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eponymous-rose · 9 months

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So I've been rewatching Star Trek: TNG as comfort TV during/post-move and just got to Yesterday's Enterprise, which I remember liking well enough, but man, it's really unusual in the context of the rest of these early episodes. For one thing, the violence shown is a lot more stark than we've seen in the show thus far - Riker with his throat cut, Captain Garrett with the metal shrapnel in her head, lingering close-ups on dead faces. It's dark and moody and the "happy ending" resolution (as far as we know at this point, anyway) is saving the few survivors of a brutal battle, patching them up, and then shipping them straight back into that battle to be killed.

Given the show's not-so-great track record with its female characters, it's weirdly refreshing that we get a re-do for Tasha Yar. And yeah, she falls in love with a dude and goes off with him on his ship, but she was ready to say goodbye to him and that would've been that - what finally prompts her to step willingly into the meat-grinder is the realization that she had an "empty death" (Guinan had some really raw lines in this one) in the other timeline, and that now her death can have some meaning. It's nicely done, if a bit of a self-flagellating "mea culpa" on the writers' parts.

The alternate timeline isn't the gleeful, campy evil of the Mirrorverse, it's just an exhausted grind through the final days of a losing war. Lots of little touches show how desperate things have become - Wesley's been fast-tracked to a full ensign, Picard is a tactician first and foremost (he takes officers' opinions under advisement, yes, but he's also keeping from them the inevitable, imminent surrender), the bridge is laid out so the captain is front and center with everyone else in the background. As a contrast with the actual Enterprise's chill 90s living room lounge vibe, it's pretty striking. It's like a sneak preview into the bleak and war-heavy sci-fi that would start saturating pop culture a decade or so later, and then it's a firm rejection of that premise - "This isn't a ship of war. It's a ship of peace."

I have a long, long history with TNG - DS9 is my favorite Trek on balance, but TNG is encoded in my DNA. From around ages 3 and 5, my brother and I were watching and rewatching TNG constantly. (My parents would laugh over the fact that my brother didn't know how to read yet but had memorized the episode titles of the first couple seasons.) We had pajamas. We scoured every garage sale and had a giant metal can full of action figures and phasers and tricorders and ships and even, shockingly, that transporter toy that made things disappear using mirrors.

The tactile experience of those toys is burned in my brain - the loose nacelles on the Enterprise model, the click of the left phaser button, the little hole at the bottom of the Borg cube that we once stuck a pencil in and had the tip of the graphite snap off and rattle around forevermore. My brother and I played incessantly with our action figures, to the point where most of them had the paint at least partially rubbed off - we created hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of new episodes over the years. The first time I ever used a touchscreen was at some sort of Star Trek exhibition in Canada in the early 90s that we stumbled across on our way to visit my grandparents.

I'm always fascinated by how kids interact with fictional media - my brother and I were so young, but we obviously knew Star Trek wasn't real. Except... I just always assumed that important people watched it, realized "well, that seems nice", and were actively working to make that future happen. I was (perhaps a little embarrassingly) older when I realized that no, we weren't gonna be out there on science missions to the stars during my lifetime. At least, not in an Enterprise kind of way.

At any given time, there's just this Star Trek filter over how I experience the world - when I got to go to college thanks to scholarships, I had that weighty feeling of responsibility and awe that came with daydreaming about Starfleet Academy. I saw my career shift from the gold of engineering to the blue of science to the red of command. And the older I get, the more I appreciate a show that, for all its flaws, managed to make a utopia interesting and complex.

Because TNG was such a phenomenon when I was a little kid in the early 90s, a lot of my family relationships also have TNG tied up in them. I remember going to my grandparents' apartment and my uncle showing us a fan magazine about the show. I remember another uncle who didn't really "get it" but gifted me and my brother astronaut ice cream because he knew we liked that space stuff. I remember watching most episodes curled up on the couch or my parents' bed with my brother and my mom and dad. When Mom got sick and we talked about death, I remember the way she wistfully brought up the Nexus from Generations or how she hoped she could see the next season of Picard (she didn't, sadly, but she really enjoyed that first season). Hell, one of the first real bonding moments I had with my otherwise hyper-professional and businesslike PhD advisor was when she made a TNG joke, I laughed at it, and she said, "I just love that show, everyone's so nice to each other."

It's just been a lot of fun coming back to this show, is all. I think I periodically forget how much it's affected me and the extent to which it was a fundamental, formative influence. While a lot of it either hasn't aged well or fails to hold up to modern media analysis, so much of it is still lovely, and occasionally there are these moments of shockingly good storytelling.

Star Trek good.

#eponymous text post tag #eponymous moving tag 2023 #star trek tng

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star-trek-dumb-comics · 1 year

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Ranking the star trek openings (of series I've seen) bc I have nothing else to do :

1- TNG season 1-2

Perfect 10/10. Love the Patrick Stewart narration. The music is just straight up happy juice every time I hear it. Makes me really eager and energetic and gets me in the mood every time. Only downside is that I think it shouldn't be used as a end credit music, because it create a pretty jarring mood whiplash with the endings of some episodes

2- TNG season 3-7

Pretty much the same, except I like the sorta "reverb" sound and chords of the first one better.

3- Lower decks

The theme song slaps sooo hard it was one of the few things that kept me watching in season 1 when back then I really didn't like the show. The visuals are pretty fun as well and look very good

4- TOS season 1-2

This may just be nostalgia speaking but the relaxed and content "home" feeling I get when I hear this theme is unparalleled. Also I like how short it is, which means I almost never skip it even when binging.

5- TOS season 3

It's really almost on the same level as the first one but I like the singing a bit less than the instrumental. But idk the blue letters do look a bit better

6- Voyager

Voy may be mid, but it does have a dope opening music. Really engaging and emotional. The visuals are fine but the ship just doesn't look as good as Enterprises sorry

7- Enterprise season 1-2

Okey HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT. The visuals are really cool, and this opening would have made top three if they used Archer's theme instead of Faith of the heart like they planned at first. But hey. Ik the song is bad but like Enterprise itself, I have developed a weird fondness to it. I went trough the classic arc of hating it - liking it ironically - liking it unironically back when I first watched the show. Now I just sing along and almost never skip it.

8- TAS

this theme funky af

9- SNW

Still not decided on my feeling about this theme (like the show itself funnily enough). Feels nostalgia baity with the TOS remix but at the same time it is different enough from the TOS theme to be its own thing, and it sounds pretty good. Very cool visuals and love that they brought back the opening narration.

10- DS9 season 4-7

This may be my controversial opinion of the day but as much as I love DS9 I don't really like the opening. It feels dragged out as fuck and the visuals aren't very engaging (+ that meteorite looks ugly as shit sorry). Idk it's the one I skip the most often. This version feels at least a bit faster that the first one but the trumpets are slightly offbeat which is kinda infuriating.

11- DS9 season 1-3

Its sloooooooooow

12- Enterprise season 3-4

Really don't like how they remixed it. I don't even want to sing along, the added rhythm section is so distracting.

Edit : I wanted to add the first Disco theme since I've watched most of season 1 but I have no idea where to put it. I really like the music and the visuals but it just feels like it belongs to a completely different show than Star trek. Even the little TOS notes at the end feel out of place.

