#mintakans

[sshbpodcast]

Top 3 Star Trek The Next Generation alien races

By Ames

Now that we’ve reminisced over our favorite minor characters and favorite villains from The Next Generation, A Star to Steer her By is rounding off our cruise on the Enterprise-D by thinking about our favorite alien races from the series. We did it before for The Original Series and found some deeply fascinating and outrageously campy aliens to highlight then, so what kind of aliens does one pick for The Next Generation? There are way more episodes to choose from and the aliens are more than just humans in a flashy jumpsuit, so let’s see them strut their stuff.

Sure, we see some of the staples that were introduced in the days of Kirk. The Klingons and Romulans both get significantly more development in culture in this slightly more modern show, and the occasional Vulcan still looks down their nose at you. But some of the best Trek races get their starts here in TNG and you’ll see those ones are going to fill our favorites lists. Check them all out below and listen to our discussion on this week’s podcast episode (discussion at 1:14:06) for all the extraterrestrial chatter. We sought out new lifeforms, and boy did we find ‘em!

[images © CBS/Paramount] 

Ames – More machine now than man

Borg

Exocomps

Bynars

I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for a good robot any day, whether they want to kill all humans, just develop their own agency, or just open a can. TNG introduces the Borg and it’s one of the best things they ever did, with impacts across other series galore. Plus they just look rad. We also meet the cute little Exocomps who have gained their own kind of sapience and who we’ll see more of in Lower Decks, wink wink. And finally the cybernetically enhanced Bynars are just too cool a concept to pass up, especially when they turn out to be benevolent in the end! Beep boop!

—

Jake – Allow me to introduce myself

Exocomps

Tamarians

Bajorans

Jake’s three top races just want to be respected as much as anyone else; you just need to put in a little extra effort to understand them. The Exocomps are making an appearance because of just how interesting it was discussing when a creature has rights like the rest of us. Sokath! His eyes uncovered! It was also worthwhile watching Picard learn how to communicate with Tamarians like Captain Dathon. And the whole Bajoran plight starts out so interesting when we meet Ensign Ro and ascertain what it means to wear that earring.

—

Chris – Power moves

Betazoids

Q Continuum

Satarrans

You’ve got to respect a race that rolls in and just takes charge whether they’re supposed to or not. We see it in the honest-to-a-fault Betazoids who always know what’s up because they can literally read your mind. We see it, of course, in the Q Continuum, our pick for most powerful species, for whom the whole galaxy is their table to put their feet up on. And we may only get a glimpse of it from the mysterious Satarrans in “Conundrum,” but their plan to infiltrate the Enterprise crew with an undercover MacDuff nearly gets another race destroyed!

—

Caitlin – Gimme a B!

Bajorans

Betazoids

Benzites

Any ABC book about Star Trek (and I’ve bought one before) is highly unfair to all of our favorite alien species who begin with B because there are just too many good ones! At least Caitlin has three opportunities to namedrop some great B species, from the Bajorans who get started off so well developed already in The Next Gen, to the Betazoids whose empathic powers help us all to remember to look inward once in a while, to the Benzites who had some of the best makeup and breathing apparatuses we get to see in Trek!

—

That’s it for our visit to The Next Generation for now! Back to full time assignment on the Voyager, where we’re still boldly going through the Delta Quadrant over on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also read our minds over on Facebook and Twitter, and if you meet a species beginning with a B, consider befriending them immediately! Odds are good that they’ll be cool.

[create-higher-vibrations]

You may be wondering if you are a starseed.

Many people feel a deep connection to the stars and wonder if they are from another planet or dimension.

The answer is yes, you could be a starseed! If you feel drawn to the stars and have compassion for Mother Earth and her creatures, there's a good chance you're from Mintaka, one of the watery planets in the Orion constellation. So embrace your inner fish and make a splash in this world!

[lesbiansaavikk]

I started the episode of tng with the mintakans and seeing deanna transformed in one gave me an idea of aliens that are half betazoid half mintakan :

And here my version of betazoids with deanna :

I had fun doing those lil doodles and I'll probably do more about how i interpret other aliens :))

[andromedanisa]

yang selalu diupayakan hingga akhir..

aku sudah baik-baik saja. aku sudah tak lagi menangis, aku sudah lapang menerima segala kepahitan. karena memang ada hal-hal yang tidak akan bisa ku pahami sekeras apapun aku mencoba untuk mengerti. dan semakin keras aku mencoba untuk memahami hal itu tidak akan membuat semuanya baik-baik saja. maka jalan terbaik adalah dengan mengikhlaskan semuanya dan menerima bahwasanya ketetapan Allaah adalah yang terbaik. pengetahuanku saja yang terbatas.

aku sudah tak lagi menangis ya Allaah, aku sudah belajar untuk menerima segalanya. hatiku sudah jauh lebih lapang, bukan karena aku mendewasa, bukan. tapi mungkin barangkali karena doa-doa yang ku mintakan kepadaMu. meminta untuk diberi hati yang tenang dan kelapangan hati yang meluas.

aku sudah tak lagi kecewa ya Allaah. segala luka yang terjadi menjadi prosesi untuk diriku bertumbuh dan memaknai kehidupan. bahwa ini hanyalah dunia, tak boleh aku terlalu larut dan hilang arah hanya untuk mengejar sesuatu yang semu.

aku sudah baik-baik saja ya Allaah. meski setiap hari aku terus meminta kepadaMu u tuk selalu dikuatkan setiap waktu. karena memang kalau bukan atas pertolonganMu, diriku sudah kalah dan hancur sedari awal. aku memahami diriku yang begitu lemah dan tak memiliki daya sedikitpun.

aku sudah bisa tersenyum kembali ya Allaah. sesuatu yang begitu aku tangis pada akhirnya sangat ku syukuri. sebab keterbatasan pengetahuanku yang tak menjangkau hikmah atas kebaikan yang telah Engkau takdirkan kepada diriku.

segala puji hanya bagi Engkau ya Allaah. aku memujimu meski dilain waktu aku terjatuh dan hatiku goyah untuk mengeluh atas hal yang terjadi kepadaku.

jika nanti aku kembali terjatuh dan merasa begitu terluka, tolong aku untuk kembali ya Allaah. berilah aku kepahamaman bahwasanya rahmatMu begitu luas untukku, kasih sayangMu tak terkira untukku, dan ampunanMu selalu ada untuk diriku yang selalu berdosa ini. tolong aku untuk kembali meski dengan tertatih-tatih aku memulainya kembali.

[kayyishwr]

Ini Khusus Buat UMMI!

