the more i watch star trek tos, the more it becomes abundantly clear that the reason why modern trek doesnt get kirk at all is because they dont utilise mccoy nearly as much anymore
in modern trek, they always present the idea of logic vs emotion, with spock being logic and kirk being emotion, but thats not how tos has it. in tos, the logic vs emption debate is spock vs mccoy. kirk is supposed to be the mediator between the two, sometimes siding with one side over the other, sometimes finding a middle ground between the two. thats why hes the captain, hes able to see all angles and pick the best course
when you make kirk the emotional one, it completely breaks the format, because 9 time out of 10, it means kirk has to be correct. theres no more balance
mccoy is just as important to tos as spock is, and while i do understand why spock is as popular as he is, without mccoy, the show doesnt work. you need them both. kirk spock and mccoy are the three leads of the show, and removing one requires you to change the others, which is whats happened to kirk
I have been saying this for approximately 400 years, thank you.
When I teach rhetoric in my college essay writing/analysis course, it's always with the example of Kirk, Spock, AND McCoy. Ethos, Logos, Pathos--you need all three. Kirk isn't the counterweight to Spock; he's the fulcrum that balances Spock and McCoy.
Kirk isn't emotion. Kirk is ethos: credibility, authority. Spock and McCoy are there to stop him from damaging that credibility by falling back on an authority he doesn't actually have in the situation, to remind him of the logic or compassion that's lacking when an abuse of power would be the easy or basely satisfying thing to do.
What keeps Kirk credible is that he usually chooses the most ethical thing to do based on the information he has; what makes him a good leader, outside of his own innate abilities, is his understanding that he requires these two trusted advisors to keep him on an even keel. When Kirk says "I need you" to both Spock AND Bones, he means it.
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B'Elanna:Â Okay, we wanna hear everything. Ayala, get the wine and mute your commbadge. Chakotay, does this end well or do we need tissues?
Chakotay:Â Oh, it ended very well.
Ayala:Â Do not start without me! Do not start without me!
B'Elanna:Â Okay, alright, letâs hear about the kiss. Was it a soft brush against your lips or was it like a, you know, âI gotta have you nowâ kind of thing?
Chakotay:Â Well, at first it was really intense, you know? And then, oh God, and then we just sort of sunk into it.
Ayala:Â Ohh... So, okay, was she holding you? Or were her hands all over the place?
Chakotay:Â First she started holding me, and then her hands slid up and then they were in my hair.
B'Elanna and Ayala:Â Ohhh.
*meanwhile*
Janeway eating pizza in her quarters:Â And, uh, and then I kissed him.
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I know it is 1000% simply a production-reusing-a-set thing, but I'm feeling some type of way about Data trying to save Picard in the same chamber that he couldn't save Lal. The space that, before this point, we the audience only know as the private place that he lovingly created his daughter, and desperately did his best to save her.
Picard is arguably like a father figure to Data, and he's connecting himself to him in the same way that he did with Lal. Well, connecting to the borg technically, but the motions, the actions, the intimacy, are the same. Makes you wonder, if some part of him subconsciously tried to fight a little harder, to get it right this time.
Itâs been a while! Iâm back with a little something much steamier than what I usually do⌠đłđđ¤ What can I say? Iâve got to go where my muse wants to go, right? Enjoy!
And hereâs a black and white version, because I kind of like the gritty, dream-like quality it gives the scene!
Itâs the morning after in Picardâs quarters. Beverly steps into the shower, radiating bliss and contentment. As the water runs down her face and saturates her hair, a cold realization hits:
The way Chakotay hesitates slightly before putting his lips on Janeway's to perform CPR is killing me. Like he's spent so long wishing he could kiss her again(I refuse to believe there was at least no offscreen kissing), and the idea of pressing their lips together for a different reason breaks his heart. Especially because he's not going to feel her push her lips against his as well. All the conflicting emotions he must feel. Idek. Putting the question to the masses. What do y'all think he was feeling in that moment?
Agony, because the woman he loved was dying. He couldnât protect her, he couldnât save her. It was killing him.