#star trek #tos #tng #ds9 #voy #ent #snw #lwd

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hydesjackiespuddinpop · 2 months

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How I would have written Ellie's arc post season 4 (degrassi tng)

Tagging @thedegrassidiaries, my Ellie enthusiast moot <3

Season 5: Ellie would have zero love interests. No being all gaga over Craig, no Ellie lowkey toying with Jimmy's feelings and this weird love triangle. She'd be 100% single.

Ellie and Jimmy would still bond over their love for art and become closer friends, making Hazel a little suspicious. But they'd both let Hazel know they're just friends and nothing more.

I'd also give Hazel and Ellie a bond too. Ellie would give Hazel relationship advice and help her understand the palex situation more. While Hazel would also help Ellie open up about Sean.

Another detail l'd add is that Sean and Ellie lose their virginities to one another the day around the shooting era. Like there is nothing that will get me to believe that Sellie didn't have sex while living together but that Sean and Emma were doing it while he was staying in her house, where her parents and brother also are.

Basically Ellie would be single just hanging out with friends.

Season 6: Ellie still lives with Marco and Paige, she still works at the Core. But she doesn’t date Jesse nor have feelings for Craig. Sean comes back for Ellie but Ellie would still be pissed at him for leaving but he’d eventually earn her trust and forgiveness. They’d get back together in Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The dinner scene in What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost would still be there, except Ellie wouldn’t be passive aggressive towards Cranny. Ellie would be annoyed because BOTH Craig and Manny are there and she’s still upset at how Ashley got fucked over.

Ellie would catch Craig doing coke and he’d blame Manny, but she wouldn’t buy it because as @delsrossi said, Ellie is a journalist and canonically observant. She’d notice that it’s Craig’s. So when Manny catches Ellie at the door, they’d have a short talk. Ellie would tell her that Craig tried to blame her.

Ellie would tell Sean and Marco. Sean would also be on the boat of 'yep this is Craig’s'. Same with Marco. Craig got to rehab and Sellie stays happy and in love.

Sean would have that army storyline, except Ellie would be supportive and the whole pregnancy storyline wouldn’t exist. Sellie would end up doing long distance.

Season 7: She’d just focus on the Core and her friendships with Paige and Marco. No Mellie hookup, no codependency. And Alex would stay in this version too, so I’d show more of her and Ellie’s bond. Maybe also show a bond with her parents. Her long distance relationship with Sean would be thriving. Sean would come back to see her again for a bit and they’d catch up.

In season 8, I wouldn’t even have the subplot with Marco-Paige-Ellie because it regressed both Paige and Ellie and Marco was thrown under the bus.

#degrassi tng #degrassi #my meta #degrassi meta #ellie nash #sellie #anti crellie

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regionalpancake · 6 months

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Top 5 star trek behind the scenes photos?

I think I’ll have to make this ‘Top 5 star trek behind the scenes photos… from Picard season 1’ (because otherwise I’ll be here for hours trying to choose 😂 and also because PIC S1 is my happy place 💕

LOOK at this! I imagine this is Elnor looking at Hugh:

This photo that has been the desktop image on my laptop for over 3 years:

This one I love so much it’s on my fridge:

Here’s James MacKinnon (head of makeup and prosthetics for PIC) working on Del Arco’s make up for Hugh. MacKinnon got a cameo as a Borg in S1 (hence he’s in prosthetics too) they called him Mac-Borg! He also worked on TNG and DS9, I love that he has that kind of history with the show ✨

Another Synthville group shot. Look at this motley crew! (Minus Seven, plus Narek… I should photoshop this thing someday 🧐)

And because 5 was too hard, have a bonus image:

This one kinda hurts. It feels like everything I loved about Picard S1- the Borg/xB’s, the Romulans, the ethics and politics of synthetic life, the well-lit sound stage (I’m looking at you, season 3). I’m starting to get back to the point where I can enjoy S1 and S1 fanworks without being so desperately sad about what the show did the characters that I fell in love with. Here’s hoping that healing continues 🍀

EDIT: I forgot to add, all photos from TrekCore (my beloved)

#asks answered #thanks for the ask!#behind the scenes #star trek la sirena

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serpercival · 9 months

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Having Big Realizations today that are literally changing the way I look at media and it's because of this post:

I've been looking at Doctor Who wrong, I think. I grew up on it. It's been in my life with alarming consistency since I was 2, because that's when Rose was on for the first time, so I have this picture of what Doctor Who is "supposed" to be that's intrinsically tied to the Eccleston/Tennant era of the show.

I've been watching Classic Who, of course. I started on the Pertwee era and have been working through, and it's fun! I can look at it and see the connections between it and Modern Who, even if there are differences. But I wasn't just raised on TV that was on, I watched a lot of Farscape and Mystery Science Theater and TOS/TNG, which means I'm used to the style.

Then there are the Whittaker seasons, and I feel totally disconnected from them. Everything is sweeping and cinematic and doesn't really feel like the shows of the past.

But it feels like other shows that are on today.

I grew up on a standard of TV that was "things that feel like Warehouse 13, Eureka, and Lost". Things that feel like the Eccleston/Tennant era. And I'm familiar with and like other shows from the 3-7 era, MASH and TNG and probably other things, where the camera angles and story structure are Like That.

Doctor Who today has definitely suffered some Disneyfication, but that's because everything has suffered Disneyfication. Marvel movies and media have influenced everything to an astounding degree, but that's no different from things that have happened in the past!

1-2 are Twilight Zone and Hitchcock Presents

3-4 are TOS and Bond and MASH

5-7 are Quantum Leap and Red Dwarf

9-10 are Lost and Warehouse 13 and Eureka

11-12 are early Marvel and The Good Place and Black Mirror

and 13-15 are what's popular now, Our Flag Means Death and Good Omens and Stranger Things and everything else that has been thoroughly influenced by Disney and Marvel's deathgrip on media.

That's not a bad thing, and it took until now for me to realize that.

Doctor Who would not still be on if it didn't adapt and change. It has to adapt, has to regenerate, has to change the way it's presented. And fuck it, I'm going to dig in and enjoy it by the standards of media today, not by the standards of my nostalgia.

#doctor who #fourteenth doctor #fifteenth doctor #david tennant #classic doctor who #This isn't to say you shouldn't criticize things?#Everything deserves criticism #but my criticism has been entirely misplaced and I'm trying to change that #also disney and marvel deserve shittons of criticism but they have undeniably influenced media production

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airlocksandaviaries · 1 year

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EVERY DATA OUTFIT EVER, RATED (pt 1)

BECAUSE YOU ASKED FOR IT

^^ THAT’S MORE THAN THREE NOTES RIGHT THERE. LET’S FREAKING GO.

#1 - The Classic Yellow Uniform (S1 version)

5/10

Simple but effective. The TNG uniform designs serve as usual. I would actually wear this. He looks good in it. It’s very basic, and the later uniform designs are better, of course, but I’m bumping up the rating in it because his tits look gorgeous.

#2 - Sherlock Data pt 1

6/10

It’s just a pipe, but it adds SO MUCH. You can tell he’s really throwing himself into the role. Boy reads a book series for the first time and automatically decides he IS the main character. Just like me fr. Not rating it higher bc I know we can do better with this style.

#3 - Dixon Hill Data pt 1

8.5/10

OUGH. That is an OUTFIT. The tie. The Hat. The HANDKERCHIEF. They sure didn’t half-ass the costumes on this one, they really gave him the full aesthetic and I am HERE FOR IT.

