Gabrielle knows too well. Why should she bother trying to reconnect with her daughter, if to her she’s simply going to die soon anyway for what is probably the thousandth time?

We even see Michael desperately trying to find some sort of connection, some sort of in to allow her mother to feel what she is feeling and that moment right there you really feel for Michael and just wish that her mother would at least hug her or something.

It’s these moments that help Michael grow more as a character and help her stand on our own, without the need of Sarek or Spock holding her back. These moments show a Michael that just wants to save her mother, and show her that this long battle she has fought can end and that the future can change. Michael has lost her mother once and she is now in a position to save her.

This is how you bring a reunion, this is how you make a character standout. By having Michael show herself and her feelings. Not attach her to something that she really doesn’t need to be attached to for the sake of creating a connection with legacy characters for the buy-in.

After the final battle and stopping Control, we see the USS Discovery and its crew find themselves 900 years into the future and that is where season 2 ends and where season 3 will begin.

Once again my main complaint is terrible writing that disrespects the characters. It disrespected Michael by having her continue to be held back by Sarek, Amanda, and Spock. It disrespected Spock by completely trashing his relationship with his mother. It disrespected Staments and Culber by just negating a major death from the previous season, tackle an interesting topic, and then just back out and move on like nothing changed. It disrespected Ash Tyler by continuing to have him be a representative of not-so-much talked about issues and still doing everything wrong on bringing awareness.

Hopefully being in the future can free Michael and allow her to grow now that Sarek and Spock are no longer holding her back since they’re now dead. Hopefully this allows Ash Tyler to no longer be tortured by the writers ignorance. Hopefully, they stop messing around with Staments and Culber and actually show both of them starting a new relationship, or just have them both remain friends or show them finding new love. Also, I hated that they used this to essentially “test the waters” on their version of Pike and Spock to see if a new “Strange New Worlds” series would be welcomed. Despicable!

But with how the first two seasons have been so far, I’m not holding my breath.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 receives a 2 out of 5

#Star Trek #Star Trek:Discovery #Disco #Michael Burnham #Spock #CBS All Access #Discovery season 2 #Biscuit reviews

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disco-headcanons · 5 years

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Chester: The Emotional Support Tardigrade [Master Doc]

Discovery adopts a baby Tardigrade that quickly becomes the "class pet"/mascot.

They name it Chester and he’s about as big as a house cat and friendly like a dog and his favourite place in the world is either on Stamets’s shoulder or tucked up in Tilly’s arm as she works. Sometimes he’s spotted perched on Reno’s head but that’s only when she thinks no one else is around (she has an Image to uphold and being sweet on this tiny universe travelling gremlin won’t cut it)

Stamets somehow changes the spores so they're little cat treat size and the main gang (Paul, Hugh, Michael, Tilly and Reno) all carry some

Owosekun knits him a blue and silver jumper so he has a uniform. (Detmer designs it)

He gets his own combadge and they train him to responds to certain commands

Commands Chester:

He knows “Bridge” but instead of engineering it’s “Stamets” and instead of Michael and Tilly’s room it’s “Aunties” and he goes there (or just teleports straight to Michael or Tilly)

[Paul (from like a hidden alcove on the bridge or something close): "Chester, Chester, AUNTIE" *pop* Michael: "OH SAREK!" Paul: *just fucking dying of giggles*]

The joke's on Paul though when Michael also trains Chester to respond to “dad” but he apparently gets confused and teleports onto Hugh instead and because Hugh thinks it was Paul’s doing, Paul hides out in Engineering for like 3 days

Hugh eventually teases Paul out by telling Chester to go to him with a little note attached saying "I've retrained him so I'm Papa and you're Dad because it sounds better" and Paul just fucking cries (Which confuses Chester because he knows tears are sad but Dad doesn't feel sad)

Black Alert Chester:

Every Black Alert he pops to Engineering because he knows he can't be with his dad but his also his big sis is always worried so he just like plops on her head. First time it happened they nearly got lost because Paul was laughing so hard

Tilly hit the floor laughing and Paul was so far gone in his laugh that like, you know when someone giggles Real Hard and they’re just reduced to *squeaks*? He was reduced to that

Meanwhile Reno walks in and sees Tilly on the floor sobbing with a tardigrade on her head, and Paul just *wheezing* in the chamber

Hugh is there (because it's now his station during Black alert) and he's dying too but trying very very hard to pay attention because he's worried about Paul

No one replies to post-jump Bridge hails because they can't so Michael is sent and she just walks in to: Tilly on the floor with her face covered by a tardigrade, laughing Paul still in the chamber but disconnected fucking crying Hugh sat with his back against the glass struggling to breathe, and Reno recording it all because she hates (loves) Paul

She tells the bridge “I have no idea what happened but everyone here is either crying, laughing, or crying laughing and Chester May or may not be smothering Ensign Tilly” Saru just fucking sighs like he's given up on the universe (it's because he has)

Emotional Support Chester: (You can’t be sad while a tardigrade is making little beeps and peeps at you)

You know when cats do that thing when they know someone is sad and keeps annoying them? He really really loves Michael

Michael being all sad and then she hears a weird noise and then Plunk! A cat sized tardigrade plops down on the bed next to her and just starts making lil noises until she picks him up and they sit together

Tilly walks in and is just like "awh :(" and sits next to her and hugs her

Alternatively: Same scenario but Plunk! And a fully grown sized tardigrade pops down next to her and just Lays On Top Of Her and Refuses to get up until she’s calmed down

So Tilly walks into that one, says “oh no”, tries to wrestle him away, and then gets sat on herself

They end up projecting a movie on the ceiling because “goddammit, we’ll be here for a bit, might as well watch a movie”

They both miss the start of their shifts so both Stamets and Saru go to their quarters and are all angry and pissy then they open the door and are just like "ah. Emotional Support Tardigrade is on duty. You are relieved from the shift" and they walk out

(Hugh checks on them later with chocolate and a dermal regenerator because emotions and also tardigrades are fucking heavy they've probably got bruises)

They comm them like “why aren’t you at your post” and they manage to wheeze “Chester is kinda crushing our ribs” and they’re like “oh worm, we’ll try and call him away so you can breathe” (They fail)

There's now a certain alert/notification you can send your CO and CMO in case of Chester Hugs (One of the Medical Officers becomes "SCM" which stands for "Specialist Chester Medic")

Havoc Chester

When dogs sometimes do that thing where they like to wander around their owners house at night and check in on everyone when they sleep? Chester uses his travelling abilities to wander around the ship and teleport into people's rooms. He’s almost always found sleeping on top of one of his favourite people on the ship and Refuses to get up unless they give him cuddles and carry him around

One day he sits on top of Tilly but cries whenever she puts him down or tries to give him to someone else, so for that day there's an extra person in the command training program (Saru tries very very hard to be stern but cannot deal with the cries either so just let’s it be and writes in his report that Tilly has “outstanding compassion and an incredible ability to continue working on her jobs even when tasked with protecting another member of the crew”)

Time Travelling Chester

Tardigrades teleport around time just like they do space and one day, when they need assistance and a distraction and just fucking Hope, the Enterprise bridge finds itself nearly jumping out of their collective skins when a sudden loud POP and PLUNK happens and this random creature they’ve never seen before hits the bridge floor, tosses a capsule on the ground with a bunch of notes and PADDs, and then POPS back out of existence on its way to distract their enemies

(It’s a command that takes more preparation bc it’s a longer flight for him, but he knows the command “Captain” as well as anyone, and even better than they could have hoped, considering they had to teach him who he was looking for through Holos and pictures)

Then when Pike grabs the capsule and is like “holy shit, I think I know what that was” he opens it and there’s a note on top of all the PADDs and notes and pictures and other shit from long lost friends, that just reads “We Got You”

Spock is just like "Jesus fucking Sarek Michael can you stop just adopting things really it's getting ridiculous" but secretly looks out for him and tells him to look after Michael (Spock is one to talk considering Sarek is just Collecting Children)

