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adarkroomandawallflower · 11 months

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Helloooo i hope you're having a good day :D there's this prompt that's been stuck in my head for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to write it down, it's goes something like this:

Data observes that some people seem intimidated by his neutral face, so he attempts to develop a natural smile with Geordi's help

You can go from any direction here, I'd love to see your take on it<3

Hello! Thank you, and I hope you had a good day, too.

Thank you so much for the request! This idea is SO cute, and I can totally see this as a subplot to a TNG episode (one that I really wish we would have gotten to see).

Sorry for the slight delay in posting this...I ended up rewriting it a few times because I didn't like how it was turning out, but I'm finally happy with this version. Regardless, I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope the final version is to your liking!

"Yeah, that's it, Data! You're doing great," Geordi encouraged, "Okay, now imagine you run into me briefly in the hallways, after not seeing me for a few days. How would you smile then?"

Data paused for a moment as he considered the appropriate response to Geordi's theoretical scenario. The act of smiling itself wasn't difficult. In the simplest definition, smiling was just the combination of contracting and flexing specific muscles in the face. Of course, Data knew and understood this definition well. Additionally, he had vast knowledge (or more accurately, he had all the knowledge ever recorded on the subject) about smiling. Yet, most people found that his smile was "unsettling", and at times, "intimidating".

Data looked back at his colleague and best friend, tilting his head softly as he imagined the scenario Geordi outlined. How would he react, in that instance?

This was the source of his "problem". He felt that his inability to portray emotions was what caused his smile to appear unnatural to others. Fortunately, his current crewmates were much nicer than his classmates at the Academy, as well as some of his former colleagues aboard the Trieste. Aboard the Enterprise, he rarely heard any negative comments about himself. However, he recognized the expressions of discomfort on his coworkers' faces whenever he would flash them a smile. Numerous studies over the past several centuries have shown that smiling makes individuals appear more "likeable" and "approachable"; two aspects which Data wanted to portray to others. Thus, he figured this could be another opportunity to learn about human behavior, and emulate it more accurately.

Data blinked at his friend, before letting his lips slowly curve upwards. He allowed his lips to stretch into a gentle "beam" of a smile, pushing the apples of his cheeks out and up towards his eyes slightly, but not far enough to crease his eyes and create what some humans affectionately called "eye crinkles". He felt this situation did not warrant bearing his teeth, so he kept his smile closed, but not quite tight-lipped.

Geordi couldn't help but return Data's smile, "You're a natural, Data!"

Data slowly let his smile fall, and his expression returned to its "normal" appearance, "On the contrary, Geordi. I was not a 'natural' before. I only appear so now because you are clearly an effective and proficient instructor."

Geordi chuckled, "Well thanks, Data, but I can't take all the credit. You're flexing and contracting those smiling muscles all on your own."

In an effort to "improve" his smile, Data had enlisted the help of Geordi earlier in the week. Prior to that, Data had done some personal research to determine which of his friends he felt had the smile that he felt would be most appropriate for himself, and the emotional messages he wished to convey with it.

Data had learned an extensive amount about his friends from this research. Commander Riker's smile, for example, exuded charm and confidence, as well as an air of sensuality that seemed to be physically attractive to several members of the crew. Captain Picard's smile was much softer, and somewhat awkward, but still appeared to be favorable among most of the crew. Dr. Crusher's smile could best be described as a "mother's" smile: warm and reassuring. Counselor Troi's smile was bright and "infectious" (Data was well aware that smiling in general was an "infectious" behavior, but he noticed that individuals returned the Counselor's smiles 22.6% more often than others' smiles). Worf...well, Worf's smile was...unique and infrequent, so he was unable to gather much data on it.

Then, there was Geordi's smile. According to Data's personal research, Geordi had the most comforting and reassuring smile of his friends. Anyone who received a dazzling LaForge grin was 97.3% of the time immediately relaxed, calm, and comfortable. His smile conveyed a sense of peace that Data had not found in other individuals' smiles. Although Data could appreciate and respect all the various smile-types of his friends, he felt that he most wished to replicate Geordi's smile, as it conveyed all the emotions and emotional responses in its recipients that he yearned to. Thus, it was Geordi who he came to request assistance from, in his quest to "improve" his smile.

Data looked at Geordi expectantly, "Based on my performance this evening, do you believe my smile has improved?"

Geordi sighed softly, "Well, Data, I wouldn't say it's 'improved' because I didn't think there was anything about your smile that needed to be 'improved' in the first place...but I do think your smile is much more natural and friendly now."

At that, Data smiled his signature, faint smile, "Thank you, Geordi. You have been most helpful and encouraging to me throughout our lessons. I appreciate your efforts in assisting me in my endeavors to be more human."

"Sure thing, Data," Geordi stood up, "I'd say you're ready to show off that new smile at Miles' and Keiko's wedding tonight. But be careful," he grinned, "Your smile might end up making you a real lady killer tonight."

Data looked at him in surprise and horror, "Geordi, I do not wish to take the life of any of the females, or any other living being, aboard the Enterprise."

Geordi laughed, "I know that, Data. I just meant that your smile is going to turn a few heads, and likely get you some attention...especially when paired with your dress uniform."

Data eyed him curiously, "Geordi, are you implying that some members of the crew will find me physically attractive, due to the combination of my formal wardrobe and new smile?"

"Exactly. Like Commander Riker says, 'Nothing's sexier than a well-dressed man with a dashing smile'."

"Hmm," Data raised his eyebrows, "I had not considered the possibility that my new grin would increase my level of 'sexiness'...how intriguing..."

Geordi laughed, and clapped his hand against Data's back, in between his shoulder blades, "I'm sure that possibility will become a reality later tonight, my dear Data."

Involuntarily, Data's lips curled upwards into a soft, warm smile.

#data soong #data star trek #data tng #geordi laforge #geordi tng #geordi and data #not intended as daforge but can be read that way #data x geordi #geordi x data #daforge #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #star trek fan fiction #star trek fanfiction #noll's narratives #my writing

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adumpofdumbstuff · 10 months

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Deja Q Rewatch: Qcard Analysis

I am rewatching every Q episode of TNG (which means Qpid is next! Yippee!) and I thought I’d like to write a bit about this…

First of all, MY POOR BOY IS A HUMAN AND EVEN HIS LOVE INTEREST DOESN’T BELIEVE HIM. He literally requested to be sent to the Enterprise. Why? Because Picard is “the closest thing [he] has to a friend”. I posted this in the Qcard Fic Discord server, but I have a theory that yes, Q has been attracted to Picard for some time, especially during Q Who. Bro nearly kissed JLP’s ear. But he wasn’t fully aware of it. He enjoys Jean-Luc’s company. He wants affection. Now here he is, experiencing human emotions. Along with all of that fear and anxiety of feeling pain and such, and maybe a little bit of butterflies in his stomach?? I had a theory of an off-screen moment that might have gone something like this, perhaps in the few moments it must have taken to replicate 10 chocolate sundaes, right before Guinan shows up:

Q: Data… I may have felt a different sensation in my stomach earlier, when I first was dumped here by the Continuum.

Data: I’m listening.

Q: Sort of… fluttery. I-I’m not sure. It didn’t feel like… hunger.

Data: It could be possible it was a sort of nervousness.

Q: I’ve been feeling nervousness all day. I only felt this way near Jean-Luc. Maybe even a bit while I was omnipotent.

Data: It could be possible you feel some form of romantic or sexual attraction to Captain Picard.

Q: Sex with… Jean-Luc? For a robot, you have a sense of humor!

Data: …I am an android.

Q: Whatever!

Even if that didn’t happen, Q may have figured it out himself that fluttery feeling he got around Picard was love because after Deja Q, he was flirting even more!!! “Mon capitaine” starts to stick!!! Qpid, the way he was on the couch!!! Tapestry, flowers for John-Luck Pickerd!!!

THE IMMORTAL BED SCENE.

Now, I am going to discuss “Red alert” below the cut but a few other things first:

It was so hard for him to manage. My boy full of fear. Yet it’s that thing he has for Picard that keeps him forgiving him even when he’s pushed out of the way. Also, Q is not interested in “human interpersonal relationships”. In truth? As he sorts through his feelings for Picard, he’s still the only human he cares for. Riker was just for the Continuum. He could care less about Riker now that he knows for sure Riker could care less for the Continuum’s abilities. It’s all Picard. Definitely could care less about Geordi. Worf’s a Klingon, but he could care less about Microbrain as well.

And now to discuss Q’s sacrifice. Obviously he did some thinking after Data saved him. It is possible in this moment he realized he loved Picard and would do anything to protect him. So he takes the shuttlecraft. He would die for him. And he’s teased by Q2. “Selfless”. He knows the Calamarain would destroy the Enterprise to get to him, which means the death of everyone on the ship, including Jean-Luc. And of course he was growing depressed in that human form. But as Q2 said, there was a selfless aspect to this.

That selfless aspect? Q’s feelings for Picard.

Alright, on “Red alert”…

He’s naked in front of Picard. He can’t control the smirk that shows up on his face when he lands there. This is definitely Q’s more sexual emotions for JLP, and what if…

What if, he got a, yknow, a 🦴?

Just saying. He doesn’t know what happened. He might have had a guess. Why is it doing that?

Well, Q…

And that’s all I’ll discuss that. If you made it this far, thank you for reading my thoughts on this episode and how it sets up Qpid and Tapestry, and ultimately All Good Things… Now I didn’t mention True Q, and I believe @stellarred mentioned this in one of their posts at some point, but the reason we barely got any Qcard there is because Continuum business. But wait, Hide and Q was similar in nature. Well, Riker was closer to Picard so it was different. Besides, he was more of a free-range carefree Q then, before the fear of being a human set in. Okay that’s the real end of the essay.

#not a reblog #tdlr: qcard #qcard #q star trek #jean-luc picard #essay #its long #very long post #sorry #not sorry #whatever #star trek #me trying to be stellar #stellarred #follow stellarred guys #theyre amazing #ok bye #kinda nswf #SD 11038.5

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thegeminisage · 5 months

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tng update time! tonight we did "the enemy" and "the price."

the enemy: this one was soooo fucking good. chef's kiss.

to start with, LOVE geordi getting more screentime that doesn't have to do with a creepy holodeck gf. it was such a cool way to show the unique skillsets he has - that he could see metal ore in those walls where no one else would have, that he can see a beacon others can't - but then when he stops being able to use his visor, he does still need help.

the MESSAGING?? i just KNEW worf would be the only possible donor who could save that romulan and i figured by the end he would put aside his old and pointless hatred and do the ""right thing"" especially when everybody kept begging him to and ESPECIALLY when the romulan said he'd rather die than accept help but then he DIDN'T???

like geordi quite literally almost died because he tried to help his romulan rather than swipe his gun and here worf is refusing this other romulan so much as a single drop of blood. wouldn't piss on the guy if he was on fire if you'll forgive the use of that phrase. i LOVE that picard could have ordered him and didn't, i LOVE that they straight up let the romulan die. his body his choice! like genuinely in all seriousness! you can't force him to give up his autonomy even to save a life! you can't unseat deep-rooted hatred in a single 45-minute episode! worf could have saved his life with no risk and no pain and was just as happy to let him die.

i really wanted just like ONE more scene. like, maybe where the romulan who lived asked about the other one and realized worf let him die, or maybe didn't realize it but geordi did, or another scene with worf after he finds out the romulan is dead. idk. it felt like it needed 5 more minutes to really punch me in the solar plexus. to somehow really put in stark contrast geordi's peaceful hippie-ism and worf being a stone cold bitch (honorific) and the different ways that like, affects the future of this romulan survivor to tie into the theme of cylical bitterness (worf) vs the breaking of the cycle (geordi).

like it's just SO shocking they had worf let the guy die. it truly elevates the episode from good to great, imo. do you guys ever think about the cold war being so long that they made tos AND tng episodes about it?? i hadn't before today but now i do.

oh also i liked worf's little chat with riker. they should kiss about it <3

the price: this one was so bad. oh women. women, i am so fucking sorry

it's a shame deanna was SO hot and had so many beautiful outfits in this episode because it FUCKING SUCKED

first of all the """romance""" in this episode came on so fast and suddenly i actually googled the wikipedia page while we were watching to make sure i didn't miss anything. what i missed was him being a secret empath which wasn't until later but they were so familiar with each other i thought that they were exes or something, it was absolutely baffling

secondly, every SINGLE line that came out of this guy's mouth was so creepy and such a red flag that it gave me hives. he was utterly unsympathetic in every possible way and i have never hated anyone more

the, like, minute-long shot of deanna's feet while he gives her a footrub. please, enough

oh yeah and the EXERCISE SCENE??? WHERE THEY HAD THEM IN SKIMPY OUTFITS AND PRACTICALLY SCISSORING??? whoever wrote this episode should go directly to hell

it could have been fine. we clearly see the setupnof deanna having no work/life balance (a plot immediately forgotten in favor of filming fetish fuel) and a fellow empath who could have been a great foil, since he uses his power for personal gain and she uses it to help others, and HIS work-life balance seems to go entirely in the other direction. instead we got, um, whatever that was.

anyway the wormhole plot would have been fine on its own. it reminded me a little of farscape <3

but i have less and less tolerance for the ferengi every time they show up...even before we get into the antisemetic caricature, they're also annoying and not funny?? i think i liked them better in seasons 1 and 2 simply because they were better than everything else going on in seasons 1 and 2...the ferengi ep in season 1 was the first season 1 episode i actually thought was watchable. i know they get better in ds9 though

the one really great moment in this ep, which unfortunately was not enough to make the rest of it worth it, was when deanna's love interest tried to make riker jealous and riker was like oh no hey if you bring happiness to her life then nothing would please me more. she can bring value to yours since it's worthless <3

like. KING behavior. not only was it satisfying to see this guy put in his place it was also fucking hilarious. i love riker sm. i'm telling you this guy is polyam worf/riker/deanna could be real we could make it happen worf literally has two ***** there's enough of him to go around. sorry for saying that.

ANYWAY, next time it's "the vengeance factor" and "the defector."

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #it's also been really rough for me being a wesley fan now. he comes onscreen and instead of being annoyed i feel fond #i'm like aw baby boy. little feller.#wesley-pilled.#did you guys know he has a dead dad??? wack.

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ladyfogg · 1 year

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May I? - 37/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Data walked with Captain Picard, heading for the Observation room. They were to meet with Commander Riker and Lieutenant Worf to strategize prior to conducting their interviews. Instead of thinking of that, however, Data was more focused on taking in the world around him, including what he was feeling.

It was strange to have a sensation but no context or name for what it was. He thought back to what Dr. Crusher had said and focused on what parts of his body were reacting. His abdomen for sure, so he concluded he was nervous.

Data recalled Faith explaining her anxiety to him and he had to wonder how she managed to get anything done while feeling that way constantly. He was even more proud of her progress.

“Mr. Data, your head is on a swivel,” Captain Picard commented.

“I am sorry, sir. I was not aware of the intense difference between human sight and my own.”

