"Where Are We Going This Time": The Golden Age of Science Fiction

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Hey, all! @Timelordtoe and I realized we should have a story about organ donation in this season while the Vidiian convoy is around, so we decided to hold The Thaw over to the beginning of Season Three instead. It will be replaced with Xenotransplantation. I also passed some stories over to her since I couldn't get them to work. Collaboration is great, isn't it?
 
Overview of Season 2 of Star Trek: Odyssey

Timelordtoe

Monthly Donor
Overview of Season 2 of Star Trek: Odyssey

“We’ve changed so much in just this one year. I wonder what the ship and her crew will look like if it finally returns to the Alpha Quadrant.”
“I’m inclined to wonder what the Alpha Quadrant will look like when we return. We live in interesting times, after all.”
“You seem certain we will return.”
“I’m surprised, Chatan. I thought you would understand that the first duty of the Captain is to never give up.”
“I thought it was to always keep your shirt tucked in.”
“That’s important too.”
- Commander Chatan and Captain Janeway discuss the crew’s integration in “The Things That Matter”



The Things That Matter
The Odyssey receives an S.O.S. signal on a radio channel, leading them to a planet with high levels of atmospheric interference, which requires the ship to land in order to properly investigate. The Vidiians accompanying them remain in orbit while they investigate. Evek leads an away team with Locarno and Rejal to find the source of the signal, finding a Lockheed Electra rigged to an alien generator. Confused as to how human technology came to be on the planet, Evek decides to take his team further into a nearby structure, discovering eight people held in cyronic suspension, including Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan.​
After he is resuscitated, Noonan pulls out a handgun, and attempts to hold the Odyssey staff hostage. Evek, however, overpowers him, demonstrating that his Cardassian uniform is highly resistant to projectile weapons. Locarno recognises Earhart, and explains her significance in human history. The revived humans and the away team decide to co-operate, and Evek releases Noonan. The groups sets off back to the Odyssey, but are ambushed by three hooded figures. Rejal sneaks around to flank them, disarming them. It is then revealed that the ambushers were human, and that more humans are present.​
Janeway and Chatan come out to meet the new humans, being informed that the humans on the planet had been brought there by the Briori many centuries prior, and they thought that the Odyssey was a Briori ship. The humans offer to show the crew of the Odyssey their cities, which have flourished since the Briori were ousted. The news of a potential new home is met with great joy by much of the Maquis crew, which worries Chatan and Janeway. They decide that they cannot prevent any of the crew from deciding to stay on the planet, the Odyssey does have a minimal staff requirement.​
The crew are given shore leave to the cities, while Janeway and Earhart get to know each other, finding many similarities. Evek and the rest of the Cardassian contingent find themselves unexpectedly popular on the planet, as most of the population have not met aliens before. The leader of one of the cities, John Evansville, explains this to Evek, telling him that they have little contact with the wider galaxy, though periodically, they do pay tribute to the Sikarians, who in return provide them protection from any threats.​
Janeway decides to let the crew decide whether to stay on the planet, and if there are not enough people to fully staff the ship, they will consolidate their crew with the Vidiians, and travel on just the one ship. To her and Chatan’s surprise, the entire crew decides to stay on the Odyssey, though Earhart and the rest of the revived humans decide to stay on the planet, feeling more of a connection with them.​
As the crew return to the ship from shore leave, they find that the experience has brought the crew closer together, as they decide that they will definitely return to the Alpha Quadrant, rather than settle down on a suitable planet. As the Odyssey departs, reuniting with the Vidiians in orbit, the 37’s wave them off.​
Onboard the Odyssey, Janeway and Chatan discuss how important the past year has been for them and the crew, wondering how different they will be if and when they finally return.​
Guest Stars: Sharon Lawrence as Amelia Earhart, David Graf as Fred Noonan​


Death Wish
The Odyssey encounters a member of the Q Continuum, nicknamed Quinn, who wishes to end his own life, but cannot. Q appears, revealing that Quinn was imprisoned for attempting suicide, but Quinn requests asylum aboard the ship. Q offers to send the Odyssey home if she rules in his favour, but Janeway decides to hold a tribunal regardless.​
Guest Stars: Gerrit Graham as Quinn, John de Lancie as Q, Jonathan Frakes as Commander Riker​


Sejal
Lt. Rejal and Ensign Seska are beamed back from a planet with botanical samples. However, when they arrive on the transporter pad, they are fused into one being that names itself “Sejal”. The crew rules out transporter failure, realising that the botanical samples acted as a catalyst, fusing Seska and Rejal together. Sejal is accepted into the crew as a Chief of Engineering with the rank of Lieutenant, though much of the crew is uneasy around her.​
Despite the growing camaraderie in the crew, the Cardassian contingent do not trust her as she is half-Bajoran, while the Maquis do not trust her as she is half-Cardassian. Sejal finds herself at odds with many of her subordinates, who beg for the Doctor and the Vidiians to find a way to reverse the process. Eventually, the crew does come to accept her more, though the Doctor continues work on a way to reverse the process.​
Two weeks later, the Doctor and the Vidiians are able to manufacture a method of identifying the separate DNA strands, which will enable them to use the transporter to restore both Seska and Rejal. Sejal protests, stating that she has rights, and does not wish to die. Janeway consults Tuvok, who likens it to the trolley problem, stating that there is no one ethically correct solution to come to, though he does believe that the needs of the many (Seska and Rejal) outweigh the needs of the few (Sejal). Janeway decides that she will not force Sejal to undergo the procedure. After being harassed for not undergoing the procedure, Sejal decides to do it, breaking down in tears in Janeway’s ready room.​
The Doctor refuses to carry out the procedure, citing his oath to do no harm. Janeway takes over, performing it herself. Seska and Rejal are restored, each with all of Sejal’s memories. Janeway finds out who harassed Sejal, and disciplines them. Although in a way she lives on, the crew holds a memorial for Sejal, and she is officially listed as one of the casualties of the ship’s voyage.​
Recurring Cast: Martha Hackett as Seska/Sejal​


