#lost in the delta quadrant. (aesthetics.)

[delta-queerdrant]

the best allies we could have (Alliances, s2 e14)

If Voyager’s Kazon arc has a peak, it’s “Alliances.” Here it is, the dramatic turning point in our understanding of Delta Quadrant politics! This episode has a kernel of something almost compelling, but like much of season two, it’s sadly undercut by storytelling failures.

We cold-open on a firefight with the Kazon. Star Trek battle scenes are so silly; why do the consoles explode? I guess the claustrophobic mayhem is a holdover from the nuclear submarine aesthetics of TOS. I will never not be amused by how Janeway’s hair explodes every time they’re in a fight. Are there no bobby pins in space?

A crewman dies in the battle, and we learn that two more have died in previous Kazon encounters, our first casualties since Durst got de-faced (lol) by the Vidiians. The tension is real - redshirt deaths hit differently when a small crew has trauma-bonded in space.

A faction of the crew wants to buy off the pursuing Kazon with Federation technology, but Janeway won’t turn her back on the Prime Directive. The Starfleet/Maquis divide, usually an afterthought, feels momentarily real. We’re treated to a three-way debate between Janeway’s lawful good authoritarianism, Chakotay’s collaborative ethos, and Tuvok’s detached realpolitik. “This isn’t a democracy, Chakotay, I can’t run this ship by consensus,” Janeway says, briefly inviting a utopian, communitarian vision of a Voyager actually run by consensus. But even she’s swayed by Tuvok’s (frankly, bullshit) suggestion that a temporary alliance with the Kazon has the potential to make the Delta Quadrant more stable as long as Voyager doesn’t actually hand over technology.

This is arguably a weak leadership moment for Janeway, who can’t adapt to the demands of her environment or crew, but maybe it’s okay to be a rules-y Taurus if you surround yourself with people who correct your worst impulses.

Janeway reaches out to Seska to try to broker a deal, which is fun because it’s genuinely unexpected and makes Chakotay so squirmy. Meanwhile Neelix makes contact with a Kazon acquaintance. They meet up in what I believe is the first “hive of scum and villainy” of the series. You know these people are up to no good because there are alien bikini girls!

Here Neelix encounters the Trabe, another local alien species who have their own story to tell. The episode both becomes interesting and loses the plot completely.

The Trabe tell Voyager that “over thirty years ago,” they enslaved the Kazon in an apartheid society. When the Kazon rose up, the Trabe lost everything. Now the Trabe are a landless people still persecuted by those they oppressed, even though decades have passed and many of the Trabe were children when the Kazon overthrew them.

Janeway is delighted - instead of allying with the Kazon, they can ally with the friendly Trabe! Chakotay agrees - the Trabe, after all, have openly acknowledged the harm their people caused.

Meanwhile, me: OMG NOOOO THEY FOUND WHITE PEOPLE IN SPACE

Previously I wrote about the Kazon as a parable for midcentury US race relations. Before I rewatched “Alliances,” I genuinely thought they were just clearance-rack racialized space baddies, but here the parallels to white Boomer experiences of the 1960s uprisings are unmistakable. It’s a resonant scene, but watching our command team fall over each other to befriend their new pals is… stressful.

The Trabe build on Janeway's proposal: together they’ll bring the Kazon together and negotiate for peace. But when the meeting begins, the viewer can’t help but notice that the Kazon seem like the most reasonable people in the room. They don’t trust the Trabe or Janeway, and they have a much better read on the power dynamics at play than Janeway does. Because the meeting is a fucking trap.

This episode is such a bummer. Maybe I'm being too charitable, but it feels like a genuine attempt at anti-white supremacist storytelling that missed the mark. Janeway, our audience surrogate, is presented with a complex political situation and immediately latches onto the group she identifies with: white-presenting people who have claimed the moral high ground after centuries as oppressors. Then the rug is pulled out from under her. White liberalism as a facade for violence is a very mid-nineties dynamic.

The full impact of this plot twist relies on the viewer sharing Janeway’s white myopia. If you don’t implicitly trust the Trabe (or the writers), you spend the whole episode screaming at the television. Why are our protagonists so clueless?

