#ESPECIALLY if they were half human like spock

[youcouldbewonderful]

i just think they'd be friends

[vulcanhello]

star trek the savage trade was. so much. there were implications. there were friendships. there were ten thousand unfulfilled ideas. it was not well written but it WAS a ten course meal of food for thought

the most interesting part of this book was the complexity between spock and valek which was completely disregarded even though it arguably had the most interesting stuff going on. for example; when they meet up again after over ten years

varen is her twin brother, which we’ll get to. but here she’s pretty rude towards spock, despite later telling kirk that she felt bad for bullying him/formally arguing against his existence when they were kids. which. okay. only to LATER find out she’s been amongst humans for over ten years. she even starts this little romantic thing with kirk like this

she does stuff like this multiple times. kirk as the narrator even frequently mentions how ‘un-vulcan’ her actions are

i thought it might have been heading in a direction where she also felt like her emotions were getting the better of her as a kid, maybe making her feel like spock was better than her even being half vulcan, but no. it was just about her going along with every other vulcan’s prejudice towards him. then there was this whole thing where she came to take back her opinions because she respected sarek and amanda so much, and of course once spock grew up and proved himself’ she respected him too. but like. there’s so much there. the main point made here regarding all this was that vulcans underestimated spock because obviously spock is great but he couldn’t earn respect until he proved himself in his profession. until then though it was public debate over his existence. imagine your classmate getting up and arguing you shouldn’t be alive. and the only person who’s disagreeing with her is her brother. WHICH.

next point: spock ‘when i feel friendship for you i feel ashamed’ has longtime childhood friends he still keeps in contact with? obsessed. what’s this? you’re not going to include him in the narrative? bro. varen is apparently spock’s only friend from way back and this isn’t even talked about. it’s basically just the reason why valek was angry with spock as kids but she already didn’t like him so it wasn’t like her brother and spock being friends was a catalyst. what i’m getting at is that this author put SO MANY interesting things in the story and then just didn’t use them. ACTUALLY GOING OFF THAT

obsessed when novels mention sybok. this one’s especially interesting as according to her, sybok was seen as better than spock. in the final frontier novel it went that sybok felt like an outcast already, and was noticeably more emotional than other vulcans. spock, who assimilated and became as vulcan as possible to offset being half human, was still seen as less? insanity. i just feel like there’s so much going on here talking about spock’s childhood and then when you read the end of the savage trade spock’s just chillin with ben franklin absolutely uncaring (which good for him. if i met a childhood bully who was now everything she bullied ME for? i would be ruthless. spock elects to lose to benny frank in chess multiple times so he’s above all that)

anyways there was so much the author could have done with valek because she was really really interesting but her and spock almost never interact and it ends up falling pretty flat. LOST OPPORTUNITIES, like pretty much every star trek book in existence

ok one final thing the spock and varen being vulcan lab partners thing was really cute

[favvn]

I'm still in the process of caramelizing this thought (under 12 hours in the ol' brain) so like it might be undercooked as the metaphor goes, but when Kirk caught the virus in The Naked Time, he went into his rant about love vs duty and how the ship takes both his life and his love from him due to that overbearing sense of duty he lives by. (Which still drives me nuts to think about! Spock burdens himself by trying to be 100% Vulcan to the expense of his humanity (that he still can't completely suppress!), and Kirk bludgeons himself through duty, keeping his personal feelings/desires/love tampered and locked down as a result! The willful repression of it all!! I am so so so not normal about characters struggling with repression!)

But later by The Balance of Terror, Kirk starts breaking down at the stress of keeping his entire crew alive while close to the Neutral Zone between Earth's Asteroid Outposts and the Romulan Empire. Any action taken in this area could signal death if not a renewed war between Earth and Romulus, making the Enterprise's moves that much larger than just one individual ship, and making Kirk's actions hold more weight than just the lives of the Enterprise.

And I realize a lot of this comes from the original pilot and the characterization of Captain Pike as he also expressed the same fears and the same desires to walk away from these duties entirely. It's no secret that character elements were reused for the second pilot and series proper (the "I will kill myself and everyone else to avoid anyone getting trapped, especially the Captain" attitude of Number One is definitely something given to Spock for the rest of the series. Call it duty or devotion or love (or all 3 at the same time), it's all there in both characters).

Only for Kirk to find his mirror in the Romulan Commander!

Now fine, maybe the Romulan Commander says "creatures of duty" to refer to the Romulans in general, and I'm just making a mountain out of a few phrases (as per usual). It makes sense: they're an offshoot of Vulcans, and it would follow that both species are bound to a strong sense of duty no matter the cost. But! If that was the case, why have the Commander tell Kirk they are alike before this line? Or spend the episode highlighting their similar tactics and planning? Or include the line, "In a different reality, I could've called you 'friend.'" (Which. If the designation of "friend" is a huge deal to Vulcans when it comes to species outside of their kind..... Is James Kirk the equivalent of catnip for Vulcans and Romulans alike? Half joke, half asking in earnest here / the reality is that Kirk probably does attract their respect and more because he is so terrifyingly duty-bound in such a way that sets him apart from other humans.)

Like. I don't know if I'm necessarily correct in thinking it (because I know Spock is used to show humanity from the outsider's perspective/make the viewer ask what makes one human), but sometimes Kirk seems more Vulcan than Spock as Spock seems more human than Kirk, which maybe works after all. If one can find the humanity in an alien, why not also see the alien in humanity?

[t0ast-ghost]

S3 episode 2 (The Enterprise Incident) yeah. I bet they have a lot of those.

Starting off:

- with McCoy narrating

- “I can find no reason for the captain’s behaviour.” Kirk is on his period, that’s why.

- *enters neutral zone* *immediate Romulan ship*

- Spock outright disagreeing with Kirk! Spock and McCoy on the same side! Oh, Kirk dismissed McCoy. He knew he couldn’t take both of them.

- violated your territory? Girl what were you doing in the neutral zone?

- I can’t tell if Kirk is being controlled in this episode or just being a dick

- Spock is trying to save your ass Kirk! Spock cares about his boyfriend and he’s worried cause he’s been more irrational than usual

- “I’ll kill you!” Damn poor Spock

- The Romulans are being kind of reasonable

- “If you stop looking upon star fleet as the whole universe.” Right it’s star fleet. Not Kirk and McCoy or anything. Noo..

- “I don’t make house calls.” “Doctor, it’s Captain Kirk.” WHO DID YOU THINK IT WAS? Like who would request McCoy’s services on the Romulan ship other than Spock and Kirk.

- She wants Spock so bad.

- This guys got the bluest of pants

- “This man is not fully competent.” “No, not now.” McCoy really wanted to laugh

- McCoy getting angry at Spock and the commander stepping in like, ‘back off from my man’

- That face clutch

- “I instinctively used the Vulcan death grip.” McCoy looks at him like, ‘the fucking what?!’

- “The captain is dead.” Big moment and whatnot but Kirk’s dead face is…

- “My neck feels like it’s been twisted off.” Kirk’s neck, his back- etc.

- “Bones I want you to prepare to surgery.” Kirk touches McCoy’s shoulder so tenderly. Like that’s just not normal.

- WHAT THE FUCK

- I love how happy Scotty is, “You look like the devil himself, as long as you’re alive.”

- “What the devil is Spock doing?” McCoy says ‘what the devil’ when he is worried about someone or confused quite a bit

- I still do not know why they went into the neutral zone tbh

- So Spock will drink with HER but not with McCoy. Wow.

- “A place?” “With me.” Commander back up he is taken

- It’s interesting to see how everyone really wants Spock to ‘embrace his humanity’ because they can relate to it better. Vulcans can seem like the most distant and the least able to connect with anyone because of their claim to logical and unemotional ways, but they still desire peace and helped to create the federation. I think that Spock rejects a lot of his human side because that’s what those around him in his childhood defined him as. And so he finds pride in being a Vulcan when working in star fleet, and anytime someone tries to force upon him the idea of being human he continues to reject it. With McCoy and Kirk it’s almost come to a playful rejection because he cares about them a lot and knows they appreciate his Vulcan side, but it’s got to still hurt that anytime he connects with them they think it’s his more human side. Obviously he’s not just split down the middle, he doesn’t just act wildly like one or the other because it’s a mix, but to him it really seems to be like a one or the other kind of situation (which is fair because that’s what he’s been taught) so he mostly chooses to connect with his ‘Vulcan half’ because that’s the one that’s so often pushed away by others. All that to say, he hasn’t been able to find a balance within himself and it’s not his fault because that’s difficult to do especially with a lot of outside forces pushing him to be one way or the other. And I think about this a lot.

