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sshbpodcast · 3 months

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Character Spotlight: Dax (all of ‘em!)

By Ames

We give Deep Space Nine a lot of credit for fleshing out Trill culture after the confusion that was TNG’s “The Host.” Trill characters become so much more interesting when the joining gets retconned to be more of a personality melding than an overwrite, and we’ve got Dax to thank for that. All the Daxes! Sure, we’ve also been frustrated that every Dax-centered episode seems to rewrite how being a Trill works, but we’ll get into that in a second.

Your hosts at A Star to Steer Her By decided to clump all the Daxes together for this spotlight, so we’ve got your gorgeous Jadzia, your cute-as-a-button Ezri, and even some mentions for Curzon and other bonus Daxes to round out our Best and Worst Moments lists! Check them out below, listen to our discussion in this week’s podcast episode (jump over to 1:09:24), and find out if the spots do go all the way down.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

A different kind of worm pouch, er, hole! Deep down, Jadzia is just a science nerd who wants to science, so it’s only fitting that she’s the one who does all the heavy lifting when it comes to discovering the wormhole in “Emissary” (not to be confused with “The Emissary” from TNG). Her study of the orbs leads her down the rabbit… er, worm hole until she and Ben go investigate and accidentally start this whole series!

We were just… wrestling One thing the show makes clear about Jadzia early on: she fucks. This girl is unapologetic about how she seeks consensual sex, and good for her. In “Playing God,” she has clearly just struck the mat with her wrestling coach in a scene meant to raise eyebrows, but she’s so forthright about it that viewers go right past feeling titillated and straight to accepting that she knows what she wants.

You are the only one who can give yourself another chance The rest of “Playing God” is spent appraising her Trill initiate, Arjin. And while she’s more polite and forgiving than Curzon would ever be, she’s also upfront with the little dweeb. She tells him that if he’s only looking to become a joined Trill for other people’s sake and not his own, then he’s bound to fail both himself and a symbiont. He should do what he wants to do.

A Klingon blood oath can never be broken It’s in “Blood Oath” halfway through season two that Jadzia truly emerges as a powerhouse character. Not only does she fight like a true warrior, but she stands up for herself when her old Klingon friends are wary of honoring the blood oath they made with Curzon. It’s the first time Jadzia does something for her after a couple seasons of us questioning her character’s agency, and she slays!

I don’t want to lose you, not again The next really epic, character-defining moment for Jadzia comes in “Rejoined” when again she is fighting for something she desires, even if it will mean the end of the Dax symbiont’s legacy. But screw it, Jadzia lives for love, and her relationship with her old partner Lenara Khan is so deeply felt that we really root for them, and feel all the more crushed at the end.

The only adult in the room Jadzia’s character is so frequently marked by the experience of several lifetimes that she just has this maturity and wisdom about her sometimes. Especially when everyone around her is acting like children, like in “The Sword of Kahless” when Worf and Kor were being selfish brats about finding the legendary bat’leth and Jadzia has to shut them both up. With a phaser.

Kahless hearts Lukara Jadzia’s sort of a hopeless romantic sometimes, so it’s only fitting that she try to earnestly help her friend Quark woo his lady love, the glorious Grilka in “Looking for Par’mach in All the Wrong Places.” When it’s not enough to teach Quark some Klingon languages and how to fight with a bat’leth, she even brilliantly concocts an optronic relay to allow Worf to fight for him remotely.

If this story had an unhappy ending, I would have never forgiven you Sure, it’s mostly a Jake Sisko episode and Jadzia has pretty much just one actual scene in it, but there’s just something about her talk with Benjamin in “...Nor the Battle to the Strong” that’s so sweet. Sisko is stressing out about Jake being in a warzone, and Jadzia tells him one of her past host’s parenting stories to put him a little more at ease, like a good parent would.

Retreat, acquire, confront, evade As we saw in “Looking for Par’mach in All the Wrong Places,” Jadzia’s friendship with Quark has always been well depicted. In a show in which we’ve complained (multiple times) about racism against Ferengis, Jadzia is the only one to give Quark the time of day, and also the one closest to him to tell him to stop weapons dealing in “Business as Usual” because she cares.

Oh baby, I hear the blues a’calling Sadly for us, we lose Jadzia after season six, but happily, there are a couple good moments for the next Dax, Ezri! The first counseling gig she picks up is a bit of a doozy, as she tries to help Garak work through his claustrophobia and his feelings of identity crisis in “Afterimage.” And like all mental health battles, it’s an ongoing one, but she at least gets things started.

The killer in Dax We don’t get enough of the character to see the consequences of summoning that psycho Joran in “Field of Fire” but we can tell it’s noteworthy. Ezri is the only Dax who gets tested by that murderer who briefly had the Dax symbiont, and watching her stand up to him, refuse to give in to the lure of wanton homicide, and solve a case is impressive indeed. If only the episode weren’t otherwise drek.

The Klingon Empire is dying. And I think it deserves to die. Insert any Dax here and they probably have a better understanding of Klingon culture than Worf, but it’s Ezri who really schools him. In “Tacking into the Wind,” she throws in his ridged face just how crappy Klingon politics are and how Gowron is sending the whole empire down the shitter, giving Worf the peptalk he needs to go murder the hell out of that bulgy-eyed fascist.

—

Worst moments

The prosecution rests Early-seasons Jadzia hadn’t yet found her agency, which was the biggest character facet she was lacking. A good representation of this in the episode “Dax,” in which she ostensibly should be the focus character, but spends her entire courtroom hearing refusing to speak for herself and allowing a room full of men to dictate her fate. I rest my case.

Don’t call me Benjamin For some of these Worst Moments, we’ve dipped into other hosts of the Dax symbiont to round things out a bit. And that includes that prick Verad Dax, even if he only has the symbiont for a little while in “Invasive Procedures.” But what an asshole! This guy hires goons to help him kidnap the symbiont, forces Julian to perform surgery, and would have left Jadzia to die.

Talk about an earworm! Here’s another alternate host who does some nasty deeds. We learn in “Equilibrium” that Dax had a secret host, Joran, who happened to do some murdering in order to get/keep the symbiont. It’s still unclear to me what his deal was because later episodes “Facets” and “Field of Fire” retcon his character all over the place until we have no idea how many people this guy even murdered!

And then we can count each other’s spots I’m vomiting in my mouth a little over the cloyingly sweet romance in “Meridian.” While we can commend Jadzia for being sex positive in our Best Moments list above, it’s also incredibly tiring how boy crazy she seems sometimes. It’s like the writing staff can’t help but define Jadzia by the men in her life, and falling so hard for a milquetoast guy like Deral in like a day is proof.

The way to a man’s heart is through his ears Yes, I will include on my Worst Moments list every time women give a Ferengi oomox. Bev did it. Lwaxana did it. T’Pol did it (and I’m sure I’ll mention that when we get to her spotlight). And when Jadzia sensually rubs Quark’s ears in “Facets” to convince him to take on a role in her zhiantara, I find it disgusting because it’s a woman engaging in sexual acts only to titillate the audience. Gross.

You were so young, so lovely We’ve got another guest host to give a piece of our mind to, and that’s Curzon Dax. In “Facets,” he reveals that he washed Jadzia out of the Initiate Program because he was in love with her, and that’s just awful. This guy should have recused himself if he couldn’t remain unbiased in his assessment. Poor Jadzia, always being seen through a sexual lens by men, on and off camera.

What if there was a way for you to kill your brother without killing him? Dax’s heart is in the right place when she tries to find a better place for Kurn when all he wants is to die with honor in “Sons of Mogh.” But the option that she offers to wipe his memory to give him a fresh start is SO MESSED UP. Kurn has no consent in the action that Jadzia and Worf (and Julian, whom we’ll point the finger at next week) impose on him. Dishonor on their houses.