Suatu ketika di ruangan sekre BEM UNS, aku beranikan diri membuka obrolan dengan seseorang yang saat itu membawa pacarnya ikut rapat -ya sebenernya ini gak sekali aja, aku suka mensurvey kenapa orang memilih untuk pacaran, dan jawabannya beragam, lain kali aja dibahasnya- lalu percakapan terjadi, dan aku beranikan diri dan InsyaAllah- semoga Allah mampukan juga-memegang prinsip itu sampai hari ini; saya katakan pada orang itu "kalau aku si gak pacaran yak wkwk, soalnya masih punya ibu, mba perempuan, dan adik perempuan juga; perempuan-perempuan yang lebih berhak untuk dikasih perhatian dsb"

Ya, untuk apa kita memberi perhatian yang bahkan bertemu kita saat sudah besar; apakah dia memberi perhatian saat kita kecil?

Ah rasa-rasanya sebermanfaat apapun punya pacar, tetep tidak bisa dibanding dengan kasih sayang seorang Ibu

Ini ku tulis khusus buat UMMI!

Ya walaupun kalau diingat-ingat rasanya masih kurang memberikan sesuatu yang bisa membalas jasa beliau, semoga kelak ini bisa menjadi saksi bahwa aku berikhtiar untuk berbakti kepada orang tua

UMMI! Yang disebut tiga kali baru kemudian ayah, betapa dahsyat doa dan ridho jika kita mendapatkannya

Yakinilah dan buktikan; karena iman tak sekadar di hati atau di lisan;butuh juga untuk dibuktikan "ridho Allah bersama ridho orang tua" pembahasan soal ridho, paling mudah dimaknai sebagai membuat senang; maka buatlah orang tua kita senang

Suatu waktu, aku pun baru tau cerita ini setelah mba cerita, abah sampai bilang "emang ya, doa seorang ibu itu ga bisa dikalahkan; konteksnya ummi pengen aku di kedokteran, abah pengen aku di LIPIA"

Banyak keajaiban lain yang aku rasakan, tapi masih ku simpan, rilis tunggu di waktu yang tepat

Berbaktilah, buatlah orang tua kita senang, terutama ibu kita; walaupun kita rasa pola pendidikan yang salah, kurang tepat, tidak seperti teman-teman yang lain atau prasangka-prasangka buruk yang muncul; doakanlah dan mintakan maaf atas ketidaktahuan dan kesalahan mereka, dan tidakkah kau ingat, kau ada hari ini dengan segala yang kau capai, karena kau lahir dari seoang ibu?

"Jika seorang anak tak pernah mendoakan kedua orang tuanya" begitu aku baca sebuah hadist di buku Bahagia Merayakan Cinta yang diriwayatkan oleh Hakim, "niscaya rejekinya akan berhenti"

Dan aku tutup dengan sebuah nasihat dari Ibu Harsini, perawat di RSUD Moewardi di Poli Bedah Anak, "mas, berbaktilah pada ibumu yak. Saya gini-gini sebagai menantu, tetep ngasih ruang buat suami saya berduaan sama ibunya, kenapa? Karena saya itu ketemu suami saya pas udah besar, udah sukses, nah yang mendidik suami saya bisa jadi seperti itu siapa? Ya ibunya!"

Ah, terima kasih Ibu Harsini, nasihat yang sangat hangat, buat aku yang jarang pulang, dan selalu rindu dengan masakan UMMI!

Jadi, ini khusus buat UMMI!; semoga Allah ridho!

[ancientastarwis]

NOVEMBER PICK ONE IMAGE

Welcome to November! 🌟 The unique Pick One Image that I've prepared this month has the theme of forest animals, mainly because two options were intuitively clear before even choosing a theme. Choose the animal(s) you feel guided and let me know your option(s) below. Each option contains guidance for November through tarot and/or oracle, as I'm intuitively guided.

There's something special about this month, because I was guided to pull from two! oracles. Each image contains one card from one oracle and two cards from a different oracle. The first is Work Your Light by @rebeccacampbell_author and the other cards are pulled from the Earth Magic by Steven D. Farmer.

Feel free to book a personal reading or session with me, covering any area you might need guidance with, through the tools that you trust the most.

Leave a like and reblog this post if you loved it. Your support means a lot to me.

Have a beautiful day♥️

@ancientastarwis

Open for Results 🦉🐇🦌

Option 1: Owl 🦉

MINTAKAN. Longing for home. Belonging. The original Lightworkers. Mintakans are a soul group who originated on a planet in the constellation Orion. They were the first star beings to travel to Earth, and believed to be the original Lightworkers. The Mintakans’ home planet is thought to have been a water world with water so pure that you could see through it for miles. For this reason, Mintakans feel most at peace and at home when in or around crystal-clear water. They are here to teach us to see the potential in everything and the light in all beings. Many Mintakans have an odd longing for ‘home,’ and struggle with feeling like they don’t belong. It is thought that this is due to their home planet no longer being in existence. If you pulled this card, it could mean that you are a Mintakan or are longing for a sense of belonging and Root Chakra healing is necessary for you to feel secure and safe. Perhaps you feel this longing to find home without knowing where that is, or you’ve been moving around a lot and yearn for a place on Earth to call your own. If so, you are being called to connect with Mother Earth and create it for yourself now. To choose where you feel most at home and create it, rather than waiting for the feeling of belonging to come. Repeat: I allow myself to be truly here and at home on this planet. I release any grief around not belonging or feeling held and call in the perfect home.'

SPRING EQUINOX: Rebirth. You thought this passage you have been through would never end. Trust as certain that the light of the world fades every few months, it makes its return, and the Earth rejoices. The fresh breath of spring sweeps away the cobwebs acquired from the absence of the light. The light is now obviously increasing as Nature begins to emerge in all her many forms, shapes, and colors that remind ns of the continual cycles of Earth Mother. This cycle of rebirth you are experiencing follows a considerably challenging time. Any tears you may have shed have cleared the way for what has been gesturing, which is now ripe and ready to emerge. That which no longer serves you needs to be put to rest so that a freshness and newness of spirit can make itself known to you. Sometimes birth can be pain fid, particularly in that passage just before delivery, yet what emerges can be fresh and beautiful. Be with the emergence of this next cycle with faith and grace.

CRYSTALS: Focus. The nature of quartz crystals, the second most common element in the Earth's crust, is that they help focus the power of our life force, or Spirit. Where attention goes, power flows—and crystals magnify this power tenfold. Our intention influences where our attention goes. When we're consciously aware of our intention, it facilitates the focus of that spiritual power and supports the manifestation in material reality of that intention. It is time to bring your complete focus to the subject of your inquiry. Eliminate all distractions, and give this your undivided attention. Whether this is a project, relationship, or simply a relaxing time spent walking in Nature, be fully present to the situation. This sharpening of focus will expand your awareness and allow your inner guidance to penetrate your consciousness, which can then be parlayed into appropriate action By being focused with crystal clarity, you are in the flow of your life force and, in fact, have become one with it. It is not a hypervigilant or tension-filled state, but one of relaxed attention. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart focused on that which you need to pay attention to, and miracles can be created. To paraphrase a fictional elder, "Use the Force," and use it in life-enhancing ways.

