Enterprising Individuals

Choose your cha'DIch and sharpen your kut'luch as we atone for the "Sins of the Father"!

Writer and musician Fred Love returns to the show this week to discuss an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that helped set the scene for decades of Klingon stories. When Worf discovers he has a long-lost brother, he must join him in defending their late father's honor. But when a conspiracy involving the Klingon High Council is uncovered, he'll have to give up his most treasured possession to protect his family: his honor!

Klingon episodes of TNG and DS9 represent almost a sub-genre within the world of Star Trek, presenting an epic, near-Shakespearean narrative that runs parallel to the typical episodic fare. Thanks to the efforts of writers like Ronald D. Moore, Worf and the Klingons went from a mere curiosity to a vibrant and vital part of the ongoing story of Trek. On this episode, we discuss how "Sins" established the look and feel of Klingon installments, how they represented some of the franchise's first long-term continuity, the passion of Klingon fans, the way serial fiction compares to role-playing narratives, the undeniable talent of Tony Todd, making interesting choices in storytelling, the tangled history of the Klingon empire, and how Worf is the longest running character in the franchise.

We also discuss pandemic storytelling, an "evenness of difference", having Trek as your only credit, VHS board games, "D" plots, PBEM sim war stories, winging it at the RPG table, Worf's muddled future, empty threats and bluster, fun stabby uncles, how to taunt by not taunting, the Pax Klingonia, and what woulg make a good "empire".

Fun always trumps the rules!

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This week, Gooey Fame of BackTrekking is back on the program to act as a Trek archeologist as we unearth Gene Roddenberry's original pitch document, "Star Trek Is..."! The kernel of the idea that became the Trek we know was refined over time by many hands, but this is the raw ore of "Wagon Train to the Stars"! You'll hear tales of smart cows, skinned tyrannosaurs, dog men, and a whole lot of Christ metaphors! And Torx!

All done on the cheap!

Listen to BackTrekking to hear the stories behind your favorite Trek episodes!

Pick up the books we mentioned on the episode on Amazon!
Lost Voyages of Trek and the Next Generation
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Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series
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Hold on to yourself and get for battle as we fight "The War Without, The War Within"!

Anika Dane and Liz Barr of Antimatter Pod are back on the show this week to discuss an episode of Star Trek: Discovery that sees our heroes wrestling with threats both physical and emotional. The crew of the Discovery has gone from the frying pan to the fire as they return from the Mirror Universe to a Federation shattered by war with the Klingons. Now, Cornwell and Sarek plan a desperate strike at the Klingon homeworld, while Burnham must face the consequences of saving Empress Georgiou *and* recrimination from an agonized Tyler!

There is a consistent charge from ignorant fans that Discovery and all new Trek shows aren't really "Trek", but such accusations reveal in the accuser an ignorance not only of Disco but of recent history. All new Trek series . . . yes, even everyone's beloved DS9 . . . was excoriated by "real" fans on its initial release, but time and perspective always silence the naysayers. Discovery constantly shows, particularly in this hour, that it holds up the franchise's best traditions of character drama, utopian fiction, and valuing connectedness over division. On this episode, we discuss the original but familiar aspects of modern Trek, criticism from ignorance, the importance of talking (and not talking) in your narrative, exploring abuse and trauma through a sci-fi lens, earning your moments, giving non-Anglo voices a platform, and times when the "right" choice is the right choice.

We also discuss cranky old Ellison, writing fic vs. lit, easing into new shows, Murdoch the First, hating birds, Law and Order and Trauma, why good admirals go bad, exes that never were, Sarek>Worf, the Federation as a levelling force, Archer = trash captain, a little WandaVision talk, and a lot of Mirror Universe hacky sackin'!.

Don't watch trash! I raised you better than this!

Follow Antimatter Pod on Tumblr and listen to the Endless Anakin Playlist Podcast!
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Learn the story behind your favorite Trek stories with BackTrekking!
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This week, Mikanhana of the Just Enough Trope and Sailor Noob podcasts is back on the show to round up the latest Trek news! We've got updates on the 5 (or is it 6?) Trek shows currently in production/development, plus stories about the Saturn Awards, Trek lit, Star Trek 4, and more!

Our revels are just getting started!

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Prepare yourself for for the experience of someone else's lifetime because we're remembering "Memorial"!

