“Among the Lotus Eaters”

Returning to Rigel VII five years after a disastrous planetary survey, the Enterprise spots the Starfleet delta from space. Pike, La’an, and M’Benga beam down to discover Pike’s former yeoman, Zac Nguyen, who was believed to have been killed in action, now ruling over the indigenous Kalar as king. Soon, due to exotic radiation, the landing party begin to lose their memories—a problem that soon extends to the ship in orbit. Only ore from an asteroid and the sheer will of Erica Ortegas can save the day.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with “Among the Lotus Eaters.” We discuss the story’s perhaps overlooked social commentary, connections to Homer's Odyssey and past Star Trek, the TOS feel of the presentation, Spock’s choices, and a puzzling Prime Directive moment.

Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Revisiting Rigel VII (00:02:52) A TOS Feel (00:05:25) The Story of Our Life Matters (00:13:00) Feeling Is Only the Beginning of Wisdom (00:18:04) Controlling the Masses (00:20:24) Romancing the Captains (00:28:48) Taking Responsibility (00:33:52) Spock’s Choice (00:36:15) A Prime Directive Moment (00:45:00) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:50:42)   Closing (00:53:31)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)