I can't tell you how many times a TV series or a movie had the same affect on me. I used to say that God spoke to me through TV shows - well, technically through the writers. The lesson calls to us when we're ready to heal from it. Thanks for sharing this with us Holly! I was a fan of DS9 too!
I was introduced to your Substack when (I think) DarkHorse pointed to your article warning about the normalization of pedophilia. I have school age kids (for 2 more years anyway) and it hit hard. I enjoy reading your political opinions, but I agree, even reading a lot of that stuff feels like intellectual laziness. I’ll keep subscribing because I enjoy your style. Keep up the good work.
(Also Garak is the best character. I will die on that hill.)
Thank you!!! That article is something that I will always be grateful I wrote, even though it was one of the hardest challenges of my life. B&H (who are friends of mine) held my hands all through it, so if it helped you, you have them to thank as well. ☺️ On Garak -- the actor who played him wrote a novel, "A Stitch in Time," that gives Garak's backstory. It's absolutely fabulous. Can't recommend it enough.
The way that you open the world up and examine it is refreshing if sometimes horrifying. The Darkhorse podcast with Heather and Bret, as well as his brother, Eric, gives me hope. We’re in good hands there. Sisko faced a choice that commanders and leaders have had to face since the dawn of specialized warfare. When the stakes are so huge and the costs are so high that the dear and awful price is worth it. Until we become a better race, I fear we’re going to continue paying these kinds of prices. The butchers bill is always too high. Especially for the soldiers that pay them. And their families.
Never seen DS9, but this has made me want to give it a go.
As for the main point you're making, the idea of tradeoffs is so true. Thomas Sowell has often said that there are no solutions, only trade-offs. He's talking about politics, but it's also so true about just life itself. Sadly, some trade-offs can be imposed on us (you have some real heartbreaking examples you've had to deal with), but there is power to understanding the nature of tradeoffs and then choosing.
And yet it's also hard. I certainly don't have the stakes, nor the moral consequences that you describe Sisko of having... but I am looking at my own future right now and thinking really hard about the risks of what I want to do vs. the safety of changing nothing. There are no solutions, only trade-offs. So what do I choose? It's a hard question, and I expect it's hard for most people when they face it honestly.
Do give DS9 a try. One really intriguing aspect of it that I left out of this, as it would've required a very long digression, is that it's the only Trek to take religion seriously, in my opinion. The Bajorans are deeply religious and believe that Sisko is sent by their gods, the Prophets. He has to balance being regarded as their Emissary (a kind of Space Jesus) with his rationality and being a Starfleet officer. It's really interesting and very well-handled.
There is a great scene early in the series where (I think) Vedik Winn is trying to get Keiko O'Brien's school closed because she won't teach Bajoran religious beliefs and Jake says something to his father about the whole thing being stupid ("Come on, they're not prophets, it's silly!" or something similarly flippant). Then-Commander Ben Sisko's response still shocks me as being so even-handed and open-minded I still find it hard to believe it came from an LA writer's pen.
Awesome episode. The first time I saw it I remember watching the scene you linked and thinking, “I don’t believe him. He didn’t have trade his conscience or his self-respect, otherwise he wouldn’t have said that he can live with it.”
It’s still something I chew on from time when thinking about the morality and legality of acts war. Victory at any cost vs. Just War Theory, to what extent means and ends are linked, etc. That show did such an excellent job of portraying the difficult decisions that a war like that requires.
I do believe him. Because he expects a lot more of himself. He was the chief strategist for the United Federation of Planets; he would expect himself to be able to gain an ally without suborning double murder.
Holly, if you haven’t seen this, it’s a very interesting interview with Ron Moore one of the original writers on Star Trek: The Next Generation and also DS9 and Harlan Ellison who wrote the episode City on the Edge of Forever from the original series.
Best episode of DS9. Possibly the best written episode of any show in television history. I remember watching it when it premiered and wondering how a fictional story with fictional characters could explore the moral questions of real life so well. But, as Hemingway said, “The best stories are more true than if they really happened.”
“The begotten” explores parenthood unbelievably well. “Soldiers of the Empire” explores loyalty to friends and doing what is necessary when someone you admire and respect is failing the team.
But if I could make a suggestion for you, after Pale Moonlight, you might want to watch Ridley Scott‘s Kingdom of Heaven, which explores ethics Immanuel Kant style, where doing a little evil to do a greater good is the crux of the whole movie. Only watch the director‘s cut. Aside from the story, the cast and scenery is beautiful. The soundtrack is great and my favorite character is a leper.
