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#Sisko would never btw

castielmacleod · 2 years

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It’s beyond agonising that like. Later spn seasons would have Cas absent for a string of episodes, so the show could do some salmondean case episodes (apparently the core of the show, though my eyes glazed over through most of them). And that in and of itself is whatever, except then the writers would BLAME Cas’ absence from these intentionally Casless episodes on CAS. And so you sit through all these salmondean episodes of middling to poor quality and then the next time you see your beloved side character Castiel, well guess what. Dean is fucking pissed at him for “disappearing” and is given free rein to yell, guilt trip, and act like Cas has to ask his permission to do anything or go anywhere. Never in my life have I seen a show NARRATIVELY PUNISH a regular recurring character for the crime of being recurring. I can’t emphasise enough that Cas was for external reasons deliberately kept out of the episodes that internal characters would then blame him for not being in. It is insanity inducing.

And it’s one more thing that makes it so clear that spn SHOULD have been allowed to naturally evolve into an ensemble show, because frankly it DOESN’T make sense for Cas to just leave sometimes and there is really absolutely nothing conducive about essentially writing him off and into the show multiple times a season just so it can have its precious brothers-only episodes. And I mean Cas is only the most obvious and most heavily punished example of this, but they also did it to Crowley (literally billed as a regular same as Cas through s9-12), Mary (punished horribly for it tbh, by both the narrative and the fans), and Kevin (and he was usually off on the RUN or being held captive or something horrid like that). And the thing is!! Other characters and brothers episodes don’t even have to be mutually exclusive! How devastating would it be, really, if a salmondean centric episode happened to start with “we’re heading out to xyz, bye Cas” and end with “hey everyone, we’re back”???

I just think this show could have been vastly improved if recurring characters could have been treated as like, assets to the storytelling, and not as objects to get out of the way as quickly as possible so the focus can temporarily go back to the brothers. Lol.

#My posts #Castiel #Like lmfao maybe if you literally have to force-function brother centric episodes regardless of how poorly it serves the plot #then your show shouldn’t be or perhaps naturally isn’t “brother centric”#Like can you imagine if say Star Trek pulled this shite #And you had Sisko like “Doctor Bashir you weren’t at your post yesterday and no one could find you and we had a medical emergency!!”#”You didn’t even answer your comm! You can’t just disappear like that!”#“I’m reporting this to Starfleet Medical and believe me they are going to be Pissed!”#And it was just one of Sid’s contractual episodes off #That’s how salmondean treat Cas like literally. Except even worse because Doctor Bashir is employed by an organisation with set duties #And Cas helps salmondean literally out of the goodness of his heart and doesn’t actually need their permission do to ANYTHING.#INCLUDING leave if he wants. But Dean still chews him out like he expects nothing but yes sir in reply #🤷🏾‍♂️#Sisko would never btw

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writergeekrhw · 3 months

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Hi Robert, may I ask you about the references in DS9? Not the Shakespeare ones, those are quite common in the Trek universe but others that may not necessarily relate to the plot. Like in 'Paradise Lost', when O'Brien and Bashir tell direct quotes from a lesser-known Monty Python sketch, or in the same episode, Sisko is reading his friends' names from a manifest which are all characters in Catch-22 (one of the greatest books ever written btw). Have these been added for fun or to pay respect? (My guess is both.) Were there any copyright issues because of these (except for the James Bond thing)?

Also, very important :-) where did the chicken paprikash come from? It even looks perfectly authentic on screen - other than no one would eat it with the salad Sisko is making, it's usually served with a special kind of pasta due to its thick and rich sour cream based sauce. In the early 90's, you couldn't just type it into Google to find a million recipes. Was there maybe a Hungarian cook in the crew you took the inspiration/idea from?

Thank you!

REFERENCES:

You're right, those were done both out of respect and as a bit of fun. Like the names in "Past Tense" or "Little Green Men." We never got any pushback from legal that I know of.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

My summer job in college was working at Ghirardelli Square at home in San Francisco, and when I was there, there was a Hungarian restaurant on the top floor called Paprikás Fonó. I'd eat lunch there sometimes and their chicken paprikash was AMAZING. I have no idea why props decided to serve it with salad instead of nokedli. Madness.

#ask me anything #tv writing #ask me stuff #ds9 #star trek #star trek ds9 #deep space nine #star trek deep space nine #deep space 9 #star trek deep space 9 #chicken paprikash #nokedli

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andromedaexile · 10 months

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Are They a Stoner? DS9 Edition:

Captain Sisko: Being raised in the south means he has most definitely lit up, and I refuse to believe otherwise. However, after his father caught him smoking and he got stuck on clam duty for a month, he learned his lesson.

Jadzia Dax: Let’s be so real, if she played Tongo with a bunch of Ferengi why would she not own a Betazed bong??? She definitely begged Worf to try it but after his experience with Deanna he only fucks with Blood Wine.

Kira Nerys: OH 100% she was a stoner during the occupation. How would you even attempt to relax in that situation WITHOUT weed? Once the occupation ended Kira stopped messing with weed, but Kira would often hangout with Jadzia, who no doubt brought something to share with Nerys on multiple occasions.

Worf: Blood wine and prune juice.

Dr. Bashir: Before knowledge of him being an augment was made public he never touched anything that could potentially make him not in full control of himself (he did drink a little though). After the knowledge was made public Dr. Bashir and O’Brien definitely were lighting up in the holosuites. That’s why they don’t remember the Alamo.

Erzi Dax: She was straight edge through and through before she was joined with Dax. However afterward…Let’s just say Dax would never turn down an edible.

Odo:

Elim Garak: After the wire was removed Garak decided to stay relatively sober. However, for harm reduction reasons, and to help him cope with his headaches Dr. Bashir prescribed him some medical gummies. He eventually waned off of them completely once Erzi started helping him (he still some times smokes and sews which is why sometimes your trousers don’t always fit right).

Miles O’ Brien: He swore off the “devils lettuce” when he first came aboard the Enterprise. But once stationed at DS9 he quickly realized he would need some of Keiko’s supply of Cannabis-infused tea to remain sane.

Quark: Being a bar owner (best bar on the promenade btw) he is not a big supporter of weed because his main source of profit is alcohol. However, Nog explained to him what a cart is and how you can make a profit from selling them to hoo-mans so he is looking into that as a possible new business opportunity.

Rom: You can’t be a leftist and not have at least tried weed. Also an engineer, so yeah.

Leeta: Oh 10000%. In fact, she’s the plug for the other dabo girls. She even bags her “merchandise” in handmade baggies she makes from recycled textile/fabrics from Garak’s (he owes her because she gave him boy advice).

Nog: No. He follows the rules of StarFleet academy to a T.

Jake Sisko: Hes going to school for writing so yeah. Definitely an edibles kinda guy. His dad has yet to find out despite how many times Jake has come home and slammed an entire pot of jambalaya in 10 minutes.

Keiko O’Brien: Who do you think on DS9 is growing it in the first place?

Gul Dukat: No, he is a snitch who hates fun.

Weyoun: Yes, he is a snitch who loves fun.

Kai Winn: She gives me cop vibes more than Odo does so I’m saying she is a snitch who also hates fun. She also unironically calls weed the Pah-Wraiths Herb or something like that.

Kasidy Yates: Yes, but stopped after jail.

Ziyal: Art school attendee/ art school drop-out. You tell me.

Damar: He’s only a fiend for Kanar (someone help that dude).

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sallytwo · 2 years

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erm. obrien

OK. First off… society will never move forward until we move past the “HAHA OBRIEN SUFFERS 🤣” memes. that’s the only time fans ever talk about him and it’s insulting cuz he’s a fascinating character and the suffering he goes through is actually terrible and traumatic. If any of that had happened to like Garak or Odo or Julain it would be the most talked about event EVER. It’s interesting because O’Brien is a really good foil as the “everyday family man” and that’s why he was chosen to go through so much, but cuz he’s not a shippable twink no one cares.

Onto his in show character… well like I said he obviously has a lot of suffering epsiodes.. but honestly i think he WAS wasted potential. Not as much as some other characters, but it seems like he’s only brought on to either go through horrific trauma or solve some engineering issue and then he’s ignored again. (TW JILES) He works as a really good foil with Julian (and there’s more on that that’s been said before) but I wish we got more of his realtionship with Worf, or Sisko, or Jadzia, just the rest of the crew. I wish we’d explored more into his previous history with war, and how he felt about having fight in a new war, or more about him and Keiko (instead of just ‘my wife is away boohoo’- like show us more of their dynamic while she is there) and his REACTION to all these terrible things that happen to him.. Granted we do get little peaks at some of this - and Hard Time is like, the O’Brien character study EVER- and it just makes you wish they’d gone in fully and really done something more with his character. when things ramp up and it gets really insane and he’s just trying to make sure him and his family get out of all this ok. Also btw the O’Brien part in The Ship where he’s comforting that dying ensign… SO GOOD BUT SO FUCKED UP. UGH. Final note O’Brien and Nog workplace freindship…. best fucking Ever.

👆 My O’Brien opinion. BTW for those who don’t know.. my freinds @gar-trek and @sockerock are both out here making great O’Brien content and meta and serving as the frontline soldiers in the fight to get O’Brien realized as an actual character and not a funny joke in this fandom… give them a follow 😁😁😁😁😁

#asks

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stay-neurotic · 3 years

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every vorta ranked according to ME

all screenshots courtesy of @gelnon!!

13. Deyos

i hate him and he needs to die. look @ his evil gremlin face. RIP to my homie ikat’ika you cold hearted bastard.

12. Luaran

she’s fine. just like. she had two lines and then she was dead :/

11. Eris

miss i’m-gonna-play-coy-and-sit-in-a-forcefield-for-hours-while-my-soldiers-pretend-like-they’re-in-charge-and-i-get-to-infiltrate-starfleet-tee-hee

also fucking whack that they never mentioned the telekinetic powers ever again (though i have my own HCs about that)

10. Kilana

okay. i wanted to put kilana higher because of the Tiddy but she’s just. not good at her job. “obvious flattery and duplicitous statement” is pretty standard fare for a vorta but then she follows it up w/ “*does a thing* *it goes badly* i regret that i did that, lets still try to be friends u trust me right?” like sisko’s fucking stupid. any credibility u had to try to negotiate a rescue of the founder went out the window when u sent the jemhadar into the ship miss thing!!!

shit would have gone so much better if she responded to sisko’s directness with directness of her own. but she just couldnt fathom a world where ppl are true to their word so she refused to trust sisko. and immediately proved to him that he couldn’t trust her. ksdjfgbdsk maybe u should have read weyoun’s reports more closely bitch

9. Weyoun 8

his whole existence. is failure. oh my god. he pushes damar away with every word and then is completely fucking blind to his defection. he turns the cardassians against the dominion once and for all by wiping out lakarian city. a fact which he BROADCASTS TO THE CARDASSIAN FLEET, BTW, ALSO TURNING THEM AGAINST THE DOMINION. and in the midst of all this he sends all the guards out the building where he and miss founder are holed up!!! wtf bro!!!!!!! the other clones used up all your braincells!!!!!

8. Weyoun 7

a. talks himself into killing a founder in order to save the war effort. EXPLICITLY AFTER BEING TOLD EARLIER ON BY MISS FOUNDER THAT ODO MEANT MORE TO THEM THAN THE ENTIRE ALPHA QUADRANT......HELLO HE JUST DIDN’T WANT TO DIE FOR HIS FUCKUP THAT WOULD HAVE LOST THEM THE WAR!!! (and lets be honest, if it was a weyoun clone that sold all those secrets, the weyoun line would have been ended right then and there)

b. INTERSPECIES MATING RITUALS

7. Yelgrun

he’s just fun to watch.

6. Borath

listen man. the borath inside the simulation has a voice like butter. i could literally listen to him talk all day. he gets nice & flirty w/ sisko too. and the one outside the simulation is just bitter & done w/ everyone’s shit and does not bother to hide it even around Miss Founder. man has balls. (and i’m very fond of him b/c of @weyoun-9′s borath in our RP, mostly cause my character abuses the fuck out of him and i feel bad but that’s a story for another day)

5. Gelnon

pettiest bitch in the galaxy. look @ his shit-eating grin. motherfucker pops into a commlink with two jemhadar, starts a fight and then peaces out. deals shady bizz with the orion syndicate and picks obrien out of the lineup just by looking in his eyes. legendary

4. Weyoun 4

his first time dealing w/ sisko but he manages to create & oversee a successful co-op mission (w/ the help of sisko & omet’iklan ofc) even if the two crews REALLY did not get along. he’s also given the task of fucking infecting one of his gods with a virus and he does it, bless his heart. i just cannot get over his constant obvious vexation toward having to deal w/ his soldiers he openly hates them at all times and it’s amazing (please go watch his expressions during omet’iklan’s “victory is life” speech)

3. Keevan

this man fucks.

2. Weyoun 5

“is it any good?” “i think it would be nice to carry a tune” “DABO!!!!” “it’s all so...entertaining~” “besides, i think it’s exciting :)”

his wanting to understand art & music. his love of games. his bickering w/ dukat. his little shows of delight and excitement when petty shit happened. his actual competency at being a diplomat and bridging the gap between the bajorans and the cardassians during the occupation. he made all the right fucking decisions and if dukat hadn’t overriden him when damar asked if he should send troops after the defiant, sisko might not have made it to the wormhole and the dominion would have won the fucking war

1. Weyoun 6

if you disagree you’re wrong. thanks for coming to my TED talk

#vorta #ds9 #deep space nine #weyoun #keevan #yelgrun #borath #gelnon #luaran #kilana #deyos #eris

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jotunvali02 · 3 years

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Winn: "If you're wise, you won't show me such disrespect again."