Outpost Morthlan by @The Chimera Virus
Still reeling from the traumatic situation surrounding Sejal, the Odyssey is blindsided when a Morthlan ship decloaks and ensnares the vessel in a tractor beam. In short order, a team of Morthlans have stormed the ship, seriously injured Falox, and kidnapped Tuvok, Kes, and an ex-Maquis Betazoid ensign, Lon Suder. Janeway orders an immediate pursuit of the Morthlan ship.​
The kidnapped trio wake up on a remote Morthlan outpost – the first of its kind, and simply called Outpost Morthlan. Several others exist, but they’ve cut contact with the Morthlan Empire or are too distant to call upon. The leaders of this outpost, Chyvalxa and her subordinate Azarek, have been assigned to contact them by any means necessary. Being a survivor of an ill-fated expedition to Ocampa, Chyvalxa knows of their telepathic abilities – and sensed them in Tuvok and Suder, too, so took them as well. Their job, Azarek explains, is to interface with a psyche-spanner and contact the outposts and ensure their fealty. The psyche-spanner, a psychic broadcasting device, apparently proves harmful to Tuvok and he falls into a coma. It’s up to Kes and Suder to contact the outposts.​
On Odyssey, Falox has to have implants to restore his ability to walk. The Doctor is awed and perturbed by the Vidiians’ efficiency in this task. He begins to feel surplus to elements and attempts to stave off an existential crisis by privately accessing the holodeck to take his mind – such as it is – off things. Sensing this, Dr. Danara Pel reaches out and invites him to perform the final surgery personally. He gratefully accepts.​
Back at Outpost Morthlan, Suder proves to be a remorseless killer. The Betazoid compels the frightened Morthlans at the first outpost to commit mass suicide simply because he can. Chyvalxa and Azarek are furious – even more so when the Odyssey arrives – and attempt to rip Suder apart limb by limb. Tuvok, who was faking his coma, rises and manages to flood the room with calestic gas. An anesthetic to Morthlans, but not anyone else.​
The trio return to the Odyssey… and Suder gets off scot-free. Kes is too frightened of his senseless yet impassive evil to speak out against him out of fear for her own life. Falox, who’s undergoing physical therapy, doesn’t seem to notice. Tuvok, unclear on what transpired, elects to keep an eye on Suder all the same.​
Recurring Cast: Brad Dourif as Ensign Lon Suder, Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel, and Andy Milder as Surgical Technologist Visecch Khath​
Guest Stars: Dot-Marie Jones as Chyvalxa and Richard Moll as Azarek​


Dreadnought
The pasts of the crew threaten to catch up with them when the Odyssey comes across a Cardassian missile that Kollin Torres reprogrammed to strike Cardassian territory. Evidently, it was also brought to the Delta Quadrant, and it is now on a collision course with a nearly planet. The crew tries to intercept the missile, but Torres equipped it with countermeasures that made it nigh-invulnerable. Torres beams over to stop the missile, but detecting the Cardassian life-signs on the Odyssey, it believes that she is being co-opted into disarming the missile, leaving Torres locked in a battle of wits against herself, with the assistance of Rejal’s Obsidian Order training.​


In Corpore Sano by @The Chimera Virus
Visecch Khath, Dr. Pel’s personal surgical technologist, realizes his supply of spare body parts running out. If he doesn’t act soon, he will succumb to the Phage. The Odyssey has been alarmed by a death from old age – no one really considered old Lt. Commander Grimwald in all this*. Khath’s attempt to repurpose Grimwald’s organs is met with fury and anger from the old man’s friends and Khath is confined to Vidiian vessels only. Neither he nor Dr. Pel are happy with this turn of events.​
In his desperation not to die – admittedly now at least somewhat mitigated by Grimwald’s liver – Khath contacts the Doctor covertly. He inquires about prosthetics and holographic organs, to which the Doctor answers all his questions. Kes finds out about this and is glad that Khath won’t be doing any further organ harvesting. She sets about replicating some prosthetics for him.​
Within a fortnight, Khath looks almost entirely like his old pre-Phage self… but now he has been found out. To the Doctor and Kes’s horror, the Vidiians are insisting that they be prosecuted for aiding Khath in knowingly breaking the taboo against prosthetics and holographic organs. Khath – no longer welcome on the Odyssey or the Vidiian convoy, is forced to limp along behind in a shuttlecraft.​
At the trial, Khath excoriates the hidebound Vidiian elders – none more so than High Magistrate Tersil – for their blind insistence on maintaining a taboo based on centuries-old superstition. He feels fine; with gene therapy, a good holo-emitter, and a replicator for the prosthetics, he could live a full life. The elders won’t hear of it, however, and inform him that he will no longer be welcome in Vidiian society. Dr. Pel is no longer welcome due to her “willfully neglecting her duty to expose the criminal.” The Doctor and Kes are let off with a warning due to their ignorance of the taboo.​
In the end, against Evek’s protests and Chatan’s concerns, Janeway allows both Khath and Pel to stay on the Odyssey. She feels this is the right move – this is the Starfleet way. However, much as her heart and morals are in the right place, this puts undue strain on relations with the Vidiian convoy, much to the senior staff’s concern.​
Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel and Andy Milder as Surgical Technologist Visecch Khath​
Special Guest Star: Michael Gough as High Magistrate Tersil​
Guest Stars: Richard Poe as the Vidiian judge and Abe Vigoda as Lt. Commander Isidore Grimwald​
* “In fairness,” Locarno says, “I thought he’d died years ago.”
To which Kim replies, “Nick, we’ve been only been out here for little over one.”
Locarno chuckles, “Exactly. Poor old fella.”


Non-Sequitur
Kim is beamed out of a shuttlecraft that is facing unknown turbulence, but instead finds himself awakening in San Francisco with his boyfriend Mark, whom he dearly missed. As best he can tell, it is the same day, though his memories all suggest that he was on Odyssey. After some investigation, he realises that he changed places with a childhood friend, Daniel Byrd. Kim conspires with this timeline’s version of Locarno to return to his original timeline, pursued by Starfleet.​
Guest Star: Nicholas Brendon as Mark​


Prior Notions
The Odyssey encounters the Rassiki, a Sikarian client species that are terrified of the Vidiians. The Rassiki have supplies that the Odyssey desperately needs, but they refuse to trade due to the crew’s affiliation with the Vidiians. Chatan, Falox and Kes are sent to hammer out a deal, ensuring that the Vidiians will not attack the Rassiki. While on Rassikus, they find that the Rassiki have developed a personal shield technology that prevents the Vidiians from transporting out their organs. However, it is less well suited for combat, only able to prevent a single shot from a phaser. However, it could be of great use to away teams on the Odyssey, and Falox tries to negotiate for the technology, while the Rassikan fear of the Vidiians is addressed.​


Meld
One of the crewmen on Odyssey, Darwin, is found dead, and all evidence points to a murder. Betazoid crewman Lon Suder is found guilty, after he admits to killing Darwin because he did not like the way he looked at him. Tuvok mind melds with Suder in order to discover the reasoning behind his impulses, but begins to lose control of his emotions, and sets about killing Suder. Eventually Tuvok melds with Suder again, regaining his control, and Suder is placed in the brig indefinitely.​
Recurring Cast: Brad Dourif as Lon Suder​