I prefer non political post. Public policy is really too nuanced to discuss in an essay form and everyone comes out sounding more blunt in their viewpoints then reality warrants.
I find your other essays far better and think it was actually more courageous to stop writing about politics and risk losing your audience. Hopefully your essays will bring others back soon, but either way I think you are better off than writing about politics.
My only complaint with this essay is a minor detail where you suggest Garak is something more than a humble tailor.
While I find math to be like a language created by an alien race, and I originally came here because of the culture posts, I've stayed because I find you to be real and insightful and for some reason I identify with you, even though we really don't have very much in common. Your writing makes me feel relaxed and I ended up looking forward to the to the posts that weren't about cultural. While I don't think I'll ever like math, I like your stack and I'm not going anywhere. Please know that there are lots of people out there that believe like you do, you're not alone.
DS9 is definitely the most grownup and politically realistic of the Star Treks. This particular episode you reference where Sisko conspires with a card-carrying bad guy to commit a false flag operation against the Romulans is pure genius. The Dominion War is Star Trek drama done right, much more so than the Xindi conflict in Enterprise or whatever it is that Discovery was doing when they weren't being cringe with the pronoun games.
I only just subscribed to you recently, but it seems that your writing has improved since you laid off the politics. No complaints here. ^_^
OMG, yes. I think Sisko's ending comment in this episode, Quark's rumination on hoo-man nature, and Quark and Garak's analogy of the Federation to root beer are probably the three best pieces of writing in the whole series.
I believe that DS9, especially the later seasons, has the best writing in Star Trek. The evolution of Nog’s character during the Dominion War is excellent too.
If you want some more good DS9 stories, I’d recommend this if you haven’t read it yet:
I've been busy, so this is your first post-politics essay I've read, and even though I still enjoy the smug self-serving satisfaction of viewing politics from my holier-than-thou perch, there are other, deeper things that I enjoy more. Although you don't give us any details of the decision that has led to your current dilemma, I appreciate your reflections on it.
I have made mistakes in my life, that, rather than regret, I try to learn from and never make again. Also I have no regrets about the times I have told the truth, like the one that resulted in my expulsion from my family. (No, they were not nearly so bad as yours, but they preferred to not know me and just disinherit me after I pointed out that they were putting someone I cared about in potential danger by keeping a secret and then revealed the secret to those who needed to know.) My wife likewise refused to lie for the good of her dissertation adviser, and it cost her a career she had worked long and hard for, but she found fulfillment anyways.
I consider myself fortunate that I have never been placed in a position where to prevent a greater wrong, I had to commit a morally wrong act myself. Or, at least, so I tell myself. My wife and I were raised Roman Catholic, and our marriage to each other meant our excommunication, but I never have and never will regret nor apologize for choosing to share my life with the best woman who ever lived for 41 years. Neither have I ever abandoned my faith in God.
One thing about mental health that I will pass on though. Catholic tradition is to give up something for Lent. Because of her many health problems, my wife found herself in a position where she felt there was nothing she could give up that she hadn't already sacrificed to make her life at least tolerable, so she decided instead to try to do something positive every day of Lent. One year, she wrote down 10 things for which she was grateful every day during Lent. She allowed herself to have some duplicates, but the majority of the items were unique. At the end of that Lent, she was still in as much physical pain, but she felt tremendously better emotionally and spiritually.
I’ve very much enjoyed your new writing, post-politics. Your past two essays spoke to me in a way that’s always interesting and meaningful. I mean, one of my favorite series of books as a child PLUS you enjoy DS9! DS9 is definitely the best series in Star Trek - it’s a far more balanced, realistic view than Roddenberry ever allowed.
Post-Politics Holly Mathnerd is dope and it is very refreshing compared to the rest of my substack feed. This is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, but I never quite understood why until I read this. I’ve been trudging through the muddy PTSD waters for most of this year, and I am similarly trying to decide the frame to find the meaning that will, I hope, help me put the pieces of my soul back together. Thank you for writing this and reminding me that I can go back to Star Trek for a place to reflect and heal.
I can't tell you how many times a TV series or a movie had the same affect on me. I used to say that God spoke to me through TV shows - well, technically through the writers. The lesson calls to us when we're ready to heal from it. Thanks for sharing this with us Holly! I was a fan of DS9 too!
Greetings from another “Niner!”
I was introduced to your Substack when (I think) DarkHorse pointed to your article warning about the normalization of pedophilia. I have school age kids (for 2 more years anyway) and it hit hard. I enjoy reading your political opinions, but I agree, even reading a lot of that stuff feels like intellectual laziness. I’ll keep subscribing because I enjoy your style. Keep up the good work.
