Enterprising Individuals

Get your hankies ready this week as we receive "The Visitor"!

Author and Star Trek Adventures line editor Jim Johnson joins the show to discuss one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's most affecting hours. An accident aboard the Defiant causes Sisko to be lost in time and Jake must struggle to overcome the loss of his father. As the years pass and Jake gets older, he sees his contentment, his family, his health, and his future being stripped away, as he contemplates a fatal solution that could bring back his father and correct the tragedy that forever altered their destinies!

DS9 was far ahead of its time, both for portraying a black family in science fiction and for having the courage to present stories about love and family against the backdrop of space military sci-fi. It also featured Jake as an unlikely sci-fi hero, a creative with no desire to fight or explore space, choosing instead to explore his own creative limits. During our discussion, we talk about DS9's own take on "The Inner Light" and how it contrasts with the show's later wartime stories, the all too rare example of filial love in TV sci-fi, the contrast between Wesley and Jake, letting go of the past, and the difficulty in writing stories about writing.

We also discuss getting advice from Dean Wesley Smith, synthacheeseburgers, that last scene, how old Federation citizens can get, whether "Enterprise" will ever be remembered fondly, being an Egyptophile, Waldenbooks nostalgia, Weird West, Disney's Haunted Mansion, Aaron wonders about the Federation's opinion on suicide, and Jim makes the show's first "Throw Momma From The Train" reference!

*sob*

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Put down that book and whip out your horga'hn 'cause we're talking about sex in the Star Trek universe! Alexa and Connor of the Boldly Boinking podcast join the show to talk about the REAL mystery of Star Trek: in a healthy, hangup-free humanist utopia, where's all the sex? Connor and Alexa, aka Rocketman and the Tribble, are Trek sexperts and we're going to get to the bottom of *add your own "bottom" pun here*. We talk about the dorky enthusiasm of Trek sex, Trek's presentation of non-toxic masculinity, the effect of the human diaspora on human society, the Borg and BDSM, Janeway/everyone, "Blood and Fire", Riker as Kirk XL, single serving soulmates, consent and the holodeck, Aaron trots out his "Justice"/AIDS theory again, Alexa stans for Dax, and Connor shouts out dem Montalban pecs! Plus, we're all horrified by "Pretty Maids All in a Row"! Check it out!

Not "Pretty Maids All in a Row"...do NOT check that out...

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Batten the hatches and hold fast this week as we try to survive "Starship Down"!

New York Times bestselling author David Mack returns to the show to discuss one of two DS9 episodes he co-wrote with writing partner John J. Ordover. The Defiant is attacked by Jem'Hadar warships while on a trade mission and is critically disabled. Now, Chief O'Brien and a crew of enlisted men must keep the ship afloat in the atmosphere of a deadly gas giant . . . all while Sisko lies close to death, Bashir and Dax are trapped below decks, Quark and Farmer Hoggett have to disarm a torpedo, and the Jem'Hadar are still out there!

In the TNG/DS9/VOY days of Trek, many freelancers and young writers tried selling scripts to Paramount and they made them attractive by presenting brisk, money-saving "bottle show" concepts. This is NOT one of those scripts. Starship Down starts with a bang and continues with a series of bangs, exposing the crew to mortal peril and forcing our heroes to confront their inadequacies in order to save the day. During our discussion, we talk about the process of writing for Trek and for the small screen, how Dave met John and how they honed their process, the episode's roots in "Das Boot", creating enlisted character and following them into the Pocket novels, giving Sisko a "Kirk" moment, teaching Worf how to lead, doing it all over again only bloodier in "Wildfire", and how Dave got the nickname "The Angel of Death!"

Dave also shares some anecdotes about his time working on Trek TV, the benefit of lunch networking, burning your old drafts, wanting liquid metal but getting gas, writing Tyler in and out, working in Jesus's carpentry shop, Disco season 2 running Mack's Greatest Hits, whether Star Trek: Picard will torpedo the Trek lit universe, what it takes to defeat Section 31, and the lost "Cheers" Quark episode!

Murder, blackmail, war crimes . . . fun!

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This week, Heather Rae joins the show to talk about Trek's record dealing with LGBTQ issues, seeing more gay and lesbian characters on-screen, and what the future looks like for gay characters on Trek TV! Plus, even MORE earth-shaking announcements about the future of the show!

Please consider contributing to these LGBTQ charities!
Human Rights Campaign
https://www.hrc.org
The Night Ministry
https://www.thenightministry.org/get-involved-with-the-night-ministry
GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders
https://www.glad.org/get-involved/

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Take a sentimental journey with us this week as we raise a glass to the days gone by and examine "Relics"!

NerdsThatGeek.com editor-in-chief John Edward Betancourt joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that pays loving homage to both the TOS era and one of the Original Series's best characters. While answering a Federation distress call, the Enterprise-D discovers a mysterious Dyson sphere and its lone occupant: 147 year old Starfleet engineer Montgomery Scott! As Scotty struggles to acclimate to the 24th century, the Enterprise finds itself snared by an energy field that threatens to destroy the ship. Will Scotty be able to work one more miracle to save one more Enterprise?

