Super BridgeMates STLV. Star Trek. 50th Anniversary. Las Vegas. A once-in-a-lifetime gathering. Phillip, Daniel, and Darren share their experiences of meeting each other for the first time -- in real life! -- and what it was like to celebrate Trek's 50th Birthday with several thousand fellow fans at the Rio Hotel/Casino/Convention Center, off the Las Vegas Strip. The trio talks about meeting other trek.fm cohosts, Earl Grey listeners, celebrities, and even R2-D2. They describe how their hotel su...
Aug 16, 2016•1 hr 11 min
Elementary Dear Data Rewrite. Live together at Star Trek Las Vegas in room 17001 Daniel, Darren & Phillip are joined by the hosts of To The Journey, Charlynn and Tristan. Taking a concept from Earl Grey Episode 147 "Square Root of Spock" they rewrite the episode Elementary Dear Data to take place on the holodeck of the USS Voyager. Instead of Professor Moriarty gaining sentience it is Tom's Captain Proton program. Five podcasters in one room, who knew talking trek could be this fun. HOSTS Da...
Aug 09, 2016•56 min
Enduring Popularity of TNG. Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered on television in 1987 - almost 30 years later, the second live incarnation of Star Trek on television remains a vital part of the franchise and an enduring pop culture icon. Phillip, Daniel, and Darren have taken apart TNG for over three years on this podcast - discussing characters, story lines, technical aspects, themes, and everything else in between. This has led to one great question: What is behind the enduring popularity...
Aug 02, 2016•59 min
Timescape Commentary. Time is a funny thing - especially when you draw an emoticon on a temporally-frozen warp core breach. Captain Jean Luc Picard reminds Data in a deleted scene in Star Trek: Nemesis that the presence of time is a chance for humans to perform certain rituals. In keeping with that tradition, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip celebrate their 150th episode of talking all things The Next Generation by providing a commentary to their favorite series' 150th episode. In this season six, 25...
Jul 26, 2016•59 min
Essential Trek Season 3. A returned Dr. Beverly Crusher and new pop-up collars on uniforms - these are some of the many additions that TNG's third season brings - but what are the essential episodes? Daniel, Darren, and Phillip comb through all 26 episodes in the "Earl Grey Supreme Court" to determine which episodes should be considered the Trek.fm essential episodes. The question of "essential-ness" is often tied to continuity in the Trek universe, but this episode brings up the difficult quest...
Jul 19, 2016•1 hr 10 min
Trek Switch Season 2. For a second time, Phillip, Daniel, and Darren explore a season's worth of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes and decide which stories might be better explored in their sister Trek series. In Earl Grey 124 "Hide and Trelane," the trio delved into the inaugural season of Next Gen - this time it is season two's turn to be "Trek Switched." As usual, the co-hosts can choose to either rewrite an episode or make it a prequel/sequel story for Enterprise, The Original Series, ...
Jul 12, 2016•54 min
August 3 thru 7, 2016 is coming up at warp nine - soon Star Trek fans from across the world will converge on Las Vegas to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our favorite science fiction franchise. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip all plan to be in Vegas - in order to prepare themselves and all new (or veteran) Las Vegas con-goers, they are joined by Amy Imhoff, of the "Shoes and Starships" blog ( http://www.shoesandstarships.com ). Amy is a regular attendee of STLV - she has been featured on fan panel...
Jul 05, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Religion in TNG. The classic topics that are considered impolite to discuss with company are money, religion, and politics. Since Earl Grey already did an episode about money ("EG 58: Scarcity, Scarcity, Scarcity"), it is now time for them to discuss religion. Most fans know that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was an atheist who believed that humans would "outgrow" religion by the 23rd and 24th centuries. The Next Generation features a diverse crew who do not seem to display any beliefs that...
Jun 28, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Essential TNG Season 2. Daniel, Darren and Phillip continue the proud Trek.fm "essential" tradition of breaking down a season of their favorite series, sorting through which episodes should be officially kept. The trio begins, reluctantly, with "The Child" and makes their way through Next Gen's too short a season, all the way to "Shades of Grey." There are quite a few 2-1 votes for whether an episode is considered "essential" in this installment - that is, whether it embodies the spirit of TNG o...
Jun 21, 2016•1 hr
Holodeck Tools. It's a Star Trek cliche in the 24th Century - the Holodeck breaks down, threatening our favorite Starfleet crew members, and hijinx ensue. However, the concept of the Holodeck means more than just using it for off-hour recreational purposes. The use of holographic technology changes the way the crew of the NCC-1701-D approach their work and the way they view their lives. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip dissect The Next Generation's use of the Holodeck as a tool in the workplace. The ...