There are some things in life you can’t control, and one of them is me We gave Worf a lot of stick for how badly he treats Jadzia, especially in an episode like the notorious “Let He Who Is Without Sin,” which last we checked had the lowest IMDB rating of all of DS9. And for good reason! It really makes us judge Jadzia quite a bit for staying with Worf when he treats her like his property, which is no good foundation for a relationship.

How do those boots taste? Jadzia struggling through Lady Sirella’s rituals in “You Are Cordially Invited” is demeaning, even in Klingon culture. It shocks me that Jadzia going to grovel to the lady of the House of Martok wins her favor. Instead of rewarding bootlicking, there should have been a more Klingon twist: it should have been a test of how long a prospective house member can put up with shit before they snap and do battle! That’s how you honor a house!

I’m sorry, the baby… Jadzia gets killed off in “Tears of the Prophets,” and it feels like a damn waste! It’s always sad for a beloved character to die, but for Kosst Amojen to take her out like a mere bystander brings up memories of Tasha Yar all over again. And then for her death to get undermined by her and Worf’s plan to procreate just feels like we’re back to Jadzia being defined by her relationships after all that progress.

Anyone can steal a shuttlecraft We’re fairly critical of Ezri Dax on this podcast, and some of that is unwarranted. But when Ezri does stupid shit like stealing a runabout to go save Worf in “Penumbra,” we raise an eyebrow. And when she and Worf bicker like old lovers, we roll our eyes. And when she and Worf have sex instead of dealing with trauma in a healthy and mature manner because it’s all a story trope, we lose some respect for these characters. Dammit.

If Worf hadn’t come along, it would have been you Ezri is barely here for a whole season and already she’s paired up with two of the male crewmembers. In “Afterimage,” Ezri tells Julian that Jadzia was into all the constant flirting, but she isn’t. But by “What You Leave Behind,” they’ve hooked up anyway, and it just feels like smashing the two dollies together to make them kiss. Can she be a character first before she hops into bed with the male character, please?

— Time to put this symbiont back in its pouch and call it day. As alluded to, we’ve got more DS9 characters to spotlight, following with Julian Bashir next week! So stay tuned here for that, follow along on SoundCloud (or wherever you get your podcasts) for more Enterprise watchalongs, hail us on subspace over on Facebook and Twitter, and stop retconning how joined Trills work already!

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5lazarus · 3 years

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Tear of the Prophet

was prompted by @saathiray to write about Kira Nerys repatriating an artifact sacred to Bajor from Cardassia, and this is what we got! The Shakaar cell leads a procession after Cardassia returns the Orb of Contemplation to Bajor, to collective joy. Kai Opaka says, "So I say to you my people, the survivors of atrocity and keepers of the wormhole—the Prophets cried for you millennia before you were made. They sent their Tears from their temple as a safeguard as to what was to come. And now that it is safe, now that we have won—their Tears are for all."

Featuring Latha having an Orb experience, explaining why he became a vedek.

Definitely got out of my comfort zone with this story, hope it's okay.

What the Cardassians stole the Bajorans have snatched right back. Nerys, in her old resistance clothes, laces her fingers through Lupaza’s. Lupaza holds her quick, their phasers clinking, as they march down the promenade of Jalanda City. Kai Opaka holds the Tear of the Prophet aloft as people throng the streets and cheer. The Shaakar cell holds formation, proud but on guard. The Orb of Contemplation has been returned to the Bajoran people. The Vedek Assembly, on Kai Winn’s suggestion, decreed it would be appropriate to allow the Prophets to see their people, and the people to see this remnant of their Prophets.

“Three down, six to go,” Lupaza says.

“And we’ll get them,” Nerys grins. The cheers are turning into something else now—a hymn, a song from the days of the Resistance, for the mass mobilizations they rallied in the Dahkur Province.

Behind her, Furel bellows, “I give my whole pagh to the Prophets; I tell all of your wonderful deeds. When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you. You have rebuked the nations!”

Everyone cheers, and Nerys and Lupaza join in, “You have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The Prophets are the stronghold for the oppressed, our stronghold in times of trouble! Those who know your Tears put their trust in you in. The wicked shall depart to Kardasi, all the nations that forgot You.”

The crowd roars the final line of the hymn: “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.” Some are weeping as they join the procession. Nerys wipes tears from her eyes, laughing slightly. The Federation is watching, of course, and she trusts the Bajoran security forces on the ground, but there is always a faction displeased with public displays of faith—or Cardassians, looking to undermine Bajor’s reconstruction.

Kai Opaka leads them up the stairs of the great temple of Jalanda City. Nerys kneels as the Kai presents the Orb to the throng. Next to her, Latha is tense, remaining standing. He always is, as quick to cry as he is to shoot. The ones they set for interrogations carry the worst burden of the Occupation, she’s always thought. She looks at him with concern. Latha bares a snarl, lean face looking hungry as a wolf. Nerys leans into Lupaza for reassurance and concentrates on the Kai’s words.

“My people!” Kai Opaka yells.

The crowd roars back.

“My people,” she says, quieter but satisfied. “Long have we struggled with our faith, in these fifty years of occupation! Our Prophets were taken from us, they shed Tears no longer!”

The crowd subsides to murmurs. Furel says, “I’m hungry.”

“Shut up,” Lupaza says.

The Kai seems to stare right at them. Then she smiles impishly. “But the Prophets understand time like no other. For us, they planned the Grand Revelation. When we wrest ourselves from the oppressors’ grasp, they gave us the greatest gift—only when it could never be stolen from us.”

“The Celestial Temple,” Nerys breathes. Her entire life, from her father’s farm to refugee camps across the Bajoran system, and finally the Dahkur Province and the Shaakar cell, she has tried to walk in the steps of the Prophets. She never thought they would open the heavens to her. She never thought she would pass through their home almost daily. She never thought she’d laugh at their Emissary, growly because Odo is being intransigent and Quark smug and Dax is of course somehow involved. Tears spring to her eyes. She has survived Gallitep for this: that the Divine has planned for her, all along, to relish in Their presence.

Lupaza puts her arm around her and says, “I know.” Even Furel, ever the skeptic, feels the awe.

The Kai says, “So I say to you my people, the survivors of atrocity and keepers of the wormhole—the Prophets cried for you millennia before you were made. They sent their Tears from their temple as a safeguard as to what was to come. And now that it is safe, now that we have won—“

Tears bubble uncomfortably at her eyes and overflow, her nose stuffing, and Nerys rubs her face into Lupaza’s arm. She lets loose a sob. Lupaza is crying also, but crying joyfully. She hears Latha sniff.

Nerys says, “I don’t know why I’m crying, I’m happy.”

“Shush,” Lupaza says. “Let Them cry through you.”

Opaka says, “Our tears are a clean river that will replenish our desert land, and with our water our fields will bloom again. I hold here the grief of our gods, in the form of a single Tear: the Orb of Contemplation—returned from the Cardassian oppressor!”

They roar, they ululate, they cry. Nerys is laughing, she doesn’t know why, she cannot even put a name to what she is feeling, because it is not giddiness, it is beyond joy.

Kai Opaka says, “The experience of an Orb has become a rare privilege, but now that they are returned, let Bajor know: the Prophets cry for you. They cry in all eternity.” She opens the door of the monstrance, and the Tear drifts out, mercury-clear. The crowd gasps. The Kai says, “Their Tears are for all.”

As she finishes speaking, the Celestial Temple flashes across the Bajoran sky. People gasp. Nerys prostrates herself, and so does Lupaza, but Latha raises his hands shakily, eyes wide.

Furel says, “You alright, man?”

“Shush!” Nerys hisses. “He’s having an Orb Experience.”

Tears fall ceaselessly from Latha’s sightless eyes, and his mouth gapes as the Tear approaches him. “I am not worthy,” he murmurs. “I’m not!” The glow surrounds him and then disappears. The Tear drifts back to Kai Opaka.

She says, “Behold the Tear of the Prophets.”

Latha drops to his knees. Furel touches him. Normally nervy, Latha does not react. He is weeping now in earnest.

“Come on, man,” Furel says. “It’s okay.”

