Memorable Goodbyes. Star Trek has had some very memorable goodbyes from main and secondary characters to series finales. Specifically speaking of The Next Generation, Tasha Yar, Data, and Wesley Crusher have very distinct and unique goodbyes within the series. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, Ria Papageorgiou, Kevin Scharf, and Pierre LaRocco discuss some of their favorite characters saying goodbye. We also say our own goodbyes to the listeners as we take our leave of...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 333
Character's We Never Saw Again. As a mostly episodic TV show, The Next Generation is full of rich and interesting characters that we unfortunately only got to see once. Nevertheless there is a plethora of characters that leave an indelible mark on Star Trek and on the crew of the Enterprise. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Pierre LaRocco, Joe Keegan and Kevin Scharf discuss some of the many characters we only ever saw once. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) One Off Characters (00:06:48) Shelby (00:...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 332
Mismatched Episodes. Kathryn Janeway, captain of the Enterprise? Jadzia Dax and Sylvia Tilly serving side by side? Jonathan Archer and Tom Paris at the Royale? How would the 24th century be different if the crew of the NCC 1701-D were replaced with characters from the other Star Trek series? Would anyone play with Wesley? In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson, Pierre LaRocco, and Ria Papageorgiou discuss what would happen if the characters from different Star Trek series were like a de...
Jul 07, 2020•57 min•Ep. 331
Data's Hobbies Being an android with no requirement to sleep would give you a lot of time to develop new skills and practice all your favorite pursuits. In The Next Generation we see Lieutenant Commander Data dabble in numerous hobbies including playing violin, painting, poetry, poker and holodeck adventures. His quest to understand the human condition and become more human himself is developed through his choice of leisure activities and entertainment choices. In this episode of Earl Grey , hos...
Jun 30, 2020•56 min•Ep. 330
Season 7 Deleted Scenes, Part I. Scenes that were filmed, but not seen by the audience in the final aired productions are available for every season and movies of The Next Generation. These deleted scenes can provide a fascinating window into what might have been, including some scenes that would have had a far-reaching impact on the show and the films. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Ria Papageorgiou, Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson talk about deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 7 epis...
Jun 23, 2020•59 min•Ep. 329
What if Series: Part 1 Every fan has their thoughts and every fan also wonders what if... In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Pierre LaRocco, Kevin Scharf, and Amy Nelson start a new series of what if scenarios. They start with Yar, Locutus, and W. Thomas Riker. Chapters Intro (01:16:00) Feedback (04:21:00) Yar is Alive (07:10:00) W.T.K. Stays (25:19:00) Locutus of Borg Lives (37:17:00) Final Thoughts (51:00:00) Closing (53:08:00) Hosts Pierre LaRocco, Amy Nelson, Kevin Scharf Production Pierre...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 328
Finding the Highs in the Low, Season 1 Every rose has its thorn, and every season has its episodes that are, well, not as highly rated by fans. While there are usually good reasons why these episodes are poorly received, even the biggest clunkers have redeeming qualities. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, Pierre LaRocco, Kevin Scharf, and Ria Papageorgiou start a new series looking at the good that can be found in episodes that have been poorly reviewed. This series be...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 327
Introducing New Hosts Usually, when one hosts leaves it's common for another host to be auditioned and recruited to share the vital tasks of editing and producing a professional sounding show. With Justin Oser leaving as host recently, we thought we'd shake things up and do something unique, so we've invited 3 new hosts to join us. They are Ria Papageorgiou, Kevin Scharf and Pierre LaRocco and this episode is their introduction. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson intr...
May 26, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 326
Jack Crusher. Best friend to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, husband to Dr Beverly Crusher and father to Wesley Crusher. We only get to see Jack Crusher in a few short appearances; in one of which he's a hologram, another he's an hallucination and in the third he's dead. In "Family" we see a holographic Jack Crusher with a message for Wesley from when he was a baby. Then, in "Violations" we see Beverly's painful memory of visiting Jack in the morgue after Captain Picard had return his body to Earth. Fi...