This episode is everything to me. Because we see they both love each other dearly. (Her watching him suffering as she died in his arms also kills me. Her attempt to touch him to assure him. đđđ)
I just finished it and oh, the Chakotway of it all. The way Chakotay fucking broke when he thought she was going to die killed me. Also. A rose? A bottle of champagne and a moonlit sail on what I assume is a beautiful lake? Sure, that's platonic đ đ.
I will say, though, I don't think their relationship was ever physical after the planet. Partially because I think that's a thing that would have been shown, and partially because I think that's a line neither of them wanted to cross. They both had feelings for each other, and they both knew it, and they didn't exactly pretend otherwise. There were a lot of moments between them that showed that. But I think they were both reasonably concerned about what might happen if they actually got into a relationship. Like, what if they broke up? How would that affect their ability to work as a team to protect the crew? If they'd been in the Alpha quadrant, I think they'd be willing to do it. After all, if it didn't work out, and they found they couldn't work together afterwards, one of them could always get reassigned. But they were in the Delta quadrant, and had no idea how long they'd be there. For all they knew, it could be the rest of their lives, and they couldn't risk damaging their relationship like that. But they were still willing to do little romantic things together. I just don't think it was physical. Past maybe some cuddling.
That rose is a direct callback to Resolutions. The variety of rose that he gave her is literally called Peace Rose. Lake George is a real lake in New York state. It is a very beautiful lake. Itâs very possible the Janeways have a summer home there and is why she knows it.
Coda is an episode for me that hits all of my favorite tropes. Angst, hurt/comfort, dark, her comforting him, happy romantic ending⌠itâs perfection. I love it so much. Itâs one of my three favorite JC episodes. The Fight, Coda, and Shattered.
Iâm 50/50 on them sleeping together in Coda. It makes more sense there than in Resolutions. Theyâre coming off of the terror of nearly losing each other, the joy of being alive and together. If they had sex on that boat it was restorative and healing and Iâm okay with that. The best way to get around Kateâs âno sexâ rule is just⌠not showing it or mentioning it, but creating the situation that would make as much sense for it to happen as for it not to happen. (If that makes sense) (Iâm a 50/50 on Resolutions, depending on the fic Iâm writing, a mostly yes in Coda and an almost certainly yes in Timeless)
I think theyâre adults and know whether what they have is permanent and that they can handle whatever happens. Kathrynâs in-universe hesitation has more to do with the deep depression she sunk into when her father (and fiancĂŠ) died, than anything else, I believe. She knows sheâs in it deeply with Chakotay and is more afraid of what losing him could do to her.
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Every time Kathryn nearly gave Chakotay a heart attack:
In "Sacred Ground", when she decides to risk her life on an unknown spiritual journey, and he doesn't leave the screen that was monitoring her vital data.
In "Coda", when she almost dies in his arms.
In "Night", when he defends her to the crew, but is constantly stressed and worried that she might do something suicidal.
In "Scorpion", when she wants an alliance with the Borg and almost dies in the process.
In "Equinox", when she goes mad with revenge and almost kills a man.
In "Unimatrix Zero", when she decides to risk her own life alone to enter a Borg cube.
In "Concerning Flight", when she jumps off a cliff in a contraption with a hologram.
In "Hunters", when he gets super anxious to know if her engagement fell through, and they could already get married.
In "Resolutions", when she appears in front of him with only a towel.
In "Threshold", when he discovered that his Kathryn turned into a lizard and had sex with Tom Paris also turned into a lizard.
Bonus: In "Isabo's Shirt" when Chakotay thinks she's asking him to be her boyfriend đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
Feel free to add ones Iâve forgotten and attack/defend the plausability/implausibility of them.
Transwarp Beaming
From a relatively stationary start to a ship at warp. From Earth all the way to Kronos (144 light years). A software patch to the regular transporter, invented by Scotty, whose alternate self almost died using it to beam to the Enterprise, and who had previously lost Admiral Archerâs beagle when attempting to demonstrate it (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness)
Subspace Beaming
Across several light-years. A minor modification considered dangerous, known to the Federation and Ferengi. Possibly the same as transwarp beaming. (TNG: âBloodlinesâ) The Dominion also had transporters with extreme range (10+ light years), they could use theirs to pluck people from distant targets, something Transwarp beaming may be unable to do.