Also the Discovery crew can never tell when the Enterprise gets their updates because they’re all off the books (their entire ship is too, until the 24th century) so they just sort of Send Shit whenever? And sometimes they get capsules back with pictures and notes and recordings on old data PADDs that the ‘fleet wouldn’t miss/could easily be explained away as “broken on mission”

Okay so we may have gotten slightly obsessed but it was the best time ever and I want it to happen again (disco-headcannons you're amazing and I love you and your willingness to listen to my headcannon rambling)

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tryingtokeepthedarknessaway · 5 years

Link

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: James T. Kirk, Winona Kirk (mentioned), Frank (Star Trek) (Mentioned), Sarek (Star Trek) Additional Tags: Winona's A+ Parenting, Alien James T. Kirk, Betazoid, Telepathy, Empathy, Betazoid Jim Kirk, Empathic Jim Kirk, Telepathic Jim Kirk, I hate tagging, Young James T. Kirk, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, like not very implied Series: Part 1 of Emotional (Dis)Advantage Summary:

The first time Jim noticed that he was different from all the other kids was when 10-year-old Emily Dalia fell out of a tree during lunch break on the third day of school.

A look at how the Star Trek universe would be different if Jim Kirk was born one-quarter Betazoid. Also no beta

#star trek #aos #star trek aos #jim kirk #alien jim kirk #telepathy #empath #empath jim kirk #betazoid jim kirk

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anotheruserwithnoname · 5 years

Note

What's with all this hate aimed at Star Trek Discovery?

Not quite sure why this comment was aimed at me. Although I have written critically of Star Trek: Discovery, and I will not apologize for saying I like The Orville better when the two shows are compared side by side, that’s not the same as hate. At least not from me (I know there are many who do hate Discovery; I can’t speak for them).

What I did feel, at least with the start of Season 1, was disappointment. I was never a fan of the prequel concept to begin with. Did you know we haven’t had a “forward-looking” Trek story since Nemesis came out in 2002? Everything since has been either prequel (Enterprise, Discovery) or a reboot set in an alternate-timeline version of the TOS era (the Abramsverse films). That’s one reason why so many people are excited for the announced Picard series, which is reportedly going to take place in the Prime universe sometime after Spock went to the alternate timeline. We’re actually moving forward for once.

I had issues with the first five or so episodes of Discovery. The characters were totally uninteresting (except Saru, even though he was basically a variation of Odo at first) - I still can’t name most of the bridge officers - the Klingon side-plot was dull, and there was no story-justifiable reason for them to have a couple characters spout the F-word in the Harry Mudd episode. It was the equivalent of a 3-D movie coming up with an excuse for someone to point something towards the camera - just because the show has access to a TV-MA rating, doesn’t mean it HAS to be TV-MA.

The F-word episode was the second-to-last straw for me. I said (I think here, certainly to people privately in emails) that I was giving Discovery one final chance, and I was prepared to call it a fail and move on to something else. But then the next episode came around (I think it was the one where Michael sends her consciousness back into Sarek’s past) and … it felt like the show had been given a personality transplant. It felt like Trek, the acting got better, the writing got better (maybe getting the F-bombs out of their system helped), and it got interesting. Then came the Mirror Universe arc which, even though it made a bit of hash of canon (TOS established that no one knew about the MU before the Mirror Mirror episode), was fun. Even the nuKlingons became interesting. And Harry Mudd’s inevitable return visit was much better handled than his first appearance. And of course then we had the cliffhanger with the original Enterprise, which was setting things up for Season 2.

The trailer for Season 2 looks good. Having a new Spock (played by Gregory Peck’s grandson!), a new Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One (inspired choice) - that’s good by itself - but the trailers seem to hint at a more light-hearted tone. I hope not TOO light-hearted; I did not fail to miss the Orville influences in the trailer released for Comic Con - Orville might be having an impact but I don’t want ST:D to become a comedy, either.

But still, I am looking forward to Season 2. The first season, in my opinion, had the most profound mid-point turnaround of any post-TOS Trek series (every Trek series from TNG onwards has had weak first seasons, no exceptions, but Discovery felt almost like a brand-new series the way it changed around Episode 6). So yes, I am looking forward to Season 2. And I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of Season 2 of The Orville too. But I definitely wouldn’t call myself a Discovery hater by any means.

#star trek discovery #star trek discovery spoilers

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writesandramblings · 6 years

Text

The Captain’s Secret - p.86

“I’ll Dream a Nation of You”

A/N: We remain in episode 13, "What's Past Is Prologue."

Considering the circumstances of the Mirror Universe and all the available pieces, I think this plan is one actually worthy of Lorca. As a bonus it ties together some details in the show's rendition of events. The redacted Defiant files being on the Shenzhou (why are they on that ship and so heavily redacted to boot), the fact Burnham and Tyler aren't immediately murdered by Sarek and Voq's guards on Harlak... It also reconciles the interactions between Lorca and his interspecies crew (not to mention various actions he took throughout the series which he had no real cause to) with everything he suddenly starts spouting to his followers.

I'm also attempting to answer why Lorca suddenly went from zero to warp speed with what I feel is an entirely plausible explanation of his behavior that fits the facts established in the show. In a weird way, Lorca showed me the answer, because I lived the circumstance described myself while writing this story. It turns out, Lorca really does give everyone what they need. Even this humble writer.

Full Chapter List Part 1 - Objects in Motion << 85 - I Could Never Be Your Woman 87 - Captain Lorca >>

Luckily, there was a perfectly serviceable alternative to Petrellovitz already on Lorca's itinerary: this universe's Paul Stamets. Lorca wondered if that was part of the reason Petrellovitz had vanished. She and Stamets hated each other. Petrellovitz thought Stamets was a narrow-minded cretin and Stamets hated that she had stolen his life's work and co-opted it for her own endeavors. In this, they were entirely equal their Discovery counterparts. Mischkelovitz had attempted to steal Stamets' mushrooms there, too, after an entertaining little rant about the limits of his knowledge.

Lorca and Landry burst into Stamets' private laboratory aboard the Charon with rifles at the ready, as tactically in sync as they had always been, but found the place seemingly empty.

"Stamets is gone," concluded Landry. "Coward probably left at the first sign of trouble."

As Lorca scanned the room, he did not think that to be the case.

He had made one crucial misjudgment about Discovery's Paul Stamets. That Stamets had something he valued more than mushrooms: Hugh Culber. If not for that, Stamets might have been convinced to travel with Lorca to the ends of that universe, neurological changes and all. Instead he had issued Lorca an ultimatum, "only one more jump," and sealed all their fates.

In this universe, Culber and Stamets had never met. That meant Stamets was entirely the predictable quality Lorca had expected the other Stamets to be.

"All his research is still here," observed Lorca. "I've known more than one Stamets and they both have one thing in common: they love their work too much..."

Lorca's eyes scanned the room, certain something felt off, and then he spotted it. A holographic flicker.

"To leave any of it... Behind!"

He reached through the hologram and found Stamets' neck easily, pulling him out and shoving him up against the bulkhead. "Hello, Paul."

"Gabriel," whined Stamets, in that annoyingly high-pitched tone he had when nervous. "I really hoped you were dead."

"Well you can't always get what you want," said Lorca.

Landry sidled up beside Lorca. "Hi, doc," she said suggestively. She hated eggheads as much as her counterpart in the other universe.

With Landry covering Stamets, Lorca was free to stride across the room as he spoke. "Ironically, I have to thank you for helping me finish what I started. After you sold me out and ruined our coup attempt, I was down on Priors World recruiting allies when the emperor caught up with the Buran. As I beamed back to join the fight, her torpedoes hit. And luckily, so did an ion storm, which caused a transporter malfunction, and... know where I ended up?"