Xenotransplantation by @The Chimera Virus
With the Vidiians continuing their travels with the Odyssey, the crew are considering an organ donor program to keep the Vidiians alive until a cure for the Phage can be found. The news of this causes some unrest in the lower decks, especially among the Cardassian contingent, who have a cultural taboo against xenotransplantation. Although the senior staff assures them that the system will be entirely opt-in, this does little to allay the concerns of the naturally suspicious Cardassians.​
Kel Aval considers opting in but is pressured not to by his fellow Cardassians. Ayala also voices concerns that the crew will be giving up their organs only to have them rot away due to the Phage. Opposition to the system in the lower decks grows, and those who opt in are looked down on by much of the crew.​
It is found out by Evek that Rejal has been fostering the developing caste system in an attempt to force Cardassian dominance on the Odyssey. “Using superior Cardassian socio-cultural mores,” she explains, “we shall return home at a far more expedient rate using the Bajoran wormhole.” Aval explains that Rejal is a member of the Obsidian Order sent to monitor Evek. Rejal is astonished that he’s aware of this but makes him an offer to become her second should things go sideways. He denies her and affirms his loyalty to Evek.​
When part of the crew finally turns to more open mutiny, it’s discovered through the Cardassian computer files that Rejal’s parents had previously opted her in for an organ transplant to save her life at a young age. The tide turns against her and finally Evek, Tuvok, and Janeway restore order by shaming the mutineers for being so short-sighted and cruel that they wouldn’t help a person in need after their death. They won’t be using the organs anymore, after all. Why should they care what happens to them? The mutineers find the wind taken out of their sails and quietly take disciplinary action.​
Evek informs Rejal that she will be under his close scrutiny from now on. If she puts a toe out of line, he will out her to the entire crew and let fate decide the outcome. Crushed, Rejal finds some solace in Seska, who starts discussing with her the idea of a proper mutiny, a really revolutionary mutiny…​
Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel, Martha Hackett as Seska, Tarik Ergin as Ensign Ayala, Josh Clark as Lt. Carey, and Diedrich Bader as Kel Aval​


Assignment: Home
The Odyssey arrives at a planet that is known simply as “Aegis” by the inhabitants. The inhabitants appear to be human, but seem to be at the peak of human performance, leading some of the crew to believe that they are Augments. One of their members, Richard Ten, reveals that they are the descendants of humans abducted millennia ago, and were supposed to keep the timeline on Earth stable. However, their masters were defeated by the Sikarians many years ago, and since then, they have been forced into being the enforcers for the Sikarians, under threat of annihilation. The names ring a bell for Janeway, who consults the ship’s records, realising that they are the same group of people that Gary Seven was from.​
Janeway and Chatan agree to help the humans break free from the Sikarians, though Evek objects, not wishing to anger the Sikarians any further than they already have. Richard Ten announces to the Sikarians that they will no longer be their servants. The Sikarians retaliate by sending a force to enforce their loyalty, seeing the Odyssey. Janeway tells them that they will protect the humans. The Sikarians attack, punching above their weight for the size of their ships, but the Odyssey and Vidiians are able to stop them.​
Richard Ten says that the Sikarians will be back, but that the Odyssey has bought them time to prepare, and that the humans on Aegis will be ready to fight for their freedom. As they depart, Janeway wonders whether the rebellion could lead to a more benevolent government like the Federation growing in the Delta Quadrant.​
Guest Stars: Andre Braugher as Richard Ten, Robert Lansing as Gary Seven (archival footage)​


Going Courting
Following the Aegis incident, the Odyssey is contacted by the Sikarians, who wish to end the dispute. The Sikarian representative, Tojuto, is happy to let the Aegis humans be free if the Odyssey will take their place as the “stick” to the Sikarians’ “carrot”, and they give up the Vidiians. Janeway refuses, and for once both Chatan and Evek are with her on the decision. Chatan is more than willing to fight, and Evek is too proud to submit. Tojuto tries to come up with a deal that will leave everyone happy, but it is clear that no such deal exists. Resorting to more violent tactics, she orders her ships to fire on the Odyssey, intending to disable it. The Odyssey barely manages to come ahead, disabling all the Sikarian ships, but Tojuto vows that the Sikarians will hunt down the Odyssey.​
Special Guest Star: Phylicia Rashad as Leraia Tojuto​


Birth Control
The Odyssey beams aboard what appears to be a robot, which identifies itself as “Automated Unit 3947”, explaining how it came to be stranded in space. Torres and Seska hypothesise that they might be able to create a duplicate of the Personnel Unit, as they are not able to reproduce by themselves. Janeway tells them not to, as it would violate the Prime Directive. Seska objects, albeit fruitlessly. A ship run by more APUs arrives to collect 3947, but as they prepare to transport, 3947 renders Seska unconscious with an electrical discharge, and transports itself and her aboard the Pralor ship. There, 3947 tells her that she can work on the prototype, forcing her to work on it under threat of death. While Odyssey attempts to retrieve her, a Cravic ship arrives, and engages the Pralor ship in combat.​
Recurring Cast: Martha Hackett as Seska​
Guest Star: Kevin Michael Richardson as Automated Unit 3947 / 0001​


The Warning by @The Chimera Virus
The Odyssey has spent the last several weeks assisting Jouranos, a planet suffering from the ill effects of a recent wormhole-creation experiment gone awry. Janeway, Torres, and Carey are investigating the wormhole technology to see what went wrong. Lately, one of the native Jourantel, Bodassa, has made friends with Harry Kim and is invited aboard for dinner.​
Once aboard, Bodassa shows his true colors, maintaining that any help from the Odyssey will cause more disaster. When asked to leave, he becomes belligerent and damages the transporters. The Jourantel government disavows his actions and says the Odyssey can do what they like with him – so he’s thrown in the brig. Meanwhile, the wormhole technology begins to act erratically – neither Torres nor Carey can determine why, while Janeway is too busy dealing with the Jourantel government to assist. During the final test before stopping for the evening, one of Jouranos’s moons – Hyvax, inhabited by 73,000 people – is sucked into a miniature wormhole. Bodassa’s prophecy has come true and the government is aghast at the Odyssey’s apparent recklessness.​
Harry is contacted by Bodassa’s mother, asking him to free Bodassa and send him home in a shuttle. He refuses at first but is cajoled into it. No sooner than he lets Bodassa out than the Jourantel breaks for the wormhole technology in the cargo bay. He activates it and is sent back through time and space with only the memory that the Odyssey has to be stopped, a paradox. Janeway is furious, but not with Kim – Locarno, in a bid to show Kim he really does care about him, claims responsibility for the debacle and takes Bodassa’s place in the brig. The Odyssey leaves Jouranos under a pall, its reputation lower than ever.​
Recurring Cast: Tarik Ergin as Ensign Ayala and Josh Clark as Lt. Carey​
Guest Stars: Sam Rockwell as Bodassa and Vaughn Armstrong as Nirox – the President of Jouranos​


