#shakaar

[writergeekrhw]

Hi, Robert! Long-time fan, first-time caller here; got a twofer for you.

1) It was pretty evident early on in DS9 that Shakaar was supposed to be the name of the Bajoran resistance, which I always liked...& then somewhere along the line, that got...forgotten? Ignored? Co-opted? and we ended up with it being the name of Some Guy who quite honestly had the personality of tapioca. So my question here is if, to your recollection, was a conscious decision or more of a "hey, this is a Bajoran word, let's use it", or a case of just plain forgetting? (It's a minor sore point for me, because having an actual name other than "the resistance" gave Bajor a richer, fuller feel.)

2) Have you (or any other of your Trek colleagues) ever come across something written by a fan that's explained or fleshed something out so well, you've had an "oh, you bastard, that's so good, that should've been my idea" moment?

Pretty sure Shakaar was always a guy. I don't remember any of us ever intending "Shakaar" to be the Bajoran word for the resistance... but it's been a long time, so maybe I'm forgetting something. Or maybe the earliest mentions of the name were ambiguous enough it could be read either way.

The only one I can think of is the idea that we should have introduced Ziyal at the very beginning of the show and made her, Jake, and Nog a trio. Mostly, though, I don't read fanfiction for legal reasons.

[loudfederationscreeching]

possibly controversial take but neither of kiras so called boring love interests (bareil and shakaar) are boring imo

like obviously i get wanting her to be gay, kira deserves to be gay, and seeing her constantly paired up with guys can be grating

but bareil is a vedek who champions peace and cares about bajor and its future and stability so much that he literally works himself to death to establish a fair peace treaty with the cardassians

and shakaar is literally the leader of kiras former resistance cell. he becomes prime minister after standing up to kai winn alongside kira, using the tactics they used for all those years. theyve known each other a long time, later find they have feelings for each other, and then eventually split amicably, remaining friends. he doesnt have the MOST interesting personality, but hes steady and kind, and these episodes add a lot of great dimension to kira

if they sometimes come off as boring, i think its because they do their job narratively and dont eclipse kira in their episodes, and instead further her journey

and both of these men are also instrumental in the buildup as kai winn as a villain (winn lets bareil die and opposes shakaar), all the antipathy that we feel for her is rooted in these arcs. so on that basis alone i think theyre worth being remembered positively

[kiranerysskincareroutine]

me and the bad bitch I pulled being a terrorist

[whats-those]

Discuss your answers in tags and reblogs! Also say what you headcanon her sexuality to be. I’m personally not very involved in fandoms in general, so I’m curious about how people actually feel about this.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Kai Winn Adami

By Ames

So far, all of the subjects of our spotlight series have been people for whom we’ve had both good and bad character moments to discuss. But what do you do when you’re highlighting an antagonist character? For a villain, being bad is actually very good and that’s so perfectly the case for Kai Winn Adami. So this time A Star to Steer Her By will simply feature a bunch of our favorite moments overall.

Boy, do we love to hate this bitch. Somehow she’s only in 14 episodes even though it feels like she’s always looming somewhere with a passive-aggressive gaze and a “my child” on her lips. Louise Fletcher plays this power-hungry religious icon with such depth and nuance that it was easy for us to come up with a ton of favorite moments. So flip open the Book of the Pah-wraiths below to check them out, listen to our Bajoran chanting over on this week’s podcast (jump to 1:12:58), and walk with the prophets, my child.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Favorite moments

The Bajoran Scopes Monkey Trial Winn makes a big impression in her very first appearance in “In the Hands of the Prophets” when she’s displaying big Karen energy while challenging why Keiko isn’t teaching Bajoran religious ideology in a public school. And she does it with a smile. And also with a can of gasoline since she surely got that school blown up in one smokin’ power move.

The sacrifices the Prophets call on us to make are great sometimes Somehow there are even more layers to “In the Hands of the Prophets” than teaching religion in classrooms and committing arson. Winn also puts Neela up to assassinate Bareil so that she can work on amassing power. And when Neela fails to secure a getaway plan, Winn straight up declares that’s fine with her. What does she care as long as her hands stay clean?

