I Remember - Part 2 | Shield of Tomorrow | Episode 5

The crew of the Sally Ride continue to be tormented by mysterious visions of their past.
The Federation is on the brink of war with the Dominion. In the shadow of this cold war, the crew members of the USS Sally Ride must work together to not only protect the Federation, but protect its soul as well. This licensed, live RPG is an epic return to the Star Trek universe that you know and love.
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[@WingedWyrm]

"There's not a year that goes by that somebody doesn't try this crap." Eric... I had to pause and applaud. I *loved* that. Thank you.

[@Nionivek]

I love it because it is kind of exactly what I'd expect at this point.

[@vallynblackleaf]

ABSOLUTELY! One of the best moments of the episode. First time I heard that I did a legit spit-take

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

Eric's Ferengi is on *point* I could totally see the teeth and the lobes.

[@WilliamRampart]

GM so good, I forget he's DMing. Honestly, Mercer has the voice, this guy has the structure of an adventure and managing a game in spades.

[@einosig]

"I do not bluff or joke, that was a threat" - T´Lan, the most badass Vulcan in Starfleet

[@rn8306]

Those flashbacks were really emotional. I really felt for all of the characters as they went though their separate memories. The acting was really well done and all memories were acted out well and in character. Absolutely excellent story telling.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

2:42:38 "I gotta take a leak..." "Leak?..... _looks around_ I'm not detecting any leaks..." "Don't you people of the 24th century ever pee?" ".......oooooooooh... _leak_ .... heh.... I get it." Cochrane and Laforge, 2063.

[@aBrokenShard]

Absolutely brilliant episode! Eric you are a master story teller. Those flashbacks man....they are a thing of beauty. Also love the character reveals. All in all a fantastic episode. Can't wait for more. I am so genuinely pleased this came to KZbin.

[@dark3rthanshadows]

he nd his wrtitters

[@Gray963]

This was amazing, the GM is amazing, the characters are amazing, this system and story is... amazing. I've done and seen a lot of RP including stuff like critical roll, but I'm stunned and addicted like I never have been before. I've tried for nearly two decades to make invested stories and immersive games but I never managed one like this. I think a lot of props go to the crew for taking this so seriously and clearly taking a lot of time to prepare. Of course an enthralling story like this a lot of work and talent from the storyteller so a huge thanks to him. I'm waaay too sucked into this story, you guys have me hooked and are just amazing at your roles. A huge thanks to all of you and I really hope you don't stop anytime soon. I feel like I'm looking at the next "Critical Roll".

[@Molly-bj5gb]

Can I recommend watching Sam’s reactions to everyone’s backstories. It’s so wild to see them not have to be in character and just responding so openly.

[@aarongalassi4755]

Totally borrowing the flashbacks idea for a homebrew monster in my d&d campaign. Absolutely brilliant.

[@Dinuial]

Actually, synthehol can get you drunk but you can snap right out of it whenever you want/need. It never leaves one out of control and the feel of intoxication is very different.

[@Nionivek]

Synthehol is an extremely short lived alcoholic substitute and you can only get to the drunk phase by very dedicated drinking and even then your likely to sober up almost immediately. If I drank pure synthohol I'd be stone sober within the hour (and it would taste wretched). It is why EVERYONE in Starfleet sneaks alcohol, even Captains... It is also why it pretty much only exists in Starfleet and no one else even touches it. Essentially it is an invention of Snooty Puritans.

[@vonJosephu]

Any engineering crew worth their salt can and will easily cobble together a still.

[@Greamzih]

@@vonJosephu And then immediately get caught because of an increase in sugar amount requested from replicators.

[@SirDankleberry]

@@vonJosephu Good ole Space Shine.

[@ZachsMind]

58:05 Yes that great Vulcan philosopher, (Syb-) Occam. 58:53 Yes that great Trill philosopher, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[@fightingfalcon777]

Really enjoying this series. It’s creative, innovative, well-written, and the cast is great. One thing, though: they do know it is perfectly acceptable to refer to lieutenant commanders as simply “Commander,” right? They don’t need to use the full rank every time

[@trekadam30]

Wow! Great episode (Sam has the best reactions). However, Hector did make a little boo boo: When a ship steps down from Red Alert, the ship goes to Condition Green. Blue Alert is only used during landing procedures.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

I was going to point out the same, but this is months old.... no point on doing that.