Latha says, “I saw Paril, the moment when he knew we were going to kill him. I saw his last breath, I drew his last breath—and it hurt, it hurts so much.” He folds into himself and lets loose a wail. Nerys wipes her eyes. Together, she and Furel get him to his feet and pull him out of the crowd. Bajorans part to let them pass. The Kai is still speaking, and doubtless it is a wonderful, soul-shaking sermon. Latha is clearly shook.

They find a place to sit in the shadows, against a building that has had its phaser-marks painted away. Nerys gives Latha water, who nods at her shakily.

Latha says, “They don’t forgive me. The Prophets. They do not. They do not judge either. They showed me Paril’s life, from his first breath to his life—I was it! And They showed me mine.” His tone is awestruck. He says, “I died a Vedek. Painfully. But They were there. They were always there.” He looks at them, wonder in his voice. “In all our lives, They are there! In our very breath!’

#star trek fanfic #ds9 fanfic #kira nerys #exploration of faith and resistance narratives #kira nerys is a liberation theologist #alien cultures & customs #bajoran religion #shakaar resistance cell #latha #lupaza #furel #shakaar #kai opaka

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chaoticsleepdeprived · 4 years

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I wrote the first half of this a while ago, but I finally finished it so here

“Are you God?”

The man smiled sadly and shrugged, the slight movement of his shoulders sending ripples through the white expanse around us.

“Now that’s a hard question. To you? I suppose I could be considered a god. To myself? I’m just an average guy.”

“I guess that makes sense, power is relative. But I still have so many questions...”

The man laughed, not at me, but not quite with me either. It was the way you might laugh at a dog, mystified by a human’s magic trick.

“I knew you would. Curiosity is most of what makes you human. Ask me your questions, I’ll do my best to answer.”

“Well, are there more like you?”

“Yes. I am one of many. The universe is a big place, lots of ground to cover,” the man chuckled a little, “If it was just me I’d be stretched pretty thin.”

“What are you?”

“Ah, that’s a question with a lot of answers. I’ve gone by a lot of names, and my kind have gone by a lot more. For a while we were called angels. To some we are spirits. To some, fae. We have been called muses, inspirations, ideas, equations. Recently we were called quarks. I particularly enjoyed that one, it was fun to say.”

I looked down thoughtfully.

“So what is it that you do?”

The man paused briefly, surprised by my question. He glanced at me appraisingly before continuing.

“You’re a more clever human than I’ve talked to in a while. Few people have questioned what I do, they’ve simply assumed what I can do conforms to their legends.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued.

“I suppose the answer is that I do a lot. I watch over humans. I keep an eye on things, prod events towards their best possible outcome. On a more personal level, I keep track of people’s actions. I’ve seen everyone at their best,” he grins and holds his hand out, causing a large orb to appear, showing a man playing with his dog in a park, “and I’ve seen everyone at their worst...” he looks very tired suddenly. He gestures, bringing up many orbs showing various scenes of various terrible things. A man trembling with a gun to his head, a woman holding up a store, too many images to count. The man shakes the grim look off of his face and smiles. “I’ve always found, though, that when push comes to shove, no matter how unpleasant the world may seem, there’s typically more good than bad!”

I must look reassured by this statement, because he smiles warmly at my expression. I look around at the blankness surrounding us.

“Where are we?”

“I suppose you could call it limbo. It’s more of a border checkpoint than the purgatorial abyss that most humans imagine.”

“Am I dead?”

“That’s the million dollar question here friend. You see, you aren’t quite dead yet, but you aren’t quite alive still. This sort of thing doesn’t happen too often. You get an extra choice that most people don’t.”

“Extra?”

“Well, when people die, lots can happen. Not everyone wants the same afterlife. Some want to be reincarnated, some want heaven, and some unhappy few just want nothing.”

“Nothing?”

He nods solemnly.

“Nothing. They want to fade away, lose their consciousness. Sometimes forever, sometimes until someone else arrives.”

“I can’t imagine just ceasing to exist.”

“Many people can. Usually those who commit suicide choose that option, for one reason or another. Some want the eternal rest they came for, some feel they don’t deserve paradise after taking the easy way out.”

“That’s awful!”

“I agree. Every so often we’ll bring a few people back, offer them counseling, help them work through it, let them choose again. They usually choose something else.”

“I should hope so. I would certainly never choose the void over eternal paradise.”

I sit in solemn silence for a moment.

“You said I get an extra choice?”

He gives a spritely nod.

“Every so often we’ll get someone who isn’t quite dead, but isn’t quite alive. A Schrödinger‘s Human, so to speak. Whenever one of these comes through it makes a bit of a hullabaloo. Each case is looked at carefully from every angle. We look at the causes of half-death, who you leave behind, what will happen if you live, what will happen if you die, all the good and bad you’ve already done. If living will do more good than bad we send you back. If dying will do more good than living then we’ll send you on. If your death was caused by a mistake by one of us, or you going back will bring the same amount of good as dying, you get a choice. Your death checks both of these boxes. People like you don’t come by often. In fact, the last one I handled personally was born a couple thousand years ago, some spiritual leader that the Romans crucified after an apprentice accidentally sent someone back who was supposed to stay dead.”

I was stunned. My heart and mind were both racing.

“Am- am I the second coming of Jesus?”

He smiled in a way that made me guess he had been asked this before.

“More like the eighty-five thousand, two hundred sixty third coming of Jesus. And he was roughly the four hundred seventy five millionth coming of Ook, an early human whose death was the result of our first mistake ever. The only thing special about Jesus’s death and resurrection is that he was returned a few Earth days after his death, instead of immediately, due to a secondary clerical error.”

I looked down, slightly stunned by this news.

“So- so Jesus really was just a man?”

The man smiled gently at me.

“Well that depends on your point of view. In my personal opinion no one is ‘just a man’ because everyone is someone. Everyone has feelings, everyone has hopes and dreams. No one is ‘just a man’ because everyone is their own person.”

I chuckled a little bit.

“You know, you’re pretty wise for an all knowing deity.”

He laughed heartily, before sighing and speaking again.

“Yes, we deities do have a habit of being wise, but you humans always amuse me with your habit of wisecracking. Your dry senses of humor never cease to amaze me.”

He suddenly looked more serious, and his tone became more businesslike.

“But we do still need to decide what to do with you. Take any afterlife you know of, any afterlife you can imagine, anyone you want to be with. You can have all that now. Or you can go back. You can forget all this for the time being. You can return to Earth to live the rest of your life, and you can return here when your time comes with finality.”

I looked hesitantly around.

“And I still get my choices when I come back?”

He nodded, seeming to already guess what my answer was, even though I technically wasn’t sure yet myself.

“When you return here you’ll be presented the same choices, minus the option to go back to your own life of course. When you die with finality your only way back is reincarnation. But until then you will have no memory of here. You will be returned to a world of uncertainty, where you have no idea whether or not there even is an ‘after’ let alone what it might be.”

“Can I think about it for a bit?”

“Of course, take all the time you need. As you might have guessed time means a little bit less here.”

So I sat. And I thought. I considered who I was leaving by returning to Earth, and I considered who I was leaving by staying in the afterlife. If I stayed alive I would see my family again. If I stayed dead I would see my parents again. I could see my old best friend, the one who overdosed in college, or my childhood pets. But I would see them eventually anyways. I could still affect the world of the living. I could make life better for some people.

I made my decision.

“I’ve decided.”

“And?”

“I’d like to go back. I still have work to do. But can I have one thought left in my head when you wake me back up?”

“That depends on the thought.”

“I want to remember why I’m there. I don’t care much how you put it in my head, maybe a new outlook from a near death experience. I want to remember I’m there to make things better. Can I remember that? That I’m alive for a reason?”

The god smiled warmly at me.

“Everyone is alive for a reason little one. That reason is to live. I can grant your wish, but you must not forget to live while you continue your life.”

“I promise.”

“Then I’ll see you in a few decades.”

