There are 950 episodes of Star Trek. Some are good, some are great, and the rest are ones we'll watch because why not? Star Trek is like pizza or sex: even when it's bad it's still good.
Join Bryan and Kristen (and the occasional special guest) as they grade episodes from every series by asking specific questions like "What part of the story will they teach at Starfleet Academy?" "What are the Best Trek Tropes in the episode?" "What's the most cosplayable character or moment?" and many more in order to arrive at a final judgment of TREK, MARRY, or KILL. It's more fun than playing F***, Marry, Kill because it's about Star Trek!
Keep track of our grades at www.trekmarrykillpod.com
This show is not affiliated with Paramount, Viacom, CBS Television Studios, Roddenberry Entertainment, or Secret Hideout Productions.
Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.
FINALLY, CAPTAIN SISKO. It took the powers that be long enough to grant Avery Brooks the public role of Star Trek captain and it happens here in the finale of Deep Space Nine' s underrated third season that really cemented what the show would become in the seasons to follow -- even before Worf got dropped into it. Bryan and Kristen wrap up the third season of DS9 and the third season of Trek Marry Kill. Hope you've enjoyed it!
HUMAN INTEREST STORIES. Did Mariner badmouth the crew? Has Admiral Buenamigo teamed up with an evil AI to takedown Starfleet or is all AI inherently evil? Bryan is joined by Katie Hampton from Geekscape's Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast to work out if the last two episodes of Lower Decks' third season are TREKs, MARRYs, or KILLs and discuss along the way fame, schmuck bait, and their memories of various California cities. Jump to "The Stars at Night" at (34:06)....
SAIL BONDING TIME. Ben takes Jake on a trip aboard an ancient Bajoran spacecraft that utilizes a solar sail. Does this father-son adventure takeoff? Meanwhile, Bashir finds an ally in Chief O'Brien after being seemingly spurned by an impressive woman. DS9's Season Three Leap Forward theme month continues with this crucial episode. The grades begin at (20:34).
LOVE LIES SCREAMING. Garak tortures Odo to get back into Enabran Tain's good graces. Meanwhile, Sisko defies orders to mount a rescue only for he and the Defiant to come across one of Trek 's biggest space battles -- to that point! DS9's Season Three Leap Forward theme month continues with the conclusion to an accidental two-parter. The grades begin at (28:41).
TAILOR MADE CONSPIRACY. Garak's shop explodes and Odo's investigation soon gets the two of them into a situation of galactic importance. Our DS9's Season Three Leap Forward theme month continues with a pivotal episode about Garak, the Dominion, and the clandestine services in the Alpha Quadrant. The grades begin at (29:06).
DOUBTING THOMAS RIKER. Kira and the crew of DS9 fall under the charms of a Riker, just not the one they think! Transporter Twin Thomas Riker has his eyes set on the USS Defiant and uses sexcraft to get what he wants. In order to stop him, Sisko must reenact Fail Safe -- or is it the TNG episode "The Wounded"? -- with Gul Dukat on Cardassia. Our theme this month is DS9's Season Three Leap Forward , looking at key episodes that showed Star Trek 's middle child taking off and finding its own voice....
NARCISSISTS AND CATHARSIS. Bryan and Katie Hampton from Geekscape's Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast shine a spotlight on a pair of sequel episodes. Do the hosts overcome their disdain towards the character of Peanut Hamper? Does another adventure in Boimler's holodeck movie universe generate the same surprise and excitement as the last time out? You'll just have to listen! The grades begin at (21:09). Jump to "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus" at (52:35). Here's the supercut of The Most Famous Prop ...
PICARD'S BASIC INSTINCT. We conclude Spring Flings Month with a look at the time Jean-Luc Picard bonded with one of the most beautiful women to ever appear on Star Trek : Kamala, as played by Famke Janssen. But is her performance as skin deep as the script? Bryan is joined by an old friend of his, Cory Marciel, a writer and editor in Hollywood. It's two dudes bro'ing out over Star Trek . Will they find this one a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? The grades begin at (42:00).