“I imagine there will be many differences that will require adjustment. It helps to focus on the task at hand.”

As they entered the turbo-lift, Data considered his advice and came to a realization. “I have often heard Faith say, ‘Easier said than done’ and I believe I have a firmer grasp on the concept now.” The lift moved and Data felt the sway again, although this time he anticipated it.

Picard looked at Data with amusement. “One could say the silver lining of Q’s meddling is that you will be able to have context and understanding for why we humans act the way we do.”

“A silver lining indeed. I only wish it had not been done at such a crucial time.”

“I have every bit of confidence that you will adjust.”

They reached the Observation room where Riker and Worf were already gathered.

“Be seated,” Picard ordered, taking a seat at the head of the table. The other men followed his instructions. “Before we discuss anything further there is something that happened that I feel should be addressed.”

Data had intended on keeping his situation quiet to avoid distraction, however, he understood Riker and Worf deserved to know. As senior officers they often worked directly with him and, if Geordi was not on leave, he would be brought into the fold as well.

“Q has seen fit to test me,” Data explained when he had their attention. “He has given me the full range of human emotions but they have come at a price.”

“He did what?!” Riker exclaimed. “That son of a bitch needs to stop poking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

“What price?” Worf asked.

“I no longer have the strength or mental capabilities of an android,” Data said. “I am sure there are other factors which have not surfaced yet. Q has refused to undo this until he believes I have learned my lesson.”

“What is the lesson?” Worf asked.

“With Q is the lesson ever really clear?” Picard posed.

Riker ran a hand down his face and leaned back in his seat. “When will ever be rid of that maniac? I swear, every time he shows up I sprout new gray hairs. If he wasn’t all-powerful I would have shot him out the airlock years ago.”

“You will be pleased to hear that Faith slapped him,” Data informed him.

Riker smirked and, to Data’s surprise, Worf looked amused as well. “I wish I had seen it for myself,” the Klingon said.

“It was extremely satisfying to witness,” Picard conceded. “However, Mr. Data now finds himself in a unique predicament. Considering what we have learned about our adversary and his knowledge of the ship, this information must stay strictly between us. Aside from Dr. Crusher and Lieutenant Diaz, the only others who know are in this room and it should remain that way. Counselor Troi will be made aware as well.”

“I ask that you do not treat me differently,” Data said. “I still have my experiences and core memories to draw from and should be able to function properly. Although, I may have questions.”

Riker’s smirk widened. “We would expect nothing less.”

“Given the circumstances, Will, I want you to partner with Data for these interviews,” Picard said. “Since both he and Lieutenant Worf are well-versed in this investigation it would be smart to split them between the two groups.” He paused for a moment before looking at Data. “I also feel Commander Riker will be able to assist with navigating your new emotional state.”

A sense of…something washed over Data. He recognized it as relief though it was more potent than what he previously experienced, and it helped quell his nerves. Not that he doubted the captain or chief of security but if there was anyone among the group who could help him deal with intense emotions, Data would say it was Commander Riker.

“I had a detailed list of questions, organized and based on possible answers,” Data said. “But unfortunately I do not have access to the entire list.”

“That’s fine, Data,” Riker said. “Don’t worry about that. Right now I want to know, how are you dealing with all of this?”

“I am feeling many things though I do not have the words for all of them. What I believe I can identify is apprehension and concern. There is also confusion. It is clear Q knows who is behind this and is aware we are heading into danger, which makes his timing inconvenient. I also do not know what would possess someone to spy on me, and for what purpose.”

“Hopefully that is what we will discover,” Picard said as he stood. “Lieutenant, why don’t you and I take my Ready Room?”

“Aye, sir,” Worf replied.

“We will take a few minutes to strategize amongst ourselves and then commence with the interviews from there. Dismissed.”

Picard and Worf departed, leaving Data and Riker alone. Once the door closed, the commander asked, “How did Faith react to the news?”

“She was troubled and concerned, which is understandable. I do not believe my reaction to her presence helped the matter.”

Eyebrows raised, Riker sat up with a look of amusement. “And what reaction was that?”

Data did not feel it was appropriate to go into detail about the specifics of his lustful actions, however, he concluded that Commander Riker would be able to provide some insight into the rush of emotions he had experienced.

“I was overcome with intense desire,” he explained. “Enough to be a distraction. How does one deal with such all-encompassing emotions?”

Riker grinned and reclined in his seat as he considered Data’s question. “Sometimes attraction and affection can supersede all reason, especially when you’re with someone special. The important thing to remember is there is a time and a place for sexual desire. Your partner’s consent and comfort should always be taken into consideration.”

“I understand,” Data said. “Thankfully I do not feel I crossed any lines but I will take care in the future.”

“All things considered, congratulations, Data.”

“For what?”

“If you had such a visceral reaction to Faith, that would mean your initial feelings for her are sound and were correctly interpreted. You do love and care for her, a great deal it seems.”

“Those feelings were never called into question, at least not by myself.” Data felt a brief wave of anxiousness. “Do you think they might have been for Faith? Do you believe she has had doubts about my feelings?”

Riker shook his head. “Not at all. Faith knows how much you love her. It’s clear as day to all of us how deep your connection is. I’m sorry, Data, I didn’t mean to worry you. I was hoping to offer comfort.”

“What will comfort me will be finding who on the ship is responsible for spying on us,” Data said. “The longer it takes to seek them out, the greater the chance that we will lose the element of surprise against our adversary.”

“Agreed.” Commander Riker reached for a PADD that sat on the table. A second later, he brought up the list of interviewees to review. “It seems we have a wide range of suspects, anyone from Ten Forward to the Bridge.”

“That is correct. Whoever is responsible would have to have come in contact with us on a regular basis.”

“But low enough on the totem pole not to draw our attention.”

Data cocked his head. There was a change in him that gave him pause, one he could not properly describe. “Commander, inquiry,” he said. “There is a sensation happening that I do not understand.”

“Try your best to describe it.”

“I feel we should focus our attention on anyone from Engineering. However, I do not have sufficient enough data to support my suggestion.”

“But you think it’s likely Engineering is where the mole is stationed?”

Data pondered for another moment before he nodded. “Yes, I do. I am sorry that I cannot give you a reason.”

“I think you already did,” Riker told him. “Usually an intense feeling of being right but having no logical basis for this is called a ‘gut feeling’.”

“Is that what a gut feeling feels like? Interesting.”

“And it is usually correct. As far as not having evidence, when you have the years of experience you and I have, your gut instinct can be your subconscious putting the pieces together you haven’t been able to.” Riker glanced at the list of names once more. “You have one name on this list from Engineering. What do you say we start there? No reason to beat around the bush.”

“I concur.”

Commander Riker cleared his throat and tapped his communicator. “Ensign Paul Sawyer to the Observation room as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir. On my way but it will take a minute.”

Data did not know much about Ensign Sawyer, only that he had served the Enterprise well during his time aboard. He had seen him around Engineering yet had not spoken to him, and Geordi and Faith only briefly mentioned him in passing.

While they waited, Commander Riker said, “All of this is so elaborate and complicated, it didn’t just happen. It was planned carefully and methodically. I just wish we knew to what end.”

“As do I. When viewing the situation as a whole, I believe what troubles me most is that my existence has put Faith in danger.”

There was a wash of emotion, a kind of heaviness that grew in Data’s chest once his concern was voiced.

“Faith is a Starfleet officer. She knew the risks of being on board the Enterprise and accepted them,” Riker reminded him.

“Yes, but this is not about Starfleet. It is personal. She was taken by Fajo because of how important she is to me and has been drawn into this investigation, again because of me. And while I know she does not blame me, I am starting to realize part of me blames myself.”

Commander Riker laid his hand on Data’s shoulder to offer comfort. “She is here with us and she is safe. Once we find out who is responsible, you will have your answers and hopefully some peace of mind.”

Will he have peace of mind? Data did not know when Q would return him to how he was or even if. And after this crisis was solved, what of the next one? Yes, he understood being a Starfleet officer came with risk, which he and Faith both accepted when joining. But Data’s protective protocol made him think beyond their current situation and about Faith’s mental health.

“I do not know if peace of mind is possible,” he concluded. “My worry for Faith is growing with every day. Commander, does love typically come with such feelings of anxiety? I know I can protect her in a physical sense, or at least I used to be able to, but I am aware I cannot be with her at all times. Of course, I also cannot protect her state of mind.”

“And that’s what being in love is like,” Riker said. “It’s a wonderful sensation, Data, but it also comes with deep anxieties. The key is to work through those anxieties together, and to have faith that your partner will be able to take care of themselves when you are not around.”

“I already have Faith.”

It took both of them a second to realize that Data had made a joke. It had not done so on purpose, it had just slipped out. Still, it made Commander Riker chuckle in amusement. “Deanna and I always talk about how fitting it is that two people named Data and Faith came together,” he said.

“That is true. And in response to your comment about her taking care of herself when I am not around, I wish I could be around her at all times.” Data paused for a moment and smiled softly. “I intend to marry her, Commander.”

Riker’s smile was bright as he squeezed his shoulder. “Smart man. Faith is a beautiful, smart, firecracker of a woman. You two make a formidable power couple and I for one can’t wait to dance at your wedding.”

A second later the doors to Observation opened and Ensign Sawyer walked through. The two men gave him their attention, expressions stoic and focused now that their interviewee was present.

“Commander Riker, Commander Data, you wished to see me?” Sawyer asked.

Though he stood at attention, with his hands behind his back, there was sweat on his brow and he subtly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, both of which Data instantly noticed.

“Yes, Ensign. Have a seat,” Riker ordered, motioning to a chair across the table.

The commanders watched him cross the room and sit. While his body was tight with tension, the fact that he was clearly nervous was not surprising given the circumstances.

Instead of immediately speaking, Riker let him stew in silence for several seconds. When he did speak, it was in a carefully constructed tone that did not betray what he was feeling. “How long have you been with us, Ensign?” he asked.

“Nearly two years, sir.” Sawyer sat ramrod straight with his hands folded on the table. He kept his gaze on Riker and Data noted he would not look in his direction.

“And do you enjoy your assignment?”

Sawyer nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. Nothing compares to the Enterprise.”

“What are your thoughts on the current hardships we’ve found ourselves in?”

“Which hardships?”

“Numerous ones,” Data interjected. “The boarding of our ship by intruders, being attacked by an unnamed ship, the capture of myself and Lieutenant Diaz, the Enterprise being shut down. Those hardships.”

Sawyer finally looked at Data and while his expression did not change, Data saw how his hands clenched tighter. “It’s part of being in Starfleet,” he said. “Expecting the unexpected is what we are trained for.”

Riker cleared his throat, pulling Data’s attention to him for a moment. He passed him the PADD, which showed a report they had just received from Lieutenant Barclay. While Data read it, Riker smoothly continued the questioning.

“Ensign, are you aware or do you have knowledge of anyone on board who has been behaving suspiciously?”

“In what way?” Sawyer asked. His eyes darted to Data briefly before returning back to Riker.

“There is only one way to behave suspiciously.” Riker’s voice was sharp, clearly unimpressed with Sawyer’s ignorance. “Suspiciously as in out of the norm.”

“No, sir. I haven’t witnessed anyone behaving that way.”

Data put the PADD down. “Ensign Sawyer, can you explain why someone would purposefully recalibrate the shield generator after it had already been repaired and calibrated to the correct specifications?”

At that, Sawyer swallowed thickly and his lips pursed for a moment. “I don’t know why someone would do that. There would be no reason to recalibrate a generator that is already running properly.”

“Then why did you do so?” Data asked. He found himself growing impatient with the ensign as Riker seemed to be. Months of subterfuge and sabotage had been plaguing them and he was determined to get to the bottom of it right then and there. At that moment, the best lead they had sat across from them.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sawyer denied.

Riker opened his mouth but Data spoke over him. “We received a report that you not only tampered with the shield generator but several of our minor systems and I want to know why.”

“Why do you think it was me? There are many others in Engineering.”

A surge of anger overtook Data and he found his hand clenched into a fist. “Ensign Sawyer, do not insult our intelligence and the intelligence of your crewmates. You tampered with the shield and have had access to all areas and personnel that have been affected by our enemy. Now you are going to tell us why.”

“Think carefully before you speak, Ensign,” Riker added. “What you say next could determine your future with Starfleet. From where we are sitting, it doesn’t look good but we are giving you a chance to explain yourself.”

“Commanders, I can assure you, I didn’t—”

Data slammed his fist on the table and something hot shot through his hand and up his arm. Pain. He registered that what he felt was pain. However, his emotions took hold and pushed the pain out of his mind.

“Stop dodging and lying,” he snapped. “You tampered with our systems and have the required access to spy for Konro. Tell us why you did and the most you will have to deal with is a court marshal.”

“Commander Data, at ease,” Riker ordered. To the ensign, he added, “Sawyer, this is serious and your denial can only hurt. We are trying to understand what is happening and why. It’s in your best interest to tell us the truth.”

“Commander Riker, Commander Data, I would never betray the Enterprise,” Sawyer insisted. “I’ve done only what is expected of me as an ensign.”

Data was on his feet in an instant. He reached across the table and seized the young man by the front of his uniform, yanking him out of his seat. “Your actions not only put me and Faith in danger but they have endangered the lives of everyone on this ship,” he yelled, his face inches from Sawyer’s. “I know you are lying and I will no longer listen to your false denials. Tell us what we want to know.”

“Lieutenant Commander Data, that is enough!” Riker snapped as he stood. “Let go of Sawyer, immediately.”

Data ignored him, shaking Sawyer for good measure. “Speak!” he ordered.

“Please, please don’t hurt me!” Sawyer begged, trying to pull away. “You don’t understand. I did what I did because I didn’t have a choice. Please.”

There was a beat of dead silence as the truth they had been seeking came to light. Even still, Data did not let the young man go. “Keep talking.”

“Please, let me go. Don’t hurt me. I’ll tell you, I swear I will. Please, Commander.”

Riker yanked on Data’s arm, forcing him to let go. He put a hand on the android’s chest and pushed him back from the table, putting space between him and the poor trembling ensign. “If you cannot control yourself, commander, I will order you to leave his room,” he snapped. “Are we clear?”

Data shut his eyes and took a deep breath, as he often instructed Faith to do. He found it helped marginally but the sense of anger was still brimming below the surface. When he looked at Sawyer again, he stared him down as the young man collapsed into his chair, shaking with fear. The expression on Commander Riker’s face had changed from friend to superior and Data tried to pull himself together.

“I will control myself,” Data said to Riker, his voice still tight with anger. “My apologies, commander.”

Riker pointed to Data’s chair and the android sat while Riker remained standing. Once he was sure Data was not going to move, he leaned on the table for support as he turned his attention back to Sawyer. “So you admit that you are Konro’s contact on the ship,” he said. “Tell us what happened.”

“I was approached about a year ago,” Sawyer explained, his voice trembling as badly as he was. “At first, I wanted nothing to do with any of this. I love Starfleet, my whole family has been in Starfleet for generations. When I got my assignment on the Enterprise, it was one of the happiest days of my life.”