- OMG THEY’RE MAKING OUT. WHY DID THE CAMERA ZOOM IN ON THAT

- Kirk is not a good spy. He is good at beating the shit out of people though

- HE TOOK THE WHOLE FUCKING PART?!?

- “What are you that could do this?” “First officer of the Enterprise [that bitch (positive)].” She slaps him and then he says, “What is your present form of execution.” HE IS THAT BITCH (🎵i-t-g-i-r-l you know I am that girl🎶)

- “You will not die alone.” Spock would find this mortifying. He does not wish for Kirk to join him in death. He would do anything to prevent it. But I could imagine that in their last moments, they would share a look to try and help each other and know it would be futile but share it anyway. (Edit: Think I was supposed to edit this but I’m too tired)

- Spock’s eyes are enchanting

- “Captain… please go. Somehow they [pointed ears] do not look aesthetically agreeable on humans.” I love each of the crews reaction to this comment but especially Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura’s reactions

Spock is so tired, let him rest.

Masterpost

Episode written by D. C. Fontana

[1863-project]

One of the reasons I really don’t engage much with fandom spaces at all these days is just how much casual ableism there is in fandom spaces, a lot of which is internalized ableism. And unfortunately, when you try to explain this to people, they often don’t want to hear it or accept that the ideas they’ve latched onto are actually often pretty harmful to people in the real world.

An example, one of many: people have had theories on N being a Zoroark since Black and White first came out in 2010. That was ableist then, and it’s ableist now - the changeling myth is thought to be rooted in children turning out to be neurodivergent (especially autistic), and if you’re looking at a human character that feels neurodivergent-coded and going “What if they’re not human?” it’s...well, neurodivergent people are already dehumanized in the real world. We’re so often treated as less than human that having a character who comes across as neurodivergent suddenly being not human can feel like a slap in the face to our own humanity.

(Ironically, neurodivergent people often found representation in non-human characters before human characters with neurodivergent traits started popping up in media - this goes back at least to the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock in Star Trek, and possibly far, far further. But that’s a topic for another time.)

Every time I see a character who feels pretty damn neurodivergent, I also see a wide chunk of the fandom interpret their neurodivergent traits really negatively, and it hurts. I don’t engage with the Submas fandom anymore outside of answering people’s train questions that they bring to me because enough people in said fandom looked at Emmet, a character who is more like me than any other fictional character I’ve ever seen in my life, and decided he was scary and unhinged, creepy because of the way he talks when he isn’t close to someone, potentially violent because of his intensity. He’s none of these things, he’s just one of the most autistic characters to ever be written. But the damage was done, because when I saw people treating a character just like me like that...well, it basically told me how they saw me, too.

I graduated high school way, way back in 2007. Some of the people on this website now weren’t alive back then. I wouldn’t get my autism diagnosis for two more years, and all I knew was that I was somehow different from the kids around me, and so many of them had bullied me for this. I was treated horribly because I was intense about my interests, talked differently, walked differently, and acted differently from them. It more or less went on for my entire time in school before I got to undergrad. That shit stays with you. I had this notion that this was how everyone saw me, and that still sits in the back of my mind in my 30s. It’s actually one of the things that prevents me from trying dating, because my bullies were primarily my male peers growing up. It was so important for me to see Ingo and Emmet being themselves and being accepted as themselves, because it meant that maybe people could accept me, too. Except then PLA dropped, and a bunch of new people came rushing in...and enough of them reacted in ways similar to how my bullies did when I was younger, so I had to disengage because it hurt too much.

And the cycle continues with every new character that takes the stage. Nemona debuted in Scarlet and Violet, and once you get more of her backstory in the later game and eventually the postgame you realize she sounds like a neurodivergent person surrounded by neurotypicals. I’ve seen headcanons of autism, ADHD, and a few other neurodivergencies, all of which were definitely people relating to her experiences with their own - Geeta even introduces the “weird girl” to the “new kid” at the beginning of the game in the hopes that she’ll make a friend, a common experience for neurodivergent kids growing up. But then I started seeing people calling her a yandere, and they weren’t joking, and I knew that people who related to Nemona who saw that were going to feel hurt the way I did with people taking Emmet’s autistic traits so negatively.

Fandom spaces tend to be online bubbles, so to speak, and people don’t often realize the impact that these attitudes have in the real world. It’s important for people to have representation and see themselves in the media they interact with, because that’s extremely affirming and validating. Seeing a fictional character just like you being accepted for who they are goes a long, long way when you’re being bullied for who you are in your real life. When you see a bunch of people looking at those harmless traits of yours that people bully you for and interpret them in ways that portray you as scary, creepy, or even unhinged and dangerous...it does damage.

I think about people with psychosis. I think about how media has portrayed them throughout the ages, and how stigmatized they are as a result. I think about people with personality disorders, about people with OCD (of which I’m one myself), about autistic people and ADHD people and people with Tourette’s and other tic disorders, about plural people/systems...the list can go on, and on, and on, and this post doesn’t even touch upon physical disabilities and how ableist fandom spaces can be to them, too (cons being physically difficult to navigate are just one challenge of many they face). I think about how desperate we’ve all been to see ourselves as characters - nuanced characters that feel like real people, not caricatures. The days of the “evil, unhinged schizophrenic” need to be over. We know people with disabilities and mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators; we have so many studies affirming this. And yet the rest of the world is taking a long time to catch up on this.

Sometimes, you’re 12 years old and you make an edgy OC who wears a straitjacket because they like to stab people, and then you get a little older and you realize that was pretty ableist and you grow and change as a person. That’s normal - you’re learning about the world around you and learning how to be more kind. But if someone who’s out there in the real world explains why something is ableist towards their disability or mental illness, and they provide examples, that’s not the moment you double down and act like you can do no wrong and that everything you’ve written is fine. It’s supposed to be a learning moment for you, a chance to step back and try to do better. And this especially applies to internalized ableism - like I said, so many fandom spaces are heavily neurodivergent, and the internalized ableism I’ve encountered in fandom spaces has grown substantially with the rise of social media. Sometimes the call is coming from inside the house, and we need to be mindful of how we’re portraying people like ourselves, too.

I think it’s a good idea to really try to be aware as we engage with others in fandom spaces and try not to perpetrate harmful stereotypes or portrayals, and becoming more thoughtful and nuanced about how we depict characters is a big part of that. If you’re writing something edgy just for yourself, that’s for you, and you don’t really have to think too hard about it. But if you’re sharing it in a public space, remember that anyone can encounter it, and it might do damage you’re not really thinking about. It’s important to remember that the internet is a public space, too, just like the places we go in real life, and that we should carry ourselves the way we would if we were interacting in person - we need to try to be respectful, and accept feedback and improve things when we accidentally aren’t.

As an extra reminder, here’s a great graphic from Sonny Jane Wise on Instagram that shows just how many things fit under the neurodivergent umbrella:

Please do your best to do no harm, but if you accidentally do, please listen to the people who are being harmed and want to help you do better.

[holodeck-enthusiast]

The Night After

...

*after the episode "All Our Yesterdays"*

...

That night, for obvious reasons, Bones found it hard to sleep. Only 3 earth hours left to the beginning of the alpha shift. Bones had already taken a dose of melatonin and it's not working. He refused to fight the thoughts, and was thinking about that another extreme stressful day three of them have had. He embraced the physical and mental pain, something he's actually very good at.

...

Comm chimed, breaking the monotonous humming of the ship's environmental sound.

"Doctor, please accept my apologies for contacting you at this hour. I assume that you were asleep...and this not an emergency...I just.."

Bones noticed the prominent hesitation in Spock's voice. He almost never hesitates. What's got into him again?

"What is it Spock? You feeling unwell?"

"May I come your cabin, Doctor? I need to say something to you and it shouldn't take long"

Bones smiles. "Literally anytime you wish, Spock, you poi.."

He stopped and closed his eyes.

"Yes, of course!".

...

Bones sat up on his bed and commanded the room computer to put on a light. His room is next to Spock's. It took around 45 seconds till Spock came in.

"What is it Spock"

Spock came closer to Bones's bed. Took a small pause before standing straight with his arms behind.

"Doctor, I came here to formally apologise to you for my behaviours in the cave yesterday."

.

Bones let out a sigh of relief. He was genuinely concerned of it's a healthy emergency; Spock's assurance usually means nothing when his own health is concerned.

"You were clearly affected Spock! You weren't yourself"- Bones smiled.

"You were severaly unwell" Spock continued "I used extreme physical force TWICE, especially when, in reality, you were helping me..."

Bones definitely hadn't needed this apology, but he realised Spock needed to let it out. He didn't interrupt.

"... Although my psyche went back in time, which apparently I had no control over, I should have known best to adapt to the situation. I am ashamed that I failed to do that, and I thank you for taking the responsibility."

