Star Trek ficlets

[raven]

I wrote two little Star Trek stories yesterday; here they are for completion:

Fixing (584 words) by Raven
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Beverly Crusher, Keiko O'Brien
Additional Tags: ladies, Botany, Ladies who love botany
Summary: Miles wanted his son to be an officer.

there lies the port (890 words) by Raven
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kathryn Janeway, Jean-Luc Picard
Summary: "I have acquired a fine blend of arabica for the occasion." Janeway visits Picard.

If you would like a Star Trek ficlet, do ask. I have spent my week off so far watching Voyager and TNG and not doing a lot else.

Comments

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

This seems a good opportunity to ask: I noticed the other day that The Next Generation has just appeared on Netflix. Would you recommend watching it without having seen any other Star Trek stuff, or would it be to confusing to start there?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh! TNG is lovely and you absolutely can watch it without any of the others. I, ah, would not recommend watching it in order from the beginning. It takes about two-three seasons to get going - and then, season 4-7 are some of the best things on television - and to be honest at the early stages it is episodic, you don't miss much. Ahhhh, TNG, I love it so, I CAN DO YOU A PRIMER. Stop me if I'm scary.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Not scary at all, enthusiasm is good! I'm glad to hear I have some good stuff to look forward to.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Okay, so, I am thinking about this. Here are the TNG cast:



-Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is the bald guy at the front. He's austere, intellectual, an archaeologist by training, and an immensely kind and thoughtful man. Also allegedly French. Allegedly.

-Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) is the lady in purple at the left. She's half-Betazoid, half-human, which means she's empathic - she can usually tell precisely what people are feeling even at a distance. (Her mum, Lwaxana Troi is a recurring character: full-Betazoid, telepathic and INCREDIBLE. She has a crush on Picard. It's the best.) She has an on-off thing with Riker.

-Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is the first officer and he's kind of... dull? He's kind of a womaniser. And he grows a beard in the third season - so you can tell instantly if it's a good episode by whether he has the beard. He's on the back at the right.

-Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) is the chap with the thing over his eyes, which is a visor, which lets Geordi see in the electromagnetic spectrum. (He doesn't see visual light: he was born blind.) He's the chief engineer, super socially awkward, and his BFF forever is Data.

-Data (Brent Spiner) is MY FAVOURITE, oh Data. He's a real Starfleet officer - I mean, he earned his rank and everything - but he's also an android and a true innocent. He doesn't (allegedly) have emotions. He's the only android Starfleet has ever found, which makes him unique in the universe. (Kind of. It turns out he has an identical twin brother. It's a long story.) He's on the right at the front - the one with the amber eyes!

-Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is the one in the blue. She's the ship's doctor and she's mostly the most sensible person on the show. Her husband, who's now dead, was Picard's best friend; she and Picard have this weird on-off sexual tension thing.

-Worf (Michael Dorn) - top left. Worf is the only Klingon in Starfleet, having been raised by human parents. He's ALWAYS ANGRY, kind of a prude, and good-hearted. He's a main character on DS9 as well.

There are a few other characters worth mentioning - in the first season there's also Tasha Yar, who's head of security; Dr. Pulaski, who replaces Beverly just for season 2; there's also occasionally Wesley Crusher, Beverly's son (he's the WORST, everyone hates him) and Guinan, the ship's bartender. Who is played by Whoopi Goldberg and is 1500 years old and is the BEST. And Q, who is an omniscient omnipotent being played by John de Lancie and is also the BEST.

The ship is the Enterprise-D (the original series one was the Enterprise-B, the Enterprise-C got blown up) and mostly they wander around the universe exploring stuff. There are some ongoing threads (their battle against the Borg, the evil dudes; the on-off romances; Data's quest to become more human) but the vast majority of episodes are stand-alone.

There are some episodes - "The Best of Both Worlds" is maybe one of the best episodes of anything ever made - that do reward watching the show in order from about season 3 or 4, but if you want just a taste to see what the show is like, here are my picks of stand-alone episodes:

-"Clues" (4x14) - this is a whodunit! It's a low-key little episode but it's one of my favourites. The whole ship gets knocked out and mysterious Things start happening. It's also the only one where Picard and Data are at odds, which is super-fun.

-"The Inner Light" (5x25) - one of Star Trek's best. Picard has a run-in with an alien space probe and it's waaaay more complex and affecting than that makes it sound.

-"Cause and Effect" (5x18) - the Enterprise does Groundhog Day, it's amaaaazing.

"The Measure of A Man" (2x09) - this is one of the show's watershed moments. It's about whether Starfleet has more rights to Data's body than he himself has - is Data a person? It's so, so great - dated a little, but probably the first time TV sci-fi engages wholly and completely with this idea.

-"Elementary, Dear Data" (2x03) - the whole crew ends up doing Sherlock Holmes, complete with deerstalkers and Moriarty. It's pretty great.

I hope that's a little bit helpful? And not boring. :)

[soupytwist.livejournal.com]

I am rewatching DS9 but this just convinced me to immediately rewatch TNG afterwards. OMG.

(also if you are feeling in a ficlet mood I'd love anything you have to say about Guinan, Lwxana and Deanna (cause yo, Lwxana got married to a shapeshifter on a different show and never mentioned it! or the baby! omg!), Q, or Data's relationship with his cat.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

TNG! I am having a renaissance, omg, SHOW.

So I'm writing a Data story right now - and I think Spot will be in it? At least that's the plan, omg DATA and his FACE - so I will write one of the others. Shoooow <333

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That is very helpful, and absolutely not boring.Netflix has seasons 2,3 4, 5 and 6, so I should be able to watch everything you recommend, and I won't worry about missing out on season 1. I look forward to being ablet o reread your TNG fic and actually know who people are.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

These are both lovely. And hooray for TNG rewatching! If you wanted to write anything about Data (and possibly Spot?) I would love to read it.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) Glad you liked.

DATA <3333 I am having SO MANY FEELINGS about Data right now, I adore him. (I mean, I'm sure I did also fifteen years ago when I first encountered him? Hurrah for ageless androids, is what I'm saying.)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Data is great! Any particular episodes you've been enjoying during your rewatch?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I just rewatched "Inheritance", with his mother, and whatever the one was with his daughter, and I'm about to go on to the Lore episodes, and for the most part I'm remembering that Data is never allowed to be happy, ever! I do really love him, though: I love how he has this essential sweetness, so sometimes he seems more human than the actual humans? And the way the show gestures at the idea that he's not valuable for being almost human but valuable for being himself.

Oh goodness maybe I do need to write Data fic.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Yes, I love how kind and gentle-spirited Data is, and how much he cares even though he believes he doesn't have any feelings.