May 19, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 325
Aging and Death. Death is a natural part of life and an unavoidable consequence of aging, even in the 24th century. As time marches on, so must we. We have seen many characters prematurely age due to outside influences or grow old gracefully. We see one alien culture declare old age as a burden and set rituals for death while Klingons send their fallen warriors to the great Sto'Vo'Kor. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson have the pleasure of welcoming Ria Papageorgiou ...
May 12, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 324
Borg Collective Set. "We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile." These immortals words were spoken by one of the Enterprise crews most relentless enemies - The Borg. We cover the topics of the evolution of the Borg from Q's first introduction in "Q Who" to Lore's mini-collective in "Descent" and continue the conversation on the next episode of...
May 05, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 323
Season 6 Deleted Scenes. Scenes that were filmed, but not seen by the audience in the final aired productions are available for every season and movies of The Next Generation. These deleted scenes can provide a fascinating window into what might have been, including some scenes that would have had a far-reaching impact on the show and the films. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson talk about deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 6 episodes "Time's Arrow Part II...
Apr 28, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 322
Trivia with Jim McMahon Throughout Star Trek's history, human and alien competitive games have featured, including parrises squares, stratagema, tri-dimensional chess, hover ball, poker, dom-jot, kal toh and dabo. One thing we didn't see on screen was a good old fashioned quiz night, so we're giving you one on Earl Grey. Topics include TNG guest stars and Picard's history among others. Who wins? In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson and Joe Keegan are joined by guest and quizmaster Jim...
Apr 21, 2020•53 min•Ep. 321
"Birthright Part I and II" Worf and Data are both in search of their father in the season six episode "Birthright Part I and Part II". Data learns that his father created a dreaming program in hopes that he will learn more about humanity. Worf learns how to be a teacher of Klingon culture to a new generation of Klingons captured by Romulans from the Khitomer attack. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson are joined by special guest Pierre LaRocco to discuss the parallel s...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 320
Wesley's Starfleet. Ever since we met Wesley Crusher, he has always wanted to join Starfleet and become an officer. What is it about Starfleet that has Wesley so enamored? With the number of tests to enter the academy and the peer pressure of doing well, does this discourage Wesley to leave Starfleet before graduating? In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Justin Oser, Joe Keegan, and Amy Nelson are joined with Kevin Scharf to discuss the testing procedures and courses taken at Starfleet Academy....
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 319
Time Travel Fan Set. As Deanna Troi says best in First Contact , "Timeline? This is no time to talk about time. We don't have the time!" Well, we do have the time and we do talk about the selected episodes from the Fan Collective Set covering The Next Generation episodes. We discuss time loops, going back in time, alternate-reality timelines and many other things including hot dogs. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson discuss "Cause and Effect", "Time's Arrow", " and "...
Mar 31, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 318
Favorite Badass Guinan Moments. Guinan first appeared at the start of the second season of The Next Generation and she quickly became a fan favorite character. Through appearances in twenty-eight episodes and two movies, Guinan dispensed important wisdom as Ten Forward's bartender while keeping the history of her long life mostly a mystery. With Guinan set to appear in the second season of Star Trek: Picard , we thought it was the perfect time to choose her most badass moments that we've seen so...
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 317
Favorite Exoplanets in TNG. Exoplanets are planets outside Earth's solar system and they have been very important to Star Trek from the first time that the crew of the Enterprise on The Original Series startedexploring strange new worlds. There have been many exoplanets depicted in every series, from familiar M-class planets like Vulcan and Betazed to gas giants to even more exotic planets. Over the course of seven seasons and four movies, The Next Generation introduced us to many amazing exopla...
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 316
Picard's Best Partner. Over the course of seven seasons and four movies, Captain Picard has his share of love interests, from the romantic tension with Dr. Beverly Crusher that begins in the very first episode to his love affair with Anij in Insurrection . How should we judge who would make the best partner for Picard and what does that say about how we see his character? In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Justin Oser and Joe Keegan are joined by guest Rob Chapman, who runs the Trek Book Club ...
Mar 10, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 315
"Balance of Terror" and "The Neutral Zone." The Romulans are one of the most important and recognizable species in Star Trek. They were introduced in the classic season 1 episode of The Original Series "Balance of Terror" on December 15, 1966. We learn in the episode that the Romulans have re-appeared on the galactic stage after more than a century of isolation that followed a war with Earth. On May 16, 1988, the Romulans made their first appearance on The Next Generation in the season 1 finale ...