Bitch, you blew up a SCHOOL in hope to kill one of Kira's friend because she didn't share your religious beliefs, tried to kill your political opponent because he didn't believe like you and you craved his power, with the hand of a teenage girl you've brainwashed and intimidated so you would never get worried about being caught, you switch opinions and come to Sisko claiming now you revere him recognize him as the Emissary like a pathetic beggar cause you know that'll help you to be elected Kai while not long ago you called him a devil and an "enemy" in public and after you're elected Kai, you say you don't need him anymore, you've destroyed Kira's faith and admiration for you, you threaten her and you expect her, or anyone, to respect you??

"In time you'll realize I am not your enemy."

You threatened her, used her for your personal profit like you do with everyone round you, manipulated her, who didn't want you at all to be the next Kai, to help you becoming Kai, while perfectly knowing she still can't prove your guilt of the double attempted murder on Keiko and Vedek Bareil, you psychologically tortured her which you LOVED to do like a fucking sadistic swine and you tell her you're "not her enemy"??

How do we say "Fuck off" in Bajoran?

I was hesitating to watch that ep because I hate Winn and I knew she was going to make me rageful, rabid and full of anger again but I told myself "hey maybe she finally gets what she deserves here." Yeah, my ass.

I have to watch some Loki or some Quodo content to coll down.

Btw, it is fortunate Quark and Odo, who's as competent as ever, are in this ep or else it would have been too painful to watch entirely.

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nostalgia-tblr · 4 years

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DS9: Duet

I was sure this was in S1 and was wondering when I'd get to it. It's a good one, didn't even lose anything on rewatch when I knew the "twist." This episode doesn't feel like recycled TNG, it stays on the station and use the DS9 characters (mainly but not just Kira) to tell a story only it could tell. The plot is a Cardassian arrives on the station, turns out to be a war criminal, Kira is keen to prosecute, oops he's not a war criminal after all. I'm not sure about him dying in the end, though I don't really know what they could have done with him otherwise so probably we'd just never have seen him again. But I suppose the whole point of him and his death is to show Kira accepting that Not All Cardassians, in which case yeah he probably needs to die. Speaking of which, given that this is one of the episodes where the Cardassians are clearly Space Nazis and the Bajorans are obviously Space Jews, how do I feel about the whole "Bajorans are prejudiced against Cardassians" angle? Not good. Other than the Soviets in 1945 did anyone kill random Germans post-WW2 for the Holocaust? I don't think that happened? And the narrative has always been keen on Random Cardassians being more involved than the average 1930s-40s German citizen. But then it settles into War Crimes Are Wrong But Not All Cardasssians. Could have done with a bit more Not All Bajorans though. Noteworthy is that Sisko listens to Kira and lets her lead the investigation despite her emotional connection to it. I feel like Picard would have said it was more justice if she didn't get involved, but Sisko understands Deep Justice as we see later on. (This is, btw, one reason I am perfectly okay with Ben Sisko getting a canonical interest in African-American history. He's interested in people and the past, he's interested in overcoming oppression, and he acts like someone who understands injustice on a personal level even though as far as we know he had an idyllic childhood. It works, it fits.) Anyway this is good drama. The reveal and then the counterreveal, the question of who deserves to be punished and for what. I don't think Marritza's plan was a great one because it'd be far too easy for Cardassia to prove that Gul Darheel was dead, but his intentions were noble. Slightly surprised they didn't use his l33t filing skills as a plot device, actually, because until they said he had surgery I'd assumed he'd used his filing abilities to change the caption on the photo. Kira is not usually my fave but she was great in this. Her anger is entirely justifiable and she is willing to change her opinions based on the evidence. As everyone says you'd be unlikely to get a character so sympathetically portrayed while openly acknowledged as a terrorist these days. 5/5 first srsly great episode of DS9. (The first of many, thankfully.)

#ds9 #deep space nine #star trek #other fandoms #ds9 rewatch

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randomnessunicorn-imagine · 5 years

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Could I get a first date with Shran or Weyoun ? please

{ BTW, I don’t write for Enterprise since I’ve not watched it yet so I’ve only written Weyoun this time. }

✦ WEYOUN ✦

Weyoun has a meeting with Sisko, they have to discuss asupposed neutrality pact but nobody trusts him or the changelings and everyonethinks it’s a trick. You also think there’s something odd but you want to hopethere’s no tricks and this is not a trap. You forgot Weyoun is the master oflies and maybe you should not trust him with ease.

You have spoken with Weyoun several times and you haveheard his speeches during some diplomatic meeting, you find him fascinating andinteresting. His speeches are very fascinating, you have never confessed thistruth to anyone because you know, he’s an enemy and then everyone would thinkyou are crazy if you define someone like him as “fascinating.” You are totallycrazy (and naïve as well).

You just want to give him a chance, you don’t think he’sso bad and terrible, he’s another victim of the war, the Founders made him thisway, it’s not his fault, and you want to believe and search for some good inhim. Maybe you are really too naïve but being a decent human is not certainly amistake. At least, you hope this is a good idea.

Actually, no one can believe you are dating a personlike him, not an ally of the Dominion. Not that Vorta. Not Weyoun. It’s inconceivable!

You didn’t listen to the wise advice your greatfriends gave you and you accepted his invitation, you don’t know the reason whyhe has invited you, it’s weird, you didn’t even imagine he could have this kindof desire. It seemed, he didn’t care about romance, his life revolved aroundthe Founders, and anything else seemed matter for Weyoun but them, so you arewary but very curious, too. A date never killed anybody, didn’t it? Well, youdidn’t want to be the first victim.

These human courting rituals are very strange for him.It’s such a peculiar experience, he finds it interesting, and he can refine hissocial skills even if they are already very good.

The founders have not equipped him with this need and knowledge,but he’s actually a natural flirt because he does it every time, and he does itfor purpose. He often acts polite, curious, charming and understanding with hisinterlocutors because it’s the right way to get closer to them, to make them comfortableand then use them as puppets.

Seduction is the most beautiful and devious way ofmanipulation, don’t you think? Maybe he’s doing it with you right now. He’ssuch a good pretender, his sweet smiles, his gentle words and soave gesturesare weapons. The art of deception is his speciality, so you should not trusthim a lot and keep your eyes open.

He actually doesn’t know how dates work and he may askyou questions. He does not even eat so much, the Founders didn’t give him aproper taste for food and he sees it only like a source of sustenance and not apleasure. There a so many things he doesn’t understand, things that theFounders find futile and useless, so you have to explain these things to him.

Weyoun is curious and he looks like a child who wantsto learn some new lessons, maybe it’s like this even though he still thinks theFounders took the right decisions and he doesn’t need those things to surviveor be glad because he’s already glad. He can serve the Founders and this is hisbiggest happiness.

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cosmic-llin · 4 years

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For the vidding ask meme: 10, 12, 13, 20 :D

10. A song you would love to edit with but didn’t do it yet?

I’d love to vid something to Run, by Delta Rae, but I haven’t figured out what yet. Often I’ll have a song in the back of my head for years and I won’t vid it until the right fandom comes along. I wanted to make a Michael Burnham vid to it after S1 of Disco, but the idea didn’t quite come together. I’m sure I’ll get there someday!

12. Do you prefer songs with lyrics or instrumental music?

Lyrics, for sure. A lot of the fun of vidding for me is matching lyrics to visuals, and they definitely give more of a structure to hang the message of the vid on, which makes it easier. That said, when I’ve vidded music without lyrics I’ve found it really fun and interesting and I’ve found ways to create structure without lyrics, so I guess it’s not so much a preference as a... tendency? Which is probably influenced by the fact that most popular music of the sort that gets used for vids has lyrics.

13. Do you cut the song you use for a fan video or do you edit it fully?

I kind of do whichever makes sense on a vid-by-vid basis. Some ideas can’t sustain the length of an entire song, sometimes the lyrics of one of the verses don’t fit the idea, sometimes you literally don’t have enough footage and it’s better to a have a tight, well-cut vid than trying to stretch the footage to fit a longer song. The latter happens a lot if you’re vidding a rarepair (or any pairing that doesn’t have much on-screen interaction.) I’ve also been known to occasionally add in an extra chorus to a short song to extend the vid. (BTW if anyone reading this ever wants help cutting a song down, LMK! I’ve had a fair amount of practice at this point!)

20.One of your videos you think is “underrated”?

Ooh, I don’t know! I don’t think any of my vids are underrated per se, so much as like, only appreciated by a niche audience because of the specificity of the subject matter? I’m now sorting my YouTube by popularity and a lot of the lowest ones are, say, things that were made for a specific person who really enjoyed it, so I don’t really mind if they never reach much of a wider audience? That said, I’d love if Wish Me Happy Go Lucky (Victoria Wood tribute), Stand By Me (Sisko family) and Sway (Athena from ABC’s Huge) had a few more hits - I think they’re among some of my best vids and they’re all in the bottom ten hits-wise.

#vidding #obstinatecondolement

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poetictrekkie · 6 years

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Word Prompts: Julian Bashir + Basorexia

Anonymous said: For the 300 followers list (which btw is super cool) Julian and 11? Thank you!

Basorexia: “An overwhelming desire to kiss.”

ALL REQUESTS ARE OPEN! - | Support me on Ko-Fi |

As the Defiant approached Deep Space 9, hordes of civilians and officers alike gathered at the station’s windows to watch it dock. It was scorched by phaser fire, coming apart at the bulkheads, but still miraculously intact. A whisper began to pass through the crowd as the ship moved closer and closer.

Top secret mission, led by Sisko himself.

My brother was one of the security officers assigned. Told me that it was going to be very dangerous, and had me sign on a copy of his will.

They had to suspend all communications with the station.

Each addition to the rumour made it grow faster and spread further, until it reached a Bajoran nurse who was rushing to her shift. As she hurtled through the doors to the Sickbay, she dodged to the side to avoid toppling over her commanding officer, Julian Bashir.

“Easy there, Nurse Jabara,” Bashir said, holding up a hand. He looked past the nurse to see the crowd of people, and stepped back in surprise. “Where’s the fire?”

“The Defiant is returning,” Jabara answered, leaning against the wall while trying to catch her breath.

“The Defiant?” Julian asked. “From where?”

“The covert mission led by the Captain,” Jabara said. “It looks like it went through an entire squadron of Jem’Hadar ships with minimal shields. We might be getting casualties, so we should get down there.”

Julian clapped a hand over his mouth, as he remembered who had been assigned to the mission. He immediately rushed out of Sickbay, the nurse chasing after his heels.

“Doctor, you’ve gone as pale as a Prophet!” Jabara exclaimed, trying to keep her blonde hair from falling into her eyes. “What’s the matter?”

Bashir skidded to a halt, and looked out one of the windows. He could see the Defiant, looking even worse than it was described to him. Only one thought was running through his mind.

Oh, (Y/N), please be safe.

You hadn’t told him much about the mission as you packed your supplies. You were only told it would take a week or so, and you’d be going through the wormhole and landing in a dangerous zone. You didn’t tell Julian about the latter part, not wanting him to worry, but now he was out of his mind with panic. Suppose you had been injured, or worse! He would never forgive himself for not asking about the mission properly.

“My… my partner went on that mission,” Bashir whispered, his eyes wide and panicked. Jabara looked down at her feet, not sure how to answer. She lifted a hand to his shoulder with a sympathetic look on her face that made Julian want to break down and cry like a child.

“Let’s go,” Jabara managed to get her words out. Julian nodded, and the pair of them rushed off to the docking bay.

Upon arriving, they saw that the Defiant’s crew was already disembarking. Some could barely stand on their feet, supported under the arms by officers who looked like they too would drop at any second. Noticing Julian’s momentary shock, Jabara began to direct the crewmen to sickbay, mobilizing anyone who looked healthy enough to wield a hypospray to assist her. Julian searched the never-ending crowd of injured people for the sight of your face, even though he knew his desire to see you safe was rather selfish. His help was needed, and all he could do was stand rooted to the spot, hoping that he could recognize your eyes even if your face was bruised and broken.

As the masses of people slowed to a trickle, Julian began to turn away, fearing the worst. But a straggling officer caught his eye, looking as if they’d been through hell and back, but with a gleam in their eye that proved they were still fighting.

“(Y/N)!” Julian cried out, and the officer turned around. Underneath the grime, your lips broke into an irrepressible grin. And, oh, those lips. They were swollen in some places, bleeding in others, but to Julian, there was nothing more he wanted to do than to take them to his own, and kiss you until the Dominion War was over.

Perhaps writers thought of lovers running towards each other on beaches illuminated by spectacular sunsets, but no writer would have ever thought of lovers rushing across an empty docking bay to meet in each others arms.

“My love,” Julian whispered, cradling your face in his palms, a thumb tracing across your cheekbones. “Oh, my love, my love. You frightened me so.”

“I couldn’t have died when I have so much to live for, Julian,” you replied, pressing yet another kiss to his lips despite the pain. “But the others, they need your help.”

“You’re so good, (Y/N),” Julian said. “So selfless. I promise, when I’m finished treating them, I’ll treat you. My quarters. I’ll replicate the champagne.”

“And bring a dermal regenerator,” you added with a laugh, making Julian smile as he left the docking bay. He couldn’t help looking back, watching your proud, shining eyes, your chin tilted ahead earnestly, and your lips, parted as if a word of love was about to escape them. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of returning to you if he stayed a moment longer, he left with the sound of your laughter ringing in his ears.

#star trek #star trek deep space nine #star trek ds9 #star trek imagines #star trek x reader #star trek word prompts #julian bashir #doctor bashir #julian bashir x reader #deep space nine #x reader #imagines #word prompts

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verdigrisprowl · 6 years

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Dec 19 Odothon Part 8 - DS9 S7E17 S7E18 S7E19 S7E20 S7E21 S7E22 S7E23 S7E24 S7E25

At last, the marathon that Soundwave has been showing Prowl is over. The star of their viewings, an unpopular law enforcement officer who’s been grappling with the discoveries that his home planet is 1) full of murderous conquerors bent on galactic domination, and 2) about to die off, has decided what to do about his ailing, awful species: cure them completely, and go home to try to teach them to be better people.

Prowl’s furious.