He made a slight gesture over me, and snapped his fingers. The world slowly turned white, then black, then white again. As my eyes adjusted to the light I saw a paramedic standing over me.

“You’re lucky to be alive son, that car crash could have killed a man a lot bigger than you.”

I slowly fell back into unconsciousness, my encounter already almost gone from my mind. But as it slipped away until I wasn’t even sure what I was trying to remember, two thoughts bounced around in my head.

I’m alive for a reason.

And I can’t forget to live while I am.

#the meaning of life #are you a god?#writing #original content #afterlife #death #and what comes after

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jazzypizzaz · 5 years

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The Orb of Opportunity

This one is the story of how Nog decides that he wants more in life than what his father has, and that he’s going to join Starfleet. He’s recruited to crack open a safe containing an Orb that the Maquis apparently stole from the Cardassians. my boy!!!

Kai Winn recruits Nog for the mission behind everyone’s back -- which is more fitting that it sounds, both a) because it’s suitably sketchy/ruthless/desperate of her to take a child (and one marked as a delinquent at that) along on a dangerous trip to the DMZ and b) because she can recognize his frustrated ambition.

To convince Nog (to not get payment upfront), she gives him an Orb Experience and he “glimpsed something heretical, something he’d dared to consider only occasionally, such as during the times when he watched disappointed, as his father knuckled under to Quark’s arbitrary will. It was the notion that there might be something out there even more precious than latinum.”

like, I’m very moved by this, MY BOY NOG, but also... literally everyone has had an Orb Experience other than Kai Winn?? she shows him the Orb as if she knows what will happen, as if even though the prophets have never spoken to her ever she knows they’ll help out with this delinquent alien kid. because they guide everyone but her! even Nog! jklsfdjkl god.

I’m always hungry for a Nog story, and I quite enjoyed it for what it is, but...... (like the first story tbh) it’s easy to see why this is a beta canon short story and not an alpha canon plot in an episode. It’s not necessary for Nog’s development, and it really feels like an addition later thought of for this collection, rather than a piece of the story that always existed beyond the screen.

#ds9 books #prophecy and change

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mollyencrypted · 6 years

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Alternate Deep Space Nine Masterpost

[Main list here. If you enjoy this, please consider checking out the rest of the project!]

Julian Bashir and the Law of Conservation of Skeeviness

Subcommander T'Rul

Everyone’s favourite excitable Cardassian scientists might get recurrer status [Okay, probably not, but it was a nice idea whilst it lasted]

More Klingons!

Unity

T'Rul in ‘Way of the Warrior’

Garak/Bashir??? (I originally wanted it but now I have reservations so...)

Tora Ziyal and Jake Sisko

Bashir/Leeta stays and I wish it didn't

Garak doesn't go on a date with Ziyal and she has friends her own age

Come to Quark's, Quark's is fun...

T'Rul in 'Broken Link' (she does stuff now!)

Jadzia Dax in 'Apocalypse Rising'

The Risa terrorist episode doesn't happen and also T'Rul is there

Bajoran!Garak

Ziyal in 'The Ascent' (okay, she doesn't appear in person but still)

If Kirk can go from Cadet on probation to Captain then Garak could absolutely go from Cadet to Commander (at least according to him) (ft. me snarking about the end of Star Trek XI)

Ziyal has reasons to stay on DS9 that don't involve waiting for Garak because that would be really weird and pathetic

T'Rul interacts with other Romulans for the first time in years and Ziyal gets rejected

Garak in 'Doctor Bashir, I Presume?' [ACCIDENTALLY DELETED; ARCHIVED ON WORDPRESS]

So is anything about 'Doctor Bashir, I Presume' different as a result of 'Into Darkness'?

Fuck Richard Bashir (ft general headcanons)

Boring episode is replaced with the duo formerly known as the Noh-Jay Consortium adapting to its newest member whilst the senior staff are confused about Odo's new girlfriend

The Romulan Star Empire signed a non-aggression pact with the Dominion. T'Rul did no such thing

The further adventures of Jake and Ziyal: Terok Nor edition

Ziyal is alive and fine and still living on the station

...well, fine if you don't count some serious guilt issues

Julian's feelings for Jadzia became platonic a while ago and nothing has changed that at all (ft. Quark, Garak, and me complaining about Change of Heart)

What happened to Section 31?

Here's what happened to Section 31

Tora Ziyal in 'The Valiant' (also, the events of STXI actually make that crew even more fanatical) (ft. probable foreshadowing)

'Profit and Lace' is a completely different episode, and Ziyal has an orb experience

Here's a cute headcanon about Ziyal babysitting the O'Brien children

Further ethical quibbling re:Garak/Bashir but at least I'm not deliberately keeping them apart at a time when their continued association would make perfect narrative sense

Ziyal in 'Tears of the Prophets' (ft. Jadzia not being dead)

The Orb of the Emissary episodes are a little different but still mostly happen except Jadzia isn't dead so some of the framing is different and also the composite entity of Ezri Dax never existed

'Afterimage' can't be Ezri Dax's incorporation into the story arc because she's still Ezri Tigan and still on the Destiny so it's a Bashir episode instead and dear God do I wish I didn't have so many ethical hangups with that ship, and T'Rul is probably in a subplot doing something interesting

'Chrysalis' doesn't happen

'It's Only A Paper Moon' is pretty much the same but modified for the KXP's continuity

'Prodigal Daughter' can't happen and the episode that spawned it didn't really make sense anyway so the DS9 crew stayed well away from everything about that arc

'Field of Fire' can't happen because Vulcan was destroyed and Jadzia isn't dead

Just saving myself a little time so I can save myself reiterating that Ezri Dax doesn't exist except in those instances where it is actually relevant to the plot

Worf/Dax is actually healthy and stable in this timeline and Bashir/Dax is not a thing that exists

Damar's actions are addressed, and Garak and Ziyal are Angsty Lizard Siblings

But does Gowron still die without Ezri to give Worf that pep talk? (Contributed by my IRL buddy)

Life after ADS9

I said I'd think about whether or not to make Garashir canon for this 'verse and I kept my promise (spoiler alert: I have)

T'Rul and Worf (spans the entire latter half of the show so there was nowhere neat to fit this)

I think I fucked up but I got either some neat worldbuilding or the opportunity to name characters out of it so it's probably gonna work out fine

It was the latter so T'Rul gets a first name! Yay retcons!

Garak and T'Rul go for drinks and complain about Weird Federation Crap, and Elim and Tepara talk about the Oralian Way and the teachings of Surak

Have another cute Ziyal headcanon courtesy of Timelines!

#star trek ads9 #kelvin expansion #star trek ds9 #star trek kelvin timeline #garashir #jakeziyal #deep space teens #mine #au #headcanon

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cosmic-llin · 7 years

Text

So my friend purplefringe and I got kind of obsessed with THIS POST about folks on DS9 complaining, and spent some time (that we should have been working) imagining it in a bit more detail:

