“I’m all for the personnel serving with me to express what they’re feeling, but,” begins Jellico. “There’s a time and place for it. And that time and place is not on my bridge during a crisis.”
Kovich sits still, peering at Jellico through his glasses.
1/10
“If we’re thrust into a chaotic situation, the survival of my ship and crew depends on the orderly implementation of my commands by my bridge crew,” Jellico explains. “I would expect the same of my own child during a crisis.”
“So you are a father?” Kovich asks.
2/10
“Yes,” Jellico replies. “I have a son.”
“Have you ever been with him during a crisis?” Kovich asks.
“As a matter of fact, I have,” Jellico answers. “The Cairo was about to enter into a pretty nast ion storm.”
3/10
“Our shields were thin from an exchange with some Nausicaan pirates,” Jellico continues. “So I ordered everyone to evacuate areas near the outer hull. But he didn’t want to leave our quarters. Worried about his paintings and sketches and such. My boy’s an artist.”
4/10
“So what did you do?” Kovich asks.
“We had about five minutes until impact, so I ran down to my quarters, knelt down before him, and asked him, ‘What’s keeping you from getting to where it’s safe?’ He told me, and I asked him if his art was more important than his life.”
5/10
“Good question. How did he answer?” Kovich asks.
“He said ‘no,’ and we got him to safety,” Jellico says. “After that, he never let his feelings get in the way of my expectations or orders again.”
“Why?” Kovich asks.
“Well,” Jellico starts.
6/10
“I suppose he learned to trust my judgment after that experience,” Jellico considers.
“Not because of what you said, perhaps, but because of what you asked,” Kovich explains.
“I—I don’t follow,” Jellico replies.
7/10
“You just said you lowered yourself to his level and asked him questions,” Kovich explains. “Giving him the opportunity to share his feelings with you, which freed him to look passed those—concerns to listen to what you had to say.”
Jellico doesn’t move.
8/10
“Order and professional detachment from our emotional drives has its place on the bridge, but acknowledging and giving space to what we’re feeling does as well,” Kovich says. “We just can’t do our best work without releasing what we’re feeling in words.”
9/10
“Isn’t that the job of a ship’s counselor?” Jellico asks.
“Sure,” Kovich responds. “But leadership sets the tone and expectation by their own—public practices.”
“Well, Mister Kovich—” Jellico begins.
“Doctor,” Kovich interrupts.
“You’ve given me a great deal to think about.”
• • •
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“Yeah—I did,” Reno says. “And it was fucking grueling to engineer my friends like some—cannibalized, engine parts.”
“But—again—you got to do something to save them,” Shaw says. 1/8
“You didn’t have to see hopelessness in their eyes as you crouched into the escape pod,” Shaw says.
“You tough enough for some straight talk, Captain Dirge?” Reno asks.
Shaw shrugs.
Reno leans forward. “Your friends died—frozen debris forever floating at Wolf 359.” 2/8
“A bit—cold,” Shaw says.
“Literally, my man,” Reno says. “You couldn’t save their asses. But who the hell do you think you are? You took that seat when one of them could’ve. You gonna wallow in the hopelessness of that horrific moment forever?” 3/8
Kirk, McCoy, Spock, a civilian human-Vulcan hybrid, and a civilian man enter the transporter room.
“We’re all set here, Captain,” Scotty says from behind the transporter room console.
“Thank you, Scotty,” Kirk says hesitantly.
1/14
“If you’ll step up on the pad, please,” Kirk says.
The woman cautiously nods and steps up on the pad.
Spock stands on Kirk’s right. McCoy stands on his left, holding a hypospray.
Kirk, with his palm open, says, “Bones.”
McCoy grips the hypospray.
2/14
“Now think about this, Jim,” McCoy says. “Are you really gonna trade one life for another? This—procedure—will end the life of this living, breathing being that you see standing before you.”