It doesn’t work like that. It’s not that easy. It’s a waste of time and a waste of effort and it just allows a rusty tumor that’s slowly corroding the galaxy to get stronger. One person can’t possibly hope to change a culture like that. It isn’t possible. People don’t get nice little happy endings like that.

... But. But. Now, he’s thinking about it.

ItsyBitsySpyers 5:09 pm *He's going to beat Prowl to it today. He's going to ping first. Rapidfire string of five.* FakeProwl 5:09 pm *He arrives between the third and fourth.* FakeProwl 5:10 pm Hold on, I wasn't actually upstairs yet. *He just kind of stopped walking in the middle of the doorway to turn on his avatar. He goes idle a moment.* ItsyBitsySpyers 5:11 pm *Soundwave shakes his helm in amusement and parks himself on the couch, cubes nearby.* FakeProwl 5:12 pm *Right! Optics bright again and claims his seat.* Ready. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:13 pm [[Good. There is one he thinks could be important, but we must finish this story today, so he will let you go back to it in your own time. There is also one to summarize.]]

[[Section 31 - the Federation's hidden spy organization - returns and demands Bashir gather data on key Romulan figures during a military and medical conference, intending to control who rises to power to preserve Federation interests. Sisko asks Bashir to agree, hoping to publicly expose them. Unfortunately, Bashir's work plays directly into their hands.]] FakeProwl 5:14 pm Mhm? ItsyBitsySpyers 5:15 pm [[Yes. They get their mole elected while doing what the humans call "throwing someone under the bus" to another senator who was already interested in helping.]]

[[And we begin.]] FakeProwl 5:18 pm {{S7E17 Penumbra: Part 1}}

... His mother is related to the wormhole aliens? ItsyBitsySpyers 5:19 pm [[Yes.]] FakeProwl 5:19 pm Hm. That explains why they like him so much. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:20 pm [[And why they expect so much of him.]]

[[He will be cutting out scenes in the next few tapes. They are somewhat important, but not greatly. The newest Dax host secretly leaves to rescue Worf, who is missing and stranded. They will be captured by the Breen aliens after she finds him.]] FakeProwl 5:24 pm ... About the Docks alien. I've never gotten a clear explanation. It's a parasite that lives in other people and passes its memory down across its hosts, correct? FakeProwl 5:26 pm *That was an extremely subtle way to propose. Prowl approves. Excellent job.* *I mean, he made it explicit after that. But if he'd left it at "I want it to be /our/ house" it would have been the most understated proposal Prowl's ever seen.* ItsyBitsySpyers 5:27 pm [[It is a symbiont, not a parasite, but yes. The host species and the worm species willingly work together. Those interested in becoming a host train hard and are well-screened.]] FakeProwl 5:27 pm ... People /volunteer/ to have someone else move into their body? I suppose someone has to enjoy it. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:28 pm [[The hosts are not mentally destroyed. They benefit from years upon years of experience, often retaining past skills and memories.]] FakeProwl 5:30 pm Roommates are hell. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:31 pm [[They can be.]] *This puffing is Soundwave chuckling to himself.* ItsyBitsySpyers 5:32 pm [[Some more than others.]] FakeProwl 5:32 pm *Sideways glance at Soundwave* Do /you/ have any? ItsyBitsySpyers 5:33 pm [[Not the kind you've been saddled with. Not the kind the Trill have. But he lives with seven others, and even without them around there is almost always a stream of other voices passing through his head.]] FakeProwl 5:34 pm Visitors. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:35 pm [[Of the longest-term variety.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 5:37 pm [[But, as he said. Some more than others. He knows yours falls under "more".]] FakeProwl 5:38 pm ... If the wormhole aliens weren't going to let him get married, it would have been nice of them to let him know before he proposed. {{S7E18 Til Death Do Us Part: Part 2}} ItsyBitsySpyers 5:39 pm ((WHOOP i forgot you were doing that. i'll catch the rest)) FakeProwl 5:39 pm ((o7)) ItsyBitsySpyers 5:39 pm [[It would have been. That is the problem with beings existing in non-linear time, he supposes.]] FakeProwl 5:40 pm If they're in non-linear time then couldn't they have seen the proposal coming and said something first? ItsyBitsySpyers 5:41 pm [[You'd think so.]] FakeProwl 5:41 pm *Ah, Prowl finally gets to see this Kai Winn he keeps being told about.* ItsyBitsySpyers 5:42 pm ((say hi to Nurse Ratched btw)) ItsyBitsySpyers 5:44 pm [[During these cuts, the Breen aliens torture Worf and Dax for information.]] FakeProwl 5:44 pm Very rude. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:45 pm [[Understatement.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 5:49 pm [[He does not understand why Sisko did not tell her right away. She is clearly excited about becoming his companion. Her hopes will have been built.]] FakeProwl 5:51 pm Fear of her pain when she's told. Short-sighted, yes, but still daunting. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:51 pm [[But waiting created more.]] FakeProwl 5:52 pm ... Were the prophets telling her that she needs to be guided by /Docket/? Why in the world...? ItsyBitsySpyers 5:53 pm [[All in time.]] FakeProwl 5:54 pm I'm hoping it's to screw her over. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:55 pm [[You dislike her.]] FakeProwl 5:55 pm You haven't talked her up. ItsyBitsySpyers 5:57 pm [[She does not deserve to be talked up.]] *Soundwave starts to lean toward Prowl, waiting to see if he'll be allowed to complete it.* [[And he is not complaining. He dislikes her too. He's just used to too many excusing all who bear religious power.]] FakeProwl 6:00 pm You're speaking to a mech who's made a career out of arguing with Primes, and who recently decided to cut out the middle man and argue directly with Primus. FakeProwl 6:02 pm ... Docket must be fuming on the inside. He's putting up a good act of gratitude. ItsyBitsySpyers 6:02 pm [[That is true.]] *Looks like he's not. He'll just prop himself up to stay in that position so he doesn't tip over or hurt himself trying to stay unsupported.* [[And most impressive of you.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 6:04 pm [[Dukat is indeed a skilled actor. And she is too naive for the level of her ambitions.]] FakeProwl 6:05 pm *It isn't until Soundwave props himself up that Prowl realizes he was leaning toward him. Oh. Oops. Slides over against Soundwave.* ItsyBitsySpyers 6:06 pm *Oh? Changed his mind? No more questions from him; he'll settle up and rest against Prowl in turn.*

[[She should, at the very least, be looking into his history.]] [[If for no other reason than most religions he knows of demand documentation for the miracles they lay claim to causing, so that they may wave it in the faces of those who disbelieve.]] [[Look at these fantastic events happening on Bajor, she could say. Bajor thrives under her spiritual leadership. And so on.]] *Ah, they're defying the Prophets and becoming spouses anyway. Charming. He'll be quiet now.* FakeProwl 6:09 pm Based on the previous things you've said about her—all her political machinations and so on—it seems to me as though that /would/ be the sort of thing she'd do. FakeProwl 6:11 pm So it's curious that she isn't. Is she that confident in the wormhole aliens' guidance? Is she... twitterpated by Dukat? ItsyBitsySpyers 6:13 pm *Where was he?*

[[She is twitterpated, yes. And always eager to believe herself in the right. Here is "proof".]] ItsyBitsySpyers 6:15 pm [[Her ego overrides her common sense.]]

{{S7E19 Strange Bedfellows: Part 3}} ItsyBitsySpyers 6:29 pm [[NOW she asks.]] FakeProwl 6:31 pm Aha. ItsyBitsySpyers 6:32 pm [[You begin to see.]] FakeProwl 6:35 pm Why does she still trust him in her presence even after finding out that the "prophets" that led her to him were false? ItsyBitsySpyers 6:36 pm [[Refusal to admit she was wrong? Her state of infatuation? Believing he did not know either? He cannot say.]] FakeProwl 6:41 pm ... Is she repenting? ItsyBitsySpyers 6:41 pm [[Trying.]] FakeProwl 6:41 pm Impressive. FakeProwl 6:42 pm ... Well, it was nice while it lasted. ItsyBitsySpyers 6:42 pm [[All ten seconds of it.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 6:47 pm ((solbor is 5000% Done)) FakeProwl 6:50 pm ... You know, if all it would have taken for her to realize she was wrong and repent is a visit or two from the prophets, just a chat every once in a while... Of course, I'm not saying it's /their/ fault if she goes completely evil. But, they could have done something about the situation. If they don't want to deal with her, they could have at least given a vision to a bunch of /other/ Bajorans telling them not to listen to this Winn Adami. If they're going to set themselves up as gods, for goodness sake, they could at least attempt to do the job properly. ItsyBitsySpyers 6:54 pm {{S7E20: The Changing Face of Evil}}

[[Who is to say they have not? She lost her other grab for political power. She herself states that they have never spoken to her - odd, for someone who leads the entire spiritual side of their planet. Kira has been warning her for the last seven years, and told her the truth now.]]

[[That said, he does agree that they could have done more. Clearly, she is too far gone for subtle messages.]] FakeProwl 6:54 pm ... Anyway. *Looks at Soundwave.* Where's Odo during all this? ItsyBitsySpyers 6:56 pm [[Odo is dealing with station life and will soon be brought into things as a larger player. It is best we see all these dominoes being placed so you understand his role in their tipping over.]]

[[And now he must answer a quick call - he will be back in a moment; Ravage has something to ask him.]] FakeProwl 6:57 pm *A nod.* All right. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:15 pm [[We're clear.]] FakeProwl 7:17 pm I can't begin to say how disinterested I am in this love triangle. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:20 pm [[You don't need to say. He is disinterested in it as well.]] *He was all too happy to cut most of it out.* FakeProwl 7:26 pm ((why do dukat's shoulders go on forever)) ((I thought it was just his gul suit but he's still got them)) ItsyBitsySpyers 7:27 pm ((marc alaimo just has broad shoulders and long neck irl heh)) FakeProwl 7:36 pm *There he was. For thirty seconds. Odo. It was nice.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:37 pm *There will be more than thirty seconds of Odo as of next episode, Prowl. Patience will be rewarded.* FakeProwl 7:38 pm ... Docket and Kai Winn make me appreciate Starscream a little more. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:38 pm [[...Those are eleven words in an order he never thought he would hear them.]] FakeProwl 7:38 pm He's selfish, power-hungry, narcissistic, and cares nothing for the people under his control... but he's /self-aware/ of it. FakeProwl 7:40 pm You won't catch him explaining how thinking he's inherently superior to all the people around him makes him a good guy. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:41 pm [[Being self-aware of it does make it harder to interfere with his actions, but that has its upsides as well. He's generally not THIS]] *point at Kai Winn* [[easy for others to control.]] FakeProwl 7:42 pm I was thinking that it's less annoying to have to watch. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:42 pm [[Starscream's power lust?]] FakeProwl 7:43 pm THEY have themselves convinced they're doing the right thing. That makes them far more frustrating to watch. FakeProwl 7:48 pm If Starscream decided to massacre a planet, he'd at least be honest about his motives. If you tried to argue with him about how he's not doing this for whatever greater good may exist in his mind, you don't have to argue him out of that belief first before you can move on with the conversation. He'd shrug and says "So what?" FakeProwl 7:50 pm ... So why did it light up now? Does the book only reveal its contents to somebody who doesn't want them? Or maybe it requires a sacrifice. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm [[It does waste far less time. We may be a long-lived species, but even we have so much patience to spare.]]

[[The book lights up because it is the blood of the people the pah-wraiths would destroy.]] [[Proof that the would-be reader is ready to destroy Bajorans because they have already done so.]] FakeProwl 7:51 pm Sacrifice, then. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:51 pm [[Yes.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 7:53 pm [[She no longer bothers to hide her illness.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 7:54 pm {{S7E21: When it Rains: Part 5.}} FakeProwl 8:00 pm Poor Kira. Teaching her oppressors how to fight against oppressors. (("I need to borrow, a cup, of goo. I'll give it back." omg.)) FakeProwl 8:03 pm How easily she excuses the genocide of her own people, when she's the one committing it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm [[He can't imagine Kira enjoys the idea of teaching them. But the alternative is... unpleasant. And dangerous for the rest of the galaxy, including her home.]] FakeProwl 8:07 pm Indeed. There's no practical alternative. On the bright side, the Cardassians won't enjoy it either, and then they'll be indebted to her. She seems unlikely to be the kind of person to cash in on that debt, but she and they will all know she has it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:08 pm [[If she does not wish to cash in on it, she can always hand it off to her government.]] [[...Or she can simply enjoy sitting on it. It can be a pleasant feeling.]] FakeProwl 8:09 pm *Sits forward. Odo has an STD. This is unacceptable.* FakeProwl 8:15 pm ... Is Martok the one that was a changeling replaced? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:16 pm [[Yes. The true Martok was discovered in that internment camp, escaped, and returned to the Empire. He has fought valiantly since.]] FakeProwl 8:19 pm ... He's... not wrong. Losing one ally in order to allow their enemy to all die off... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:21 pm [[An important ally, who has an increased understanding of the Founders' mindset and is unlikely to let himself be trapped by it again, who could potentially gather more information and protect whatever ship he is placed on because of his species.]] [[And has an *incredibly* valuable ability for a resistance member.]] FakeProwl 8:22 pm The advantage he offers won't be necessary if the Founders are all dead. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm [[He does not need to die for them to do it.]] FakeProwl 8:24 pm No. He doesn't /need/ to. But if he's saved and the cure that's used to save him is leaked to the enemy... FakeProwl 8:27 pm He's already proven vulnerable to other Founders. He might voluntarily go out of his way to protect his home world. And changelings are already known to have infiltrated Starfleet. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm [[He broke from the conditioning he was being brought under.]] *Thoughtful nibbling.* [[You have a point that someone hiding in Starfleet could take it from him... but then why not imitate the people in charge of deciding whether or not Bashir gets the cure and freely hand the medical records over?]] [[And they are not doing this.]] FakeProwl 8:31 pm Maybe they simply haven't had the chance. Maybe they haven't been able to replace anyone high-ranked enough to get their hands on Odo's file. Maybe they think that if their doctors in the Dominion can't find a cure, Starfleet can't; but if they ever discover they underestimated Starfleet and they HAVE found a cure, they'll swoop in to take it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:33 pm *Passing half-formed thought that can be interpreted as sneering at Gowron's idiocy.* FakeProwl 8:33 pm ... Primus below, save me from bad strategists. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm [[He hopes you mean the Klingon and not his mulling over points with you.]] FakeProwl 8:34 pm I definitely mean the Klingon. FakeProwl 8:35 pm And before that, the Cardassians. And I'm throwing in Docket and Kai Winn too... ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm [[Good. It has been thoroughly enjoyable speaking with you and listening to your points and counterpoints. Too long since he's been around anyone who even tries to think as hard as you on such matters.]] FakeProwl 8:36 pm *STARFLEET infected Odo? Prowl's... ...not surprised. And... can't disagree.* ... Mutual. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm {{S7E22: Tacking into the Wind, Part 6}} *Sits up just enough to allow him to dip his helm in gratitude.* *And gets comfortable again.* FakeProwl 8:38 pm *Wraps arm around Soundwave.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:39 pm *Pleased rumble.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm [[...He knows only what absorption of Earth media and Knock Out's data have provided him, but the... peeling? Flaking? The disintegration looks horrifically painful.]] [[It certainly would not be comfortable for our kind.]] FakeProwl 8:41 pm I've seen rust infections like that. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm *Silent for a few seconds, debating whether or not it's his place to say what came to mind just now.*