Beaming Into an Alternate Reality
First done accidently during an ion storm, replicated a century later using a handheld gizmo which interfaces with a regular transporter (downloading extra software?) (TOS: âMirror, Mirrorâ, DS9: âShattered Mirrorâ etc.)
Beaming Through Time
With the aid of some time-limited technobabbly particles, O'Brien was able to beam people to various periods in Earthâs history. (DS9: âPast Tenseâ)
Cure All/Anti Ageing/Re-Ageing
Where to start? Kirk and Spock are de-aged in TAS: âThe Lorelai Signalâ, the entire crew are made their proper sizes again in âThe Terratin Incidentâ, the baby crew are re-aged at the end of âThe Counter-clock Incidentâ, Dr. Pulaski is cured of an ageing disease in TNG: âUnnatural Selectionâ, the crew are de-aged into children in "Rascals" and itâs reversed the same way at the end. Iâm sure there are a few I've forgotten.
Epic Pause Mode
Scotty kept himself alive in the transporter for 70 years, in TNG: âRelicsâ. The guy he was in there with didnât make it.
Splitting, Duplicating and Merging
Kirk is split into good and evil halves in TOS: âThe Enemy Withinâ but both are merged again at the end, Captain Christopher is (pointlessly?) beamed into his slightly-earlier self in âTomorrow is Yesterdayâ, Will Riker is xeroxed in TNG: âSecond Chancesâ, Tuvok and Neelix, with the aid of a magical plant, merged into one being and then somehow separated again months(?) later (VOY: âTuvixâ)
Become a ghost
The inventor of the transporter lost his son in early experiments (ENT: âDaedalusâ), and he spent the next 20 years appearing as a ghost and attacking people.
So basically, someone with a regular transporter and the right set of software mods could beam anywhere in the galaxy, become virtually immortal, skip centuries in an instant, raise an army of clones and hop between universes, Sliders-style.
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The hell is going on with Tuvokâs kids? How old are they? Why do they do this to me? Welcome a segment I like to call:
Chaos loses their mind over Star Trek continuity â¨
(Chaos loses their mind over Star Trek continuity â¨)
For this weekâs episode: In canon, Tuvokâs children have wildly conflicting potential ages, specifically his daughter. Come along for the journey.
To start, Tuvok has a solidified age within canon. Tuvok states his stardate birthdate to be 38774 (âUnimatrix Zero IIâ), putting his birth year in our terms as 2264. This makes him 107 as of when Voyager goes missing in 2371.
In the episode âFlashbackâ, Tuvok states he is 29 years old in said flashback two months into serving aboard Suluâs ship on a three year mission. After this ends, he resigns his Starfleet commission, and six years later, begins Pon Farr.
As an aside, itâs really funny that in this episode, Harry says to Janeway that the nebula they were seeing wasnât the same as the one the Excelsior saw eighty years ago, which means Janeway should be aware Tuvokâs over 100, so her birthday wish to him later in the show is even more wrong.
Anyways, this makes the absolute youngest Tuvok can be when he starts Pon Farr 38. Another small aside, I did make a post about when the fuck Vulcans start Pon Farr a period ago and mistated Tuvokâs youngest potential at 35 because I forgot about the three year mission. Apologies. Tuvokâs age here is incredibly relevant, however.
He says he and TâPel raised their four kids during this time between his Starfleet careers. In alpha canon, we only get mention of two of their names. His eldest son, Sek, and his youngest child and only daughter, Asil.
In âHuntersâ when Voyager gets their letters, itâs mentioned that Sek has gone into Pon Farr some point in the previous four years, took a wife, and sired a daughter. Now, Iâd say that this should put a cap on how old he is considering as far as we know Vulcans go into it in their twenties but whoâs to say?