[@tomwilson3069]

Nighthawk yeah this thing was from last year around comic con time in San Diego. So roundabout July or August.

[@mothermoy]

I know I'm 4 years late but what a great episode. We understand each character better And have an emotional attachment!

[@pauln2661]

It's Shroedinger's Targ.

[@michaelreeves8268]

Loving this show! I am hoping hard SoT continues to gain momentum and one day I can watch episode 150 and know there is still many, many more episodes to come!

[@justinkitchur1443]

NOOOOO, I can't wait a week for the next one... Damn you, stop being so addictive LOL

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

42:20 Sam giggling like "oh man,.... classic Scout..."

[@lorecraftlp6155]

Every time i hear conn in an rpg I think of CON and i wonder why the ship's constitution would affect anything for a second.

[@TheQwuilleran]

Wait- what does it mean??

[@GiantSpaceCrabGrab]

@@TheQwuilleran in this system there control which is like keeping calm during tense moments. There's also Conn which is for piloting the ships and such

[@martijnvanweele6204]

A cross upside down is a symbol of Saint Peter, if I recall correctly, as his martyr's death was being crucified upside down (a sick joke on the part of his executioners when he said he did not want to die the same way as Jesus did). It is not something evil...

[@writinggamer8059]

This is a similar situation to a five pointed star in a circle. Each point of the star represents the elements of fire, air, water, earth, and spirit. When the star is positioned with the point upward, it is meant as a symbol of spirit (or spirituality) above the material world (the other four elements.) With the the point downward, it is meant as a symbol of the material world above the spiritual. This was twisted to represent the devil (and said to resemble a goat, which goats are also not evil but just animals.) These changes in belief shows how society will twist meanings of certain symbols to fit a particular narrative.

[@Carbadonia]

Ooh, laser-cut key chains~ I made a few of those when I was younger. That was a fun time.

[@ReustersPlace]

“Scotty would ask the same damn question!”

[@all1nerd377]

Eric's Ferengi is freaking perfect! Really incredible cast and crew here!

[@AtigunAlaska]

Look forward to this every week. Thank you G&S for adding it to YT.

[@AlexzanderXknight]

Wish I hadn't been so late to this series.

[@ClericalError87]

Same!

[@TheCanadianDude]

Excellent storytelling. This is Star Trek GMing done right.

[@KarlJeager]

For the Alcohol on a ship issue even if there are some kind of safeguards that prevent replicating alcohol, it would be trivial for an Engineer to replicate any fermentable fruit or vegetable and replicate or fabricate a still. Seriously banning engineers from having alcohol really has to work on the honour system.

[@Dinuial]

They don't even need to replicate fruit/veg, just sugar. Then "borrow" a fermenting agent from someone in life sciences. Hell, they could go down to an M-class planet with a bowl of flour and water, leave it under a tree for a few hours and collect wild yeast.

[@Nionivek]

Alcohol on Starships is so regular it can be assumed that everyone on board likely has their own private stash. Heck Voyager, which has been trapped in Delta Quadrant for years, STILL had earth alcohol in stock. It is basically an open secret that people break that rule and only stuffy puritans argue that Synthohol is superior at this point (or simply out of mindless recitation of cultural values)... as ONLY Starfleet drinks the stuff... Even Vulcans don't drink Synthohol and they are made of stuffiness.

[@OnboardG1]

The doctor is always the source of booze on the ship. Hell McCoy was drinking in half the scenes he appears in in TOS.

[@Nionivek]

Plus Scotty, the ship's engineer, had a huge private stash that was big enough to get even a superhuman drunk.

[@AncientOne777]

vulcan: my mind to your mind my thoughts to your thoughts

[@alejandracadena9252]

!!!! this episode was so good!!! I am so in love with this show, the narrative is amazing, and the crew is amazing, and I cant wait to see more :D

[@HEZAA19]

One of my favorite episodes yay!

[@HEZAA19]

Oh this is part 2 of my favorite episode XD still yay haha

[@Nionivek]

The funny thing is even though Alcohol isn't allowed on a Starship (sort of, this rule is hazy and full of holes)... EVERYONE sneaks their own onboard. It has become one of those open secrets where everyone has their own private stash, but no one talks about it. Though in many ways that sort of works for Starfleet, people still get drunk but chose better times... It is sort of like how we know people always go above the Speed Limit, but only so much.