“I hope there's a lesson for all of us in this,” Janeway says in the final scene. “Although some of the species we've encountered here have been peaceful, others seem governed only by their own self-interests.” It’s not a good look when our hero has traveled 70,000 light years to learn that… politics are a thing? And why didn’t her command team didn’t save her from herself? Are you telling me that Chakotay, the Indigenous anti-authoritarian militant, is this politically naive?

If “Alliances” is at times a smart portrait of how an oppressor mindset operates, it’s undermined by an offensive caricature of resistance. Violent resistance absolutely can be fueled by an ideology of separatism and racial hatred, but the Kazon aren’t a resistance movement; they’ve won. Yet the Kazon resemble white peoples' worst fears of postcolonial "failed states." It feels like the writers genuinely believe that the political and social problems of formerly dispossessed people are of their own making, not recognizing the ways that white supremacy and economic imperialism still actively shape the lives of formerly colonized peoples. The Kazon only make sense in a universe where the Trabe are still economically and politically exploiting them, and that's not the universe we're shown.

We needed an episode with this shape, one that sets up the hard political choices of later seasons, and I can accept that requires our characters to exercise truly poor judgment. But this attempt at gritty politics doesn’t feel grounded in anything real, and the result feels disappointingly thin.

2/5 triangular tables.

#star trek #star trek voyager #kazon #janeway's hair #space racism

[cicaklah]

Question 4 and 8 (interpret how you will) for the Star Trek ask

From: infant-rind

4. favourite alien species

its either the romulans or the cardassians, which is actually in itself a lie, it IS the cardassians, I will never not be cardassian trash, the most fleshed out alien species alongside the bajorans thanks to ds9, but the bajorans are interesting, the cardassians are sarcastic failed imperialists who refuse to go away, every cardassian is different in the best way and they all interact, their society feels the most developed, as a failed-state military dictatorship, it is the least planet of the hats star trek race, while also being SUPER iconic looks-wise. Also Garak is my favourite trek character and Dukat my favourite villain, and not only are they the species there are slurs about, there are two of them (cardis and spoonheads).

that said i DO like romulans. they're vulcans with personalities and horrendous government, another failed-state military dictatorship, whats not to like????

8. Which captain would you most want to serve under?

lets workshop this in real time because my singing teacher hasn't turned up for my lesson:

kirk - great age of exploration, regressive in terms of what came after, the sexism makes this a no. I like the uniforms but I don't really have the legs for the miniskirts. if they have a space historian they probably have a space economist, so I might get to elope with a space allegory of some historical economist, which honestly would suck as econs are not known for being hotties, though I'm sure me and space keynes would be very happy together.

picard - this is probably the boring answer, since you'd be on the flagship in a time of moderate peace, you'd definitely survive wolf 359, and likely survive the dominion war since the enterprise wasn't involved, cool missions, nice ship, awkward uniforms for a lot of it though.

sisko - it would be an honour, ds9 is my favourite and he seems a good boss who makes good decisions. this is definitely the correct answer. better uniforms. more option to wear terrible 24th century civvies. Likely to be the kind of place lieutenant cicak, space economist would end up working lbr, economics is more of a starbase job.

janeway - i would not want to be lost in the delta quadrant with limited replicators, also she makes absolute batshit decisions. Probably my favourite 24th century uniform though.

archer - he seems pretty fair but I'm not going to choose 22nd century over the 23rd or 24th. Also how do you fucking pee in a jumpsuit.

aos kirk - i'd be blinded by the lensflares AND the horny, sign me up. Uniforms okay. no need for an economist because this world hasn't been thought out enough, but that's okay.

georgiou - she seems such a nice captain I think it would be amazing to serve under her, as long as I got out before binary stars. uniforms aesthetic but jumpsuits are a no.

lorca - statistically you gotta serve under a bad captain of the week at some point, and at least he's only really around for maximum six months. Also he's hot and amoral and makes really terrible decisions AND at some point we'd end up in the mirror universe and we'd have to wear THAT uniform. but it would be better than the jumpsuit

pike (disco variant) - he's so good at being captain even when the disco is a trashfire of epic proportions, 23rd century me would have requested a transfer to the enterprise asap

saru - absolutely not, saru is a terrible captain.