#4 - Lore Outfit Switcheroo

4/10

Basic, TNG, “we found somebody on a planet and we dressed them in the nearest garment we could find, which happens to look like the world’s blandest sweater.” I would have rated it lower if it weren’t for the fact that they layered a v neck and a turtleneck and made him look particularly whoreish.

#5 - Sherlock Data pt 2

7.5/10

Look how happy he is cosplaying his favorite character! This is an odd choice for a costume, though, a robe over a collared shirt, looks kinda like pjs, or maybe I’m just illiterate in 1890s fashion. Still looks good tho. Now we’re getting somewhere.

#6 - Sherlock Data pt 3

11/10

LOOK AT HIM. LOOK AT MY BOY. Benedict Cumberbatch? Robert Downey Jr?? Henry Cavill??? Never heard of em. This is the real Sherlock, a fruity lil android cosplaying his favorite character from his favorite book, bonus points for the gay roleplay with his bf Geordi (playing Watson). This is a Superior Data Look.

#7 - Stand-Up Comedy Data

7/10

Gotta be honest this was one of my least favorite Data B-Stories (aside from the one about comphet) but at least this outfit served absolute android cunt. Knocking off points for how awkward he looks in it tho. Boy pls stop torturing urself for validation from others. It’s physically killing me.

#8 - Poker Visor

3/10

Data why are you wearing that. You can literally see in the dark Data you don’t even need it. Do you think it looks stylish Data. Do you think it looks cool and that’s why you decided to wear it to every single crew poker night. At least you’re trying and that’s what counts.

#9 - One Arm Data

1/10

He arm off. Put it back

#10 - Cowboy Hat Data

🤠/10

yeehaw

#11 - Dixon Hill Data pt 2

8/10

This one is slightly more formal than his previous Dixon Hill attire, and less dramatic, but fashionable nonetheless. Fruity in a way I can’t seem to describe. Period outfits (almost) always fit this man and Idk what it its.

#12 - Strategima Gloves

-10/10

I DO NOT LIKE THOSE FINGER THINGS. THEY ARE GIVING ME ANXIETY. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO WEAR THOSE TO PLAY A STRATEGY GAME. THEY LOOK LIKE COW MILKING MACHINES. WHY ARE THERE TUBES. DATA TAKE THOSE OFF PLEASE I AM HAVING A SENSORY NIGHTMARE JUST LOOKING AT THEM

This concludes Data’s Outfits Rated, Part 1. I’ve made it through Seasons 1 and 2 by combing through footage trying to find wearing anything out of the ordinary. If I’ve missed any please feel free to send ‘em in. Part 2 will be out soon.

#data #data star trek #data's outfits rated #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #star trek memes #tng #data tng #I will be making more soon #star trek

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heymrsandman · 6 days

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Wanna Try Star Trek?

Hi tumblr! I love Star Trek, as do many of you, but it can seem intimidating to folks who are interested but don’t really how to approach such a large franchise. The thing is, Trek’s “golden age” lived in that delicious sweet spot where tv shows outside of soap operas were only just starting to learn about serialisation. These shows were built for drop in, drop out viewing. So I’m gonna write some beginner friendly summary/reviews of various episodes and you can see if it strikes your fancy. If you decide to watch an episode I talk about, please, feel free to talk to me about it!

Also, I made a big spinner wheel of all the TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT episodes and I needed something to do with it.

Today’s random pick is Deep Space Nine’s “Indiscretion”, episode 5 of season 4.

So real quick, Deep Space Nine aired between 1993-1999 and was set aboard the titular space station. It’s still the only Star Trek show not to be based on a ship. The long and short of the premise is that, after a long and gruelling occupation by the Cardassian Union, the planet of Bajor wins its freedom. Having no means of defending themselves from something like this happening again, Bajor reaches out to the Federation (the post-scarcity multi species utopia that humanity is part of) for protection. They send a Starfleet detachment to administer the space station the Cardassians left behind, commanded by one Benjamin Sisko, who has to manage the delicate political situation. This show is by far the most serialised of this era, but nowhere near the extent of modern shows.

First Officer’s Note: Starfleet is an all-in-one exploratory, scientific, defense and diplomatic service, and most of the shows and movies revolve around the various adventures of Starfleet crews.

Our episode today opens with DS9’s First Officer, Major Kira Nerys, receiving a call from an old friend named Razka Karn. He tells her that he’s found a lead on a ship she’s been searching for called the Ravinok. He won’t share the information over a video call, so she’ll have to come to him.

Ship Counsellor’s Note: Kira is a Bajoran, and was previously a member of the Bajoran resistance against the Occupation. Bringing in “one of Kira’s old resistance buddies” is one of the writer’s favourite ways to start up a plot for her.

The station’s security officer Odo shows up for a scene where he’s giving Kira a security report, but her mind’s clearly elsewhere. Odo asks her what’s wrong, and Kira asks whether he thinks she should go after the Ravinok. He tells her it doesn’t matter, as he knows she’s going to go anyway, so all he’ll say is “good luck”.

Usually, there’s some hand wringing over whether or not Sisko will send one of his officers on these personal missions, but here we skip right to Kira packing for her trip, only for Sisko to give her the unpleasant news that the Cardassian government wants in on the search too. See, the Ravinok was a Cardassian ship transporting Bajoran prisoners when it was mysteriously lost.

Kira’s come a long way in her feelings towards Cardassians since the start of the show, so she does (huffily) agree to delay her departure by 52 hours to allow a Cardassian delegate to join her.

Science Officer’s Note: Bajor, and by extension DS9, has a 26 hour day. This is one of those little writerly worldbuilding details that stays consistent, and really helps sell the idea of Bajor being its own place. Take note, aspiring writers!

It’s b-plot time! Sisko has been dating a freighter captain by the name of Kasidy Yates. Jadzia Dax, the Science officer, teases Sikso that things are getting serious, which Sisko denies. Kasidy then shows up to say she’s got an interview to sign up as a freighter captain for the Bajoran government. She’d be around all the time, she could even have quarters on the station! Sisko is clearly scared by the idea, but Jadzia is having way too much fun encouraging Kasidy to care. She’s a cad.

Back at Ops (the command centre), the Cardassian delegate arrives - it’s Dukat! Dun dun dun! Ad break!

Tactical Officer’s Note: Dukat (whose first name is never confirmed in the show, but some of the novels name him Skrain) is a major recurring character on the show. Sometimes an ally, often an opponent, but never liked by the crew. He was the officer in charge of the Occupation of Bajor during its final stages, with the rank of Gul. At this point in the show, he’s recently been promoted to Legate.

On their way to rendezvous with Razka, Dukat, galaxy brained individual that he is, decides to debate Kira on the merits of the Cardassian Occupation. When Kira pushes back on this, he says “I have to desire to debate the merits of the Occupation with you”. Charming guy.

We do get Kira’s motivation here, which is that the Ravinok was transporting a prisoner by the name of Lorit Akrem. He was the man who inducted Kira into the resistance, and one of the many friends and mentors she gained during that time.

Back on the station, Kasidy is telling Sisko over dinner that she got the job and how excited she is. All he can say is “it’s a big step”, and before long Kasidy gets sick of this and storms out.

Razka’s come through though, in his new role as a scrap metal merchant. He’s gotten his hands on a piece of the Ravinok’s hull. Kira and Dukat are able to use it to track the Ravinok to the Dozaria system, which conveniently has one (1) habitable planet.