"Thank you, Spock. But then you should also recall that it is probably because of you I am alive right now..."

Spock maintained eye contact in silence.

"...see, Spock...it is not news to both of us that these strange new worlds always do strange new things to our minds. That's the part of it. I was never eager to join this mission and now I'm in it for this long..my life is here!.."

Bones stopped for a moment and stood up from his bed. He walked to Spock and stood face to face.

"Plus I do think I deserved a slap back there!" He laughed. "I always call you names. Never realised it could've affected you that much. This human characteristic is very, you know, common among friends. I forget the fact that you do not realise how close and unhinged I feel around Jim and you."

"You always are unhinged around everybody, doctor" Spock let out a microscopic smile.

Bones laughed finally. "Go to your bed, you..." Again he closed his mouth. He'd need to practice for god's sake!

"..pointy-eared Vulcan?... probably I do not like it because that's actually incorrect."

Bones went back to his bed tiredly. "How come?"

"Firstly, to my great sorrow, I am only a half-vulcan; secondly and most importantly, my ears have prominent curvatures here, it's not technically a 'point'."

Bones yelled "Dammit Spock! Just go to you cabin and let me die in peace for...what...2 and a half hours!"

"Good night, doctor.' Spock let out another microscopic smile and left the cabin.

...

Both of them slept like babies afterwards.

.

.

.

.

.

[cozyforjate]

What a season finale?!!!

It was a great episode, probably one of the best of the season for me but damn, i hate cliffhangers! Especially when there's a strike going on and you have no idea when the next season will air!

But it is what is… The only thing we can do now is pray for the strike to be over as soon as possible.

AMPTP, please pay your writers and actors!

*

So lets talk about Spock and Chapel (and a little bit about Pike&Batel)

!SPOILER WARNING!

*

The episode starts with Batel and Chapel helping the colonists. We learn that Chapel left the Enterprise early to start her Fellowship with Dr. Korby and Cayuga is basically her ride.

Can i just say that i love how SNW portrays their female characters? Batel and Chapel are 2 women who are really good at their jobs, love helping people, ambitious, strong, beautiful and charming!

The episode made a clear parallel between 2 relationships: Spock&Chapel and Pike&Batel.

At the beginning of the episode Batel and Chapel’s fates were unknown, both Spock and Pike were worried about losing the women that they love, but refused to give up hope and they were both ready to do whatever it takes to save them.

Both couples reunite at some point in the episode. Pike&Batel’s hug is lovely and sweet. Spock&Chapel holding each other’s hands in space is a beautiful and almost poetic moment. That scene was designed to look visually stunning and it did!

*

If we quickly remember the status of both relationships:

Batel had a bumpy relationship with Pike at first, she even walked out on him bcoz just like Chapel, Pike had issues maintaining a serious relationship. But unlike Spock&Chapel, Pike&Batel fixed their problems bcoz Pike noticed his errors, they talked, they understood each other and made up!

Spock and Chapel still haven’t done that and we have to wait for season 3 to see them properly communicate again. But there’s still HOPE for them.

*

“Hope” is one of the main themes of the episode. We have seen different characters talk about “hope” and use it as a motivation to keep fighting.

Una to Spock:

“I would never tell you not to hope.”

Pike to La’an:

“Sometimes... hope is a choice.”

Despite every single fact pointing to Christine’s death, Spock chooses not to lose hope.

“and Nurse Chapel, who I HOPE made it to the surface as well.”

“I have not given in to grief yet. Logic dictates we do not know Chapel's or Batel's fate. And until we do, the best chance we have to save them is if Enterprise takes out the Gorn's interference field.”

Hope is the thing that keeps him going. And i think, one of the reasons why he insisted he should be the one doing the space mission is bcoz he really believed that it might help save Christine’s life (and others').

*

The zero gravity Gorn fight was amazing. Spock and Chapel defeating the Gorn together was so satisfying to me!

After that, they move towards each other and have an “almost” space hug. Beautiful! And then they slowly fly up together. The filming of the whole scene is breathtaking. Feels like a space dance in EV suits. As a big piece of Cayuga falls down, they reach for each other’s hands at the same time and hold so tight! Aww. The music, the scene… You get the sense that there’s HOPE. Against Gorn but also for Spock and Chapel too.

They energize still holding hands. Chapel seems pretty shook and Spock intensely watches her. He must be feeling so many things at once in that moment.

The way Spock loves Chapel is too pure.  He would do anything for her. ANYTHING. Vulcan emotions are stronger than human emotions. That’s why they suppress them. And what happens when they choose not to suppress them? Take a look at Spock! Ethan Peck has been doing an amazing job portraying a half Vulcan-half Human in love. But perhaps his feelings for Chapel can not even be described with the word love.

I have no words for what I feel.

Bcoz it’s more.

*

Anyway, before they go Spock stops her. He wants to apologize but she doesn't let him. She tells him that they'll have time later. She smiles at him, eyes shining, holding his arm… Spock recognizes that look and that smile. Its Christine. His Christine. And he smiles back. There’s HOPE.

*

Look guys, I don’t know if they’ll break up or decide to try again. All i know is, Spock and Chapel love each other. Despite their differences, despite Boimler’s “you’re doomed” BS, despite Chapel’s struggle with relationships&deep trauma, despite Spock’s struggle with human emotions… They LOVE each other. Feelings are there and not going anywhere.

Star Trek loves “on again - off again” relationships. So i predict Spapel be the new on/off relationship that will last for as long as the show goes on.

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (Book 2) Chapter Six

Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Six: Body-Switching Aliens

Summary: Spock, Kirk, and Mulhall allow the aliens to possess them to build android bodies. Unfortunately, Henoch is up to something.

            “The extreme power of the alien mind will drive the action dangerously high, and the body functions will race many times their normal metabolism,” explained Bones to Chapel. “So we’re going to have to monitor this very carefully.”

            “Yes, sir,” said Chapel.

            Spock, Kirk, and Mulhall lay on infirmary beds beside the receptacles of Henoch, Sargon, and Thalassa beside them. (Y/N) sat beside Spock, anxiously waiting for the transference of minds to take place.

            “Well, I guess we’re about as ready as we’ll ever be,” said Bones. “(L/N), if there any changes in their emotions, let me know.”

            “Jim,” said Sargon’s voice.

            “Ready, Sargon,” said Kirk.

            Kirk, Spock, and Mulhall prepared themselves. The three receptacles glowed brightly and whirred to life as the transference took place. Each of their bodies twitched slightly as their minds switched places with those of Henoch, Sargon, and Thalassa. Finally, their bodies relaxed, and their eyes opened.

            “The transference…is complete,” said Sargon, his voice Kirk’s but unearthly and larger than life. He sat up, and Chapel quickly checked on the state of Kirk’s body since this was his second switch.

            “Hmm. Hmm.” Henoch’s voice came out like Spock’s, but there was more distinguishable emotion within it.

            He gazed down at Spock’s body as he considered his temporary vessel. Henoch propped himself up his elbows and looked around himself. His eyes landed on (Y/N), who was gazing at him curiously. They had met Sargon already and gauged Thalassa’s temperament from her emotions. Henoch was the only one they couldn’t figure anything about other than Sargon saying he was part of the “other side.”

            On his part, Henoch looked (Y/N) up and down before a smirk played on his lips. He chuckled and met their gaze. “What a beautiful sight to make up to after a half a million years.”

            (Y/N) blinked and turned pink. They knew it was Henoch, but seeing so much emotion and such words from Spock’s body in something like Spock’s voice was a shock. “Uh, thank you.”

            Henoch chuckled. “You’re welcome.” He stood and turned to (Y/N). “Hm. Not human like these others, are you?”

            (Y/N) shook their head. “I am Celian.”

            “Ah. The empath,” said Henoch. He smirked. “I’ve always liked psychics. Especially attractive ones. What’s your name?”

            (Y/N) wasn’t sure what they had been expecting from Henoch, but it hadn’t been flirting with them. “I’m Lieutenant (Y/N) (L/N).” They were trying to remain polite, but they weren’t sure how to deal with the situation.

            “(Y/N)…” murmured Henoch. “How lovely it is to meet you.”

            (Y/N) took a step back. Seeing Spock’s face look at them like that was so weird that even if Henoch was just flirting innocently (not an unusual occurrence for (Y/N)), they weren’t sure how to deal with it.

            Luckily, everyone’s attention was stolen as Thalassa and Sargon stood up and gazed at each other. The romantic tension was nearly palpable.

            “Sargon…” breathed Thalassa. She walked towards him, and Sargon met her in the middle. She examined Sargon in Kirk’s body. “I am not displeased, my husband. Your body is not unlike that which was your own.”

