You did such a great job of highlighting Tysess' guilt over being the one who unintentionally activated the Starfleet-destroying virus in your "Body Language" series. But I also wonder how scared he was when the UT went down and he couldn't understand anyone. "Prodigy" did such a great job of highlighting, since the first episode, just how vital the UT is, and how this singular device is the thing that keeps Starfleet/the Federation from falling apart, and it's the thing that unites so many people and cultures. I know in your story, Tysess eventually learns English/Standard so he can connect with Opheila and her family more.....but I also wonder if he actually started learning much earlier than that. Suddenly not being able to understand all the people I normally talk to would F-me up emotionally for sure. No doubt he'd want to be prepared and never want to be rendered so helpless ever again.
Okay, first of all, so sorry for taking so long, I was so busy I didn't even open tumblr that much
And yes, I definetly agree with you there. I believe that this could've or should've been like a key moment for him to realise that he should start learning it. It doesn't need to be perfect, but at least should cover enough language knowledge so he could communicate with his other crew members in case of emergency. It would be actually quite interesting to dive deeper into such a topic in general, how th UT works and maybe limits its users, especially on a starship...
