Here comes season 6 and what is, effectively, a six-parter! But it's serialized enough that we're still doing it two at a time. First up: "A Time to Stand" and "Rocks and Shoals". We open from the aftermath of Season 5 to see that the war is really not going the Federation's way despite their precious shipyard victory, life on the station is more gray than it's ever been, and some Vorta are real jerks.

Also this week: finding Caitlin's line, various types of oozing, and "The Ship"!

Note: minor Easter Egg spoilers for S.1 of "Picard".

[Timestamps: "A Time to Stand": 01:30; "Rocks and Shoals": 44:46]

It seems like only yesterday we were being introduced to the Jem'Hadar way back at the end of season two, and now we're already to the end of season 5 and the long-simmering hostilities between the Federation and the Dominion finally boiling over! Yes, it's "Call to Arms", where a bunch of threads pay off and the Alpha Quadrant is turned upside-down!

Also this week: a different way to end seasons, screwed-up Federation priorities, and wrapping season 5!

[Timestamps: "Call to Arms": 02:12; Season Wrap: 50:16]

Hello, fellow soulless minions of orthodoxy! This week on DS9 there's madness, murder...and maybe just a bit of heartwarming earnestness?

First up: what should be a simple scavenging mission to DS9's sister station goes horribly awry when Garak gets murder-stoned in "Empok Nor"! After that, Jake wants to cheer his Dad up, leading to fetch quests galore and a brush with the Dominion in "In the Cards"!

Also this week: making the subtext supertext, Giger's chamber of secrets, and Gwyneth Paltrow!

[Timestamps: "Empok Nor": 2:08; "Cards": 33:38]

It's alternate routes of different sorts this week on SSHB. First up, time travel shenanigans cause the DS9 crew to meet their own possible descendants in "Children of Time". After that: one chose the uniform and one chose rebellion, and now they're reluctantly united in a common cause in "Blaze of Glory"!

Also this week: Worf is better to imaginary kids, killed by Romantic notions, and Memory Alpha nonsense.

[Timestamps: "Children": 01:16; "Blaze": 41:22]

Time to get back in the saddle, everyone! First up, Quark has a chance to get his Business License reinstated by Brunt, but to do so he must ruin his mother's newfound relationship in "Ferengi Love Songs"! After that, Worf realizes following regular procedure isn't going to get Martok to embrace his Warrior's Spirit in "Soldiers of the Empire".

Also this week: an encouraging intro, oo-mox talks, and a lot more Zelda than you might expect.

[Timestamps: "Love Songs": 01:59; "Soldiers": 34:51]

DS9 is settling right into its favorite place this week: complete moral ambiguity and no easy answers! First up: a desperate Quark gets into arms dealing, making himself loads of money but driving off his old friends in place of horrible, horrible new ones in "Business as Usual". After that: time for more Occupation flashbacks and revelations as Kira's Cardassian pseudo-Dad Tekeny Ghemor lets her know he's dying in "Ties of Blood and Water"!

Also this week: more Christmas, B-for-baby Plot, and a tease of an episode!

[Timestamps: "Business": 11:05; "Ties": 43:10]

No one is who they seem this week on DS9! First up, when the Emergency Medical Hologram's creator chooses Julian to be the template for the next, long-term version we discover there's more to the good Doctor than meets the eye in "Doctor Bashir, I Presume". After that, a would-be femme fatale finds her way into Odo's life, but the mystery to her is even deeper than she realizes in "A Simple Investigation".

Also this week: A special visitor, drowning Richard, and bedroom eyes.

[Timestamps: "Doctor Bashir": 07:46; "Investigation": 1:02:32]

It's the sneaky two-parter we've been chatting up for a bit since it mucked up our scheduling! Things really hit the fan and a whole lot happens in the one-two punch that is "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light"! Worf and Garak are kidnapped by the Dominion while on a rescue mission, Julian is revealed to have been a Changeling for over a month, and in the least surprising betrayal ever SOMEONE is aligning with the Dominion to grab power for themselves!

Also this week: meeting a possibly-worse father than Worf, Chekhov's Breen, and Cardassian molting.

[Timestamp: combined episode summaries at 00:49]

Everyone welcome! Welcome to A Star to Steer Her By's 200th Episode spectacular! We've come a long way and we're honestly more than a little amazed to be here! Thank you to all who've joined us!

For our big 200 we are eschewing the usual procedure and calling on some former guests to join us for a few rounds of "Trek" trivia before making them have some fun with Shakespeare! It's a bit of a long one, but I promise it is a grand old time from start to finish! So get a warm drink (or cold if you're listening to this in the future and it's Summer), settle in, and join us for some good fun!

[Note: spoilers for Discovery S.3 somewhere around the last ten minutes of the episode or so]

See all our ideal bridge crews here: https://www.tumblr.com/sshbpodcast/638580063140560896/ideal-bridge-crews

Sounds effects from freesound.org:

Phone ring: https://freesound.org/people/HerbertBoland/sounds/29952/

Game show buzzer: Buzzer: https://freesound.org/people/JapanYoshiTheGamer/sounds/423219/

New music, like our opening and closing themes, from the Air Force Band's public-domain recording of Debussy's "La Mer" found at musopen.org: https://musopen.org/music/14381-la-mer/

LLAP

Some familiar faces are dropping by DS9 this week, for good or ill.

First up, when Odo gets his hands on a baby Changeling in "The Begotten," Dr. Mora drops by to meddle. I mean give advice. Yes. After that, the hunt for Eddington continues and is continually botched by Sisko making it personal in "For the Uniform".

Also this week: changing our remit, Bajoran birthing rituals, and more than you wanted to know about Victor Hugo!

[Timestamps: "Begotten": 01:36; "For the Uniform": 31:58]