Option 2: Rabbit 🐇

LEAP. You go first. The Universe will catch you. Life bends for the courageous. The Universe wants to support you, but first you need to leap. To throw your life up in the air. Perhaps you know what you are being called to leap toward (or away from) but are scared to make the move. Or maybe perhaps you are waiting for a big fat sign, or instruction manual, or permission to do so first. If this is you, then this card is your sign and permission slip to take a deep breath, and leap into the unknown. It’s scary to let go of all that we know in hope for something new. And it’s normal to feel anxious at the thought of letting go of what we know for sure. But this is the unavoidable process of rising. And right now, this is how you are being called to live. Nature is constantly showing us how to live with courage. Fall comes every year and encourages the trees to loosen their grip. To allow what once was so full of life, to fall away, leaf by leaf. For a moment, it feels like nothing will grow again. The branches are left bare without the comfort of what once was. But in the morn of spring, new shoots begin to appear and something new is born that is even more glorious than before.

STONE PEOPLE: Vigilance. Remain vigilant at this time, but not out of fear. "Vigilant" simply means opening up your mind and senses to information as it is presented to you: through your eyes, ears, physical sensations, and detached thoughts. It is especially true in two main areas. First, follow any gut feelings that tell you to be wary about someone or something; second, pay close attention to an important opportunity that presents itself one that may enhance your life and the lives of others. Maintain your vigilance of the clues around you and inside of you. Assess what is emanating from your body, and then sort out any conditioned responses from what is purely instinctual. Examine the situation with heart, intuition, and mind in harmony; for this is how vigilance serves you. Detach, take a breath, and stand tall in your stature.

WOLF: Instinct. You have lost touch with your instinctual sensitivities. It is the result of cultural and/or religious proscriptions dictating that anything wild and instinctual is threatening and, therefore, has to be controlled or eliminated. Now is the time to overcome this limited mind­ set and tune in to these instinctual cues. Let the Spirit of Wolf be your teacher, and call upon this benevolent being for help identifying what those specific cues are saying. Shed some of your inhibitions with the only guideline being to "do no harm.” Experiment by getting out of the straitjacket of familiar societal norms and listening to those sensations in your gut that are trying to give you a message. It may be a warning or an urging to take action of some sort. Take some deep breaths, and simply notice what your bodily sensations are telling you. Your mind will be the receiver of that information, and your body and mind can learn to work more closely with each other once again.

Option 3: Deer 🦌

DON’T DIM TO FIT IN. How are you dimming your light in order to fit in? Don't dim your light to accommodate someone else's smallness. We are all born to shine big and bright. The Universe is expanding and you are part of the Universe, so expanding is part of your nature. If someone makes you want to retract, notice, and slowly back away; they are not for you and you are not forthem. Better yet, find it within yourself to expand and shine your light anyway. Flowers don’t open and close according to who is walking by. They open and show their beauty regardless. If others don’t want to be around you, or you make them uncomfortable, it’s because you are shining light on the fact that they are dimming to fit in. By choosing to shine bright you may just inspire them to turn on their light too. Or not. Keep your light on anyway. All relationships are essentially an energetic agreement. The moment one person decides to start rising up and allowing their light to shine, it changes the energetic agreement and can create some waves. That's completely normal. The relationships that are meant to last will adapt to the change in energy. Others won’t because they were likely born under the proviso of'I love you, as long as you don’t shine brighter than me.' That’s OK, not all people are meant to be in your life forever. But the lessons they teach us can still live on.

STAR MOTHER. How can you Mother yourself? You are more held than you could possibly imagine. Loved and cherished so dearly that, if you knew, you would not spend one second of your life in separation, worry or fear. Let the Mother carry your burdens; let Her rock away your fears. Lay all of your worries, regrets, shame and guilt on Her altar. Please, please sweet child, do not fear. You are love in motion. If you see it, you are already healed, Let Her remind you of your goodness. Let Her love away your fears. Your capacity to love and hold others is limited to your capacity to love and hold yourself. Be compassionate with your sweet body, mind, and soul. Treat yourself like the beautiful spirit that you truly are. Remind yourself that you are doing your best and try not to carry it all on your own. You have got this and the Mother has got you. Let Her broad arms take away your burdens; let Her lift the weight of the world off your shoulders. Forgive yourself, my dear sweet child of the Earth.

MILKY WAY: Perspective. You have lost your perspective, so it is time to step back, breathe, and allow yourself to detach in order to gather information from your senses and regain your perspective about the situation. Detachment does not mean that you no longer care—it simply indicates that you are looking at things from a different point of view. It is an outlook that is not clouded by emotions, judgment, or attachment to outcome, but instead maintains a nonreactive awareness of these things. The Witness, that internal aspect of yourself that simply observes everything in your life, offers his or her eyes here. Through these lenses of pure awareness, you can examine all aspects of your experiences—physical, emotional, and mental—without denying anything. By doing so, you will come to understand a greater perspective than is typically justified by the ego, which allows you to see what is before you with clear vision and an open mind.

[talonabraxas]

The Orions are made up of many different species of rather clusters of energy. These clusters include the Orions, the Greys, and the Mintakans

'Star Beings of Orion' Talon Abraxas

[yunusaziz]

Halo, mas Yunus. Thanks for your answer and advice before. My next question, bagaimana dengan seorang anak perempuan yang jarang mengobrol intimate dengan Abinya?

Sampai umur 25 ke atas ini, rasanya aku jarang mengobrol membahas topik yang ada kaitannya dengan diriku dan hal-hal yang terjadi di sekitar. Hanya seperlunya saja berkomunikasi, terkait kebutuhan hidup, dst.

Terlebih mengobrol intimate berjam-jam bukan menjadi hal yang biasa di keluarga kami. Sungguh iri melihat ada anak yang bisa dekat menceritakan segala keluh kesahnya pada sang Ayah.

Akupun sadar pada akhirnya aku butuh waktu-waktu tersebut untuk menyampaikan maksud-maksud tertentu pada orangtua, khususnya Abi.

Bagaimana bisa berani memulainya?

Selalu saya katakan untuk tidak terlalu menarget muluk-muluk ketika memulai sesuatu. Menjaga ekspektasi dan kesabaran akan sebuah proses jadi satu hal yang perlu dirawat. Sebab persoalan merubah tabiat manusia itu kadang makan hati. Butuh kesabaran super ekstra. Ini jadi awalan dulu.

Mulailah dari obrolan sederhana, misal tawari beliau minum teh atau kopi, atau minuman/makanan yang beliau suka. Tunjukkan satu 'hal' yang beda kamu rutin lakukan itu, sampai beliau notis perubahan itu. Biasanya, kalau memang seseorang aware, akan mulai menanyakan/minimal memuji itu.