"Frankly, I'm still stuck on the 'not dead' part," said Stamets, shrugging almost comically.

"A parallel universe."

Stamets eyes flicked back and forth as he put it together. "The ion storm must have swapped your transporter signatures." (Stamets still could not see the full extent of what Petrellovitz had done. That was probably for the best.)

"To me, it was physics acting as the hand of destiny. My destiny." He arrived at a spot directly in front of Stamets once more. "The bioweapon you were developing for the emperor. Show it to me."

"Happily, sir," said Stamets.

Months ago, Burnham had stood in front of Lorca on Discovery and accused him of manufacturing biological weapons with the forest of Prototaxites stellaviatori in the cultivation bay. Lorca had never been interested in that line of research at all, but someone else had: Emperor Georgiou.

Georgiou loved biological weapons. The incompatible DNA that had rendered Kerrigan a balloon of gruesome ichor was but one of her many biological toys. The only thing she liked better than bioweapons were blades wielded in her own two hands. Her philosophy, so far as Lorca could tell, was that she liked things which were tactile. If the contact could not be made by a weapon she held, then it ought to be the result of a teeming horde of microscopic things crawling over someone's skin.

It seemed only fitting to wipe out Georgiou's forces with one of her own preferred weapons.

Stamets studied the Charon schematics. Petrellovitz's intervention had given him access to a good deal of the ship. "Looks like we can deploy here, here, and... here. Clear this whole area out." He waved his hands across a large swathe of the ship's midsection.

Lorca nodded. "Get to it."

Stamets was entirely gleeful at the opportunity to finally put his research to work. His spores, seemingly harmless, bypassed the environmental filters and within minutes, two whole battalions headed towards them were rendered a twitching mass of corpses on the ground as the spores ate away at them. Stamets giggled at the sight of it.

Lorca did not linger to watch the display. He had somewhere else he needed to be.

In the throne room, Emperor Georgiou stood on her dais with arms crossed. The loss of Captain Maddox and the recent deaths of her council left chief operational officer Commander Owosekun in charge of the Charon. (On Discovery, Owosekun was a lieutenant junior grade, several steps removed from command of the ship. Georgiou's habit of killing senior members of her staff tended to allow for rapid advancement. That it also provided Georgiou with the frequent companionship of young, ambitious women was probably no accident.)

Standing to the side, Burnham watched the deployment of the biological spore weapon and felt her every instinct about Lorca back on day one confirmed.

Owosekun deftly summarized unfolding events using what computer access she had. "Sensors have detected mass casualties on decks one through seventeen."

"He's come back from the grave to stage a revolution and that's the best he's got?" sneered Georgiou. "If he keeps doing that, he'll reveal his location. Then he's mine."

Burnham approached Georgiou. "Emperor, I've seen firsthand how he operates. He can get inside your head, manipulate you."

"You think I don't know that?" said Georgiou, insulted. This Michael Burnham seemed to have little to no understanding or respect for Georgiou's years of experience.

"He is baiting you, he wants you to come to him," explained Burnham. "Let me contact my ship again. They have no idea they're flying into a battle zone."

It was the third time she had requested this courtesy and Georgiou was entirely tired of it.

"Please, Philippa," begged Burnham.

Georgiou turned towards Burnham with a look of disgust. "I'm not Philippa to you. But you are right about one thing. He preyed on my sentiment, my weakness for your face. It will not happen again. Take her to the brig."

Imperial guards moved to either side of Burnham, grabbing her arms.

"Your choices have determined your fate," decreed Georgiou.

The guards walked Burnham towards the door. They did not make it far. Burnham kicked out the knees of one, sending him to the floor, and grabbed the rifle of the other, so when the guard fired, it hit another guard nearby. She wrenched the rifle away and slammed the butt of it into the guard's face. The guard on the floor rose and Burnham disabled him with the electrical rod in his own hand, then swung the rifle she was holding so it struck a third guard across the jaw and sent him careening away.

The guards across the room fired at her and Burnham fired back, red bolts of energy throwing sparks. Outnumbered, outgunned, her only chance was to escape somewhere they could not easily follow. Launching into a run, she vaporized a hole into a vent along the floor she had spotted earlier and slid across the polished surface of the Charon's decks into the hole, vanishing into its darkness.

"They'll find her, emperor," promised Owosekun.

Given the maze of access passageways that ran through the walls and floors of the Charon and the systems disabled by Petrellovitz, they did not.

Landry and her men remained behind with Stamets while Lorca ran his little errand. He found Larsson waiting alone. "Where is she," Lorca asked on approach.

Larsson pointed at a vent along the floor.

"Einar," came Lalana's voice from within as she pushed the vent panel outwards, "you were supposed to say I remained as instructed and did not leave with you." She was colored black like the shadows but rippled to a dusky gold to match the corridor as she emerged.

"And I said this is no time for jokes!" shouted Larsson, exasperated. "Now what the hell is going on, captain."

"The emperor has Burnham captive and we're assisting in the revival of a coup against the emperor to get her back," announced Lorca, having had more than sufficient time to cook up a story.

Larsson looked for a moment like a caveman getting his first glimpse of fire. "What?"

"I'm not repeating myself," said Lorca, leading them down the corridor towards their destination. Lalana loped alongside him.

Larsson shook his head but followed. "Only you would go to another universe and decide to upend a political system."

Lorca shrugged, waving his rifle irreverently. "It's a corrupt system!" he declared, as if that excused this massive, massive overstepping of the spirit of General Order 1, because surely whatever non-interference protocols were to be followed for pre-warp societies also applied to societies that existed outside the known universe and in whose natural development Starfleet ought not to meddle. (They were far, far beyond this, of course. They had been ever since the Defiant crossed over into this world. Its presence had altered history.)

"In the ten years I have known you, this is the most ridiculously convoluted plan you have ever had. Makes me think it might actually work."

Lorca smiled at that.

They arrived at a communication station. Lorca hit the door controls and fired upon the technician inside. She slumped over her console. "Guard the hall," he ordered Larsson.

"Aye, sir," grumbled Larsson, thoroughly annoyed to think he had left a perfectly good retirement of fishing to spend the past several months guarding doors, which was even worse than the brig and armory duties he had been assigned during his first tour of service.

Lorca kicked the technician's corpse out of her chair and began to key in commands. Lalana watched him disable several security protocols and key in a subspace band. "What precisely are we doing here?"

"It isn't enough to cut the head off the snake," said Lorca. "We have to flay her alive."

Now that he knew the full extent of the pieces on the gameboard, the time had come to gather them in one place.

More than that, as he revived this element of the plan they had built together, it felt like she was with him again.

They sat in the privacy of Michael's quarters with the lights comfortably dim around them. Lorca could scarcely believe his ears. Some part of him hoped he had misheard because if he had heard correctly, it was doom for them both. His voice was a gently lilting admonishment, but more amused than anything else. "Michael. That's treason."

"My loyalty," she said, her eyes fixed on his with a dark fire so bright it really was threatening to destroy them both, "is to the empire."

There was really something impossible about her, he decided, staring at her across the coffee table. "The emperor is the empire."

Her head tilted to the side, a smile on her lips. "The emperor is entirely too shortsighted."

Lorca closed his eyes a moment and shook his head. With anyone else, this action could have been a deadly folly, but Michael was the one person he could close his eyes on and not worry what he would find when he opened them because when he opened them, he saw the same ready smile, the same cocky confidence, and the same wildness he had always known—and not a trace of malice towards him in any of it. Well, maybe the slightest trace of malice, but only enough as to make things interesting between them where it counted.

He was only questioning her because he had to be sure. Not of her loyalty—he was sure of that—but of her thoughtfulness. This was not an endeavor to be undertaken lightly. He needed her to prove to him that she had considered it as thoroughly as he had. She had fifteen years of catchup to do in that regard.

"Here," said Michael, and tipped more scotch into his cup. She pushed it towards him across the surface of the table, clinking her own glass against his commandingly.