Arriving at the planet, the pair are unable to determine much more than the wreckage’s rough location and decide to land their ship and explore on foot.

Chief Engineer’s Note: Star Trek is famous for its “technobabble”, made up science-y sounding phrases designed to create and solve problems. Due to the “ionic interference”, neither scanning for lifesigns or using their transporters to beam directly to the surface are possible. Ionic interference is a favourite of the writers, great for when you want to make sure a problem can’t be solved too quickly or easily.

Sisko is busy commiserating the situation with Jadzia and the station’s Chief Medical Officer Julian Bashir. They’re no help as Julian is also having entirely too much fun with this. Quark, the owner of the local bar, which is basically a space Dave & Busters, pipes in with his own two cents. Given that Quark is a Ferengi, and Ferengi culture is so misogynistic they make your average MRA look like a feminist ally, it’s not much help.

The Ravinok is found in short order, along with a series of 13 graves. Dukat sets about identifying the remains, and refuses to let Kira help. He claims that Cardassian funeral rites are very strict, and non-Cardassians must not view the remains. Hell, he even quotes a Bajoran religious leader to justify why she shouldn’t concern herself with the bodies of her fellow Bajorans. Luckily, Bajorans all wear earrings unique to their family line, so Kira can identify the bodies from those after Dukat excavates them.

Medical Officer’s Note: they’ve landed in a scorching desert, which Dukat loves. Cardassians are lizard-like and prefer hot environments. This was a major plot point in the season 2 episode The Wire. The desert shots were filmed in Soledad Canyon, California!

A little while later, Kira emerges from the ship’s wreckage with a passenger manifest to discover Dukat lost in thought as he stares at a piece of jewellery that she identifies as a Bajoran pledge bracelet. Dukat admits that he had an ulterior motive for coming on this trip, as he hoped to find a Bajoran woman by the name of Tora Naprem. She was his mistress, and he claims that the two were in love.

Not buying that last part. Also, Dukat absolutely has a thing for Bajoran women. It keeps showing up throughout the show. He even hits on Kira every now and then.

Anyway, Kira’s able to use an old resistance trick to track the survivors.

Later that night, as they make camp in a cave, Dukat manages to get a giant stone spike impaled in his ass. The sight of him hopping around in pain as he rubs a medical doohickey of the wound prompts Kira to burst out laughing, and Dukat even joins in. It’s not really a bonding moment, but there is a certain energy to it. An abatement of hostility, perhaps.

Whatever it is, it gives Kira the courage to ask about Tora Ziyal, the name of a civilian she found on the ship’s manifest. Dukat admits the truth, Ziyal is his and Naprem’s daughter. Dukat’ sensing the Occupation was coming to an end, planned to quietly ship them off to a neutral planet to live out their lives in peace, as neither Cardassia or Bajor would accept them. Kira, naturally, assumes he’s come to rescue Ziyal. Dukat says he’s come to kill her. Dramatic music sting. Ad break.

First Officer’s Note: Bajoran names follow Eastern naming order, meaning that Kira and Tora are family names. Also, Star Trek loves doing things in caves because they can build a new set out of the same few prop walls they have. It’s a fun detail to notice as you watch these shows.

The next day, Kira & Dukat are arguing as they pick up the trail. Dukat claims that he has too many political enemies, and a bastard child, let alone a half-Bajoran one, would give them ammunition to go after him. Kira accuses him of just being out for himself, but Dukat insists that he can only protect his family if he remains in power.

Are you getting a good feel for the kind of bastard Dukat is by this point?

This is all a bit much, how about another comic relief break in the b-plot? Sisko and his son Jake are having breakfast, and Jake mentions that he (and his friend Nog) spoke to Kasidy. As Sisko’s getting ready to give Jake a talk about the hard facts of life, Jake (having talked things through with his friend Nog) correctly diagnoses the problem as a fear of commitment. Sikso’s a widow, see, and it was his career that got Jennifer killed.

Sisko is rather bemused by this, but he can’t deny that Jake’s spot on. He asks if Jake said any of this to Kasidy. Jake says that he (and his friend Nog) considered it, but ultimately decided that Sisko should speak to Kasidy himself.

But now, at long last, we find the survivors. They’ve been taken captive by a mysterious alien race called the Breen, and are being forced to mine Dilithium ore from the planet. Presumably, it’s quite easy to do, as there’s only a few dozen survivors and no signs of heavy industry. There’s a young girl there too, presumably Ziyal.

Kira tells Dukat to go back to DS9 for reinforcements. Dukat refuses, and Kira’s obviously not going to leave Dukat with a chance to kill his daughter. Instead, they decided to mount a two person raid on the mines, which goes out without a hitch.

Well, except for the fact that Lorit died two years ago and a brief firefight gives Dukat a chance to slip away and find Ziyal. She instantly guesses who he is, having held out hope for the last six years that he’d come rescue her. Kira catches up to Dukat and threatens him at gunpoint to drop his rifle.

It’s ultimately Ziyal’s words that sway him, and Dukat can’t find it within himself to mow down his own child in cold blood.

Back on DS9, Sisko apologises to Kasidy, who accepts, and Dukat says he’s going to take Ziyal back to Cardassia to live with him. Aww, maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.

First Officer’s Note: Yes, he is.

This is a pretty great episode. It was directed by LeVar Burton, who had been a main cast member on The Next Generation, and is remembered by many as the long running host of Reading Rainbow. He did especially well with the location shoots, making the narrow Soledad Canyon look like an expansive desert. Marc Alaimo as Dukat shows yet again why the writers kept bringing him back. He’s smarmy, oozy, hypocritical, but still retains a certain charm.

Though he only gets two short scenes, Roy Brocksmith does great as Kira’s old friend Razka. He was a jobbing character actor in the 80’s-90’s and if you’ve seen American tv from that era, chances are you’ve seen him in something.

The b-plot is a needed reprieve from the heavy nature of the main plot, but smartly it’s not played for broad comedy. Instead it’s more subdued, more grounded and relatable. Luckily, Kasidy sticks around and has a sweet relationship with Sisko, built on a genuine chemistry between the two actors.

Would I recommend this as your first Star Trek episode? Conventional wisdom would say no, it’s too steeped in the lore of DS9 and the relationships of these characters, it’s the start or mid point of so many character journeys. Sod that for a game of soldiers, I say. This is a great little story, and even without context for everything you can pick up what’s going on well enough to understand the emotional stakes. That’s far more important than knowing all the lore and linking plot points.

So, what’s next? Time to spin the wheel, I guess!

Oh boy, we're doing Voyager!

#star trek #deep space nine #star trek deep space nine #ds9 #st ds9 #please share and interact!#wanna try star trek

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section-69 · 2 years

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I can’t for the life of me find the article now, but when doing dissertation research I found this one paper about Julian and Miles’s homoeroticism, and about how DS9 presents heterosexual marriage as the only ending, and I’ve been rotating thoughts about it for too long not to share. Partial credit to that one academic – I’d credit you properly if I was still allowed to access university resources (graduating is rough, lads).

