To The Moon and Back

Star Trek: Voyager is responsible for my first obsession and ship, Tom & B'Elanna. And I would not be who I am today without my #otp Today is a new holiday: it's Lisa Klink Appreciation Day!

When I was a teen watching Voyager, I quickly learned that the episodes written by Lisa Klink were my favorites. My friends and I would write P/T fanfics, along with our own original Trek fics (we were super cool!) and we'd always sneak in a funny quote from one of Lisa's episodes or we'd make something in the story make a clinking sound, only spell it with a "k" in honor of our favorite writer. We knew that if she wrote the episode, we were in for a treat.

Lisa Klink has a knack for writing fantastic dialogue that is so full of humor and heart. Her scripts are often full of quick-witted banter and the way she can develop characters with so few words amazes me.

One of my favorite episodes of hers is "Displaced." It has a great alien of the week mystery, she packs a ton into a 43 minute episode, and of course, her signature quick-wit is fully on display, especially with Tom and B'Elanna. I mean, just look at the list of memorable quotes from Displaced on Memory Alpha! I can't pick just one that I love!

"On your feet, that's an order!" "You can't give me orders, we're the same rank." "I'm a bridge officer, and I have seniority." "Yeah, by about two days!"

- Paris and Torres

"Shows how much you know about Klingons. They have much less tolerance for the cold than Humans do." "Really? I thought that was Cardassians." "No, they just complain about it more."

- Torres and Paris inside the Argala habitat

"You just pretend that nothing bothers you and then you turn everything into a joke." "That's a valid observation. Defense mechanisms come in many forms." "That's ridiculous. l am an easygoing person… who is just trying to be friendly to someone who is obviously terrified of having a friend." "Fear of intimacy is a common indication of low self-esteem. Perhaps if you stopped to analyze the root cause, you might…"

- Torres, The Doctor, and Paris before Torres shut down The Doctor's voice

"I've reconfigured The Doctor's optical sensors and as soon as they're aligned he should be able to detect the microwave signature of the portals." "Then I can begin my new career as a tricorder."

- Torres and The Doctor

"How do you like your first day as chief of security, ensign?" "It's everything I dreamed of, sir." "Who says there's no room for advancement on this ship?"

- Chakotay and Lang, when they are among only a handful of the crew still left on Voyager

Lisa Klink is also Her Majesty, Queen of P/T, the most magnificent ship ever. Without Ms. Klink, we would never have gotten the amazing episode, "Blood Fever."

The relationship between P/T is this episode is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This isn't the start of P/T as we've seen them flirting before this and we've seen their friendship start to form. And this isn't even the official start to their relationship.

But "Blood Fever" is a turning point. It's the episode where they both acknowledge there is something between them.

TThe end scene in the turbolift is so filled with meaning and I love it. B'Elanna tries to get Tom to push everything aside and pretend nothing happened. But he knows her better than that and he tells her that he's not afraid of her Klingon side, meaning he's in this and as afraid as she may be of showing her strong, emotional Klingon side, he's not going to back away from it. They challenge each other and he's letting her know that. And that makes her hesitant for sure-she's not one to let people in, but Tom is willing to stand by her and break down the wall she's built up around herself. And she sees the truth in Tom as well and pushes him to be a better person. After she recovers, she leaves the turbolift with the best flirty quip, "careful what you wish for, Lieutenant." With these few words, Lisa Klink left all of us shippers swooning and rooting for these two to get together.

She flexes her amazing skill again at the end of "Displaced" where Tom and B'Elanna use just a few words and innuendo to mean so much more and apologize.

"Things were pretty chilly there for awhile."

"I guess so."

"Feels good to be warm again."

"Yeah, it does."

So much is said in those few lines and that's how Lisa Klink works her magic. She's also letting these two characters say, "hey, I'm sorry for how I acted, I'm sorry I was pushing you away, I'm sorry we argued, can we be friends" and "I'm glad we're friends, and I'm here for you, and I'm glad I have you as a friend and maybe more" in just a few words.

And of course, we all owe our Queen of P/T for the fantastic "shut up" that led to the official start of P/T!

Oh Blood Fever, you glorious Star Trek Voyager episode! Blood Fever first aired February 5, 1997, when I was an impressionable teen with a huge crush on Tom Paris. I was already hooked on Voyager and was shipping P/T, so this episode was like seeing all of my shipping hopes and dreams come true.