“So what changed?”

“After I turned him down a second time, I received photos of my wife. It’s clear that Konro had been watching her for a while. He said that if I did not do as he ordered that he would…”

His voice faded, unable to voice the threat. He did not need to. It was the fear in Sawyer that settled Data’s anger. The realization that Sawyer was an unwilling participant caused an onslaught of other emotions that Data could not sort out and did not want to. He was more concerned about getting answers.

“What did you do for him?” he asked. “How involved were you?”

“I helped the Oz’ods with the shuttle tampering,” Sawyer explained. “And I transferred certain security footage through subspace to Konro. He gave me an encryption code early on so that there would be no trace of our communications.”

“Did you ever rendezvous with Konro in person?” Riker asked.

“No, never. It was all through written communication, except for one or two video calls so he could show me…show me that he was near my wife.”

That was something that interested Data. “What does he look like?” he asked.

“He’s a Cardassian but our interactions were too brief for me to give a detailed description.”

“You will give us access to this encryption,” Data ordered. “And you will provide us with a full list of your interferences.”

Sawyer nodded, tears running down his cheeks. “Y-yes, of course. But what about my wife?”

Riker sighed heavily and hung his head for a moment, before fixing Sawyer with a look of pity. “Ensign, had you brought this to us immediately we could have helped and taken her to a secure location immediately. Why did you feel like you had to do this on your own?”

“He said he would know if I reached out to anyone,” Sawyer explained. “He said he had other contacts throughout Starfleet and this ship.”

“And you believed him without doing an ounce of research?”

“He had my wife, sir.”

A heaviness fell in the room and Data felt sorry for Sawyer. He remembered what it was like to see Faith next to Fajo and how easily his captor had been able to use that to get him to do his bidding. Was that not what Ensign Sawyer had to endure for months?

“You should have told us,” Data said. “I could have helped you and you know Faith would have.”

Sawyer hung his head and a few tears fell as he did. “I’m sorry, commander.”

Riker took his seat. “Did you work alone? Or was someone else on the crew involved?”

“As far as I know, it was just me.”

“We should still conduct the rest of our interviews just to be thorough,” Data said to Riker. When he looked at Sawyer, it was not with anger but with the same pity Riker had. And empathy. “Aside from this discretion, your record is impeccable which should help your case. I do wish you had sought our assistance. Much fear and destruction could have been avoided if you had. I…also apologize for my lashing out. Faith is special to me and she has gotten caught in the middle.”

“I’m so sorry, commander. I didn’t know…he never said he was interested in her. Only that he was interested in you. If I had known…” The rest of his sentence faded into nothing.

Sawyer did not have much to say after that. He was taken to the brig where he would remain until they were able to finish their mission and return him to Starfleet for proper punishment. The rest of the interviews did not yield additional information which meant that Sawyer had indeed acted alone. Data was able to keep his emotions at bay, though by the end of the interrogations, he had the urge to return to his quarters.

“You’re probably tired,” Riker explained as they walked to the captain’s Ready Room to give their final report. “I know I am. I imagine Q didn’t just give you emotions but some human functions as well. You are most likely going to need to rest.”

“Interesting. That would mean I will also need to eat which may account for the empty feeling in my stomach,” Data mused. “Despite the seriousness of our current situation, I find myself excited to experience food properly.”

As they joined Worf and Picard, Data was surprised to find Wesley was there as well. All three men were gathered around Picard’s screen and, judging by their expressions, what they were reviewing seemed to trouble them.

“What’s going on?” Riker asked the moment the doors closed behind them.

“Mr. Crusher has found something disturbing in Fajo’s files that were sent from Konro,” Picard explained, looking at Data. “I also have received word from Dr. Crusher that you should go to Sickbay at soon as you are able.”

Data registered the sinking feeling in his stomach again and an anxiety spike based on the captain’s serious and careful tone. “What has happened?”

Picard stood and motioned for Data to take his now empty chair. Data did so with hesitation, unsure if he truly wanted to know what was wrong. However, the moment he saw an image of Faith on the view screen, he understood things were far more dire than they originally thought. He scrolled through seemingly endless photos of his partner, some of her alone in Engineering and others of them together.

“Where did these originate?” he asked, looking at the captain and Wesley.

“Taken from our own security footage the leak sent to his contact,” Picard told him. “Then it seems his contact sent them to Fajo. Or Fajo stole them. It’s hard to say.”

“We’ve rooted out Ensign Sawyer as the culprit,” Riker said. “I’ve already had security bring him to the brig. He has given us his contact’s encryption code and what channels they used to communicate. He’s expected to make contact in a few hours as part of a regular report. Not visually at least but verbally. Sawyer agreed to assist in writing a response that will not draw suspicion.”

“Captain, you said I am required in Sickbay, for what purpose?” Data asked.

“There was an incident in Engineering. Ms. Diaz was not seriously injured but—”

Data did not stick around to hear the rest of the sentence. He was out of his seat and through the doors the second Faith’s name was mentioned. No one tried to stop him or follow. There was a sense of urgency that drove Data as a different type of fear took over. He had not realized there were varying versions of the same emotions and if it had been any other situation he would have paused to examine the phenomenon.

The turbo-lift was too slow for his liking but once the doors opened, he bolted for Sickbay.

Dr. Crusher was tending to someone when he arrived, however, she turned to him when he spoke, “Where is Faith? What has happened to her?” he asked.

“Data, you can relax, Faith is alright.”

“Where is she?” He made a move towards the private rooms but Dr. Crusher blocked his path.

“She is resting right now and I will let you in to see her but not like this,” she said in a stern voice. “I understand you are probably overwhelmed right now. However, bursting into her room riled up is ill-advised. Take a deep breath with me.”

Data automatically followed her instructions, counting in his head as he did. It took twenty seconds for the emotional rush to settle.

“Dr. Crusher, I apologize for my abruptness,” he said. “Please tell me what is wrong with Faith.”

“She had a major anxiety attack to the point where she required sedation. Counselor Troi is in there with her now so she is not alone.”

Date sighed with relief and the intense urges melted into an elevated level of concern. While he was glad Faith was not physically injured, he was troubled by her anxiety attack. It had been months since the last incident and even then it had not been extreme enough to warrant medical attention.

Considering what he had been shown by the captain, he was able to deduce the trigger. “Was she shown the photos?” he asked.

Dr. Crusher nodded. “Yes, she saw them. Troi and I did as well.”

“May I see her now, doctor?”

With a soft smile, Dr. Crusher stepped aside and motioned for Data to go ahead. With a grateful nod, he walked deeper into Sickbay and towards the private rooms. There was only one with the door closed. When he poked his head in, he saw Faith asleep on the bed.

Counselor Troi sat beside her, smiling at Data as he entered. However, the moment he did, her smile fell. “Data, why am I sensing such strong emotions from you? How am I sensing them?”

“Q’s meddling,” Data explained. “Dr. Crusher or Captain Picard can explain further. How is she?”

“She woke briefly but drifted off some time ago,” Deanna said as she got to her feet. “The sedative was a powerful one but should be wearing off shortly. I’ll give you two some privacy and go see when you can take her to your quarters.”

“Thank you, counselor, for being here when I could not.”

Deanna offered him a hug which he gladly accepted, along with the sense of comfort it provided. As she left, he took her place at Faith’s bedside. The first thing he noticed was the gloves on her hands. He did not know their purpose until he saw a red mark on her collarbone. Carefully, he peeled back the collar of her uniform to reveal the angry scratches.

“Oh, Faith,” he said softly.

His voice stirred her and when he placed his hand on her cheek, she opened her eyes. “Data?”

“I am here, mi alma.”

Her gloved hand came to rest over his. “Did they tell you?”

Data nodded, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “They showed me the pictures. And told me of your attack.”

“We were wrong, Data. I was just as much a focus as you were.”

“So it would seem. Faith, I—” He paused, unsure of how he wanted to finish his sentence. “I am sorry that you were pulled into this by your association with me.”

“Hey,” Faith said, cupping his chin. “This isn’t your fault. You aren’t to blame. I’m not mad at you, I’m pissed at the person who’s been spying on us this whole time.”

“We found the person responsible,” he told her. “He has been taken to the brig and will face the consequences. Thankfully, he did not know of our plane to intercept so we still have the element of surprise.”

Faith took a steady breath and her hand fell onto the bed, too weak to remain upright. “Good. Who was it?”

Data hesitated to tell her, however, given her sedation, he concluded it was as good a time as any to let her know. “Ensign Sawyer.”

Tears filled her eyes. “God damn it. He was right under my nose this whole time.”

“While it does not excuse his behavior, he was coerced and his family threatened. He did not and does not harbor ill will towards you or me.”

Faith took another steady breath and nodded in agreement. “That’s something at least. Can you take me home? I just want to be in our bed.”

“Counselor Troi is speaking with Dr. Crusher now. I will have you out of here soon.”

Within seconds there was a knock on the door. Dr. Crusher peeked in and, when she saw that Faith was awake, entered the room with her signature warm smile. “How are you feeling, Faith?” she asked, standing on the other side of Faith’s bed.

“My head is clearing a bit,” Faith told her. “But I’m still really groggy.”

“Unfortunately, you will be for a few hours. However, I think it’s safe for Data to escort you to your quarters. I’ve already sent word to keep you off the rotation for the next twenty-four hours as a precaution, due to the sedative.”

“Thank you, Beverly.”

“Yes, thank you, Dr. Crusher,” Data added. When she left, he smiled at Faith and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Are you ready to try to sit up?”

“Yeah, give me a hand.”

Together they worked to get Faith into a sitting position. Her movements were slow but she appeared more clearheaded than when Data arrived. She removed the gloves and laid them next to her, before reaching to touch the scratches. Dr. Crusher must have treated them earlier because they appeared less irritated, though it would take hours for them to fully disappear. Data was overcome by a plethora of emotions and the only way he felt to show them was to wrap his arms around Faith’s middle and hug her tight. Still sitting, he buried his face in her chest and she slid her arms around his shoulders, cradling his head close.

They sat that way for a time, neither willing to break the silence but both knowing the magnitude of the events of the day would have repercussions. Data drew back just enough to look up at Faith, who cupped his face and pulled him into a soft kiss. He reciprocated, arms still tight around her waist. He was vaguely aware that he was able to hug Faith without the worry of hurting her, a small consolation given the circumstances.

When their lips parted, Faith kept her forehead pressed to his. “Take me home, Data,” she said, voice small and heavy with emotion.

Data did not verbally respond, only nodded as he leaned in for another kiss.

#Lt. Commander Data #commander data #lt commander data #data tng #data soong #star trek next generation #may I?#faith diaz #data x oc

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sshbpodcast · 5 months

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Character Spotlight: William Riker

By Ames

A Star to Steer Her By is continuing on our diplomatic conference Who’s Who in Starfleet with the Enterprise-D’s bearded dynamo, Commander William T. Riker. He’s The Next Generation’s answer to the Captain Kirk character, but with possibly more manwhoring around and he leaves the actual leadership to Captain Picard. Ya know, so he can do more manwhoring!

But of course, Will Riker is so much more than a pretty beard. So swing your leg over the back of that chair and have a seat as we focus on Picard’s number one (and we don’t mean the dog). Some of our favorite and least favorite Riker moments are outlined below and you can listen to this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:05:52) for the full discussion. Shields up! Rrrrrrred alert!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Guess I’ll go eat worms Whoops, I was wrong on the podcast when I said Riker ate the mealworms in “Conspiracy” (I was probably thinking of the next item on this list); he’s about to take a big bite before he turns the tables on the baddies. But he still does get to pretend to be mind-controlled by the bug monster, infiltrate the admirals’ dinner, and then utterly explode Remmick and the queen bug!

Gagh is always best when served live Now in “A Matter of Honor,” Riker does get to eat some gagh when he’s on the officer exchange program with the Klingon ship. And he really takes charge while he’s serving aboard the IKS Pagh, punching the biggest brute in the room, making eyes at all their women, and challenging Captain Kargan all while upholding Klingon customs to a T.

Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been cut. Ignoring that Phillipa Louvois put Riker in a situation that could have been avoided if they had an actual attorney represent Bruce Maddox in Data’s sapience trial in “The Measure of a Man,” Riker actually does a pretty good job lawyering. But what really does well for his character is the final scene where he is lamenting how close he got to getting Data dissected, and that’s lovely.

The illegal move, hachidan kiritsu We discussed a little bit how shitty a father Kyle Riker was to Will in our Parents blogpost, but we’ve got to give the younger Riker some credit for figuring out that daddy has been cheating him for years and years in anbo-jyutsu in “The Icarus Factor,” overcoming the influence that he’s had over his life, and making the decision for himself to stay on the Enterprise.

Mr. Worf, fire Not only does “The Best of Both Worlds” introduce us to Picard as Locutus, in all his glory and defeat, but we also finally get a taste of what Riker would be like as a captain. He’s been dodging getting his own ship for years now, and it’s rather surprising since we see that he can make the difficult decisions when he needs to, in this case firing on his own Borgified captain.

You don't have to be alone anymore We also see in several episodes on our list that Riker tends to get abducted an awful lot, and he figures out the respective ruses pretty smartly! In this case, in “Future Imperfect,” there’s practically a multi-part escape room for him to solve, and at the center of it is an abandoned young orphan who was one of the better children we discussed in our Kiddos post!

Star Trek says LGBTQ rights! You’ll see when you move on to our naughty Riker moments that a lot of his shitty relationships made the cut, but an actually meaningful and progressive relationship comes out of “The Outcast.” It was very moving watching Riker stand up for Soren, the J'naii scientist who just wanted to express the gender she identified as, which makes the episode’s resolution all the more heartbreaking.

Computer, create table Don’t worry, this won’t be the last time Riker gets abducted by aliens and deduces his way out of the problem. In “Schisms,” many crewmembers have been getting stolen away and experimented upon in their sleep, but Riker (with help from the holodeck’s renowned table program) goes in mostly conscious, saves a crewmember, and escapes. Now it’s time for a well-deserved nap!

Don't let them tell you you're crazy We have one final alien abduction in this list because we have to include the absolutely phenomenal “Frame of Mind”! Jonathan Frakes acts his ass off in this mindfuck of an episode, alternating between screaming about hallucinating things to actually hallucinating things. When he finally figures out that he’s being experimented upon yet again, it feels like a triumph.

Play “Night Bird”! For all intents and purposes, Tom Riker is the same entity as Will Riker, so we’ll include his great moment in this list as well! We’ve got to give him credit in “Second Chances” for staying sane while abandoned for eight years on Nervala IV, which is a feat unto itself. So it’s just gravy that he also finally mastered playing “Night Bird” on the trombone and creating some fine phaser art!

I think the resemblance is rather striking We’ve got a couple of moments from “The Pegasus” to recount to you, on both batches of lists, so let’s start off with how cute it was for Riker to be so into celebrating Captain Picard Day! It’s just a delightful little exchange that shows the admiration that the first officer has for his captain. Imagine how fun Commander Riker Day must be!