            “And I, too…am pleased, beloved,” said Sargon. He gently took Thalassa’s hand, his thumb circling the back of her hand affectionately. He leaned in and kissed his wife, and Thalassa kissed back.

            Henoch smirked and looked at (Y/N). “I, too, and pleased with this body. In fact, I believe I received the best of them. Am I correct?”

            “Spock takes care of himself. It’s part of what makes him an admirable Science Officer,” replied (Y/N).

            “Yes, well, the strength, hearing, and eyesight are far superior to those of humans,” said Henoch. He chuckled. “I’m surprised the Vulcan never conquered other civilizations.”

            (Y/N) frowned. “The Vulcans are a peaceful, logical people, Henoch,” they said.

            “Of course, of course. As are we,” said Henoch with a pleasant smile. “We love having peaceful relations with other cultures.”

            Without the ability to sense his emotions since he hid them as well as Spock, (Y/N) couldn’t decide if Henoch’s use of “relations” was innocent or was a euphemism. They really hoped it wasn’t the latter.

            Thalassa slumped forward, and Sargon caught her. The commotion caught their attention.

            “Nurse!” called Bones. He and Chapel guided Thalassa back to the infirmary bed.

            “Doctor, I…” Sargon groaned as a similar faintness crept in.

            Bones quickly escorted him back to bed as well and turned to Henoch. “You’d better get back to bed, too, Henoch.”

            “Unnecessary, Doctor. This Vulcan body is accustomed to higher metabolism,” said Henoch.

            Bones frowned but focused back on the ill Sargon. “It won’t work, Sargon. You’ve got to get out before you kill them.”

            “We will vacate at once…until you can administer a metabolic reduction injection,” said Sargon.

            “A what?” asked Bones.

            “I will prepare the injection, Sargon,” said Henoch.

            “Henoch…your condition?” asked Sargon, struggling to stay awake.

            “I can continue in this body for several hours,” said Henoch with a pleased smile.

            “Fortunate…” murmured Sargon. “We will…vacate at once.” He and Thalassa’s minds transferred back into their receptacles as the exhaustion took over.

            Henoch turned to (Y/N). “Would you show me to your pharmacology laboratory?”

            (Y/N) nodded. They were happy to help since it meant Spock’s body wouldn’t be hurt by Henoch’s presence. Even if it withstood the metabolic changes now, there was no telling what time would do. They couldn’t let Spock be hurt.

l

            “Now this formula will reduce the heart action and the bodily functions to normal,” explained Henoch. “While the bodies are occupied, your Nurse Chapel will administer one injection of ten cc’s each hour.”

            (Y/N) nodded. “I’ll let Nurse Chapel know.”

            “This hypo is for myself, and these two are marked for Thalassa and Sargon,” he said.

            (Y/N) frowned as they examined them. They had spent enough time around Spock to have a little bit of his scientific knowledge had rubbed off on them. “Why is the one for you different?”

            Henoch paused and glanced at them. He clearly hadn’t anticipated them catching the differences. “This body is Vulcan. Its composition calls for a slightly different mixture.” He smiled, but (Y/N) was struck by the performative nature of it, like a politician trying to seem caring.

            (Y/N) furrowed their brow. They needed to see Henoch’s emotions to figure out if he was trying to hide something. “I think we should check with Bones—”

            “If we don’t administer it soon, there will be repercussions for Jim Kirk and Ann Mulhall’s bodies,” said Henoch, walking out of the room before (Y/N) could stop him. What’s more, he had Chapel inject them all before (Y/N) could arrive and intervene.

l

            Luckily, Sargon and Thalassa reacted well to the injections and began their work on their future mechanical bodies. Henoch worked alongside them, but he was more likely to wander the ship, learning about it and the world they’d be entering.

            However, (Y/N) worried. Yes, Sargon and Thalassa seemed fine, but it was suspicious that Henoch was more focused on the Enterprise than building his new body. He seemed to be growing too attached to Spock’s body, and (Y/N) was worried what that would mean.

            “Shouldn’t you be working on your android body?” asked (Y/N) as they entered a spare briefing room where Henoch was reading the manuscripts loaded onto the Enterprise’s mainframes.

            “I believe learning of the world I am joining is just as important,” said Henoch with a politician-smile.

            “You’ll have all the time in the world after you enter your new body,” said (Y/N) stubbornly.

            Henoch smirked and stood. “Are you so eager to get rid of me?”

            (Y/N) refused to react to his approach. “That is Spock’s body, and Spock is my friend. I want him back.”

            Henoch lifted a hand to (Y/N)’s cheek, but they stepped back. The idea of Spock’s body touching them without his approval weirded them out, like it was a betrayal of his trust in them not to cross his boundaries, one of which was touch. Henoch’s eyes narrowed at the movement.

            “I assure you, I can offer far more than this Vulcan can,” said Henoch, smiling.

            “I don’t know you,” said (Y/N) curtly. “So I don’t care. Please, go and finish your android body.”

            Henoch smirked. “Oh, but I don’t want to. You see, like this, I can truly feel.” He reached out and gripped (Y/N)’s arm as if proving his words. “I can experience life.” Henoch pulled them closer. “I can experience everything again.”

            (Y/N) attempted to pull away, but Henoch’s Vulcan-body-aided strength kept them in place. “Listen, I don’t know why you seem so attracted to me, but it doesn’t matter because you have to leave—”

            “I told you, I like pretty psychics. Far superior to common minds,” said Henoch. “And I long to experience physical pleasure again, and you are by far the only—”

            (Y/N) cut him off before he could say further lascivious things. “I don’t care. You’ve proven you’re a threat now. Now let go, and perhaps we can have a peaceful end to this with Sargon and Thalassa.”

            Henoch’s grip tightened to a bruising force. “Too late for that, so I think you should—”

            The intercom buzzed, and Bones’s voice came over the speaker. “Henoch! You need to get down to Deck 6. Thalassa and Sargon…They’ve died.”

            Those hypos! realized (Y/N). Dammit, I knew something was going on!

            “Oh, dear. The game’s really begun now,” said Henoch slyly.

            (Y/N) tried to pull away from Henoch, but he reached up for their head. Alarmed as they realized a fellow psychic was trying to mess with their mind, they leaned away. “Get away from me!” Their mind lashed out in response, and Henoch jerked back at the sudden flare of psychic power. They turned and darted out the door to get help.

            “You can’t hope to beat me,” said Henoch as (Y/N) left. He sneered. “You are insects to me! You’ll grovel for mercy at my feet!”

l

            (Y/N) skidded to a stop outside the Medbay and ran in. “Kirk and Mulhall! Are they still alive?!” Just because Sargon and Thalassa’s minds were gone from the body, there was a chance that they could still survive.

            Bones was surprised to see them but nodded, focused on his job. “Kirk and Mulhall’s bodies are alive, yes, but their consciousnesses are still in the receptacles. Sargon and Thalassa were too far from their receptacles to transfer back in. They’re lost.”

            “Are you sure?” demanded (Y/N).

            “Yeah. (Y/N), what’s wrong?” asked Bones.

            “Henoch did this. He claimed the hypos had to be different because Spock’s body is that of a Vulcan and Kirk and Mulhall are humans, but he must have…poisoned them or something. He wants to keep Spock’s body, and I think he’s planning on controlling the Enterprise!” the words spilled out of (Y/N) in a worried jumble as reality began to set in.

            Bones cursed. “Goddammit. What the hell are we supposed to do against an essentially godlike psychic without Jim or our resident pointy-eared hobgoblin?”

            “We may not be able to battle Henoch ourselves, but we are still here to assist,” said the echoing voice of Sargon directly into Bones and (Y/N)’s minds.

            “Sargon?” they said in confusion.

            “We believed Henoch had learned from the mistakes of the past. We were wrong, and your people have suffered for it. We’re deeply sorry for it,” said Thalassa’s kind voice, clear in their mind.

            “How are you…existing? I thought Henoch destroyed you,” said (Y/N). Bones was quiet, letting the psychics speak.

            “I have power not even Henoch suspects, and so I saved myself and my beloved Thalassa,” said Sargon.

            “We have a plan to defeat Henoch,” said Thalassa.

            (Y/N) blinked as the information was relayed into their mind. “Oh. I understand.” They turned to Bones. “Alright. Things are about to get a little weird.”

            Bones frowned. “What do you mean—!” His eyes widened as Kirk and Mulhall’s eyes widened, and they stood up. “Jim…?” Kirk nodded. “And Dr. Mulhall?” She nodded.

            “Now, Bones, you need to make a hypo to poison Henoch. Something that would affect a Vulcan,” said (Y/N). “We will destroy the receptacles.”