INTRODUCING TRILL RIKER? Spring Flings Month continues as Jessi from Crusher Convo Podcast joins Bryan to discuss the episode where Dr. Crusher falls for the first Trill to appear in Star Trek -- Odan. Only, he didn't tell her about that slug inside him so, after a shuttle accident that injures his host body, she must place said slug inside Will Riker -- who's like a brother to her. Does love take many forms or does Beverly have a remarkably consistent type? The grades begin at (26:00). Get more...
HOLLYWOOD CRINGE FESTIVAL. Bryan continues Spring Flings Month with returning guest Diana Keng, a TV critic whose work you can read at Geek Girl Authority and Women at Warp. Did the nail the casting of a man who is supposed to sweep Deanna Troi off her feet? The grades begin at (22:51).
NINE OWN SELF. This month's animated spotlight features a pair of episodes that go to great lengths to give our cartoon characters some badly needed introspection. Rutherford learns about his bad boy former self and Tendi is pressed to assert the woman she wants to be over her culture's demands. Oh, and there's plenty of nostalgia for Bryan with a trip to Deep Space Nine. But will he and Katie Hampton from the Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast give these episodes TREKs, MARRYs, or KILLs? The gr...
TEARS FOR LEERS. Captain Kirk falls under the spell of... a former co-star of William Shatner's? It's Spring Flings Month here on Trek Marry Kill. Bryan is joined by film critic Jordan Hoffman, who also authored the Star Trek Book of Friendship , and whose writing can be found in Vanity Fair, Foreign Policy Magazine, and his Substack -- Hoffstack.Substack.com . Will they TREK, MARRY, or KILL this season three episode? The grades begin at (24:46)....
SIMPLY THE BEST? Don't sleep on Star Trek: Prodigy , which manages to capture the spirit and storytelling of the most popular Trek and aim it at kids while also being highly entertaining for adults -- especially a crusty old Star Trek fan like Bryan. He's not the only fan enchanted by the series, though. Charlynn & Marina from Mission Log: Prodigy and YouTubers Steve Shives and Jessie Gender come aboard to decide which of the show's 40 episodes (and counting?) are among its very best. Jump t...
UNIVERSAL FAN FEST has kicked off at Universal Studios Hollywood and fans can stand on the bridge of the Enterprise-D as used in Star Trek: Picard - Season Three for a tour-turned-adventure. But does it and the themed food make the event a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? Bryan and Kristen take you through their experiences to decide.
DADDY DEAD CARE. A shuttle accident puts Captain Janeway on death's doorstep and death is only too happy to answer, taking the face of her dead father. But that's not the only weird thing going on in this fast-paced, wacky episode that concludes The Captain is DEAD! Month on Trek Marry Kill . The grades begin at (33:42).
THE RUBBERBAND MAN. Bryan and Shereese commiserate over dead dads and her first time watching a classic episode of Deep Space Nine as THE CAPTAIN IS DEAD! Month continues. The grades begin at (32:34)
WEB KIRK.O. Captain Kirk is dead! No wait -- he's a ghost! No... it's interspace! But, what's this? the crew of the Enterprise is slowly going mad? And now the ship is being surrounded by a web? Is this third season adventure a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? The grades begin at (13:22).
PICARD WORKS BLUE. It's the death of Jean-Luc Picard as we kick off The Captain is DEAD! month on the show. Shot through the heart and **Q** is to blame? Bryan and Kristen examine this critical episode to determine if it's a TREK, MARRY, or KILL. The grades begin at (29:44).
COME ON, CAROL! In this month's animated spotlight, Bryan and Katie Hampton of Geekscape's Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast take a look at a pair of Lower Decks episodes that are half character assassinations of Captain Carol Freeman. Are the other halves funny, though? Jump straight to "Room for Growth" at (33:44).