@staff anti-gravity malfunctioning on the promenade again. Request immediate assistance! @jumalsjumja Hello Jumal this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #103 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. @staff thanks!! any idea how long it will be out this time? @staff only last time all my jumja sticks got stuck everywhere @staff NEW REPORT help a nest of voles has just floated out past my stall. This definitely violates health and safety! @jumalsjumja Hello Jumal this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #104 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. *** @chiefofops Chief the anti-grav seems to be on the blink again. Infirmary is in lockdown @CMO on my way Julian @chiefofops thanks! (see you at dinner, unless I end up in quarantine) @CMO quarantine? @chiefofops just got a faceful from an unsecured petri dish I'd been cultivating. @CMO You ok?? @chiefofops should be in a few hours. Currently experiencing slight loss of motor-control, dizziness, enhanced aural sensitivity, tingling in my extremities, and everything seems to have gone quite a nice shade of pink. Not really the symptoms I was expecting at this stage but it's a positive sign and all very interesting. Should be able to get at least one paper out of th(CHARACTER LIMIT REACHED) @chiefofops...please could you tell Garak I won't be able to meet him for lunch. @chiefofops Chief? @CMO stay where you are Julian I've got a situation on the promenade. Hang tight *** @chiefofops Chief could you send another team to the Promenade? @majorkira what is it Major? @chiefofops some idiot in security left the doors to the office open. Odo and his bucket have floated out. Separately. Odo's all over the Promenade @majorkira uh oh @chiefofopshe is NOT going to be happ [@majorkira went offline] @majorkira everything ok? @majorkira Kira please respond [@majorkira came online] @chiefofops sorry Chief, just had to rescue a couple of vedeks from an unintentional anti -grav orb experience. Could have been messy. Jadzia's here helping me now. All under control. We've got Odo back in his bucket @chiefofops oh and chief Dax says to tell you not to worry about the voles @majorkira voles??? I wasn't worried but I am now. What's she done? ***@WORF hey Worf you're not answering your comm. Are you listening to opera? I know you're off duty but we have an anti-grav situation over here, and could really use your help. @dax I am on my way. @WORF great! You can help me round up these floating voles/ @dax On second thoughts, I am very busy at present. I am needed on the Defiant. My apologies. @WORF Worf you get over here right now and help me round up these voles or I guarantee I will throw you a surprise party for your next birthday @dax I am on my way. *** @dax Commander what's happened with the voles? @dax never mind, the nest just floated past. see you're on the case. good work @chiefofops thanks chief! I'd stay away from the infirmary if I were you, Julian's got some sort of airborne plague in there. @dax don't I know it. Last thing we need is transmission by vole *** @chiefofops URGENT URGENT GRAVITY MALFUNCTION IN THE BAR @cometoquarks Quark please don't use this channel, this is for senior staff only. Use @staff like everyone else. @chiefofops did I mention this was URGENT @cometoquarks A repair crew is currently assessing the situation on the Promenade. @chiefofops the promenade?? You need to PRIORITIZE here. I have LATINUM on the CEILING @cometoquarks Quark we're working as fast as we can here. Your bar is NOT top priority. @chiefofops not top priority??? Chief you don't seem to understand, I have to look after my customers! Bad business is bad for everyone. They have a bad experience here, they report it back home, that could cause a diplomatic INCIDENT. You want that on your conscience?? @chiefofops also did I mention the LATINUM on the CEILING @cometoquarks you're not even our second priority @chiefofops where's my idiot brother?? why isn't he fixing this?? @cometoquarks he's helping to secure Odo @chiefofops ...Odo's regenerating? Say no more. I completely understand. I have everything under control here, you just take your own sweet time @cometoquarks Quark Odo is definitely going to review all the security footage after this. Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't. @chiefofops you wound me, Chief. I thought we were friends. Your DARTS are floating around my bar. If they take someone's eye out, YOU'RE paying for it. *** @staff hi there, is there any reason why gravity seems to be functioning in the tailor's shop, but not here? Only I can see his shop from my stall and it all looks fine in there. It's chaos out here. @jumalsjumja Hello Jumal this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #116 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience.

And then we got carried away and did some more:

@chiefofops have you seen the Captain's baseball? It floated off his desk and must have left his office when we went in there to pick up those padds earlier. I really want to find it before he gets back from his conference. @majorkira oh no. haven't seen it. I'll keep an eye out. @majorkira if it doesn't turn up, perhaps dax could send out one of her station-wide communications? @chiefofops good idea @chiefofops I just hope the voles haven't taken it. you know how they like to hoard things. @majorkira you know, now you mention it, I bet that's what happened to all of Molly's hairclips. We can't replicate them fast enough. I bet the bloody voles have them @chiefofops ha! probably @majorkira by the way, you free for dinner tonight? Keiko and I were going to have Julian over but he's only gone and poisoned himself with some fungus he's cultivating. Got a faceful of spores when the gravity went off and is stuck in quarantine @chiefofops is he ok?! @majorkira as far as I can tell, he's mostly very giggly. And possibly hallucinating. But they say he'll be fine by tomorrow. @chiefofops oh Julian. I shouldn't laugh, but that is pretty funny @majorkira it's hilarious! Funniest thing that's happened all week @majorkira don't tell him I said that *** @staff hi there, just wanted to check in on my maintenance query from earlier? I was #97 in the queue. Gravity's all fine now, but there seems to be something wrong with my jumja mixer since it came back on, and I'm worried it might have been damaged? Not a priority, but thought I'd check in. @jumalsjumja Hello Jumal this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #96 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. @staff UPDATE: there seems to be some sort of blockage? something small & round & white in the input pipe. Could someone take a look? @jumalsjumja Hello Jumal this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #96 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience.

~~~

@staff are you aware that all of the latrines on the lower pylons are... how can I put this delicately... out of commission?

@shrinevedeks Hello Vedek this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #87 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. @staff Bless you child. * * *

@staff guys? All the latrines on all levels of the Promenade are down. Is anyone around to come take a look? Someone's saying it's affecting the habitat ring too.

@leeta Hello Leeta this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #88 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. * * *

@chiefofops Chief @chiefofops Do I want to know why there is a line of people out my office door cursing your department @thesisko No sir @chiefofops In that case forget I asked

* * *

@security is anyone around? people are fighting for the one remaining functioning latrine @leeta This is an automated reply. Constable Odo will look at your query as soon as possible. If your query is urgent, please use the comm system or visit the security office. * * * @chiefofops as requested am replicating buckets. can you reroute additional power to the replicators? @majorkira done, ta * * * @[all users] ANNOUNCEMENT. 90% of latrines on the station are malfunctioning. Stay calm. If you cannot find a functioning latrine, please report to Major Kira and her team to receive a bucket. * * * @[all users] AS THIS APPARENTLY NEEDS SAYING @[all users] ONE BUCKET PER CUSTOMER @]all users] THIS MEANS YOU * * * @jakey_s WHY IS MORN SITTING OUTSIDE MY SHIP CHARGING 10 SLIPS A GO TO USE MY TOILET UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NOH-JAY CONSORTIUM @kasidyfreight because we were following rule of acquisition number 9? @jakey_s JACOB ISAAC SISKO @kasidyfreight ;DDDDDD

~~~

@majorkira hey what's up

@dax you mean aside from a stationwide operations emergency? @majorkira yeah aside from that @dax .......? @majorkira I'm waiting in line to pee @majorkira entertain me [@majorkira went offline]

~~~

@security I wish to report a crime. @security Someone has stolen my special biscuits. @security My mother sent them all the way from Minsk. I cannot simply replicate more. @security This would never have happened on the Enterprise. @WORF [file attached: Enterprise Security Logs / searchterm = 'theft' + 'biscuits' / 307 results