New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author James Swallow returns the show this week to discuss an episode of Star Trek: Voyager that reminds us of the importance of memorializing tragedy. When certain crew members begin to experience flashbacks to an alien massacre, they wonder if they could have participated in its execution. But when Voyager discovers a strange monument memorializing the tragedy, Janeway will be forced to judge the value of another society's guilt and grief.

The world of the Federation represents in many ways the magnification of the ethics we value today, principles like non-violence, non-interference, and respect for other cultures. But the men and women of Starfleet often find themselves serving as the arbiters of dilemmas they could have never predicted or prepared themselves for, and Starfleet captains specifically must make decisions about our interactions with alien cultures that would confound a score of enlightened diplomats. On this episode, we discuss the ethics of the memorial that Voyager encounters, the way that real-life memorials and conflicts inspired the story, the way we try and often fail to understand and appreciate other cultures, the responsibility of those who survive to remember and prevent tragedy from repeating itself, the episode's parallels to the Vietnam War and its memorials, the effects of PTSD on Starfleet officers, and the that hopeful sci-fi like Star Trek presents the crooked journey from dark to light.

We also discuss James's initial concept for the episode and his work with Bryan Fuller and the Voyager writing staff in bringing it to the screen, the dark delusions that fill many Voyager tales, the ethics of beaming things into people's heads, the abbreviated yet deft storytelling of weekly TV, British sci-fi nihilism, Voyager as a road movie, the sports fans of Trek, having a terms of service on your memorial, vaporizing evidence, baseball as a Bajoran sacrament, the pandemic-like life of Voyager's crew, old-ass remote controls, and why Kirk and Picard might have pulled the plug.

Naomi Wildman: HACK THE BONE!

Follow James on Twitter and find out more about his work on his website!
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Get James's new Picard novel and his latest Marc Dane books!
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This week, Darren Mooney of the Escapist is back for the second half of our discussion about all things Star Trek (and Doctor Who). On the show, we talk about writing pop culture commentary during the lockdown, the changing role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, how Trek's role has changed in society in the current era, how Enterprise wasn't *that* bad, and the end of "The End of History"!

This episode of outtakes (and ALL of our outtakes) are available weekly on our Patreon, at patreon.com/eistpod!

Follow Darren on Twitter and check out his site, The M0vie Blog!
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Make sure you're caught up on your shots because we're studying "The Immunity Syndrome"!

We're back for an all-new season as Darren Mooney of the Escapist joins the show to discuss an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series in which we're all, like, little microbes in the galaxy, man. A colossal organism from beyond the galaxy is devouring entire star systems and Kirk and crew will have to find a way to squash this bug before they become its next meal!

Star Trek may present a stolid philosophy but it was engendered in a era of enormous political and social upheaval and the emotions and ideas present in the '60s often made their way to the screen in striking ways. Most of the writers and artists behind TOS probably never attended a happening or smoked acid but, nevertheless, the vibes of the decade found themselves translated into the wonders and fears that the crew of the Enterprise encountered on their journeys. On this episode, we discuss the trippy feel of TOS's third season, the tumultuous behind-the-scenes environment in which it was created, the original sci-fi Id/Ego/Superego of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, the erosion of the original edifice of Trek and what it transformed into, the galactic decay encountered by Kirk's Enterprise, the trap of nostalgia, the reclaiming of the bottle episode, and the way that Discovery has tried to reconnect with the franchise's psychedelic roots.

We also discuss smuggling Trek VHS tapes, "Kelposapiens", 1 podcast = 1 Ferrari, generic episode titles, talking around the GIANT SPACE AMOEBA, being square and hip at the same time, Movie Sisko, the *real* reason Shawshank is #1 on IMDB, ducking out of your kid's birthday party, and why Star Trek was never as optimistic as everyone remembers.

With special guest star Mr. Amoeba!

Follow Darren on Twitter, listen to his podcast, read his blog, and check out his work on the Escapist!
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Get your hands on Darren's books!
Opening The X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series
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Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films
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Learn the story behind your favorite Trek stories with BackTrekking!
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We are talking LIVE about the #StarTrekDiscovery episode “That Hope Is You, Part 2”! Tweet at @eistpod with the hashtag #discoverage to join our conversation currently in progress! #StarTrek

We are talking LIVE about the #StarTrekDiscovery episode “There Is A Tide…”! Tweet at @eistpod with the hashtag #discoverage to join our conversation currently in progress! #StarTrek

We are talking LIVE about the #StarTrekDiscovery episode “Su’Kal”! Tweet at @eistpod with the hashtag #discoverage to join our conversation currently in progress! #StarTrek