It was wrong twelve years ago, and it is wrong today Riker impresses us throughout the rest of “The Pegasus” by turning against one of Jake’s Corrupt Admirals, Eric Pressman, who is planning on using a phased cloaking device, utterly violating the Treaty of Algeron. It’s a great little character arc watching Riker’s guilt trip from having taken Pressman’s side years go to watching him defy orders to be on the side of what’s right!

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Worst moments

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it The Troi-Riker relationship throughout a lot of TNG was a bit confused and inconsistent, especially in the early episode “Haven” when Troi’s arranged marriage pops up. Riker is suddenly super jealous all episode long, moping about, whining at Troi, being mean to Wyatt, the works. Dude, you had your chance. And dude, she’s not pleased about it either! Chill out!

Taking mansplaining to another level Have we ever had a take on a matriarchal planet that wasn’t just plain sexist? That’s definitely on display in “Angel One” when all the Elected One of the society needs to see the errors of her people’s ways is for Riker to swoop in, take her to bed, and then have him take charge in that manly way of his. Why couldn’t this have been a job for Troi? Or Bev? Or Yar?

I don’t mean to be indelicate. But who’s the father?! Speaking of Troi (but not Yar because she was dead by this point), that weird relationship between Imzadis gets weirder in “The Child” when Troi gets knocked up by a lightning bug. And Riker, in full crazy ex-boyfriend mode, gets on her case about who the father is, and then starts trying to make decisions for Troi about the fate of her child.

You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs This is just a small detail we like to harp on, and that’s that Riker is supposedly making omelets for everyone at the top of “Time Squared” but what he actually makes are scrambled eggs. And not even good scrambled eggs! And evidently his cooking never gets better later in life, as we’re forced to watch him burn a pizza in “Nepenthe” in the series Picard as well!

One William Riker is unique, perhaps even special Oh boy, we’ve already talked a little bit about how problematic “Up the Long Ladder” is in our Picard post, but it’s more messed up than that. The Mariposans end up stealing DNA from Riker and Pulaski, and Riker is so enraged by this that he murders the clones that are created without any discussion first. Pretty much everything about this episode is a travesty though.

Always look before you leap I just think this one’s kinda funny but worth including if only for how dumb it is that Riker gets snared by some kind of trap Kevin Uxbridge set in “The Survivors.” A dangling Will Riker is just so goofy and ridiculous that I wanted to rewatch that scene a couple of times to laugh at what a buffoon this scene made of him.

I've always wanted to make love with an alien So it’s pretty much implied that Riker bangs Lanel in the episode “First Contact” (not to be confused with the movie First Contact), right? I’ve said it to Nicolai Rozhenko and I’ll say it again: No sleeping with primitive people you’re observing while under cover, no matter the circumstances! No matter how thirsty she is! No matter what she’s offering in return! No!

You will follow Starfleet uniform code aboard this ship, Ensign You rarely see hardass Riker come out and it’s really inconsistent when he does. So it practically comes out of nowhere when he suddenly orders Ro to take out her Bajoran earring in “Ensign Ro” even though it’s a part of her culture. No one makes Worf take off his baldric. And it’s not until Captain Jellico demands it that Troi has to get out of her damn pajamas.

Let's drop the ranks for a moment Speaking of my man Jellico! Riker not only acts insubordinate to Picard’s replacement during “Chain of Command,” he just comes off as a whiny little bitch the whole time because Jellico does this differently than Picard. And Jellico has to come begging this petulant brat to pilot a shuttlecraft. Do your damn job, Riker. You’d never act like this to Picard.

Mutiny on the Pegasus On the flip side, Riker had no problem following orders like a little sheep when he served with Pressman. Sure, he makes up for it later as we described above in “The Pegasus,” but first Riker sided with the obviously wrong and dangerous Captain Pressman, effectively sentencing every mutineer on the ship to a horrible death. Grapple with that, Riker. Oh, you already did.

Smooth as an android's bottom It’d be kind to just call Insurrection extremely uneven. On the one hand, we get great speechifying from Picard, as we mentioned last week. But on the other hand, the fountain of youth jokes and the failure to explore whatever the hell was happening with time are just as groan inducing as watching Riker shave off his magnificent beard because he was feeling horny.

Full-beard Riker > Goatee Riker Because we’ve already decided Tom Riker is fair game, let’s give the transporter duplicate a little bit of guff when he appears in the Deep Space Nine episode “Defiant.” Just… what the hell was his plan? Steal the Defiant for the Maquis… and then what? Kill Kira? Kiss Kira? Make up your damn mind! I’m glad this idiot is stuck in the Cardassian mines for life.

—

It’s time to put our trombones away now until the next time someone requests a recital of “Night Bird.” Join us next week as we have more TNG crewmembers to analyze, specifically the fan favorite yellow-eyed android of the show. We’re also still fighting our way through Enterprise over on the podcast side of things, so keep up with our warp-five watch through over on SoundCloud or your favorite podthing, beam on over to Facebook and Twitter, and toot toot toot!

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ezrisdax-archive · 2 years

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whisper to me your star trek rare pairs o fair shipper

send me a fandom and I'll tell you my rare pairs and tell you why you should ship them

TOS

Uhura/T'Pring - okay not as much as a rare pair as before but def still not as common as Uhura/Chapel (which I also love and is also kinda technically a rare pair...) but! they only have one single interaction and I do not care. that interaction is Uhura looking at T'Pring and going 'oh no she's hot' pretty much and how can I not ship it from there?? plus I like the idea of Uhura practicing her Vulcan with T'Pring and T'Pring getting other choices that aren't just Vulcan guys. aaaand the Captain Uhura first Officer T'Pring au is my absolute fave one, I mean it's TOS, gotta have a Vulcan first officer right?

TNG

Tasha/Troi - I love Troi/Bev but a few years back when I did a rewatch my heart just fell for Tasha/Deanna. I mean that scene where Tasha is all messed up by alien stuff and goes to Deanna's room and is like 'you always look so pretty' is extremely gay and then you've got Deanna who's saying 'Tasha's very good looking' to Picard at one point. also!! Tasha reaching out to Deanna when she's in pain always gets me, I like the relationship that was built up with these two and I think it just has a strong foundation for shipping in general.

Ro/Tasha - LITERALLY DATED IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE. god I'm never over it. but also the two of them grew up in war torn worlds where they had to fight for themselves and Tasha grew to be more idealistic sure but there's the base understanding between them. I don't think they'd get along in the regular TNG world right away because Tasha believes so strongly in Starfleet which is why I think having episodes where they grow to respect each other would be key here. kinda like B'Elanna/Seven but less antagonistic to each other.

Ro/Troi - okay fine I had to complete the trifecta but I love the Disasters episode where Deanna is in charge and Ro doesn't respect her at first but comes to see how competent Deanna is. Ro has a competency kink, don't @ me about this okay. And then later they share drinks and joke about Riker and I just think it's cute they grew to have this friendship and it could also be romantic where Deanna convinces Ro to relax more and Ro later helps Deanna when she's trying out for Command track. I wish it'd been Deanna who Ro had said good bye the episode she left instead of Riker cause given how they started it would have made it more interesting to me.

DS9

Ezri/Leeta - once again, married in another universe...but I think they're cute in the main universe too, like Leeta helping Ezri figure out what food/drink she could eat whenever she comes to the promenade and Ezri interested in joining Leeta for Bajoran festivals and the like. It's a shame they never interacted much in season 7 but again, they're gay and married in another universe so I'll take the win where I can

Ezri/Kira - it's about the potential for angst. it's the stupid "Jadzia had feelings for you" arc done with Julian but better because Kira hadn't admitted yet that she had feelings for Jadzia and then Jadzia died and Ezri is here, a different person but still Dax. and Kira grows to enjoy that version of Dax in the show! I think there could be something romantic there as well and it's a pity the show never went for it.

Ezri/Lenara - same as Ezri/Kira with angst but somehow x100 because Lenara and Ezri already have that past with their hosts. They've been married, they reconnected and parted again, and now they're here where Leanara remembers Jadzia and Torias but Ezri is a whole new host and she almost threw the whole Trill society away for a chance with Jadzia and is there a chance she could do it again with Ezri?

VOY

B'Elanna/Seven - I keep forgetting this actually is a rare pair the amount of work I've put in for stuff for it honestly. I've said it before but they make me feral. They're such mirrors of each other and in the series their relationship is so interesting in that it's antagonistic and gets a grudging respect later on. They both had such messed up childhoods and see themselves as outsiders and B'Elanna literally jokes "us outsiders need to stick together" when they get back and earth and god I wish Picard had done something with that throwaway line still. I think the relationship would be a lot of work and full of miscommunication but there's something about seeing the flaws in someone else that you see in yourself and forgiving them anyway even while you can't forgive your own that just appeals to me.

B'Elanna/Stadi - okay listen, I know Stadi appears for all of ten minutes and gets killed and never met B'Elanna BUT consider the au where she stays on as the pilot. B'Elanna would /hate/ having a Betazoid around to potentially read her thoughts and Stadi wouldn't do it but boy would she have fun riling up B'Elanna that way I feel given how she jokes with Tom a little. Like it's the pilot/engineer ship I fucking deserved to have!!

ENT

Hoshi/T'Pol - it is the main femslash ship but also such a rare one but what I watched of Ent I enjoyed with them because of how T'Pol reached out in understanding and Hoshi likes to make jokes around Vulcans and they clearly respected each other and look sometimes it doesn't take much for me to ship something but that.

DSC

Joann/Keyla - if these two aren't fucking canon by the end I will storm the filming location in Toronto and hunt the writers down. they keep staring at each other across the ship consoles, they keep hugging each other, they keep joking with each other, and Joann's looks always linger. She invites herself into Keyla's vacation as a joke. They're always filmed together in scenes and Joann is the one who helps her gain some confidence back in season three and I'm going insaaaaaane. they're so gay!!!!!!

Mirror!Philippa/Reno - I just think the snarky older women should banter and have sex. it's already established they both like women. what more do you want from me.

SNW

Uhura/Ortegas - okay listen. Ortegas is always teasing Uhura and I just think it's cute and at this point Uhura need a confidence boost and Ortegas has confidence to share. somehow that works out in my head enough that I wrote a fic for them.

Mixed trek ships

Ro/B'Elanna - look they were both in Maquis, they could have met at some point. both hate Cardassians and have strong morals and tried Starfleet and didn't fully work in their rules and regulations because of their temper and I think they should kiss. but also I think they'd understand each other quite a lot honestly.

Jadzia/Guinan - look me in the eye and tell me it's not possible that Guinan and Jadzia have a) met in Jadzia's past life times and b) wouldn't try to out flirt each other the whole time

Jadzia/Uhura - Why was Jadzia wearing a red dress when they went to the past when she was sciences? Answer: to sleep with Uhura and in case they got their uniforms mixed up there'd be no problems. It's litreally the only reason I thought of this ship and I'm sticking with it.

I know I have more but I feel I may have done enough tangents now...

#beej talks star trek

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lorenzobane · 1 year

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Alright- finally getting around to the last episode of Picard, and I figure why not liveblog it:

It is still SOOO unclear to me why the fuck the Changelings are even bothering to help the Borg. I guess their conceptual mission (conquer everyone) is pretty similar, but.... that feels like. Not enough.

It is very nostalgic to see everyone on the Enterprise-D, though. I can't deny that. Picard's got me there.

WHY is Jack the command signal? It remains stupid. I genuinely thought the Pah Wraith theory was more interesting than this aiuwhefs;djlk';

I do love the Borg cube's exterior design, though- its so iconic, and seeing it rendered with modern graphics

Awww poor little cook- but also he had to run the deli because his brother "had a hernia"..... sir. You're in the future. Why would that stop anyone from doing anything for longer than like. a day. I think your brother was lying to you.

Okay, I'm gonna be so real- am I the only one who kinda doesn't give a shit about Jack? I get he's there to add some stakes, but I truly don't care at all. Explode him idgaf.

If the idea is to wake Jack up from his evil slumber then why would you not send Beverley....? Who, ya know, raised him?

"And I will make it a threesome" Okay i love you Worf

Okay- like I said, I am not immune to nostalgia, "it's been an honor serving with you all" OKAY, fine Daddy Picard you got me.

Also a lot of long lingering looks between Deanna and Will... Makes me think one of them might not make it out alive

You know it really is so telling how much of the original Borg design, from the ship to the interiors, they kept. Tells you how impressive it was the first time around. It is just so creepy and excellent.

Cool. Picard has magical Borg senses.

Fine fine, the Riker/Picard/Worf scene was sweet. Can you tell that I'm a willing sap for alllll the TNG nostalgia?

LMAO I'm SORRY i actually love the camp excellence of the Borg Queen emerging from the shadows to cackle evilly

Okay HELL yeah for a Seven of Nine "Big Damn Captain" speech

This is just so funny. The Borg queen is so so fucking funny. Why is she so melodramatic. Real Miette energy.

Oh this changeling connection is dumb as hell

Worf's Bat'leth with a built in phaser is COOL okay. Sometimes I am a teenage boy.

I am not immune to TNG theme music

I am also not immune to people who have trusted each other for a lifetime coming together again. Geordi trusting Data's gut.

Ahhhh the classic "all hope is lost" moment, how I love thee

I'm sorry to say it, I really am because its the emotional heart of the story, but I just don't care about Jack

LMAO conflict solved with a hug from dad- Christ the daddy issues on star trek continue to astonish and amaze

Longest "one minute to get out" ever

I'm sorry I'm sorry but once again I'm weak for the old "the strength of their connection saves the day" and I'm a sentimentalist at heart

Kinda obsessed with the idea of Riker just being the type of guy who needs a universe-ending catastrophe every once in a while or they get bored

God Michael Dorn is sooooo good at playing Worf its not even funny. He's just. Worf. I could watch him play this character perfectly for the end of time.

Love it when Starfleet just Starfleets. "Ehh you're reckless and a little insane, but in that good way that sometimes saves the galaxy. here- have a ship and hang out on the frontiers, and don't bother us."

Worf, House of Martok...... My beloved

Poor Deanna, you do deserve a beach vacation

Starfleet history must be BUCK WILD. You tell the story of that time a crew of old people stole a ship from a museum and saved the world. Like. Okay.

NEPOTISM BABY JACK CRUSHER

uaoeisdjokf THIS fucking guy. Okay, now that I know he's lame I like him more

"What could possibly go wrong?" Wow was that a heavy-handed setup. I think I heard something about a TV show and now I feel extra convinced they are either planning one or at one point were.

Everyone being SO NORMAL about Captain starting words is so fucking. okay starfleet really MUST be the nerds of the galaxy.

Okay. I'm gonna be honest I don't think I needed quite so much nostalgia bait at the end. It was nice for like. A second. Especially when it was intercut with the younger characters.

Ending on them playing poker together, la ti da- everyone got a happy ending and in Starfleet heroes are rewarded

Anyway- it was fine. I found the episode kind of underwhelming honestly, but it wasn't horrific. Just kinda. Star trek typical levels of nonsense.