            “What?! Spock’s consciousness is in one of them,” hissed Bones.

            (Y/N) shook their head. “No. Sargon and Thalassa are keeping him safe.” Their eyes were bright with honesty. “I would never hurt him. Please, trust.”

            “Fine, fine. Damn psychics,” muttered Bones, but everyone could tell he was pleased to know everyone would be alright if this went to plan. “What’s after that?”

            “Then, we have a body-snatching alien to beat,” said Kirk determinedly.

            Spock. We’re coming, thought (Y/N).

l

            Henoch grinned in satisfaction as he lounged in the captain’s chair. No one could stop him or the power of his mind would render them helpless with pain.

            “Henoch,” said Kirk as the elevator doors opened. “Leave my crew alone!”

            Henoch smirked, “Pain, Captain.”

            Kirk gasped and collapsed in pain. Henoch smirked and turned back to the Viewscreen. Bones darted down with the hypo to inject him, but Henoch raised a hand. Bones froze from Henoch’s psychic power.

            “Fortunately, Doctor, I know every thought of every mind around me, you see,” said Henoch, smirking. He grabbed the hypo and smashed it on the ground. “There, let’s not play any tiresome games. We all know I’ll win.”

            “Henoch,” said (Y/N), stepping down beside the captain’s chair. They smiled. “Are you still interested in me?”

            Henoch was surprised at their openness but smirked. “Why, of course.”

            (Y/N) reached up and touched his face. Their face became deadly calm. “Well, I’m not.” Their golden eyes nearly glowed as they forced their empathic powers through Henoch. With Sargon and Thalassa’s support, they had the psychic power to defeat him. “So get out of Spock!”

            Henoch’s eyes widened, and he cried out as his mind was forced from Spock’s body by their sheer power. Sargon and Thalassa would finish him now. Spock’s body collapsed, and (Y/N) was at his side in an instant. Their anger abated and left them with just worry for Spock. Thalassa and Sargon had protected his mind and returned him to his body the moment (Y/N) forced Henoch out, but they couldn’t help but worry.

            “Spock?” they said gently. All their instincts and love for him made them want to reach out and hold him, but they didn’t want to cross his boundaries, so all they could do was rest a hand on his arm. “Spock?” Spock’s eyes opened, and with (Y/N)’s help, he stood. They looked at him worriedly. “How are you feeling?”

            “I assume you mean my health, not my emotions,” said Spock. “In which case, I am just fine.”

            (Y/N) let out a soft laugh at his, well, humor (for that was Spock’s brand of it). “I’m glad,” they said, smiling at him.

            “Sargon, how can we thank you for helping us?” asked Kirk to the air around them.

            “You can allow Thalassa and I to share your bodies again, a last moment together,” said Sargon.

            Kirk and Mulhall looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. They stepped out of the group so that Sargon and Thalassa could have a moment. The two tensed as Sargon and Thalassa went into their bodies and turned to each other.

            (Y/N) put a hand to their heart as the warmth of pure love filled the air. “Wow…they really love each other.”

            Spock looked at (Y/N). Yes. They do.

            Thalassa and Sargon drew close, and Thalassa smiled gently.

            “Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved,” she said softly, perfectly content because she was with the man she loved. “Promise we’ll be together.”

            “I promise…beloved,” said Sargon.

            And with a final kiss, they left the world together; two beings in love.

l

            “So, has Bones cleared you?” asked (Y/N), sitting down on the infirmary bed next to Spock’s.

            Spock nodded. “It seems the physical effects of transference were easily amended as my Vulcan physiology allowed me to withstand the metabolic changes.”

            “I’m glad you’re alright,” said (Y/N) honestly.

            “Dr. McCoy says you’re the one who saved my mind by forcing Henoch to leave my body,” said Spock.

            (Y/N) nodded and smiled sheepishly. “I hope it wasn’t too jarring.”

            Spock raised an eyebrow. “No. No, I have no issues. In fact, I thank you for your help.”

            “Anytime, Spock,” said (Y/N), smiling kindly. They shrugged awkwardly. “Anyways, I was happy to help. Henoch was a creep; he deserved to get the boot.”

            Spock furrowed his brow. “A ‘creep?’ ”

            “Yeah, he implied he wanted to sleep with me,” said (Y/N) distastefully.

            Spock’s eyes narrowed slightly. The idea of someone flirting with (Y/N) was displeasing enough in itself. Since it was (Y/N), Spock was unable to avoid the emotion of “jealousy” when someone showed interest in them. Furthermore, this instance involved someone possessing his body. The idea of Henoch putting his hands on (Y/N) in any way made Spock’s Vulcan blood burn in indignation just as his human side felt it.

            “I regret not being in my body. I could have prevented his advances,” said Spock.

            “Don’t worry, Spock.” They waved a hand before he could react. “I know, you don’t ‘worry.’ Still, it wasn’t you, so you don’t have to feel responsible for Henoch’s behavior.” (Y/N) smiled warmly. “Besides, I know you would never make unwanted advances towards me. You’re a better man than that. That’s one of the reasons I like you so much. I can trust you.”

            Spock had gone through many tests of his Vulcan stoicism, but having (Y/N) look at him like that and say something so kind was a challenge above all others.

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

[dreamthinkimagine]

Half Human

For @zerozerozio

"You're not gonna admit, that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human, emotional act?"

"No, Sir." Kirk chuckled.

"Mr. Spock, you're a stubborn man."

"Yes, Sir."

That conversation happened one hour before and Kirk still wanted to hear Spock say that he wasn't 100 percent Vulcan ALL the time. So when Kirk finally got him alone, he picked up the conversation where they left off. "Come on, Spock."

"I believe I have already conveyed my thoughts on the matter."

"I know you're not as serious as you try to be."

"An incorrect observation, Captain."

"You said you acted on desperation."

"It was -" Kirk stopped listening, trying to find a way to show it.

"Don't make me prove it to you."

"'Prove it', Captain?" Kirk walked around to him and poked his belly. Then pinched his side.

"Jim!" Truth be told, Jim suspected that Spock wanted to let go and emote sometimes - he was half human after all. The only things stopping him were witnesses - which Jim had already taken care of - and the 'feeling' of vulcan guilt.

"Come on, Spock," he said, starting to scratch. "Lighten up!"

"Captain," he said, squirming out of Kirk's grip. A look of internalized conflict shone on his face, and Jim couldn't help but stop as he looked upon his friend with such compassion. Maybe this wasn't the best way to deal with it.

"You're not always 'logic,' Spock. And that's okay."

"Jim," he said, "not for a vulcan."

"You're not all vulcan."

"Sometimes, I wish I was." Spock had suffered all his life on his planet. He was ridiculed by the other vulcan boys for not being a full vulcan and his human half cried because of it. He remembered his mother trying to comfort him, but that was a human thing. He vowed there and then that he would be a vulcan for life, then he wouldn't be different. He would fit in and no one could say anything about him again, so he repressed his human half.

He had almost succeeded in becoming "fully" vulcan until he was surrounded by humans on the Enterprise, then the cycle continued. He was an outsider again, and it was obvious to everyone. Especially him. The side that he wanted so hard to hide wanted to come out. But even if he wanted it to, he didn't know how to let it out. He'd ignored it for so long that he almost forgot that it existed.

"Spock?" Jim brought him out of his train of thought. "Spock, I'm not judging you."

"Captain?"

" I don't care that you're half vulcan, half human. You're my first officer and friend, I want you to be comfortable. If you decide to let your human side out, we won't judge you."

"And McCoy?"

"He teases because he cares," Jim said with a smirk. "He doesn't really think any less of you. I think he'd like to see it too." Spock took a moment to think and Jim held back from saying that letting go was logical. It wasn't the time to make that kind of joke. "You don't have to feel ashamed. Do you look down on me? For my humanity?" Spock immediately straightened out, looking at him.

"Of course not, Captain."

"Then why look down on yourself?" Spock looked away again. "This isn't Vulcan," Jim said. There was a silence for a few seconds, broken when Spock took a breath.

"Will you help me?" Spock asked as he turned to face Jim.

"To be human? What do you want me to do?"

"Perhaps what you were doing earlier would be a good place to start." Jim smiled and started attacking his ribs.

And as he stood there, laughing, Spock realized that maybe being half human wouldn't be so bad after all.