Kemudian bisa juga cari waktu ketika beliau longgar, sampaikan kabar darimu, dan yang paling penting untuk mintakan pandangan/pendapat dari beliau. Tunjukkan bahwa kamu memerlukan pandangan seorang Ayah, dan posisikan Ayahmu sebagai selayaknya Ayah terlepas bagaiman kondisinya sekarang.

Maksudnya apa?

Dengarkan segala argumentasinya atau apapun ketika beliau menyampaikan sesuatu. Hal ini penting, karena salah satu penyakit anak muda itu dihadapan ortu/yang lebih tua adalah "merasa lebih pintar" entah karena status pendidikan yang lebih tinggi, dsb. sehingga malas dan kurang adab ketika mengobrol.

Terlepas memang iya (baca: pendidikan kita lebih tinggi) yang perlu dipahami adalah mereka hidup lebih lama, lebih punya pengalaman, sudah duluan mempraktekkan sedikit banyak yang kita sedang atau sudah pelajari di kampus. Jadi, intinya adalah duduk, dengarkan, simak dengan penuh khidmat.

Ketika hal kecil itu sudah menjadi kebiasaan insyaallah akan terbangun habit baru. Selain itu harus bersabar akan proses misal tanggapan nggak enak, dsb. Pokoknya mulai terbuka pada apa-apa yang kamu alami. Semoga Allah mudahkan.

[alizardjae]

My Baten Kaitos hot take is that Sagi curses way more and way worse than Kalas; Kalas may be a punk who probably got some nasty epithets thrown at him growing up, but he still had a more or less normal childhood until the incident (for a citizen of Mira, anyway).

Sagi, meanwhile, was in the army since age 12 as a minority (using his wings in Alfard and presumably being Hasselite-{even if he never told the army where he's from, most Mintakans are prejudiced against anyone from outside Mintaka}) in the most xenophobic army in their world, he's heard (and been called) things that would make adult Gibari blush. He's polite, but his standards for how much swearing is appropriate in casual conversation is uhhh a bit off.

[isnahidayatifauziah]

210 of 365

Seapik apapun menyajikan sebuah materi pembelajaran. Sehalus apapun lisan menyampaikan sebuah pengetahuan. Semenarik apapun metode yang digunakan. Semenyenangkan apapun suasana yang dirasakan

Tetap, kunci diberikannya sebuah pemahaman hanya ada pada-Nya. Hanya Ia yang Kuasa menganugerahkan kecerdasan.

Maka jika benar tertanam secuil rasa sayangmu untuk mereka yang kau sebut siswa, bawalah mereka dalam munajat doa-doamu. Mintakan langsung pada Ia yang Kuasa mengendalikan hati juga pikiran manusia.

Barangkali yang justru mengantarkan mereka pada pintu kesuksesan bukan sebab sebegitu menariknya cara mengajarmu, tetapi sebab begitu tulusnya doa-doamu.

[mamadkhalik]

Sebuah Pesan Untuk Ikhwah

Akhirnya, ikhwah, sampailah kita pada hari ini. Ketika kita begitu sukar membedakan, manakah dakwah, manakah hasrat, ambisi, dan cita-cita pribadi semata yang tercampur kedalam kerja-kerja dakwah ini.

Sampai pulalah kita, pada masa-masa saat kepercayaan adalah hal yang paling mudah hilang dari jalan dakwah ini. Kita dipaksa bergantung hanya pada tangan sendiri. Kita dipaksa maklum pada dosa-dosa yang mewabah; yang penyebarannya tak bisa kita hentikan lagi.

Di mana-mana kita dengar orang meratap. Di segala arah, kita mendengar para pejuang kini mengeluh; menjadi orang yang teguh pada filosofi awal barisan ini dirapatkan, rupanya, rasanya sudah sama dengan menggenggam bara api.

Sebuah peristiwa besar mengguncang barisan ini. Sebagian berkata, ini sudah biasa. Sebagian lagi memilih diam. Tetapi, dalam hati semua orang, kita sebenarnya tahu: Ini berbahaya. Orang sudah mulai tak percaya omong kosong rilis, atau betapa membualnya narasi-narasi undangan berkumpulnya kita, setiap beberapa bulan sekali.

Yang kita rindukan, adalah ketulusan dakwah, dan kejujuran amanah. Kita bosan, ikhwah, menyaksikan diamnya barisan ini pada ketololan dan kezaliman.

Kita bosan, ikhwah, pada orang-orang yang mulai mirip penjual janji yang setiap lima tahun sekali akan mengotori jalan dengan spanduk kampanye. Kita ini, ikhwah, ingin sekadar berdakwah tanpa atribut yang terlalu meriah.

Kita, ikhwah; adalah orang-orang yang berbaris karena percaya, gerakan ini ingin memenangkan islam, bukan memenangkan hasrat pribadi; atau sekadar menunjukkan betapa mahirnya orang perorang, daerah per daerah, ataupun marhalah per marhalah mana saat memimpin dakwah.

Kita percaya, ikhwah, bahwa barisan ini akan bersikap tegas pada kebatilan. Kita, bukanlah pelacur murahan yang dibayar segera setelah jasanya yang menjijikan itu selesai. Kita akan bergerak menyampaikan islam ini, meskipun kemiskinan, kelaparan, dan tekanan terus mengancam.

Yang butuh uang banyak, selalu adalah lambung dan lidah kita. Yang butuh undangan dan pengakuan penguasa selalu adalah kecilnya panggung kita di hadapan manusia.

Dengan atau tanpa barisan kita, ikhwah, Allah akan tetap memenangkan agama ini. Dengan atau tanpa bendera kita, Allah akan mengutus orang-orang yang tidak diam pada kemungkaran karena sudah keracunan harta dari kemungkaran itu, atau kakinya dibebani dengan dosa-dosa besarnya sendiri yang tak ia mintakan taubatnya.

*

Ikhwah, angkatlah kepalamu. Abaikanlah mereka yang menggonggongimu dengan ancaman kelemahan, atau kemiskinan.

Berpalinglah dari mereka yang menuduh, bahwa dakwah butuh biaya. Selalu, sahabat, yang butuh biaya adalah kelaparan kita, atau keinginan kita untuk hidup mewah sebagai pejabat-pejabat kecil di barisan ini.

Berhentilah ingin tahu kegaduhan apa yang muncul akibat racun-racun jabatan itu telah mengotori barisan kita.

Berhentilah ingin tahu kejahatan apa yang diperdebatkan jauh di atas sana. Pulanglah, ikhwah, ke bumi ini, ke tengah jalan panas dan sepi ini.

Ajaklah orang-orang kepada syaksyiyatul islam, kepada manisnya iman yang menyelamatkan kita dari kemurtadan, atau dari kesesatan zaman ini.