"There's no amount of alcohol's gonna make this sound a good idea," he warned her, but took the drink anyway.

"Be honest," she said. "I know you see it just like I do. The empire is stagnant. The emperor hasn't done anything important in half a decade. Twenty more years of this and the empire will be shot to shit."

Being almost twice as old as her, he had a much better concept of what twenty years meant, not to mention an idea of how short a time period five years was. Twenty was almost how old he had been when she was born. Twenty and five was a birthday she had enjoyed very recently. That she was unwilling to wait twenty years when he had spent nearly that many setting this all up was chock full of the abominable irony of her youth. Did she realize how ridiculous her time frames might sound from his perspective? Of course not, because when he was her age, twenty years had seemed like the number of years between then and the end of life as he knew it. Back then, he had known that people over forty were old as surely as he knew anything. Only having lived through those twenty years did he gain the perspective to know twenty was an entirely doable number for someone her age and probably an overestimate of the emperor's longevity on her part.

He also knew what she was talking about because he had played no small part in putting these very ideas in her head. He loved the way she phrased it. There was a lot of him in her sentiments, but the words were her own. He smiled despite the danger. "Let's say I agree with you—"

"Because you do."

He chuckled faintly. She was right, of course, there was no hiding it. "Then what would you have us do about it? And be realistic, I've taught you that much." Among many other things.

As she outlined her idea—based on a theory he was not sure he accepted—he had to admit it was at the very least ambitious. Startlingly so.

"They would never expect it," she grinned, "from the Butcher of the Binary Stars."

"The question is if you can sell them on this little theory of yours. Or sell them on anything. Let's not forget you are the Butcher of the Binary Stars." The title was so recently earned he could not imagine it would go down well at all with her intended allies of convenience.

Her eyes were like the depths of space, tiny reflections from the lights in the room twinkling as stars upon their glassy surface. "I don't have to sell them on anything. That's your job."

"Oh, I have a job in this little future of yours!" he went, a little too loudly because half that bottle of scotch was already in his bloodstream.

Michael came shooting across the table at him, her hands pressing down on his kneecaps as she leaned her face in so close to his he could smell the scotch on her breath. Every bit of this amazing him. To think this was the same child that had been hiding beneath the table at the banquet eighteen years ago. She never hid now. She was utterly brazen in everything she did. "The Graysons," she said.

That made perfect sense. The Graysons were wealthy and powerful and it was no secret the daughter of the family, Amanda, had certain proclivities where aliens were concerned. Her half-Vulcan son Spock was proof of that. That Spock still lived was a favor Lorca still held in his back pocket, ready for the right moment to cash it in.

But was this that moment? "What is your obsession with that half-breed," Lorca sneered, intending it in jest, but his face showed more jealousy than he wanted to admit. (Her obsession with Spock had begun as jealousy for his attention. Now he was the jealous one.)

"That half-breed," said Michael, sliding her hands up his thighs, "has more potential in his pointy ears than half the fleet combined. I will not have him take what is rightfully mine." Whatever barrier Spock's Vulcan blood offered could be offset by the wealth and power of his relations under the right circumstances. "All you have to do is bring my proposal to the Graysons and ensure that it reaches the right pointy ears."

That shifted Lorca into a smug smile. The Graysons were a perfect idea. His perfect idea. He had steered her towards it with such care she thought it her own. His existing relationship with the family gave him the clout to make introductions and sell this proposal both because of and despite Michael's own reputation.

He could also recognize a threat to himself when he heard one. "Phrased like that, makes me worry you might replace me with your pointy-eared rival when it turns out your little theory's no good."

"Oh, it's beyond good," she said. The Defiant was legendary in the empire. That ship, fallen through time from another universe, had given Hoshi Sato the power to conquer the empire a century ago. It would, under the right circumstances, give Lorca and Michael that power, too. "Just imagine it. A world bursting with potential." (The place her hand went with this particular word choice was entirely distracting.) "This is how we use it. And once we've separated the wheat from the chaff, this world will be ours for the taking."

He could hear some of his own words in that, and he had certainly planted the seeds of this whole undertaking, but he had to admit the particulars of Michael's approach were entirely novel and unexpected. She surprised him so often. Always somehow in a good way.

He was doomed, he decided, and glad for it. He traced a hand up the side of her body and down her arm to her wrist, fingers stroking gentle circles. She made the impossible seem possible. That was important because the task ahead of them was as impossible as they came.

"You could always just wait twenty years," he whispered to her. He said it not because he believed it but because he wanted to hear her say what followed.

"Why spend twenty years waiting when we can spend twenty ruling," she countered. That was the word he loved the most. We. She was the only person who ever said it and made him believe it. "And when you're short on time, the answer is to look for space."

She was, in a very real sense, trying to do just that. When you have no time, look to space, and when you have no space, look to time. It was an odd little conflation of some scientific explanation which Michael had taken as her personal mantra.

"It's gonna take a miracle," he said after a long, thoughtful, self-satisfied moment. It was as much an offer as a counterpoint. She accepted that offer and sealed it with her lips.

Luckily, miracles were his specialty. She was living proof of that. A child under a table turned into something worthy of her name, a name that mirrored his own. They were the pair of them archangels, though what they did next was anything but heavenly.

Lalana watched Lorca with patient curiosity. There was something written on his face right now, something bitter and regretful, but equally something that was hopeful and beautiful. A memory. She marveled at how such a simple palette could convey so many things at once and with such constant intensity that even she, a nonhuman, could see the colors. There was no one else who equaled him in this regard. Some humans expressed with the same intensity, some with the same breadth of range, but none of them, so far as she could tell, with both these things always, the way he did. He was the one human whose emotions were never a mystery to her.

The beep of a response took Lorca out of his momentary daze. "Finally," he hissed at the console, and accepted the transmission.

"Gabriel Lorca," said a calm, flat, almost toneless voice.

Lorca smiled in confident satisfaction. "Sarek."

That was the extent of the pleasantries between them.

"You are lucky this subspace band was still being monitored. It was slated for decommission." It was among the subspace bands the rebels had turned over to Burnham to supply the emperor as proof of her success. "It may not be safe."

"It doesn't have to be," said Lorca. "I'm sending you the coordinates of the Charon."

Sarek stared at Lorca. There was something frustrating about the stare of a fully cold-blooded Vulcan. Intensely dispassionate. "We are in no position to launch an assault. Our base on Harlak was recently destroyed, or did you not realize that when you sent us Michael Burnham?"

"I don't need you to attack the Charon," said Lorca, "because by the time you get here, the ship will be mine. I just need you to help me clean up the mess."

The same impassive stare. "You have been gone for too long, Gabriel. Many things have changed in your absence."

Lorca leaned forward on the console, fixing Sarek with a look of intensity that would have melted anyone else. He was simultaneously cold and furious as he said through gritted teeth, "Don't you dare. I didn't endure that goddamn mind rape for you to back out now that I've given you proof." His fingers gripped the console's edge so tightly his arms shook slightly.

"A bold plan," said Sarek, "if it is indeed true."

"Oh, it's true," assured Lorca. "You can take my word for it."

Lorca, Sarek, and Voq were standing in a single pressurized chamber aboard an abandoned asteroid mining facility. Of the two parties, Lorca was by far the more exposed. He was here without any backup, his ship out of transporter and weapons range, while their cruiser hovered above with the capacity to blow the meeting place to kingdom come and kidnap or send him with it. It was entirely intentional: Lorca potentially had the might of a whole empire behind him, so he was negotiating from a position of power, while Voq and Sarek represented a scattered mass of disenfranchised species. For Lorca to come alone and unarmed was merely balancing those factors out and proving the sincerity of his intent.

Voq sniffed disdainfully. "Take the word of a human?" he said. His voice had a honking quality to it.

"Or don't. You have the files Michael sent. That's proof enough."