OH HEAVENS NO! Bryan & Kristen marvel at the tax dollars used to make the last two episodes of Star Trek: Picard's first season, but are these final two episodes a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? The grades begin at (23:26).
PIZZAS AND ADMONISHMENTS. Picard takes Soji to the Riker Troi's house to chill out and think about their next move. Narissa kills a bunch of Borg... and Rios reveals he has a direct connection to what's happening. The grades begin at (29:45).
BREAKING BAD ACCENTS. Jean-Luc Picard couldn't save all the Romulans so he opted to save none of them. Does the attempt to turn the character into a classic 21st century antihero succeed or are Bryan and Kristen too distracted by both the intentionally bad and the accidentally bad accent work throughout the series? The grades begin at (24:27).
PADDING THE RUNTIME. It's been five years since the premiere of Star Trek: Picard and the first season was a bumpy ride for all involved. Patrick Stewart trying to capture Jean-Luc Picard at a different point in his life. A host of executives, producers, and writers being largely unfamiliar with the character or episodic TV; and a first-time showrunner trying to figure out how to pace out an incomplete story. Bryan & Kristen revisit this experiment in brand extension to see how well it's hel...
It's been five years since the first season of Star Trek: Picard concluded, and here in the month of March, Bryan & Kristen will be revisiting the episodes they didn't get to when they first kicked off coverage of the series. Back in 2022, Trek Marry Kill began by grading all the live action pilots, including Picard . We were joined by Hector Navarro from YouTube's Heroes Reforged, so rather than make you search through your feed for it in order to sync up with our new episodes this month th...
PARK AND RECREATIONS. This month's animated spotlight judges the kickoff of Star Trek: Lower Decks' third season, which include a pair of episodes that pay homage to iconic moments from throughout the franchise. One *could* say that about every episode of Lower Decks -- do Bryan and Katie do that? You'll just have to listen. The grades begin at (15:09). Jump right to "The Least Dangerous Game" at (41:27).
KIRK'S UNPLANNED VACATION. An alien obelisk gives Captain Kirk amnesia and strands him among indigenous people transported from Earth to an alien planet in the direct path of a world-ending asteroid. Our Inner Light Month concludes with this look at Kirk basically getting a chance at a normal life but still becoming the captain of a tribe. Is it a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? The grades begin at (15:49).
A GOOD STORY? That's not something Bryan and his trio of guest co-hosts expected from Star Trek: Enterprise here during Inner Lights month. Jamie, Bill, and Maria have their own show where they explain episodes of Enterprise to one another, and for "Carbon Creek," they're doing a bit of a swap with Trek Marry Kill -- look for Bryan to appear on their show in April. You can listen to Enterprisesplaining here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enterprisesplaining/id1733657074 The grades for th...
HOPE AND DESPAIR walk hand and hand, but that's not the only lesson to be learned from a classic episode of Star Trek and Deep Space Nine. From a technical standpoint, the Star Trek format is malleable and elastic if the story has a point, and the story can be about anything if there's meaningful characterization. But! Is this episode a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? Bryan and Shereese investigate as our Inner Lights theme month continues. The grades begin at (33:18).
A FLUTE OCCURRENCE. Captain Picard gets zapped into a simulation where he must live out a whole other life as a man on a dying planet. It turns out this has a profound effect on the captain of the Federation flagship, but it's something the franchise barely revisited after what many consider to be the show's finest hour. Do Bryan and guest co-host Michael Baumann agree? The grades begin at (29:03).
KLINGONS! VULCANS! PROMOTIONS! This month's animated spotlight focuses on the last two episodes of Lower Decks ' second season, in which we get the introduction of T'Lyn and Ma'ah and discover that Ensign Sonya Gomez has been promoted from spilling hot chocolate on Captain Picard to captaining her own starship -- which the Cerritos needs to rescue in one of Trek's most thrilling sequences this century. BUT! Are these episodes TREKs, MARRYs or KILLs? The grades for "wej duj" begin at (21:04). Jum...