Resistance
Tuvok, Torres and Rejal are captured by Mokra while attempting to get a chemical that is vital to the Odyssey’s systems. Janeway, while injured, is rescued by a local man, Caylem, who believes her to be his lost daughter. Caylem helps Janeway to free her crewmen, though they too are captured. The Mokra commander, Augris, reveals that Caylem has attempted this rescue many times before, and that his real daughter was killed many years ago, but that Caylem refuses to believe it.​
Guest Stars: Alan Scarfe as Augris, Joel Grey as Caylem​


Non-Human Persons by @The Chimera Virus
Janeway has worked hard over the last several months to reaffirm and mend the relationship with the Vidiians, but Tersil comes down with an ultimatum. Either deactivate the Doctor and prove that the Vidiians are truly vital to the Odyssey by letting them handle all medical procedures, or don’t and forfeit all of their medical expertise. This horrible decision is laid bare to the senior staff, prompting Kim to point out that they can’t simply deactivate the Doctor. He’s become more than just a simple medical hologram – he’s just as much a person as anyone else on the ship.​
The senior staff are divided on the subject. Janeway officially remains neutral, as does Falox. Kes, Kim, and Rejal all believe in the Doctor’s position as a non-human person while Chatan, Evek, and Tuvok are opposed. With Locarno in the brig and neither Janeway nor Falox budging, there’s no real tiebreaker. It’s actually Locarno who points out the problem during a visit from Kim. “Has anyone actually asked the Doc about all this?”​
The Doctor, of course, breaks the tie by affirming himself as a non-human person. Janeway initially remains unconvinced but is eventually brought around, as is Tuvok. The captain informs the Vidiian leadership that she will not commit what amounts to murder to keep them aboard. As it turns out, Tersil and the rest of the Vidiian leadership had not informed the populace about this and find themselves dealing with a massive blowback. Tersil retracts the ultimatum and apologizes both to the crew and personally to the Doctor. The Doctor thanks Kim for sticking up for him.​
Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel​
Special Guest Star: Michael Gough as High Magistrate Tersil​


Deadlock
While fleeing a Sikarian attack, the Odyssey comes across an unknown subspace turbulence, causing power failures. Rejal tries to restore power by initiating a proton burst, but the Odyssey is hit by another proton burst from an unknown source. This disables much of the ship’s systems, causing multiple hull breaches, one of which claims Harry Kim, and the newborn Naomi Wildman dies due to failures in life support. Eventually, this Odyssey becomes aware of a “quantum duplicate” that formed after the turbulence. This other Odyssey is undamaged, but quickly losing power. The Janeways convene, and the damaged Odyssey’s Janeway decides to destroy her ship in order to let the other one go. The undamaged Odyssey, however, is attacked by Sikarians, who begin slaughtering the crew. The “undamaged” Janeway sends her Kim and Naomi Wildman over to the other ship, sacrificing herself and her crew to let them go. As the Odyssey escapes, Kim questions whether this is really his Odyssey. After the Odyssey goes to warp, unidentified aliens find the other Kim’s corpse, and take it aboard their ship.​


Visit to a Small Planet
The crew of the Odyssey find that their reputation has preceded them as they encounter Markos, a small planet in a highly eccentric orbit. The Markosians reveal that they have been told stories of the Odyssey’s trip so far and are excited to meet the crew. They even repair most of the damage to the ship, though energy conservation will remain an issue. While visiting, the crew find themselves treated like celebrities, though Evek is somewhat put out by his more villainous portrayal in the Markosian stories. Finding that many of the Markosian tales of the Odyssey are more fiction than fact, Janeway is conflicted as to whether they should correct the very welcoming Markosians, especially at a time when allies are few and far between. Ultimately, the Markosians become disabused of the notion that the crew is comprised of heroes, asking the Odyssey to leave. But the question remains: who was informing the Markosians of the ship in the first place?​


What’s the Matter? by @The Chimera Virus
In the wake of an attack by the fastidiously clean and trigger-happy Tak Tak (directed, of course, by the Sikarians), the entire convoy finds itself low on morale and high on losses – but none more so than the Vidiians. (Unfortunately for the Odyssey, it also turns out that the Markosians’ repair job was actually more akin to a bit of papier-mâché over the holes and new coat of paint.) While attempting to perform a transplant from one of the Odyssey’s late organ donors, two of the Vidiian doctors – Gevra Trenumys and Nuruzh Veleayck – stumbles upon the corpses of the crew killed when the Odyssey was flung across the galaxy in Caretaker, held in suspended animation.​
Trenumys sounds the alert and the Vidiian leadership is immediately up in arms. How dare their allies keep such a vital resource from them? These bodies could be invaluable to help combat the effects of the Phage. Janeway counters this by pointing out that Federation funeral customs take precedence as this event occurred prior to their meeting with the Vidiians. This goes over about as well as a lead balloon, and even some of the Odyssey’s crew wonder if they shouldn’t give the bodies up. Suspiciously, some of the bodies have vanished, and accusations begin to fly that the Vidiians have stolen them. This is vociferously denied and later proven false. Which leads to a further question of who stole them?​
In the end, Janeway refuses to do that to her late comrades and, at Tersil’s direction, the Vidiians part company with the Odyssey on bad terms. About a dozen remain onboard – conscientious objectors – and both Dr. Pel and Surgical Tech Khath are formally welcomed aboard as part of the medical staff. As the Odyssey warps away at the end of the episode, the same ship that collected the alternate Kim's corpse is seen tailing it before returning to a massive collection of interconnected vessels. They proceed to warp after the Odyssey.​
Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel and Andy Milder as Surgical Technologist Visecch Khath​
Special Guest Star: Michael Gough as High Magistrate Tersil​
Guest Stars: Cathy Moriarty as Dr. Gevra Trenumys and Tim Curry as Dr. Nuruzh Veleayck​


The Chute
Kim and Locarno, on probationary release from the brig, are accused of a terrorist bombing on the Akritirian homeworld, and are sentenced to imprisonment. Janeway attempts to intercede, but is told that Kim and Locarno have already confessed. Kim and Locarno find that they have been fitted with devices that increase their violent tendencies, and must fend for themselves in the prison. While Janeway tries to find the true culprits and exonerate the two, hampered by continued system failures after the events in the subspace scission and the Tak Tak attack, Kim and Locarno come to terms with their feelings for each other while trying to escape.​