[babygirlgeralt]

when the aliens said spock was ‘damaged’ i think they were referring to him being injured in the accident although i would say that wasn’t clear in the context. that line was clunky. and then there was a lot of talk of ‘repairing’ him based on ‘mixed instructions’ which felt incredibly racist and antisemitic. i realise overall this episode played as erasing the vulcan ‘half of him’ or the human ‘half of him’ are both bad and both ‘halves’ should be respected but i found the handling of this metaphor to be lacking sensitivity. the use of handicap to describe spock’s and amanda’s human DNA was offensive especially in light of them both being dyslexic.

equally it reads poorly to me to have chapel say you’ve made this version of spock i can relate to better and understands me better when you made him more like me ! because he’s the different other one with his vulcan (jewish) side. i guess she said. oh but i miss him when he has both cultures. but then two scenes later she acts as if he and all other vulcans don’t have emotions. it was antisemitic and not handled with the consideration of the intertwined history of star trek and judaism

[thegeminisage]

it's STAR TREK UPDATE TIME. last night we watched voy's "faces" and ds9's "explorers."

faces (voy):

i feel like this one had the bones and potential to be good if 1. it had been set a couple of seasons from now 2. if they weren't so fucking RACIST. unfortunately.

so, in the tos episode "the enemy within" kirk is split into "good" and "evil" selves, though they realize by the end of the episode it's not so cut and dry - his evil half is responsible for his drive to action, his will to fight, and his "good" half is cowardly and soft and incapable of decision-making without it. this was a good and complex take on good vs evil which they promptly ruined with everything they did to poor janice rand

the problem with this episode is that they are tying b'elanna's "evil" traits to her klingon half and her "good" traits to her human half. this in itself is racist but they STILL might have managed to say something meaningful if they were using it as a way for b'elanna to tackle internalized racism - like, if she realizes her klingon half isn't the evil she thought it was. and i think they THOUGHT they did that (though if we're being honest "i'll be fighting with her the rest of my life" does not suggest that sort of resolution, only a grim resignation that she can't live without her klingon half even though she'd like to, and it's an open ending but also a bad one), but there are some problems with this

firstly that we haven't had a HINT from b'elanna that she struggled with this issue before now. like i absolutely believe she would, sure. in fiction, especially star trek, characters from two species or cultures struggle a lot with where they fit and who/what they really are, because that was spock's struggle in tos, and tos laid the blueprint for everything that comes after it. b'elanna wasn't the first or second and probably won't be the last. and it can be a compelling narrative! but where the hell is this coming from? i think she has only mentioned her backstory like twice and it was VERY light stuff

secondly, why why WHY do they keep putting the klingons in brownface...i can almost understand if you're trying to make them more orange the way you would make an orion character green, but they are literally not doing that. the woman who plays b'elanna is already NOT WHITE. you don't need to do that!!! is it my imagination or did they pale up her makeup for her human half...man come on

also like lmao having her human half cower in fear when guys with guns show up while her klingon half snarls and breaks her own chains. and her human half gets shielded by men and protected but her klingon half gets sexually harassed while strapped to a table and starts talking about how klingon women have hjigh libidos. because cowardice vs courage and fighting ability vs thinking ability are very much traits imprinted into dna. so is how you get protected or harassed. that's definitely how dna works. i know this is scifi but jesus christ

also, of ALL the fucking people to have to rely on in this sitch. WHY TOM PARIS. firstly, i can't believe they get together later. secondly, he fucking BLEW IT when she was opening up to him and he was like talking about haircuts and going yay you got what you wanted :) hooray :) could you have said ANYTHING more dumb. no. i also got the feeling he preferred her human half because she was vulnerable and needed protecting. gross.

anyway, it COULD have been something, but it wasn't. so

that said, the one right this episode had is when they took that guy away and the vidiian came back WEARING HIS DFACE. that was so completely and totally horrific i almost screamed out loud. the vidiians have the potential to be fantastic villains, i think...they just need a good episode

explorers (ds9):

this one was so cute. like, pure filler, but absolutely adorable. i lvoe when sisko gets to do stuff

his beard!! tbh, i really don't like his later seasons look of the beard but no hair, but the beard WITH the hair looks great. i'm sad he probably won't keep it like this for long

i love how in the 2300s a dad can just build a whole spaceship in his metaphorical garage. i think it was a little questionable to put his KID on something like that but i respect and support all of sisko's decisions because i love him.

the ship was so cool actually! like, completely implausible, but it looked like one of those treasure planet numbers. i have to wonder if it inspired treasure planet at all...

jake's little subplot about maybe going away to college...he got so big so FAST. i loved his joke about maybe joining the maqui not only because he genuinely got sisko (you could SEE him trying to frantically pull the right answer out of his dad skills toolbox) but also because for a second he almost got me. really good and funny. i love how much jake and sisko laugh together. and how much they worry about each other!! jake is so generous trying to set his pops up. not all children are so cool with that.

i was really shocked at the end they got fireworks for making their destination. i was FULLY expecting dukat to be like you arent allowed to be here :) and threaten to shoot them down. but he was like (to sisko who he's gay for) hiiii bestie hi do you want some space fireworks for your kid and sisko was like yes :) and they just did space fireworks. sure. most benevolent cardassian action ever after garak giving julian those chocolates last ep

julian meeting this fake patient at the beginning of the episode was really funny. his GO AWAY in the padd. jadzia doing...whatever that was. she develops a personality sometimes, for some episodes, and then it goes away again. it's not always the same personality but i did like this one. it was very funny.

i think quark and morn BOTH lost the bet since the doctor lady walked by julian without looking at him, by the way. i also love that the depth of julian's neurosis is that he has to go get drunk on real alcohol about this response despite the fact that they have NEVER EVEN MET EACH OTHER. like i spent this whole episode getting this lady confused with the ex he had the foot fetish for but THEY LITERALLY NEVER MET

drunk julian and obrien. ive never been happier. they were two drinks away from fucking right on that couch and obrien was right to switch them to synthale. it would have been funny but i DONT want him to cheat on keiko.

and then after all that he gets laid twice in one episode. good for him <3

TONIGHT: voy's "jetrel" and ds9's "family business." more ferengi stuff already :( give me a break i miss when i liked quark

[mysticninetalis]