It's easy to look at this episode and think of all tropes that make it so much fun. We've got sex pollen, fuck or die, trapped together (not only that but trapped with heightened hormones!), having to fight for your lover, flirting, witty banter-this episode has it all!

Yet Blood Fever is really so much more than that.

We've seen Tom and B'Elanna dancing around each other for some time now. They started out not quite as enemies, but they disliked each other. And slowly they came to see that they were very similar-they found in each other someone who understood and could see past their walls. They pushed and challenged each other and a friendship formed. And it was a fun friendship with lots of flirting and chemistry.

But Tom knew he had to take it slow. B'Elanna was not going to fall for his usual charms and that made her special. She was different. And B'Elanna was not going to let her guard down until she felt she could really trust Tom. But the attraction was there and flirting was fun.

So when B'Elanna gets stricken with Pon Farr, it makes sense that the person she would feel a bond with, that she would choose as her mate would be Tom. This wasn't simply a case of we're trapped in a cave and you're my option. It was more of a my inhibitions have been lowered and I'm finally letting myself admit what I've been feeling.

Yet when Tom is presented with what he has been wanting, he shows his true self. We've been led to believe that Tom is a ladies man, that he's out to flirt and sleep his way around. But this episode shows that has all been a cover and who he really is is a man who cares and who cares deeply. He tells B'Elanna that he can't accept because she's not in her right mind to give consent. That if he gives in now, it will ruin any chance of a relationship they might have in the future and he cares about her too much to do that. I also think he's starting to realize that he wants something more with B'Elanna-this isn't a fling, but the real deal and he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

His rejection stings. The way B'Elanna thinks he doesn't want her hurts. The way Tom thinks that she's only telling him she's interested because of the Pon Farr and not letting himself believe that she is finally telling the truth. Those walls come right back up. But for a moment we see what the two of them can't quite see yet-that they really, truly care about each other and that this is more than flirtation.

Sure, this episode has the first P/T kiss. There are so many great lines! And let's be honest, that whole cave scene, with the wrist lights-it's hot!

But more than that, this episode made a big impression on me for three reasons:

1. Consent is sexy: Tom says no because he doesn't have B'Elanna's consent and knows it would be taking advantage of her. He's even hesitant to comply with Tuvok's order to relieve her of the Pon Farr because he knows B'Elanna is not in the right frame of mind. He doesn't jump at this chance, but talks to B'Elanna, tells her he understands, that they don't have to do this. He waits until she gives the ok and even then, he's hesitant and waiting for her lead. This was huge, especially for the 90's when this episode aired. Tom puts B'Elanna first-her feelings, her thoughts, her consent. And that is very powerful and sexy.

2. Strong women are sexy: B'Elanna is often seen as a tough Klingon who is to be feared. So often strong women are presented in a way that is not attractive or that they can't be strong and smart and also be sexy. But B'Elanna proves all of that wrong here as she shows that strong women are absolutely hot.

(Also bonus, my girl punches Vorik who absolutely needed to punished in this episode!)

3. It's ok to be vulnerable: At the end, Tom says that B'Elanna is afraid her Klingon side was showing, meaning her strong-willed, forceful side. She's also embarrassed that she let her mask slip in the caves-she told Tom the truth (even if he doesn't believe it), she let her guard down, and she had moments of vulnerability. And instead of running away, Tom is right there for it, staying by her side, and encouraging this side of her-both her strong side and her softer, vulnerable side. He says he wants to see it again and in his flirtatious way, shows that it's not something to embarrassed or afraid about-it's something to be proud of.

This episode taught me that it's ok to be a strong woman who knows what she wants. And it's also ok to be vulnerable. I wanted to be like B'Elanna when I grew up and I hope that I'm doing her at least a little proud.

Today is Fixit Friday for Fever February! It's my turn to offer up a fixit to something I've always felt needed an additional scene-Janeway apologizing for her harsh tone and reprimand of P/T in Scientific Method. Ok, they shouldn't have been making out and having sex all over the ship, especially while on duty. They for sure deserved to be called out about it. But I don't think Janeway would have yelled at them quite so much if she hadn't been having those awful headaches and being used as a lab rat.

Also, why is it always Tom initiating all of their secret hideaways and quickies? Our girl B'Elanna was in on it too and you know she had her own surprises.