So. Sisko’s story begins with his wife dying, and although most of the show centers his relationship with his son, by the end his marriage to Kasidy is So Important she’s the only person he says goodbye to. We have marriage as a satisfying (your opinion may differ) ending for Leeta and Rom, and Jadzia and Worf. Keiko and Miles are steady throughout – they argue realistically but their marriage is never framed as changeable. Conversely, the final villain (Dukat) is divorced, and the main villainous group (the Dominion species) is a mix of clones (fundamentally asexual) and beings without enough individuality to have marriage as a concept. Even Odo, despite not actually being married to Kira, needs romantic love to “redeem” him from the other Changelings – canonically it’s the only reason he doesn’t go join the fascists.

All of that makes Julian really interesting, because he refuses to stick with a woman. He has chemistry with some (him and Dax have some great moments imo) but it’s primarily friendly relationships rather than romantic ones (going by very strict 90s definitions of Friend, Lover, and Partner). We’re told he Was engaged, once, but called it off before marriage. Prior to the augment reveal, his main relationships are with Garak (another single man – dangerous because we have to be hetero here), Jadzia (married woman, can’t give him the ending the narrative demands), and Miles (married man). I think part of why Julian and Garak have fewer interactions is Because of the augment reveal. Before that, one of Julian’s biggest character traits was that he was painfully Federation – here read Good and Conforming, not always successfully, but not poorly enough to matter, he was always going to settle down and marry a woman. But after we find out he’s augmented? That he’s been lying this whole time? That he’s not supposed to be here? That’s dangerous, that opens up possibilities. If Julian is Different from everyone else in an Illegal and Immoral way… you can see how, consciously or not, 90s writers would have issues continuing to pair him with a queer coded single man.

In comes Miles. I mean, he was already there, they’ve been friends for ages before season 5, but more so. Marriage in DS9 ends in two ways – death if you’re Starfleet, divorce if you’re not. And Miles is Starfleet (possibly the most Starfleet, since he’s from TNG and 100% human). Pairing Julian primarily with Miles is safe, because when they leave the bar Miles will always go home to his wife. Married men are allowed to be as homoerotic as they like in this story – divorce doesn’t happen to the good guys, and Keiko is rarely enough in the line of fire that an end to this marriage is unlikely. If Miles felt trapped in this marriage – and narratively speaking he totally is – he has a safe out for it now.

Julian and Ezri don’t need to marry to prove that he’s Good and Straight Enough – she’s already been married as Jadzia, and he is safely with the good guys with his homoerotic married friend. But ending with them as a couple solidifies it. The writers (according to the documentary) think they’ll stay together, and within the rules of this story they’re right. If Julian and Ezri are truly good, they don’t get a choice.

#sorry about that I have Thoughts #ds9 #star trek #meta #my posts #julian bashir #miles o'brien #elim garak #ezri dax

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ezrisdax-archive · 7 months

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Going to go with DS9 for your "5 things you'd change" ask meme. Curious to hear your thoughts :з

send me a tv show/book/fandom and i’ll say the top 5 things i’d change about it

So, I'm biased and I'm tumblr user ezrisdax which means I need Ezri to exist but that said I'd change how Jadzia died. I've personally never been a fan of that, the ending and how she said her goodbye to Worf and Sisko was fine but Dukat killing her like that just...did not appeal to me at all, I hated that. Now how I'd have her die I don't know. Maybe while she was stuck in the Changeling mind trap place they gave her a drug and it's been slowly tearing down her ability to host the symbiont. (maybe that also means it can be removed but Jadzia has to be rushed to Trill and in a coma and thus gone for a time and Ezri is there still, I can still come up with Jadzia lives AUs right?). Or have her die defending the station just not...turning around and hey Dukat is there. At least let her get one punch in to him please.

Ezri and Julian and I don't have to expand on that, dear god, no.

Worf and Jadzia's wedding, not the wedding itself but the lack of the TNG characters. Like yeah I get not wanting to pay them etc etc but also listen, I need Jadzia and Deanna meeting properly and teasing Worf. It has always bothered me they weren't there for his wedding.

Jadzia's lack of interaction with other characters after Worf's arrival. I do feel starting season five it gets really bad; she doesn't have a lot of interactions with the others that don't also involve Worf in some capacity after that and while I do enjoy that ship I wanted more weird Trill adventures as it's own thing.

Alexander's whole thing in DS9, I didn't think it fit him at all and I absolutely hated it. Like first of all he should have just been with Worf anyway I thought we went through this in TNG and second of all he's never been interested in the Klingon stuff and he shouldn't have to and then why did they make him an idiot at it? He was a smart kid, c'mon.

Did I say top five? Just kidding here's more because I can't decide. Everything about Profit and Lace. I tend to skip over that episode during rewatches and it's bad. I think they should have brought Pel back instead and have another episode with her where it shows how much she's flourished and profited in the Gamma Quadrant.

I minute thing that's also always bothered me, Mirror Jadzia dies for....???? reasons? Like Ezri in the Mirror verse is Ezri Tigan, she doesn't have or need the symbiont and they just drop that Jadzia is dead that episode for zero reasons, like why couldn't she be away on a mission or something. I'm sorry but that stuck in my head and ate away at me for the longest time.

Sisko and Ezri and the lack of a relationship in any way after the third episode of season seven. Like she Dax and she pulls him back in and I think them navigating a new relationship again where this time Sisko is the mentor figure would be way way way more interesting then the Ezri/Julian storyline they stuck in instead.

VIC FONTAINE. I hate that fucking holoprogram. Too many episodes were about him and why the fuck is there an alive mirror verse version of him?????

Screw SNW I want a DS9 musical episode.

#replies in thirty minutes or they're free #bite-my-grimy-fleshy-ass #beej talks star trek

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tehzee · 20 days

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Discovery just followed up on one of my favourite TNG plot lines…

Season 5 is off to a good start.

#star trek #star trek discovery #star trek tng

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butterfingersgutterball · 1 year

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Deep Space Nine episode idea