Lifesigns
Dr. Pel, one of the ship’s medical staff continues to suffer from the Phage, now at an accelerated rate. In her current situation, she would be dead within a month. The Doctor, however, proposes a radical scheme to create a holographic body for her, as the brain is unaffected by the Phage. Dr. Pel agrees, and the Doctor soon finds himself falling in love with her, but has difficulty is separating his feelings for her from his duties. He is able to slow the Phage down, and Pel agrees to try prosthetic replacements for her failing organs. As she returns to her duties, the Doctor finally works up the courage to ask her on a date, which she accepts.​
Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel​


The Resolution
While on an away mission, both Janeway and Chatan contract a deadly disease from a wasoop-insect. The Doctor informs them that the quarantine measures aboard the ship are still being repaired, meaning they cannot be brought back aboard without endangering themselves and the entire crew. Thus, the pair are forced to remain on the planet upon which they contracted it. Janeway tells Evek that the ship is his now, but reminds him that he is now a Starfleet Captain, and that he is to continue the journey back to the Alpha Quadrant. The shift in the power dynamic causes many issues among the crew, especially the Maquis contingent. On the planet, Janeway tries to research a cure, but Chatan says that as the Doctor and Dr. Pel were unable to find one, they should set about beginning a new chapter of their life on the planet. Kim and Evek clash, though soon find a begrudging respect for each other. With the realisation that Janeway and Chatan may be gone permanently dawning, the crew begins to settle into old routines. As the Odyssey continues her voyage, Janeway and Chatan discuss their new vegetable garden, settling into a more domestic life.​


Manipulated
The Odyssey detects a Federation probe, and moves to investigate, wondering if Starfleet has been looking for them. They find it in an ion cloud, increasing suspicion that it may be a trap. Before they can ready weapons, the Sikarians attack with a tractor beam, matching it to the Odyssey’s shield harmonics, and board the ship. They take Seska and Carey to pay for their action in “Prime Factors”, while leaving the Odyssey for dead. The crew is able to repair the ship, but they have no way of catching up with the Sikarians. Torres suggests a transwarp beam, a risky move, but one of their only possible ones. Meanwhile, Evek tries to rally some of the enemies of the Sikarians to overpower them, and take back Seska and Carey.​
Recurring Cast: Martha Hackett as Seska, Josh Clark as Lt. Carey​


Projections
The Doctor is activated due to a red alert, but is told that there is nobody aboard. He believes himself to be malfunctioning, and soon shows signs that he is not a hologram, as he bleeds. Upon asking the computer, he is told that he is Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, the creator of the EMH. Another hologram appears, in the image of Lt. Barclay, who helped to create the EMH. Barclay explains that the Doctor is really Zimmerman, and that Odyssey is a complex simulation he created. However, soon Dr. Pel appears, giving an alternate story, and the Doctor questions whether he is real, or if Odyssey is.​
Guest Star: Michael Jeter as Lt. Barclay, Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel​


Coparcenary (Part I) by @The Chimera Virus
To the crew’s dismay, they happen upon the twin planets of Praloros and Cravican on their search for the cure. Oddly enough, there’s no conflict between the two, though both biospheres are thoroughly dead with acidified water cycles. Going down without protection would result in a truly hideous death. Before they can plot a course away from the planet, an apparent short-jump shuttlecraft emerges from Praloros… and snares the Odyssey in a tractor beam. It pulls them down to the surface of Cravican, the acidic atmosphere damaging the outer hull and nacelles.​
The ship is boarded and to their surprise, it’s Sikarians who arrive, flanked by robots wearing jumpsuits marked with a unified Pralor-Cravic symbol. The senior staff – save for Falox, Locarno, and the Doctor – are all kidnapped and imprisoned within a nearby compound. It would appear that the Sikarians and the robots have formed an alliance, and both notice the absence of Janeway and Chatan. Not wanting their enemies to hunt them down, Evek says that he had them killed for failing to live up to their positions, passing it off as them having an illness. The Sikarians seem to respect this, even more so when Evek indicates that he is more willing to talk than his predecessors. He claims that an alliance between the Sikarians and the Odyssey could be very fruitful.​

The crew is furious at Evek’s betrayal. However, they have no time to act as the robots take them away to be studied/tortured. In the basement laboratory, they find Seska and Carey, who have been brutalized and can barely stand. An attempt by Aval to save them is met with a swift, vicious blow to the head. Everyone is strapped down to tables in preparation for what’s to come. Meanwhile, Evek goes to assess the situation and see what in the world is actually going on here. He finds out that the Sikarians spatially trajected to this planet and helped bring the robots to a consensus – the Pralor-Cravic Coparcenary. Unbeknownst to them, however, is that the robots have co-opted the spatial trajector and plan to use it to go back into Sikarian space and overrun them, taking it for their own. Evek attempts to bluff his way down to the laboratory upon learning this but is found out and sentenced to death.​

Down below, an unexpected ally appears in the form of the Doctor, now working with a mobile holo-emitter. He, Falox, and Locarno work to free the crew – Locarno phasering one of the robots to death with a cry of “Stay away from my man!” as he saves Kim. Falox and Kes have a tearful reunion. The Doctor and Torres organize everyone together and make their way out of the lab… into an armed force of robots and Sikarians.​

To be continued…

Recurring Cast: Susan Diol as Dr. Danara Pel, Martha Hackett as Seska, Tarik Ergin as Ensign Ayala, Josh Clark as Lt. Carey, and Diedrich Bader as Kel Aval​
Special Guest Star: Phylicia Rashad as Leraia Tojuto​
Guest Stars: Ronald Guttman as Gathorel Labin, Kevin Michael Richardson as the Pralorosic APUs, Peter Stormare as the Cravicanite APUs, and Rob Paulsen as the Coparcenarian APUs​
 
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Odyssey Season 2
So much good stuff here! I love that you're getting more use out of the Vidiians, and I have to say that these are some great cliffhangers.
I'm having to keep Memory Alpha open in another tab while reading through this to keep track of all of the names.
With all of the people joining on I think we'll end up having a full and complete crew list by the end of the series.

Do Visecch Khath and Danara Pel appear as healthy Vidiians from the end of In Corpore Sano onward, including those who stay with Odyssey from the end of What's The Matter?

Story concerns, story concerns, dear. :p
Looks like it'll be a bit more of long term thing than what happened in Voyager.
 