*In the end, he figures it's history anyone can look up.*

[[...So has your alternate. Fragmented records suggest that they were forced to close a bridge on one of their - you would call them batchmates, he thinks? When their planet became overrun by a rust plague.]] FakeProwl 8:44 pm Batchmates? Built in the same factory batch? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:45 pm [[Not built. Forged in the same group at the same time and made the Underworld run to the surface together.]] [[Close for much of their lives.]] FakeProwl 8:46 pm Ah. If they were born instead of built, "from the same hot spot" or, more poetically, "forgemates." ItsyBitsySpyers 8:47 pm [[Thank you. He will make the correction. But yes - forgemates, then.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm [[Shrewd.]] FakeProwl 8:49 pm And also exactly what Kira predicted. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:51 pm [[The sooner they shed the uncooperative one the better.]] FakeProwl 8:55 pm Check out that projecting he's got going on. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm [[He could play it on a screen from a thousand feet away.]] FakeProwl 8:56 pm *Huff.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm *Pleased.* [[Garak did warn him.]] FakeProwl 8:57 pm If Garak's so concerned that Russet is going to kill Kira, why is he urging Kira to kill him? That will undermine her authority in front of all the other Cardassians. Garak should kill Russet himself. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm [[Odo's protest reminds him of your simulations.]] FakeProwl 9:09 pm *wry smile.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:10 pm *...Not sure that's a good smile. Looks at it for a moment longer than necessary and then away, unable to decide.* FakeProwl 9:10 pm ... Odo is learning to imitate other people. Admittedly, so far it's only another Founder whose face looks almost like his, but. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:11 pm [[That's hardly an "only", given their situation.]] [[Imagine all they could do...]] FakeProwl 9:12 pm True. But it means his skills at imitating other people are still limited. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:13 pm [[Hopefully O'Brien and Bashir will buy him time to learn.]] *Soundwave leans forward a little bit.* FakeProwl 9:14 pm Hopefully. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm *Gets back to his comfortable lean.* FakeProwl 9:16 pm That's a terrible governmental system. Admittedly, not much different than ours, but. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:19 pm [[It can be improved. Martok is sufficiently honorable.]] FakeProwl 9:19 pm It's not going to get a lot better as long as you can seize leadership just by being a good enough warrior. Hand-to-hand combat skills and leadership skills have low correlation. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:20 pm [[What he means is, Martok is a fine tactician, and unlikely to serve his personal interests above those of his people. He may help to change what is corrupt and foolish.]] FakeProwl 9:21 pm {{S7E23 Extreme Measures: Part 7}}

Maybe. But he seemed pretty invested in the status quo. FakeProwl 9:22 pm ... He's hideous. *That's Prowl expressing concern.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:24 pm [[Mm. It is a possibility. Still. If Worf is right, and the Empire respects him enough to support him and try following in his footsteps, it will do much to stop the rampant selfishness. It is a start.]] FakeProwl 9:24 pm Mm. *At the moment, he's been quite thoroughly distracted from Klingon politics by dying Odo.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm *On the other side, Soundwave is uncomfortable with the concept of loved ones dying and was trying not to focus too much on it.* *He's gotten braver about letting himself be open and attached, but there's always That Fear.* FakeProwl 9:29 pm *... Rumors of nonconsensual mind reading, now.* This message has been removed. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:29 pm ((DAMN forgot one)) FakeProwl 9:30 pm ((how long ago did the ep start?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:30 pm ((about 10 minutes)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm [[The Section 31 operative wakes in the medbay, threatens O'Brien's family, tries to convince them he does not have the cure, and attempts to kill himself when they apply the probes. Bashir stabilizes him, but only for an hour. They manage to find the cure just before he dies.]] FakeProwl 9:35 pm *Well, Prowl doesn't think he minds skipping all that.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm *Soundwave didn't think he would.* FakeProwl 9:35 pm *Odo isn't dying and that's what matters.* FakeProwl 9:36 pm ((episode #?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:36 pm ((typing it!)) {{S7E24: The Dogs of War Part 8}} FakeProwl 9:38 pm ... How are they going to explain the dead guy in the medbay? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:40 pm [[It was somewhat explained in the part he skipped. The operative had been in Section 31 for so long and devoted himself so deeply that he had done his best to eliminate himself from the historical record. There will be few who knew he existed and fewer who cared.]]

[[In any case, no-one who does recognize him can be publicly upset by it, lest they get exposed themselves.]]

[[He expects they simply vaporized the body.]] FakeProwl 9:41 pm ... That's unfortunate. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:43 pm [[Isn't it.]] *Folds his hands.* [[It's possible they turned him over to his family and concocted a lie, but the amount of explaining they'd have to do would risk revealing their hand. Or trapping them in the future. It would be wiser to remove the evidence, and he thinks Bashir is that sharp.]] [[There is a war on. There will be plenty of missing citizens that never return.]] FakeProwl 9:44 pm Oh, no, I meant, *gestures at the screen* the people they were coming to recruit being killed. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:44 pm [[Ah. That, too.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:02 pm [[Quark spends the next while complaining about all the other social reforms on Ferenginar and states that he will demand to be allowed to do things as he wishes or else refuse the job despite the loss of status and wealth.]] FakeProwl 10:02 pm ... The Founders don't seem to be doing much about the fact that they're currently dying, do they? Well, there's no need to watch Quark gripe. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:03 pm [[They don't, no. Stubbornness and pride and a stupid, *stupid* determination to win instead of attending to the health of their people.]] [[No, there isn't. Let us skip him.]] FakeProwl 10:03 pm *Very emphatic. Is that self-reproach Prowl hears?* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:04 pm *A little self-reproach, a little residual anger with Megatron... it's a strong cocktail.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:07 pm [[The Grand Nagus arrives and informs Quark that he is mistaken. It is Rom who will become the Ferengi planet's next leader, not him.]]

[[Quark declares that his bar will be the last outpost of the old Ferenginar. He will continue to cheat and swindle while Rom carries the planet forward.]]

[[Moving on.]] FakeProwl 10:07 pm Oh, a happy ending. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:08 pm *Huffing.* FakeProwl 10:12 pm ... Poor timing to be reproducing. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm [[Agreed. One of the worst.]]

[[We are now at the end of all the wars that have woven around and through one another because of the Dominion.]] {{S7E25 What You Leave Behind, Part 9}} FakeProwl 10:13 pm The end? The war ends here? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm [[They all will, one way or another.]] FakeProwl 10:14 pm Hm. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm [[That is, we are at the point of watching it.]] FakeProwl 10:14 pm I figured that was what you meant. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:15 pm [[Yes.]] *Huff.* [[The galaxy does not stop because the Emissary has reproduced.]] FakeProwl 10:17 pm Thank goodness. That would be a dull five months. *Isn't quite sure how long pregnancy lasts.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[Still. At least it would offer them all a break.]]

*Doesn't know either.* FakeProwl 10:21 pm ... So the helmet causes the voice, that's not what the Breen actually sound like? FakeProwl 10:22 pm ((garak is beaming. "look at that, my honorary grandma's complimenting my deceitfulness")) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[Apparently. It's a handy trick, you know.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:23 pm ((precious snek boy)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:25 pm [[Must he return.]] FakeProwl 10:27 pm Ugh. FakeProwl 10:28 pm I hope to see them hoisted by their own petards. Or maybe just backstab each other. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:29 pm *Soundwave lifts a cube in a feeler and nods, then sips from it. He'll toast to that.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:31 pm [[Coward.]] FakeProwl 10:31 pm I was just thinking the same thing. Look at that, Dumber /can/ be humbled. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm [[It is good for him.]] FakeProwl 10:34 pm *... Long exhale.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:34 pm [[This is the kind of thing he meant when we discussed Bashir's numbers about surrendering. Resistance becoming nigh impossible when they already have a solid hold.]] FakeProwl 10:35 pm *Two million, in moments.* *Prowl's seen numbers like that, many times. They never stop feeling like an icicle through the spark.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Soundwave glances at Prowl. Is he all right, there? It can't be bringing up good memories - his own aren't - but Prowl isn't seeking comfort yet, so he must be holding up relatively okay.*

*Or else hiding it, but Soundwave can't make him not do that.* FakeProwl 10:41 pm *well, his expression hasn't changed.* FakeProwl 10:43 pm ... It's the fastest way to inspire the population to join a side, isn't it? By having the other side bomb their civilian cities. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:45 pm [[He doesn't know if it is the fastest, but we did use it on Vos and Tarn.]] FakeProwl 10:46 pm Did you? The Decepticons just conquered them in mine. FakeProwl 10:48 pm ((in his bajoran disguise dukat looks like he should be the so-serious-he's-goofy uncle in a 90s family sitcom)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:49 pm [[Mm. Shockwave attempted to play each city against the other and convince both the Autobots had done it.]] ((...i'm never gonna unsee that)) FakeProwl 10:49 pm ((good. suffer with me.)) FakeProwl 10:51 pm *Oh shoot, Prowl had almost forgotten about Odo, he was so worried about the Cardassian civilian cities.* FakeProwl 10:52 pm *Prowl wonders how often his spies and saboteurs have had little breakdowns like that behind enemy lines.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:55 pm *Soundwave's group have had them from time to time. They're probably more prone to shenanigans than Prowl's bunch, but he'd still put money on it happening if he had any to spare.* [[A death well spent.]] FakeProwl 10:55 pm Indeed it is. ... I thought you didn't believe in heroic sacrifices? *mumbles at the screen* Qapla'. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:58 pm [[He would prefer Damar have perished another way, or not at all. Cardassia needs people like him. But, if he must go... better that than cringing in the cellar.]] FakeProwl 10:58 pm Mm. True. FakeProwl 10:59 pm *Wants to know who the hell these Breen are and how they got involved. Will ask once this is over. Doesn't want to interrupt the show for it.* She's poisoning him. He's a sacrifice. Of course, it was obvious he was going to be a sacrifice the moment she said she needed him. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:01 pm [[Naturally. To all except he who thought himself invincible.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:03 pm *Soundwave would run and run and run from the DJD rather than stay and fight them head on at the first battle, but if he were finally cornered? Yes, he would die on his feet.*

*He focuses on the screen.* FakeProwl 11:03 pm *Focuses as well. Odo is playing a very dangerous game.* *Linking with the person who used that link to manipulate him? Cure a Founder at the edge of death?* *slow blink.* ... Why? Why has she changed her mind? Odo's linked with her before, and it twisted him. Why not this time? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:10 pm [[He has become stronger. Firm in his convictions regarding the humanoids, with evidence of their interest in peace and their ability to learn to accept and help others. Acknowledgment of her failure. A reminder of the traitor Vorta's story would not hurt.]] FakeProwl 11:10 pm ... He has weapons he didn't before. FakeProwl 11:11 pm ... And that's enough? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:11 pm [[And despite all they have done to him, he offered to cure his people. That is... something powerful. Especially to them.]] FakeProwl 11:12 pm That can't be enough. They've sent hundreds—maybe thousands—maybe /millions/ of changelings out into the galaxy to live among solids, all of whom have come back to report their findings and contributed their knowledge to the—the hivemind— And somehow he's the only one who's come back with a positive impression? The only one whose positive impression was strong enough to override the consensus she learned from the hivemind? It's, it's—irrational. ((i bet THEIR alamo in the future has a cool plaza with a bunch of trees in front of it.)) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:15 pm [[He was the first to return. Ahead of schedule, by her own words.]]

[[In the episode we skipped, he finally found another of the Hundred. That one disliked humanoids and preferred to avoid them, but they did not go to join the Dominion.]] ((lmao we can hope)) FakeProwl 11:16 pm ... So he's the only changeling to ever get a positive impression of solids? I find that— I can't believe that. Surely others have had positive opinions, and their positive opinions were oppressed by the majority. His can't be different. ... His /shouldn't/ be different. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:18 pm [[No. The one he found had positive enough impressions to entertain relationships with them for a while. And to avoid joining the war, as he said.]]

[[And who is to say there were not those who once held or now hold positive opinions in the Great Link? If he returns, he will be able to help them find their voice.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:19 pm [[He is clearly strong enough now to teach those who don't.]] FakeProwl 11:19 pm He taught one. Who was desperate and dying. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:22 pm *Soundwave shudders slightly. Possession by such spirits - ugh.*

[[The others are desperate and dying. The others are as timeless as him. He has a long opportunity to try.]]