Ajaklah orang-orang bukan kepada seteru yang tak berguna, tapi kepada manisnya syahadat, yang membawa kita pada sebuah titik untuk memulai hidup yang baru.

Sebagai mahasiswa muslim, yang berpikir, dan bertindak merdeka, berhentilah menagih janji dari mereka yang mengaku mengurus barisan ini. Berjalanlah, peganglah tangan saudaramu, dan jagalah mutaba'ah harian mereka.

Teruslah salat bersama mereka, dan kembalilah puasa bersama mereka. Nasihatilah kembali saf-saf kita untuk bangun malam, dan menepati jumlah ayat yang kerap kita baca.

Bacalah Al-Qur'an kembali bersama mereka, perdengarkan lagi janji-janji Allah untuk menolong kita di saat semuanya menjadi berat. Saat semua orang menuding kita adalah teroris, pendusta, orang gila, atau apa saja agar kita berhenti memanggil orang pada kemenangan islam.

*

Kelambanan, kesenyapan, keheningan, dan kepengecutan, kini nyaris menguasai kita. Kita memasuki masa pandemi.

Di masa ini kita memerlukan kepemimpinan yang jelas. Kita membutuhkan panduan yang detail, tetapi ternyata kegamangan dan sikap diam terlalu jauh merusak barisan ini.

Tetapi, jangan peduli. Engkau, ikhwah, tetap memiliki barisanmu sendiri. Di daerahmu sendiri, di wilayahmu sendiri.

Seharusnya, ikhwah, kita mampu mengajak orang pada syumuliatul islam ini. Kepada manhaj yang sederhana ini. Memang, memang! Harusnya itu tugas yang sedang ribut itu. Harusnya ini kewajiban dari sebuah kepemimpinan.

Mengkaderlah. Ajaklah lagi orang kepada dakwah ini dengan atau tanpa narasi dari atas. Narasi kita, ikhwah, telah dirumuskan sejak kita belum ada di barisan ini.

Narasi itu ada pada prinsip dan paradigma barisan ini. Narasi itu masih terpasang rapi pada kredo dan visi misi barisan ini. Narasi itu bahkan telah dijelaskan di dalam manhaj barisan ini, dengan gamblang dan detailnya.

Mengkaderlah; ajaklah orang memenangkan islam. Ajaklah orang memerangi kebatilan, dan tak perlu peduli pada pertengkaran orang.

Kalau nanti orang menakut-nakutimu dengan kelemahan, atau menahanmu karena ancaman menyusutnya jumlah, atau tak lakunya idealisme dijual di zaman ini:

Berpalinglah. Berpalinglah. Kita tumpas generasi itu di ingatan kita. Kita basmi generasi itu dari percakapan kita.

Dan palingkan saja wajahmu pada generasi baru yang akan datang. Pada generasi yang haus ilmu; yang menemuimu, ikhwah, karena ingin bersalat dalam jamaah, karena ingin berdakwah dalam jamaah.

Palingkan wajahmu pada generasi yang baru ini. Yang mau membersihkan dirinya dengan barisan ini, bukan generasi yang justru mengotori dirinya bahkan saat sedang berdakwah.

Kita, ikhwah, adalah barisan dakwah, bukan barisan politik semata. Kita bukan barisan orang-orang yang suka main-main dengan firman Allah atau sumpah yang kita lakukan setiap kali kepemimpinan berganti.

Pengkhianat, sahabat, selalu akan mengintaimu dari belakang. Sedangkan para pengecut selalu akan membebani langkahmu dengan ketakutan mereka sendiri pada dirinya.

Percayalah pada janji Allah saja. Didiklah generasi itu, ikhwah, yang akan menggantikan kepemimpinan beberapa tahun kedepan.

Kita ubah kepemimpinan yang keracunan, yang lemah, pengecut, pragmatis, dan selalu lapar ini, dengan generasi kepemimpinan yang hanya takut kepada Allah, takzim kepada ulama, dan punya harga diri.

Yakinlah, ikhwah, Allah akan menggantimu dengan barisan lain, jikapun engkau tak lagi mampu menjelaskan siapa dirimu di hadapan musuh Allah.

*

Allah akan menggantimu kalau engkau sudah kikir. Sudah tak mau lagi berpeluh-lelah buat barisan dakwah. Allah akan menggantimu dari jalan dakwah ini, kalau engkau sudah merasa butuh selain Allah, sudah mengajak orang kepada selain Allah, di barisan dakwah ini.

Percayalah, ikhwah, akupun dibuat ragu, dengan apa yang terjadi belakangan ini. Tapi untuk Allah sajalah segala kerja ini, kita sampaikan.

Akupun dibuat menangis, dan terpojok karena kepercayaanku sendiri pada ketulusan dan kesucian sahabat-sahabat seperjuangan. Tetapi Allah akan selalu membuktikan, betapa fananya manusia. Betapa sementaranya manusia.

Kita panggil lagi orang-orang yang sudah berpencar itu kepada Allah saja. Kepada islam saja. Menangislah, menangislah, ratapilah nasib barisan ini.

Mereka yang mampu menangis, adalah orang yang masih memiliki rasa malu kepada Allah, yang selalu bertanya-tanya, sedang berdakwahkah kami ini?

Sedang memperjuangkan Allahkah kami ini?

Sedang menyerukan islamkah kami ini?

Menangislah, ikhwah, menangislah.

Panggil sajalah umat ini kepada kemenangan islam, bukan kepada hawa nafsu yang membuat dakwah tampak sekadar meriah.

Menangislah untuk sebuah barisan yang telah lama tidak memanggil orang membaca Al-Qur'an. Menangislah untuk barisan yang sudah lama tidak melawan musuh-musuh Allah, dan sekadar menjual jasa orasi, berhiaskan takbir, dengan harga murah.

Menangislah untuk perzinaan, homoseksual, dan kejahatan-kejahatan syahwat lain yang mulai merebak, dibiarkan, dan dimaafkan atas nama kekurangan orang.

Menangislah untuk percakapan kita di barisan ini, yang seakan-akan sudah jarang menyebut nama Allah, dan begitu ringan untuk menyebut aib saudara sendiri, atau menagih upah atas "jasa menyerukan orang kepada dakwah ini."

Menangislah, untuk berjalan lebih lama, pada dakwah ini.

Saudaramu,

Amar Ar-Risalah.

*

Tulisan Bang Amar saat pandemi ini jadi pengingat kalau pas lagi futur-futurnya. Perlu rasanya untuk membagikan ini kepada ikhwah sekalian, semoga jadi pengingat bersama!