(Also Garak is the best character. I will die on that hill.)
Thank you!!! That article is something that I will always be grateful I wrote, even though it was one of the hardest challenges of my life. B&H (who are friends of mine) held my hands all through it, so if it helped you, you have them to thank as well. ☺️ On Garak -- the actor who played him wrote a novel, "A Stitch in Time," that gives Garak's backstory. It's absolutely fabulous. Can't recommend it enough.
Thanks! I will check that out!
The way that you open the world up and examine it is refreshing if sometimes horrifying. The Darkhorse podcast with Heather and Bret, as well as his brother, Eric, gives me hope. We’re in good hands there. Sisko faced a choice that commanders and leaders have had to face since the dawn of specialized warfare. When the stakes are so huge and the costs are so high that the dear and awful price is worth it. Until we become a better race, I fear we’re going to continue paying these kinds of prices. The butchers bill is always too high. Especially for the soldiers that pay them. And their families.
Never seen DS9, but this has made me want to give it a go.
As for the main point you're making, the idea of tradeoffs is so true. Thomas Sowell has often said that there are no solutions, only trade-offs. He's talking about politics, but it's also so true about just life itself. Sadly, some trade-offs can be imposed on us (you have some real heartbreaking examples you've had to deal with), but there is power to understanding the nature of tradeoffs and then choosing.
And yet it's also hard. I certainly don't have the stakes, nor the moral consequences that you describe Sisko of having... but I am looking at my own future right now and thinking really hard about the risks of what I want to do vs. the safety of changing nothing. There are no solutions, only trade-offs. So what do I choose? It's a hard question, and I expect it's hard for most people when they face it honestly.
Do give DS9 a try. One really intriguing aspect of it that I left out of this, as it would've required a very long digression, is that it's the only Trek to take religion seriously, in my opinion. The Bajorans are deeply religious and believe that Sisko is sent by their gods, the Prophets. He has to balance being regarded as their Emissary (a kind of Space Jesus) with his rationality and being a Starfleet officer. It's really interesting and very well-handled.
There is a great scene early in the series where (I think) Vedik Winn is trying to get Keiko O'Brien's school closed because she won't teach Bajoran religious beliefs and Jake says something to his father about the whole thing being stupid ("Come on, they're not prophets, it's silly!" or something similarly flippant). Then-Commander Ben Sisko's response still shocks me as being so even-handed and open-minded I still find it hard to believe it came from an LA writer's pen.
Awesome episode. The first time I saw it I remember watching the scene you linked and thinking, “I don’t believe him. He didn’t have trade his conscience or his self-respect, otherwise he wouldn’t have said that he can live with it.”
It’s still something I chew on from time when thinking about the morality and legality of acts war. Victory at any cost vs. Just War Theory, to what extent means and ends are linked, etc. That show did such an excellent job of portraying the difficult decisions that a war like that requires.
I do believe him. Because he expects a lot more of himself. He was the chief strategist for the United Federation of Planets; he would expect himself to be able to gain an ally without suborning double murder.
Holly, if you haven’t seen this, it’s a very interesting interview with Ron Moore one of the original writers on Star Trek: The Next Generation and also DS9 and Harlan Ellison who wrote the episode City on the Edge of Forever from the original series.
http://galactica-station.blogspot.com/2006/11/harlan-ellison-interviews-ronald-d.html
Best episode of DS9. Possibly the best written episode of any show in television history. I remember watching it when it premiered and wondering how a fictional story with fictional characters could explore the moral questions of real life so well. But, as Hemingway said, “The best stories are more true than if they really happened.”
“The begotten” explores parenthood unbelievably well. “Soldiers of the Empire” explores loyalty to friends and doing what is necessary when someone you admire and respect is failing the team.
I could go on and on . . .
Children of Time is another great episode. The alternate history is pitch perfect.
Yup. One of many great episodes.
But if I could make a suggestion for you, after Pale Moonlight, you might want to watch Ridley Scott‘s Kingdom of Heaven, which explores ethics Immanuel Kant style, where doing a little evil to do a greater good is the crux of the whole movie. Only watch the director‘s cut. Aside from the story, the cast and scenery is beautiful. The soundtrack is great and my favorite character is a leper.
I prefer non political post. Public policy is really too nuanced to discuss in an essay form and everyone comes out sounding more blunt in their viewpoints then reality warrants.
I find your other essays far better and think it was actually more courageous to stop writing about politics and risk losing your audience. Hopefully your essays will bring others back soon, but either way I think you are better off than writing about politics.
