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Real world article
(written from a production point of view)

A visiting instructor arrives at the Academy and uses an unorthodox method to help the cadets process the emotions of recent trauma. At the same time, a cadet faces an unexpected challenge that will alter the trajectory of her life forever.

Summary

Teaser

Tarima Sadal greets The Doctor and Captain Nahla Ake when she returns. The Doctor thanks her for her actions on the USS Miyazaki, which saved lives. Since her network of mirror neurons wouldn't survive another such event, she must commit instead to a specialty in science or research, which wouldn't be available at the War College. Ake offers counselling and any support she needs. Shortly after Sadal moves on, Ake and the Doctor observe Darem Reymi narrowly avoiding a fight with another cadet and comment on the tension remaining from the incident with the Miyazaki.

During a training simulation, Caleb Mir, Ocam Sadal, Jay-Den Kraag, Darem Reymi, and Genesis Lythe argue about what to do and question who is giving the orders. Even though Commander Jett Reno reminds them that they're supposed to be working together, the simulation ends with catastrophic damage and all crew lost. Afterward, the cadets are redirected by their PADDs to a classroom where Tarima Sadal joins them. Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly enters, introducing herself as the instructor of their new theater course. When questioned on the importance of theater, Tilly explains it is a powerful tool for social and political change, and declares SAM her favorite when she demonstrates enthusiasm. Tilly proclaims she does not care if the cadets are confused or resentful, and threatens failing the semester if they fail her class.

In their shared quarters, SAM gushes to Tarina Sadal, her new roommate, about her newly-discovered love of plays, theater, and art. They talk about Sadal's reentry to Starfleet Academy, and when SAM tries to explain the feeling of displacement and loss caused by the incident at the Miyazaki, Sadal becomes cold. SAM hides her glitching from Sadal.

Act 1

Tilly visits Ake and Reno in Ake's office. They discuss the cadets' difficulty with processing their trauma. They identify Tarima Sadal as specifically needing assistance, and speculate that Starfleet will help the cadets like it once helped them.

Mir confronts Sadal in the hallway, asking how she is and admitting he doesn't know what to say. Sadal responds with coldness. Later, in theater class, Kraag narrates a Klingon opera as he sneezes occasionally from a Jaqh-VoD infection. Tilly orders him to quarantine, and calls on SAM to go next. SAM explains her ancient Earth play, "Our Town," which she describes as the essential nature of humanity and hopeful defiance relevant to everyone. They prepare to read and analyze the play when SAM begins to glitch severely. She awakens in Sickbay where the Doctor informs her the patch the holo-engineers installed has been failing for weeks. SAM suggests they go to Kasq, where the Makers live. Ake tells SAM and the Doctor to prepare to leave.

Act 2

At the next theater class, Tilly prompts the cadets to read from the second act of "Our Town." As the cadets speculate on the meaning of the play, Tarima Sadal objects by proposing the characters they're analyzing are not responding to some deep trauma, but rather a moment in their lives.

Mir, in his quarters, awakes to a message from Sadal and finds her with a bottle of Tears of Kressari, a powerfully alcoholic beverage. She tells Mir that her new inhibitor makes it impossible for her to hurt anyone. They discuss how neither of them want to be at Starfleet Academy, and kiss passionately. Mir stops her, reminding her she's drunk. Sadal becomes angry, accusing him of not being interested in her now that he knows she's a "monster." When Mir leaves, she begins to cry. She returns to her shared room with Lythe and admits to her she wishes she could go back to the War College where she felt she could do anything. She reveals that Mir likes Lythe, though Lythe says they're "just friends."

On the way to Kasq with Ake and the Doctor, SAM explains three days on Earth is five years on Kasq, and that the photonics went there to protect themselves from organics. The Doctor recalls his experience on Gotana where he experienced years in eighteen minutes. He wonders how her world would see an ancient hologram like him, and turns away when SAM tries again to call him an "ideal mentor" like she did when her time at Starfleet Academy first began. The Doctor explains to be her mentor was never his purpose. SAM explains she wants to feel emotions, have friends, be uncertain, and be different than her design specifications. She begins to glitch and resumes sleep mode. The Doctor compares himself, SAM, and Ake to the Stage Manager character "Our Town." That character exists outside of time and the others in it. He postulates that memory makes mundane life meaningful, and then they arrive at Kasq.

Act 3

Ake, the Doctor, and SAM appear in a colorless version of the Starfleet Academy hallway, joined by SAM's Makers. They introduce themselves by explaining they recreated an environment from their scanned memories for them in which they would feel "at home." They deny access to Kasq, and ask for permission to "swarm" SAM: assume control of her system and examine her data to determine the cause of the malfunction. SAM acquiesces and the Makers swarm her.

In theater class, Tilly presses the cadets for why the character Emily Webb is suddenly resistant to her impending marriage. The cadets suppose the characters want to stop time, because they know they will be different the next day. They talk about how the characters are angry that change will occur without their consent, and that things and people and time lost cannot be recovered. Tarima Sadal accuses Tilly of pushing them to reveal their trauma so she can feel as if she's helped them. She points out that Tilly wasn't there, and cannot know how the cadets feel. Ocam Sadal reminds her the rest of the cadets were there, too; he is tired of pretending to be okay. Tarima Sadal continues to resist the lesson, declaring herself "the ghost girl" from the play looking back on a life she wanted and never got. Tilly tells her the battle is in continuing to "come back." Tarima rejects the lesson and leaves.