My Star Trek HeadCanons

Hiya! I just had a lot of head-canon's running around in my head so I just wanted to share a few! These are an amalgamation of things grabbed from Memory Alpha/Beta, as well as what I just like to think are implications of happenings that took places in these character’s lives. I also have a more adult list for more sexy and/or serious HC’s (if you wanna see those)

~~~~~~

Jim Kirk

Certified genius, by both Human and Vulcan standards

Very ADHD

Loves to dances, especially as a kid

This man has freckles everywhere

Had a pet mini-cow named Pickles

Graduated highschool at 16

Got his Masters in Xeno-linguistics and Engineering from UC Berkeley & MIT respectively, by the age of 21

Lover of old 20th/21st music ( think the Beasty Boys, Nickelback, Red Hot Chili Peppers, FFDP,  Lil’ John, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, ect.)

He purposely fucks with Bones by singing “Get Low” anytime the joke call for it ‘cause he know the old Grumpus hates it

Has a cow plushie that he has kept to this day, it was his dad’s.

Loves himself a good Pina Colada

Is honestly a huge bookworm (his guilty pleasure is dirty novels lol)

loves to cuddle (especially with Bones or Galia)

allergic to most fruits and flowers (including a lot of aliens fruits. Also strawberries, which sucks because he loves them), as well as most nuts

He’s such a sucker for gelato, but Bones restricts how much he has :(

A very loving and open pansexual 

Loves to wear all kinds of clothing, especially a good dress every now and then

Met Sulu in his 2nd year because he joined the fencing club

Took Chekov under his wing and they were study buddies

Spock

Has a stuffed Sehlat  names Muffins that Sybok gave him when he was 2 

Queer as shit

Follower of the “Talk Shit, Get Hit” way of life

Followed Sybok & Micheal everywhere (even sneaking out with whenever they did during the older sibling’s shenanigans)

Always got carried by his “scruff” by I-Chaya whenever he was getting into things he wasn’t supposed to

His answer to everything when in trouble was “Following one’s curiosity is logical, it is how one learns” (his made Amanda always laugh and Sarek question his life)

Has a tattoo of the vulcan G’teth bush & Induku tree wrapped in Terran roses on his left shoulder (an homage to his family’s humanity and vulcan culture) as well as the mark of the Khas-wan wrapped along his left bicep.

He has a few ear piercings and actually likes ear jewelry (it is one of his few illogical indulges)

Is a avid poetry reader

Mastered the art of Suus Manha around the age of 10

He very much understands human colloquialisms and metaphors, he just acts like he doesn't to fuck with people.

During the customary show-and-tell every child has after their Khas-wan, Spock brought the pelt of a young Le-Matya he had killed, because it was only logical to tell in detail how he survived to his classmates (and rub it in Stonn’s face)

Totally has a secret love for ABBA (and disco in general), Reggaeton, American Country music, and dancing of many terran verities thanks to his mother and her side of the family (including but not limited to knowing how to whine, the tango, the waltz, and southern line dancing)

Dyslexic as shit, but learned to overcome it thanks to his mama

Such a Mama’s boy, will beat of anyone who talks shit about Amanda, including adults when he was a child

cried for days when Sybok was sent off planet, and again when Micheal left, and no one was able to comfort him besides Muffins

Leonard Horatio “Bones” McCoy

The gentlest person alive under all that bluster

Half-Hispanic on his Mama’s side

Makes tamales during the christmas holidays

The galaxies #1 Daddy, he has a mug that says so

Was in charge of hair day when they lived together because he was the parent that braided the most efficiently (plus it kept his hands very dexterous for work)

Knits Joanna sweaters (he also crocheted her a stuffed Tinkadink because it was her favorite Pokemon and like the fact that it hits other pokemon out of the sky)

Wore a pretty floral white and lavender sundress dress to Daddy-Daughter day because when Joanna was in 3rd grade she wanted to try out some “boy” clothing but was worried her friends would think she was weird

Loves Country music (especially Mark Twain, Morgan Wallen, and Dolly Parton)

He’s also a metal-head

Always lets Joanna dress him whenever they visit, they also paint each others nail

Almost tore Joanna’s 5th grade teacher a new one because some little twat kept bullying her about her hair

Applied to the VSA with an amazing transcript and medical journals to his name and was denied for some bullshit reason, which is why he’s salty about Vulcans

Discovered he was Bi at a young are because he saw an interview of Ambassador Sarek holo and thought he was real pretty

Graduated highschool at 16, got his MD and PHD is Psychology by 21 and finished his residency at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta

Married Jocelyn Treadway at 19, and had Joanna at 22

Makes time for the gym even if his week is hellish (both when he was in school, as well as at work), has very much a well built dad-bod with a big chest and thighs

Was the captain of his high school track team

Danced competitively all throughout his childhood (mainly traditional hispanic cultural dances and was in a more contemporary crew throughout high school and college when he had the time)

Was a exotic dancer starting at 18 to pay for college, which is also where he met Jocelyn

He also took Chekov under his wing and would given anyone who made comments about the whiz kid a patented McCoy glare and just the best passive aggressive bedside manner whenever they were under his care

Wears his Daddy’s Saint Raphael necklace that has Joanna’s birthstone

Nyota Uhura

Secretly loves those cheesy rom-com holovids

a pansexual Queen

A woman who lived by the motto “Gaslight, Girlboss, Gatekeep”

Hated when Kirk and Galia would always cuddle in their dorm room, but eased up one night when she heard Kirk singing a Orion lullaby to a sleeping Galia.

While she puts her career first, she is a very maternal person at heart and loves to babysit whenever Joanna would visit the Academy/Enterprise

oddly enough, shes an amazing impressionist

Beginning halfway through her second year (Kirk’s first), Kirk started to randomly talk to her Vulcan, than Klingon and slowly it turning into an ongoing competition to see who between the two of them know more languages

Loves to do Yoga as well as leaned how to traditional Orion dance from Galia as a form of exercise

Found out after a night of drinking with their friend group that Leonard knew how to poll dance and asked him for lessons whenever their schedules lined up, it be came a bi-monthly thing for them

Always gets her family cute little odds-and-ends for their birthday, as well as a card that says how much she loves them in different languages rotating every year

Shares Spock’s love for earrings and will get him a new pair for his birthday

During the bi-annual talent show, she and Spock usually did an act together

One year it was a tie between her Spock, and Jim & Galia’s dance act

Her, Hendorf, CHristine and Leonard have a once a month girl’s night where they meet in Nyota & Galia’s dorm and talk shit

When she heard that Gary Mitchell spread rumors about Jim being a whore, she did everything in her power to make that man’s life miserable

Sometimes the odd person will make a misogynistic/racist comment about her or her appearance, and miraculously Jim and the person who said it willinup at Medical with Leonard being extra mean to said misogynist (and if Spock hears anything while he’s out wither her, they’ll get the verbal ass whooping of their lives as well as a demerit in their file)

[sshbpodcast]

Star Trek Parents Just Don’t Understand (Part 2)

By Ames

Last week, you’ll remember we covered a whole lot of parents from the classic Star Trek series and just how much they tended to ruin their kids’ lives. Well, this week A Star to Steer Her By is finishing out the topic with parental units from currently running Trek series and the Kelvin movies. Expect this one to not be nearly as far reaching, partly because SPOILERS WILL ABOUND below the cut and partly because we’ve not covered much of this on the podcast yet, so frankly I don’t remember a good deal of it.

But some of our major players have or are noteworthy parents to talk about in this period of wide-screen Trek (seriously, everything looks like a movie now and it’s impacting my screengrab game). Give your parents a hug for us as you see them listed below and also in probably the most spoilery episode of the podcast we’ve ever recorded (discussion starts at 59:37). They only raised you from tadpoles.

(Again, some mega spoilers for Star Trek 2009, Discovery, Lower Decks, Prodigy, Strange New Worlds, and especially [seriously!] Picard are below.)

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Kelvin George Kirk

George Kirk was a parent to literally newborn James for all of thirty seconds before saving his life, Winona’s life, and the lives of the crewmembers of the USS Kelvin. While we have no idea if he’d have been any good at raising the youngster had he lived (apparently so since this alternate Kirk ended up being quite the ruffian compared to that walking stack of books from The Original Series), we know what he valued by his actions, his sacrifice, and his refusal to name him Tiberius.

Kelvin Sarek

In pretty much all timelines, Sarek is a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to raising a half-Vulcan, half-human son like Spock. Why he can’t get it through that Vulcan bowlcut of his that having a child with a human will dilute that cherished green blood of theirs is absolutely beyond me. I thought you hobgoblins were supposed to be logical, after all. Maybe if Amanda hadn’t blown up, things would have gone better for Quinto-Spock.

Discovery Sarek

Speaking of Sarek, in Discovery we actually see that he very much seems to prefer raising his ward Michael Burnham to raising either of his natural sons. Go figure. Apparently all his progenies had to do was follow in his footsteps, join the Vulcan Academy, and literally have a chunk of his katra from a past mindmerge-thing for daddy to love them.

Gabrielle Burnham

Michael’s relationship with her birth parents is something much more complicated. This is Discovery, after all; “It’s complicated” is the subtitle of the series! When we learn that Gabrielle is still alive, having saved Michael by becoming the Red Angel, it’s a bittersweet reunion that can only be made stranger by their second reunion in the 32nd century when momma has become a space nun of some kind. As if Michael didn’t have enough of this Vulcan stuff growing up!

Voq and L’Rell

On the subject of space nuns, we learn that Voq and L’Rell’s child Tenavik got to be raised by some time monks in the Boreth Monastery. Which, frankly, is probably the best that kid could ask for! The combative Klingon Empire was no place to raise a baby, and good on his parents for finding a child-rearing solution that, at the very least, kept him alive. Ya know, after just a little bit of faking his death. Q'apla, I guess!

Stamets and Culber

What is sweeter and purer than two gay space dads mentoring a nonbinary sorta-Trill sorta-not adolescent? I didn’t realize that Adira is supposed to be 16 when we meet them (probably because the actor was like 23), but regardless of age, they are struggling with their identity in enough ways to make a Vulcan weep, and having the support of a nurturing queer family is just what they need.

Ephaim