burnham - I would be terrified to serve under her but I'd also have made some bad decisions in my life to be 1000 years in the future. The uniform does get better? but also it still sucks.

rios - complex, I love la sirena but rios doesn't have crew. captain rios of the stargazer??? I choose not to accept picard s2 as canon.

freeman - cerritos actually would be excellent, I would HAPPILY serve under freeman. good uniforms. chill ship. dominion war over. pre-romulan crisis. fun times, important work that's not too important, canonically statistically the horniest ship in the fleet.

pike (snw variant) - OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN what a time to be alive. Amazing uniforms. Minimal sexism. back to back hotties. Good command decisions. Musical episode. Exploring!!! period of peace following brutal klingon war. enormous quarters. sign me up.

shaw - you know what, I WOULD serve under shaw, shaw is a good captain who got absolutely clusterfucked by picard, riker, baby picard, and seven, the titan-a seems like a nice ship, and I'm old enough I wouldn't get borg semened.

seven - ditch baby picard and I'm there. even if the enterprise-f is fuck ugly. the uniforms are good, turn the lights on, lets have some fun.

tldr: sisko, pike (snw), freeman, shaw, picard (tng), lorca

#star trek #meme me #star trek meme

[parallaxedcaptain]

muse vs. mun - starfleet edition

Tagged by: @afraidofchange

Tagging: @isabellashepard, @ihlonhae, @strings-have-been-cut, @starsassume, @starfleetsmutineer, @starbcrn-kids, @viisorfree, @more--perfect, @iamselfmade, @ltbroccoli, and whoever wants to!

#captain's log (ooc.) #lost in the delta quadrant. (aesthetics.) #{ i am but a gay lil goth. } #{ happy first contact day y'all. }

[parallaxedcaptain]

How do you tragically die?

Became a Martyr

You knew what your death would mean to the world, and sacrificed yourself to make a statement. Your name became a rallying cry for the righteous, and through the influence of your death, you changed the course of history for the better.

Tagged by: Snagged from @starsassume​. Today is not your day, Borg Queen. ;)

Tagging: Feel free to steal!

#Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #{ The irony!! } #icon: scatteredhope

[parallaxedcaptain]

What kind of flower are you?

Rose

You are a hopeless romantic, driven by your heart in everything you do. You likely love classic movies or music, and find inspiration in poetry and lyrics. You dream of living within a story, day dreaming of soulmates and fate. The mom friend, you are a Type A planner who probably has a bit of anxiety. A bit of a night owl, you have always been fascinated with exploring old European cities and imagining the stories that have lived within their streets. You prefer the city over the country, and try to see the best in people. But you have built up your walls high, you do not trust easily. Don't forget to step down from your day dreams and let people prove you wrong my love, it's okay to shed your thorns and let others enjoy your scent.

Tagged by: @isabellashepard { Thank you! :) }

Tagging: @astraldestiny, @sanctamater, @titanomyrma, @starbcrn-kids​, @starsassume, @strings-have-been-cut, @ihlonhae, @imafirefly, @anderwhohn, & anyone who feels compelled to do so!

#icon: scatteredhope #{ ah :") } #Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.)

[parallaxedcaptain]

PLANT PERSONALITY:  34% Echinacea, 33% Hibiscus, 33% Reishi

Echinacea: Determined and reliable, you’re a person folks can count on. Your stimulating personality inspires those around you to keep things moving and to shake off stagnant energies. Even in the most unlikely circumstances, you will find a way to have a good time. While you are known for being fun-loving, not everyone knows that you’re a deeply rooted being that can weather all seasons.

Hibiscus: Vibrant and lively, you always stay curious. Things that give others a “sour taste” are seen by you as opportunities to explore a deeper meaning. You have a strong desire to understand others and are known for being intellectually curious. While you’re very adaptable, you flourish in warm environments when you can show up as your full sunny (and yes, sometimes sour) self.