Jun 14, 2016•52 min
La Forge Character Moments. Star Trek: The Next Generation features great characters, but there's no doubt that Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lt. Commander Data get the bulk of fan attention. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge does not often get the spotlight, so in this episode, Phillip, Darren, and Daniel showcase his best moments. The trio goes round-robin, discussing episodes like "The Arsenal of Freedom," "I, Borg," and "Interface." Levar Burton embodied a memorable character for seven years on t...
Jun 07, 2016•52 min
Tracee Lee Cocco. Star Trek: The Next Generation viewers may notice a frequent appearance of a buzz-cut Starfleet officer either manning the helm, walking down the corridor, or attending Ten-Forward performances. She is known as "Lt. Jae" and was played by Tracee Lee Cocco ( http://www.ltjae.com ) in seasons four thru seven, as well as the Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek: Insurrection. Tracee discusses with Daniel, Darren, and Daniel about her time aboard the NCC-...
May 31, 2016•51 min
BridgeMates - Women at Warp. BridgeMates is a game that asks a team of two trek.fm co-hosts whether they really know their BridgeMate. Team Free Enterprise, comprised as always of Daniel and Darren, add another letter to their logo and attempt to win their first victory. This time, they are up against one half of trek.fm's Women of Warp show - Jarrah Hodge and Andi VanderKolk. This Council of Mistresses are ready to take on the wide variety of The Next Generation-based questions to ensure Daniel...
May 24, 2016•1 hr
Essential Trek Season 1. Daniel, Darren and Phillip begin a journey through Star Trek: The Next Generation to determine which episodes are "Essential" to the Trek viewing experience. Battle lines will be drawn, Justice will be debated, and coins will be flipped. Season 1 has been a contentious point in past episodes, how will it fare under the scrutiny of the Earl Grey Team? CHAPTERS Episodes (00:09:56) Encounter at Farpoint (Yes) The Naked Now (Yes) Code of Honor (No) The Last Outpost (No) Wher...
May 17, 2016•1 hr 13 min
Earl Grey AMA It's time to turn the table on the three co-hosts - instead of them talking about their chosen topic, the trio answers listener-submitted questions in the first "Ask Me Anything, Earl Grey Edition." Through e-mail and Babel Conference comments, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip reveal their non-Trek-based hobbies, favorite podcasts, and how they got start with the trek.fm network. Daniel is put on the spot about his feelings on "Time's Arrow (Parts 1 and 2)" and Commander Flipper's caree...
May 10, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Mirror Episode Part 2.Every Next Generation episode that has a part one mustconcludethestory in part two - so it goes with Earl Grey'soriginal"mirror"Next Gen episode. In Earl Grey 135 "Fabio'sMirror," LieutenantsWorf and Barclay, along with Ensign Ro,foundthemselvesunexpectedly trapped in a universe where CaptainWillRiker leadsthe crew of the Enterprise V, along with hisfirstofficer DeannaTroi and Terminator-like enforcer Data. At theend ofthe laststory, Reg was attempting to impersonate hismir...
May 03, 2016•57 min
Panel Show. BridgeMates, shridgeMates ... there's a new game in town on trek.fm! In this inaugural production of "Encounter at All Good Things," Phillip hosts the newest trivia panel show about all things Star Trek: The Next Generation. Darren is team captain of #soLA, featuring "To the Journey" co-host Charlynn Schmiedt and "Saturday Morning Trek" co-host/graphic designer Aaron Harvey. They battle Daniel's team, representing the East Coast, comprised of "Women at Warp" co-host Sue Kisenwether a...
Apr 26, 2016•50 min
First Time Generations. After seven years on television, Star Trek: The Next Generation launched a second Trek movie franchise with the inaugural TNG movie, Star Trek: Generations. Star Trek fans, both Original Series and Next Gen-ers, have long discussed their feelings about the eagerly-awaited meeting between Captains Kirk and Picard, Data's emotions, the destruction of the NCC-1701-D, and the death of Kirk. However, one Trek fan just watched the movie last week - Andi VanderKolk, better known...
Apr 19, 2016•54 min
Mirror Episode Part 1. One story type that didn't make its way into The Next Generation was the Mirror Universe. What will our favorite characters do when faced with their evil go-tee wearing counterparts? What if Data was a crazy red eyed robot controlled by Captain Riker? What if Picard had flowing locks of hair? This week Darren, Daniel and Phillip start rewriting "Parallels" to become the TNG chapter of the Mirror Universe. CHAPTERS State of the Mirror Universe? (00:03:19) Core Setting / Wha...
Apr 12, 2016•1 hr
TNG Two Parters. The Best of Both Worlds was one of the most pivotal cliff-hanger stories in Star Trek: The Next Generation. TNG created eight two part episodes that extended a single story into several plot layers and great character moments. Long before the "long format" approach to story telling, this was the best way to enhance suspense and draw out a characters arc. Join Darren, Daniel and Phillip as they compare the strong vs weaker halves of TNG's two parter's. CHAPTERS The Best of Both W...