[[And even if he fails - at least he'll have made the effort to teach and protect them, and others around the galaxy.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:24 pm [[It is devotion to the safety of others. It is the rehabilitation of criminals. How is that wrong for him to try?]] FakeProwl 11:24 pm ... If he fails, then /they/ persuade /him./ And he's added another body to their army. One with intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Federation. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:27 pm [[Their army is broken. Others will hear of this - and those who have already survived and won will not accept more wars.]] FakeProwl 11:29 pm If he tries, then he /gives up/ on trying /other/ things that—that might actually work. That might actually succeed in protecting people! They still have an army that can be and IS CURRENTLY a threat to the galaxy. Making an effort to /contain/ it—or better, just letting its leaders die—has a far higher probability of making a difference than /saving/ them and trying to talk sense into them. He's just /one person/! What can a /single/ person do to—to change the minds, of... of an entire... ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm [[Why must he be all things? Why can't he try to be this while others conduct negotiations? While others assist worlds that need help breaking free of their former oppressors and rebuilding?]]

[[And one person can do much. Worf stood before Gowron. Damar inspired Cardassia's rebellion. He does not seize all the credit for Megatron's defeat, but his turning away from Megatron did help change things.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm [[If nothing else - one Cardassian allowed them to seize the Jem'Hadar ship. One Cardassian saved them when they were to be executed.]] [[One Bajoran taught them how to run a resistance.]] FakeProwl 11:37 pm He doesn't /need/ to be all things. But there's going to be /one/ thing, /somewhere,/ where he will make a greater positive difference than he will anywhere else. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:38 pm [[This is what he knows how to do. This is what he /wants/ to do, and has aspired to do well. This could be that thing. It does not need to be destructive.]] FakeProwl 11:38 pm And he is—is derelict in his duties if he turns away from that position to pursue one where he's got a /tiny/ chance of talking a pack of genocidal warlords into making peace! FakeProwl 11:40 pm SO WHAT IF IT'S WHAT HE WANTS TO DO?! He's pursuing the lesser good! What he WANTS is worth nothing compared to what he OUGHT to be doing! ItsyBitsySpyers 11:41 pm [[Who BETTER to do it? The humanoids cannot link, and the changelings still have some fear of them. The Founder will be punished for her war. No other Changelings have returned, and judging by the Founder's claims, it is unlikely they will for centuries.]] FakeProwl 11:41 pm Then maybe it shouldn't be done! Maybe he should have left them to die! No warlords, no threat! He helps them, and there's a tiny chance they improve compared to a MASSIVE chance they pick up right where they left off! He lets them die, and it's guaranteed they hurt no one again. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:47 pm [[And the Earth? The one that experienced a war so terrible it nearly destroyed the planet and everyone on it, yet survived to become a paradise?]]

[[Why do you deny the existence of hope? How can anyone claim the right to destroy that many people? To do that to their own species without proving themselves a part of everything they claim the others are - a part that doesn't know how to do anything /except/ murder?]] [[He said it himself. He is /not/ a god. He does not have that right or that power.]] FakeProwl 11:50 pm Hope isn't statistically probable, that's what makes it hope! If it was the probability you wouldn't need to hope for it! You put all your effort into pursuing a one percent hope of reform and you leave a ninety-nine percent chance they'll pick up their same old scrap! FakeProwl 11:51 pm He may not have that right but he /does/ have that power—and sometimes you have to do things you don't have the right to do. And what does it matter if he proves himself just as bad as the rest of them, as long as he becomes the only person left who would do that? That's the /point/ of a necessary evil—it's necessary but /still evil./ Yesterday ItsyBitsySpyers 11:59 pm [[It does not need to be all the effort! Odo does not need to be all things, and not everyone can have the same role! There are still many others who can assist and prepare in case the ninety-nine percent comes true. Kira stood against him when he fell; she would do it again.]]

[[He could not live with himself if he went against his nature and killed them all, and that would be a waste of him as well.]] *Vents. He thought this would help, but... it's as if Prowl is doubling down instead.* [[In any case, he doesn't think you'd have respected Odo for what he'd become if he did. Not in the long run.]] FakeProwl 12:05 am ... Not all /necessary/ things are worthy of respect. They're not done for—for respect, or to demonstrate one's moral high ground. They're done because they... The alternatives... *For a moment, he glowers at the floor, silent.* ItsyBitsySpyers 12:07 am *Soundwave doesn't say anything while Prowl glowers. He doesn't know what else he /can/ say. For Primus' sake, he's not an Odo himself and he never will be; that was out of the question from the moment he made his Underworld journey. How is someone like him supposed to convince someone like Prowl to be /better/ than him?* FakeProwl 12:08 am ... Does he succeed? ItsyBitsySpyers 12:11 am [[...He doesn't know. It isn't explicitly said. And maybe that is part of the point, that we must accept the presence of uncertainty.]]

[[But he likes to think so. They didn't show him failing. They showed him curing the Link. That must mean something.]] [[And they didn't throw him back out.]] FakeProwl 12:12 am You've got access to the records from this universe. You can look it up, can't you? FakeProwl 12:13 am Unless their war only /just/ ended, there's got to be /some/ update on what the Founders are up to now? ItsyBitsySpyers 12:14 am [[What he knows of what comes to pass after this does not speak of it, just as he does not have a record of every single thing within his own. He knows nothing of the result, good or bad.]]

[[But... sometimes quiet is a sign of peacefulness.]] FakeProwl 12:15 am ... Or plotting. ItsyBitsySpyers 12:19 am [[Perhaps. Uncertainty, again.]]

[[But he is tired, both frame-wise and of the idea that nothing can be improved. He has fought it since he first understood that Minicons were true people and he will neither accept it now nor apologize for that.]] FakeProwl 12:21 am *Back at the floor.* ... Sorry I'm so tiring. ItsyBitsySpyers 12:21 am [[You aren't.]] FakeProwl 12:22 am Hmm. FakeProwl 12:24 am *Props his elbows on his knees, laces his hands in front of his crest, presses his thumbs over his dimmed optics.* ItsyBitsySpyers 12:25 am [[You told him he was to be honest. If he had meant you, he would have said you.]]

*Soundwave isn't sure how to handle Prowl's current pose or provide what comfort he thinks that hmm might need, so he just... rests his hand on Prowl's back. And rubs tiny circles with his thumb.* FakeProwl 12:26 am *An initial twitch at the touch, but he doesn't push it away.* ItsyBitsySpyers 12:27 am *He pauses for a second at the twitch, but he's also supposed to trust that Prowl isn't fragile and can speak for himself, so he'll take the lack of being pushed away as a sign that his hand being there isn't a Vital Error.* FakeProwl 12:38 am ... I'm... *No. Get your words in line before you say anything.* ItsyBitsySpyers 12:40 am *Soundwave turns his helm just enough to make it clear he's being patient and listening without fixing his gaze on Prowl and getting all intimidating about it. He'll wait until they're in line.* FakeProwl 12:42 am It's... not that... he's not... that... FakeProwl 12:44 am ... that the path he's... That the path he /wants/ to take... doesn't have... value. It's not that it doesn't—increase the good. It—could. It might. A little bit. ItsyBitsySpyers 12:45 am *Nodding. Go on?* FakeProwl 12:47 am But—only a little bit. Only a small, tiny, local bit. He makes things a little bit better on—on one little planet—and maybe, MAYBE, if he's DAMN lucky, he has a minuscule effect on how that one little planet deals with a few other little planets. But probably not. FakeProwl 12:49 am Compare that to where he is now. The resources he commands. The organizations he's tied to. The things that he can offer to the greater good from his current position are—boundless. Sure, he gets his hands a little dirtier in using them, but what are his hands compared to the welfare of the entire galaxy? One set of hands is a small, small price to pay. FakeProwl 12:51 am By choosing to walk away from those resources, those connections, those many, MANY ways he can advance the greater good... he's just... FakeProwl 12:52 am He's a law enforcer. He believes in order and justice. How, with any good conscience, can he let himself abandon a position where he can do /so much/ for the greater good... to take a smaller role, where he does less good, purely because that's /what he wants/? What is what he wants worth compared to the greater good? ItsyBitsySpyers 1:04 am [[Yes, he is a law enforcer. But tell him, Prowl - isn't making things a little bit better a small, tiny, local bit at a time how law enforcement is supposed to work? It didn't in his time, but ideally - the way you've spoken of it - one officer patrols his set neighborhood, keeping it safe and helping those within it. And surely everyone he protects is happy that he is there, if he does the job the right way and does not abuse his position.]]

[[He may rise through the ranks and he may not. There simply isn't room for everyone to do it. But he continues to perform a vital function for that small area.]]

[[With enough law enforcers taking on pieces of the city, eventually the whole area becomes protected, one being at a time.]]

[[It is not so different with a galaxy. Odo can protect and teach his home planet. Others will try to protect and teach theirs. In time, entire sectors smooth out and things like the Federation are born.]] FakeProwl 1:09 am *Shakes his head.* ItsyBitsySpyers 1:09 am [[And just because someone has the resources, it does not mean they should be the one to use them. Kai Winn had connections, organizations, resources - the theoretical ability to do a great good with them at the price of dirtying her hands. Which she did willingly and often.]]

[[But she should have stepped down. She served Bajor best when she was still a Vedek. And there is no shame in knowing that. There is no shame in wanting to return to that.]] FakeProwl 1:15 am You're exactly right, not everyone deserves to use those resources. Which is why it's so important for the few who /can/ use those resources properly to be the ones to use them. Any patrol cop can make a single city block better. Not just any patrol cop can be trusted with the resources that can be used to steer an entire galaxy toward good or evil. Those that /can/ be trusted with them, can't—can't give up and restrict their influence to a little neighborhood and cross their fingers and hope that the next person to hold those resources isn't a despot or a moron. ItsyBitsySpyers 1:29 am [[They'll have to eventually, whether they want to or not. Someone must come after them. Existence can no more be permitted to stagnate and fall into stasis lock than it can to succumb to chaos.]]

[[And not everything needs to be a heroic sacrifice. He and his deployers share our burdens when we can. It stops us from pushing ourselves to a point from which we cannot recover. And it ensures that we are all capable of going places we could not alone.]]

[[Imagine what the Dominion could someday do for the galaxy if they learn to model themselves after Odo. All their genetic engineering and medical skills, their creative technological developments, their unsurpassed knowledge of an entire quadrant - all used to help instead of harm, to raise others up, and without being smeared by dirty fingers. Benevolence and guardianship.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 1:32 am [[He could have forced the Founder to go with him and make him their leader. He could have broken her the way she tried to break him. Instead, he gave her a choice and kept his hands clean, and she still agreed to turn herself in.]] FakeProwl 1:37 am Of course someone must come after them. That doesn't mean those who are /currently/ capable should—should give up before they must. "I'm going to be useless someday, therefore I might as well be useless now"? Pff. Sharing burdens is—irrelevant. A burden can be shared without giving it up entirely. Acquiring the appropriate assistance to complete one's duty is entirely different from—from flat-out running away from one's duty. FakeProwl 1:39 am *The last point, though—the things they could contribute if someone else steered them that way... Prowl doesn't reply. He lowers his hands from his crest to his mouth, frowning hard behind them, glowering again at the ground.* ItsyBitsySpyers 1:42 am *He doesn't think it's irrelevant. Everyone who isn't forced into dirtying themselves until they're buried and lost can still contribute. They can still show off a shiny spot or two and make the overall future brighter.*

*But Prowl is thinking again, and if he could fire lasers from his optics Soundwave would probably have a nice new storage pit in his floor. So for now, he'll sit in silence.* FakeProwl 1:43 am ... Do you think he succeeded. ItsyBitsySpyers 1:43 am [[Would he have asked you to watch this with him if he didn't?]] FakeProwl 1:45 am Depends on how desperate you are to change my mind. *But, he sees Soundwave's point.* ItsyBitsySpyers 1:49 am [[The answer is yes, Prowl. He thinks Odo succeeded.]]

*To make sure Prowl knows.* FakeProwl 1:52 am *A small nod.* ItsyBitsySpyers 1:56 am [[He's going to have to recharge soon. Would you rather idle with him or have time to yourself? Such as it is.]]

*Sits up only to bend forward a bit to try to get a better view of Prowl's face.* FakeProwl 1:58 am *His expression is unchanged. Still that intense frown of concentration.* FakeProwl 1:59 am ... I'd rather be here. ItsyBitsySpyers 2:01 am *Hmm. Running a simulation? Maybe he'd best not create a disturbance. Or allow one. He could cause a harmless error that would interfere with the sch--*

*Ah.*

[[Then he will stay here with you. Rouse him if you need him. He will not mind.]]

*Sits back again and maneuvers himself into a sort of half-sitting, half-laying position against Prowl's side with his legs over the side of the couch.* FakeProwl 2:02 am ... Before you... One question. ItsyBitsySpyers 2:02 am [[Hm?]] FakeProwl 2:04 am He's not charismatic. He's not popular. Why would—why would they listen to him? Sure, /if/ they listen to him, it could make a... But why would they? Someone like him? ItsyBitsySpyers 2:16 am [[He cannot give a definitive answer to that.]]

[[But it's probably for the same reason someone would listen to a prying, unsettling, suspicious mech like himself: the truth is the truth, whether or not it comes from socially preferred sources. Those who seek it will consider its existence reason enough to listen.]] FakeProwl 2:18 am *In Prowl's experience, next to nobody wants the truth if they dislike the source.* ... I've kept you up far later than you wanted to be. I'm sorry. ItsyBitsySpyers 2:21 am *Well, the world is slow to change. Soundwave hasn't convinced everyone of the Unicron threat. He's convinced a few, though, and that's a start.*

[[He is where he wants to be, and he does not regret the time spent. Don't apologize.]] FakeProwl 2:22 am *Nod.* *Finally, he breaks off his intense stare, sits up, and leans against Soundwave.* ItsyBitsySpyers 2:23 am *Coils a feeler around the avatar and closes his optics.* FakeProwl 2:24 am *Dims his optics, and lets his avatar go idle.*

#slenderwave #chat

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adrunkgiraffe · 7 years

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y’know it saddens me we never got any real chance for Worf and Sisko to bond over mourning Jadzia? or really over Jadzia in general?