"They were heavily redacted," said Sarek.

The files they referred to were the Defiant reports. Michael had secreted copies away aboard her ship, the Shenzhou, and transmitted them to the rebels alongside the promise of her plan. Minus any incriminating details, of course. Minus any useful details. The files were only intended to demonstrate the existence of Michael's conceit and get the rebels to the table.

"If we gave you everything, you wouldn't need us," countered Lorca easily.

Sarek was unmoved. "And yet, it remains possible that this is all a subterfuge on your part."

Lorca crossed his arms and glared at Sarek. "After everything I've done for your son?" There was a reason the half-breed progeny of Amanda Grayson and Sarek still drew breath and Lorca was part of it. As far as he was concerned, Sarek owed him a lot for that particular favor, even if it had been done more for the Graysons' sake than the Vulcan's.

To any of a dozen other races, such a personal gesture would have meant something, but Vulcans were not known for their sentimentality. "Be that as it may, we must confirm your intentions personally." Sarek raised his hands and stepped towards Lorca.

Lorca uncrossed his arms and stepped back, one hand going to where his phaser would have been. Of course, he had no phaser with him, and going for the knife in his boot was too obvious and would destroy the entire pretense of this meeting.

"If you consent willingly, this will be much easier," said Sarek. "But if you will not, there are ways around this."

Voq drew a Klingon blade from his hip, an ancient relic scavenged from the ruins of Qo'noS that still looked deathly sharp despite its dusty origins.

"Do not fight us, Gabriel," warned Sarek. "If you truly desire this union of our interests, then this is our price."

Lorca's back pressed against the wall of the chamber as Sarek's hands pressed against his head. His hands closed around Sarek's wrists because he could not totally escape the instinct to flee or to take hold of a weapon during a moment of perceived weakness and neither option was available, so all he could do was find something, anything to hold on to.

"My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts."

Sarek slipped into Lorca's mind. It felt like a million tiny little needles were pressing into his brain and splaying the memories out as a scientist spreads out a specimen for dissection. Lorca could feel himself being turned inside-out and was half-aware of a yell in his throat, but then all awareness was gone and he felt only Sarek everywhere—inside and outside, upon him and within him. He could not tell where he began and ended because there was no him, only Sarek. He was drowning in a Vulcan consciousness. He could see and feel his memories unspooling like ribbons in the darkness. He reached for them and they eluded him, slipped away into Sarek's waiting embrace.

Sarek released him and Lorca slid down along the wall, yell replaced by a wordless gasp. He knew instinctively that Sarek had seen it all: every truth, every lie, every secret, including the ones Lorca kept from himself. He felt stripped of everything. He was nothing in the aftermath of it.

"He is sincere," said Sarek, "and the Defiant is no lie, but he also does not believe the deal he has offered is possible."

"The usual human treachery," Voq concluded, looking angry enough to spit.

Sarek considered that. "Not quite. He does not believe it possible, but the one who sent the information, Michael Burnham, does believe it, and they have a scientist who is working on making it possible."

Lorca closed his eyes and took deep breaths to steady himself. He was better than this. He was stronger than it. He slowly rose to his feet, finding himself physically steady even if his mind remained unbalanced.

"What they believe is of no consequence," said Voq. "If they cannot provide what they offer, it is as good as a lie."

"I'll prove it," Lorca gasped at them. "If I can prove it, then we have a deal?"

"You will prove something which you believe to be impossible?" queried Sarek.

Lorca inhaled deeply and was entirely resolute as he said, "I've done more with less."

Sarek looked to Voq. "Then I believe this deal is in our best interests. If you prove the barrier between the worlds may be safely pierced and allow us this... 'world bursting with potential,' then we will help you supplant the emperor."

Voq extended his arm to Lorca. Lorca swallowed and clasped Voq's forearm. A warrior's pact. For better or worse, their destinies were now tied.

A world bursting with potential. The words had been Michael's, but they had come to Sarek through Lorca, stripped out of his consciousness by a mind meld so thorough it had, for a moment, made the two of them seem one. That Sarek still held those words was both damning and propitious.

Lorca hated that memory more than almost anything. What was supposed to be a mere confirmation of his and Michael's intentions had instead become a brutal exposure of everything he was. It was not acceptable to Lorca that this event should have been for nothing. Not now that he had given Sarek the very proof requested in the form of the other universe's Michael Burnham and in his own return here.

"I held up my end of the bargain," said Lorca through clenched teeth, "now you hold up yours."

"In your long absence, I find myself doubtful as to the enduring sincerity of your intentions. Now that you have this power, what is to stop you from claiming both universes for your own?"

Lorca was taken momentarily aback by the accusation. The thought had crossed his mind. At this point, a lot of thoughts had, many of them in conflict with one another, and his end game had changed a few times over the past year, but circumstances had forced him back on track and he was resolved to his original course of action. With a few adjustments. Even if he had ended up with a slightly different set of goals, the fact remained none of it conflicted with Michael’s offer to Sarek and the rebels.

"If you submit to another mind meld—"

"Absolutely not," said Lorca, hating Sarek for even suggesting it. "You've seen what I did over there, Sarek. I saved the other you. That has to count for something."

"I suspect because it felt like saving yourself."

Lorca's mouth twitched. This was true. Something the Vulcan had done during that mind meld made Lorca unable to stomach the idea of Sarek in distress because some part of him still felt like Sarek. The kinship was unwanted, but it was there. An intentionally implanted extra failsafe against the dissolution of their intended union. Some part of Lorca wondered if it was somehow part of Sarek's katra, but the larger part of him said no. Simple subliminal manipulation on Sarek's part. There might be some way to escape it, but seeking help would mean admitting the link's existence, and if word of it got out, Lorca would be finished on far too many fronts.

Besides, when he had learned Sarek raised Michael Burnham in the other universe, it had seemed like proof of something else. That Lorca and Sarek, the men who raised Michael Burnham, would be reflected across the two universes by such a bond suggested the two universes were united by a thread of shared destiny.

"Or maybe I'm just not the xenophobe you think," said Lorca, moving aside. "Lalana, get up here."

She hopped onto the seat into view of the transmission. Anyone else and the transmission would have been automatically framing her in the whole time, but since the computer did not register her as a life form, she had to rely on being in front of Lorca for Sarek to see her.

"What is that?" went Sarek, cold Vulcan façade letting slip some small bit of surprise mingled with the faintest affront or disgust at the two giant eyes.

"I am a lului. My name is Lalana."

Lorca looked entirely pleased with himself for putting this together. "She's my ally. That's proof I'm not lying. I have no problem working with aliens."

"You are from the other universe?" asked Sarek, because certainly he had never seen her like here.

"Yes, that is correct."

Sarek already knew from his mind meld with Burnham that the other universe had the potential to offer safe haven to anyone who wished it and had seen some glimmer of Lorca's involvement with Discovery's interspecies crew, but nowhere in Burnham's mind had he seen this creature. "What are you to Captain Lorca? In what way do you prove his intent?"

"I am his friend. As for his intent, what is it you wish of him?"

"He has promised to provide safe passage for non-humans to your universe."

Lalana tilted her head up at Lorca. "You said we were going to stop the war with the Klingons by bringing reinforcements from the Empire."

Sarek's glare looked entirely unamused. Lorca realized immediately where the problem lay. The first night here, when Lalana had approached him in his quarters, he had outlined a perfectly plausible plan involving killing Georgiou, taking over the Empire, and using Terran ships to fight the Klingons. While the Terran Empire and Starfleet were fundamentally incompatible, the prospect of a mutual alien enemy could have rallied the bloodthirsty Terrans to answer the call to war. They were as glory-hungry as the Klingons in Lalana's universe.

Nowhere in that plan had Lorca mentioned Sarek, Voq, and the rebels. To be honest, he was a little surprised they were still in play. He had expected to find them largely quashed by Georgiou at this point. That they endured was a testament to their value and made them worth adding back into his plan as participants rather than face them as a later adversary.

