Wednesday, January 25, 2017

#125 - EXPLORING STAR TREK'S OUTSIDER CHARACTERS


Sure, the captains are cool. But who truly makes Star Trek Star Trek is the unique and fascinating outsider characters holding a curious microscope up to the wonders and foibles of humanity. This week hosts Cam Smith and Tyler Orton cock their eyebrows inquisitively as they discuss the unforgettable journeys undertaken by each of the five beloved 'other' figures who shaped and propelled their respective series. From Spock and Data, right down through Odo, Seven and T'Pol, the duo underline what makes each character special and who best grew to understand what makes us illogical beings tick.

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

#124 - STAR TREK DS9: PAST TENSE


Deep Space Nine started off season 3 with a major bang thanks to its Dominion War-accelerating premiere The Search. But did the series maintain the exciting trajectory with its next big blockbuster double-length tale? This week hosts Cam Smith and Tyler Orton, along with special guest Andy Chan, travel back to the grim Earth future of 2024 to reexamine the eerily relevant two-parter Past Tense. Over the course of this week's discussion, the trio grapple with the episodes' prescient themes, debate whether the use of convoluted time travel hijinx was justified, and consider how well the show's hostage crisis scenario works when compared to high-bars like Dog Day Afternoon or Inside Man. They also reminisce about the 1980s Fred Dryer series Hunter for some reason.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

#123 - ALIENS WE WANT TO SEE ON DISCOVERY


When last we discussed prospective Discovery character appearances, Bryan Fuller was overseeing the show and the future was oh so bright. What a difference a few months make. Regardless, this week hosts Cam Smith and Tyler Orton, along with special guest Carmin Carotenuto, are embracing optimism and pondering which alien races they'd like to see populating the eagerly anticipated upcoming series. From Benzites and Bolians, to Tellarites and the Xindi, the trio scour the Trek-verse in search of only the most promising and intriguing extraterrestrial species.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

#122 - STAR TREK'S BEST & WORST YEARS


With the decidely strange era that was 2016 behind us, what better way to usher in 2017 than by celebrating - and occasionally shuddering at - the Star Trek history that led up to it. This week hosts Cam Smith and Tyler Orton dig through their dusty franchise almanacs in order to properly decide which years were the most momentous for fans, and which ones were just plain 'ol bummers. From the birth of TOS in 1966, to the uncertain 1970s, explosive 1990s and mostly barren early 21st century, the duo consider ever crucial event and setback in order to succeed in their particularly daunting mission.

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