#st: picard spoilers #picard spoilers #picard #St: Picard

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galactic-pirates · 1 year

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Ok ok ok

Picard episode one.

Let’s see if I can be coherent.

Obviously spoilers. Spoiler alert. All the spoilers.

Right ok first breathe. That was a lot.

I wasn’t keen on Riker hinting at relationship trouble with Deanna :( just why?

Actual impression of me when I first saw hooded figure: “RAFFI RAFFI RAFFI RAFFI” and then “no no no no!!! Let it be a cover please let it be a cover. Oh thank merlin it’s a cover” air punch whoo I do love a badass Raffi. I mean she is so strong. Surrounded by all that stress, all that temptation, and she’s struggling and she’s still winning. Whether she slides after her ‘failure’ in grief at not having saved all those lives I don’t know. I wouldn’t judge her for that. Whomever Raffi’s handler is, is a real piece of work. They know Raffi is the best and they know Raffi can be convincing in that world because of their personal struggles. They are taking advantage of Raffi’s pain and making them do it anyway.

I’m not sure whether I believe Raffi and Seven are broken up or if that was a lie like Raffi being bounced from StarFleet was a lie (still a commander, they are both commanders!!) but they might have ‘released each other’ so to speak given that they are apart for months. I hope not given how they seem to have done than dance, shouldn’t they have learned that lesson?

But this then goes into Seven and oh man that was physically painful. The mention of how Janeway as well as Picard convinced Seven to join StarFleet (now StarFleet was willing to accept her!!! I am still ??? About that). Anyway Seven decides to go all in and they pair her with a bigot of a Captain who insists on her deadname? I metaphorically threw up a little when Seven corrected Picard and it was only her utter discomfort which gave me some hope. I flinched everytime Picard said Hansen and I literally cheered when he went back to Seven.

It feels like with how Seven was “sirs” all the time, that she surrendered to StarFleet as she chose to give it a try but in doing so she surrendered her hard won individuality. It was like she was robot Seven again but without the “I know I am right” confidence which led her to go against orders all the time in the name of efficiency etc. in the early days of Voyager. So with Seven on this “can I be myself and StarFleet which I wanted and they rejected me and I pretended it didn’t hurt, and then decided I would do it when it was offered but at what cost?” type journey I could see her splitting with Raffi. Self-protection and also a bit of self-sabotage. Raffi would be a good thing in her life and this StarFleet position feels more like punishment.

Anyway the thing with Crusher looks like it’s going to go as expected with her son also being Picard’s son. It was not subtle with the “I don’t need a legacy” line and all the references about their romance ending badly. I do wish they could have come up with something a little more original, and also a little more logical. I can not understand given how they were friends, even if Crusher didn’t think Picard would be happy, why she wouldn’t tell him. Cutting everyone off to keep the secret just does not make sense. I hope that it’s something to do with this weird being hunted business and not just a lame “I didn’t want to mess up your life as I thought you didn’t want a child” kind of miscommunication because they never talked about it. I mean that would just be so ugh.

I like the junior LaForge :)

Can we shove Captain Shaw out of an airlock?

I wanted Ranger Captain Seven to be honest. So Commander Hansen because StarFleet protocol + bigoted Captain is just no. I really want that to end fast. If I have to hear Hansen much more I will throw up for real. It would be one thing if Seven chose that but used as a weapon? I can’t stand it. So wrong. Picard mentioned mutiny and junior LaForge will side with them and I can’t imagine Shaw is beloved amongst his crew. Perhaps if he tries to oust Seven for helping Picard the crew will oust him instead. Seven won’t be the Captain so long as Riker and Picard are around but after maybe? I just want Seven to be the Captain she deserves to me, not in rank but in who she is. As I said Ranger Captain, a Captain with a heart like Pike. He followed the rules, he was the ‘Boy Scout’ but he was loyal and he did what was right which I think is all Seven wants to do - look out for the little guy, make the Galaxy safer.

Ok so speculation for next week! Well there’s going to be a battle. I am guessing Shaw doesn’t want to help and maybe that’s why the crew follows Seven as she orders the Titan in to save Picard, Riker and the Crushers. I suppose Shaw could surprise me and save them but he seems to be the kind that likes to use the rules to his advantage. They are outside federation space, doing unauthorised stuff, and so he doesn’t have to help and as it suits him he won’t.

I am worried Raffi will spiral and fall off the wagon :/ Laris is so ill-used. Why does she not get to go on the adventures? C’mon former Romulan intelligence badass. Make it make sense. Anyway more characters will show up. I doubt it will be everyone as I suspect they will drag out the full reunion for a while but somebody will show. Maybe Geordi first? Especially if they sustain damage.

I am wondering if the orchids on Crushers ship were significant? That was an image from season one to do with the fact that there were always two/twins of the androids. So cloning kinda. Not sure how that would work or why it would mean someone was hunting them. I am guessing it connects in some way with Raffi’s mission as that is how story works. It will build together for the big finale. Daystrom was the research institute for androids as well where Agnes worked. Add to that the kid is an adult and Crusher locked him in his room to protect him. I get that she’s a mum but from what I saw in TNG she respected Wesley’s abilities, so why not let him join the defense? Unless it was him that the attackers were after because something experimental.

I can’t believe I have to wait another week. The anticipation is real. On the other hand I don’t think my heart could take another episode right now. I think I need a few days to calm down before I would have the spoons to watch more anyway.

#star trek: picard #picard spoilers

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thegreaterlink · 2 years

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Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S1E1 “Encounter at Farpoint”

So… you’re probably wondering why I’m only doing this now. Well, some of you may remember that this originally started as “reviewing every TNG episode I haven’t seen before,” similar to my early TOS reviews, but I quickly realised that was redundant because that applied to nearly all of them. So I just made it a proper review series.

Unfortunately this decision came after I skipped the season premiere. I’ve been meaning to rectify this for a while now, and what better time to do it than between the series' most infamous cliffhanger?

Let's just pretend I posted this back in February, okay? Just ignore the fact that the reviews for the subsequent episodes are going to look a lot worse in comparison. I could just edit those reviews or just re-review those episodes entirely, but…

And yes, I'm treating this as one review, since this was originally aired as a single feature-length episode and was only split into parts for reruns. That's why this took so fucking long.

So join me way back in season 1, when Riker's face was shaved, Wesley Crusher was merely an irritating child and I still had hope that Tasha Yar was going to get any sort of character development.

THE PREMISE

In the year 2364, the Federation's newly-built flagship, the USS Enterprise-D, is embarking on its maiden voyage under the command of Captain Jean-Luc (pronounced zhon-luke) Picard. Their first mission is to travel to the planet Deneb IV to examine the mysterious Farpoint station, which the Bandi species is offering to the Federation.

Suddenly the ship is surrounded by a massive force field, and a mysterious figure appears on the bridge, calling himself Q (John de Lancie) and warning them not to go any further.

MEET THE CREW

A lot of this episode is just character introductions, so I thought I'd save some time and just get it all out of the way here, even though this is probably one of the most famous casts in all of popular culture, and most of them are kinda just... there in this episode.

From left to right:

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) - The son of Doctor Beverly Crusher, who has been raised by his mother since the death of his father on an away mission led by Picard.

Lieutenant Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) - The ship's tactical officer and chief of security.

Lieutenant Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) - The ship's helmsman, who is blind and depends on his visor to see.

Commander William Thomas "Will" Riker (Jonathan Frakes) - The ship's newly-promoted first officer.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) - The Enterprise-D's commanding officer.

Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) - The ship's chief medical officer.

Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) - A Klingon junior officer who carries out several miscellaneous roles on the bridge.

Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) - The ship's half-human, half-Betazoid empathic counsellor. She and Riker are basically better-developed versions of Decker and Ilia from The Motion Picture.

Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) - An android created by the late Doctor Noonien Soong who serves as the second officer and operations officer.

MY REVIEW

At the time, this was the first completely original Star Trek property in almost twenty years... and to be honest, it kind of shows. Because everything feels very rough around the edges.

Case in point, the episode's inciting incident happens almost immediately after Picard's bland introduction - standing in front of an ugly wooden background then heading up to the bridge while his voiceover gives us exposition. This episode is 90 minutes long and yet it's already racing off before it's even tied its shoelaces, even going to a commercial break less than ten minutes in.

Fortunately, John de Lancie is already having a blast as Q, who changes through many costumes from human history as he calls out humanity as a savage and childish race, living through the same destructive cycle throughout history.

Picard of course protests, and Q disappears after some cryptic warning about how they'll be judged and prosecuted per Picard's "suggestion."

As an alternative, Picard attempts to outrun Q at maximum warp, pushing the ship to its limit while Dennis McCarthy's music tries to convince us that this is more exciting than it actually is.

They're of course unable to escape, and Picard (rather abruptly, in my opinion) decides to separate the ship's saucer section. Worf (who is never even named in this episode) is given control of the saucer, while Picard and his senior crew (which at this point is just Yar, Troi and Data) retreat to the set of Star Trek 3, which is apparently the ship's battle bridge.

If you ever feel incompetent, remember that somebody looked at Data and O’Brien slouched down in their chairs and decided that setup was good enough to keep for an entire season.

The episode decides that the separation is apparently exciting enough to warrant a replay of the theme song, and the two sections part ways.

You can probably count the number of times this'll happen on one hand, but it's apparently a thing they can do now. For some reason.

It quickly becomes clear that the star drive section (the bit on the left) is just a distraction for the saucer to get away, as Picard surrenders to Q's terms, a move so unexpected that Troi starts tearing up when the order is given.

I believe their intent was to have Troi physically emulate whatever emotion she was sensing, which I guess makes sense with her being an empath, but it was pretty much dropped entirely after this.

Bloody hell, this whole thing reads like a first draft.

They're surrounded once again, and the senior crew find themselves transported to a court of the late 21st century (2079 to be specific), with Q as the judge. It becomes clear that they've been put on trial to answer for the crimes of humanity in a kangaroo court.

Fortunately this leads to another character getting some damn personality, with Yar knocking out a guard and making it clear that she's having precisely none of Q's bullshit.

Picard: Tasha, no!

Yar: I must! Because I grew up in a world that allowed things like this court! And it was people like these that saved me from it! This so-called court should get down on its knees to what Starfleet is! What it represents!"

Sure, she's immediately frozen for it, but I can appreciate the effort. Just like I can appreciate this script for trying to give her some actual development.

After some more courtroom chicanery where Picard continues to plead not guilty, the guy filming Patrick Stewart's closeups forgets to fully uncover the camera lens and Data shows an ability to mimic people's voices which he subsequently never uses again, Picard proposes that Q test the Enterprise crew, to which Q agrees and transports them back to the battle bridge, where I guess a yet-unnamed O'Brien had just been waiting this whole time.

Suddenly we cut to Commander babyface Riker, who is already at Farpoint station. He's meeting with Bendi administrator Groppler Zorn (which is perhaps the most sci-fi name I've ever heard) for a scene which doesn't really serve much of a purpose except to establish that the station is supposedly too good to be true and that the Bendi is working with some mysterious force that can make objects appear from thin air.

Get you a man who looks at you the same way Riker looks at those apples.

To any writers reading this, this is what we call "showing your hand too early." The whole idea of a mystery is that someone can't work out the whole thing a third of the way through.

We get a few more character introductions (Dr Crusher, Wesley, Geordi - who also isn't given the courtesy of a name), Riker beams up to the ship to be briefed, then the two ship sections are rejoined. Riker has to oversee the rejoining manually, in an interesting little dynamic where Picard tests Riker's potential and Picard finally gets some development as a captain whose need to maintain his reputation makes him emotionally closed-off.

We also get a nice scene where Data escorts an elderly Admiral McCoy (once again played by DeForest Kelley) onto a shuttlecraft.

I realise that this was probably only added to pad out the runtime, but I'm glad it was included. It feels like McCoy is passing the torch to the next generation in a scene which Kelley did for minimum pay as a favour to Gene Roddenberry.

Plus it's not like this is the first time he's interacted with the TNG crew.

Sometimes you find the greatest things when you're combing through behind the scenes pictures.

Anyway, speaking of padding out the runtime, Q shows up again to inform them that they only have 24 hours before final judgement.

The reason I'm mostly going over the plot in broad strokes instead of covering it beat-to-beat is because a lot of it just isn't terribly interesting. The original plot only focused on the mystery surrounding Farpoint station, but Paramount insisted on making this a double episode, so the subplot about Q (among other things) was added to pad out the script.

That's right. The most memorable part of this episode and one of the best characters in the entire franchise was never meant to be exist in the first place. That bodes well for the rest of the plot.

Back in the "main" plot, an away team finds some tunnels under the station, which Data analyses.

"Sorry, sir. I seem to be commenting on everything.”

That’s okay, Data. Just throw in the odd bad joke or snarky comment and a bunch of strangers will give you internet points.

...Did I say that out loud?

Anyway, that scene doesn't really go anywhere before the Enterprise encounters a generic-looking ship that attacks the Bandi city.

Meanwhile, Q reappears to provide some much-needed tension, trying to goad Picard into attacking the ship, violating the Prime Directive and proving humans to be the savages he accuses them of being.

Their attempts to find Zorn and get some answers prove fruitless when he phases out of existence, and they have no choice but to beam over to the ship, which is apparently a sentient being. Its corridors are identical to the ones beneath Farpoint, as well as Zorn being tortured.

Just when it seems that Picard will have to fold to Q's demands, the away team is beamed back to the Enterprise. Picard (and the writers) finally realise the truth, and we get our big explanation.

The Bandi have somehow captured an alien life form and have constructed Farpoint Station (as well as anything they want) by feeding off its power. The mysterious ship is actually the life form's mate which has come to free it. Not really sure how it assumed the form of a ship and how it simulated the weapons, but okay.

The Enterprise blasts Farpoint to oblivion, freeing the land-locked alien and allowing them to fly off as a happy pair of space jellyfish.

Because they've solved the mystery, I guess that means that the deal with Q is off. It's here where it becomes obvious that he was never meant to be part of the plot.

Picard: Get off my ship!

Q: I do so because it suits me to leave. But I do not promise never to appear again.

Please hurry back.

With the mission over, we get the usual denouement of the crew settling in to their new roles and setting the stage for the rest of the series.

"Let's see what's out there. Engage!"

Roll credits.

As you can probably guess, I have mixed feelings about this episode. The whole Farpoint mystery is… adequate but nothing special, and it’s difficult to give Q and his subplot any credit when you learn that it was essentially a happy accident. A pilot is supposed to be about putting your best foot forward, but having viewed the rest of this season I suppose it is representative of the series’ initial quality.

Yeah, I’m actually doing some reviewing for once instead of just going through the plot and making jokes. I’m surprised too.

It isn’t offensively bad like some of the other episodes in this season, but if I didn’t already know that the series got better after this then I genuinely don’t know if I would keep going from here.

6/10 - A decent enough start, I suppose.