Something that's always fascinated me that hasn't been explored in DS9 is Jake Sisko being the one who introduces his dad to Kasidy Yates. I would love an episode similar to TNG’s Data’s Day where Jake learns about love with the DS9 crew, eventually meeting Kasidy leading up to him mentioning her in Explorers (the one where he and Sisko build the solar sailer). Much like Data’s Day, Jake’s Day would focus on an understanding of love from the POV of someone new to it. This wouldn’t be uncharted territory as a theme for Jake--in the early seasons as his relationships with women/girls are contrasted frequently by Nog’s misogyny. The difference in this episode is that Jake would be coached/advised by crew members about love who, after Jake’s questions and probing would admit they are actually failing at romance. ___ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. S3E21.2: Worthy Pursuits (between The Die Is Cast and Explorers)___ The teaser starts with a clamour of action in ops, as the crew tries to get a group of people transported from a shuttlecraft that’s about to explode. Kira is shouting to O’Brien to get a lock on the signal, Dax says they are losing them and offers a technobabble thing to try. Sisko: “DO IT!” They beam a small group to ops just as the shuttle explodes. They’re a Bajoran family, two dads and their daughter, grateful to have been saved, the camera lingers on a young Brandy Norwood playing the daughter(she’s the same age as Ciroc, hooray for age-appropriate love interests!). Sisko tells them they will have to wait for the next transport to Bajor, and that their team will investigate why the shuttle exploded. "In the meantime, why not join me and my son for dinner tonight?" The family agrees and we fade to Jake and Bran’Nu (Brandy—I know Bajoran names don’t have apostrophes but it’s one of her pseudonyms so go with it) talking about him being a writer and what the station is like as Sisko cooks and talks to her dads. Jake gets sombre, “It must have been scary thinking your shuttle was going to explode” he offers her condolences and space to talk about the incident. She says yea but she’s become accustomed to dangerous situations since she and her dads are smugglers. “Our shuttle may have been sabotaged by Cardassians. Ever since the occupation, my dads have been smuggling medical supplies. When the occupation ended a lot of Bajorans were still without vital supplies due to bureaucracy so some of us have taken to redistribution on our own.” She explains how they make enemies and often have to keep moving. Jake says that sounds lonely, and she says yea it is. He says if she wants to she can spend time with him while she’s on the station. Bran’Nu “are you asking me on a date?” Jake stumbles and stutters and she says “how about this writer-boy, you write me something to convince me to go on a date before we find transport off the station and I’ll decide based on what you write” “Deal” says Jake. Sisko invites them to the table and the 5 of them sit when Sisko gets a communication from Odo: “I think you’d better come to my office. Your guests may not be who they say they are.” Opening titles. Jake is working on his writing for Bran’Nu with Miles in the O’Brien’s quarters. He and the chief are discussing girls and love. Keiko is playing with Molly nearby and Jake asks Miles how he knew Keiko had feelings for him. Miles proudly tells a story of a day in Ten Forward on the Enterprise when he brought Keiko a drink and there was a way she looked at him when she said thank you that made him think she wanted to pursue a relationship. Keiko laughs and says that wasn’t a look of admiration, she thought she had smelled him and wondered why he hadn’t had a sonic shower after his shift. Miles gets escalated and defensive (as he does) that his romantic memory is nothing to her. They bicker a little and Keiko redirects to Jake saying there’s no formula to it, people are all so different that we have no way of knowing if we share the same feelings, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying or that we should get too bogged down by rejection, we should focus on cultivating open communication, not basing love on our own assumptions (she looks at Miles who huffs but agrees) she continues: “I was taking lunch with Garak last week—” Miles: “Garak? You’re doing lunch with Garak now too? First Julian now you with that--” “Miles!” Keiko stops him and looks at Jake, “Garak might be the perfect person to ask about love, Jake. He has a unique perspective.” Jake agrees that he will talk to Garak. [B-plot here of Jadzia finding out the smugglers worked with the Cardassians. They bring this info to Sisko, Odo, Kira and the smugglers who insist they are being set up, Kira believes them but Odo doesn’t. Something is off, and Sisko is frustrated that they aren’t telling them everything]. We cut to Bashir and Garak exiting the holosuite in Quarks. They’ve just played a spy holonovel and Garak is complaining about the romantic subplot being bland “not nearly enough antagonism to keep it interesting”. Bashir counters that the evil President provided more than enough antagonism, the romance was a nice reprieve of tenderness, a reminder of why one fights for justice. Garak scoffs “if that sorry display of the women coming out of the water and falling into your lap is what you’re fighting for I can see why we so often land on opposing sides my dear Doctor”. The two take a seat next to Jake who is talking with Quark and Morn at the bar, Morn gets up to leave and Quark is wiping a tear away while talking to Jake, Bashir and Garak “leave it to Morn to have the perfect poem that expresses the depths and nuances of love.” “My my, Quark, I didn’t pin you as the sentimental type,” Bashir says as Quark gets him a drink. “Not sentimental? You cut me, doctor. I happen to regard love above all else! Jake here was asking about love and I was proud to inform the young man, just as all good Ferengi boys are told at his age, don't get too hung up on feeemales, focus on latinum. As the 72nd rule of acquisition: 'the love of profit is the root of all good.'” Sisko enters with Odo behind him, "funny, Quark, on Earth we have a similar saying with a different sentiment" They are clearly here for Quark but he plays it like they aren't. "Well that is perfect Commander, we were just discussing sentimentality, perhaps you and the constable would like to join us? I know under all that goo there's a hopeless romantic!" Odo harumphs and sarcastically mocks Quark, "Another time I'd be delighted to listen to you all prattle on about how your humanoid hearts flutter and your fleshy palms dampen but I am afraid I'm here to make you sweat for another reason." Odo explains Quark is wanted for questioning, he and Sisko take Quark away but not before he puts Rom is in charge of the bar. [B-plot here of Odo and Sisko finding out how Quark was paid to inform someone of the smuggler's departure from the station. He swears he had no knowledge that they'd be blown up, he tells them he was paid by an old Cardassian Gul, Odo remembers the Gul's name and that there was a rumour he was a Romulan collaborator. Sisko is like “Romulans? Cardassians? Bajorans? Ferengi? Federation? It seems we are all at each other’s throats, each with a knife in one had while pointing fingers with the other! We may not all be able to get along but I’ll be damned if this station becomes a battleground!” Quark snidely, “you mean if the station becomes a battleground again. It’s always been on the brink. You two, you see the big problems, usually before it’s too late. But at the bar, I can see the small changes in the wind, a cool breeze from the smallest comment over drinks can incite chaos.” Odo “with no help from you, I’m sure!” “To the contrary!” Quark is offended “Quarks is also a place filled with love! A first date, a birthday celebration, it’s all around if you know where to look”] Back at the bar, Rom is pouring drinks for Bashir, Garak, and Jake as they are talking about love. Jake explains he is writing something for a girl to convince her to go on a date. Garak, "Human mating rituals will never make sense to me." Bashir raises an eyebrow. Jake, "Well, she's Bajoran actually. And I would say it's more dating than mating..." Rom, looking at Leeta over at the dabo tables "Do you think, or, uh, are you worried about, the uh... differences?" Bashir, "Ah, Interspecies relationships can present ... [he looks at Garak] unique challenges. Have you dated a non-human before, Jake?" “Unique challenges?” Garak asks, “You know what I mean” Bashir turns attention back to Jake and Garak’s eyes get wide, shocked by Julian’s brazen disregard. "I mean, this is a Bajoran station." Jake says "most girls here my age aren't human. And besides Barjoran's aren't that different--" "Ignore the Doctor" Garak waves his hand regaining composure, "he overcomplicates things. While I would never encourage a Cardassian to be wed with a non-Cardassian--such a union would be far too messy--a date or a tryst is harmless and can provide invaluable insight into the customs of those around you." "A tryst?" Bashir asks incredulously, "what are you implying?" "Oh please, Doctor," Garak responds, "A short romance can be good for a young man. He needn't get ahead of himself with ideas of love and fantasy or he may miss what is right in front of him." Bashir is straight-faced and annoyed, far to familiar with Garak’s double meanings, "And what you're saying is right in front of him is a 'tryst'?" Rom and Jake look between them awkwardly, this is clearly the bickering of a couple, something is going unsaid. Garak covers his discomfort by standing up, "I am saying, at times it is best to keep things short and sweet lest one introduce confusion. And with that, I will bid my farewell. Thank you for the holonovel [he looks at Bashir] and subsequent conversation [to the others] I found both, [back to Bashir] enlightening." Bashir chases after him like a desperate boyfriend who said the wrong thing but knows he can patch things up. As Garak and Bashir exit a new face enters and stands next to Jake. "Excuse me," the woman asks Rom "I heard you have holosuites with baseball programs?" It's Kasidy Yates. Her transport ship the Xhosa is docked at DS9 for the next few days and she wanted to try it out. She invites Jake to join her so he can show her the program since he's familiar with it. On their way to the holosuites they see Bran'Nu sitting alone. Jake says hi, asks what she's doing alone, she says her dads are being questioned about the incident so she was just waiting around. Kasidy invites her to join her and Jake in the holosuites, Bran'Nu has never seen baseball before and says it sounds fun. Cut to the three of them in batting cages with Kasidy giving Bran'Nu pointers and Jake operating the pitching machine. Hi-jinx ensue with Bran'Nu being scared of the ball and Jake laughing saying he'll show her how it's done. Kasidy kind of side eyes him and tells Bran'Nu about how human males often take on a machismo attitude when playing sports in order to impress women. Bran'Nu says some Bajoran men are similar. Jake is still in good spirits but is dejected a little. He apologizes and talks about how his dad cautions him about toxic masculinity too. Kasidy says he sounds wise. Jake: "and he likes baseball too! I should introduce you two. He taught me my stance." He gets into his stance ready for the pitch. Bran'Nu has the ball in hand and hovers over it making eye contact with Jake but speaking to Kasidy, "Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I've met a few guys that are alright" She winks and drops the ball into the wheels. Jake is smiling at her obliviously and the ball smacks him in the face making him fall backwards. Bran'Nu rushes over to him apologizing asking if he's okay, he comes up laughing and says yea, the safety precautions are on, he's fine, but he wants to hear more about these guys she likes. She plays it off, "oh that? I was just talking about my dads, like you were." "Right! My dad!" Jake says excitedly looking at Kasidy, "You should meet him!" "I'd love to" says Kasidy, "But my transport ship is leaving to Bajor tomorrow at 0800, so it will have to be another time." Bran'Nu is like "Bajor!? Me and my dads are looking for transport to Bajor, could we come?" Kasidy says yea, they have room for three more. [cut to her dads in the B-plot, they have no idea why a Romulan would be after them. Cardassians sure, but not Romulans. Through some investigating Jadzia and Kira find out a changeling posed as a Romulan to get the Gul to destroy the shuttle craft. The aim being to incite more fighting between Cardassians, Bajorans and Romulans. By staging the assassination at a Federation station they hoped Starfleet would have to pick sides and even more Alpha quadrant infighting would occur. They find out there are a few changelings in the Alpha quadrant doing these little attempts at destabilization. This builds up to a head in Adversary when a changeling is on the Defiant.] Jake says goodbye to Bran'Nu at the docking rings, they are waiting for her dads and Kasidy. Jake gives her a padd with his writing about why she should go on a date with him she reads it silently. He keeps interrupting her "which part are you at?" "shh" "I didn't get to do much editing" "I'm reading it" "If anything seems off I blame being hit in the head with a baseball yesterday" she laughs at this. Bran'Nu "Humans like kissing, right?" Jake: "I can't speak for the whole human race, but I've enjoyed it in my experiences." Bran'Nu leans in and he leans toward her, they give each other a light small kiss and pull back kind of awkwardly. Jake, “Is something the matter? Does my breath stink?” Bran’Nu “No, no, it’s just...I don't know if I can guarantee that date. We're different you and I--" "Bajorans and humans aren't that different, we have a lot in common!" "No, not because of that, [she passes the padd back to him] you wrote about so many different people you're friends with, that's really beautiful. You have a community here. I mean because I'm always moving around with my dads. You're more... [she gestures to the station] stationary." Kasidy and Bran'Nu's dads come by with Jadzia who explains Sisko is tied up in meetings with Starfleet about the whole ordeal so she is here to see them off. Jake tells Kasidy he's going to talk to his dad about her, she says she'd like that. After they leave Jake talks to Jadzia about the moral quandary of the episode: will we every be able to get along across all our differences? Jadzia says over her 300 years, she is sure there will always be conflict, learning to love each other won't ever become easy, but it will always be worth pursuit. [End]