My only complaint with this essay is a minor detail where you suggest Garak is something more than a humble tailor.
“I thought you’d be taller.” 🤣
While I find math to be like a language created by an alien race, and I originally came here because of the culture posts, I've stayed because I find you to be real and insightful and for some reason I identify with you, even though we really don't have very much in common. Your writing makes me feel relaxed and I ended up looking forward to the to the posts that weren't about cultural. While I don't think I'll ever like math, I like your stack and I'm not going anywhere. Please know that there are lots of people out there that believe like you do, you're not alone.
DS9 is definitely the most grownup and politically realistic of the Star Treks. This particular episode you reference where Sisko conspires with a card-carrying bad guy to commit a false flag operation against the Romulans is pure genius. The Dominion War is Star Trek drama done right, much more so than the Xindi conflict in Enterprise or whatever it is that Discovery was doing when they weren't being cringe with the pronoun games.
I only just subscribed to you recently, but it seems that your writing has improved since you laid off the politics. No complaints here. ^_^
Thank you!
I think DS9 has the best writing in Star Trek, especially the later seasons. The evolution of Nog’s character during the Dominion Wars is great too.
If you haven’t seen it, this is a great DS9 book set after the end of the series:
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Space-These-Haunted/dp/1416556397
Thanks! And yes, the episode that focuses on Nog's PTSD is a rare example of TV getting PTSD right, IMO.
And Quark’s rumination on the real nature of “Humaans” was great.
OMG, yes. I think Sisko's ending comment in this episode, Quark's rumination on hoo-man nature, and Quark and Garak's analogy of the Federation to root beer are probably the three best pieces of writing in the whole series.
I believe that DS9, especially the later seasons, has the best writing in Star Trek. The evolution of Nog’s character during the Dominion War is excellent too.
If you want some more good DS9 stories, I’d recommend this if you haven’t read it yet:
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Space-These-Haunted/
I've been busy, so this is your first post-politics essay I've read, and even though I still enjoy the smug self-serving satisfaction of viewing politics from my holier-than-thou perch, there are other, deeper things that I enjoy more. Although you don't give us any details of the decision that has led to your current dilemma, I appreciate your reflections on it.
I have made mistakes in my life, that, rather than regret, I try to learn from and never make again. Also I have no regrets about the times I have told the truth, like the one that resulted in my expulsion from my family. (No, they were not nearly so bad as yours, but they preferred to not know me and just disinherit me after I pointed out that they were putting someone I cared about in potential danger by keeping a secret and then revealed the secret to those who needed to know.) My wife likewise refused to lie for the good of her dissertation adviser, and it cost her a career she had worked long and hard for, but she found fulfillment anyways.
I consider myself fortunate that I have never been placed in a position where to prevent a greater wrong, I had to commit a morally wrong act myself. Or, at least, so I tell myself. My wife and I were raised Roman Catholic, and our marriage to each other meant our excommunication, but I never have and never will regret nor apologize for choosing to share my life with the best woman who ever lived for 41 years. Neither have I ever abandoned my faith in God.
One thing about mental health that I will pass on though. Catholic tradition is to give up something for Lent. Because of her many health problems, my wife found herself in a position where she felt there was nothing she could give up that she hadn't already sacrificed to make her life at least tolerable, so she decided instead to try to do something positive every day of Lent. One year, she wrote down 10 things for which she was grateful every day during Lent. She allowed herself to have some duplicates, but the majority of the items were unique. At the end of that Lent, she was still in as much physical pain, but she felt tremendously better emotionally and spiritually.
I have an awesome app that I try to put a gratitude entry in three times a day. It's a wonderful practice!
I enjoy your writing, so whatever topic you examine is worthwhile reading.
Thank you!!
I’ve very much enjoyed your new writing, post-politics. Your past two essays spoke to me in a way that’s always interesting and meaningful. I mean, one of my favorite series of books as a child PLUS you enjoy DS9! DS9 is definitely the best series in Star Trek - it’s a far more balanced, realistic view than Roddenberry ever allowed.
Yes, DS9 is a positive future that I personally find much more optimistic than the others, because it's realistic. They're still people.
Post-Politics Holly Mathnerd is dope and it is very refreshing compared to the rest of my substack feed. This is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, but I never quite understood why until I read this. I’ve been trudging through the muddy PTSD waters for most of this year, and I am similarly trying to decide the frame to find the meaning that will, I hope, help me put the pieces of my soul back together. Thank you for writing this and reminding me that I can go back to Star Trek for a place to reflect and heal.
❤️❤️❤️