kathryn.islonely.com

Ah, B'Elanna...arguably the most mis-used character in all of Trek. And yet in a strange
"breaking the fourth wall" sort of way, the most true to life. B'Elanna's personality seems
to be altered with each new episode, but what "real person" (so to speak) do you know to
be as static as the Enterprise, and to a lesser extent the Voyager, crews? B'Elanna is as
confused and ever-evolving as the rest of us. She is perpetually lost and she is perpetually
reinventing herself. She is not at peace with the two sides of her ancestry, she is afraid of
both her angry Klingon side and her vulnerable Human side and she is equally afraid to
accept that they are one and the same...that the only disparity that exists between her halves
is of her own creation because in fact she is whole. B'Elanna has calmed significantly since
her first snarling appearance. She has gained confidence in her abilities as a direct result of
her status as Chief Engineer; she has bonded with the Captain and found true friends in Harry
and her beloved Tom; and she has become not only a member of the crew but a vital, perhaps
irreplaceable part of the crew. Yet she remains angry and vulnerable. Strong and fragile.
Passionate and numb. Frightened and lost. Never secure, never comfortable in her own skin.
Always changing, always seeking, always yearning to be more...better....
Nowhere, No One, Nothing....Everyone.

"I look back and I try to find the part of me that I don't know.
I won't stop till I see the truth...there's such a long way to go."
-"Freudiana"

I'll tame this lion of flesh before the night is over
My love will not rest until my mind is sober
Reputations from my past chained me so tight
You break free you break fast on my decision tonight

I've been sold to lies I've been told by former generations
Who tell me what's worth having a hold on for cheap sensations
But you ask me at this moment who do I say I am
A new creation they don't have to understand

"B'Elanna Torres...intelligent, beautiful and with a chip on her shoulder the size of the
Horsehead Nebula. She also had a kind of...vulnerability that made her...quite endearing."
-The Doctor

"That's the way you respond to every situation, isn't it? If it doesn't work, hit it.
If it's in your way, knock it down."

I will not be bound by what they tell me I can be
I will not stay silent
I will speak my liberty

"I haven't built any empires...and I can't say that I've personally defeated any enemies
in battle. But you have to realize I'm not living among warriors....I don't know. I guess
I'm doing the best I can."

"I came to admire a lot of things about her...her strength...her bravery. I guess I just
have to accept the fact...that I'll spend the rest of my life fighting with her."

"...All I'm saying, is that there is room in every good story for a little bit of passion."

...Formerly Known As...