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weerd1 · 5 months

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It’s Been a Long Road: Two decades after “Star Trek: Enterprise” I still have Faith of the Heart.

After the click, there are 2300 words of me doing a deep dive on my love for "Star Trek: Enterprise." You have been warned.

When I was in elementary school, I was a year younger than my peers. My mom had decided I didn’t need to go to Kindergarten as I was already reading ahead of my level, so she insisted I be placed at age 5 directly into 1st Grade. In ways she was right; I completed the reading and phonics program in my little Arizona school for the entire first grade before Christmas. To this day though, I am clumsy with scissors, paste, and all the “kindergarten skills” and I spent the rest of my school career smaller, weaker, and less coordinated than everyone in my class.

This probably all worked out in the end; sure, I couldn’t play sports, but to avoid bullies and getting picked on, I got funny, and that’s worked out pretty well for me. But in those days when I would play a sport such as baseball, the opposing team would step a little closer, the coaches would advise me to take the walk; I was not as good as my peers, so allowances were made for my performance.

That is exactly how I looked at “Star Trek: Enterprise” for years. It was only four seasons, while its powerhouse predecessors all had seven. It wasn’t set in a utopian far future, but rather not too far from now meaning more modern and vernacular language. The science seemed a little spurious, with writers seeming to think the term “Rigel” was just some made-up word from older Trek series rather than older Trek series using actual star names for locations. The knowledge of Trek seemed a little lacking as well, with the first episode citing “Klingon Warbirds” and basing the hero ship on a design introduced in a then recent movie…that was set 200 years later.

I watched though, as we were coming off of there being CONSTANT Trek on television for the previous 15 years, and this was what we had.

I groused then, a lot. The lack of continuity, the trivia gaffes, the over-sexualization of women characters (ok, that WAS more than a bit overdone, and I still grouse that point).

The theme song. Oh my lord, the theme song.

But eventually, this show won me over, almost in spite of itself. Then there was a major shift in tone for the third season, and it got to be pretty solid, and the FOURTH season was…STAR TREK! Like its predecessors, the show had taken some time to find its footing (c’mon, admit how uneven the first couple of seasons of TNG were), but had pulled itself together, and the show’s future looked bright in 2005!

And then there was a truly terrible last episode and ENT was cancelled and gone.

Twenty years later, here I am, and though the absence of new Trek only lasted about four years—until JJ Abrams 2009 movie—I felt that absence keenly then. I am glad to report there has been Trek I really enjoy since then…and some marginal entries, but that’s not new either honestly. But with all this new material, I still find myself going back to revisit Archer and his crew. I’ve rewatched maybe two TNG episodes in the last 15 years. Maybe two or three Voyager episodes. But TOS, DS9, and ENT I hit regularly. Why does ENT keep forcing itself to the front of my Trek consciousness?

From the beginning, ENT suffered from some external pressures that weren’t helpful to its development. There was a tension between doing more of the same, successful formula Trek had been delivering since “Encounter at Farpoint” (the TNG pilot episode from 1987) and doing something experimental and new. Viewer fatigue was setting in a bit, but fans were vociferous in what THEY thought Trek meant. Anything that strayed too far would take a beating on the internet message boards.

DS9 had just finished off their wartime storyline, and though there were adamant Niners, it was only just beginning to truly find its audience with the advent of home video allowing one to actually watch the whole thing. Meanwhile, the less arc-oriented VOY had added the character Seven. There had been a ratings increase, which the producers took to mean any new show needed an attractive woman in a catsuit. Remember also, we were in the midst of the Star Wars Prequel trilogy, so going BACK to a time when the story could be a little looser was floating in the zeitgeist.