Apr 05, 2016•57 min
TNG Fan Film. Free carpet samples. Lounge chairs. Lots of computer monitors. Some nice, polished wood. For some reason, no one has gathered these items for a Next Generation-based fan film production. Throughout the decades, amateur productions have been predominantly set on 23rd Century Constitution-class vessels. In more recent years, productions like "Star Trek Renegades" has reached past the shows of the 24th Century and "Star Trek: Horizon" has looked "back" into the 22nd Century. But there...
Mar 29, 2016•54 min
Supernatural Elements. The Next Generation introduces several individuals, including some "re-shaping" of our own favorite characters, who are seen as supernatural characters. This can mean that they are either all-powerful, mysterious, tricksters, or "flim-flams." Darren, Daniel, and Phillip create their own originally named "Q Continuum" of supernatural beings, from the scary "Kevin" ("The Survivors") on one end to Ardra ("Devil's Due") on the other. Supernatural characters can be shrouded in ...
Mar 22, 2016•55 min
TNG Season Zero Prequel. We all know and love the trials and tribulations of our beloved TNG crew throughout seven seasons and four feature films ... but how did it all begin for them? Daniel, Darren, and Phillip sit down and create an outline for a "Countdown to 'Encounter' [at Farpoint]" comic book series. The trio imagines a comic book run, similar to IDW'S "Star Trek: Countdown" and "Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness" for the JJ-verse movies, that picks up our characters' lives years before t...
Mar 15, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Episodes That Never Happened. We have all seen episodes (or entire seasons!) of television shows that end with, "It was all just a dream!" It can sometimes feel like such storytelling is a "cheat" or are a waste of time. This week, Phillip, Darren, and Daniel pick out episodes of "The Next Generation" that may not have "really" happened, as far as the crew of the Enterprise-D is concerned. The trio asks whether these episodes are still enjoyable or whether it would have been better to have a sto...
Mar 08, 2016•57 min
The Chase Rewrite. Fans do not generally regard the sixth season episode "The Chase" as a classic TNG story. However, it offered Captain Jean-Luc Picard a chance to embrace his archaeological passions and embark on an "Indiana Jones"-like adventure including many Alpha Quadrant aliens. "Earl Grey" decides to re-write this episode with the additional challenge of making a new "Yesterday's Enterprise" -- but, this time, with the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-B. In this telling of "The Chase," Darren...
Mar 01, 2016•1 hr 5 min
The Animated Next Generation. In a laugh out loud roundtable pitch session Phillip, Daniel, and Darren are joined by Aaron Harvey to create the Star Trek: The Next Generation Animated Series. Set in the late 90's after Generations this series will be animated TO THE EXTREME! Delving deep into 90's nostalgia the story, characters and merchandising opportunities all align in this crazy pitch session. Imagine Commander Flipper on a skateboard, soccer moms buying Ketracel-white cooler pouches and Jo...
Feb 23, 2016•1 hr 12 min
Starfleet Career Path, Part 2.The Next Generation, and the other 24th Century Star Trek series, can sometimes be inconsistent with how they show a career path in Starfleet. Phillip, Daniel, and Darren finish their focus on the "colors" of careers by looking at the gold shirts of the Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E: the engineering/operations and security officers. They go from the rank of ensign to the upper ranks, examining life as a yellow shirt on the flagship - as well as the need to create mo...
Feb 16, 2016•1 hr 7 min
Lwaxana Troi.Captain Jean-Luc Picard faced down Romulan warbirds, Cardassian guls, and Borg drones ... but he met his match when it came to Lwaxana Troi, the daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, and heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. Ms. Troi, later named an ambassador representing her home planet of Betazed, provided moments of embarrassment for her daughter Deanna. However, she brought a unique mother-daughter relationship to The Next Generation, as well as portra...
Feb 10, 2016•57 min
Data and Geordi Relationship.When it comes to #BridgeMates on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first pair that comes to mind is the first season conn officer Lieutenant Junior Grade La Forge and second officer Lieutenant Commander Data. The jovial character of Geordi, with his "artificial sight" (VISOR), did not necessarily seem similar to the personality of the naive "artificial life form" at the operations stations. But whether it was Data playing the straight man to La Forge's joker or the...
Feb 02, 2016•59 min
Trek Switch - Season One.Star Trek: The Next Generation offers 176 interesting episodes for fans to enjoy. The Enterprise-D enjoyed various adventures that either originated from TOS, were planned for the scrapped Star Trek: Phase II television series, or were developed more in subsequent Trek shows. In this week's podcast, Earl Grey asks the question - are there TNG episodes that belong in one of the other Star Trek series? The trio begins with season one of Next Gen in this episode and work th...
Jan 26, 2016•50 min
