I’ve rewatched “The Best of Both Worlds” (Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 3, episode 26 – season 4 episode 1). It’s one the most important episodes of those series – it’s a very Borg episode. (Spoilers!) It’s the one in which Captain Picard was kidnapped by Borg and transformed into a Borg himself – Locutus of Borg. It’s very creepy, especially considering that he had all his memories during the experience and that he remembered everything about being a part of Borg afterwards. How Riker has to become a Captain for some time and to make a young recently transferred commander, who reminds him of himself when he only began serving on the Enterprise and who thought that Riker’s going to become a captain on another ship and she’s going to become the first officer on the Enterprise, his first officer was also very tense and interesting to observe. The moment when Data has to connect to Locutus to connect to the Borg cube and take control over it was very cool too, especially when Locutus woke up and tried to attack people around him and Data just disconnected his hand. Wow. It was a great episode and a great way to keep people watching the series (splitting it in two and end the season on the first part).
I’ve rewatched “Legacy” (Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 4, episode 6). The episode is pretty interesting and dramatic. The plot – a rescue mission for a crewman, who was taken hostage on the planet Tasha was from. Seems simple, doesn’t it. Well, it would be, if the planet wasn’t being torn apart by some kind partisan civil war and if one of the fractions, which promised to help Federation (Enterprise) rescue the crewman didn’t have Tasha’s sister among them. (Spoilers!) She came on Enterprise to help, she got injured on a mission, grew close to Data, whom she reminded of Tasha, and even started thinking about joining Starfleet and made Worf think that Starfleet will be lucky to have her because she’s brave and selfless. She led them to the final rescue mission and then… betrayed them – it turned out that she led them inside the base of the other fraction not only to get the crewman back but to disable their defence systems and let her comrades attack this base. She was even ready to kill Data to do so. He and Riker didn’t let her, took her on the Enterprise and then returned. Data has experienced his first-ever friend betrayal and doubts if the trust is worth “feeling” this.
Will Riker understands the guilt that comes with discovering someone close to you has been cutting, and feeling like you should have caught it because you used to cut. It’s difficult enough to recover from your own self harm, but recovering can bring a feeling of anxiety that the people you love are self harming or considering self harming, too. This can stem from knowing just how bad it is because you’ve experienced it yourself. It’s a terrifying feeling, because when you’re dealing with self harm firsthand, there’s already a loss of control. But there’s an even bigger loss of control when someone you know is self harming and you feel like you can’t do anything about it, or that you should have figured out it was happening or stopped it in advance. You shouldn’t feel like you have to put the blame upon yourself, although it’s understandable that you feel this way because of what you’ve been through. Remember to stay strong and, if you’re in a good place, reach out to your loved one if they need help. But, and this is very important, if dealing with self harm again, even secondhand, could damage your recovery, it’s important to set boundaries for yourself. Please know that you’re doing what you can to help your loved one, and that you haven’t done anything wrong by not catching this earlier.
Will Riker understands having to keep everything together all the time and be the strong one when you’ve struggled with unhealthy coping mechanisms in the past that you keep wanting to fall back on. It can be a struggle to feel like you have to constantly be in control of everything, or feeling like you might have to be an example of strength for others, when you yourself are still healing from your unhealthy coping mechanisms you used in the past. Remember not to push yourself too far, and to treat yourself fairly. Stay strong; he believes in you. :)
Will Riker understands struggling with chronic pain. It can be difficult to deal with pain on a recurring basis, and it can be difficult to wake up and be in pain, knowing it might be a difficult day to get through. Remember to take care of yourself and to be forgiving with yourself; chronic pain can make life more difficult, and it’s okay to acknowledge that. He believes in you!
Will Riker understands what it’s like to crave comforting touches but not being able to stand anyone touching you, and how frustrating that can be. Craving touch can be difficult enough, but when you can’t stand anyone actually touching you, that complicates things. It can lead to conflicting feelings, and it might lead to feeling as if there’s something wrong with you. But we as people are build on things like this, like wanting something but not being able to receive it. It can be tough to deal with, but remember to be patient and understanding with yourself.
I’m just popping in to let you guys know that I’ve posted several new chapters of my Star Trek TNG fic. It’s not finished yet but it’s coming along. The only thing I ask is that you be kind and forgiving because I’m very new to the sci-fi genre.
When an entire aquatic kingdom is destroyed near a Federation colony, the Enterprise must search for survivors. The new Queen Loire takes refuge on the Enterprise to help the crew find what remains of her people and to discover who attacked them and why. And as she comes to grips with the abrupt new direction of her life, the half human Queen Loire finds herself increasingly drawn to Commander Riker against both of their better judgment.