Lorca grimaced in disappointment at Lalana. Mentioning this in front of Sarek felt like a public betrayal. (In actuality, he was learning something the other Lorca had learned long ago: Lalana had no sense of propriety and did not distinguish between conversations in an official and informal context. She spoke whatever came into her mind.) "When we arrived here, I didn't know Sarek and Voq were still alive. Terrans or rebels, a gun is a gun."

Lalana's tail flicked. "Sometimes I think you are making this up as you go along."

That was entirely a betrayal. "Circumstance changed and I'm adjusting, restoring part of the original plan. That's not the same as making it up."

"It is almost. And what if the Klingons here wish to join the Klingons over there?"

Was she trying to screw this up for him? "Then we don't send the Klingons until after the war's won. If we have to send a few Terrans to clear a few battles, we do that. The important thing is we get Georgiou out of the way right now. Trust me, Sarek, I've thought of everything."

Lalana continued her dissension. "No one can think of everything, not even me, and I have trillions more brain cells than you do, Gabriel."

Lorca pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. She was talking about her undifferentiated tissues, which he knew from the lului medical report tended to be memory-focused, not cognitive. While the cells could provide cognitive function, they were sluggish compared to the specialized cortex cells that comprised the lului "brain" and infrequently used in such a capacity. He pulled his hand away and practically exploded at her. "This isn't the time for discussion! We have a chance right now to rid ourselves of Georgiou once and for all. The emperor's on her knees, and when she's gone, we all get what we want. But we need to do this now. Before someone else comes in to fill the power vacuum I'm about to create."

"Hm, that is a fair point," went Lalana, entirely unperturbed by Lorca's frustration. She turned back to the screen. "Sarek, will you please bring your ships to assist in this endeavor, for the benefit of your universe and mine?"

Sarek got the distinct impression there was something in this argument between Lorca and Lalana that was wholly domestic, which was more telling than anything Lorca could have actually said. He still needed more. In a measured tone, he said, "And who would you have replace the emperor? You?"

"I can't think of a better candidate," said Lorca as if he were congratulating Sarek for suggesting he take on this role rather than confirming an obvious bit of hubris.

"What of Michael Burnham?"

Lorca dismissed this suggestion outright. "It can't be Burnham. She doesn't know this universe. Her idealism will lead us nowhere. The minute they realize who and what she is, she's done for."

"And yet, it is in her idealism that I find hope for this plan, not yours."

Lorca glowered, thinking they were at an impasse.

Then Sarek said, "I was able to convince Voq of the sincerity of Burnham's intentions, even with the destruction of Harlak. I equally understand the validity of your concerns. I have seen into this Michael Burnham." That was a misleadingly innocuous description of a mind meld as far as Lorca was concerned. "She is not from this world and she cannot lead your people effectively. A new emperor is not worth the trouble if she is dead within a year. I suggest an alternative. I will back you, Voq will back you, if she stands by your side."

Lorca took a deep breath. That was, in fact, the best thing he could have hoped for. "Agreed." In a way, this Burnham was even better, because she would be sincere in a way his Michael could never have been. Lorca would have Sarek eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Then we will proceed to your coordinates."

Lorca leaned his hands against the back of the chair, feeling a great weight lift from his shoulders.

Lalana put her hands on the edge of the console and leaned forward. "Gabriel and I thank you, Sarek."

"I have only one question remaining. What of the Michael Burnham from our world?" asked Sarek.

A long pause. "Dead," said Lorca.

"Then you have my condolences," said Sarek, because he knew exactly how much Michael Burnham meant to Lorca. He knew it better than anyone.

The channel closed. Lorca exhaled, then erupted, "What the hell was that? You torpedoed me!"

"Vulcans are more easily convinced when they watch a successful defense of a position. I forced you to defend."

He blinked. That hardly seemed to excuse it. "Maybe next time a little warning?"

"You might have said we were contacting a Vulcan. As it was, you did not mention any part of this to me."

"I've been a little busy," he pointed out. He meant to tell her, but between Discovery and here, he had not had much chance to. Moving between the torture chamber and the aft hangar bay, they had been too busy ducking security, and in the brief minute before the transmission started, he had forgotten.

"It turned out well in the end," said Lalana. "Sarek is coming. I think he was reassured that you had me as an ally, and I think it is a very good plan." Now, not only was he uniting forces against a shared enemy, he was offering a chance for something better to the teeming masses of the oppressed.

That it would simultaneously remove what Terrans saw as an alien scourge on their claim of galactic supremacy was an additional windfall from Lorca's perspective. They would keep some quantity of aliens, because the Empire still had uses for many, but the rebels at least would be gone, and any species that fulfilled no Imperial purpose along with them. Best of all, they would go willingly.

"Thank you." Holding her up as a reassurance for Sarek was not the main reason he had summoned Lalana to the Charon, but it had been an entirely intentional move on his part and worked beautifully despite them both.

"Though, I should have cleaned your face before we contacted Sarek. You look quite a mess." There was still blood caked down the side of his cheek from the wounds he had given himself smashing his head against the wall of the ready room on Discovery. They had not healed much in the ensuing days of torture. Her tail drifted up towards him to clean them now.

Lorca grabbed her tail, stopping her. "Don't. People might notice."

Lalana's tail twisted slightly in his grasp. "What do you mean? They will notice there is less blood on your face?"

"Exactly, and if they figure out how..."

"They will think you cleaned your face."

"Yes, but how!" he exclaimed, voice rising. "I can't have them figuring out you're here. They'll shoot you. You understand?"

She did understand, but what she understood was not the point he thought he was trying to make. She would have blinked in confusion if only she could. Instead she stared at him and realized exactly how bad this situation was.

She had seen it, back in the torture chamber, with Maddox and Allan both. The same manic delight that had consumed him during null time, the sort of delight that overwhelmed people when they were forced to operate for far too long on far too little: a combination of sleep deprivation and adrenaline that induced a state of mind where suddenly everything in the universe seemed to make perfect sense. That point where you see all the patterns and feel you are suspended in something approaching total clarity.

A dangerous clarity, because often the patterns you saw in this state were not the sort of stable connections that made sense in the light of a more well-rested day.

She asked him the same question she had asked almost two hours ago.

"Gabriel, when was the last time you slept?"

They had been on the Charon for about half a day now, and before that, on the Shenzhou for over three. During that time, while Burnham had endured fitful but uninterrupted sleep in the relative comfort of the captain's quarters, Lorca had slept at most a handful of hours between being tortured in the agonizer booth. Four days on perhaps that many hours of sleep.

"I'm fine."

"I think you need to sleep."

Now she was being annoying. "Lalana, there's no time. We need to finish what we started. We're so close now."

"I also have a question about the conclusion of this."

There were a thousand other things he had to worry about right now, an entire coup he needed to attend to, but still he asked, "What?"

"Is it your intent that you remain here while nonhumans are sent to my universe?"

"That is the gist of it, yeah." He sounded enduringly proud about it.

"Including me?"

Lorca froze.

The main reason he had called Lalana to the Charon was that he knew he needed backup in order to reach Georgiou and kill her. Lalana's unique properties meant she could infiltrate any corner of the vessel and help him at a moment's notice. She had done exactly that.

Problem was, when he called her with those two little words, "lab rats," he had not known there existed an entire hangar of people loyal to him in need of rescue. He knew some of his people were aboard—Petrellovitz, for example, had been listed as such in the recovered data core—but an entire hangar full of them? It was too good to be true.

Once he knew they were on the Charon, freeing them became his top priority.

There was a reason his people were loyal to him after two hundred days of torture, a reason they loved him and said he loved them in return.

He did.

