I dreamt it was Thanksgiving and I was watching my favorite Thanksgiving movie, called “Freyja”.  It was the story of a pair of brothers (neither of who’s name I remember): The younger one (played by Jonathan Frakes) had grown up pampered by his parents, but was outgoing.  He waged war to put food on his parent’s table, and it was plentiful.  He wore a black star-trek uniform, but a red cape.  The older one (Patrick Stewart) was wise but reserved.  He had been a diplomat that had brokered peace between the two warring factions, and, in doing so, had put his brother out of work.

It was Thanksgiving, and their mother (Gates McFadden) had set the table.  They didn’t have much, and their mother had served the turkey bones from their last great feast; it wasn’t much, but it was something.  Their table was long, but the family took up only the four seats at one end of the table (the sister, Freyja, and the titular character of the movie, in this version played by Marina Sirtis) – the Thanksgiving feast was a pale shadow of what had previously been.

The mother, Freyja, and the older brother sat down to the meal, and engaged in small talk while they ate, while the younger brother stalked around the living room, muttering and cursing under his breath.  His mother bade him to sit down, but he would not, saying that the starving of his family was a disgrace to his service, and that he would go find his feast.  He stormed out the door, and his mother then sent Freyja after him.

When Freyja finally caught up to her brother, his sword was drawn on a group of refugees.  Freyja told him to come home, that the battle raged now only in his heart, not with his family nor his own countrymen.  And that, just as it took him time to come to terms with waging war (didn’t he remember that?) it would take him time to make peace within himself.

They returned home, and he saw the bits of meat on the bones as the others saw it – as a feast that could be enjoyed with family.  He sat next to his brother, gave thanks. and ate.

Epilogue – I woke up, then fell back asleep to dream again of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast, this time, actually as their Star Trek characters.  In this dream, Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Data were sitting on couches in a living room at the bottom of a set of stairs.  Geordi’s voice was coming from somewhere upstairs, as he talked loudly and boldly about “Data Slavery” – what happens when data isn’t free and open.  He says that he is sure his career would go nowhere if Riker heard him, at which point Riker gives a “Well, that just happened” face and continues his conversation.

Eventually, a young Geordi comes down the stairs, notices the senior staff gathered, and realizes his faux pas.  He says, somewhat sheepishly, that he has locked himself out of his room, and needs a key.  Everyone starts digging for their keyfobs (because, it’s the future), and Riker hands him his, with a bit of a smile.