Odyssey Season 2

Very interesting season there, some good stories.

Did the Federation probe in Manipulated actually exist or was it a trap?
Given the amount of damage and issues Odyssey has had is there obvious signs of this on the hull?
Have seen seen them making new shuttles or growing food etc?
Given the replicator and transporter tech, why can they not grow clone organ for the Vidiians?

Looking forward to more.
 

Timelordtoe

Monthly Donor
Personally, Suder should've been put in stasis until Voyager reached the Alpha Quadrant.
As @The Chimera Virus pointed out, a lot of the time, the choices made aren't necessarily the best one available, but rather the one that gives us the most to work with story-wise. Frankly, Odyssey would have been much shorter if they always made the choice that was in their own best interest. In-show, I'd give the reasoning that Suder still has talents that could be of use, and they don't want to needlessly waste any manpower.

So much good stuff here! I love that you're getting more use out of the Vidiians, and I have to say that these are some great cliffhangers.
I'm having to keep Memory Alpha open in another tab while reading through this to keep track of all of the names.
With all of the people joining on I think we'll end up having a full and complete crew list by the end of the series.

Do Visecch Khath and Danara Pel appear as healthy Vidiians from the end of In Corpore Sano onward, including those who stay with Odyssey from the end of What's The Matter?

Looks like it'll be a bit more of long term thing than what happened in Voyager.
I've said this in the Discord group, and I may well have here, but my rough idea behind Odyssey was that it would be what Voyager could, or rather should, have been. The Vidiians had so much potential, but we saw very little of it.
I'm having trouble keeping track of the names too sometimes, especially with the increased main cast. I often forget that Ayala is from OTL, though @The Chimera Virus does a good job of reminding me.

You make a good observation about the people joining on. If/when the Odyssey returns, there will be many new species in the Alpha Quadrant. To help us keep track of the names, I'll probably start a list of the recurring cast, like we have for DS9.
Khath appears more healthy, though Dr. Pel doesn't after "In Corpore Sano", taking her until "Lifesigns" a few episodes later. By the time next season properly gets going (i.e. the end of Coparcenary), the Vidiians will probably all be looking more healthy. They'll still be affected by the Phage in what parts are still organic, though. The replacement of their bodies with cybernetic/prosthetic replacements could well lead to an interesting "identity crisis" sort of story down the line.

Odyssey is a lot more serialised than Voyager, and we'll be seeing more and more Delta natives as crew.

Odyssey Season 2

Very interesting season there, some good stories.

Did the Federation probe in Manipulated actually exist or was it a trap?
Given the amount of damage and issues Odyssey has had is there obvious signs of this on the hull?
Have seen seen them making new shuttles or growing food etc?
Given the replicator and transporter tech, why can they not grow clone organ for the Vidiians?

Looking forward to more.
The Federation probe was a trap. The Sikarians are very smart, and it's certainly within their power to create a false signal.

Odyssey is definitely showing signs of wear and tear. We won't be going full "Year of Hell" for the entire show, I don't think that would really be feasible, but rather "Voyager with consequences". I'm doing my best to avoid the reset button.

Growing food, certainly. The Doctor and Kes still have the hydroponics bay, and I'd imagine with the Vidiian medical technology, we're probably seeing increased yields from it. I'm not sure about shuttles, in part because I'm not sure how many have been lost yet.

@The Chimera Virus touched a bit on why the replicators weren't used for organ synthesis, but I'll elaborate. The two of us have spent a lot of time going into the little details of the show, and that exact question came up, in fact, it was the reason we made the "In Corpore Sano" story. The taboo is a decent enough reason for it, but the replicators really aren't being used for much, given the ship's limited energy. Organs aren't being synthesised for the same reason food isn't at this point, they'll need replacement soon enough, and the energy costs just aren't sustainable.
We're trying to do our best to avoid any "what if" holes like that in the story, though of course, some are bound to slip through. I'm pretty good at patching them, as I adore doing the worldbuilding for things like this, but still, it's best to avoid them entirely.
 
My rough idea behind Odyssey was that it would be what Voyager could, or rather should, have been.
It's a great idea, and it's really enjoyable to follow.

Khath appears more healthy, though Dr. Pel doesn't after "In Corpore Sano", taking her until "Lifesigns" a few episodes later. By the time next season properly gets going (i.e. the end of Coparcenary), the Vidiians will probably all be looking more healthy. They'll still be affected by the Phage in what parts are still organic, though. The replacement of their bodies with cybernetic/prosthetic replacements could well lead to an interesting "identity crisis" sort of story down the line.
That makes sense, plus it'll be easier on the actors as they'll just have a rubber forehead applied as the main piece instead of a full head mask.
It'll be interesting to see what happens when they encounter the Borg, which could be what brings the "identity crisis" story to the fore.
 
Odyssey is definitely showing signs of wear and tear. We won't be going full "Year of Hell" for the entire show, I don't think that would really be feasible, but rather "Voyager with consequences". I'm doing my best to avoid the reset button.
My complain with "Year of Hell" was that no one remembers any thing at the end.
The Voyager had modify their shields to protect some against the Time Changes IIRC.
So even if they don't remember everything, some of them could remember bit and pieces.

The example I have given in the past. The Doctor chose to shut the doors in episode one of year of Hell.
This kills two people .
So start the next episode with one of those people under going something in the Sick Bay.
The Doctor not being a Human has no memory of the events and can not understand why one of the Crewmembers is looking at him like he Jack the Ripper.
 
I'm not sure about shuttles, in part because I'm not sure how many have been lost yet.
I sure that it had to do with the budget but I did not understand why , as the Show when forward , we did not see less of the Shuttles and those have damage , and more of Aliens ships that they picked up as they travel .
 
(META) The Turtledove

Timelordtoe

Monthly Donor
(META) With Regards to the Turtledove

I’m sure you can guess what this is about from the title.

So, the timeline won a Turtledove! Specifically, you all voted for it as the Best Pop-Culture Timeline.
I was not expecting to win it at all, frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this had been nominated. So I want to thank everyone who voted for the timeline in the poll, as well, it wouldn’t have won without you.

It’s important to also mention that this timeline is by no means a solo effort, and I must thank @tornadobusdriver, @Ogrebear, @Drorac, and especially @The Chimera Virus for the work they’ve put into this as well. (If you think you should be listed here too, please tell me, as I've probably just forgotten you.)

But I didn’t want to just thank you, I wanted to give a little something in return, so I’m making this an update like the one year anniversary one. So, this will be split into four parts: “What Was”, “What Might Have Been”, “What Will Be”, and “What May Be”. So yeah, it’s more of a “behind the scenes” update.