[@Adanu191]

I know this is way too late, but one nitpick; the wormhole isn't discovered until the Federation is given DS9. The whole reason DS9 becomes a major nexus is because of the wormhole, after the occupation ends.

[@ElfQuestComicDubFamily]

People seem to be bothered by Sage's background, but I'd like to point out as someone who works with and around kids and parents that Sage's parents probably kept her from her cultural heritage to protect her. Out of the admittedly paranoid notion of her being targeted socially by bullies (I know Star Trek's a utopia but that isn't going to stop bullying 100% of the time cuz kids still get scared and/or angry). Think of it like if you adopted a child orphaned by the holocaust, while again I don't agree with how long they tried to prevent her from knowing, but you wouldn't immediately explain the holocaust to a six year old girl, drawing a very basic analogy to the Bajoran occupation

[@Nionivek]

For me, I don't know the situation. It could be anything.

[@pauln2661]

Alcohol on a starship. Replicators. Just be friends with the right, Engineers.

[@patrickodonnell9443]

With internal sensors i suspect assembling the mash/still would be the easy part....... that said a little hooch to the right security officer would ameliorate any strange alerts.

[@ThetrueDrnastyflaps]

Fantastic story telling. Really loving this show

[@TheRaggedyDoctor11]

There is and isn't a targ... its Schroedinger's Targ...

[@StoneCorazon]

SkybornSentinel underrated comment

[@dusty4066]

It's a great show I'm even having nostalgia of the late 90s and early 2000s when we all said rad

[@ell457]

8:58 - Intro cinematic 10:06 - Recap 13:43 - Episode starts

[@Expletius]

So Martinez getting a cadet unfairly run out of Academy was his "Kobayashi Maru"? That's genius, brutally cold but genius.

[@Stormflite]

This series is so amazing I've already swapped to Twitch to catch up. Still dropping by to give likes, though. SoT deserves it!

[@cameronf5893]

I'm learning a ton about running games from watching this. If only the GM had an advice channel lol

[@musinghat]

Just found this series, it’s so good!

[@danieltilson4053]

When all of the mental stuff started, my thought was Nagilum I look forward to seeing if im right or not.

[@tauIrrydah]

HOW DARE YOU GIVE ME FEELS!!!!

[@Nionivek]

Given the things Kirk has done I am not surprised that even Starfleet doubts the validity of over half of what he has done.

[@haydenbliesner2247]

I know it might be a bit late. But I believe Blue Alert is for docking or landing situations. Pointless now but if you guys do something like this again, you'll know.

[@HerricktheMildlyPerturbed]

Synthahol does get you drunk, but you can be medically sobered instantly. So if you need to be on duty you can just dismiss your drunkenness.

[@ZachsMind]

1:09:49 Does synthehol get you drunk? That depends. The canonical evidence is inconsistent. Scotty said it has no kick, but Seven of Nine had one glass and needed assistance back to her quarters. There's a placebo effect involved. If you think it gets you drunk, it will get you drunk. If you are expecting something more, it will not work on you. I seem to recall Data once explaining it does simulate the effects of alcohol on humanoid physiology but a simple flash of adrenaline or a second or two of willpower can usually let the afflicted drinker shake it off. Presumably synthehol gives inexperienced drinkers a buzz and may even lower some inhibitions at a minimal level, but seasoned veterans who have partaken of actual outlawed spirits do not feel synthehol a suitable substitute for the real thing. With that said, I rather surmise any engineer worth his salt could build a replicator that can synthesize a drink good enough to pass for the real thing, and any science officer could program the computer to override any security protocols without getting caught. Failing that, any ensign could replicate the ingredients and equipment necessary to build a still, and keep it in your bathroom, which might explain why we rarely see anyone on Star Trek go into their bathroom, cuz they're all rigged up to make bootleg gin.

[@StoneCorazon]

Zachs Mind seven of nine is oh so fine

[@LittlePinkBowser]

I should say I relate to lark with my love for Cream soda

[@shinankoku2]

Eric ... your Ferengi is scary good ... makes me worry about you a little 😂

[@skittles7306]

This is really good!!!

[@skylerroxasmidoriyatardisp2882]

It's not a boulder! It's a rock!

