Earth in the Future. The Star Trek franchise presents, if not a utopian future, a better future for humanity. Earth of the 24th Century is supposed to have conquered war, poverty, and disease. We catch a few glimpses of our home planet, particularly in "Deep Space Nine." The trio talks about how our home planet will work in the Star Trek future, from Phlox's treatment in "Enterprise," to the two-parter "Homefront"/"Paradise Lost" to season three of "Discovery." Do we wish we could see more of fu...
Jul 15, 2022•59 min
Fatherhood in Trek In recognition of the recent Father's Day holiday, the trio examine the dads in Trek - both the characters who were actual dads and the ones who had parental (or grandparental) qualities. Which Trek dad would you like to have taken you to a ballgame? Or have an adventure with? Which Trek dads would take part in the local Starfleet branch of a dad's group, and what would they talk about? And does Captain Jellico being a loving granddad make up for his being an ornery captain? L...
Jun 24, 2022•52 min
Short Treks Pitches. Short Treks lasted for two "seasons" and presented a variety of ways to tell Trek stories in a condensed format. From small tales from "Star Trek: Discovery" to prequels to "Star Trek: Picard" to smaller slices of life from Pike's Enterprise. In 2022, what could be other stories told from the current series? The trio pitches their ideas for Short Treks episodes that come from "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Star Trek: Prodigy," "Star Trek: Picard," and others. What 8 to 15 minute...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Prequel Madness. The success of "Strange New Worlds" begs the question - what other prequel possibilities are there in the Star Trek franchise? The trio has some fun pitching ideas for other prequel series set 10 years or so before the other Trek series. How would a pre-Voyager Maquis series fair? What about Terek Nor, the Occupation-based show set on the Bajoran space station? How many prequels can be made?! Let us know any ideas you have in establishing the various worlds and characters we see...
May 21, 2022•59 min
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It's here! The Trek franchise continues to expand with its newest entry - a series focused on the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike and his crew, exploring and having adventures preceding the events of The Original Series. The trio talks about the first episode, what it establishes for the familiar characters of Pike and Spock, what this means for the rest of the series, how it differs to what has come before, and our favori...
May 13, 2022•55 min
Selling Trek, old and new. It's easy to critique Star Trek - whether from the dated sets and attitudes of The Original Series to the convoluted storylines of the recent series. But we are Trek fans, so it's time to celebrate what we love about this franchise. The trio takes turns "selling" each series of Trek to a hypothetical new viewer: Why should you begin with TOS? Or the Animated Series? Where should you start if you're just beginning to watch Deep Space Nine or Enterprise? We also examine ...
May 07, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Picard Season Three: Hopes and Wishes As "Star Trek: Picard" closes its second season, fans are already clamoring for season three which promises to reunite the main actors/characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The trio looks at where season two has taken us and where we can go from there. What do we want to see from Worf, La Forge, and Crusher? Where will Riker and Troi go from where we saw them last? What character will Brent Spiner play? How should Picard's story end? Join us as w...
Apr 29, 2022•1 hr
Crossover with old episodes. During '90s Trek, there was the occasional use of crossovers - the Enterprise-D goes to Deep Space Nine, Riker shows up on Voyager, Riker (Thomas) shows up on Deep Space Nine, Riker shows up on the NX-01 ... and some other non-Riker examples. Then a crossover happened that blew fans' minds - the crew of DS9 visits station K-9 and the NCC-1701 in "Trials and Tribble-ations." Now in the 21st Century, what crossovers with older episodes do we wish other series' crews co...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (2022/4K) When it comes to feature films, the 1979 "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" keeps getting revisited and re-released. Paramount Plus released the newest update to the first ever Trek film this year, so Drew Stewart (@StarTrekVisComp) joins the trio to share the history of the troubled film and its history (and need) for updating. What's changed along the years? How many editions are there? Is it finally "fixed"? Will previous critics o...
