#trek talk

This is most apparent in the Reg Barclay episodes of Voyager. “Pathfinder” introduces the idea that Barclay has become obsessed with the crew of Voyager, and has used his involvement in the Pathfinder project to indulge his fantasies of friendship and admiration. Both his boss and Deanna Troi suggest to him that his fixation on Voyager is unhealthy, and make gestures of friendship towards him in the real world. But Barclay doubles down on the plan to contact Voyager that he’s tried to get approved, implements it without authorization, and… succeeds, and earns the respect of the Voyager crew in real life (and in the alternate future in the series finale, he’s treated as an honourary member of the crew). And “Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy” features the EMH indulging in daydreams about taking command and saving the ship in a crisis, which the episode then railroads him into having to do for real (in a clumsier, but still successful, way).

And meanwhile, I have to wonder… do women get to even have power fantasies in this universe? There are women in positions of authority, of course, and even women who aspire to authority and take steps to gain it (such as Deanna Troi’s subplot in “Thine Own Self,” which is one of my favourite plots for her). But I can’t think of any examples in which women’s indulgent, unrealistic fantasies are directly brought to life, at least when it’s in the realm of power and leadership (rather than sex or romance). And women’s ambitions are never cast in the register of fun and frivolity the way men’s are.

This is one reason why I find Julian Bashir such a compelling character - because he’s one of the few male characters whose heroic ambitions are truly interrogated, and whose arc engages with the idea that heroism is enmeshed in power relations, that the line between selflessness and selfishness can be thin, and that good intentions can themselves be an imposition on others. But he’s also got “Our Man Bashir,” which follows pretty much the same formula as the above episodes - i.e. his recreational fantasies acquire real life stakes, and it suddenly becomes very important that he LARP as James Bond. And he does save the day as well. That episode is somewhat more narratively complex for me than the others in terms of how it slots into his arc as a whole, because the later Section 31 plot brutally torpedoes Bashir’s romanticization of espionage. But it’s still not an episode plot that I can imagine ‘90s Trek ever giving to a woman.

Then again, I also think that the subversion of some of these tropes in Bashir’s arc as a whole is fraught in and of itself, because part of me wonders… is it because he’s brown??? Is there a subconscious racism to the persistent need to critique his ambition and qualify his heroic aspirations, and to the hesitancy to “redeem” his perceived failures of masculinity in the way those failures are redeemed for characters like Rom and Reg Barclay? (I say “perceived” because I do not think Bashir fails at masculinity in canon to the degree that he’s sometimes read as doing, but given the way the character was received by audiences, it’s fair to say that he was not seen as properly masculine - and Alexander Siddig himself interprets the character the same way.) Bashir absolutely benefits plenty from writerly favouritism, including in gendered ways, but it’s clear he was not used for the kind of male nerd fantasy fulfillment that some of the other characters were. (Even the way he gets together with Ezri is framed quite differently from, say, how Rom gets together with Leeta.)

I was recently considering why, exactly, I’ve been so obsessed with characterizing Sopek specifically as such an over-confident and secure character, as well as an incredibly outwardly flamboyant and visually expressive one, at that. While part of it is, of course, his attempts to emulate his idol, Spock, (albeit with a bit of a skewed perception of him haha), I think it’s also been partially influenced by a counter reaction to the way Nu Trek has been dealing with Vulcans as a whole lately.

It often seems to me that Nu Trek shows want to push this narrative that Vulcans almost inherently all have the same struggle with their culture and sense of selves at large that Spock did. It kind of paints this picture that Vulcans are ingrained with self-loathing due to their own societal norms of emotional repression?

It often seems they are trying to suggest that the Vulcan way is clearly inferior to just being human and adhering to archetypal (or even stereotypical) human behaviors and ways of life, overall, and that most Vulcans wish they could be more like humans, super super secretly of course, on the inside– and for the ones who don’t, it’s almost like suggested that it’s a sad thing to conform to their own culture and natural behavior, like it’s their loss. Or they just straight up push a narrative of all Vulcans being inherently racist or having a superiority complex if they do act and live like– well, Vulcans, and follow logic and Surakian principles (which is weird, because racism isn’t logical or Surakian! And it can’t be the whole planet of them that thinks that way, it just wouldn’t be reasonable to have such invariable views and thought processes! But it certainly seems to be suggested to the audience like that, sometimes, with only a select few outliers, aka ‘the good ones’…)

That being said, I think I was just drawn to the idea of showing a Vulcan who really is quite comfortable with himself, and doesn’t shun the Vulcan way just because he chooses alternative paths in his career and relationships. Maybe he doesn’t follow the plans his parents laid out for him, but that doesn’t mean Sopek hates being Vulcan or rejects his culture upon choosing to go to Starfleet Academy!

As far as Sopek is concerned, he’s perfectly content being Vulcan, and as he chooses to learn more about human culture during his time at the Academy, it isn’t for the sake of being more like humans, but the goal of experiencing the connection that comes through learning about others and meeting them where they’re at (in a largely human-majority community), which to him, is just another way to practice IDIC. He’s expressive with his aesthetics and with his dialogue– not like a human, but like a Vulcan, and that isn’t something he compromises no matter how long he spends with humans. He isn’t going to change himself for anyone’s comfort.

I think nuance is always good. He’s got his character quirks and flaws, peculiarities, etc. He’s learned things that he then needs to unlearn during his career on the Eridani, but at the end of the day he’s written as an individual. He’s got a bit of an ego, but not because he’s Vulcan and therefore superior by default– no, he thinks he’s the shit because he’s Sopek and he’s nineteen and already head of a department on a starship. But, he also knows, logically, that too much pride can lead to a distorted view of reality and constrain growth/learning from others, and this tempering of ego is something he has to practice (and sometimes, he has to learn the hard way, via mistakes.)

Overall, he loves his culture, and he does try his hardest to follow Surakian principles, and it’s written as a positive thing. (And by Surak will he serve cunt as he does so.)

@thymejot: What do you think a Janeway and Sisko crossover episode would look like? Would it be before Voyager and the Dominion war or during/after? Though the idea of time travel shenanigans could be fun.

Ooh. I think that would be hardcore. I think they're the most hardcore Starfleet officers of their generation. They're both cut from the same cloth.

I think this might happen during the Dominion War-- which is dramatically a tantalizing prospect for me but more likely this happens post-Dominion War after Sisko returns from wherever he is.

Unfortunately, for Janeway and her luck what kicks this off is time travel.

I feel like Time looked at Janeway and said became aware she was due to be bothered. And because the Bajoran Prophets/Wormhole aliens operate out of time, tosses Janeway directly into their path.

And its the same time the Prophets has a task for Sisko and he's bewildered to find Captain Janeway in the same place/time he is.

But he corrects himself and realizes Janeway is now Vice-Admiral Janeway.

Anyway, whoever they are up against ends up crossing paths with Sisko and Janeway.

Picard is virtually a walk in the park next to these two.

(They're possibly both thrown into the 32nd Century, much to the chagrin of Admiral Vance. For once, he would love it if time-displaced people would stop falling into his lap. And then it turns out Vance is a descendant of Janeway-- and it makes sense why time-displaced people kept falling into his purview).

TLDR both Janeway and Sisko fix whatever issue and as reward, they're returned to their time. Including Sisko, years earlier than when Janeway is, he pops up back again wherever Vice Admiral Janeway is.