And now my review list is finally up-to-date.

I can't wait for people to stumble upon the review masterpost and get confused when the review quality fucking plummets in the next one.

Speaking of which:

TNG Masterpost | Next Episode

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startreklogicoftheforce · 8 months

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Star Trek: Logic of the Force - Chapter Five

STARDATE 57898.9

Two months had elapsed since Sonal's arrival on the Enterprise. In this time, Picard had witnessed unparalleled efficiency and dedication to duty. Whenever a problem arose, Sonal promptly resolved it. And amidst interpersonal tensions among crew members, Sonal imparted ancient Surakian wisdom, fostering reconciliation. To all appearances, he was a Vulcan through and through.

However, beneath the surface, he was so much more. Beyond being a fusion of human and Vulcan heritage, a product of a half-human, half-Vulcan male and a full-blooded Romulan female, he harbored a profound power that had slumbered for eons. Immersed in deep meditation, he heard the voice of his newfound spiritual guide.

"PICARD'S HATRED OF THE BORG WILL TURN OUT TO BE USEFUL IN OUR PLANS TO BRING BACK THE GALACTIC EMPIRE…"

Sonal opened his eyes. Now, he was Darth Chaos, his eyes radiating an incandescent orange as the Dark Side's hold on him deepened. "He is a remarkably useful pawn, my master," Chaos declared. "His abhorrence of the Borg is deeply rooted." A surge of anger engulfed him, his raised eyebrows evoking an uncanny resemblance to the malevolent entity depicted in ancient Earth's religious beliefs—a figure synonymous with evil and darkness. Chaos's voice assumed a low, guttural tone. "Yet, my animosity...runs even deeper…" His gaze shifted to a wall-mounted portrait above his bunk—a striking woman with dark tresses. "I shall avenge you, Caitlin Yar…"

Abruptly, the door chime resounded. Hastily, Sonal concealed his inner turmoil, his eyes reverting to their usual hue. "Enter." The door slid open, and Counselor Troi stepped in. Sonal stood up. "Counselor Troi, your presence is most welcome."

Troi regarded Sonal with a trace of concern in her eyes. "Is something troubling you, Sonal?"

"I strive to emulate Vulcan perfection to the best of my abilities," Sonal confessed. He guided Troi to a picture on the wall. "Yet, there are moments when I struggle to release the grip on the memory of the only woman I've ever loved."

"Who was she?" Troi asked.

"Her name," Sonal continued, "was Caitlin Yar. She happened to be the niece of one of your former colleagues, Tasha Yar. We crossed paths on Turkana IV. I was accompanying my mother, Saavik, during our visit to the planet. It was there that we encountered Caitlin and her mother, Ishara." Sonal's expression softened. "Caitlin was the only person I ever allowed myself to express my emotions to. Contrary to common misconceptions, Counselor, Vulcans aren't devoid of sentiment or warmth. We simply opt to employ logic in shaping our decisions."

Troi inquired with a touch of sorrow, "What happened to her?"

"Two years ago," Sonal's voice began to waver, "they were en route to visit me on Vulcan. They happened upon a Borg cube. Ishara lost her life while shielding Caitlin from danger, and Caitlin…"

"Caitlin was assimilated," Troi murmured softly.

"Yes," Sonal replied, a chill lacing his tone. "Since then, I resolved to lead my life guided solely by logic, eschewing the affliction of human emotions."

Troi gently placed her hand on Sonal's shoulder. "Sonal, would you be willing to join me in Ten Forward? Will, the Captain, and I would appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with you and perhaps enjoy your lyre music."

Sonal's eyebrows arched as he regarded Troi. "I would gladly accept your invitation." Retrieving his lyre, he walked alongside Troi to Ten Forward—a venue that offered refreshments and camaraderie to the entire crew around the clock.

"Welcome, Commander Sonal," greeted the Captain. "How about a taste of Romulan Ale?"

"Yes, please," Sonal responded.

Seated together, Picard, Riker, Troi, and Sonal savored their drinks. Troi's words were slightly slurred from the effects of the intoxicating blue beverage as she proposed, "Captain, Sonal has his Vulcan lyre here. Perhaps he could treat us to some music."

Riker chimed in, "I'd love to hear that."

Picard's voice resonated with enthusiasm, "How about it, Commander?"

Sonal stood, clutching his lyre, and addressed their anticipation with a hint of irony, "Such eagerness is an illogical trait. However, yes, I shall oblige."

Taking a seat on a solitary stool upon the small musical stage, Sonal launched into an Earth tune from the twentieth century:

"REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG? YOU SHONE LIKE THE SUN. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND! NOW THERE'S A LOOK IN YOUR EYES, LIKE BLACK HOLES IN THE SKY. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!"

Unbeknownst to the Enterprise crew, Sonal kept his eyelids firmly shut, concealing the dark orange hue that manifested when Darth Chaos held sway. He was immersed in communion with the Force, his animosity toward the Borg pushing him to his breaking point.

At the zenith of his disdain for the Borg, Palpatine's voice reached Sonal's consciousness. "Use the Force, Lord Chaos, and you shall exact...your...vengeance." He harnessed the full extent of his Force powers, conjuring a wormhole into existence that ensnared the Enterprise.

Abruptly, emergency klaxons blared, plunging the ship into red alert. Crew members scrambled to their feet, rushing to their designated stations. Upon reaching the bridge, Picard, Riker, Troi, and Sonal collaborated to make sense of the situation.

Then, as swiftly as it had appeared, the wormhole vanished. Picard sensed an eerie presence. "Sonal," he addressed quietly, "where are we?"

"In the Delta Quadrant, sir," Sonal answered without glancing away from his station. His attention was captured by an old Earth radio signal. "Sir, I'm detecting an ancient Earth radio signal."

"Display it on the main screen," Picard ordered. The screen depicted what appeared to be a partially constructed ship of staggering proportions—impeccably symmetrical and astonishingly immense. The scale was beyond comprehension, rendering the Enterprise minuscule by comparison. Instinctively, Sonal recognized the vessel. Memories of his father's tales from his childhood resurfaced.

"V'Ger," Sonal murmured.

Picard's expression was one of astonishment. "The V'Ger encountered by James T. Kirk. So, that planet of living machines…"

"The Borg homeworld," Sonal interjected, his smile taking on an eerie cast as his eyes began to radiate an orange hue. Darth Chaos had ensnared Picard as he intended, and Palpatine's influence over Darth Chaos was equally effective. Palpatine understood that the annihilation of the Borg would seal Sonal's descent into the Dark Side.

"Inquiry about our arrival seems irrelevant," Chaos remarked. "Our current location is the only pertinent fact. And now," he continued, his voice adopting a sinister timbre, "your opportunity for revenge presents itself." Chaos gestured with his hand, a command infused with a sense of dark power.

Picard's gaze became fixed on the machine-infused planet, his consciousness manipulated by the Force. "Yes," he agreed with a slither of malice, "revenge is within reach."

"Your nanoprobes will not malfunction," Chaos asserted, his hand commanding the unfolding scene.

Entrapped by Chaos' influence, Picard echoed, "My nanoprobes will not malfunction."

Chaos delivered the ultimate directive, "V'Ger and the Borg home planet must be annihilated. Focus all phaser power on the dish."

"Commander Worf," Picard issued the directive, "redirect all available phaser energy toward the dish and initiate an attack on V'Ger and the Borg homeworld."

However, Worf expressed his concerns, "But Captain, this action could cause the nanoprobes to malfunction. It defies the Prime Directive, altering history."

Abruptly, Darth Chaos whirled around, revealing his enraged countenance and his blazing orange eyes to the entire crew. His voice surged with rage, carrying a guttural and venomous tone, as he addressed Worf, "Your Captain has given you an explicit command, Klingon!" He pointed his fingers at Worf, discharging scorching lightning that coursed through Worf's body, inflicting excruciating torment. Chaos' malevolent smile grew as he extended his hand towards Worf's terminal. With a deft wave, he orchestrated the obliteration of the machine-infused planet and the Borg-constructed vessel—originally created for the ancient Earth probe Voyager VI—reducing them to nothingness.

With the eradication of the Borg collective, Picard sensed the gradual fading of the nanoprobes. Sonal's promise about the nanoprobes not malfunctioning had held true.

Chaos had executed his vengeance. As Sonal began to resurface, he focused on the remnants of the parasitic race that had inflicted tragedy upon his cherished Caitlin. "Finally," Sonal intoned, "you can rest, knowing the Borg's reign of terror has been extinguished."

Picard regarded Sonal with a gratified smile. "You've altered history. That implies I never endured assimilation by the Borg."

Commander Sonal gestured once more, conjuring the reopening of the wormhole, which subsequently transported the Enterprise back to its original point in Federation space and time, prior to Sonal's manipulation that had transported the ship to the Delta Quadrant.

"Indeed," Sonal affirmed, "and your cybernetic heart shall remain impervious to malfunction." Picard and Sonal's attention turned towards the incapacitated Worf. "What... what happened here?" Sonal inquired.

Riker, embodying his characteristic sense of responsibility, stood up resolutely. "You're well aware, Commander. This was your doing." He signaled for two security personnel to advance towards Sonal. "Commander Sonal, on behalf of Starfleet, you are under arrest. Pending further instructions, you are to be confined to your quarters."

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startrek-logicoftheforce · 2 years

Text

Star Trek: Logic of the Force - Chapter Six

Sidious appeared to Darth Chaos, and he was not pleased. “LORD CHAOS. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU. YOU HAVE REVEALED YOURSELF FAR TOO SOON.”

Sonal sat in solitude in his quarters. "Forgive me, Master. I will find a way to get out of this predicament." He sensed an object within the pyramid. “If there were only a way to open it,” he thought to himself. He lifted his hand to the pyramid, and it began to open. He gazed down and was shocked at what he saw. "What is it?"

“IT IS THE LIGHTSABER WHICH I USED TO DESTROY THE JEDI ORDER,” Sidious said. ” IT IS NOW...YOURS. YOU WILL USE THAT WEAPON TO OVERTHROW THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS AND GIVE A NEW RISE TO THE GALACTIC EMPIRE.”

Sonal took the ancient weapon in his hand, and he felt himself slowly but surely forever fall into the clutches of Darth Chaos. "So this is the power that Vulcan said was forbidden." He felt hatred towards all Vulcans. He felt hatred towards T'Pan. He felt hatred towards Surak. And he felt hatred for his own parents. "Damn them all," he said with a dark sinister voice.”

“SO YOU WOULD KILL YOIR OWN PARENTS IF I COMMANDED YOU…”

"I would kill them all," Chaos said. He heard the door chime. Now would be the perfect opportunity for his escape. "Enter."

A lone security officer entered. "What is that in your hand," asked the officer. Chaos walked to the officer and suddenly ignited the lightsaber, the glowing red blade immediately piercing the young officer through his heart.

"My escape," Chaos said while standing over the corpse. He grabbed his black hooded robe and walked down the hallway while using the Force to mask his visage on the security cameras. He entered the turbolift. "Shuttle bay."

The ship's computer voice suddenly spoke. "Access to shuttle bay restric-" Chaos rose his hand and used his dark powers to turn the voice to static. Chaos waved his hand, and the turbolift descended to the shuttle bay area. Upon exiting the door, he stepped onto the shuttle bay and was met by security. "Commander Sonal, you do not have per-" the security guard's voice was suddenly replaced by a choking sound. Chaos lifted his hand and drew his fingers together. The closer his finger drew together, the more the guard struggled for breath.

"Commqnder Sonal is no more," said the Sith lord. "Only Darth Chaos remains." He suddenly clenched his hand into a fist, and the sickening sound of the guard's vertebrae and windpipe crunching echoed in the large room, and the guard's lifeless body collapsed into a heap. Chaos used the Force to manipulate the computer and video surveillance system into hiding the fact that Chaos was stealing a shuttlecraft.

Once inside the small ship, Chaos activated the controls and deactivated the Force field and piloted the craft away from the Enterprise and headed out into interstellar space.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Enterprise, Worf got an alert on his terminal. "Captain Riker, a shuttlecraft has just departed. Authorization - none given."

Riker stood up in attention. "Security and Captain Picard to Commander Sonal's quarters on the double." Riker, Picard, Dr. Crusher, and security made their way to Sonal's quarters and came across the dead guard's corpse.

"Beverly…" Picard said. Crusher scanned the gaping hole with her tricorder.

"Jean-Luc," said Crusher, "this was not from a phaser. All the cauterization of his blood vessels indicate phaser fire, but this wound is too large for a phaser." Picard and Riker entered the quarters. They noticed that the pyramid was open.

"Captain," Riker said, "it's clear that what was in this pyramid was used to kill him." Their eyes glanced over to the bunk and noticed a lump underneath a sheet. Picard heard a voice in his head.

"Jean-Luc…"

Picard walked to the lump and removed the sheet. He was surprised at what he saw: it was a humanoid figure. It had black hair, grey skin, and most surprising, yellow eyes. He could not believe his eyes. Could it be? "Data?" He knelt down and pulled the access panel from the androids head and pressed a button. He was surprised to see lights flickering on the panel. He placed the access panel door back on the androids head, and the android slowly awoke. "Data?!" Picard's voice was breaking with utter happiness. "Is it actually you?"

The android looked at Picard, and his emotion chip kicked into gear, and he smiled at the Captain. "Captain. I'm...alive."

"Data, will you come to sick bay with me, please," Picard asked. "We...have a major problem."

"Is it Sonal," asked Data.

Riker interjected. "It is. What do you know about Sonal?"

Data began to access his memory banks. "It seems that Sonal discovered my - shall we say - corpse while traveling from Romulus. He had just left the planet after a meeting with Ambassador Spock, and his craft found myself orbiting the planet. He took me to Vulcan and repaired me."

"I'm afraid, Data, "Picard said, "that Sonal's unstable physiology has caused a mental breakdown. Could it be an extreme case of ponn farr?"

"The Vulcan mating ritual," asked Data. "No sir. It is not that. I observed the Commander in his living quarters on Vulcan communing with a being of which I find hard to describe.

"Perhaps," Riker said, "we can take you to sick bay and pull up any suppressed memories. We must link you into the ship's computer. Do we have your permission to do so?

"Of course, sir," said the android.

Picard activated his communicator badge. "Commander LaForge, report to sick bay immediately.” After deactivating his com-badge, the three walked down a long hallway. Once they reached the end of the hallway, they entered the sick bay and were greeted by LaForge. Geordi's eyes focused on a figure he had not expected to see ever again. Were his artificial electronic eyes deceiving him? Could it be?

"Data? Is it actually you," he asked in an uncertain but excited voice.

Data's emotion chip kicked into full gear once again. "GEORDI!" Data ran to Geordi and gave him a hug. "My best friend," the android said softly.

Picard interjected. "Geordi, happy reunions will have to wait. We must connect Data to the ship's computer. Something terrible has happened to Commander Sonal, and we believe that Data may have all the answers."

"Aye, sir," Geordi said. He removed Data's access panel and connected a long fiber optic cable to an input port on Data.