Like the one time they have a convo in private related to her, she’s really only acknowledged as Worf’s wife? Like you’re kind of expecting sisko to turn back and say ‘btw thanks for saving MY TWO BEST FRIENDS from death’ (even if it was a huge no-no) but like??? Sisko seemingly forgets the fact that, had it been him in that situation, and Jadzia or Jennifer nearly dying, either of them would so be saved?

And I know part of this is, like, they didn’t have any time between the funeral and Sisko needing to leave, and Sisko was coming back to the Station with renewed purpose, having already accepted Ezri into his life whereas Worf was like ‘fuck’ but...like???

#ds9 #deep space nine

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wellntruly · 7 years

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Star Trek: DS9 Notes - S5, Vol. 3

So a two-parter happened and THERE WAS A LOT and I may have gone into a state of bright emotional crisis at one point and panic paused out to yell nonsense and questions at a single still image for a good while, that sort of thing, the point is I’ve broken with the five-packs --- there are just three episodes covered here, but over the usual amount of content.

Anyway enjoy the EXCLAIMING. I sure did.

5x13 ‘For the Uniform’ - Sisko you are rendezvousing OUT OF UNIFORM, is that is important. based on the episode title I think it is important. - also this situation requires me to just say the phrase “in mufti.” ok carry on.

surprise, bitch

- Sisko, hilariously: “Eddington.” - well Sisko, marooning someone on an island a planet instead of outright executing them is a tried-and-true STARFLEET tradition, c.f. fucking SS Botany Bay my guy

- y’know there was a period of time where I didn’t want a more complicated, nuanced view of the Federation’s ethics, because I get enough of that in real life. but this Star Trek has brought me around. - btw, we’re at the point where the Deep Space Nine theme song feels like Home. my heart just gets so full. I would never, ever skip it. - I giggle whenever someone says “the DMZ.” conceivably because I first think of a space DMV? - what a fun, unnecessary feature this holo-communicator is. this is the Google Glass of Starfleet tech. - ahh, ha, see Ben now this new tech is making you uncomfortable! shifting nervously in his seat when Eddington appears and tryna pretend it’s cool, hah - I’m trying to figure out how Eddington differs now from how he seemed before, but frankly he didn’t really seem much of anything before. turning out to be a Maquis turncoat has given him maybe his whole characterization. - lol, @rainbowrites you are right! this is suuuch a Javert & Valjean storyline - I like the texture of the new Starfleet uniforms. would you call that a pinstripe ribbing? I will. - nothing nice ever comes after “Not to put too fine a point on it…” - “Good hunting.” GOOD HUNTING. oh my god. - SISKO SRSLY CHILL - Benjamin, to be fair to yourself, Eddington had no personally to even READ before this development - Sisko’s out of uniform on the Defiant again, because he’s still in his workout clothes. telling? - “I figured you’d want someone who can hear you while the bridge is exploding all around you.” O’BRIEN. I miss Miles Edward O’Brien, where has he been lately? having a baby I guess. - WELL AT LEAST THE GOOGLE GLASS WORKS AMIRIGHT

no one on DS9 can wink except for Keiko

- it’s actually rather sweet that the Defiant only being half-functional means everyone needs to be extra coordinated and communicative. the triumphant teamwork music also helps. - Eddington is sending over a book: LES MISÉRABLES. fuck me, it’s literal.

I am hortling

- dang that Eddington is crafty - BREEN. the people from the ice planet! what the hell is a Breen nursery rhyme doing in a Maquis message… - Sisko: “And if anyone knows how to keep things cold, it’s the Breen.” well good I am glad you did not forget you’d established this planet as an ice one.

anyway in case you are wondering what the characterization is they’ve finally given Eddingon, it’s Hateable

- Dax doesn’t like Victor Hugo, for the crimes of melodrama and two-dimensional heroines - well yeah, I mean, there’s Les Amis d l’A.B.C. — you want revolutionaries, there ya go - I can’t believe this space battles episode is now directly hinging on LITERARY ANALYSIS - I like this moment where everyone just stares in shocked silence at Sisko - shit. Scorched Earth tactics. - Sisko: “YOU BETRAYED YOUR UNIFORM!” Eddington: “AND YOU’RE BETRAYING YOURS RIGHT NOW!” there we go - this is so ~melodramatic~ hohohoh - Odo at Eddington: “well well well, look what the Cap dragged in.”

5x14 ‘In Purgatory’s Shadow’ - ok a) the fabulols episode titles are very much still in force, excellent, b)

AH. AHAH. MENTOR. THAT’S TAIN. THAT’S TAIN ISN’T IT I KNEW THAT FUCKER WASN’T DEAD!!

- ugh, cute alert, Nerys is helping Odo reassemble his stash of Odd Interesting Objects In Which To Shift - the best thing about Odo being Chief of Security is how he clearly hasn’t the first idea how to keep his personal reading private - wow it sure is a shame you don’t know anyone who might be able to help with a coded Cardassian message - theeerrre we go - oh naturally Julian, Ziyal, and Garak are all lunching together. anyway, new Ziyal.

this will serve as the Origin Story for me following what is sure to be numerous future Julian faces with this screenshot of Garak

- “Those people are gone, and are never coming back” is definitely the “Well at least it can’t get any worse” of this scene

1) this cute little freeze-five Cardassian goodbye gesture 2) Andrew “can’t stop won’t stop” Robinson het-dodging like a champion

- oh hell, SMASHING WORK, TEAM. have Ziyal do the gossipy confiding thing where she gushes that she’s just fascinated with Garak, and then under the guise of his ~suspicions~, let Julian do the classic™ chilly noncommittal rebuff of the Excuse Me I Believe I Was Here First party. - so now very please let Julian intercept Garak soon going HEY SOMETHING’S UP I KNOW IT (because I know you best pls lizard-blink twice if what we have is special) - god he could be behind every damn one of these doors Garak is swiftly moving through with his overnight duffel bag

AHAHAHAH HAHA HAHAHA. nailed it.

this feels like screencapping Mads Mikkelsen again but look at his little smile. it’s so cute how they’re each other’s favorite trope.

- anyway “Do you have somewhere in mind, Doctor?” would be the correct answer to that question - while listening to the credits I heated up a mug of mulled cider and tossed in two shots of whiskey so let’s go - Garak: “I really must remember to stop underestimating you, Doctor.” well I got the ending right! - Julian: “What did the message really say Garak?” the show:

fuck yeah

- yes but how close were you to Tain. what kind of close. at this point I would fully believe mentor, brother, father, or lover, which is quite a mix. - YES take Julian with you, hell, yes. yes? yes. - I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to just fully — Julian: “So let me get this straight. You want me to lie to my commanding officer, violate Starfleet regulations, and go with you on a mission into the Gamma Quadrant which will probably get us both kiLLed.” Garak: “I’m ready when you are.” Julian: “In that case...let’s go.”

AN ESCALATING GAME OF CHICKEN, I BELIEVE I ONCE SAID

- “…to Captain Sisko’s office.” Bashir you fucking tease. - Garak just openly picked Julian first for his spy dodgeball team, again. happy now, Doctor? he’s just confirmed you’re his favorite twice over. - I had a feeling sending Garak and Bashir off together would be too good to be true, and to that end WORF is an intriguing wildcard choice — not least because we get Jadzia in a high fury. - JADZIA! holding his Klingon operas hostage until he returns safe and sound! <3

yeah, you are a lucky guy

- “My dear, you are young. So I realize that you’re a poor judge of character.” Garak I stg - “misguided.” Garak finds Ziyal’s feelings for him “misguided.” gee I wonder why. - DUKAT IS HERE, DUKAT IS CAUSING A SCENE - Worf, matter of fact, like he knows any other way to be: “At the first sign of betrayal I -will- kill him, but, I promise to return the body intact.” Sisko: “I assume that’s a joke.” Worf: “We will see. - ….if Garak becomes a Starfleet cadet I will flip several shits - I mean this is a great speech Garak, you definitely wrote a real banger here. I do not believe you for a second, but that’s because I too am not ~the naive young man you met five years ago~ - Worf: “why though.” Garak: “Because lying is a skill like any other and if you want to maintain a level of excellence you have to practice constantly.” Worf: (Sisko will be upset if I kill him Sisko will be upset if I kill him…) - That’s So Dukat: being aggressively full bore understanding about Ziyal embracing the Bajoran half of her cultural heritage, while calling their beliefs “backward superstitions”, and seeing no conflict here - Dukat just told Nerys Ziyal is in love with Garak and she literally snorted - Dukat….is someone going to have to explain to you what makes Garak not a threat in this regard

he is so bothered

- and Major Kira is not. yeah stay strong my girl. - **note for future Drink Space Nine essay: in this episode Garak states he has a personal bone to pick with Earl Grey - it has been a couple years since Tain disappeared, hasn’t it. tbqh I would not be surprised to learn that ol Enabran has managed to work his way into the Dominion and is actually just luring you guys in for them.

yess fly into this lava lamp

- oh never mind, nevermindnevermind get out of this lava lamp - GARAK YOU PARAGON OF FLIPPANCY - finally, when was the last time Nerys and Jadzia hung out! - “imminent” is an incredibly worrisome word to end a garbled message, eee! - I think we have a strong TV Show Chance that Garak and Worf will be imprisoned with or near Tain. I’ll keep you posted. - GLADIATOR FIGHTS????!! Straight Outta TOS - Klingon General, explaining ill Tain: “It’s his heart.” Garak: “Really? There are many people who’d say he doesn’t have one.” way to try to hide your feelings, my dear - this is pretty dang tender. for Cardassians. - Garak very much wants Tain’s approval. I’ve whittled the possibilities down to father or lover, which admittedly remains a fairly heady mix.

is Dukat drinking Campari & orange right now

- alright, 36 hours to get home before you’re cut off out there in the Gamma Quadrant and have to wend your way home Janeway-style, you can do it my buddies

WHAT THE VERY VERY VERY FUCK!!!!!!!!

- I AM EXHILARATED I AM, AAAAAAHHHHHHAHA WHAT FUCKING WHOLE AND HOLY HELL - HE---NO THAT COULDN’T---NO BECAUSE HE’S THE “FRIEND” BEING RETURNED FROM SOLITARY SO HOW LONG HAVE---NO WHAT [CHOKE]--- HE’S WEARING THE OLD UNIFORM. --------- ??!!!!!!! IS THIS OUR JULIAN HAS A CHANGELING JULIAN BEEN ON THE STATION FOR THE LAST HOWEVER MANY EPISODES OH MY HEART IS BEATING OUT OF MY RIBS. OR THIS COULD BE CHANGELING JULIAN? OK THERE IS SOMETHING THE H E L L GOING ON HERE AND I NEED TO PRESS PLAY AGAIN AND FIND OUT BUT FIRST ANOTHER FULL-THROATED AAAAAFKDJAFLKJFDFJKF - nope that only cleared the way for MORE YELLING IMMEDIATE, BECAUSE!!! THIS IS THE MOST INSPIRED NARRATIVE USE OF A COSTUMING CHANGE I HAVE EVER EVER SEEN. I JUST FROZE AND THEN IT WAS LIKE EVERYTHING DROPPED AND SKID AND BROKE LOOSE, GOD SUCH A THRILL. STONE COLD GENIUS. A JOY. - ok, inhaling sharp and slow and gonna hit play let this crescendo roll on - FILING DOWN A MAKESHIFT SCALPEL TO BLEED THE PROOF THAT HE’S JULIAN BASHIR this is just... god this is a fucking dream. god I could write the magical realism novelization of this entire in this moment. - I barely have the strength to look at this head-on but I’m gonna, going back in my notes to find out when the uniforms changed….four episodes ago, christ. so we had an imposter Dr. Bashir for the one where Sisko went hella Emissary, the one where Kira’s Resistance cell was being hunted down, the one with all the babies, and the one where Sisko is Javert. actually, Julian never showed up in that last episode at all…. and the other three his only real role was doctoring. this is actually the first one in a while where he’s done much of any personable, Julian-y things. planned? ok I know I know I need to keep watching, I just have a lot of thought energy right now!! - oh look that’s a Breen. haha honestly can’t care much right now! SOMETHING OTHER I’M FOCUSED ON AT PRESENT - he’s been there over a month. I made a noise. what was that month like. I... and wHY were you being held in isolation and getting thrown around by the Jem’Hadar, are you being intractable, young Bashir? bless your scrappy heart - well I guess he’s gonna have something to bond with Miles over now, [hollow laughter] - SABER BEAR. obviously Klingons have SABER BEARS. - actually Julian all your replacement has been doing is treating people, rather well I have to admit - oh fun though, I do love when Siddig plays Changeling. remember last time when he drew people’s blood all strange and slow while making this face:

- actually it may be worth asking: what is it about Julian Bashir that the Founders find makes him a desirable forgery subject

just his legs entered this scene on a half-floor platform, I am laughing, what a Bond villain move — Real Julian would probably be perversely pleased

listen I’m not gonna make it through the rest of this episode, it’s calibrated at exactly the right frequency to break me like a wine glass

