Random Fandom Waffling

5.13 | Proving Ground

“Try to remember when you were in their shoes.”

at this point we had the Season Four Pain And Angst full of established canon that these two care a lot more than they’re supposed to, as well as all the preceding episodes featuring life and death, pining and humour, PTSD and jello. so by now we absolutely know that these two are (if not going to get together) ~A Thing~ in this universe. 

but what I love about this scene is it’s got none of that, instead showing their capability and their working relationship as senior SGC members (both rank and tenure). founding members of the galactic frontline, forged in fire. they’re grading students, giving quick and decisive assessments of these kids’ ability to respond in combat settings, make tactical decisions, and be governable in a military environment. and they’re doing it over lunch. this is just so goddamn realistic for two people who are very good at what they do. they don’t need to make it a formal debrief (although they will, probably, for governance sake) - these choices and assessments are second nature by this point, and further, their differences of opinion beautifully reflect their own combat / academic experiences. sam is the optimistic academic and jack is the droll black ops boi. this scene is a textbook example of show-don’t-tell when it comes to Sam and Jack’s capabilities; they’re showing us how good they are in their respective careers by having them assess how good others are at doing a third of the work. AND the writers are showing their friendship and their trust - putting aside the shippiness for a tick, these two have Done Some Shit together and have a shorthand born of literal life and death, and they like each other, so yeah, they can have a frank and open discussion, where they parry and bant back and forth, even if what they’re talking about is actually kinda serious. when you know your business this well, as they do, you don’t need to show your working; saying “i think he was tap dancing” over a late night canteen dinner is your working.

original trek: would fit right in here honestly, no change

the animated series: it’s even weirder somehow. the evolved human salamanders are hot pink.

tng: we actually know what they’d do because they’ve had two episodes in this genre already, but with some key differences: a) the character who transmogrifies into a glowy gecko (geordi) is the only character on the show with no daddy issues whatsoever, and b) “genesis” hinges on the fact that even if you turn into a lizard, your babies will be born normal. of course if those babies were humans and not cats, by the end credits they’d have somehow winked out of existence or never been born at all or something. the j/p babyfic fans just can’t win.

deep space nine: they definitely aren’t abandoning those babies!!! instead the babies die and it’s the saddest thing you’ve ever seen

enterprise: in only four seasons this show somehow had TWO precedents for “we will care for these accidental weird babies in a cringefunny way until we find them a home with more appropriate caregivers” AND a “crewmembers evolved into something stupid but we fixed it” episode

discovery: this is the one show where i feel confident that they keep the lizard babies forever. unsure if the parents leave the show for a while to care for them or if they just have an off-screen salamander daycare on the ship now, but they reappear out of nowhere in the last two episodes of the season to save the universe

short treks: it’s an entire civilization of human salamanders now

star trek picard: those babies are getting fucking dismembered right in front of you

strange new worlds: those babies are getting fucking dismembered right in front of you (by the good guys this time)

prodigy: ah heck i forgot this one before i posted and now i’m on time constraint. umm. the babies (still abandoned by parents) are main characters now