Reishi: Patient and dependable, you’re able to stand your ground. You’re known as a rejuvenating force. Others may see you as slow-moving, but your medicine is consistent, and your energy gets better over time. Because you’re so dependable, you tend to stay steady and can stick to a plan. You grow well in unsuspecting places, sometimes ones that are hard to find, where you’re not rushed or bothered.

Tagged by: @afraidofchange​ 

Tagging: @anderwhohn, @ihlonhae, @iamselfmade, @isabellashepard, @astraldestiny, @garakk​, & whoever wants to snag this! 

#icon: scatteredhope #Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #{ This quiz was made for Keiko O'Brien imo. }

[parallaxedcaptain]

What are you the god of?

patron of reunions

humanity delights you, and for all their troubles and hardships, you decide that sometimes, you will let them win. thus, you grant them the blessing of reunion. think of harbours lined with people, each one waiting for a sailor to come ashore. think of chance encounters, of suspiciously serendipitous days where souls gone astray finally orbit one another and collide again. you are the god of finding COURAGE, of conceding and asking for HELP. the god of setting broken things to mend, of starting the healing process and seeing it through to completion. god of long overdue embraces, giver of clear eyesight used to navigate a sea of people. protector of those who lie awake at night in DREAMLESS, fitful sleep, praying for a return. god of leaving a light on and unlocking the door, physically and symbolically. you pave the way home in smooth stone, serving as cushions for blistered, wandering feet. you set the banquet and rehearse the orchestra: you bless the home anticipating the wayward, whether it is a castle or a hovel. THE HERALD OF ARRIVAL, the one who guides the lost to where they can finally be found.

Tagged by: @afraidofchange​ <3 

Tagging: @imafirefly, @ihlonhae, @titanomyrma, @astraldestiny, @astwisted, @strings-have-been-cut, @pastchronicled​, & whoever hasn’t done this. :)

#Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #{ Interesting. } #icon: scatteredhope

[parallaxedcaptain]

Q. WHAT WERE YOUR HANDS MEANT TO DO?

nourish

Maybe you should invest in flour. You work, work hard and sometimes you feel like that’s all you can do. That it'll never pay off. But there’s no greater feeling than to see the joy you bring to others, to see them succeed with the tools you gave them. You may not be a leader, but a leader’s spine, shoulders, ribs. You are the dawn before the sun. It’s sweet, too sweet, but it’s better than nothing. You are endless golden fields, salt of the earth, and the lives of all who devour it.

Tagged by: @sanctamater Thank yoooou, bffl.  Tagging: @afraidofchange, @isabellashepard, @cristobalrios, @ihlonhae, @womanlives, @astraldestiny, @astwisted, @iamselfmade, @imafirefly, @garakk, and whomever else wants to!

#Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #{ ahhh i love this so much }

[parallaxedcaptain]

WHAT  GOD  ARE  YOU  A  REINCARNATION  OF  ?

ARTEMIS/DIANA:  Artemis is the Greek goddess of the moon, the wild, and the hunt...  She is beautiful, often portrayed with ginger hair and hazel eyes as bright as the moon, as is the daughter of the king of the gods, Zeus. She shares the symbol of the moon with two gods, Selene (who has the upper lip of the moon, symbolising the heavens), and Hecate (the goddess of magic who has the ring of the moon). Although Artemis is a virgin, she briefly had a lover, Orion, but was tricked into shooting him by Apollo. She then put a constellation of Orion into the sky, which is another of her abilities. Although she is one of the friendliest Greek gods, she can also be quite savage, such as when a mortal man was gawking at her bathing at the river, she transformed him into a stag and fed him to her wild dogs.

Yeeted from: @sanctamater

Tagging: @afraidofchange, @isabellashepard, @starfleetsmutineer, @pastchronicled​, @vorcotec​, @iamselfmade​, @strings-have-been-cut​.

#Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #q. #Along the Q Continuum (q.) #Observations. (Headcanon.)

[parallaxedcaptain]

bold what definitely applies to your muse. italicize what somewhat applies to your muse. italicize & bold what used to apply to your muse. repost; do NOT reblog.

𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒. tries to do everything at once, doesn’t know when to stop and take care of themselves, bends over backwards for everyone even if someone did them dirty, has entirely too much on their plate

𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐔𝐒. idealistic, spends a lot of time trying to impress others, doesn’t like to apologize, eating is a coping mechanism or just addictive personalities in general ( coping mechanisms ), a tad codependent

𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈.   the most flip floppy people ever, what’s today’s mood?, never apologizes, in denial 90% of the time, their way is the highway, desperately needs a break, they have a hard time setting goals because their goals scare them

𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑.   the literal meaning of I’ll give you the shirt off my back, isolates themselves in fear of someone hurting them, wants to change but is scared of change, complains a lot but never takes advice people give them

𝐋𝐄𝐎.   no one takes them seriously because they feel they always have to portray themselves as the fun one, is actually really sad inside, honestly needs a hug, exhausted always, a crackhead

𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐆𝐎.   can dish it but can’t take it, rushes everything, anxious, plans their future but forgets to live in the moment, sometimes ignores their friends because they have so much on their mind, talks about themselves a lot and sometimes forgets to ask the other person how they are

𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀.   solves everyone’s problems but their own, is actually really sad and lonely, gets easily heartbroken but tries not to show it, will do anything to justify bad decisions, honestly just wants everyone to love them but doesn’t really love their self

𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐈𝐎.   easily set off, will give anyone the cold shoulder at any time even without reason, keeps a lot in, so observant that they often times find out things that hurt them, too many “what ifs” swirling in their heads, has trouble showing their true selves

𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐔𝐒.   impatient, brash, commitment issues, body issues, doesn’t realize they don’t need to change for anyone, has a lot of different goals to a point where they get overwhelmed, just wants to disappear and do what they want without anyone questioning them

𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐍. scared people won’t like them unless they’re at the top of their game 24/7, takes a LOT for them to talk about their feelings, secretly struggling, fake happy, needs a plan but doesn’t know what that plan is, confident but insecure at the same time, wants to be stable but sometimes wishes they could drop everyone’s expectations of them and live normally

𝐀𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐔𝐒. gets heartbroken like 30 times a week, trust issues, can be unmotivated and disinterested, feels they have to adapt to every person they meet so they can be liked, doesn’t know how to tap into their emotions despite being very intuitive, confused, expects little

𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐒.   empathetic often to a point of no return, plays the victim, doesn’t know when to say no, cynical, hermit, is very impatient, trusts everyone too much, can be secretly very critical and judgmental, can only tolerate maybe ten minutes of social interaction, needs a lot of validation

Tagged: Yanked from @sfcwilliams​

Tagging: Please feel free to steal.

#Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.) #icon: scatteredhope

[parallaxedcaptain]

GOTHIC LITERATURE.

bold what applies. italicize what sometimes applies. repost, don’t reblog.

i. DRACULA. cold to the touch. flickering candles. cold breath upon your neck. billowing white gowns. midnight strolls. pearl trimmed bands. indulging in your deepest desires. the fall from grace. the fear of outsiders. bloodstained sheets. dark imaginations. something lurking in the shadows. the urge to run away. glowing eyes in the darkness. the scent of garlic. preying on the weak. the power to both bring and take life.

ii. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. old bookshelves. kisses on the hand. devotion to the finer things in life. prizing youth and beauty above all. paying the ultimate price. the pursuit of pleasure. blood red sins painted over in white snow. a drug-induced stupor. breaking the heart of the one you love. losing what’s left of your humanity.

iii. FRANKENSTEIN. frantic sketches. the stench of something rotten. unorthodox beliefs. a scream from the woods. candles burning out. dangerous knowledge. contemplating existence. the crunch of leaves. the chill of winter in your bones. dark ambitions. prometheus reborn. the contrast between life and death.

iv. THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. false accusations. taking justice into your own hands. divine justice. elaborate schemes. playing upon others’ weaknesses. the solitude of the ocean. an ever-changing identity. dissatisfaction in your life. an alienation from humanity. escaping from prison.

Tagged by: @isabellashepard​

Tagging: Whoever wants to, please feel free. 

#icon: scatteredhope #Lost in the Delta Quadrant. (Aesthetics.)