An easy example of a good parent from the Discovery era comes in one of the Short Treks, “Ephaim and DOT.” Sure, she’s a tardigrade and mostly just following that biological impulse to keep one’s seed alive, but she does better than a lot of other Trek parents. Go, tardigrades, go!

Raffi Musiker

Moving on to Star Trek: Picard, we see another negligent parent in the conspiracy theory–obsessed Raffi Musiker. She might rival Worf as a parent whose absence has screwed up their kid the most, as we see that Gabriel is downright hostile to her when she tries to reconnect. And then in season 3, she yet again chooses Starfleet over her family. Perhaps we’re lucky we haven’t seen Alexander in Picard, since he and Gabriel could have some stories to tell.

Troi and Riker

Say what you will about the Troi-Riker relationship, but they seem to be doing pretty okay raising their daughter Kestra. She’s a nifty kid with her head on straight, so they must be doing something right. Also, it’s very clear throughout their appearances in Picard that these parents did everything they could to save their son Thaddeus from his mendaxic neurosclerosis, and his loss affected them in the way only losing a beloved child could.

Maurice and Yvette Picard

We were teased a bit in TNG with just enough information about Jean-Luc’s upbringing to let us know his relationship with his father was strained and that with his mother was loving, but then the second season of Picard had to go spelling things out for us in ways we didn’t really need. Maurice becomes that much more terrible because he evidently did nothing when Yvette was going down a dark path. And Yvette… what the hell were the writers trying to say about Yvette? Freakin’ yikes. 

Adam Soong

Also in season two of Picard, we get YET ANOTHER Soong ancestor for Brent Spiner to play, ya know, for reasons. Evidently all the Soongs except Data (see last week’s inclusion!) are just terrible parents because they’re effectively just trying to prolong their own legacy instead of actually caring for the needs and wants of the child. Kore, in this case, lives a life so sheltered she can’t even go outside without bursting into flames. Much like that whole damn season…

Teresa Ramirez

We do, however, get one solid parent in season two of Picard, and that’s Teresa Ramirez, the divorced mother who Rios is totally thirsty for. Actually, we don’t see a lot of children of divorce in Star Trek, do we? As we established last week, it’s far more likely to have one parent get killed off than it is to have people amicably separate because, of course, that makes for more drama. There’s Torres’s parents, and Rom and Prinadora but that’s just their Ferengi contract, and that might just be about it? Anyway, Teresa’s cool.

Jean-Luc Picard and Bev Crusher

Season three, however, is just a straight up family reunion show with lots more literal family members that get introduced to boot! Somewhere after Nemesis, evidently Bev and JL got down to clown and then Bev ran away and hid the pregnancy from him for however many years this boy is old. Sure, we all agree Picard would make a father that might rival Worf’s awkward sense of child neglect, but is Bev any better never telling him? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Geordi La Forge

Geordi’s been busy too, cranking out at least two daughters. Like Sarek’s relationship with his various kids, it seems much easier for Geordi to play favorites. Alandra is the favored daughter because she followed in his footsteps and seems like she was generally passive, while Sidney is the black sheep of the family and La Forge has trouble connecting with her because she can’t just be controlled like certain holoprograms I could name.

Carol Freeman

Let’s get out of Picard and into some animated stuff. The relationship between Captain Freeman and her daughter Beckett Mariner is at the core of Lower Decks, so much so that it’s kept secret from the rest of the crew for the drama of it all. Most of the show treats their relationship like ones we’ve seen before in which the child lashes out because they don’t want to follow in their parent’s footsteps. There is love there, but their failure to communicate does dominate.

The Diviner

In our other animated Trek, The Diviner definitely falls into that category of just the worst kind of parent because he will sacrifice Gwyn a hundred times over to get his way. He never listens to what she wants, chooses the Protostar over her, and leaves her to nearly get killed on vine planet. All this and the only reason he created her in the first place was to continue his work. Rude, bro.

Joseph M’Benga

Finally, we have Dr. M’Benga in Strange New Worlds, whose dedication to caring for his sick daughter Rukiya is admirable and incredibly sweet. Every time he reads fairy tales to her in sickbay is a beautiful little scene, and the end of “The Elysian Kingdom” is a tear jerker that we were honestly surprised to get so early in the run of the show. I kinda hope we see more from Rukiya in future, but who knows what’s written in these fantastical pages?

— We’re ducking out from this family reunion before someone whips out the photo album. Catch us next time for more, and definitely keep listening to our watchthrough of Voyager over on SoundCloud or wherever you get podcasts. You can also post family in-jokes on our Facebook and Twitter, and would it hurt to call once in a while?

[charlemane]

thinking about the purring vulcan fanon and spones...

spock recuperating from whatever in the med bay and OFC he would never ever do anything as UNDIGNIFIED as PURRING in front of his CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

at least not while he's conscious

but he's drifting off in this half-sleep state and despite everything, on a bone-deep level he knows that he is safe here, and he is cared for, and he is among people he cares about

and then he wakes up and bones is just? staring at him? and bones, having no sufficient medical texts about human-vulcan hybridology, which isn't even a THING except for this one guy, is like. are you broken. were you having a special vulcan continuous micro-seizure. what the fuck was that.

and spock, being a BITCH ASS LIAR, is like "well, doctor, vulcan anatomy is especially evolved with a stress response that has served to help us keep ourselves clean of the sand of our desert planet by emanating low vibrations through our bodies. i am surprised that it was triggered in this instance, but it must be because being in this medbay with you is approximately as unpleasant as being stuck in a sandstorm on the planet vulcan"

later mccoy gets the whole story from m'benga and laughs for two weeks straight

[fictionkinfessions]

i miss my family. my stepmother. my baby siblings. my father. spock would stipulate that i’m only his half-brother, and michael and amanda and perrin were fully human with no blood relation to me, but they were my family all the same.

i was nearing fourteen by the time spock was born, and spock was not sarek and amanda’s first attempt to have a biological child — something i supported wholeheartedly, as amanda was very dear to me and i held her happiness as a very high priority, as much as a teenager can.

i was ecstatic to meet him, and supported him as much as i could, even when it set me at odds with sarek. (perhaps especially then, but. i digress.) he was so like me, and yet so… alien. literally. his half-human mind functioned in ways that both resonated with and confounded me. i did my best to support him, even when we couldn’t see eye to eye. i called him my t’hy’la (platonically. oh my god.) more than once. i trailed after him to starfleet and we found a home. he was one of my best friends.

i didn’t get much time with michael, as i was fighting tooth and nail through the vulcan science academy (which i would eventually drop out of entirely), but i cherish the memories i do have of her. she was always sharp as a tack and funny as hell, and my own neurodivergence and differing philosophy from other vulcans allowed me to support her in a way that more aligned with what she had learned from her human parents. it pained me to see her go — even more so when i learned that she had been temporally displaced and likely would never return — but i remain incredibly proud of her.

ultimately, it was that temporal displacement of a part of sarek’s katra that resulted in his failing health. (not that that was michael’s fault, and i’ll not entertain theories to the contrary.)

…i went to see my father in his final days. perhaps it was selfish, or illogical, but i did it regardless. i had seen him crack enough times that i felt i had to bear witness to the breaking. and it well and truly rattled me, to see him like that. but i held his hand and did what i could to help him. he was my father, and i love him still, even as flawed and imperfect as he was.

…anyway. i love my family very much.

-s’chn t’gai sybok, once of vulcan (fictive)

box

[ichayalovesyou]

Spock Amok Time: Dream Analysis

Okay okay okay okay OKAY OKAY, OKAY!

I loved Spock’s dream sequence

Like SO MUCH

The Koonut Kalifee redesign was absolutely poppin, as was bringing back some of the Enterprise-esque costume design! And they used the same music from Amok Time?! Hell yes!!

But I’m not here to talk about aesthetics

I’m here to talk about That FIGHT! AND! How it pertains to where Spock’s head is at and how it makes Amok Time even WORSE (as in angsty).

So the only thing that get addressed and gets closure that’s set up in the dream is that he is afraid that T’Pring sees him as too Human (and too Starfleet, which his subconscious indicates as one and the same since his human half is in Starfleet uniform while his Vulcan half is not) to marry. He is reassured that at the very least, it isn’t purely because of his humanity that T’Pring inevitably leaves him.

This does not address how the Kalifee itself goes.

Let’s talk about what Spock’s halves in the dream do!

Spock’s Human Half

“But fighting myself is illogical!”

Is on the defensive with the Lirpa

At the same disadvantage a human would be on Vulcan, the high gravity and intense heat to which that biology is maladapted

Dies, whilst denying he is human. Struck down while in denial of itself.

Spock’s Vulcan Half

Almost totally silent

On the offensive with the Lirpa and quickly dispenses with Human!Spock

Despite fighting oneself indeed being illogical, does not agree or disagree, but instead attacks the human half as though it were ignorant of any form of reason or understanding “what would you know of Logic”

Kills Human!Spock

Now what do Human!Spock’s actions call to mind?

James Tiberius Kirk

He does not want to kill Spock, both he and Bones do not understand why the Kalifeee must be done. To them, the death match over T’Pring is indeed, illogical. Kirk cannot win the fight in a Vulcan environment, no human can thrive on T’Khasi without help. And above all:

Kirk dies, Spock’s human half dies, Spock in reality dies, but none of them stay dead.

All three times the human is killed but does not die, in the first instance it is because he was dreaming. In the latter two instances it was by human hand that there was no death. Instead, humanity was the healing force and resurrection. Particularly on Bones’s part, his narrative foil in so many senses of the word in TOS.

Spock needs his human half to survive.

Spock needs Jim (and Bones) to survive.

They both bring out the human in him, Jim especially brings out the tenderness and friendship, while Bones keeps them both alive.

Every time Spock tries to smother his human half he fails. And eventually he learns that this is for the better.

His dream wasn’t only prophetic in regards to the events of Amok Time.

But prophetic of the course of his character arc as well. He’s just too concerned with other matters (and will be for some time) to realize it yet.