Science in TNG, Part 5. Science is an essential part of Star Trek that has inspired generations of fans to learn more about science, to become scientists, and to make influential discoveries. The Next Generation is no exception and includes many episodes that showcase new inventions, the application of existing science, and important scientific questions. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser talk about more science in season 7 of The Next Generation. The d...
Dec 17, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 303
First Contacts in TNG. To communicate with new life and new civilizations through first contact is one of the primary missions of a Starfleet crew and the crews of the Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E are no exception. The first contacts that we see rarely seem to be easy, whether with space-faring jellyfish, subspace aliens kidnapping the crew, or the malevolent collective consciousness of the Borg, but it does make for a great discussion topic. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and ...
Dec 10, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 302
"Booby Trap." "Booby Trap" is a season three episode of The Next Generation that is probably best-known for showing Geordi La Forge falling in love with a holographic version of engineer Leah Brahms. However, there's a lot more going on in this episode that can lead to conversations about war's long-lasting effects, how to solve an engineering problem, when people are needed instead of computers, and much more. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Justin Oser are joined by guest S...
Dec 03, 2019•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 301
Robin Curtis Interview. Robin Curtis is well-known to fans for playing Lieutenant Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . She also played Tallera, a Vulcan posing as a Romulan, in "Gambit, Part I" and "Gambit, Part II" in season seven of The Next Generation . In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Justin Oser celebrate the 300th episode of the show by interviewing Robin Curtis about her roles as Saavik in Star Trek III and Star Trek IV and a...
Nov 26, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 300
Favorite Badass Riker Moments. Will Riker is known for being the first officer of the Federation flagship, Captain Picard's right-hand man, and Deanna Troi's beloved Imzadi. However, we think that Will has his share of badass moments throughout the course of The Next Generation episodes and movies. Beard or no beard, Riker's badassery knows no bounds. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser list their three favorite badass Riker moments from The Next Generati...
Nov 12, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 299
Keiko O'Brien. Keiko O'Brien first appears in "Data's Day," a season four episode of The Next Generation in which she marries Miles O'Brien. Over the course of the 8 episodes of The Next Generation and 19 episodes of Deep Space Nine in which she appears, we see Keiko as a wife, a mother, a botanist, and a primary school teacher and we even learn a little bit about her family history. Keiko is far from a fan favorite, but what do we think about her when discussing the episodes she appears in and ...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 298
Jennifer Gatti Interview. Jennifer Gatti played the half-Klingon, half-Romulan character of Ba'el in "Birthright, Part I" and "Birthright, Part II" on The Next Generation as well as Harry Kim's girlfriend, Libby, in the Voyager episode "Non Sequitur." She also has many other acting credits, including roles on Doogie Howser, M.D., Cheers, ER, The Young and the Restless, NCIS, Vice Principals, Swamp Thing, and The Resident . In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson, Joe Keegan, and Justin O...
Oct 29, 2019•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 297
Science in TNG, Part 4. Science is an essential part of Star Trek that has inspired generations of fans to learn more about science, to become scientists, and to make influential discoveries. The Next Generation is no exception and includes many episodes that showcase new inventions, the application of existing science, and important scientific questions. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser talk about science in season 7 of The Next Generation. The discus...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 296
Favorite Picard Inspirational Speeches. In The Next Generation, Jean-Luc Picard is a captain, a diplomat, and an explorer, but he is also an inspiration to his crew, to many characters that we meet during the show and the movies, and to multiple generations of Star Trek fans. Picard's power and influence for good flows just as much from his words as from his actions. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson, Joe Keegan, and Justin Oser list their three favorite Picard inspirational speech...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 295
Favorite Non-human Species in TNG. Non-human species have been important to Star Trek since its very beginning when viewers first saw the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. There have been many non-human characters depicted in every series, from those that can be called humanoid to those that look and behave very differently from humans. Over the course of seven seasons and four movies, The Next Generation introduced us to both new non-human species that would become important across 24th century Star Trek ...
Oct 08, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 294
Deleted Scenes, Part 3. 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, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser talk about deleted scenes from The Next Generation season 4 episodes "Best ...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 293
Clyde Kusatsu Interview. Clyde Kusatsu played Admiral Nakamura on three episodes of The Next Generation - "The Measure of a Man," "Phantasms," and "All Good Things..." He also has over 300 acting credits since the early 1970s, including Kung Fu , All in the Family , M*A*S*H , In the Line of Fire , America Pie , Boston Legal , and NCIS. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson, Joe Keegan, and Justin Oser interview Clyde Kusatsu about his role as Admiral Nakamura in three episodes of The N...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 292
The Power of Words in TNG. Star Trek has never shied away from taking advantage of the power of words, from Shakespeare to technobabble to inspirational speeches, and The Next generation is no exception. There have been many moments and episodes that have pushed our vocabulary, introduced us to works of literature, and taught us something new in the process. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Justin Oser are joined by guest Shoaib Mirza, Associate Producer of The Edge , to list ...
Sep 17, 2019•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 291
Undercover Missions. Whilst Star Trek has always shown us a positive vision of the future, there have been times when stealth and disguise have been required. Through various planned and forced undercover missions, our heroes have deftly and secretly gone where no Romulan, Cardassian, Mintakan, or Malcorian has gone before - sometimes with mixed results. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan and Justin Oser are joined by guest Christos Giannaris to discuss some of the undercover missio...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 290
TNG Episodes In The Alternate Realities Collective. "Star Trek Fan Collectives" were a series of DVD collections released in the 2000s that featured episodes from across all the series that shared a common theme. Join the crews of Standard Orbit and Earl Grey as we have a great time discussing the episodes from The Next Generation that are included in the Alternate Realities collection. In this episode of Earl Grey, join Amy Nelson, Zach Moore, Justin Oser, Ken Tripp, Joe Keegan, and Hayley Stod...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 289
Favorite Villains Since its beginning in 1966, Star Trek has always had a wealth of villainous characters confronting our heroes. The Next Generation is no different, with its plethora of scallywags and scoundrels that try to do harm to the crew. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser list their three favorite villains in The Next Generation. Each host talks about why the villains discussed are great foils for our beloved characters and how their appearances...