~~~

@staff Has anyone noticed that the promenade seems a little chilly? Maybe needs investigating? @leeta Hello Leeta this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #66 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. * * * @staff It's freezing down here, when are you going to pull your fingers out and do something? @cometoquarks Hello Quark this is Intern T'Pok. I have logged your case in our system. You are number #67 in the queue. Your request will be dealt with shortly. Thank you for your patience. * * * @chiefofops O'Brien... @thesisko Yes sir, there's a team already investigating. * * * @[all users] Please be aware that there is a minor malfunction in the station's environmental systems. You are advised to wear warm clothing. * * * @WORF wanna work up a sweat in the holosuite? @dax I assume you are referring to our usual bat'leth practice and not anything indiscreet. @WORF Worf, I'm hurt, I'm ALWAYS discreet. I can be discreet any way you like... ;D @dax @WORF if you were the souls of discretion you imagine yourselves to be, this would be happening on a private channel. @CMO who asked you, Julian. @CMO :P * * * @[all users] We have been asked to clarify that there is no such thing as Denobulan superthermal snuggle-wool, and as such no outlets on the Promenade could possibly be selling the genuine article. * * * @[all users] Please do not light braziers on the Promenade. * * * @CMO My dear doctor... as you can imagine, I'm finding the drop in temperature quite tiresome. If it's convenient, perhaps you could join me and we could discover some way to make the most of what body heat we have available between us. @simpletailor I'LL BE RIGHT THERE * * * @CMO *clears throat meaningfully* @dax who asked you, Jadzia?

~~~

#star trek #ds9 #silliness

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weerd1 · 5 years

Text

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.11: Missions Reviewed, “One Little Ship,” “Honor Among Thieves,” “Change of Heart,” and “Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night.”

The Defiant is on a rare scientific mission when “One Little Ship” begins, escorting a Runabout with Bashir, Dax, and O’Brien into a subspace compression, which will actually objectively compress their molecules until they are comparatively miniaturized. This experiment may lead to advanced in transwarp technology, but must be preformed precisely, with the Defiant keeping them under tractor beam to pull them out exactly along the path they went in. Suddenly the Runabout is shaken, and the Defiant loses control of them. When they do find the Defiant, it was captured and attacked by the Jem’Hadar, and the Runabout is now about three inches long. They know they have to help and actually use a venting port to fly their ship inside the Defiant. There they observe that the Jem’Hadar is forcing the crew to fix the warp drive, damaged in the Dominion attack. They realize that Sisko and crew are faking much of what they’re doing, trying to recapture the bridge controls. The Wee Folk decide to help, and go fly stealthily to the bridge where O’Brien and Bashir have to enter a computer to reroute control to Sisko.

The Starfleet takeover is made easier as the Dominion has now engineered new Jem’Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant, and the “Alphas” and “Gammas” among them are developing an unhealthy rivalry. With control directed to Sisko, and a couple of anti-personnel photon torpedoes from a tiny Runabout, the Jem’Hadar are killed, and the Defiant can take the shuttle back to the Compression to excise it properly and restore them to size.

When telling the story at Quark’s later, Odo mentions that he thinks Bashir and O’Brien may be a few centimeters shorter. As they rush out to the infirmary to check, Quark smiles at Odo. “And they say you have no sense of humor.”

It’s “Fantastic Voyage” come to Trek and in an episode that wisely doesn’t take itself too seriously. The effects are neat, as is the crew interaction as we get to see the crew working their subterfuge against the Jem’Hadar from the “miniature” perspective. The sets for when Bashir and O’Brien are in the computer are appropriately absurd. The introduction of Alpha and Gamma Quadrant Jem’Hadar is a neat idea, but unfortunately one that the show will never revisit. As technobabble filled as this episode is, the acknowledgement that oxygen molecules would be 2000 times too big for them to breathe is neat, as is Dax’s solution of beaming a pocket of miniaturized atmosphere from the ship into the sealed computer space. It does make me wonder why a fully stocked Runabout—miniaturized or not—doesn’t have spacesuits O’Brien and Bashir could wear.

Time to screw with O’Brien again in “Honor Among Thieves,” as his technical acumen has made him the best person to work a mission for Starfleet Intelligence. He’s to approach some low-level operatives in the Orion Syndicate, earn their trust, and find out about a mole the Syndicate has in Starfleet. While on this mission, O’Brien begins to genuinely like the mid-level boss, Bilby (and his cat), but is assured that Intel just wants him to go to jail, after they find the mole.

That actually proves fairly easy, and O’Brien is ready to go home, when the next level boss introduces Miles’ gang to a Vorta, who is planning to have the Orion Syndicate pull a mission of some sort for the Dominion. Intel extends O’Brien’s mission, and he finds Bilby is to assassinate the local Klingon ambassador and make it look like Gowron did it to sow discord in the Empire and have them pull away from the Federation again. O’Brien reports, and his handler tells him that they have warned the Klingons, which means Bilby will be killed rather than arrested. O’Brien tries to warn Bilby, but the criminal knows he is a dead man anyway because he vouched for O’Brien. Bilby goes to meet his fate, and O’Brien returns to DS9 with his cat, unsure of the moral outcome of this work.

Sure, it’s Star Trek’s “Donnie Brasco,” but it is also well done and performed well by everyone involved. Anyone with a HUMINT background will feel for the Chief and the dreaded situation when a source is going to get burned. Interesting to note that the Starfleet intel agent is actually Michael Harney who plays Healy on “Orange is the New Black” with Kate Mulgrew from “Voyager.” I suppose my only real complaint here, it like the Alpha/Gamma Jem’Hadar in the last episode, we don’t see O’Brien’s new cat again as I recall.

“Change of Heart” also brings Starfleet intel into the fray as Worf and Dax, while planning their honeymoon, are sent to retrieve a message from an operative in the Cardassian government. When they get the message, he tells them he knows how many Changelings are in the Alpha Quadrant, and where they are. He won’t share though until he is extracted.

Worf and Dax agree to try, and are rather enjoying their mission together, crossing a jungle to meet the spy, until they are ambushed by Jem’Hadar. They prevail, but Dax is wounded, and thanks to the nature of Jem’Hadar weapons, she is infected with an anti-coagulant, and will likely bleed out. She tries to continue mission, but simply cannot. She tells Worf to go ahead and get the Cardassian, and she will wait for him to come back. Each knows she will not last the time it will take to get the spy, get back to this position, and then get back to the Runabout. Worf goes as duty demands, but can’t continue.

He goes back and saves Dax, extracting her, and leaving the Cardassian to be killed when he tries to re-enter his base. Worf tells Sisko he knows he did not perform either his Klingon or Starfleet duty…but Dax was more important. Sisko sympathizes, but reprimands Worf, effectively pulling him off the command track for his future career.

A very well told episode, and the writing/performances of the Dax and Worf marriage here are very strong. Their banter and romance are heartwarming and believeable, and heartbreaking when Worf has to make the decision to leave her to die. Yet he cannot, and a lesser show would have somehow had him save her AND the Cardassian agent. This show doesn’t give tidy endings however, and it’s a better tale for it. There is also a B-story about O’Brien and Bashir deciding to play Quark at Tongo, but Tongo psyches out the genetically “superior” Bashir by reminding him that he loved Jadzia and let her get away. This becomes more relevant next season after…Oh god, I’m not ready. It just matters later, OK?

In “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night,” Kira is preparing to celebrate what would have been her mother’s 60thbirthday when she mysteriously receives a call from Dukat who confesses that he had an affair with her mother years before. Kira doesn’t believe it, and uses the Orb of Time (previously recovered in “Trials and Tribbleations”) to go back 28 years in time to Dukat taking command of Terok Nor, and taking Kira Maru on as his “comfort woman.”

Major Kira is appalled and joins the contemporaneous resistance, planning to put a bomb in Dukat’s quarters when she sees Maru get a message from Nerys’ father, who thanks her for what she’s doing, as they are receiving more food for the kids (including little totes adorbs Nerys) since Maru took to Dukat’s bed. Kira has a flash of conscience, pulling both Maru and Dukat out of the blast zone before the bomb explodes, but with the explosion, returning to her present in 2374. She is torn about what to think of her mother and debating whether it was collaboration or just protecting her family.