[rinaimimpi]

Dear Allaah..

hanya kepada-Mu aku bergantung dan berserah diri memohon.

hanya kepada-Mu aku meminta pertolongan.

hanya kepada-Mu aku menginginkan curahan cinta, kasih sayang, dan ketenangan.

mampukan hamba menyelesaikan skripsi ini, mampukan seseorang disana yang juga sedang berusaha keras tak kenal lelah untuk lulus.

mampukan kami meluruskan niat dan beribadah kepada-Mu.

kuatkan badan kami.

lembutkan hati kami.

berikan petunjuk dan cahaya kebaikan untuk masing-masing dari kami menuju-Mu.

hanya kepada-Mu lah sebaik-baiknya meminta, tiada keraguan dan ketakutan ketika hati tertaut kepada-Mu.

aku percaya, janji-Mu benar yaa Allaah.

dengan doa, aku memohon kebaikan hidupku di dunia dan di akhirat. dengan doa, aku mintakan kemampuan dan sayang serta cinta-Mu untuk orang-orang yang aku sayangi.

rabbana, atina fid dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah, wa qina adzaban nar.✨

Sukoharjo, 28 Juni 2023 || 20.46 wib

[storyofjasmine]

Eunoia

Sebuah harapan dalam bisikan doa pada sore itu telah terwujud.

Keinginan yang aku coba mintakan pada Tuhan.

Membujuk sang penguasa untuk memberikan restunya.

Tangisan pertamanya mampu membuat hatiku bergetar, membuat setiap air mata ini membanjiri kelopaknya.

Kamu, sebuah pengharapan yang baik,

Jadilah manusia seperti namamu.

Pemikiran yang baik.

Jakarta, 18 Mei 2023

[dasenergi-diary]

Last night I did a "Visioning What Is To Come" 11-card spread for 2024 with my Starseed Oracle Deck

Position 1: Represents where you are in present time. Card: "Messenger" - Sirius energy. You’re part of the lineage of souls who have dedicated their lifetimes to the upliftment of the planet. To returning time and again to seed the light. Bringing harmony and balance.

Position 2: Represents what your soul is calling you to do this coming year. Card: "You are not for everyone and they aren’t for you" - Talk to the people who can hear you. Embrace your weirdness. Face your true north. Let the world see who you really are. Reveal your multifaceted, multidimensional nature. Own all parts of yourself so that your people – the ones who are the same as you – can recognize you when your paths cross.

Position 3: Represents what is rising in you. Card: "The Seas of Mintaka" - Mintakans are thought to have been a galactic race who saw the light in everything and everyone. A situation or project has extreme potential and will reach fruition. Bringing unconsciousness to light. Things are working out for the highest potential of all involved. Great harmony, contentment, and positive outcomes.

Position 4: Represents what is falling away. Card: "The Seven Star Sisters" - This is the card of the artist and the midwife. There are new creations that want to be born. Beauty that’s yearning to be woven. New consciousness that’s longing to be breathed into life. Surrender to these creations – usher in a new era of consciousness and do your bit in weaving the web of life.

Position 5: Represents your soul gifts. Card: "Baby Steps" - You’re being called to take grounded action in response to your soul’s calling. Follow your intuition before it makes sense. Listen to your soul’s calls and whispers each and every day and take grounded action in the direction of those calls and whispers.

Position 6: Represents what is being manifested. Card: "Don't follow" - The most courageous and needed leaders are the ones who don’t wait for permission. They take a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other, and figure it out as they go. They don’t wait for someone to lead them: they lead themselves. Pave a new path. Be the leader you wish you had. There’s no one on Earth who comes close to possessing your unique combination of skills, gifts, and life experience.

Position 7: Represents the next step. Card: "Lost lands" - As souls, many of us have experienced ancient eras on this planet that were much more advanced than ours today. The wisdom of lost lands such as Lemuria, Atlantis, and Avalon exist within you. You’re being called to connect with the lost wisdom of your own soul. To birth a creation, or bring an idea to life. You've done this before. Surrender to the intelligence of your soul. Unlock the seeds of these ancient lands so we can all learn from our mistakes and usher in a new age.

Position 8: Represents past influences. Card: "Inner Earth" - Try something you wouldn’t normally do. Soon you’ll see that whole new worlds of solutions are available. Things that were previously beyond your focus will present themselves. Helpful people, signs from the Universe, and support are on their way to you. But first, you need to do something different to shift your focus so you can receive them. Shake up the energy and shift your thinking.

Position 9: Represents what you need to know as you move into this coming year. Card: "Fall into my arms" - We’re all here to expand and grow and it’s through the extremes of life that we do exactly that. The Great Mother wants you to hand over your loneliness, worries, hurt, sorrow, fears, burdens, and doubts. To lay them on Her altar. To fall fully into Her arms. To remember that while these extremes are difficult, they can also be magnificent. The more wildly the pendulum of your life swings, the more truthfully you can say: I’ve truly lived.

Position 10: Represents hopes and fears. Card: "Surrender to the sweetness of life" - This is a sensual, highly feminine card. To let the ever-abundant feminine take over. To taste the fruits you’ve been working so hard to grow. To let your senses take over and really drink in your life with wonder. To get intoxicated on the simple bounty that this planet has to offer. This card is wooing you back to the pleasures of being human. To focus on what really matters and enjoy your incredible life. Many of us are so busy building our lives that we forget to enjoy them. Make love to life.

Position 11: Represents the potential outcome. Card: "Jump in" - Andromeda energy. You didn’t come to Earth to be passive. You came to Earth to truly live. Adventure. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t stall until you feel ready. Take a deep breath, a good old run up, and dive right on in. Life bends for the courageous, and courageous is what you’re being called to be. You’re already facing the right direction – the only thing left to do is leap.

Notes:

Sirius Energy: Sirius is a star system that is often associated with spiritual teachings in various esoteric traditions. It is one of the brightest stars visible from Earth. In some New Age circles, Sirius is considered a source of high-frequency energy associated with spiritual evolution, awakening, and transformation. Some believe that the Sirius energy brings wisdom, knowledge, and a higher level of consciousness.

Andromeda Energy: Andromeda refers to the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. In New Age discussions, Andromeda energy is sometimes linked to the idea of extraterrestrial beings or advanced civilizations that may be assisting humanity in its spiritual development. Proponents of Andromeda energy associate it with qualities such as love, unity, and a higher vibrational frequency.

The Seas of Mintaka: Mintaka is the westernmost of the three stars of Orion's belt. The star is located very close to the celestial equator. It is easily visible to the naked eye, one of the brightest stars in the sky, and has been known since antiquity. The star known as Mintaka is actually a multiple star system.

Inner Earth (also known as Agartha) is believed to be a hidden subterranean world within the planet itself. Many ancient cultures mention it in their stories: it’s said that some of the beings of ancient lost lands such as Lemuria, Atlantis, and Āryāvarta went there. Hindu and Celtic lore mention caves and entrances to underground worlds. Tibetan Buddhism refers to the secret mystical city Shambala, which is thought to be located in the Himalayas.