We’re a match made by the Prophets Winn continues to keep her hands clean in “The Circle.” Even while covertly supporting the Bajoran extremist faction, the Alliance for Global Unity, and bedding down with Minister Jarro Essa, Winn manages to direct blame away from herself when their plans have been exposed and gone thoroughly sideways. Jarro can only watch his downfall from under the bus.

You will never speak to me with such disrespect again!! Kai Winn’s “my child” may sound like a catchphrase, but it’s always delivered with such emotion which Fletcher was so good at. When Kira’s been sniffing around how Winn extracted information from Kubus Oak in an attempt to get Bareil out of the kai election in “The Collaborator,” the soon-to-be kai sends chills down your spine with her cold threats.

He’s more machine now than man When Bareil’s health keeps failing in “Life Support,” Winn pushes to keep him cognizant as long as is convenient for her. All she wants is the credit for his negotiations with the Cardassian Central Command while also keeping open the option to use him as a scapegoat should things fail. This woman plays her cards so strategically that she always comes out on top.

See ya later, reclamator To make a good political statement by getting some soil reclamators to Rakantha Province, Winn ends up sending in the Bajoran Militia after Shakaar’s resistance cell in “Shakaar.” And what’s more, she’s presumptuous enough to ask Sisko to send in Starfleet security or else she’ll pull out of Federation membership talks! All for farming equipment. Well that escalated quickly.

You think you’re the only ones who fought the Cardassians We learn just what Kai Winn was up to during the occupation, and it’s surprisingly humanizing. Winn throws in Kira’s face during “Rapture” how she was put in a Cardassian prison camp for five years, and never stopped preaching about the prophets despite the beatings. And per “‘Til Death Do Us Part,” she also sold gemstones from the tabernacle to bolster the resistance.

No. We are nothing alike. Nothing at all. What could be better than a Louise Fletcher–Jeffrey Combs scene? We get just that in “In the Cards” when Winn is trying to delay the decision between allying with the Federation or the Dominion because in either scenario her backwards little planet will get stomped on. But it’s her short scene with Weyoun that takes the cake when she reads his pagh and judges him hard!

Please leave your message for the Prophets at the beep There’s plenty for Winn to be judgmental about in “The Reckoning” when Sisko borrows an ancient tablet without asking and then destroys it utterly. But at the core of Winn’s motivation is desperation for the Prophets to communicate with her, which they’ve never done, so she puts an end to the Prophet–Pah-wraith battle because she isn’t the center of attention for once.

The Password Is: Restoration Winn’s whole arc in the final ten-parter of the series is a work of art, and so perfectly portrayed. Let’s break it down here, because it all starts with getting fully taken in with Anjohl Tennan in “‘Til Death Do Us Part.” All Dukat-in-disguise has to do is drop some buzzwords and the Kai is immediately enamored with the guy, and bedding down with him by the next episode, “Strange Bedfellows.”

Everything will change once you step down as Kai. You’ll see. When Winn is having a crisis of faith in “Strange Bedfellows” after receiving a vision from the Pah-wraiths, she wisely seeks out Kira. And the Corporal gives Winn the perfect advice to step down as kai so as not to be tempted by power anymore. And for a split second you think Winn will listen to reason. But she’s still Winn, after all, entirely blind to what she doesn’t want to see.

Catfished by the Prophets Stepping down as kai is not an option for Winn, who doesn’t believe she has too much power. In fact, she believes she doesn't have enough power! So by the end of “Strange Bedfellows,” she fully denounces the Prophets because they’ve never done anything for her. She admits to Anjohl that she’s never felt their presence and has been faking it for years, but blind faith will serve her no longer. Now she wants results!

Don’t you recognize the face of your enemy? May the Prophets bless Solbor for giving us such a great reveal scene in “The Changing Face of Evil.” He’s found out that Anjohl is actually Dukat, and Adami’s reaction to this news is so layered and cathartic that we love it. But that tippy top layer is a sense of self preservation that can only be maintained by murdering the hell out of Solbor, that gossip hound!