So, this is one of those exception to the rule episodes. I find this one actively awful. First of all, it seems quite a stretch that form 2346 when the station was commissioned until 2369 when the Cardassian Occupation ended and the Federation moved in that Dukat was the ONLY prefect Terok Nor had. And yes, they insinuate that Dukat was all about Bajoran babes, but he stayed with Maru SEVEN YEARS, and then there was Ziyal’s mom and then there was at least one other Bajoran mistress, all while somehow being the prefect of Bajor, commander of Terok Nor, and managing to have a wife and seven kids of his own on Cardassia. In ‘The Maquis’ they told us he took command of the station in 2360, but he was apparently living there for 14 years as prefect first and …it just doesn’t make sense in the end, and as much as I wanted to see Dukat remain a foil for Kira rather than Sisko, making her mother his mistress seems particularly contrived. Indeed, now we know he saw Nerys in 2346 several times, yet he doesn’t seem phased when he will see her again on DS9 in “Necessary Evil” after he appoints Odo as chief of security, or when he repeatedly sees her when she takes over as First Officer of DS9. At least when they almost bonded over Ziyal, you would think he might have mentioned there was a closer family relationship than she knew, either through her mother or the mysterious bomber woman. And as for Kira, sure, you hear something freaky about your mom so your first reaction, and actual plan, is to GO BACK IN TIME. Even using Bajoran methods, this sounds a little risky. Indeed, she tries to kill Dukat! Surely, as pissed off as she might be, unraveling ALL OF ALPHA QUADRANT HISTORY is a little overreaction. This timeline doesn’t work for me, this situation doesn’t work for me, and dammit, Kira Nerys deserves better. When Nana Visitor in a slinky dress can’t fix your episode, it is wayyyyyyy broken.

NEXT VOYAGE: There’s a traitor on Deep Space Nine and a Starfleet investigator is ready to make an “Inquisition.”

#star trek #Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #DS9 rewatch

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hydrogen-news-blog · 7 years

Text

Q&A: The Evolution of EvoS

NEV:3 pounces into action By KAYE SHEPHERD Hydrogen News Network, Reporter-at-Large

There’s a new lion king at EvoS, and her name is NEV:3. The latest feline-hybrid dominating the feeds has been touted as the ‘new face of EvoS,’ (and unlike her predecessors, she seems more interested in meeting fans than eating them). In the few short weeks since she was introduced as the latest lancer, she’s already proven herself to be a sales force to be reckoned with, dominating merchandising lines with the aggression of Rask and the kid-friendly cuteness of your neighborhood PuP-toy.

I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with NEV:3 and chat about the future of EvoS, working with Dr. Finn, and tips for taking the best SELF-Es in Atlas.

Hi, NEV:3. Did I get that pronunciation right? ‘Neve’ like Rev? Or Dev. Kev. Tev. Lev. Bev. Mev...

Uh-huh. That’s helpful, thank you. So, you’ve been heralded as the new face of EvoS. What does that entail? A new face. And tail. <NEV:3 giggles> But also, ya know, just bringing awareness to what we’re doing at Evolution Solutions. Every other Trust is so into their secrety secrets. Like, what even goes on at Omni? Not even joking, I think every employee there is a robot.

Like Su-Ren and Tol-Ren? Wait, WHAT?! THEY’RE ROBOTS!?!? I meant metaphorically, but are you serious?

Yeah. They’re androids. Wow. But like, I saw them holding hands the other day. They’re, like, in love?

It’s all over the feeds. See? People call them ‘Stole-ren’, because they stole our hearts away. Or something. Um. I don’t read that stuff… out loud. That is adorbs. I must be clairvoyant! I sensed the robot thing subconsciously. <NEV:3 laughs>. It must be a cat thing, because pre-transformation, there was this guy in the lab I used to talk to all the time – such a great listener – and it turns out he was just a surveillance bot that Big Boss got to monitor everyone’s productivity! I couldn’t believe it. The bot is still really sweet though. He’s got the most comforting beeps.

But anyway! Back to your question.

Basically, I’m here now because EvoS wants everyone to know what we’re all about, ya know?

And what is EvoS all about, for the uninitiated? Well, Kaye, it’s a PuP eat PuP world out there. If EvoS has learned anything over the past century, it’s that survival is not a guarantee. Everyone in Atlas is living on finite resources and we have to be able to change with the times.

With all of the new expansion into the Waste and the proposed reconstruction of the Hyperion gateway, things are exciting right now, but also super uncertain. We can’t know how things will change – only that they will – and we need to be prepared for that. Mega-prepared. Over-prepared.

Like, what if the world outside of Atlas was flooded, like what happened to Oceanus? Wouldn’t it be fifty thousand percent better if we all had fins right away? <NEV:3 laughs> The Doc loves asking that. It’s like, his favorite thing.

The Doc, being Dr. Finn? The one and only. Or, as he would say, the sole Doc.

Excellent impression! I can almost hear it in his voice. He’s quite a character, isn’t he? Oh, de-finn-itely.

I can see why he enjoys your company. Duh. Everyone does. <NEV:3 giggles>

Dr. Finn is clawsome! And he’s just being himself, ya know? I don’t know why some folks take it so purrsonally. Like Rask! Rask hates it.

Rask is intimidating. He’s a big softy at heart. We were playing catch the other day! He’s got great aim. Threw a million Rask plushes at me and just would not stop until I had to leave. I kept telling him to throw softer, but he just doesn’t know his own strength. Cute kitty.

Before we get too off-topic, you were saying earlier that we need to be over-prepared for what might come. Are there any changes coming to EvoS that we should be aware of? Preparation is just common sense! It’s like knowing your best angles and having good light before taking a SELF-E. You wouldn’t waltz in with untrimmed claws and ruffled fur and expect to take a purrfect pic, right? No! You’d put on your best face, dress up, strike a pose, and give yourself the best odds at looking amazing.

Your SELF-Es with fans have been a real success for EvoS. My fans are the best! They’re the coolest cats you can imagine – and so photogenic!

They’re why I’m psyched that there is SO MUCH good stuff coming from EvoS soon. We’ve been experimenting with meowtstanding tech that we got from Hyperbotics, and I think our next creation will be a smash hit. Maybe even more popular than I am, if that’s pawsible.

Tech from Hyperbotics? So you’re working on a robo-hybrid? Robo-inspired, at least.

Ooh, I hope I don’t get in trouble for letting the cat out of the bag! I just got my Rez contract. I don’t wanna go back to just 9 lives! But I’ve been DYING to tell someone, so maybe it’s worth it.

It’s refreshing to hear what’s coming up. This is all part of a more transparent, open EvoS, right? Purrceptive! My goal is to shine a light on all the good that EvoS does for Atlas. It’s a new era filled with pawesome people and hybrids and robots and ME!

Well, thank you so much for speaking with us today. It looks like my time is up. However, I know that you wanted to take some questions from the citizens of Atlas. Would you be willing to do that right now? Meow! Errr, I mean, yes! Let me at ‘em! That sounds super fun.

***

KingPyroJacks asks… “Mew or Meow?” Get meowt of here with that. MEOW!

Omarjairs asks… Who is your favorite band/singer? Also, if you could go on a picnic with only two other freelancers, whom would you go with, why, and what would you eat? There’s this girl-boy band called A+Lass? Have you heard of them? They’ve got this amazing nu-psi dance pop thing going on that I love. Then there’s KID-RAD. She used to be Kid Radamantium, but she got into a whole legal thing with Warbotics. So silly.

Also, I would LOVE to go on a picnic with Rask! He’s a total carnivore, so I would prob just pack some EvoSausage for him and Grow-Packs for me and hope he doesn’t scarf it all down. It’d be a super great chance for us to get to know each other, now that we’re related.

And I miss Quark! It was so fun having Quark at EvoS for a couple months. And since Rask is surprisingly fond of that one too, a picnic with the three of us would work out purrfectly.

XuShinra asks… Who is your Purrfect lancer companion? ;3 Thank you so much for asking! I think my purrfect lancer companion is Dr. Finn. (TBH, he’d be SO JELLY if I said like, literally anyone else. He’s probz mad at the picnic answer furreal).

Kiwi asks… Is Rio your enemy? *looks at you with suspicious eyes* I looooove RIO! I love all animal-kind, robo, hybrid, or anything in between. It’s not RIO’s fault that his friend is a meany.

C4SaberKing asks… Do you like cookies? Are there people who don’t!?

Oh, wait. There’s that cult in the border-crossing that thinks sugar will melt your brain. Like, they’re not wrong, but furreal, just drink some Brain Plus! You’ll be set for life.