As the connection to Data was secured, Data began to pull up any repressed memories of his time on Vulcan. On the computer screen appeared Sonal in his living quarters on Vulcan, as well as a spirit adorned in a black robe with a sickly wrinkled face and orange eyes. He spoke in a dark sinister voice.

“YOU HID YOURSELF WELL.

IF I COMMANDED YOU TO KILL.

YOUR OWN PARENTS, WOULD YOU?”

As the recording continued to play, they could see the face of Sonal, and he too had those same orange eyes which seemed to flicker like fire. And then they heard his voice.

“Yesss. I would.”

"Riker," Picard said, "alert Starfleet Command and the Vulcan High Council. I fear that Commander Sonal may have gone to Vulcan to assassinate Saavik. And alert the Romulan embassy. He may try to assassinate Spock."

Data suddenly interjected. "Captain, there is also a recording made in his quarters on the Enterprise." He accessed his memory banks, and everybody saw and heard as Sonal spoke to the spirit.

“IT IS THE LIGHTSABER WHICH I USED TO DESTROY THE JEDI ORDER. IT IS NOW...YOURS. YOU WILL USE THAT WEAPON TO OVERTHROW THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS AND GIVE A NEW RISE TO THE GALACTIC EMPIRE.”

They heard Sonal's voice once again.

“So this is the power that Vulcan said was forbidden.”

And then the spirit spoke again.

“SO YOU WOULD KILL YOIR OWN PARENTS IF I COMMANDED YOU…”

And then they saw Sonal open his eyes as his eyes turned a very dark orange.

“I would kill them all. My parents. The elders. The high security. And...High Priestess T'Pan.”

Picard froze. What kind of force could cause this to happen? And then one more recording played.

“PICARD'S HATRED OF THE BORG WILL TURN OUT TO BE USEFUL IN OUR PLANS TO BRING BACK THE GALACTIC EMPIRE. I AM SURE YOU CAN USE THE FORCE TO MANIPULATE PICARD TO DO YOUR BIDDING.…”

Picard suddenly understood the voice in his head. He spoke out loud. "Fear...leads to anger. Anger...leads to hate. Hate leads to...suffering." His hatred of the Borg caused this to happen. Before he could allow himself to wallow in self-pity, he took on a newfound sense of urgency. "Commander Riker, Commander Data, we must get to Vulcan immediately."

#Star Wars #Star Trek #crossover #fanfic #fanfiction

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thegeminisage · 4 months

Text

tng update time!! its been so long. sunday we did "reunion" and last night we did "future imperfect" and "final mission."

reunion: WORF HAS A BABY???

ok. tbh. this episode was wack. i guess i just don't get the point of k'ehleyr...she hates klingons. so she's like, "my son, who is 3/4 klingons, will not be raised with any of the klingon ways! fuck klingons! i hate them! however i do want worf who LOVES the klingon ways to claim him, and then also raise him after i have died. and i'm gonna get really mad at him and call him a dumb klingon if he doesn't do it"

AND THEN WORF IS LIKE. "my son...he should be raised with the klingon ways...but i can't claim him cuz i'm excommunicated and if people know he's my kid he won't be able to live among klingons ever again. the only solution is to send him to live with my HUMAN PARENTS who 1. can't teach him the klingon ways 2. will definitely alert anyone with half a brain that he's my kid"

like? is this not the worst of both worlds? if worf is gonna claim him (which he kinda does by sending him to live with his grandparents) and he can't live among klingons the least worf could do is raise him on the starship with himself, a klingon, and the other kids. who admittedly should not be on the starship bc no child should be on a starship. but like how many klingons are there on ma and pa kent's farm. zero. how many are there on the enterprise. one. could be two but ???

like whats the point of giving him a son if we don't see this kid once or twice a season...i just don't get it. like is he the cutest little klingon that ever lived? yes, OBVIOUSLY. would worf's parents do just as good of a job with him as they did with worf? of COURSE. but the rest of it is a huge mess of logical problems. rip

future imperfect: RIKER HAS A BABY???

no look this one was so fun. old riker. amnesiac riker. riker trying to get out of the lab rat maze. so fun AND i called the plot twist (that the romulans were fucking with him) early.

thrilling that they predicted captain picard would be captain for 7 years when tng was 7 seasons. ik there are movies after but what a lucky guess. also picard looks weird with facial hair. his chin should stay bald too to uphold his priceless cueball image

i'll admit the ending to this episode was weird as hell and also a bit abrupt but like. who cares. a good time is a good time

final mission: AW. BABY BOY...he's really leaving...i'm gonna miss him so much :(

the b plot of this one was so stupid. i could figure out about 6000 different ways to make their duties easier. it took them so long just to get to the asteroid belt and then they were in it for 5 seconds. poor beverly.

the a plot of this was only a little less stupid, to be fair. mr grumpy miner made such a big deal about that alcohol and then he never got the DTs. picard told wesley to stand up to him and then wesley never got to do it. also, wesley's last episode should have had him have more time with his MOM? cmon

my favorite bit was when picard laid down the arrow to warn the search party of the direction they were going and then they all walked in a completely different direction. and at the end beverly is like we found your arrow! girl. come on now

anyway, tonight we do "the loss" and "data's day"

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #data's day.........i hope it's good

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ladyfogg · 1 year

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May I? - 36/?

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Faith tried to keep herself focused on her duties.

She left Sickbay still fuming over Q’s meddling. They were already on red alert heading into the rendezvous and now they had to deal with whatever he did to Data. If the being could die, Faith absolutely would kill him. Before she entered Engineering, she took a deep breath and tried to keep her head straight. It helped, but only slightly.

It took considerable brainpower to remind herself that there was nothing that she could do about it right then and there. Dwelling and fuming weren’t going to change anything.

Those were the words she repeated to herself, even if deep down they felt hollow.

They were still working with a skeletal crew, at least for another few hours. When she had left, they had been well on their way to having the majority of the repairs complete.

“Report,” she ordered as soon as she walked in.

Barclay stood at the center console and immediately gave her his attention. “All routine maintenance has been completed,” he said. “The shield is no longer delayed and we are showing no signs of complications after our brief shutdown.”

“Great, let’s keep it that way. What about Engineering One?”

“It has been cleaned and the necessary replacements have been dispatched.”

“How far along is the current team?”

“It shouldn’t take them more than a few more hours.”

Which would put them ahead of when she told Picard they would finish. Excellent.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” She made a move to leave when Barclay started stuttering, like he usually does when there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t get it out fast enough. She turned back to him with her eyebrow raised. “Something else?”

Barclay fiddled with the PADD in his hands for a second and she waited, somewhat impatiently, for him to find his voice. “I found something and seemed a bit…unusual.”

“What was it?”

He looked as though he wasn’t sure if he should speak. The longer his silence went on, the less patient Faith became. But she knew the importance of waiting when it came to Barclay. Eventually, he took a step closer so that only she could hear what he had to say.

“I found something wrong with the shield generator,” he said. “After our shutdown, I was rechecking systems to make sure everything was still running smoothly and the shield generator had been recalibrated.”

“Recalibrated? How? Why?”

“It was subtle, something that wouldn’t have caught our attention if I hadn’t been looking for it.”

“Could it have been a diagnostic issue? Somehow overlooked by the program.”

“Possible but-but doubtful. It was something that would have had to have been manually done.”

Faith processed what he said and it made her stomach roll. If what Barclay found was correct, then that meant someone on board was actively trying to sabotage them. Which also meant that the mole was still very much operational. Why hadn’t they acted until now? Or had they been acting all along and still hadn’t been caught? What was the purpose?

Her thoughts were beginning to spiral and Faith had to bring herself back to the moment. Barclay was looking at her, waiting for a response or course of action. Taking a deep breath, Faith made sure they weren’t being overheard before she spoke again.

“Everything you found, Reg, I want you to compile in a report and forward to the captain, Data, Commander Riker, and Lieutenant Worf. They are conducting interviews today and they need this information.”

“I-I already have the report. I’ll send it right away.”

“Good.” Faith looked around, taking in every person she could see. With Barclay’s findings, it meant anyone around them could be the traitor and Faith found herself studying the others with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, she fought and worked alongside every one of them. She didn’t want to believe that they would betray Data, betray her, or the Enterprise. And for what reason? Why would they put their own lives in danger by sabotaging the ship?

Turning back to Barclay, Faith spoke in a low voice, as he had. “Reg, right now we need to work under the assumption that the person who did this is here with us now or is on their way to speak to the officers. I want you to run your own diagnostics on each of our systems to look for any more anomalies. Be subtle and stealthy. Don’t tell anyone what you are doing. I need you to be as discreet as possible.”

Barclay nodded, looking a little green at the prospect. “What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I have another problem that needs to be looked into. Let me know if you find anything else.”

With his orders, Barclay got back to work, and Faith went into her office. Part of her knew she should join in his search but her desire to help Data superseded everything else. Whatever they faced, whatever they were heading towards, she knew Data needed to be at his best. At the moment, He was vulnerable and that scared her. She never once questioned Data’s capabilities and while she had worried about him, that worry could be tempered by the knowledge that he had his strength to protect himself.

He didn’t have that now. Not to mention his new emotions most likely had him confused and overwhelmed.

Faith had to do everything in her power to get him back to his normal self. Once at her desk, Faith loaded Data’s schematics. Beverly had already uploaded the scans and Faith took her time going through everything at least twice. There was hope that she would find something they missed, spot something that could solve the problem. But she should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Q wouldn’t put the answer right in front of them.

There were no changes other than the presence of hormones. Which, of course, didn’t seem right, since there was obviously something blocking the areas Data no longer had access to. Also, what was producing the hormones?

Faith leaned back in her seat, letting her mind run with all the possibilities. The tricorder could be wrong. It could be missing something that would be visible to the naked eye. It could be physical rather than electrical. But the idea of opening Data up to check didn’t appeal to Faith. Especially when she wasn’t sure if he could feel pain now. He said he felt her touch; she had to assume that meant he could also be hurt. And there was no way she was going to be the one to test that theory.

Which meant, if he could be hurt, there was yet another thing Faith now had to worry about. She had not realized how much of a comfort Data’s android capabilities had provided over their months together.

What if Q never changed him back? What if Data got hurt in the process?

Faith was still angry at Q. What she wouldn’t give to slap him again. Sure, Q could have done something horrible to her, but damn if it hadn’t felt good when her palm stung. The surprise on his face was great too. But that brief satisfaction was dwarfed by Faith’s concern.

It was such a cruel thing to do, to let Data feel these things, only to inevitably rip them away. What was Q playing at? What was his endgame? What point was he trying to prove? And why did he want to prove it, knowing they were going into a potential trap?

She leaned back in her seat, thinking of the way Data looked earlier, the worry and fear she never thought she would see reflected back at her. At least not to that degree. Of course, there was another way he looked at her.

That train of thought made her think of how he stared at her in her robe, the way he had reached out to undo the sash and peek at the flesh beneath. That hungry gaze, how he studied her naked body and needed to touch her. He had been more than enamored. He had been downright lustful and it had overtaken all his senses.

Flattering for sure, but troublesome. A voice in Faith’s head, the small one that had been quiet for a time, piped up. Was the first thing he deeply felt toward her lust or love?

Faith knew he loved her and had no reason to question otherwise, especially something he had no control over. If anything, his reaction only solidified his feelings for her, enhanced them. The moment his emotions were unleashed, they had turned to her. Shouldn’t she be thrilled he was experiencing things like a human would? Enhancing what was already there.

It was what he had always wanted. Then again, he had been nervous when in Sickbay, which meant he was concerned. And that was what scared her. Data being concerned terrified Faith down to her very core.

“There has to be something,” she muttered to herself, going through the files again. “There has to be a way to fix this.”

But even a third and fourth pass showed nothing.

Faith was worked up. Her growing frustration overtook her senses. What good was all her engineering knowledge if she couldn’t even use it to help her android boyfriend? What good was any of this technology if she couldn’t use it to help the one person she loved?

A knock on the doorframe of her office pulled her attention outward and, while she was grateful for the distraction, she was also annoyed. Turning in her chair, she fully intended to snap at whoever disturbed her but she caught herself when she found it was Wesley.

“Hi, Lieutenant. Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Is now a good time?”

No, Faith wanted to say. No, it wasn’t a good time. But she didn’t need the cadet to see her spiraling. She couldn’t let any of them see, not when she was the one running things. So, she tried to take a deep breath and kept her emotions in check.

“What do you need, Wesley?” she asked.

He hesitated for a moment. With the way he fidgeted with the PADD he held, Faith’s frazzled nerves only got worse. A sinking sensation settled in the pit of her stomach and she got the feeling that whatever he had to say to her wasn’t going to be good.

“I have some news and I’m not sure how to best deliver it,” he said as he approached.

“What kind of news?”

“Of a personal nature.”

Faith’s heart skipped a beat. “It’s safe to assume it’s not personal to you.” It was clear that Wesley would not be there if he hadn’t found something that had to do with Faith specifically.

“No, sir.”

Taking a deep breath, or at least attempting to, Faith motioned for Wesley to enter her office. “Alright then, what is it?” she asked. There was an attempt to sound calm but Faith was anything but. Her body felt tight with tension. A thin layer of sweat broke out across her brow and she had to wipe her clammy hands on her pants.

“I was digging through the files Data was able to save, going through each of them to see if I could glean anything new on what we are going into,” Wesley said. It sounded as though he were buying time, trying to find the right words. “I found something I thought you needed to see.”

When he handed the PADD to her, that knot in her stomach twisted and she felt as though her blood had turned to ice in her veins. It immediately became apparent why Wesley came directly to her. For when she looked at the device, she found herself staring at her own image.

Not just any image, specifically a photo, one that looked as though it had been taken from security footage. She stood at an Engineering console, face pinched in concentration. Judging by the one pip on her collar, it had been taken prior to her promotion. Faith’s hand shook as she swiped the screen, only to find another image. And another, and another. All in Engineering.

She nearly dropped the PADD when the setting switched to Ten Forward. Not just any photo of her, one of a first date that was interrupted, one with her and Data smiling at each other with a single rose on the table between them. The next image was them leaning forward, their first kiss. Almost a kiss.

The one that was interrupted by the attack on the ship.

What were the odds? That their enemy should strike at that precise moment was almost too convenient. If Data had been tracked and watched prior, that meant once the two of them became involved, she became a focal point as well. However, the photos show that it was more than that. Her breathing came in quick gasps and her hands clutched the PADD so tight she thought it would break.

“Where did you find these?” she asked, vaguely aware he had already told her but forgetting in her distress. Her voice was tight and shook with emotion.

“Buried in Konro’s files,” Wesley explained. “When I saw these files, I grew concerned when I noticed the same naming convention the ship uses when taking screen captures of security footage. This leads me to believe that they were taken directly from within our own security system and then transferred later.”

That would mean the Oz’ods’ transmitter device had a whole other purpose. Either it was able to infiltrate the system and bypass their sensors and manual searches, or it was a distraction, a way for their adversary to do what he really wanted to do while they were concerned with the intruders.