Back on Kasq, the Makers declare that SAM is beyond repair. Though Ake and the Doctor insist that conclusion is unacceptable, the Makers declare the outside world continues to be untrustworthy and terminate SAM.

Act 4

Tarima Sadal packs her in room, while Ocam Sadal tells the other cadets his sister doesn't intend to stay. They additionally speculate SAM will not return. Ocam begins to read from the play, and the others join. Eventually Tarima Sadal joins them, too.

On Kasq, the Doctor explains to an unconscious SAM about his holographic family, and the daughter he lost eight-hundred years ago, "yesterday." He admits SAM reminds him of her. The Makers explain that they created SAM without any memories at all, and SAM's neurological pathways have developed beyond their capacity to fix. The Doctor points out that her lack of memories robbed her of context that would have allowed her to process the damage done to her system on the Miyazaki. Ake proposes the Makers rebuild SAM and give her a parent: the Doctor. Though the Doctor initially refuses, he stays on Kasq to raise a rebuilt SAM (taking a few days by Earth's clock), and returns with her to Starfleet Academy when she is seventeen.

Tilly and Reno look on as the cadets process their experiences together. Before Tilly leaves, Tarima Sadal discusses "Our Town" with her, saying "'The life of the village against the life of the stars.' We're the village. Made up of tiny moments that'll get swallowed by big ones, and the only thing we know for sure is that one day we'll all be gone. We know, but we keep going."

The cadets welcome SAM back with hugs and handshakes.

Log entries

Memorable quotes

"Congratulations. That was a spectacular failure of teamwork. Everyone, get the hell off the bridge now. Thank you."

- Reno after the disastrous simulation


"Well, the rumor's true. She's here. You know, I could feel it in my teeth, like, right at the back of my molars. They started to hurt like after you eat cookie dough."
"It's okay to love."
"Is it? Your relentless optimism is nightmarish."

- Reno and Tilly, upon being reunited


"It was eight hundred years ago. It was yesterday."

- The Doctor


"Well done, Red."

- Reno to Tilly after witnessing the cadets come together thanks to her

Background information

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References

20th century; 24th century; Academy-class; Alcatraz; Arcturian fungus; arrival; art; "asshole"; asteroid field; Athena, USS; beast (aka monster); Beta Quadrant; Betazed; Betazoid; Betazoid anthem; blood; brain; bridge; butt; cadet; captain; chancellor; chickens; childhood; class; cold; coma; comet; commander; Dar-Sha; daughter; dawn; day; distress; "doc"; "E lucevan le stelle"; Earth; emotions; Federation; "Flower Duet, The"; friends (best friend); Gibbs; Gibbs, George; glitch; Golden Gate Bridge; Gotana; Hamlet; hand; holo-emitter (mobile emitter); hologram; hybrid; infinity; Jaqh-VoD; Kasq; Kasqian; Kelrec, Zeeren; Khionian; Klingon; Klingon war drama (aka Klingon opera); Lanthanite; laugh; lieutenant; Lime Point Lighthouse; loss; love; mentor; missus; mister; Miyazaki, USS; murder; neuro-inhibitor; night; Our Town; PADD; parent ("daddy"); patriot; patriotic girl; photonic; pillow; play; port (location); prop; pyroxene; quarters; raktajino; rest; Rosmersholm; scenery; Shuttle 5; Stage Manager; stardate; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet Council; Starfleet uniform (32nd century); Starfleet uniform (late 2360s-early 2370s); storm; stuff; Tears of Kressari; theater; theremin; time; toilet; toothbrush; Tosca; Voyager, USS; War College; Webb; Webb, Emily; Wee Bairns; weeks; Wilder, Thornton; will; Yadalla IV; years; zygotes

Theater class display references

Aenar; Andorian comedy; Bajoran drama; Frame of Mind; Introduction to Theater; improv; Nausicaan murder mystery; read-through; soliloquy; table read; Klingon war drama

Video wall references

Aaamazzara; Ajilon Prime; Aldebaran III; Altair IV; Andoria; Angosia III; Ariannus; Archanis IV; Astral V; Atrea IV; Axanar; Beltane IX; Benecia Colony; Beta VI; Beta Antares IV; Betazed; Bilaren; Blue Horizon; Bolarus IX; Braslota; Bre'el IV; Caldos IV; Campor III; Casperia Prime; Coltar IV; Commonwealth of Denebia; Coridan; Corvan II; Dalvos Prime; Danula II; Delb II; Delta Rana IV; Earth Colony 2; Elaysia; Epsilon Canaris III; Fendaus V; Galen IV; Gallima; Gault; Gideon; Hakton VII; Hanolan; Hurkos III; Iadara colony; Inferna Prime; Ivor Prime; Kaldra IV; Kaleb IV; Kenda II; Kessik; Korat; Lunar Colonies; Manzar colony; Mars; Merak II; Midos V; Minos Korva; MS I colony; Napea; New France; New Halana; New Paris; Norkan outposts; Norpin; Oceanus IV; Omicron Theta; Peliar Zel; Pentarus; Penthara IV; Persephone V; Planet Q; Ramatis III; Regulus III; Regulus V; Rhaandar; Rigelian Assembly; Ronara; Sirius IX; Solarion IV; Tarchannen III; Taranko colony; Tavela Minor; Thanatos VII; Triona; Tyrellia; Verdanis; Zadar IV; Zaldan; Zytchin III

Meta references

Black and white

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