- man this Changeling is so good though, because Julian *would* be delighted to be called “a gentleman and a scholar.” that’s like, two of his main things. - yeah stand up for yourself Ziyal! - Dukat: “Stay here, if that’s what you want. Stay here, and be damned.” holy shit. - Julian just like “well, I’m glad you came, but sure Garak” - Julian has a spent a rather ridiculous amount of time with Tain at this point. seriously what was this month like. - “Let this be a lesson to you Doctor, perhaps the most valuable one I can ever teach you: sentiment is the greatest weakness of all.” well I will certainly be using that line in Tinker Tailor Cardassian Spy - Tain: “Everything’s gone dark. I can’t see you. Are you alone?” Garak: [turns to make eye contact with Julian sitting against the wall] “Yes.” [deep exhale] there is...so much there to unpack in this. oh god maybe later. - edit: here’s later - Garak: “I’ll do as you ask, on one condition: that you don’t ask me this favor as a mentor, or a superior officer….” me: “what is it what is it what is it” Garak: “…but as a father asking his son.” THERE WE GO. ALL BETS NOW CLOSED, IT’S FATHER. - oh lol “they called us the Sons of Tain” --- Elim. - what omf and Tain doesn’t want to admit it?? - Tain: “I should have killed your mother before you were born.” omg Julian and I are gaping and pawing weakly at each other’s shoulders, THIS FAMILY DRAMA, w h a t - oh my god this is all so much - and oh my god now Deep Space 9 is preparing to block the wormhole - Nerys, praying quick: “May the Prophets forgive us.” AAAHH - well this is complicated because now I’m glad that Changeling Bashir probably sabotaged this, because I want Real Julian and Worf and Garak to come home. - I’m so glad I don’t have to wait a week for the next episode, how about right now

5x15 ‘By Inferno’s Light’ - ok so we’re just going full Dante on these episode titles I see, sweet.

mMM, Major Kira has the com

- Dax: “There sure are a lot of them.” Kira: “That’ll just make it harder for us to miss.” I love you. - Kira annoyedly snapping at Dukat to not “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” this is so great - wHAAT. Dukat has been conducting secret negotiations with the Dominion for months?? YOU FUCKTRUCK. god there are a lot of TWISTS in this two-parter…. - Dukat: “As of last week, Cardassia has agreed to become part of the Dominion.” Kira, speaking for us all: “You can’t be serious.” - well the uneasy tentative alliance with Cardassia was good while it lasted, I guess. [takes an acknowledging drink] [which by this point is just whiskey on the rocks]

Julian’s been here a month and has at most what, three day’s beard growth? which is because Realities Of Production, but offers an interesting thought experiment --- everyone else here is an alien, and aliens do not seem to get 5 o’clock shadows. Klingons have facial hair, but it remains restricted to the Fu Manchu areas only. again it’s because of the Realities of their prosthetics, but I also wonder: how would you do up a KLINGON if you had the time and budget to make them look roughened and unkempt like they’ve done with the Human? I feel like dark circles under the eyes could be a humanoid constant, probably. I’d start there myself.

- Julian: “I’m no engineer, and neither is Mr. Worf here. You, on the other hand, my dear Mr. Garak, are a man of many hidden talents.” and the thing is he’s not even using what he’s learned today, he just believes in you, Elim. make him proud. do the thing. - Garak: “Hm. Well it’s nice to feel needed.” there ya go - ohh, now is actually not a great time to send Garak home to new Dominion world Cardassia? we kinda need him here to jerry-rig this signal device thing

[chuckling] I wouldn’t even make this up

- wait all Cardassians are freed except Garak! - G A S P. Dukat. he’s in charge of the whole fucking Cardassian government now and HAS A GRUDGE THE SIZE OF THE DMZ. - anyway how is he still only a Gul, isn’t that the Cardassian equivalent of Captain. bro hasn’t gotten promoted ever in all these years? - Changeling Bashir: “it was obviously a Changeling who sabotaged us” Dax: “wait why?” Changeling Bashir: “um, because they’re awesome, duh” - oh noooo, don’t make Worf fight :/ - how much you wanna bet Garak is gonna be straight passed out by the time Julian is safe to get that hatch opened again

well here is a marvelous piece of info: this is how you check a Cardassian’s pulse. do they have a major artery along their temple/hairline? FASCINATING. regardless, Julian you still have a stronger pulse of your own in your thumb than in the rest of your fingers, so you may want to adjust your approach here.

- Worf is such a badass, crush ‘em champ - Ziyal: “My father says Garak is dead.” Nerys: “Right now I wouldn’t believe your father if he said rain was wet.” seriously I love you - Nerys: “Everyone has their reasons, that’s what’s so frightening. People can find a way to justify any action, no matter how evil.” yo. - it’s actually probably something I’m going to keep thinking about, the way everyone seems to turn to the Federation space station for help when things get really dire, even if they’ve historically been enemies. it’s like a last-ditch, Take Your Chances With The Humans thing, because maybe they’ll show some of their famous sentimental (Garak..) mercy. - they can’t know this, but Sisko and Gowron should noottt be having this Federation/Klingon negotiation in Dr. Bashir’s infirmary right now - Gowron: “Think of it — five years ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space 9, and now all our hopes rest here.” the Hobbits of space. - Wooorrrff, fought five guys? and now doesn’t even get a burger. I’m sorry - instead he gets sent back to his barracks where Julian can catalogue all of Worf’s broken ribs he can’t heal, oh my fuck, this fucking plot

now here’s Garak chastising some glowing filament strands as if they are willfully misbehaving

- Garak: “Get a hold of yourself Garak. After all you haven’t had one of these attacks in years.” !! !!!? does he have claustrophobia - he has claustrophobia - he had a traumatic experience in some sort of building collapse, aaaah - oh yes, definitely squeeze on in there after him Julian, while he’s having a panic attack in this dark hot enclosed space - “an acute form” oh no

the editor inexplicably lingered on this shot of Chief O’Brien for several beats and I just want to honor that choice

- Sisko’s so over it. it is Dukat. - Dukat: “That space station you’re so fond of? Was built by Cardassia.” Sisko: “Funny, I thought it was built by Bajoran slave labor.” YELL-ING - Worf has won SEVEN MORE BATTLES, with 3-4 broken ribs. though god knows how many by now. oh honey. - I mean, upside is that this Klingon General now thinks Worf’s the tits and wants to get him enshrined in tales and songs and the lot - bro says he’s gonna have Julian mentioned in the songs too as The Healer and this is literally his face:

oh sunshine

- Garak’s rising to the occasion so he can be part of the song of their collective heroism, THIS IS SO WONDERFUL - Garak: “Now if you’ll excuse me, my dungeon awaits.” oh.. no.

THE KLINGONS ARE SYMPATHIZING WITH AND RESPECTING GARAK BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT A BATTLE MENTAL ILLNESS IS <3

- listen. I need Miles to figure out this isn’t his Julian. how great would that be. though tbf he’s had a month already

I’m not contexting this

- I’m so distressed for Worf right now, I don’t want him any more bruised and broken! - and I’m so distressed for Garak right now, I don’t want the walls to close in on him! - GAH - well Julian is also gnawed with worry, so at least I can commiserate with him? - ohhhh no, oh no oh no - Garak will be put to death if the Jem’Hadar find him, and it looks like they’re all set to torture Julian for the information, so that’s um, I’m at... a place? THESE EPISODES. - oKAY, someone got a new “deploying a runabout” CGI sequence, congrats!

I GASPED. what an image.

- oh HEY the Romulans are joining the team! “I’ll be damned” indeed, Ben! - and this is nice since we have that Romulan girl in with our buddies in the asteroid internment camp. in other news when are the Romulans ever going to be as interesting as they were in that first episode where they appeared in TOS. - I comment on it because it seems to be consistent and therefore a choice and therefore worth interest, but whenever Julian Bashir is going up against a dangerous threatening someone (c.f. Tain in ‘The Wire’, a Founder in ‘Broken Link’, probably others), he slows his pronunciation in a way that carries this sort of Posh Carelessness, and although I have my doubts about this power move registering much in the 24th century, and definitely not with any of these alien species he’s with, I love the notion that even Space Brits will always do this. class warfare is eternal. - stay down Worf! oh please - you can just see Julian trying to decide how he’s gonna throw his tiny body into the gears here... - THERE WAS A KNIFE IN THAT TOOL. damn you guys were prepared. what the hell was that month like…! - that month was something that means our sweet fancy Doctor just cut this Jem’Hadar’s throat open - Romulan girl: “My people have a saying: never turn your back on a Breen.” well shit you don’t say. and yay for that, today. - there’s an interesting Game Respects Game situation happening here between the Jem’Hadar leader and Worf, juxtaposed against the Vorta (who has no honor, they agree) - ohhh my god just in time, good Garak, good - well this is probably gonna be a fun message. “Bashir to Sisko --- listen you gotta trust me: DON’T TRUST ME. the me over on the station that is.” - this is exactly the time for Kira’s bold harebrained ideas. “WE’RE GOING ON WARP STRAIGHT FOR THE FUCKING SUN” - Kira Nerys, A Hero - Captain Sisko: “Tell our friends out there to stand down. Armageddon will have to wait for another day.” we are also cancelling the apocalypse

Andy.... do you just not give them any non-gay takes

- oh good, goooood, the Changeling Bashir fall-out all goes to Miles being personally affronted - Miles: “And the worst part is, the clues were right in front of me.” I give whatever’s to follow a 50% chance of being toothachingly sweet, 50% chance of being relentless teasing Julian: “What clues?” Miles: “Well for one thing, you were a lot easier to get along with.” and it’s option B for the win

OO CANOODLING

- oh sweet we’re keeping that cool one-eyed Klingon General! I respect you respecting Worf. I’ll even learn your name: Martok. - anyway WOW. wow. this may be my favorite two-parter yet? it’s battling it out with the other set with Garak, because ELIM GARAK IS GOOD TV.

To be continued....

[Tarra Treks] [Captain’s Logs]

#Tarra Treks #Captain's Logs #Star Trek DS9 #Star Trek

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sleepymarmot · 7 years

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AU idea: Ezri Odan

The ship with a trained host is late, and Odan has to be joined to a Trill ensign from Troi’s counseling team, Ezri Tigan. Beverly rejects her not because of gender, but because Ezri’s young enough to be her child. Ezri moves to DS9 to be mentored by Jadzia (and also to escape the painful company of the lover who left her).

Pros of this scenario:

Jadzia lives

Jadzia gets an interesting relationship with a series regular from her species, like most other main characters do

Ezri can appear in TNG stories before that, which would give us glimpses at her pre-joining personality and help differentiate between Ezri Tigan and Ezri Odan, and give Deanna interactions with her staff that presumably exists but was never shown

Ezri’s identity crisis preserved

Ezri/Worf: What are you? Ezri/Bev: I’m you but gayer

Yes Ezri is a lesbian btw

Beverly’s rejection of the new Odan is not about being straight (and since this is already an AU, the Odan she fell in love could be a woman too)

The Host needs to be heavily retconned anyway to be consistent with the later Trill canon, and in comparison to the symbiont/host dynamics and the Federation’s level of familiarity with them, what I propose changes the episode much less

Ezri has time to hang out with characters of her age group -- Jake, Nog, Ziyal

Odan is a diplomat, Ezri is a psychologist. Together, they’ll eventually make an ultimate expert at reading and manipulating people. A sweet, adorable, innocent-looking one. (That leads to some confrontations with Sisko, I think. And Garak, after the initial conflict with the still-confused Ezri that goes pretty much like in canon, grows to respect the hell out of her.)

Cons:

Chronology. Late TNG is early DS9, which means in the beginning of the show we’d have two freshly-joined female Trills with similar issues. At best, Ezri would show up in the end of season 2 or beginning of season 3, and Jadzia was still figuring herself out at that point. Plus, Ezri is about the same age as Jake, and back then she was too young to have season 7 Ezri’s career history. So, to preserve Ezri’s story, The Host needs to be moved from mid-TNG to some point in time between the TNG movies. Then she can join the DS9 cast around season 5.

Ezri’s struggle to fill Jadzia’s shoes works because both the characters and the audience are constantly comparing her to someone they’ve known and loved for years, someone they miss. That’s an important aspect of her character, and it would be lost if the previous host only appears once.

If the previous host is female, that’s another dead wlw character.

Can’t think of anything else

#star trek #tng #ds9 #ezri dax #(but not dax)#blah blah blah #i'm erasing canon from my mind and moving to this timeline immediately

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sleepymarmot · 7 years

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DS9 season 5 liveblog

[Season index: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PS]

Apocalypse Rising

This is the worst device prototype... :D

Sisko makes a very handsome Klingon!

"But don't forget, this is still your fault." I knew they'd have to make a joke about this... :D

The Klingon practive! :D

Dukat does a Renegade interrupt... :D "It was either that or trust in Mister Worf's ability to lie. And frankly, I have more faith in my weapons"

How does nobody recognize Worf?!

Okay, so when Odo "got sick" he was actually poisoned by the Founders to bring him to them for judgement except it was to implant him with false information so that they would assassinate Gowron for them, except if they managed to kill Gowron it would have been obvious he was a Klingon, and if they caught Martok in the field his identity would have been exposed, so maybe they just intended them to be caught and be a reason for escalation, but none of this is addressed...

What was the official reason for invading Cardassia anyway, I don't remember after marathoning so fast?

The Ship

I like O'Brien and Muniz

of course a female Vorta wears a bright colored dress with giant cleavage, heavy makeup, and earrings

oh god, did the boy actually die? :O

I freaking knew it was a changeling aboard

god, so many people died because of miscommunication?!

(This trope is pretty much my worst nightmare aaa)

this is one of the most upsetting stories so far :( I don't think even Hard Time made me cry for so long...

Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places

Julian...

Worf has good taste!

"What house is she from" Boy you have a surprise waiting for you! :D

grow up, Julian, seriously... :D

poor Worf, what an embarrasment

what a happy poly family!

someone's jealous, Odo!

aw everyone, stop making their lovely arrangement awkward

oh Worf, when will you see it :D

aww just accept that the three of you are married now

that's what you get for being nosy at the beginning of the episode, Julian :D

congrats on the sex, everyone! :D I didn't expect Quark to actually get lucky with Grilka... And I'm so happy that Worf finally got laid properly -- it was so sad to watch his human-like advances on Deanna and that one half-Romulan in TNG.

this episode watered my crops, cleared my skin etc. it's been an hour and I'm still in a great mood

...Nor the Battle to the Strong

Bashir's unstoppable monologue claims another victim

I really like this dynamic -- young Jake who didn't know what he was getting into and feels very out of place, and the mature and experienced Bashir seen from his perspective

oh god, Bashir is so happy and relieved to see Jake and even apologies while Jake is about to be crushed by his guilt, I'm going to cry :(

Bashir is such a kind person :(

The Assignment

Yikes, you two really messed up! "I have to be in surgery, operating." "On who?" "I'll find someone."