[@CBusschaert]

took me 5 episode to understand they were saying "ensign" to talk about crew members. RIP

[@WireMosasaur]

"Do we have a Data unit on board?" what 😂

[@sirzechslucifer5346]

the Vulcan artefact for a katra is a katric ark and psionic energy refers to the divorans and the wale probe is referred to as the cetacean probe

[@XCrawlFan]

Holy Ba'joran!

[@kevingault2333]

Jake Sisko commented on bathrooms when in the sunsail ship with his father. That and Dr. Cochrane in First Contact

[@Dumbcrane]

Experiencing the WHOLE of an entire species from incarnation to obliteration................... **vomits profusely from the overwhelming assault of memories and experiences**

[@elromanozo]

Martinez's memory is... odd. I mean, in spite of what happens in DS9 with the "red squad", at the time of captain Martinez' scholarship, Starfleet is a parangon of justice, virtue and equity in a completely utopian society where social justice is everywhere and mental illness is completely eradicated, and where people are in touch with their emotions. Something unfair would never happen at Starfleet Academy... just watch the Wesley Crusher exams episodes. The lieutenants would have (at least metaphorically) sent someone RUNNING to get the innocent cadet back.

[@segufix]

They didn't actually kick out that cadet. It was just an extension of the cap's test. They wanted to see where his true moral core was at. Thats why they said 'welcome to command' after he laid it all out and begged to make it right. He had that sense of justice at heart.

[@elromanozo]

Maybe that's true, maybe not. It's NOT clear from what is said in that game.

[@SarahAndreaRoycesChannel]

The Kobayashi Maru test is about how someone handles an unwinnable situation. It is kind of heart to do when everyone knows about it beforehand. The found a way to test this cadett.

[@elromanozo]

Just a note: In further episodes (available on Project Alpha), I am confirmed to be right : that expelled cadet was indeed expelled, not an actor. We learn that the lad became a civilian engineer and died, later on.

[@Nionivek]

It was likely that Starfleet regulations prevented him from taking the fall instead (A few real life universities function this way) and they manipulated the situation so that both him and Martinez wouldn't get kicked out (after all, one man made a heroic sacrifice AND Martinez is a promising commander). Starfleet is the epitome of justice but they are also puritanical and by the book to such a fault that they sometimes worship the letter of the law to an extent that it no longer follows the intent of those laws. Just watch every single episode on the Prime Directive and notice how sacrosanct Starfleet can be. Wesley was saved by a guilty plea after all.

[@igglyjack6850]

You need to do the ruby road opening

[@Velisatra]

10:05 to skip announcements & start recaps. 16:10 or so to mostly end recap and get to about starting + sorta new narration information.

[@MindOfGenius]

1:12:58 When one character does something that another character is directly opposed to, but can't react to.

[@NC_hamercanttouchthis]

beautifully told GM!

[@milfordweeks9994]

Science my ass.. LOCK IT IN A TRIPLE SHIELDED HOLE! LOL

[@PreistofGHAZpork]

You're making me want to buy another RPG.

[@giuliolanny1373]

Love the show, the story and fun. My only thing is, I’d like to see the role to better understand how the game works.

[@soumyajyotimukherjee4752]

I find it odd that there would be crutches in Star Trek, given the advanced medicine in the verse.

[@Dinuial]

1:37:55 THAT is what I was talking about in the last episode. What POSSIBLE reason would Lark have to be ashamed of being Bajoran? What POSSIBLE reason would her parents - or any other adult in the Federation - have for instilling her with that sense of shame? This isn't like the Klingon's and Romulans where there is a history of enmity and ingrained fear that caused Simon Tarses to hide his Romulan heritage (TNG: The Drumhead). The Federation is supposed to grok the Vulcan IDIC concept, reeducation and assimilation are pieces of racist colonial BULLSHIT that Earth and it's allies should have been left far behind by the 24th century.

[@Dinuial]

Watch the scene leading up to the time stamp in my comment again, and pay attention to behavior throughout the game. She hides the earring, she avoids any conversation about her heritage. According to Bonnie, Lark's adoptive parents ACTIVELY DISCOURAGED her from learning about Bajor or Bajoran culture. The taboo they placed on it got ingrained.

