Occasionally I run into a piece of media that I decide is part of my personal stash of gifts from the universe, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 23, ‘Extreme Measures: Part 7’ is one of those.
So as you can imagine I had a lot of REACTIONS, enough to merit just posting these notes up on their own, ‘Doctor Bashir, I Presume’-style. ENJOY. I sure as heck did.
7x23 ‘Extreme Measures: Part 7’ - if this is remotely like what I expect it’s going to be I already know this one is gonna kiiilll meee - I can’t wait - oh bless, it starts with Julian recording his Chief Medical Officer log. wait have we ever gotten any insights into Julian’s personal log? THAT MUST BE A TREASURE TROVE OF HILARITY. someday he’ll probably give it to Ezri to listen to the way he gave Jadzia his old Academy journals, and she’s gonna be like, oh criminy - Kira’s still wearing the Starfleet uniform Garak made for her, which means my heart still patters happily whenever I see her. well, more than usual I mean. - Odo calls him Doctor in person but Julian when he’s talking to Nerys, oh Odo - [breathes out] the way this show deals with pain and dying and loss is always so heartfelt, I’m just!
I don’t think I should have started watching this episode already one drink deep because every beat feels like I’m being hit with a new water balloon of feelings
- Sisko: “is there any other resource I can offer you?” Julian: “no I’m good, I’ve got Miles” Miles: “…and I’ve got something I think we should tell you” Julian: “MILES WHY”
“I still get letters of thanks from people who had a slightly tougher time in life than the ideal American Dream unraveling, which is sort of that myth. People who didn’t see America that way, didn’t feel their lives follow that path. So I got those people. A lot of gay guys, young gay guys who were clearly vulnerable at that time, because AIDS was sort of at its apotheosis at that time, so they were not comfortable in their own skin. People who weren’t comfortable in their own skin, people who didn’t feel like the quarterback on the team, or the cheerleader, they were the people that really liked Bashir.”
What I imagined happened in “Empok Nor” when they got back:
O’Brien: *kicking down the door to the infirmary* Yes hi, hello Julian we’re back, no I didn’t have a nice trip and oh before I forget to mention it yOUR BOYFRIEND TRIED TO FUCKING KILL ME!
Bashir: *not even looking up from his padd and sipping coffee* yeah he does that sometimes, did you check if he ate something? He gets really hangry, usually a sandwich helps
Julian Bashir expected this to be an evening like most in Miles’ company, reenacting the Battle of Britain in the holosuite. Instead, they talk – about the O’Briens’ unborn baby, about Keiko and Kira and, ultimately, about themselves and what they feel. It is a night where nothing is where it’s supposed to be.
Bashir/O’Brien, with mentions of O’Brien/Keiko and Keiko/Kira. Set after s04e25 Body Parts.
(Now officially part of a series! There is plenty more to come about these four.)
Cecil. She/her. During the day I sit in libraries staring at books. During the night I write queer fanfiction with a historical slant.
Some not-so-random facts: Gay space lizards are the best lizards. Star Trek is my life. I have too many DS9 ships. Classic Who and the Eighth Doctor Adventures make me grin stupidly. Kelas Parmak is the best. I will defend historically accurate portrayals of Alan Turing to the last drop of blood. Likes and asks end up in the name of @apolesens-otheraccount, because Tumblr doesn't have a way of changing which blog is your primary one. Nothing happens over there - this is the one to follow.