But there was something else, something much worse that threatened to send Faith over the edge.

Because the photos are evidence that she and Data had been wrong. She hadn’t been collateral damage. She hadn’t been used as a ploy to get Data to comply. Fajo had used her that way, sure. However, Konro had been as interested in her as he had been with Data.

“Were these…” She had to focus to avoid stuttering. “Were these the only photos?”

She looked up at Wesley when he did not answer. The look on his face was answer enough. No. No, they weren’t. Why? Why photos of her and not Data? What did that mean? Did it even mean anything? It must.

Faith felt nauseated, she felt violated. The room started to spin.

She couldn’t hear Wesley calling her name, which meant she couldn’t hear the panic in his voice and didn’t know that something was desperately wrong. His hand was on her shoulder, gently shaking her in an attempt to draw her attention. It was useless.

Faith had fully dissociated and retreated into herself. What she faced was too much. Her ship’s duties she could handle. Repairing systems and protecting them, she could do in her sleep. Learning that she was the focal point of someone’s obsession tipped the scales against her. After the ship’s attack and the anxiety that had been building even prior to that event, there was no stopping the attack this time.

Did that mean Fajo’s benefactor had been watching her even after her capture? If he had access to security footage, how much had he seen? Had he intruded on their intimate moments as well? Security did not record personal quarters for obvious reasons but who’s to say Konro found another way? He was clearly capable.

But why? It couldn’t just be curiosity. The photos meant something more; they had to.

Had he watched her during her captivity as well? Was the dress Fajo forced her to wear part of a much sicker fantasy? Was that the real reason Fajo paraded her around? Did Fajo succumb to his injuries, or did the unknown enemy have him taken care of?

Faith’s chest was tight and it was only when she found herself gasping for breath that she realized she was hyperventilating. Wesley kneeled in front of her in concern.

“Lieutenant? Lieutenant?! You need to focus on your breathing,” he urged. “Follow my lead.”

With the confidence that came from a doctor’s prodigy, Wesley began breathing exercises as he tried to help her focus. However, by then it was too late. Faith was too far retreated into her own mind. She wasn’t looking at him, her gaze wide and unfocused.

Wesley tapped his communicator but Faith barely heard his voice over her own ragged gasps. A moment later, she sat on the floor of Sickbay with Dr. Crusher kneeling beside her son.

“Faith, sweetie, it’s Beverly,” she said in that stern yet matronly voice of hers. “You need to breathe. You are having an anxiety attack and I need you to breathe with me.”

“She’s not listening,” Wesley reported. “She’s dissociating.”

Faith didn’t respond. She didn’t see Beverly, didn’t see Wesley. All she saw were those photos of herself, taken and used for who knows what sinister purpose. Her hands dropped the PADD so that she could fist her hair while she curled into herself. She shut her eyes and tried to push everything out of her mind.

Were they going to try another kidnapping? Were she and Data even more vulnerable now that he was cut off from his abilities? She couldn’t be taken again. She just couldn’t. She couldn’t go through that terror, wouldn’t.

“No. No no no no no no no…” She repeated the word again and again until it became gibberish, barely recognizable as anything other than a strangled noise crawling from her rapidly closing throat.

This was too much. It was all too much. Everything was too much. The lights were too bright, the noises were too loud, her feelings were too big to fit inside her chest. She couldn’t breathe anymore. Something had closed her throat. She tried to claw at herself so she can get it out. Get the heavy weight out of her.

The next thing she knew, something touched her neck and then everything stopped. The rushing in her ears quieted, the knot in her chest eased, and she took her first deep breath in minutes. Faith tried to open her eyes but still found darkness. Whatever noise surrounded her dissolved into sweet silence and she fell backward into oblivion.

When Faith came back to herself, her entire body felt as though it was made of lead. Eyelids heavy, she tried to drag them open but it took several attempts. Even then, she could only hold her eyes open for a second, not even long enough to take in her surroundings. Quickly, she returned to the darkness. Even still, she sensed she was not alone. A wave of safety and reassurance washed over her and something wet touched her forehead.

Faith nodded off once more.

The next time she regained consciousness, she was slightly more alert. It still took considerable effort to open her eyes. When she did, the first thing she saw was the ceiling of Sickbay. Above her, the lights had been dimmed and when she rolled her head to the side, she saw that she’d been put in a private room. Something cold touched her temple and Faith looked to the other side, where Deanna sat. She pressed a damp towel to Faith’s head to wipe the sweat, her dark eyes filled with concern.

Once she noticed Faith was awake, Deanna put the towel down and took her hand. “Hey, there,” she said, squeezing it. “You gave us quite a scare.”

Faith’s tongue was uncooperative when she attempted to talk. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“Shh, don’t try to speak,” Deanna said. “You are under heavy sedation.”

“Wh-what…ha-happened?” Her voice was hoarse and sounded small to her own ears, more like a tired child rather than a full-grown adult.

“You had an anxiety attack,” Deanna explained. “A big one that has most likely been building for hours, possibly days.”

An anxiety attack. Yes, that would make sense. But what triggered it? The hazy images resurfaced in Faith’s addled mind and she suddenly remembered.

“Did you see them?”

The way Deanna’s lips pursed, Faith knew the answer before she uttered it. “Yes, we saw.”

If she hadn’t been pumped full of drugs, the thought would have sent Faith spiraling again. Instead, she weakly squeezed Deanna’s hand back, using the weight of it to ground her as she often did with Data. The longer she remained awake, the more her head started to clear. She still couldn’t move all that much, not that she was in a rush to go anywhere.

It was the opposite. She wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and hide, somewhere their stalker couldn’t see or even find her.

“I feel so violated.”

“And you have every right to be. This is a total invasion of your privacy and safety. A detailed report has been filed through private channels and Dr. Crusher has ordered a full security sweep of all monitoring systems. We will not stand for this.”

Faith didn't have words. Her vision swam with tears and she could feel them trailing down her cheeks, warm against her cool skin. Deanna reached out to brush them away. It took all her strength but Faith curled on her side and leaned into Deanna’s waiting embrace.

Her friend held her as she cried and Faith couldn't even bring herself to feel ashamed or self-conscious. She hadn’t fully wept in front of anyone but Data in years. Deanna remained silent, stroking her hair, and hugging her tight. Their solidarity in that moment could not be broken.

“We will figure this out,” Deanna assured Faith in a firm voice that she rarely used. “We will find out who did this and make sure they pay.”

“Where’s Data?”

“He is still conducting interviews. We thought it would be best to wait until you were awake before telling him. It’s your business after all, not ours. Would you like us to call for him?”

Faith stayed nuzzled against Deanna. Normally, she would have immediately said yes, but given his new emotional state and how important the interviews were, she was forced to think about what was best for everyone, not just herself. Duty won out in the end.

“Let’s wait until he’s done,” she said. “He’ll rush up here the second he can and we need all the information they can get. I don’t want to jeopardize finding the mole. Removing them is our best way of cutting off Konro’s intel.”

The door opened and Beverly walked in with a comforting smile. “You’re awake,” she said, moving to stand by Deanna. “I am sorry for the sedation but you tried to hurt yourself.”

That was news to Faith. When she looked down, she realized her hands were covered with gloves, a protective measure to prevent her from injuring herself. She hadn’t noticed until that moment.

“I don’t remember that part.”

That troubled Faith greatly. In her numerous anxiety attacks over the years, she had never once tried to physically harm herself. That had been a line she hadn’t crossed.

Until now.

Beverly sat on the edge of the bed. “You were hyperventilating and were trying to find a way to breathe,” she explained gently. “No harm was done. The gloves are just a precaution.”

They fell into silence. With the sedation, Faith did not have the urge or energy to talk. Neither did Deanna or Beverly. There was a sense of understanding that Faith didn’t have to go into more detail about her feelings because, on some level, they understood.

Surrounded by her two friends, Faith could feel their love and concern. Her eyelids drooped but she didn’t want to fall asleep again. Her need for answers was stronger than the pull of blissful darkness.

“How many were there?” she asked.

Beverly rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Many.”

That answer wasn’t good enough for Faith. “I want a number,” she demanded.

Deanna and Beverly shared a look before they met her gaze once more. “Are you sure that’s wise?” Deanna asked.

“Fuck wise. I need to know.”

“There were hundreds,” Beverly said. “And that was what Wesley was able to recover. Most likely there were more.”

Fresh tears came. “Shit.” She had started to hope it wasn’t as bad as she thought. Turned out it was worse.

Deanna hugged her tighter and Beverly joined the embrace. Faith cried until she didn’t have any tears left until her sobs were dry and full of gasps. The medication kept her breathing going, stopped her from spiraling once more. However, it also made her exhausted. Once she had expended what little energy she had, she knew she would fall back to sleep.

“Rest, Faith,” Deanna said, stroking her curls. “I will be right here. I won’t leave until Data comes.”

“You’re safe here,” Beverly assured her.

“Nowhere is safe,” Faith muttered, her eyes falling closed. “That’s been taken away.”

They said nothing, only held her until she drifted back into nothing.

#lt commander data #Lt. Commander Data #commander data #data tng #data soong #data x oc #may I?#star trek next generation #star trek #next gen

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spot-has-a-phaser · 2 years

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Hey do u have a list of the best data episodes?? I want to rewatch next gen but in the most specific way possible

My friend, I’m so glad you asked.

now, a disclaimer: these aren’t necessarily the best episodes, but they are enjoyable to me, solely for Data’s role in each episode. I’ll order them chronologically. And of course, spoilers below.

We‘ll begin with actual Data-centric episodes

First up, obviously, is Datalore, in which Data meets his twin brother with questionable morals, Lore. I love this episode because it introduces a really interesting character and it’s so fun to watch the crew figure out why Data isn’t acting quite right

After this, Elementary, Dear Data. Data and Geordi LARP as Holmes and Watson, and in the process accidentally create a sentient Moriarty in the holodeck. Pulaski is also in this one. I don’t really mind her all that much, but if you do, that might affect your enjoyment of the episode.

My next favorite is The Measure of a Man. In this one, Data has his humanity questioned in court by a certain Bruce Maddox. Not only does it have an emotional moment between Geordi and Data, but there’s also an impactful monologue from Picard. It’s a little stressful for me to watch, though, so while it is one of my all-time favorites, i don’t always have the emotional capability to process it.

Pen Pals isn’t mentioned all that much, but I really love it because this is the first time Data really interacts with a child, and he nails it. It melts my heart when Picard is so pissed off that Data brought his pen pal on the ship, but Data continues to believe it was the right thing to do.

The Offspring is brilliant. Data attends a cybernetics conference and builds his own child, Lal . Highlights include Data allowing her to choose her own gender, Lal accidentally kissing Riker(and Data asking him about his intentions toward her afterwards) and Lal developing the ability to feel, telling her father she loves him.

The Most Toys isn’t my favorite, but I’m including it for one moment right towards the end, where it’s heavily implied that Data is developing some form of emotion. This is part of why I hate the emotion chip so much.

Brothers! The return of Lore! Plus, we get to meet Dr. Soong, who made some questionable choices parenting Lore and Data. The emotion chip is introduced in this episode, unfortunately, but we also get to see Lore acting immature and childish, so the episode is largely good.

Now, arguably my favorite episode in this series could be Data’s Day. Data records one entire day in his life for Bruce Maddox to study and understand. This episode is entirely Data, and it’s fantastic. Spot is also introduced in this episode, which makes it SO much better.

In Theory is not one of my favorite episodes. In it, Data attempts a romantic relationship with a fellow member of the crew, and it is horrendously awkward. But Pip, you may ask, if you don’t like it, why would you include it? Well, for one moment, and one moment only. At the beginning, Data’s ‘love interest’ starts talking about an old ex she might get back together with, and Data begins listing all the reasons she said she broke up with him, which she apparently asked him to do. This gets me every time. I will literally open the episode just to watch this part.

HERO WORSHIP HERO WORSHIP. Data saves a young boy, named Timothy, the only survivor of a destroyed Starfleet ship. Timothy mistakenly believes he is the reason the ship was wrecked, and consequently begins to pretend he is an android just like Data to deal with the guilt. I love how patient Data is with him, and how they continue to bond after Timothy starts recognizing and dealing with his trauma.

The Time’s Arrow episodes are slow at times, but the jokes more than make up for it, and the premise is very interesting. Data finds his own head sitting in a cavern, and the crew determines it’s been there for 500 years. Data accidentally gets sent back in time 500 years and the crew must work to get him back while figuring out what is killing people off in 19th century San Francisco. I love it when Data beats everyone at poker, and also when he takes an anvil from Jack London without realizing he shouldn’t be able to lift that much weight with one hand, and drops it. Unrelated to Data, I adore it when Riker says “I want you to know I respect the law” then straight up punches a police officer in the face.

A Fistful of Datas is one of those “let Brent go wild” episodes, wherein the ship fucks up and starts incorporating different aspects of Data all over the ship. Replicators only make cat food, the computer will only play Data’s music, and most notably, the holodeck makes all the NPCs look like Data, while simultaneously trapping Worf, Deanna, and Alexander in the middle of a Wild West shootout. Watching Brent play both father and son is endlessly amusing(of course, he does this in Brothers, too)

The Descent episodes mark the third and final appearance of Lore Soong, when he kidnaps Data and gets him addicted to emotions using the emotion chip he stole from Dr Soong in Brothers. I don’t care much for the plot, but I love to see Lore and Data interacting, plus Hugh from I , Borg shows up again! I love Hugh

Phantasms is wacky as hell but very entertaining. Data pulling a ringing phone out of his abdomen, talking to Sigmund Freud, watching Beverly drink Riker’s brain juice, and cutting into a Deanna Troi cake? Unequivocal masterpiece.

Inheritance gives Data another member of his family, a mother who apparently assisted Soong in the assembly of Lore, Data, and three brothers he previously did not know about. Juliana telling embarrassing stories about Data as a new created android in front of Geordi never fails to make me laugh

Thine Own Self was a very interesting episode to me. Of course, we are led to hate the majority of the minor characters In this episode(anyone who hurts Data deserves no redemption). But it also brought up an interesting concept. If Data was not aware that he himself was an android, then would it really matter to anyone else?

The final Data-centric episode I have is Masks. The plot is wildly, needlessly complicated and I had to look up the synopsis afterwards to understand what was going on, but fuck, Spiner can act. He pulls multiple characters out of his ass faster than you can blink, and for that, it belongs on this list.

Honorable mentions include The Naked Now(Data gets drunk), Peak Performance(Data beats a smug alien’s ass), The Ensigns of Command(Data gets kissed), The Big Goodbye(Data forgets how lamps work), Timescape(Data hilariously misunderstands Deanna), The Game(Data saves the Enterprise with a strobe light), and Ship in a Bottle(Data gets trapped in the holodeck with Moriarty again).

So yeah, these are some of my favorite Data episodes, and why I enjoy them. I hope this helps. Feel free to add on your own favorite episodes!

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