[andromedanisa]

sebuah kepahaman..

ajarkan aku tentang paham untuk kelapangan hati ya Allaah, agar hatiku tak bergemuruh ketika melihat orang lain mendapatkan nikmat yang belum aku dapatkan. ajarkan aku tentang ikhlas untuk merelakan sesuatu yang bukan menjadi milikku. dan ajarkan aku menerima untuk tetap baik-baik saja ya Allaah, agar hatiku tetap merasa ridho atas ketetapan yang telah Engkau tetapkan.

Ramadhan tahun ini ajarkan aku tentang banyak hal ya Allaah. tentang perasaan cukup, tentang perasaan lapang untuk menerima dan tentang memahami diriku sendiri. sebab hanya dibulan inilah momentum terbaik untuk mendidik diri ini menjadi lebih baik dari sebelumnya.

ajarkan aku tentang banyak hal tentang sebuah hati yang hanya mengharapkan ridhaMu ya Allaah. sebab aku tak ingin lagi merasa kosong atas sesuatu yang aku sendiri tak paham mengapa demikian.

ya Allaah, ya Tuhanku, aku begitu lelah dengan sesuatu yang aku tuju. aku begitu merasa ingin berhenti saja dari apa yang telah kudapatkan. aku begitu merasa tak berguna pada apa yang belum aku dapatkan. jangan biarkan aku larut dalam hal demikian ya Allaah. jangan biarkan aku jatuh dalam rasa keputusasaan. jangan biarkan aku berjalan sendiri tanpa Engkau beri diri ini petunjuk.

ajarkan aku paham ya Allaah, agar aku bisa menerima semua kenyataan yang terasa pahit dalam hidupku. ajarkan aku sebuah rasa syukur agar aku selalu merasa cukup atas semua hal yang kumiliki dan Ridha atas apa yang terlepas dariku. sebab kehidupan dunia ini begitu melelahkan untukku ya Allaah. aku sungguh begitu lelah dengan kehidupan dunia yang sebagian sudah mengambil jiwaku.

ajarkan aku paham ya Allaah, bahwa kepahitan dalam hidup ini bukan tentang kehilangan dunia. namun kepahitan sesungguhnya adalah kala Engkau meninggalkan diriku sendiri dalam kegelapan. dan aku merasa baik-baik saja akan hal itu.

~*

Bagi setiap pendoa, akan selalu menemukan fase untuknya menanti doa-doa yang telah dilangitkan. Entah dalam keadaan lapang, senang, himpit, kesusahan, kegundahan, kegalauan, kebahagiaan, dan berbagai macam rasa.

Akan selalu juga merasakan ketidakyakinan dalam masa penantian terkabulnya sebuah doa. Dalam hal ini, akan banyak sekali alasan yang meminta seorang pendoa berhenti melangitkan doanya. Akan ada banyak pula yang mencari seribu satu alasan agar seorang pendoa berhenti pada apa yang diyakininya.

Masa ini sungguh masa yang menyakitkan. Bagaimana tidak? kamu yang sedari awal meminta dengan keadaan sungguh-sungguh, penuh dengan pengharapan, penuh dengan keyakinan. Tetiba saja orang-orang disekitarmu meminta kamu untuk berhenti percaya. Meminta kamu untuk berhenti berupaya, dan meminta kamu untuk berhenti berdoa.

Akan ada masa pula, ketika kamu mulai goyah. Dengan apa-apa yang kamu mintakan, dengan apa-apa yang kamu yakini, dengan apa-apa yang kamu upayakan.

Kamu terhenti, berpikir beribu-ribu kali untuk menyerah, berpikir beribu-ribu kali untuk tetap percaya. Sebab menyesakkan memang, jika bahka orang-orang terdekat yang meminta kamu untuk berhenti menjadi pendoa yang setia.

tak apa sayang, meski saat ini kamu merasa begitu kehilangan entah apa yang sedang kamu rasakan. semoga tak membuatmu menyalahkan takdir Allaah yang telah ditetapkan untukmu. apapun itu, semoga Allaah memberimu kelapangan hati yang selapang-lapangnya ya. dan segala doa yang kau pinta Allaah ijabah dalam syukur yang melangit.

02 Ramadhan 1445 H

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Jean-Luc Picard

By Ames

Since you all enjoyed our spotlighting of all the characters from The Original Series, we’re going to continue onward by spotlighting all our mains from Star Trek: The Next Generation as well! Of course, we were going to do it anyway because we’re having a blast going officer by officer and reminiscing on their high and low points, but I wanted you to feel special.

And what better way to start things off than with one of the fandom’s favorite and most ethical characters, and the one who sparked his own [deeply flawed] spinoff series, Captain Jean-Luc Picard! So join us on this week’s A Star to Steer Her By as we put on our captain’s bomber jacket, whip out our Ressikan flutes, and drape our Mintakan tapestries over the backs of chairs. Read on below for when Picard was at his best, and subsequently at his worst, and listen to the banter over on this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:08:49 if you're not here for Enterprise chat). Make it so!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Not now, Doctor. Please. I already foresee talking about “The Naked Now” quite a lot over the next couple of weeks because everyone’s character ends up exaggerated by the polywater syndrome. And Picard is no exception. We do admit that it is good of him to fight his intoxication and also Bev’s advances, and it also gives us that little horny chuckle and skip that are just so endearing.

Prove to the court that I am sentient Picard becomes known throughout the series for his excellent ethical and philosophical speeches, and the first really big one comes in “The Measure of a Man” and it’s a doozy. It’s no small feat determining sentience (really, sapience) of a being, and Picard standing up to Bruce Maddox to fight for Data’s rights is something to take pride in and aspire to.

The time cops would be proud Picard’s relationship with Guinan is intriguing throughout all of TNG, and his trust in her abilities is enough for him to believe that it is best to send the Enterprise-C back to their rightful place in history in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” As his alternate-timeline ship is crashing down around him and his crew is dying all over the bridge, he heroically gives the C their best shot.

Sarek <3 Spock In our Top 5 TNG Episodes list, “Sarek” ended up being the only episode that made all four of your hosts’ lists. And for good reason! Picard compassionately helps Sarek through a bout of Bendii syndrome by mindmelding with him so he can get back to his ambassadorial work, and we end up with some of the best Patrick Stewart acting in the whole show for it!

Bedtime for Borgo Picard has a rough time throughout all of “The Best of Both Worlds,” spending most of the two-parter as Locutus, as you’ll see in just a moment. But at the end of Part II, he’s able to fight through the Borg programming just enough to give Data the one-word cue “Sleep,” which turns out to be the undoing of the Borg in that Battle of Wolf-359.

Mev yap! I’m always a big fan of watching Picard speaking Klingon in their ceremonies. It shows how seriously he takes their customs. And in “Reunion,” when he breaks out the ja’chuq while arbitrating the Rite of Succession and also looking into K’mpec’s murder, it’s so ballsy that you’ve got to respect the guy. Or, at least anyone who isn’t as dishonorable as Duras has got to respect the guy.