Mar 03, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 314
AI in TNG. Humanity in the 21st century is embarking on a path that includes more and more uses of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance our lives. In The Next Generation, we see examples in the 24th century of many different kinds of advanced artificial intelligence that can help us to examine where our current AI journey is taking us. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Justin Oser and Joe Keegan are joined by guest Jenn Tifft of the Snap Trek podcast to discuss artificial intelligence in T...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 313
The Lost Episodes, Part 9. There are many scripts, script outlines, and episode and movie concepts that never made it onto the screen on The Next Generation . These lost episodes can provide a fascinating window into what might have been, what characters and concepts ended up being modified and used later, and into the behind-the-scenes writing process. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Justin Oser, and Joe Keegan are joined by guest Brian Meloche to discuss the scripts he submitte...
Feb 18, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 312
Science in TNG, with Dr. Erin MacDonald. Dr Erin Macdonald is an astrophysicist, aerospace engineer, and host of the online series "Dr Erin Explains the Universe." She's also a huge Star Trek fan who was recently announced as a science consultant for the Star Trek franchise. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser are joined by Dr. Erin MacDonald to talk about the science in Star Trek and her work as a scientist, an engineer, a science fiction consultant, and...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 311
"The Most Toys.” "The Most Toys" is a season three episode of The Next Generation which shows Data's death being faked in a shuttlecraft explosion and Data being kidnapped by Zibalian trader Kivas Fajo. Quirkily and malevolently played by Saul Rubinek, Fajo collects unique items from across the galaxy and wants to add Data to his collection. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Justin Oser, and Amy Nelson discuss "The Most Toys," an episode in season three of The Next Generation in w...
Feb 04, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 310
Favorite Badass Data Moments. Data is a fan favorite character on The Next Generation and now Star Trek: Picard . He's known for being the operations officer and second officer on the Federation flagship, for his limitless curiosity, and for being an android on a quest to understand what it means to be human. However, we think that Data also has his share of badass moments throughout the course of The Next Generation episodes and movies. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelso...
Jan 28, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 309
Deleted Scenes, Season 5. Scenes that were filmed, but not seen by the audience in the final aired productions are available for every season and movies of The Next Generation . These deleted scenes can provide a fascinating window into what might have been, including some scenes that would have had a far-reaching impact on the show and the films. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson, Joe Keegan, and Justin Oser talk about deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 5 episodes "New...
Jan 21, 2020•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 308
Genetically Designed People. Genetic engineering has been a thread throughout Star Trek ever since the classic first season episode of The Original Series , "Space Seed," which introduced Khan Noonien Singh. The Next Generation has its own share of thought-provoking episodes that focus on genetic engineering and genetically designed people. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Justin Oser, Joe Keegan, and Amy Nelson talk about episodes of The Next Generation featuring genetically designed people...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 307
High Culture in TNG. When The Next Generation had a cultural reference or an artistic performance, it was often part of what would be called high culture, such as Shakespeare, classical music, or painting. Although cultural references and performances considered to be among the highest accomplishments of Earth culture go back as far as the first season of The Original Series , The Next Generation seems to bring this type of culture into the lives of its characters more than any other Star Trek s...
Jan 07, 2020•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 306
"Half A Life.” "Half A Life" is a season four episode of The Next Generation which beautifully and painfully portrays the love story between Lwaxana Troi and Dr. Timicin of the planet Kaelon II, shortly before his society requires him to die at the age of 60. There's lots to talk about in this episode including the themes of commitment, aging, the right to die, and much more. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Amy Nelson are joined by guest Christian Alonzo to discuss "Half A Li...
Dec 31, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 305
Serialized TNG: Q Episodes. Starting in 2006, a series of DVD collections were released under the name Star Trek: Fan Collective. These included episodes from across all the live-action Star Trek series that had aired up to then and focused on themes such as the Klingons, Q, and the Borg. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Justin Oser, Joe Keegan, and Amy Nelson continue our series about the Star Trek: Fan Collective DVD sets with a look at the eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation t...
Dec 26, 2019•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 304