Now, hereâs where shit gets annoying as hell and where I think Star Trek writers knew thereâd be some nerd thirty years down the line that paid way too close attention and wanted to punish me in particular. Tuvokâs daughter, Asil.
In âAliceâ, Paris mentions that Asil was conceived during Tuvokâs eleventh Pon Farr. Donât ask me how the hell that came up in conversation between them, but itâs mentioned. Hereâs the kicker, Tuvok canât have physically had eleven Pon Farrs by that point. If he was 38 at his first, and with the seven year cycle, his eleventh wouldnât happen until he was 108, seventy years later.
Letâs go back to my old estimate, and say the Excelsior space docked after the fight with the Klingons and Tuvok got the hell out of dodge. Letâs say he really was 35 when he went into his first Pon Farr. This now allows for Asil to have been conceived while Tuvok and TâPel were in the same quadrant, but only by a couple years, making Asil about two when Voyager goes missing.
Wow, that sucks. A toddler without her father. But thatâs not that complicated, I hear you say. Thatâs not too much conflicting information, it could be simple as not remembering.
O, ye of little faith.
In âFuryâ, Janeway mentions being present for Asilâs kolinahr. Last I checked, two year olds canât do months in the desert studying alone. Not unless theyâre really determined, I guess. Also also, the kolinahr is something adult Vulcans do, so she couldnât have even been a teenager.
In the episode âLineageâ, Tuvok says that it has been a while since his children were young when Tom goes to him for advice in being a father.
And, just to further make information unclear, in âOnce Upon A Timeâ, Sam Wildman, Paris, and Tuvok are all in a shuttle crash and Wildman gets hurt pretty bad. She starts panicking a little about her young daughter growing up without her mom. Tuvok comforts her by saying his own youngest has been without her father for four years now, but he trusts the people around her to guide her well. Now this may just be me, but I feel like you wouldnât say that exactly if your daughter was a full blown adult.
Conclusion? I donât know, man. This show couldnât keep its head on straight if it was a man shotgunning a Coors Light in the parking lot of a football game.
One of the funniest things about Voyager's character dynamic is that early on it's clearly they were originally angling form Janeway/Paris and B'Elanna/Harry, except the following happened.
Janeway and Paris did have chemistry... but not as much as Janeway and Chakotay did
B'Elanna and Harry act like brother and sister. Zero romantic chemistry whatsoever...so they pivoted to Chakotay/B'Elanna
And Chakotay and B'Elanna had less than zero romantic chemistry and felt more like a father-daughter dynamic.
Chakotay/B'Elanna sank without a trace in Persistence of Vision (if the ship even floated in the first place).
Threshold sank Janeway/Paris, probably intentionally, cos you can't come back from a pairing turning into salamanders, having and then dumping three salamander babies. You just can't.
I reckon they sank Janeway/Paris on purpose because they wanted to explore Janeway/Chakotay now that it was obvious that the B'Elanna thing was going nowhere.
And then everyone was suddenly like, nope. No shipping Janeway/Chakotay. Look, we've got a whole episode stating they just want to be friends (the same episode where Chakotay confesses he's in love with her, can't stop staring at her, and is as well wandering around asking Kathryn to step on him, and Janeway who is technically not single looks like she's a hair's breath away from jumping him after his love confession). And their chemistry just continues to grow as the years go on.
So TPTB were like "okay, you want a romance, here, we're going to stick Tom and B'Elanna together". And the fanbase is like... "bit weird, but let's see how it goes".
And honestly Tom and B'Elanna turn out to be a pretty good pairing, and pretty realistic. We all know Tom's punching above his weight, but he knows this too!
And while we're all saying "this is great, we like this pairing," the execs are like "good, now ignore J/C and the incredible chemistry they share (even if both actors bizarrely insist they're indifferent to the bond between their characters (frankly insane behaviour))
And we as a fandom were like "nope, we're going to write like 6 times as much fanfic for J/C than we do for P/T, thank you very much!"
And the funniest thing is that 24 years on from Voyager's end, this is still the dynamic between the fans and the show runners.
It's like Producers... you made this messy sandpit. Don't dictate how we play in it!