But it was also 2001, and though the visual continuity of the then modern Treks had maintained a history inclusive and accepting of TOS, putting a starship on screen that would look like a century’s LESS development than Matt Jefferies’ design from the mid-1960s was going to be problematic.

I don’t know this is true, but I also suspect that since the previous shows had a British man, a Black man, and a Woman as captains, someone in Production wanted to make sure there was a white, American man back in the center seat. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s my gut.

So all of this goes into the show, and honestly it kicks off as a bit of a hot mess. So much seems to be playing it safe. Some fairly cliched storylines that occasionally try something a little new. A few things it does try new are not quite there: That aforementioned over-sexualization of the women in the crew*. Cringy comments about relations with aliens. Archer watching water polo.

There are a lot of forgettable episodes, contradictions. And yet, I kept watching. Yeah, I was on message boards complaining about the tech looking too advanced. I’d gripe about how un-Vulcan the Vulcans seemed. I’d gripe about every violation of what I accepted as canon, that was often really just things the fandom had settled on in the 70s and had no basis on the show. And I was just a complete tool online when the first cloaking device showed up.

And the theme song, oh my lord, the theme song.

But I kept watching. And before I knew it, I started to appreciate something about this show. I had to make a choice between griping that this modern show that I was actually enjoying didn’t adhere to a single line of dialog written (then) 40 years before for a show that wasn’t expected to last a year. I, a staunch Trek gatekeeper, was having an awakening about continuity and canon, and I had to figure out why. Finally it hit me.

These characters, these performers, they were more than they should be. These characters were making me love them, even when the stories were mediocre or cliche or counter to what I believed was canon.

Take Jonathan Archer, played with almost megaton-levels of earnestness by Scott Bakula. Archer’s earnest, do-gooder nature is so extreme…you know how a show like “Family Guy,” does a joke, and it’s ok, and then it keeps going way too long, and you get sick of it. And then it keeps going still, and somehow, this only kinda-funny joke goes so long or so far that it actually manages to somehow loop back around to being not just funny, but hilarious. That’s Archer’s earnestness, his naiveté. His “oh gosh” nature is interesting and fun compared to Kirk’s bravado. Then, after he oh goshes his way into losing ANOTHER fight, he’s simply grating. THEN you start to think he’s just devastatingly boring. But if you keep watching, then it comes around to this unironic serving of safe-guy that doesn’t blink in how GOLLY he is as a hero and you smile when he all but winks at the camera. And then, in later seasons when he’s faced with some pretty devastating moral dilemmas, you FEEL it!

T’Pol, played by Jolene Blalock: she’s so attractive it almost hurts to look at her, but you realize soon after that while she somehow seems to keep ending up getting rubbed down in decon Jolene is BRINGING the performance. That her delivery, her tone; the micro-expressions which betray her stoic facade for the Vulcan emotions at a full boil underneath…you buy it. You realize her performance is wonderful, and she’s one of the best Vulcans in the entire franchise.

Connor Trinneer as the character I recently described as “Florida Man in Space,” Trip Tucker. He’s a walking cliche, his accent making “warp-field plasma conduits” sound like something you’d serve up with sweet tea and grits. He’s got Himbo energy that rivals the output of his anti-matter reactor, and still it works. His “I don’t really know much about anything, but I’m willing to learn…oh God I’m pregnant” (actual episode) speaks so beautifully to humans DISCOVERING things for the first time, screwing it up, but learning from their mistakes and going back for more!

I could easily go on about Travis Mayweather, the kid who grew up in space and is both completely knowledgeable and blissfully ignorant of anything that goes on out there. Malcolm Reed, the British tactical officer who if his upper lip was any stiffer, he could use it as a weapon. Hoshi Sato who starts out completely out of her depth, and ends up loving it all. Dr. Phlox, your over-friendly, polyamorous uncle who brandishes optimism like a flame thrower and plays with eels.

They are all just…TOO. Too this, too that, and in doing so, somehow all circle back to being absolutely perfect. Because as flawed as ENT is in its storytelling at times, and how mired it is in attitudes before #metoo, the IDEA of the show is a great one: How does humanity get from the mess we are now to the icons of TOS or TNG? Enterprise shows us it wasn’t a switch, but a road. A long road, getting from there to here.

Yes, even the damn theme song, hokey and way too on the nose is EXACTLY RIGHT for what this show means.

Somewhere along the line, we all knew we had to move in a little closer when ENT comes up to bat, but we all started wishing, hoping, that maybe it would get a home run.

And sometimes, just sometimes, these characters that are great in spite of themselves, and this design, that’s too good for what it should be**, and this show that’s just not on the level of its predecessors does exactly that and knocks one into the stands. Suddenly it’s season four, and Enterprise manages to sum up the humanity Star Trek has been serving up since 1966 better than any show before or since:

Vulcan Ambassador Soval: We don't know what to do about Humans. Of all the species we've made contact with, yours is the only one we can't define. You have the arrogance of Andorians, the stubborn pride of Tellarites. One moment, you're as driven by your emotions as Klingons, and the next, you confound us by suddenly embracing logic.

Admiral Maxwell Forrest: I'm sure those qualities are found in every species.

Vulcan Ambassador Soval: Not in such confusing abundance.

We’re not perfect, we’re not utopian, but we are AMAZING when we give ourselves the chance, and for me, Enterprise takes that idea and runs with it. It often swings and misses, but when it connects, we can smile and clap and let it take its run around the bases, because it makes us feel good. And if it weren’t for Enterprise teaching me how these lessons, these characters are more important that visual continuity or strict adherence to arcane canon, I wouldn’t have accepted the Kelvin timeline. The DISCO Klingons. The Strange New Worlds uniforms, sets, and character interpretations. Because as much as I love what Star Trek means, all of that deeper meaning is nothing if it isn’t entertaining. And Enterprise taught me how important that was.

I could go on about how much better the show got when Berman and Braga took a back seat to Manny Coto, though there are certainly strong arguments that he got a little too fan-servicey. But in the end, the point is CBS took over and closed down Enterprise just as it found its footing. I hope the wave of nostalgia we’re seeing applied (perhaps TOO applied in shows like “Picard”) to modern Trek means we get more than a passing Lower Decks reference to the show. And if not, well, I’ve got my copies, and my fan fic, and my Tumblr memes.

Most importantly though, I’ve got (I’ve got, I’ve got) Faith of the Heart.

*I will give the show credit at least that it was pretty willing to flaunt shirtless men as well, and biceps-a-plenty.

**In regard to things looking more advanced, I will give credit to Brannon Braga for dropping a hint in an interview at the end of season 1 that the Enterprise-E coming back in “First Contact” had subtly altered the timeline, making things a little more advanced. Fans—and I regret to include myself—railed against that online, and it wasn’t really mentioned again. Recently, Strange New Worlds has revisited and canonized the idea that the timeline, even though it is the Prime timeline, DOES go through shifts and changes due to temporal incursions, evidenced wonderfully in the episode “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” when a Romulan time traveler admits to altering time so the rise of Khan happens not at the 1992 date that Spock gave us in the original series “Space Seed” to now to him still being a child 30 years later. It’s in-story shorthand for the fact that when a show goes for six decades some continuity has to change and THAT IS OK. I wasn’t ready to accept it then, but am glad it’s now part of Trek.

#star trek #star trek enterprise #long post #another jackass opinion #former gatekeeping asshole #i got better

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