Not in the way he loved Michael, there was no one he loved like Michael, but in a way that made them feel valued. While Georgiou constantly culled from the top, Lorca kept people around. (Even in the other universe. It was why he let Tyler remain on Discovery.) Maybe he was not always kind, maybe he could be a tyrant, but he was a tyrant who kept them safe. So long as they were loyal to him, he was loyal to them. His people did not fear him the way Georgiou's people feared her. In this universe, that was as close to love as most people ever got.

He knew firsthand what it was like to exist as part of Georgiou's high command, to never be certain from one day to the next whether this was the day you would die or not, sometimes for no crime beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong moment. For years he stood by her side and watched her pick people off one by one and in sudden clusters. The dance it took to avoid falling victim to Georgiou's wrath was exhausting. The longer he lasted, the more exhausting it became. That his number would eventually come up seemed inevitable. Each new death brought him one step closer to his own.

Once Michael entered the picture, there were two of them to worry about. He did not think Georgiou would ever hurt Michael given her feelings for Michael's mother, but so many people had made the mistake of thinking Georgiou would not hurt them and paid the ultimate price, Michael's mother among them. Lorca had even made that mistake once himself. His price had not been fatal, but it had given him a dark and festering wound for which Michael had proven to be the only salve. If not Michael herself, then the role she offered him, which had allowed him to lose himself and become someone else completely.

In the wake of Michael’s death, his only thought had been to destroy the woman who had driven them both down this awful path together. It remained a central aim, but little by little, other desires had found him again. The desire to travel the stars, the desire to win a war, the desire to be a captain, the desire to save his people. The desire to live on as a testament to his Michael Burnham.

His people needed him and he needed them.

His people would not understand Lalana. They were Terrans through and through. They hated nonhumans. Not only would they not understand Lalana, her very presence undermined his credibility with them.

It was bad enough he had been secretly enlisting the rebels against Georgiou. He could sell this fact to his followers in the context of his long-term goals so long as he always seemed to keep the rebels at a distance in an antiseptic alliance of convenience.

There was nothing antiseptic about Lalana.

"Yes," he said. "Especially you."

"That is not acceptable."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way," he drawled at her, "but fact is, you've done what I needed you to, so take Larsson and head on back to Discovery."

"But we have not yet killed the emperor."

"Lalana. This is the end of the road for you and me. It's time to say goodbye."

Part 87

#Star Trek #Discovery #Mirror Gabriel Lorca #Mirror Lorca #Gabriel Lorca #Captain Gabriel Lorca #Mirror Sarek #Mirror Michael Burnham #Mirror Stamets #Mirror Ellen Landry #What's Past Is Prologue

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calliecat93 · 3 years

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Star Trek Episodes 34-37

Metamorphosis: It was fine. I like having it be a mainly Kirk,Spock,and McCoy adventure with them stranded with a diplomat and bejng found by a giy who should be long dead. The concept of The Companion is fine and the themes of love is a perfectly fine plot to play out. But... the execution is kinda... ehh. Mainly at the end with Cochren being upset at The Companion being female (I’d also be annoyed at how Kirk assumed it was female cause of the voice but 60’s), The Companion posessing Nancy and the trio just... leaving it that way. I guess that Nancy was more or less dead by then, but it still feels wrong. And if she wasn’t dead, this BETTER have given her consent cause dear Lord NO. Then Cochren choosing to stay in his guilded cage with a being forcing him to remain cause... love I guess despite neither he nor Nancy knowing each other at all. Yeah, this is kind of a mess. It’s not bad, it had aspects Ilimed like McCoy trying to care for Nancy due to her comdition, Kirk feeling guilty because as captain whatever happens to his crew is his fault, Nancy’s sadness at having focused somuxh on her job she never found love as she’s dying is legit sad, and the trio overall working effectivly together with even Spock and McCoy not bantering too much. Heck McCoy gets concerned for Spock twice (albiet the seocnd time was also concern for Kirk). So nice bits of character and ideas that made me like the watch, but still has questionable elements that make me tilt my head. 3/5.

Journey to Babel: It’s time to meet Spock’s parents, yay! So I knew about this one cause avoiding spoilers for a 50+ year old show isn’t really on my list of priorities as my reblogs have shown. Needless to say I had expectations going in... and they were very much met! I really enjoyed this one! I like Sarek and Amanda as charcters as well as Spock’s feelings about them being ont he ship no matter how much he hides i. He understandably isn’t happy to be aorund his father who clearly didn’t approve ofhis life choices, though there doens’t seem to be any genuine hate between them. But sitll cutitng off from your own son for 18 years... dude I know yu’re a Vulcan and I know about the third movie, but that’s pretty crappy. We also see Spock, depsite using the usual ‘I’m a logical Vulcan’ card, clealry holding in storng feelings, concern, and regret hroughoutt he whole episode. Seriously, Leonard Nimoy did such an amazing job in this episode and did so many little things with the protrayal here. Though honestly McCoy may be the MVP here for successfully saving Sarek and keeping Spock alive, finally getitng the last word against Kirk and Spock, and his huge ass grin when he finds out about the tddy bear is the greatest thing int he world and Spock triyng to make it sound less embarassing made it even better. The ending was suspenseful as well. We don’t see Spock necesarially resolve his issues with is father, but it does feel like at least some progress was made... also them teasing Amanda int heir own Vulcan way made me laugh. That poor woman XD Overall, great episode. 5/5.

Friday’s Child: I think that the alternate title should be ‘McCoy’s REALLY Awkward Day’. It was good. We get the Klingons again, we’re on a planet with customs very different from Earth, and we have our trio on the run due to what is essentiallu a coup. They also get stuck with a pregnant woman who hates being touched... well until McCoy smacks her after she does it to him twice, then she’s ALL into him. Poor guy, and it only gets more awkward when he accidentally gets her to say that the child is his because he wans’t careful with his wording. But hey, he still fulfilled his duty as a doctor whether the woman liked it or not and he tried to get her to take credit for her own child since she’s the one delivering it, so good job doc! It was also hilarious with FAR too many moments to note, though most of them involve Spock being uncomfortable/annoyed as Hell XD There’s also the B-Crew dealing with their own issues, and it was nice to see them heading things without Kirk or Spock around. They’re all awesome, Scotty esecially continues ot be a badass when in commad. It was a good watch. 4/5.

The Deadly Years: It was...okay. It had some okay elements like Kirk’s aging affecting his mind, but it’s otherwise a meh episode. Metamorphosis at least had ideas I thought could be interesitng, this one is ‘let’s rapidly age the cast and roll with it’. IDK, it just ddn’t feel that storng. Admittedly some stuff was fun, like DeForest Kelley getitng to go into full-on cranky old man mode and Chekov complaining about all the examinations that he’s forced to endure, but there’s nothing notable. It doesn’t even really go into how aging and the effects on their mentality makes Kirk or the others feel like I know that The Wrath of Khan does. So yeh.. not much to say here except decent idea, but bleh execution. 2/5

Weak episode to end on, but the other three were enjoyable even with my issues with the first one.

#st watchthrough #star trek tos

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unknown-de-mordor-blog · 6 years

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Plot Bunny Dump: Star Trek XI

This is a post on my old blog. Originally published Jul 12, 2012.

I hate when my plot bunnies just decide to reproduce like, well, bunnies! I couldn't care for them all so I’m putting it here for adoption if anyone cares for one.

The 2009 Star Trek movie gave me a great big kick. I got a couple of bunnies popping up in this fandom.

Warning: Highly K/S, but not necessarily

The Kirk-has-kid fic:

(For this bunny, I’m actually using the edit I posted on K/S archive)

Summary: During the second year of the five-year mission, Kirk was contacted about an illegitimate son he didn’t know existed who would be transferred to his care on the Enterprise. It’s one thing to fight off Klingons and Romulans. It’s another to have a fight at home.