What Was
So, the last update took a little while. Both of us working on it hit creative blocks at points, and we changed a couple of stories after the update. But we discussed a few other things during our many talks, and I think we have a much better idea of where Odyssey is going to go in the future.

So, I’m going to touch on a couple of retcons that we’re pulling with the timeline, neither of which are massive changes, but I thought you deserved to know anyway.
  1. Lt. Barclay will be played by Michael Jeter, not Dwight Schultz. Jeter is better for the type of characterisation we want to do with him. This will have a very minor effect elsewhere where we need change an actor in ODY season 1 (when Jeter guest starred originally).
  2. Julian Amoros will become Julian Bashir. I’m having a very hard time getting his name right when I write, and Bashir works much better with the character’s ethnic background.

Generally, I try to avoid retconning, but these are a couple of cases where I think it will work in the timeline’s favour.



What Might Have Been
So, what with it only having been three months since the last update where I told you a couple of the ideas that I didn’t use, there’s not a massive amount here, but I thought I’d tell you all some of the other ones anyway.

1: The Other Captain Sisko
So, I may have lied a little last time, and this is mainly because I wasn’t sure whether I was going to do this or not. So, I wasn’t originally going to have Laurence Fishburne as Sisko after I decided against Capaldi, but rather Andre Braugher. I’d already settled on having Sheridan in the show at this point.

But I was seriously considering writing Sisko out at the end of Season 3 of DS9. I was going to lean into the Babylon 5 influences a little more, and have Sisko sent back into the past of Bajor, hence the description of the Emissary as being “A Bajoran not of Bajor”. Sisko was very much going to be a Jeffrey Sinclair-type character, and Sheridan would take his place as station commander. However, this gave me the problem of not being able to do a lot of the Sisko stories I wanted to, so I decided against it.


2: Dax Leaves Early
I won’t reveal my current plans for Dax, but suffice it to say that they are different to OTL. But for a while, Dax was going to be written out during Meridian. I was going to replace her with a male homosexual Klingon, to explore Klingon society. This was mainly because I wasn’t sure what to do with her character, especially since I had no plans for Worf to appear in the show.

As you might be able to guess, the male Klingon turned into K’Rene, and suddenly, I had more ideas for Dax. So, Dax stuck around. I don’t think it would be hugely surprising that many of my favourite characters from TTL are the ones that are either wholly or partially original to the timeline (Kelly, K’Rene, Evek (we saw very little of him in OTL, so much of his character is original).


3: The Other Captain Janeway
Sisko wasn’t the only captain I had some trouble casting. For a very long time, I had planned for Nicola Bryant to have the role, as I believe she was considered in OTL. This had the interesting side-effect that for a little while, all three “TNG era” captains were played by Brits. But I decided against her in the end, especially when I saw some of Claudia Christian’s acting, and saw that she was what I wanted for TTL’s Janeway.



What Will Be
So, here’s a little sneak peak at the plans for the future, specifically, the remainder of 1997.
The rough plan for the year is this:
1. Season 2 of Star Trek: Odyssey (done)
2. Season 4 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
3. Star Trek VIII
4. Season 31 of Doctor Who
5. 1997 Big Finish
6. Merchandising 1997
7. Titanic
8. Marvel and DC 1997
9. Video Gaming 1997
10. Disney 1997
11. MYSTERY UPDATE
12. Music 1997

As you can tell, this is going to be a real bumper year. I make it about 14 updates still to come, and that’s not counting the various Appendix updates that will be coming in-between (DW companions for now, but more to come).

I’d previously shied away from touching on anything related directly to politics in the timeline (apart from diversity), but that will be changing a bit. There won’t be any strictly political updates, apart from maybe the MYSTERY UPDATE, but I will mention how politics has changed, or not, in updates where it is relevant. (Next season of Doctor Who will be a case of this).

Also, I’ve mentioned doing a thread set in the Star Trek universe of TTL in the past, and I’m still working on that. I have a good draft for the initial update, so hopefully I’ll put that out soon. That’ll be over in Fandom AH, but I’ll post a link here too.

It will use Kelly as the “POV” character, though I did run into some writing problems when I realised how close he is to being the archetypical Mary-Sue (fresh out of the academy and posted to the Enterprise), but I think I’ve managed to write him in a non-Sue way. As we get further into the timeline, I realise that I’ve done a lot of worldbuilding for TTL’s Star Trek in my head that we don’t get to see here. Hopefully, that thread should give me an outlet for that. It’s more of a “Lower Decks” style thing, focussed on characters rather than the plot of the episodes the updates will take place in. Effectively, it’s my headcanon for what’s happening in TTL’s Star Trek beyond the updates here.



What Might Be
Okay, I’m not going to give any of the timeline’s story away, but I’ll be talking about a couple of the creative choices I’m considering.

Firstly, I’d like to bring more media into the timeline. I know I enjoy timelines with pictures more (because I apparently am still a child), so I’d like to do something with that, just to make it feel more alive, rather than just words on a screen. This would be things along the lines of Wikiboxes for the seasons, photos from the sets of TTL, etc. It could be fun, and would give me a chance to explore something other than strict writing.

Also, I want to continue fleshing out the Appendix, which I’ve started doing with the various companions, but I’d like to cover some of the concepts from the shows of TTL. As aforementioned, I do a lot of worldbuilding in my head, and I’d like to put some of that onto a page. I’d like to explain how the Web of Time works ITTL, especially as I’m doing it a little different to what it was in OTL, but that won’t be until after S31 of Doctor Who, as that will introduce a related concept that I want to tackle with that too. If there isn’t any interest, I’ll leave them be, but I’d like to do them.



Right, hopefully we’ll be back to a more regular update schedule. I’m not sure whether the next update will be DS9 or an Appendix update, but it should be out either tomorrow, or the day after.

So, I thank you all again for continuing to read this, and for voting this Best Pop-Culture Timeline 2020. I’ll see you all soon.
 
But I was seriously considering writing Sisko out at the end of Season 3 of DS9. I was going to lean into the Babylon 5 influences a little more, and have Sisko sent back into the past of Bajor, hence the description of the Emissary as being “A Bajoran not of Bajor”. Sisko was very much going to be a Jeffrey Sinclair-type character, and Sheridan would take his place as station commander. However, this gave me the problem of not being able to do a lot of the Sisko stories I wanted to, so I decided against it.
Both shows had episodes that featured people going back in time to take the place of famous people in the past.
DS9 had the two part episode Past Tense in which Sisco took the place of Gabriel Bell in the Bell Riots.
And Babylon 5 had the two part episode "War with Out End" that wrapped up the Babylon 4 storyline and put one of the characters in the place of Valon.
I suspect that a DS9 that is produced by J Michael Stracynski is going to go more the "War with Out End" root and have it be very important to the timeline rather than the DS9 story in which it almost never mentioned again . (IIRC there is one reference to the Bell Riots in a latter episode in which one of the Characters who was not involves ask if Bell look like Sisco)
War with out End was suppose to be one of the final episodes of the series with Sinclair suppose to leave the show then but because of the cast changes in Babylon 5 , they brought it forward to season three.
So you might have the Sisko going to the past be the fate of him at the end of the show instead of his disappearing in the Wormhole as DS9 did in OTL.
 