Hit it and quit it But that isn’t as cold as Winn can get, as is proven in the next episode in “When It Rains…” after Dukat has gone blind from reading the Book of the Pah-wraiths. Winn cruelly kicks the blind Cardassian out on his ass to beg on the streets of Bajor. “You may return when you’ve proven yourself worthy and your sight has been restored,” she mocks, and it’s stone cold!

The Pah-wraiths demand a sacrifice The whole series culminates in “What You Leave Behind” in the fire caves with Winn casting aside her devotion to the Prophets and summoning the Pah-wraiths. What she hadn’t told Dukat (with his sight returned for reasons) was that she lured him there to use him as the ceremonial sacrifice, and she righteously poisons his ass with absolutely no hesitation.

Too little, too late Finally, Winn comes this close to redemption in “What You Leave Behind” when she comes to see the error of her ways (or maybe she’s just bitter that the Kosst Amojen picked Dukat’s husk over her). For the hottest of seconds (cause it’s the fire caves, get it?), she tries to get the book to Sisko when at last she has an epiphany moment, but her fate is ultimately sealed when Pah-wraiths toast her in flames.

—

What a journey for a character that only appears a handful of times, and we were here for every second. Next week, we’re continuing to give in the Pah-wraiths as we recount our favorite Dukat moments, which will surely be a trip. So keep your eyes here for that, keep following us through the Delphic Expanse as we watch through Enterprise over on SoundCloud or your favorite podcast place, praise the Prophets with us on Facebook and Twitter, and practice your “my child”s in the mirror.

[darktiger57]

lets talk kira's wet paint boyfriends.

we're going backwards. pros and cons

odo:

pros: can turn into a bucket of paint. was very sweet with Kira. He and Kira were close before they got together so they were a nice friends to lovers. Odo respected her(most of the time) and Kira respected him back.

cons: crossfire, and his way are both some of my least favorite episodes. the way odo and kira get together feels like it's all about Odo, which I get some of it. He's a changeling, he's not used to romance(except he is because of luxwana and that one lady), Kira is a friend and its scary to make a change to friendship like that. HOWEVER Kira is a main character too. I feel like she should've gotten more of a say, more of a side, something portrayed at least, about the whole thing.

Opinion: personally to me Kira and Odo work better as close friends. Like close enough people THINK theyre dating but theyre not. Just a couple of besties. Two pals. Both of them strong, one of them stoic, the other angry. both of them learning to be softer. Able to lean on each other against all other odds. I get why some people like them as a couple because of all that, it's why i dont dislike them as a couple.

rating: decent. 6.5/10

shakaar:

pros: he and kira have *history*. he was a mentor. a comrade. they fought together. watched their friends die around them. and now? he tends to the ground of the world they fought so hard to protect, he guides the people they gave their lives for. he and kira are like two sides of a coin. they both used to protect their people and they both still do but in very different ways. shakaar is one of my favorite episodes.

cons: he was written into their romance, it feels like, to be an obstacle to odo. his first episode, shakaar, is one of my favorite episodes, crossfire, and the episode where kira gives birth are one of my least favorite episodes and an episode i dislike shakaar in, respectively.

s3ep24 shakaar: like i said in the pros, shakaar and kira have history. deep history, shared trauma, deep convictions, all that good stuff. in shakaar we see them first at odds, but then kira recognizes the good shakaar is doing and they end up fighting together, being forced to take up arms against their own people. BUT THEY CANT! they talk their star trek asses through it. and shakaar is elected first minister. they work well together. they have that war buddy scarred by everything but healing vibe and theyre good. shakaar is actually rather interesting.

s4ep12: shakaar is fine in this episode. he's generic and boring. white bread. powerful man being the first minister but the only interesting thing about him is the plot happening to involve him. and then odo nearly gets them all killed cuz he's mad kiras showing interest in another guy when he hasn’t said shit yet. bad episode, love kiras fit tho very nice.

s5ep12: shakaar is late to kira giving birth and interrupts it, resetting the whole trial. ob'rien is rightfully upset, but takes it too far. both of them act like dicks the rest of the episode. i feel bad for kira, at least she has keiko.