Aug 27, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 288
Science in TNG, Part 3. Science is an essential part of Star Trek that has inspired generations of fans to learn more about science, to become scientists, and to make influential discoveries. The Next Generation is no exception and includes many episodes that showcase new inventions, the application of existing science, and important scientific questions. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser talk about science in season 6 of The Next Generation. The discus...
Aug 20, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 286
Trek.fm Host Roundtable Discussion. It's that time of year again, Star Trek Las Vegas! Several hosts from the network made the annual pilgrimage to STLV 2019: Ken Tripp and Zach Moore from Standard Orbit , Amy Nelson, Justin Oser and Joe Keegan from Earl Grey (plus The Edge for Amy and The Line for Justin), and Mike Schindler from The Edge and The Line . This week on Earl Grey , we share our Trek.fm host roundtable discussion where we discuss our convention likes, dislikes and experiences! But s...
Aug 06, 2019•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 286
Kurn. In "Sins of the Father," we're introduced to Kurn, a stern Klingon exchange officer boarding the Enterprise-D to temporarily serve as first officer. We find out in the course of the episode that Kurn is actually Worf's brother and has brought news of a judgment by the Klingon High Council that will change both of their lives forever. In the course of three episodes of The Next Generation and one episode of Deep Space Nine , Kurn is tested again and again by the dramatic events happening wi...
Jul 30, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 285
Deleted Scenes, Part 2. 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 11 deleted scenes from "Evolution," the season 3 opener of The N...
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 284
Favorite Star Trek Memorabilia. Star Trek memorabilia is almost as old as Star Trek itself. Over the last nearly 53 years, there has been a huge variety of Star Trek items collected by fans the world over, from action figures to photos to collectible cards to screen-used props and costumes and everything in between. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Joe Keegan, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser talk about their three favorite pieces of Star Trek memorabilia that they own. Joe also introduces a new s...
Jul 16, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 283
The Lost Episodes, Part 8. 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 discuss the never-produced season 1 episode "Genius Is Pain" by Trac...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 282
Serialized TNG, Part 1. Starting in 2006, a series of DVD collections were released under the name Star Trek: Fan Collective. These collections included episodes across all live action Star Trek series that had aired up to that time, centered around themes like Klingons, Q, and the Borg. We're starting a new series on Earl Grey to discuss episodes of The Next Generation included on these collections and to look at them as if they were serialized story arcs. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Am...
Jul 02, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 281
Enterprise-D Blueprints. Four months before the release of the movie First Contact and the introduction of a new Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D Blueprints was released . Featuring 13 beautifully detailed, large poster-sized blueprints covering all 42 decks, fans were delighted to finally see many of the spaces on their beloved Enterprise-D about which they had always wondered. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Justin Oser, and new host Joe Keeg...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 280
Favorite Conflict Resolution Moments in TNG. Conflicts and how those conflicts are resolved are an essential part of storytelling. Gene Roddenberry famously said that in The Next Generation , there should be no conflict among the characters that we follow. The writers often expressed that this was a challenge in creating stories for the show. However, we do see plenty of conflicts with outside forces and even some between the characters on the Enterprise-D and the Enterprise-E. How those conflic...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 279
Riker's Command Offers. William T. Riker serves as first officer on the Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E for a total of 15 years during seven seasons of The Next Generation and four movies. In that time, he is offered command of a Starfleet ship three times and declines each time before finally accepting command of the USS Titan. Why does Riker keep turning down command offers and what do the times we do see him in command say about what he would be like in command of his own ship? In this episode ...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 278
"Gambit." "Gambit, Parts I and II" are episodes toward the beginning of season 7 of The Next Generation that were unlike anything previously aired in a Star Trek series. After a nearly 30-year ban by Gene Roddenberry on episodes focusing on space pirates, here were two episodes that largely take place on a mercenary ship engaged in piracy. The space pirate ship, however, is really a means to explore how a number of the main characters deal with different roles and situations than we're used to s...
May 28, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 277
TNG Roleplaying Game, Part 2. Previously on Earl Grey : Richard served as gamemaster for Justin and Amy's first roleplaying game (RPG) and it was an exciting mission from The Next Generation era of Star Trek Adventures ! Now Richard has brought a new Star Trek RPG along with two special guests and it's an epic continuation of the previous adventure! In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser play a new mission based on the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying ga...
May 21, 2019•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 276
Science in TNG, Part 2. Science is an essential part of Star Trek that has inspired generations of fans to learn more about science, to become scientists, and to make influential discoveries. The Next Generation is no exception and includes many episodes that showcase new inventions, the application of existing science, and important scientific questions. In this episode of Earl Grey , hosts Amy Nelson and Justin Oser are joined by science teacher Joe Keegan, Associate Producer of Earl Grey, to ...
May 14, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 275
Dennis Madalone Interview. Dennis Madalone was the stunt coordinator for seasons 3 through 7 of The Next Generation and all of Deep Space Nine and Voyager . He also did stunts and played many characters from the first season of The Next Generation all the way to the final season of Voyager. Dennis Madalone's work on episodes that required stunts had an important influence on hundreds of Star Trek episodes from 1987 to 2001. In this episode of Earl Grey, host Justin Oser interviews Dennis Madalon...
May 07, 2019•51 min•Ep. 274