Wow, Rom's really a genius

I hope this was *the* O'Brien suffering episode of the season and he'll be free for the rest of it! It was pretty tame, especially compared to last year...

Trials and Tribble-ations

I've been looking forward to this episode for years! And I just rewatched The Trouble with Tribbles for preparation.

What did Bashir do to his hair?!

"I'm a doctor, not an historian"

omg Odo in the same frame as Uhura and Chekov!

damn, they're really good at pasting new characters into the archive footage :D

Dax repeating Spock's line :D

going back to the greyness of the DS9 ops after all these bright colors...

This is really a perfect example of an anniversary/tribute/crossover episode! All of those disappointing cameos in TNG look even weaker now. And the visuals are incredible. I expected them to just but back and forth between old and new footage, not to actually edit TOS scenes -- and so cleanly!

Let He Who is Without Sin...

Poor introverted Worf...

I still don't want to see Julian/Leeta but at least they came here to break up

Worf I'm pretty sure this is illegal not to mention tremendously stupid

welp this was bad

Things Past

yikes Garak, no the Bajorans don't appreciate you playing devil's advocate

poor Dax "ran out of speculation" trying to justify standard filming conventions :D

y i k e s @Dukat

Garak: "I never knew we were such messy conquerors. I remember the occupation being a little more tidy than this." Sisko: "Everything's tidy when someone else is doing the cleaning." Garak: "The Bajorans were much more suited for this sort of thing than we were. Servile work is in their nature." also yikes

Dax is hyper-competent this time. like we’ve seen in “Past Tense”, she has a talent for impersonating someone from the past

"When your people resort to terrorism and violence, they're fighting against order, against stability, against the rule of law, and this must be stopped" this is all about trying to convince Odo that the Founders are right, isn't it

A reversal of "Necessary Evil" -- this time it's Odo who didn't magically spend years enforcing order for the occupants and still remain innocent. Odo as a "former Cardassian oppressor" is a story that was waiting to be told (even if this episode is weaker than Necessary Evil). The further I go, the more I become convinced that Odo is the best character and the heart and thematical center of the entire story.

I... don't really understand Garak's part in this episode. Dax is better than him as a secret agent, Odo is better both at being a Cardassian oppressor and at reflecting on it. It's not like I expected Garak to go "omg I learned my lesson" at the end, but I was waiting for something. He comes off kind of naive and incompetent about the whole thing. And Odo of all people saying "Interesting that a simple tailor should just happen to have a high-level security code" is out of season or out of character and either way has no place here. Which kind of makes me lose faith that the rest of Garak’s behavior -- why is he so eager to parrot anti-Bajoran propaganda? -- is a part of some long pre-planned arc. By now I kinda have a feeling that the writers just throw out random lines and hope the actor’s skill will save them.

The Ascent

Odo is Cassandra Pentaghast :D

How did they survive in these conditions without food and water? Sometimes I don't know if I'm too weak & spoiled or the writers are exaggerating the hardships their characters go through...

Jake-Nog subplot got solved too fast

Rapture

What, they just change uniforms overnight in the middle of the season?!

"Those of you who were in the Resistance, you're all the same. You think you're the only ones who fought the Cardassians, that you saved Bajor singlehandedly. Perhaps you forget, Major, the Cardassians arrested any Bajoran they found teaching the word of the Prophets. I was in a Cardassian prison camp for five years and I can remember each and every beating I suffered. And while you had your weapons to protect you, all I had was my faith and my courage."

Look, I can understand why Sisko is choosing his visions over everything, and maybe I would have done the same, but this still squicks me and I don't want to watch it

Let me guess, all this religious propaganda will be justified because Sisko's vision will reveal something super important about the Dominion's moves

can we not go back to Bajoran spirituality any time soon please

(Why did the visions start, anyway? He was zapped by the holosuite computer, so what?)

Btw, if, judging from the uniforms, First Contact happened between the previous episode and this one, I'd like a reference to it? Worf, you were there! Sisko, that was the Borg! Hello?

The Darkness and the Light

ouch D:

if he was just a servant, how does he have the skills and knowledge for precize and difficult attacks like these?

"He wanted to protect the innocent and separate the darkness from the light. But he didn't realise the light only shines in the dark and sometimes innocence is just an excuse for the guilty" why is Kira talking like this... what kind of OOC bullshit...

maybe it's just because I caught Bryan Fuller's name in the credits, but this just felt like an episode of Hannibal... A string of brutal and overcomplicated murders, a grotesque villain with poetic speech, focus on misogynistic violence... I sure hope Discovery is nothing like this! I'm so angry Kira's friends died for this nonsense

the only good part was Kira’s unrepentant speech

The Begotten

Baby changeling! Odo gets "The Offspring" of his own! Let's hope this one has a happier ending...

is it just me or is Bashir prettier than usual in this episode?

Odo don't put the baby in a cup!!! what if someone drinks it?! D:

oh god, he's making Odo do these things himself D:

what a magical moment!!! aaaa

oh no Odo was so happy I just knew they'd kill his baby

he's holding it in his hands :((

I had a feeling they'd be able to link!! Even the conclusion is like "The Offspring" -- the father absorbs his child. I expected the story to end with Odo having to give it to the Founders because only they can save its life/raise it for some reason

Odo and Kira bonding over losing their babies :(

finally, a great episode again!

For the Uniform

Loving the manual departure scene! But how exactly is Nog relaying communications to the engine room?

I continue to understand nothing about the Maquis situation. What's a "Maquis colony"? I thought only the terrorists themselves used that name, not the civilians they protected?

Eddington's use of chemical weapons against civilians is presented as moral event horizon, but Sisko's retaliation in kind is postfactum approved by Starfleet? I thought he was bluffing, and I assume his crew thought he knew what he was doing which is why they didn't object, but Eddington expected him to act like a villain and he literally did?? He used weapons of mass destruction against an entire planet populated by humans who may or may not be Federation citizens (or, alternatively, Cardassian citizens, which might be even worse politically). But that's fine, because the entire population of that planet managed to evacuate before the poison killed them. I don't know how to go on watching the show after this.

In Purgatory's Shadow / By Inferno’s Light

Bashir is great :D

Aw, Bashir isn't going with him? :(

hate to agree with Dukat, but yeah, this is inappropriate

"The man is a heartless, cold-blooded killer" "Like I said, he's a Cardassian"

w h a t

damn, just as I thought Julian was being unusually cool at the beginning of the episode, he turned out to be a changeling

okay, I knew about Dukat and the Dominion and had been waiting for it. but I'm stuck on Changeling Bashir. How long? Since before the uniform change? I feel betrayed. I want to believe it was the real Bashir in The Begotten! Not only because I love that episode -- the presence of a Founder would have changed the plot completely!

I thought I could spend one episode without gushing about how Dukat is written, but apparently not, so here it goes. This plot twist makes perfect sense on so many levels! Sisko has commented before on how quick Dukat was to join the winning side after the fall of the Obsidian Order. Dukat himself made a big speech about missing the good old times when Cardassia was feared (and as a viewer, I kind of miss that too...). Cardassia is the main antagonist of the show's past and the Dominion -- of present/future, and their autoritarian nature is pretty similar. As far as I remember, Dukat hasn't met the Founders before and is probably unaware of their deep hatred of solids, plus his usual overconfidence makes him underestimate the Dominion’s power, so I can see how he would treat this like any other alliance. I hope this means we'll see more Cardassians again, not just Jem'Hadar exploiting their territory and resources.

I wish Ziyal were a bit more conflicted over the entire thing -- she spent her entire life idealizing her father and trying to justify his actions, and taking off the rose-tinted glasses should be more difficult and traumatic than "Oh I guess all of you were right and my dad is a bad guy after all".

Doctor Bashir, I Presume

Leeta, just ask him out yourself!

lol, Bashir should have told them about the hologram...

I knew the big spoiler, but assumed the genetic enhancement was prenatal, so the actual story about parental ableism still came as a surprise. I hope this will be discussed again in the following episodes!

The story about a son who has good reasons to resent the father but forgives him in the end is a bit to similar to The Begotten, but I don't mind that much.

Miles is such a good friend :')

All of the A-plot was great, but the B-plot slightly spoiled the impression.

The resolution of the problem is what should have happened in the first place. Julian is in no way responsible for what was done to him as a child!

So if we didn't take this perfect opportunity to talk about changeling!Bashir now, I guess that won't be discussed ever?

A Simple Investigation

"I've done things in my life I'm not proud of, too. You worked for Draim, I worked for the Cardassians. I never had the courage to walk away. You did. I admire that"

Bashir and O'Brien's larping :D

I thought Odo wasn't capable of enjoying this kind of thing?

"Once, on my homeworld, I had an experience that you might consider sexual" uh... did I miss something?

remember season 1 when Odo was adamantly aroace? good times...

wait what did he do with her hand?

the plot was so boring I had to force my self to focus on screen. and why make Odo fall in love (again) and have sex? that's stupid, leave him alone

Business as Usual

How come Quark is shunned by absolutely everyone? And the general disapproval is represented by Kira (who herself admits that weapon trade saved Bajor), Sisko (who used WMD only a few episodes ago) and Dax (a big fan of a certain culture built around violence).

Ties of Blood and Water

Just as I was thinking that this season has a lot stories with daddy issues, and that Kira doesn't have a father -- this guy shows up! Aww, Kira is so happy to see him"! I hope this doesn't mean he'll be dead by the end of the episode...

"I'm dying" of fucking course........

SHE JUST THREW A CUP RIGHT AT HIS FACE this is incredible

(Kira is literally too tired to deal with his shit. And it's beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anything like her body language, expressions and voice in this scene. She doesn't even dignify his "sick little games" with a single shifting of pose before that one sharp movement to throw the cup.)

(at first I thought the cup broke as it hit his face, which was a completely delightful image, but sadly not what happened)

Kira, he was a member of the Central Command, what did you expect?

Weyoun is great :D

Kira, have you finished questioning him or not? If not, you shoud continue, regardless of your personal relationship.

I really enjoyed this episode, though there are some things that don't let me be truly impressed by it. It was pretty predictable; Kira's anger seemed naive and immature, and the revelation at the end did not completely disperse that impression.

From reactions of Odo and Bashir, who say nothing like "It's your duty to continue asking him questions" it seems like their interviews were over, but the montage and Dukat's poisoning attempt suggest the opposite. All of that is a shame, because this episode is my favourite kind of DS9 episode.

Ferengi Love Songs

Why is the Nagus of all people completely fine with her wearing clothes?

It's disappointing to go back to status quo. I thought the new life without a Ferengi business license would mean character development, but apparently not. And Ishka is weaker here than in Family Business.

Soldiers of the Empire

Always love a good Klingon episode! Honor! Fighting spirit! Jadzia and Worf being awesome!

Also I'm greatly amused that Julian was assigned to be an intelligence officer of all things.

Children of Time

O'Brien is the only one who reacts normally to this creepy situation...

The premise of the entire story doesn't work for me because apparently we're supposed to think that being stuck on an isolated planet with little technology is idyllic instead of horrifying??? I'd do a lot of things just to prevent that. Imagine all the inbreeding that must happen with only 48 ancestors, eww.

Oh boo fucking hoo, you won't have descendants on the planet, well you'll have about as many in the real world in 200 years, plus your absense at DS9 won't deal a strategic blow to the security of the Alpha Quadrant -- why isn't anyone talking about that?

And as usual with time loop stories, it's hard to take the entire thing seriously because -- what happened the first time? Did Jadzia fail to check the logs? Did they not meet their future descendants at all, sat for two days on the empty planet repairing the ship and just happened to stumble upon the anomaly on their way out? By interacting with the crew, the colonists are already changing the timeline, so there's no reason to believe that going back in time will preserve their history instead of making a new version of it.

Blaze of Glory

Eddington is like people who complain about products that have too many 'chemicals'

The writers didn't know what to do with the Maquis so they wiped them out offscreen and tried to wrap up the story with another team-up of rivals, but Eddington is no Dukat and the story itself is not strong enough. RIP Maquis storyline, you were a mess.

Empok Nor

Ouch, Garak, don't so casually bring up O'Brien's greatest traumas!

I have a bad feeling about all of these young nameless officers...

That doesn't look like a great environment for someone with claustrophobia

Cardassian faces always look so great in chiaroscuro! Since season 2 I've wanted to see Garak in this lighting, and the show finally delivers.

"You're right. I'm an engineer" :D

Very cheesy episode, but I enjoyed it more than any of the Mirror ones...

In the Cards

The scene with the crazy doctor and bargaining with Bashir are really hilarious...

"It is enough to know that you and I have found so many common interests. I feel that we are very much alike. :))))" "*grabs his ear* No. We are nothing alike. Nothing at all. :))))))"

What a wonderful episode!!! (But where was Dax?)

Call to Arms

"We're losing the peace, which means a war could be our only hope"

THIS IS SO EPIC!!! And finally, Sisko's prophecy in "Rapture" comes true.

General impressions:

Dax was reinvigorated! -- by the romance or not, but she seemed more vibrant than ever this season. Bashir got more character development! O'Brien suffered a little less than in the previous years! Dukat got to be openly antagonistic!

As usual, my favorite part is the main epic plot. There were three great comedy episodes this time: Par'Mach, Tribbles and Cards. Other favorites: Nor the Battle to the Strong; Things Past; The Begotten; Doctor Bashir, I Presume; Ties of Blood and Water.

Once again, Klingons are allies, Cardassians are enemies, and Quark is not an outcast. Must we cling so hard to the status quo?

#star trek #ds9 #blah blah blah #i ran out of steam #so the liveblog is pretty lazy this time

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