opinion: i don't like shakaar. worst kira wet paint boyfriend. his first episode when he isn't a love interest is great. thats all he gets.

rating: 3.4/10 at least they didn’t go through with dukat

bareil:

pros: this man is sweet and sensitive and kind and he plays sports with his strong angry girlfriend. they disagree in matters of religion but love each other anyway. theyre both hot. he quite literally gives her a religious experience. she shows up in his prophetic visions. he's one of the only people hard angry season 1&2 kira will let her guard down around. theyre both hot. she found out he was framed as a collaborator by his own hand to protect their past religious leader to protect his people. they both protect their people in different ways. he knows how hard it was in the occupation. he's a gardener. her father was a gardener. also the guy is actually kinda funny. the deadpan delivery of some of his lines are perfect.

cons: nothing this man is perfect. he's very monotone but tbh i like his demeanor. they killed him :( kira watches him die

opinion: first son of bajor, arm around the major. bareil is the best soggy wet bread star trek ever spat on. he was soft and kind and sweet and quiet and it was everything kira needed. also have y'all SEEN s2ep24 the collaborator??? holy FUCK it's so good. the confrontation outside the vedek assembly where kira realises it was opaka and bareil was protecting her. the whole scene is fantastic on both sides. nana visitor with her fantastic acting and philip anglim holds his own with her. he definitely didn't command the scene that was all kira but he managed well enough. and later in the series when, after he dies, his mirror counterpart comes and he's perfect for kira but in another way but its all a lie but it isnt and its all so confusing and then hes gone. another great star trek tragic love story.

rating: 9/10 best wet paint boyfriend out there

in conclusion: bareil is the best wet paint boyfriend.

kiradax tho 👀

[best-star-trek-character]

[temporal-mechanic]

Bareinaissance

[oomox]

why does shakaar look like a thwomp

[raurquiz]

#otd #startrek #deepspacenine #shakaar #sisko #dax #kiranerys #odo #bashir #obrian #quark #Lupaza #Furel #Syvar #LenarisHolem #KaiWinn #ds930 #startrek57 @TrekMovie @TrekCore @StarTrek @StarTrekOnPPlus

[hitchell-mope]

Psychobitch.

[out-of-context-ds9]

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

#271

"I actually like Kira/Bareil and Kira/Shakar. Yes, they were incredibly boring, but she has enough excitement in her life, she doesn't need it in her love life, and they both clearly cared about her. And then when she broke up with Shakar she went on to date Odo, who desperately wanted to be boring but the Founders just wouldn't let him. Let Kira have a boring-ass no-drama relationship that makes her happy! She's earned it."

[alspacedout]

neigh

[joshuaalbert]

another thing I do wish had at least come up in ds9 while talking about the bajoran faith is the idea of just like. secular bajorans. I think the way they’re written that’s kind of ‘everyone just believes in the religion and that’s it’ is honestly a little flat? but I think there would be people who have a very complicated relationship with the prophets, who maybe didn’t believe in them before the events of the show and now maybe they have to but they think of them more as the wormhole aliens rather than gods, or just don’t believe (anymore, if they once did) that they should be worshipped because they allowed the events of the occupation to happen. but that wouldn’t mean entirely disengaging from the practices of religion as a community thing, or as comfort in times of need bc sometimes that sense of ritual can be a good one, who still wear the earring not so much as a sign of faith but just as a sign of being bajoran and being connected to their people.

idk not to sound like I’m overexplaining secular approaches to an ethnoreligion when that’s a lot of people’s lived experience but I’m just kind of thinking about what it would look like in this context, and I don’t know that it ever would have been a whole plotline but I think a mention could have been interesting. maybe something as small as rearranging duty schedules and it’s something that would interfere with religious services, but a couple specific bajorans are willing to take that because they’re not religious, and it’s a one line mention (which is the kind of thing ds9 often did well so it would feel natural), but it makes them a little less homogenous as a species.

[thecommunityoftrustworthysinks]

idc whatever the show tries to tell me kira is wlw leaning bi and odo is her agender he/him partner x