Chapter XIV: "Kick It Up A Notch"

Timelordtoe

Monthly Donor
Part III, Chapter XIV: "Kick It Up A Notch"

“We really stopped pulling our punches with Season Four. We weren’t killing off anyone just yet, but we wanted to make it clear that nobody would be safe from here. Removing the Lakota served a few purposes, but it was clear to us that a ship like that wouldn’t last long in a war with the Dominion, so we needed to replace it. Of course, that came the following season with the Valiant’s big sister, the Athena-class dreadnought Brigid.”​
- Ira Stephen Behr on the destruction of the USS Lakota. [1]


Deep Space Nine was on a roll. What was feared to become the “middle child” of the Star Trek franchise was proving to be a great success. With a full eight seasons all but guaranteed at this point, the writing staff set their sights on a fuller arc for the remaining five seasons. All the pieces were on the board now, it was time the game started in earnest.

While the “Dominion arc” had begun the previous season as the Dominion was finally shown on screen, the fourth season would see tensions continue to rise, as it becomes clear to both the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants that a war is all but inevitable. [2]


Though Deep Space Nine was not exactly struggling with ratings, the decision was made among the writing staff to bring in another character from The Next Generation in order to bring back some of the fans that had either abandoned the show, or had never watched it in the first place. Marina Sirtis signed on to reprise her role of Deanna Troi, as she was assigned to be counsellor of Deep Space Nine.

Many, Sirtis especially, had felt that Troi’s character had not been fully explored during The Next Generation, and a pay dispute had given her a far reduced role in the film Star Trek VI: Generations. Upon learning that Troi would again be reduced to a supporting role in the upcoming Star Trek VII: Future’s End, she decided, at the insistence of Christian Slater, to join on to the Deep Space Nine cast as a recurring cast member.

Troi’s joining the crew would satisfy many fans who wondered as to why the crew were not going through counselling, especially considering the increased strain they are under compared to other Starfleet personnel. Partway through the fourth season, it would be announced that Sirtis was joining the main cast for the fifth season. [3]


The season opener would see the first on-screen appearance of the Hur’q, a species from the Klingons’ history. It would be revealed that they are originally from the Gamma Quadrant, and had a history with the Founders and the Dominion.

Two more “races” that would appear this season were the “Shadows” and the “Pah-Wraiths”. While the former were a section of the Prophets that had been expelled for their chaotic ideology, the latter were more of an imp-like species that were a nuisance for the crew. It would be revealed that the Shadows were manipulating and influencing many of the events in order to cause chaos in the galaxy, which they believed would make the races stronger. [4]

Though she had first appeared the season prior, Betty White would officially join the recurring cast this season, as her character, Mildred Kelly, moved aboard the station to be closer to family. The story “The Last Serenade” would also deal with Kelly’s family, as Robert Goulet guest starred as Kelly’s deceased grandfather. The season would also see the introduction of Sisko’s father, Joseph, played by Brock Peters.


Much like its sister show, Odyssey, Deep Space Nine would have a story to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the franchise. This would come in the form of “Trials and Tribble-ations”, a revisitation of “The Trouble With Tribbles” from The Original Series, written by franchise head David Gerrold. The episode would make heavy use of computer imagery, in order to insert the new cast into the story seamlessly.

Original Series actor George Takei would appear later in the season, with the two-parter “Homefront” and “Paradise Lost” as Federation President Hikaru Sulu. This story would also see the introduction of Joseph Sisko, as well as tackling the question of how militarised Starfleet should be.


Perhaps the most important story of the season would be the destruction of the USS Lakota in the story “United We Fall” late in the season. Though none of the characters would be killed by this, their absence from the next few episodes while they make their way back would be felt by many of the characters on the station who are unsure as to whether anybody has survived.

The Klingons would also make their first major appearance in the show’s story this season, beginning with the season opener, but continuing on into “Apocalypse Rising”, which saw the crew exposing a Changeling at the heart of the Klingon Empire, renewing the Khitomer Accords after a brief war.


The season would be one of the more eventful, as it set up many plot threads that were to be paid off in the following seasons, while introducing some more characters that were to be of importance. [5]


[1] A few things here: One, yes, I'm killing the Lakota, for various reasons. Two: Yes, we're getting a Starfleet Dreadnought. When I said she's the Valiant's big sister, I wasn't lying.
[2] While most of the previous seasons have been pretty much equivalents of their OTL season, this is both Season 4 and the first half of 5.
[3] A few of you, especially @Ogrebear, suggested this. I didn't want to do this to begin with, but it gives me so much to work with, and helps with a few things next season too.
[4] This season has a lot more B5 in it.
[5] I didn't actually mention everything. That's how big this season is. Fans will definitely see a difference between S1-3 and S4-8, similar to OTL. There are a few new recurring characters that didn't get a mention, and a couple of stories that haven't been mentioned yet. This season is BIG.
 
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Can’t help but feel like Starfleet would avoid calling any of their own ships a Dreadnaught. Even if everyone knows it’s one in practice, still feels like they’d call it something like a Star Defender if only to put their own conscience and that of the Federation council at ease.

Also please god let it have an even number of nacelles. Plonking a third nacelleon the back right between the other two always felt so lazy. Four is far more visual balanced and can be handwaved as engine redundancy
 
That sounds like one well packed Season there!

Gald you brought Troi across- she should be a good addition to the crew. Perhaps a few storylines could establish her setting up her staff and settling in, plus the crew's reluctance to talk to a 'shrink' esp Sisko. A mention is needed as to what the Enterprise is up to during the war- perhaps Troi is seen talking to Riker or Worf (perhaps using recycled lines or footage?)- it was always annoying there was nothing mentioned in DS9 considering Worf was there.

How Lakota goes out will be important to the audience reaction- is it a Shock move, or a Hero moment?

Question- what is Odyssey and DS9 being filmed on? Film or videotape? This could be important for DVD and HD Laserdisk/Blue-Ray conversation/remastering later on.
 
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