Detail:

After Jim drove his father’s car down the cliff, Winona Kirk finally took notice of her family problem and came back to divorce Frank. In the meantime, Jim was sent to Tarsus IV to stay with his relatives. The famine struck, and Kirk and a bunch of kids stuck together to survive. He got attached to one older girl who took care of him at the time. They were together for a while before they were saved and separated once got back to Earth. Jim was sent back to Iowa without a chance to tell her where he was going, and they never saw each other again.

Jim only knew that he fathered a son with her on the second year of the five-year mission when Starfleet contacted him that she had died. Without other relatives, the boy was sent to his father on the Enterprise and the drama ensued. Jim tried to be a father when he never really had one. His son, with a deep grudge against his father whom his mother loved and worshipped but was never present, took every opportunity to throw it at Jim’s face that he had abandoned them. Spock tried to be a mediator and ended up with the boy kind of hero-worshipped him and his Vulcan coolness. Add that on top of life-threatening missions and a tension between Kirk and Spock that they never thought of exploring, until they were forced to raise a child together.

Notes and Bonuses: I kind of see Jim’s son as the angrier version of ten-year-old-something Jim Kirk with Jim’s IQ and all that, but I’ll leave it to the writer’s discretion on how much of a troublemaker he’s going to be. I don’t think he actually hates Jim, he’s just kind of jealous that his mother loves Jim (ahem, giant Freud alert!) and is angry that Jim was never there for her. So, bonus if he is the first to realize that there is something going on between Jim and Spock, and he disapproves at first because he doesn’t want Jim to forget his mother just like she had never forgotten about him. Another huge bonus for a happy ending, please. Note 2: Just in case you're wondering what to do with Uhura. I never think she and Spock are in a romantic relationship, although they are obviously attracted to one another because: (1) during the Academy years, Spock would have been her instructor. I don't think his moral code would allow them to overstep the bound. (2) he would have made clear to her after Narada that he intends to join the New Vulcan colony. They would have agreed to go their separate ways if she shows up on the Enterprise for its launch. (3) once he joins the Enterprise, he would be her commanding officer. Again, I think Spock would find it inexpedient to initiate a relationship with her. Of course, the writer can play with their friendship or chemistry as much as they want. :)

The Dystopian AU fic:

Summary: In an alternate reality, Terran civilization collapsed before the invention of warp-drive and the First Contact never occurred. Cities disintegrated in chaos and centuries later what was left was settlements of humans, now mostly nomads and farmers, scattered across the world with only a glimpse of the world that came before.

How will Kirk and Spock find each other and save the Federation from a crazy time-travelling Romulan, then?

Detail: Earth was labelled a loss after a global collapse and the Federation rarely paid attention to the contacts made by aliens who try to reap resources and capture human for slave-trade. The incidents were few enough for them to be the stuff of legend for the human struggling to survive in the aftermath.

Jim Kirk of Iowa was out in the field with his sheep when a gang of alien tried to abduct him. He was saved and brought back to the Enterprise, a sentinel ship protecting the Earth, by Captain Spock due to the violation of the Prime Directive. Without anyone else in his family (Father, died since he was young, Brother died in Texas IV, Mother died from illness a few years earlier), Kirk agreed to join the crew, which consisted of aliens but mostly of human Spock has saved from all around the world.

In this universe, Starfleet actually comprised different fractions based on their home planet and thus was quite fractured, more like a group of mercenaries under than an actual organization. Spock was under the Vulcan Fraction but was at odds with them due to his mixed heritage and his fascination with his mother's people who were now regarded as backward. Against his father's wish, he proposed project Enterprise (christened by Amanda) as a collaboration between the Vulcan Fraction and the Vulcan Science Academy so he could spend time studying and protecting Earth from orbit.

Kirk is directly trained under Spock because of his aptitude in logical thinking and computation. Kirk also had a fascination with the Time-That-Has-Gone-Before and liked to spend hours with Spock's personal book collection salvaged from Earth. After a close friendship with Kirk, he started to see the human's potential in command and later appointed him First Officer.

After things start to settle down, they were called back to Vulcan because of Nero's attack. The Vulcan Fraction lost to Narada's superior technology. They, however, managed to save a small group from the planet, but not Sarek whom Nero captured because of his status in Starfleet and Amanda whom Nero psychically broke and killed to spite Spock. Unable to save his mother, suffering from his broken bond with T'Pring and a psychic back-latch from an entire planet being destroyed - Spock became unstable and transferred his command to Kirk but not before he managed to relay an order to aid every Vulcan survivors in all surrounding planets.

Because of that order, Chekov found a life signal on Delta Vega belonging to an elder who seemed to know Kirk. He told Kirk of Nero's intention to destroy all Federation planets and that he would destroy Earth despite the fact that Earth was not a member of the Federation in this reality. With that information, Kirk, against all orders from the Federation, took the Enterprise to Earth to stop Nero and saved Sarek.

I didn't have much idea on how it transpires between here and the end where Spock gave Kirk permanent command of the Enterprise while he decided to join the other survivor and rebuild their race. Kirk, of course, convinced Spock that the Enterprise and Earth needed him more than the Vulcans. Spock was finally convinced to stay with the people that had now become his family and took the position of First Officer.

The MPREG fic (Yes, I've Been There):

Summary: Kirk and Spock went on a mission with the result of Kirk getting an alien uterus and a fetus with his and Spock's combined genetic. With Spock wanting a child, Uhura reluctantly agreed to her boyfriend's suggestion of co-parenting between the three of them. However, as time went by, she started to feel the rip in hers and Spock's relationship and a beginning of Kirk's and Spock's.

Detail: I don't care much about how the pregnancy is made possible, only how they deal with it. McCoy wasn't happy for medical reasons. Uhura wasn't happy because she wasn't ready. Spock wanted a child because his race was diminishing, and Kirk wanted to make Spock happy (in a non-romantic way, at first). But due to the different biology between the carrier, the uterus, and the baby. The pregnancy was complicated and their daily lives changed to accommodate. Although she agreed with the co-parenting term, Uhura soon started to realize that she didn't feel a connection to the baby while Kirk and Spock started to behave more and more like a couple. She also learnt from Kirk in one of their rare private camaraderies during the pregnancy that Kirk had fallen in love with Spock but was not planning on doing anything about it because he respected hers and Spock's relationship. Uhura started to have doubt in her own feeling soon after when she spotted Spock attempting a telepathic communication with his unborn child while Kirk was beaming and realizes that she didn’t really have a place there. When Kirk had to go through preterm birth and was isolated, and Spock was almost driven crazy both because of Kirk's condition and his need to telepathically bond with the child. Uhura confronted Spock about his feeling for Kirk and encouraged him to explore it (she had seen it coming months before after all; she had lots of time to prepare for this). She remained the third parent according to their agreement (and maybe finding comfort in McCoy?), while Kirk and Spock started to build a family.

The Real Reason Kirk Can't Sleep Alone:

Summary: Kirk didn't like his bed empty. Spock just assumed it was his captain's libido. That was until one diplomatic mission put Kirk and Spock in the same room that he realized Kirk's problem ran much deeper and attempted to help.

Detail: After Tarsus IV, Kirk was traumatized because a friend of his died during the night that he developed a fear that everyone might just drop dead while he slept. He dealt with the problem by either exhausting himself, getting drunk or bedding somebody so he had a warm body to hold and feel safe. On the ship, he often resorted to Bones' sedative or cuddled with the man himself (they were best friends after all). It was never a problem to his ability to command as long as he had enough sleep. Spock, only aware of Kirk's reputation with women and his frequent visit to the Doctor's quarter, assumed all along that it was just Kirk's sexual appetite until they went on a diplomatic mission together and Kirk's problem started to make itself known. (He was really stressed and really needed a cuddle, and McCoy wasn't around to help.) Upon learning about the true nature of the problem, Spock offered to cuddle with Kirk. They took the practice back to the Enterprise which soon turned into intimacy, and, of course, McCoy was always the first to know.

#star trek #aos #plot bunny #spirk #old post #my post

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