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 4 min
The Many Timelines of Trek. Time travel can be confusing. Okay, very confusing. And it's not just the "mirror" universes, parallel timelines, alternate futures - it's also the "regular" timeline that Star Trek series revisit on occasion which then changes and ... look, we need a corkboard and lots of yarn to keep track of it all. The trio looks at the recent episode of "Star Trek: Picard," its implications, and how other Trek series which seem to tangle up the so-called "Prime" timeline. We are ...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Reconciling the Star Trek Past With Our History As "Star Trek: Picard" travels to our future of 2024 as their past in season two, it serves as an opportunity to look at what is recorded as history in Trek that doesn't exactly match our experiences in the past 50 years. Of course, as someone once said, "repeat yourself, it's just a show, I should really just relax." That said - the trio attempts to "prove" that all of Star Trek history, from 1980 to 2024, really happened. The Eugnenic Wars? Easil...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 5 min
"Rios v. Commander Toby: The Stargazer." The new Sagan-class USS Stargazer was introduced in season two of "Star Trek: Picard," and it already has us wanting more. The trio pitch their idea for a "Star Trek: Stargazer" series, with Captain Rios leading his 25th C. crew throughout the Federation worlds on a mission of goodwill and rebuilding. In our idea for the series, we populate the Stargazer with a larger civilian crew, comprised of Federation specialists to help assist neglected Federation m...
Mar 18, 2022•54 min
Picard Season Two Star Trek: Picard is back ... with a bang! And a Borg! And a Q! Season two began with a soft reboot, briefly introducing all the season one characters and their current places in the universe - but we still follow Jean-Luc Picard, his struggles on Earth, and a mysterious mission that places him on a U.S.S. Stargazer, for the second time in his life. So much happens, that the trio tries to catch up -- what were your favorite parts? What surprised you? What happened during "lost"...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Darren, Daniel and Phillip bring on Tristan Riddell and Mike Schindler to talk about how to prepare for Star Trek Mission Chicago. Listen along to hear their tips and plans.
Mar 07, 2022•59 min
252 - Thomas Riker Season 7 - Part 2 - ...and now the conclusion. The trio completes their Thomas trilogy covering the first appearance of transporter double Lieutenant Riker, and his subsequent adventures on the Enterprise-D (if he had replaced Commander Riker). We continue our journey into season seven with the Riker-focused episode, "Pegasus." How does a mid-career Riker deal with his former captain, Admiral Pressman, and his new captain, Jean-Luc Picard? Especially a Riker who has been stran...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Thomas Riker, Season 7 - Part 1 In the second part of our trilogy on the transporter-created character of Lieutenant Thomas Riker, we continue to explore how Thomas could have changed the course of The Next Generation. In the creation of the "Second Chances" story, some writers raised the possibility of killing off Commander William Riker, and - in essence - replacing him with Thomas Riker, allowing Data to become the new first officer of the Enterprise-D, and allowing new adventures to unfold. ...
Feb 18, 2022•53 min
"Second Chances" - There are a few guest characters in the Trek franchise who get a "sequel" in a later episode. One is Thomas Riker, a transporter double of Commander William T. Riker, who pops up later in the "Deep Space Nine" episode - "Defiant." The trio revisits his first appearance in "The Next Generation" - "Second Chances." Trek has done many "double" episodes; "The Enemy Within" (TOS), "Datalore" (TNG), "Deadlock" (VOY), and "Similitude" (ENT), to name a few. However, the incident of th...
Feb 12, 2022•55 min
Pitches for Star Trek Merchandise Star Trek fans love "merch." Whether it's uniforms, toys, comm badges, figures, and other "collectables," we all love it. But it's not a stretch to say that the franchise's merchandising has not been overwhelming in the 21st Century. The trio takes turn pitching ideas for new items for sale focused on the series of "Enterprise," "Discovery," "Prodigy," "Picard", as well as the Kelvin-verse films. What new collectable are you dreaming will show up on toy shelves?...
Feb 04, 2022•58 min
Picard Predictions. Fans got a new teaser trailer for the second season of "Star Trek: Picard" - what do we think is next for the La Sirena crew? From time travel, alternate timelines, Q, Guinan, and more, there were flashes and hints but Picard's journey remains unclear. Join the trio as we look into our crystal ball and, with the Borg Queen's help, see what the future holds for this Trek series.