[@Dinuial]

You spend your formative years with your parents actively discouraging something (music, video games, the fantasy genera, whatever) to the point where as a young adult you are uncomfortable being in the same space as someone knowledgeable about the subject offering to answer any questions you may have. What the hell else would you call it? What Lark's parents did to her has euphemistically been called reeducation. It is something that colonial powers have done to native populations for centuries, and it is antithetical to Roddenberry's vision of the future as typified through the IDIC philosophy.

[@Dinuial]

Bonnie is the one who repeatedly says her parents actively discouraged her from learning about Bajor. With that in play from previous episodes Eric doesn't have to do much with his performance. There is a major difference between second generation American kids distancing themselves from their heritage/focusing on the culture they are being raised in and what Bonnie says happened with Lark, namely one's adoptive parents/guardians indoctrinating their culture while discouraging any connection to the culture of one's parents. The Brits did it to Australian aborigines, Americans did it to various Native tribes during westward expansion. As I said in part 1, if Lark had decided on her own that she wasn't interested in learning about Bajor that would have been fine, and a good counterpoint to Worf who while being raised by humans steeped himself in Klingon culture, philosophy, and tradition. This ain't that. This is reeducation. It is an ugly, nationalistic, racist, ethnocentric practice that SHOULD NOT EXIST IN THE FEDERATION.

[@Dinuial]

I Remember part 1. 30 minutes in. "My adoptive parents didn't really want me to know much about Bajor or my actual family..." and I swear that isn't the first or last time she mentions it but I am not going through the entire series again to find the reference. With that in mind watch the scene with her father again. She avoids bringing up what's really troubling her, makes excuses she thinks he can accept. Eric emphasizes her father's attitude towards her describing it as having a "weird sort of passive-aggression" (1:51:54). The Sages didn't merely adopt a "poor child", they adopted a refugee and then denied said child access to her native culture forcing her to take on theirs instead, made her afraid even to ask questions. There is a long and ugly history attached to that practice.

[@chipsnow6514]

What if her biological parents were collaborators?

[@Kuribohcoast]

TMW you finally put together what's going on 83

[@Qardo]

If Commander Rue is a Joined-Trill. Aren't Joined-Trills resistant to Telepathic connections? Because they share the memories of a lifetime of experiences as a host to a Symbiont. Though she does have her own memories. Yet if she can be affected. Doesn't that mean she has how many memories of past host failures to back on? As many as the Symbiont, Rue, has lived. Ah...this is what happens when you deal with a compex spieces as the Trill.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

didn't Troi read the mind of that Trill ambassador in early TNG? I can't remember. that's the only instance I can think of, of a Betazoid and a Trill interacting, ever.

[@Qardo]

Nighthawk If I recall. Tori cannot read minds but sense emotions. She is an Empath than a true Telepath. As she is half human. Not saying she cannot have moments of being able to read minds. Yet it is most done with the aid of a true Telepath. So her sensing the emotions of a Trill is possible. As I do realize. A Trill-Host is still an Individual but he carries symbion's memories with them. Thus have moments of being able to recall past host memories and at times pick up nasty habits. God...I hate to meet the next Trill that is selected to join with Rue (The Symbion is Rue).

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

She and Lwaxanna exchange thoughts in "Menage a Troi" as they walk around the ship. Deanna tells her to stop, and use her mouth like everybody else. That, I remember.

[@macavity7716]

*they. both rue and their player are nonbinary :)

[@jamesmcfadden5354]

That was because they are mother and daughter. They share a special bond. Other than that Troi is an empath only.

[@ZachsMind]

8:58 Quicklink to the open credits with theme song by Leland Cox I'm just doing this so I can copypaste the time index and then Tweet it. Bookmark it for future reference. That sort of thing.

[@bevvox]

Ferengi, surprisingly tough in that respect if anything else, due to their physiology/neurobiology they are a bit more resilient and resistant to mental intrusions and excessive, unstable mental activity...

[@bevvox]

although it seems they're always overly anxious...

[@Raggaliamous]

'posit' A verb not used enough. :)

[@Samael1113]

Does Sam have a mild Tourette's or related-symptom disorder? I've noticed tics before, but she seems to have had a much more apparent "mini-sode" toward the end of the episode. AFAIK, EDS doesn't do tics like that, and nerve damage or other athletic injuries, like Parkinson's, trend toward tremors more than tics and spasms. On a related note, this remains probably the best thing G&S has produced since The Guild. Every week is legitimately like an episode of a ST:TNG only a different crew, and I actually find myself really looking forward to Friday episodes sometime around Tuesday. Keep it up guys.