With the first link, the chain is forged Yet another in a long line of great Picard speeches comes in “The Drumhead.” Admiral Satie gets more and more power hungry to convict people throughout her Red Scare hearings, even through unscrupulous means. Picard rightly puts her in her place by throwing the just words of her own father in her face. No wonder she’s on Jake’s Evil Admirals listicle.

Sokath, his eyes uncovered! Picard befriending Captain Dathon in “Darmok” is so Picardy that I’m swapping it in for that great line from “Peak Performance” I mentioned on the podcast (which is still great, but the screengrab was more boring). And I’m just so impressed with Picard’s patience in learning the seemingly nonsensical Tamarian language and his willingness to trust another being who just wants to communicate with him.

Resistance is not futile While it could be debated that this moment be prime fodder for Picard’s Worst Moments list for not getting rid of the Borg when he had the chance in “I, Borg,” we’ve got to admit it’s such a good moment for Picard to connect with Hugh and save his life. After having been forced into the role of Locutus, Picard has got to feel some small triumph that he didn’t commit genocide this day.

There! Are! Four! Lights!  More absolutely stellar Patrick Stewart acting comes in “Chain of Command, Part II.” Say what you will about Part I (Picard had no reason to be on this mission, there, I said it), watching Picard retain his humanity and resolution while being tortured by Gul Madred is riveting stuff. And no matter how many times I see it, I get goosebumps at his “four lights” defiance every time.

Yippee-ki-yay Here’s another kinda late addition to this list but how can one not include all the sabotaging of the ship he does in “Starship Mine”? It’s clear that Picard knows his ship like the back of his hand (the one that wasn’t briefly a Borg hand, more likely) when you watch him outsmart a bunch of terrorists as he John McClanes all over the Enterprise-D.

How many people does it take, Admiral, before it becomes wrong? Insurrection may not be anyone’s favorite of the Star Trek movies (here’s ours, for reference!), but Picard’s ethical debate feels so immensely right. Between standing up to Dougherty (another evil admiral!), to fighting for the rights of the Ba’ku, to his great line to Gallatin, “I’m not pleading for my life; I’m pleading for yours,” this is the most Picard has ever Picarded. Period.

—

Worst moments

Shut up, Wesley While we were tempted to also include this moment in our Best Moments list, it’s true that no matter how obnoxious Wesley is being (and he so often is; just wait until our Wesley spotlight), it’s never right to tell him to shut up. Even less so when he is literally the only member of the crew who is actually giving you pertinent information to save the day, as he was in “Datalore.”

Breaking the cycle Since we first watched it, we’ve been simply perplexed by “Time Squared.” There’s a reason it made so many of our Worst Time Travel Episode lists. Picard, at an entire loss for ideas, decides to kill the other him who’s been bonking around to see if that stops the time loops, and then leaves the corpse there for Pulaski to find without telling anyone which him it is! WTF?

I don't know if I want to be Eve I’ve also got to give Picard some guff for making the Bringloidi breeding stock for the Mariposans in “Up the Long Ladder.” Brenna even chastises Picard in the final scene for deciding this with only the male leaders of each society without consulting the women, who will have to basically become baby incubators, and even more annoyingly, she ends up being into it!

Resistance IS futile! While we can’t exactly blame Picard himself for being turned into Locutus in “The Best of Both Worlds,” resulting in huge losses for the Federation, we do have to admit it’s one of his lowest points as a human being. There’s a reason why Picard actually needs to take a mental health vacation in “Family,” something we tended to never see in Star Trek of that era.

Another orphan for the Rozhenkos You could tell by the look on Picard’s face after he accidentally killed Junior’s mother in “Galaxy’s Child” that he knows he screwed up. Couldn’t they have just left her alone in space instead of provoking her to attack them and then finding it necessary to shoot her dead? And now poor Junior has to be raised by his asshole aunts and uncles, thank you very much.

Now now now now! I mean, we were bound to dislike “Rascals” regardless because of its terrible child actors and obnoxious plot, but when you think about it, Picard was also entirely out of character. And it’s not just because he was supposed to be prepubescent: it was because he suddenly couldn’t lead his crew, and being smaller and whinier is no excuse for ignoring all his past experiences!

Mystery solved: Picard did it! If we picked on Kirk back in one of our earlier character spotlights for never checking in on Khan when he marooned him on Ceti Alpha V, then you’re damn right we’re going to pick on Picard for not checking in on Moriarty between “Elementary, Dear Data” and “Ship in a Bottle.” In that time, the holographic mastermind got rightly impatient and took matters into his own hands.

Play dom-jot, human “Tapestry” portrays how brash and short-sighted and tail-chasing Picard was in his years at Starfleet Academy, and how his willingness to get into scrapes got him into a fight with Nausicaans that really should have killed him if it weren’t for future technology. Thank the Continuum for JL’s artificial heart that allowed him to become the man we saw him become.

So it was gik'tal after all While we get that Sito Jaxa had a lot to atone for after the incident in “The First Duty,” we are still uncomfortable with how much Jean-Luc guilted her into going on the very dangerous mission that got her killed in “Lower Decks.” Picard definitely abused his power over her in this instance because he knew how badly she wanted to save face and he exploited it.

Kill the Dorvan V native, save the man Indeed, one of the worst decisions we see Picard make is when he just acts on Necheyev’s orders (hey, another of Jake’s Evil Admirals!) like a little sheep and coordinates moving the inhabitants of Dorvan V in “Journey’s End.” It’s shameful to watch Picard go the route of the Trail of Tears, and then only come around when he’s shown who his ancestor was. 

I think it’s time to try some unsafe velocities We talk a lot about how the Prime Directive isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but that’s still no excuse for all the dunebuggying antics Picard performed in Nemesis. Especially in front of all the natives of the planet (or what we assumed were natives). What a pathetic scene in a pathetic movie. It’s so clear they just wanted to race around in an ATV for a little excitement, but it was absolutely stupid and out of character.

The triumph of the echo over the voice Fittingly, we have even more Nemesis moments to lament since it was such a detestable movie. All movie long, I don’t understand why Picard is so conflicted about the clone situation, as if Shinzon is literally Picard himself and it would reflect poorly on him somehow. That’s not how clones work, dude! There’s no saving this asshole. And unrelatedly, but here we are: stop ordering Worf to go naked to the wedding on Betazed; that’s just gross!!!

—

Well, our Earl Grey tea has gotten lukewarm, and that means we’ve got to wrap things up. Make sure you join us next week for more character spotlights, this one of the bearded variety, and also keep following along with our watchthrough of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast. You can also discuss diplomatic relations with us on Facebook and Twitter, and let Worf keep his clothes on if he wants!