Outflight asks... [Are you] into sports or combat? I looooove shooting hoops. And ultimate frisky. And any other kind of ball game. Track and field – disc toss, lancer throw… I am like, super competitive.

Mobi_ asks… Favorite dinosaur? That’s soooooo hard! I mean, I know who Big Boss would tell me to pick, but there are SO many awesome dinos. Can it be a 700-way tie between all of them?

3k1aire asks… Pineapple on pizza or no pineapple on pizza? Why stop at pizza!? Pineapple sandwiches. Pineapple pies. Pineapple cereal. Pineapple vitamins. Pineapple water. Pineapple people.

Oof, we should probably stop at pineapple people, actually. EvoS tried that once and it was not pretty. Very poky!

Blakadder_ asks... How much do you hate Oz? I actually had a Jimmy 6 toy that I loved. I was SO SAD about the recall. Every time I see Oz, I just want to hug him and cover him in stickers and watch him do his magic tricks. Only of his own free will, of course.

Oz, if you’re reading this, call me, mmk?

TheGamingGenome asks... What are your views on Helio Corps and it's founder, Helio? I was talking to Zuki (who is so fun! I love her), and she says Helio is a great guy, but I wouldn’t really know. He’s so BUSY. He’s basically just a red blur that zooms around Atlas.

From what I’ve seen, Helio Corps seems to be doing good stuff. Now that those Heli-Orbs are out in the Waste, I can play with my laser-pointers all day every day without worrying about energy limits. Plus, the Helio Corps building is SUPER nice. They have this giant electro-ball thing in the lobby that makes all my fur stand up when I walk by.

HirayaCM asks... Were you born a human EvoS-ised with cat DNA or vice versa? Who'd be the better cat burglar between you and Celeste? For the cat burglaring, I’m pretty meowtstanding at stuff when I put my mind to it. Celeste would be in for some FIERCE competition.

As for my origins, I made myself. And technically, without Dr. Finn’s purrmission. He didn’t like it at first, but he came around eventually! I can be very purrsuasive. =^.^=

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heroesandvillainsofmbti · 7 years

Text

ESTP: Jadzia Dax, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”

ESTP – the Adventurer, the Dynamo, the Promoter

Jadzia Dax doesn’t suffer as much from the inner angst of her moody friends on DS9. She’s a generally upbeat, adventurous young woman who just happens to carry the wisdom of the ages inside her. Even being over 300 years old, she still has room to grow, in all the ways you’d expect a happy yet impulsive ESTP to grow. Our time with her was too short, but a hell of a lot of fun.

Dominant Function: (Se) Extraverted Sensing, “The Kitchens”

Jadzia starts her mornings with a wrestling match and an alcoholic drink called a black hole. She plays Tongo with Ferengi and fights bat’leth duels with Klingons. She drags her mopey friend Kira into costumed adventures and spa getaways in the holosuites.

She pilots the Defiant, briefly becomes its captain, and goes on any away mission that needs someone smart, alert, and brave. When she’s thrown back in time to 21st-century Earth, she sizes up her situation immediately upon waking and bluffs her way into a comfortable home and resources to find her friends.

She throws a legendary bachelorette party, and won’t let her stuffy fiance or in-laws kill the vibe.

One of Jadzia’s biggest responsibilities as a Trill host is to provide new experiences for the symbiont. Each host should add something unique to the collection of memories and lifetimes they’ll pass on. Looking back is not allowed, and the couple of times Jadzia does—going on a mission of vengeance with old Klingons she knew when she was Curzon, or rekindling a romance with a woman whose previous host was her wife when she was Torias—she gets into trouble.

Which is not to say that Jadzia never uses her past lives to her advantage. Tobias’ engineering skills, Emony’s gymnastic abilities, Curzon’s talent for cultural engagement, and more all make up parts of her arsenal. She shares stories and memories from her previous hosts, but she’s rarely sentimental or nostalgic, or looking back on those experiences to define herself in the present. By contrast, when she’s temporarily taken over by one of the telepathic spheres in “Dramatis Personae,” she turns into a parody of an old man who’s constantly taken out of the moment by rabbit trails of reminiscing.

Even her vengeance quest and rekindled romance are basically impulsive moves based on what she wants to do in the moment. Her friends try to talk sense and caution to her, but Jadzia won’t be stopped. She jumps into a relationship with a man whose planet is about to disappear for 80 years, and decides to resign her commission to go with him. It only doesn’t work because she isn’t correctly in phase with his planet. When Worf joins the crew, she’s immediately smitten, and once she gets his attention, they get to business with destructive enthusiasm.

She’s the one who suggests they get married, seizing the opportunity as they’re about to part ways during a Dominion attack. They’re in the middle of a war, after all. Who knows what will happen next?

Auxiliary Function: (Ti) Introverted Thinking, “The Laboratory”

Jadzia’s a swift problem-solver with a curious mind. She makes the crucial suggestion in the first episode that helps Chief O’Brien move the station from Bajor to the wormhole. Paired up, Dax and O’Brien can fix, solve, and create just about anything—they’re virtually unstoppable once Rom joins them.

Jadzia serves as DS9’s Chief Science Officer (a title not officially held by any other leading character in the franchise except Spock), and her skills are kind of a catch-all of all things science-y. She seems to do fine with astrophysics, biology, anthropology—you name the anomaly or artifact, and she can figure it out. Considering she has seven previous lifetimes behind her, that’s not too surprising, I suppose. Even as an unjoined initiate, Jadzia sounds like she was an intellectual overachiever (and an introvert; I suspect she was IXTP).

Jadzia also wields a biting and clever sarcasm that she uses to deflate many a tense situation or pompous personality. This can annoy her Feeler husband, who wishes she would act more appropriately. Sisko chews her out for it when she gets a little too snippy during their siege within the crashed Jem’Hadar ship.

When her mother-in-law-to-be torments her by making her memorize and recite their Klingon house’s noble history, Jadzia does her research and gleefully reveals the legends to be a pack of lies.

Tertiary Function: (Fe) Extraverted Feeling, “The Garden Fountain”

Jadzia doesn’t care much for ceremony. She resists Worf and his family’s insistence on formal traditions and grueling tests of honor. This almost ruins the wedding, until Sisko advises the “Old Man” that she kind of needs to grow up and be humble for Worf’s sake.

At the same time, Jadzia cares very much for her friends, often to the point of meddling. She loves gossiping with Kira about their love lives and trying to get her to date more exciting specimens. She’s always available to give sage counsel to her old friend Benjamin, whom she mentored in her previous life. She pranks Odo by moving the furniture in his quarters a centimeter this way or that, which is really just her way of getting him to loosen up.

When she gets to meet her previous hosts through her friends’ bodies, Jadzia reveals she’s still insecure about getting dropped from the initiate program the first time around, and needs reassurance from Curzon that she’s still worthy of being a Dax.

Jadzia shows a surprising amount of tolerance for other cultures like the Klingons and Ferengi. She joins Quark and his friends for games and drinks, and fits right in. She encourages the Fi-dom Kira to be less quick to judge, and accept the Ferengi for who they are (she does draw the line, and harshly, when Quark starts selling weapons). She takes the same approach with Klingons, joining their crews and their quests on more than one occassion. She’s pretty much accepted as a Klingon by everyone except Worf’s adoptive mother-in-law. At least, until she apologizes.

Inferior Function: (Ni) Introverted Intuition, “The Labyrinth”

Jadzia acts best on the spur of the moment, and despite her centuries of life experience, has difficulty thinking through the consequences of her impulses. She really shouldn’t be allowed to come back to work after slaughtering people on her Klingon revenge mission, but Sisko gives her a pass with one raised eyebrow. She initiates her marriage with Worf, but would rather leave the planning to him.

Once she’s married to Worf, however, she starts thinking about their future together. They decide to make a baby, and go through medical tests and procedures to make it happen. She even consults a Bajoran Orb for spiritual guidance.

Quark and Bashir sadly reflect that this means the marriage is going to last for a long time.

Unfortunately, they’re wrong, but that’s Dukat’s fault, not theirs. Jadzia’s last words to her love express her certainty that their children would have been beautiful.

#MBTI #Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #Jadzia Dax #Terry Farrell #ESTP #cognitive functions #Se-dom #Se #Extraverted Sensing #Ti-aux #Ti #Fe #Extraverted Feeling #Ni #Introverted Intuition

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