[@Deiwos0]

They* But they have ADHD which can manifest in tics and fidgeting in much the same way that tourettes does.

[@StoneCorazon]

tHeY

[@skylerroxasmidoriyatardisp2882]

52:20... Are you sure? It does mean changing the bulb.

[@simonmelmeth8515]

Zhiv was invited to enter the Ensign's quarters, he did nothing wrong!!

[@Dawn_Breaker]

So good!

[@pauln2661]

Why did no one put the Betazoid into stasis, cryosleep, or dematerialize him and hold his pattern in the Transporters buffer (Scotty)?

[@dw2201]

I 'Member!

[@nobodyknows9312]

It's funny when he says humans are inefficient he doesn't know how right he is

[@chadsprague3697]

if anyone of the show reads the comments may i ask if at some point you will be dealing with the Q continuum if so will you have a special guest to portray the Q

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

the show is several months old. this is a rebroadcast.

[@chadsprague3697]

if this a few months old then why the hell did it just appear on their channel thne? To me that is wrong

[@anlumo1]

It was on Project Alpha, paid only.

[@marksmadhousemetaphysicalm2938]

To boldly GO..🤔🤣

[@madfawks]

Oh my GOD!

[@blenderpanzi]

I like the sow, but geek criticism: You can't carbon date something from a planet you don't know. You don't have a record of the carbon in the atmosphere of that planet!

[@Anglomixmarathon]

why does junil rue use crutches, birth defect or sustained injury?

[@Deiwos0]

Sustained injury from a battle with the Borg, nanites have rendered their legs inoperable and unusable. It's a bit of a stretch, but I imagine that's the only way a disabled player had to play a disabled character.

[@CaughtDingoes]

Not enough like buttons

[@CaptainForsyth]

I want to draw the sally ride With seven Romulans warbirds in front of her.

[@anthill7774]

There is a drunk man in a woman's room send a lesbian to arrest him.

[@MarvelX42]

You can skip to 8:30 and miss nothing.

[@Dinuial]

1:22:24 that brings up a question I've been wanting to ask. The cast goes back and forth between referring to performers and characters so when I heard "they" a couple of episodes ago it was unclear whether the pronoun referred to Sam or Junil Rue. If the former, no problem I know Sam uses they/them/their. If the latter that potentially makes a fascinating exploration that, while it doesn't need to be dealt with on the show I'd be interested to see it in supplementary materials such as crew personal logs and back stories. If Junil is joined, is "they" a reference to the combination of host and symbiant? (If so why? All the bound Trill we've seen in ST so far have been dealt with as a single entity, a gestalt of host and symbiant. Dax was male while Curzon, Joran, Torias, and Tobin but female while Ezri, Jadzia, Audrid, Emony, and Lela.) Was Junil fluid/nonbinary before the joining or as a result? The latter suggests a personality which would have scrubbed out of the initiate program while the former could make for an interesting relationship/experience for both symbiant and host. (Part of the purpose of joining is for the symbiant to fully experience multiple lives - thus the taboo surrounding reassociation - and candidates that will be overwhelmed by the symbiant or have their core identity subsumed by it are rejected. Dax's memories nad experience as Lela did not push any of the later hosts to be statesmen, Tobin didn't make them nervous wrecks.) Were fluid/nonbinary individuals discriminated against/excluded from the initiate program?

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

in-universe response: we don't know, because there's no record. out-universe response: no, because, at the time of the production, _this trend_ didn't exist. I say trend because I see things for what they are, and this is just a person asking somebody else to call them names. which, I don't see the purpose of, but apparently if you state otherwise, people get offended (don't get me wrong, I don't hate Sam,... I just don't understand the reason for this behavior, which to me looks like somebody just asking everybody else to treat them differently, for whatever reason [which they're not stating]....... I don't just do whatever anyone tells me to do, as I'm sure the parents of every kid out there since the origin of time had taught their children to do)

[@Dinuial]