Jan 28, 2022•51 min
Star Trek: Prodigy Catch-up The trio take stock of the second quarter of season one of "Star Trek: Prodigy." This new series has broken barriers in a few ways - including teasing the return of Voyager's former first officer. Which characters are starting to ease into their positions? Which characters are maybe misplaced? What lingering questions do we have? What predictions do we have for the rest of the season? Let us know your animated thought about the newest series in the Trek franchise....
Jan 21, 2022•52 min
Darren, Daniel and Phillip discuss what they would like in a Star Trek: Enterprise video game. Developing a civilizations like strategy game where you form the Federation with your choices.
Jan 14, 2022•56 min
Ships of the Line You Want in a Museum There have been fascinating and captivating space-faring vessels in the Star Trek franchise. The trio creates a dream "space-sonian" museum where they can choose any ship to add to their collection to walk around in and have schools trips learn from. Which starships would you choose? We go through the years of ships to explore which would be the best to feature in the best space exhibit.
Jan 08, 2022•49 min
Trek - Past, Present, and Yet to Come: The end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 is a great time to take stock of the Star Trek franchise. It's healthier and thriving than it has ever been. With the arrival of "Star Trek: Discovery" seasons 3 and 4, "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 2, and the introduction of "Star Trek: Prodigy", there's a lot to look back on. Next year promises more of Discovery and Prodigy, and season two of "Star Trek: Picard." Will we also see "Star Trek: Strange, New Worlds"...
Dec 31, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Trek Trivia It's the holiday season - so it's time to settle down for a round of Trek trivia. Grab a pen and paper, and get ready to answer 8 rounds of Star Trek quiz questions, along with a special "pre-" and "post-" round to rack up extra points. Can you beat Daniel and Darren? Were the questions too easy or too hard? Let us know your score as you play along with Trek trivia.
Dec 27, 2021•59 min
Star Trek: First Contact It's hard to believe (for some of us) that it's been a generation since "Star Trek: First Contact" hit the big screen. The first TNG-only cast feature film with new uniforms and a new Enterprise (along with an old enemy) ranks high on many fans' list of best Trek films. Was it the story? The guest characters? The design? The Jonathan Frakes direction? Let us know what makes this film so great after all these years.
Dec 17, 2021•57 min
Star Trek: Discovery Updates. New Star Trek continues with season four of "Star Trek: Discovery." The trio looks at the scale (both story-wise and astronomically) of the current threat facing Captain Burnham and her crew. One of the co-hosts has missed the latest episodes - so join as the other two "pitch" the newest stories and offer a multiple-choice test about the latest story developments - can he guess right about what's happened? Let us know what you're looking forward to in season four.
Dec 10, 2021•57 min
Discovery/Prodigy Predictions There's been a taste of both season one of "Star Trek: Prodigy" and season four of "Star Trek: Discovery" so far. Is it enough to guess how both series will unfold in their entirety? Probably not - but the trio tries to speculate anyway! Join us as we try to lay out the stories for our Delta Quadrant and 33rd Century-based crews. What further adventures await the intrepide crew of the Protostar? What will Captain Burnham and her crew encounter? What does the Star Tr...
Nov 29, 2021•56 min
Title Card Game. The trio takes a break from "new Trek episodes reviews" to play a game. Can Phillip and Daniel guess the title of a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" story merely be looking at the episode's first image? Darren blurs the title cards from several episodes as his co-hosts try to name the right episode -- will they get it right? Will they guess every episode from an entire season? How many shots of the Enterprise-D at warp exist? All these questions and more are answered in this gam...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min
"Star Trek: Prodigy" - Episodes 1-3 Welcome to the franchise! The newest Trek series began this month, introducing new characters, new ships, new villains, and a familiar looking hologram. The trio joins in the kid adventure with the accidental crew of the starship Protostar. This prototype vessel with a middle school crew offers comedy, adventure, and an unexpected dark beginning. Let us know what "lessons" you learned, what characters you're excited to see more of, and what you think will happ...
Nov 12, 2021•54 min
Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season Two Wrap-Up. With a flash of “To Be Continued…” on the screen, the sophomore season of “Lower Decks” comes to an end. The trio take a look back at the animated journey of the Cerritos this year. From new characters, new pairings, new stories, and new running gags, it seems like this Star Trek show just keeps improving. Join the discussion of what we liked, what we grumbled about, and what we look forward to in season three.
Oct 29, 2021•55 min