Nighthawk It isn't a trend. All things in nature exist in systems and spectra, including gender and sexuality. Monotheistic societies like those that provided the biggest influence on modern western culture tend to think in binaries so for a very long time we though exclusively in terms of male v female (and it is "v "rather than "&" as the thinking not only finds binaries but sets them in opposition i.e. light/dark, good/evil, science/religion etc.). Other cultures either recognized the spectra or offered more options (e.g. Cherokee two spirit people). These types of things have an ancient history that various cultures have dealt with in different ways, we are just starting to rediscover recognize that it is a thing and develop a language and protocol for dealing with it. (The English language makes it especially hard because we do not have a universally agreed upon androgynous hermaphroditic neuter animate singular specific. "It" while gender neutral is inanimate and dehumanizing, "one" can be applied in general but sounds pompous and falls apart grammatically when applied to the specific unless "this one/that one" which again becomes dehumanizing. Singular "they" has precedence and is definitely animate but is grammatically controversial.)

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

I totally agree! like I said, I'm not against it... I know that everything happens for a reason, and there's a very good reason why Sam (or anyone) would choose this or that course of action, which is totally explainable as having an episode in their pasts that triggered that decision. nothing happens "because reasons", except maybe the lottery, which, if it happened by decree, it would be considered rigged and illegal.... but I digress. but the thing is, in the English language, you can't define person without gender... it's a thing of the language. in Spanish and some other languages you have gender-neutral pronouns which you often use after the subject has been established at the beginning of the speech, so that you don't have to say Name(adverb) Verb(gender) Object(gender) every time... it is inferred that if you don't introduce another person, you're still talking about the same one. but still, only two pronouns exist, because there's two shapes in nature: male and female. (that *we* named) but this is not a case of hermaphrodism or androginy, but of personal development, and personal development implies succession of events, and succession of events imply decision, which triggers the question: "why?" "against which situation?", "triggered by what event?", did this course of action came to be.

[@Dinuial]

Nighthawk English has three animate singular pronouns: he, masculine; she, feminine; and one (other languages, even western ones, have more). "One" refers to someone, an indistinct individual similar to the French "on" but it has fallen into disuse and today sounds either excessively formal or distant if not antiquated. Which remains inadequate as there are not simply two shapes in nature (if one wishes to reduce it to pure physical sex there are males, female, and hermaphrodites, the last takes a variety of shapes from presenting both male and female qualities simultaneously to being genetically the one but presenting physically the other), neither are there two patterns for a distinct being. Modern western society only recognizes male and female gender and tends to insist that gender manifestation and performance conform to biological sex but various culture have made provision for women born biologically male, men born biologically female, and people who exist somewhere in between (off the top of my head I can think of 6, an anthropologist could offer a much longer list. What I cannot do is name the cultures because google hates me. If you have better luck with computer searches of those I have read about one is the aforementioned Two Spirit people of the Cherokee, one is an oceanic culture [I want to say Tonga but I can't be sure], one is Eastern European, two are Asian and the sixth is another New World tradition). Trauma is not required for an individual to manifest an identity which does not conform to a strict binary (trauma is not required for anything the mind/brain produces, merely biochemistry) and forcing such individuals to conform is, in fact, likely to cause trauma. THIS IS NOT NEW, we formed under the Abrahamic religions just haven't thought about it in a couple centuries.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

and in the "one" term is the mistake: when we're talking about people, we can't use an indefinite pronoun. people are *_people_*, very much defined. I didn't say _trauma_ , I said _event_ that's the core question.... _something_ happened, _anything_ , something significant, and that, _that_ , and only _that_ , after a very particular personal interpretation and conclusion, is the cause of everything else. (I'm a programmer... I'm used to read code lines down to the last misplaced comma or sign to find problems, and sometimes it involves tracking a stack of 100 instructions to find the problem. That's why I say that whatever "that" is, it's definite; reactive, not predetermined)

[@matthewtheall8890]

Why does the GM do all the role playing for the players?

[@larrysain7873]

What about Q

[@rdmrdm2659]

Schrodingers Targ.

[@jameshammond4730]

2:12:19 so funny. his voice

[@WhiteWolfac]

banned word "contagion"

[@brenen7412]

Vulcan gonna kill you!

[@dark3rthanshadows]

Mass effect 1 ?

[@badjetterful]

I though sports died off in the time of the federation

[@roceb5009]

Hey, you guys should shoe-horn some more backstory into this.