As TNG became more established as the new Trek status quo, the creators behind the series became more open to acknowledging the franchise's amazing past, and this episode is a celebration and loving send-up of the Trek of yesteryear. During our discussion, we talk about the love and energy the crew of TNG put in to recreating a glimpse of TOS, the way Relics and Generations serve to pass the torch to the new crew, the real science behind Dyson spheres, the amazing life and career(s) of James Doohan, TNG making good on the promise of equality proposed in TOS, letting story trump canon, and the longevity of Trek and other seemingly immortal franchises.

We also talk about the challenge of creating the TOS bridge set and why we have Frasier to thank for it, why it's OK to beam through shields, Picard's "On Golden Pond", Ron Moore dancing, how Doohan's agent saved Scotty but gave us Welshie, we ask how far superhero movies will go, we get mad at mom from throwing out our model kits, we ask how synthehol works, Aaron shares his Mallrats story, and John talks about almost meeting Stephen King!

Where my train nerds at?

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We beam ourselves into ourselves this week so we can relive Star Trek: Discovery Season 2! Author Dave Galanter and podcaster Aly Martinez aka the 23 Year Old Trekkie join your hosts Aaron and Ella as we look back at the highs and lows of Disco's second go around. Over the course of the episode, we discuss the way narrative storytelling has changed on TV and on Trek, revisiting and refreshing classic stories and characters, the continuing development of Michael Burnham as a new kind of Trek protagonist, the pitch perfect portrayals of Pike and Spock, whether Disco will every return from the 32nd century, the continuation of Discovery as a leader in minority representation in genre TV, and we speculate on what's coming up in Season 3!

We also talk about the new Trek shows in development, rebooting Spock's brain, the longest "Last Time On" in TV history, slight Endgame spoilers, the "new" Saru, what's up with the haters, the future of the future, is Control Skynet?, pet mugatos, fancy ham, Dave explains the signals, Aly talks about growing up Enterprise, Ella's ready to Stan for Spock, and Aaron just has to bring up Farscape AGAIN!

Dude! Have you even Star Trekked?!

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We've got a special feature this week as we present the premiere episode of BackTrekking, the new Trek and pop culture podcast from Ka1iban and GooeyFame, the host of Existence Is Futile! Every story has to start somewhere, and each week on BackTrekking, Gooey and Kal look at the real-world inspirations for your favorite Trek episodes! This week, we're talking about the TNG episode "Starship Mine" and its gutsy, bullet-ridden forebear 1988's "Die Hard"!

Yippie-ki-yay, mother Horta!

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE FOR GROWN-UPS ON THIS EPISODE

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Just Enough Trope's Mikanhana is back this week to help sort out the latest Trek news! We've got updates on season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery, Lower Decks, the rumored Pike series, Tarantino Trek, the Trek "Global Franchise Group", and a Killer Grandma! Plus, a review of the new Deep Space Nine documentary, What We Left Behind, and Kal's thoughts on the Star Trek: Picard trailer!

AND, a special announcement about a new Star Trek enterprise! It's a podcast . . . not a ship . . .

#behrsockets!

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Get your jeweler's loupe on and clutch tight your '62 Roger Maris card because we're about to play with "The Most Toys"!

Writer and Forbes Magazine Associate Editor for Science and Games Alex Knapp joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that sees Data's humanity put on trial once again, this time as much from within as without. Remorseless collector Kivas Fajo has kidnapped Data to be part of his menagerie of priceless artifacts, and Fajo is using his people as hostages to keep Data a prisoner. Can Geordi and the crew of the Enterprise rescue their lost android before Data decides that murder is preferable to enslavement?

Data comes face to face with the banality of evil in this solid episode, as our favorite android's selflessness is pushed to the breaking point by a deadly selfishness. During our discussion, we talk about the one-two punch of Spiner and Rubinek, the qualities of a great Trek villain, Trek's long pedigree of first-rate guest stars, how good villains are the answer to the question the hero asks, the reality of Data's "emotions", the crazy story of the original Kivas Fajo actor, and wanting a better end to Data's story.

We also talk about corporate-sponsored space travel, catching up on Enterprise, the lack of data privacy in Starfleet, space nihilists, the Decipher Star Trek CCG, Data learning to bluff, the legality of kidnapping a robot, the burgeoning serial killer Fajo, sleeping in your uniform, the crutch of the emotion chip, Alex answers some of the pressing science and technology questions of the day and he makes Kal's YEAR by introducing him to the concept of "Kirk drift"!

Lululululu!

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Get ready to be disavowed and to go rogue this week as New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author James Swallow joins the show to talk about espionage and skullduggery in the world of Trek! The Federation is an open and honorable society, but there are cracks in every seemingly perfect edifice, and that's where organizations like Starfleet Intelligence and Section 31 make their home. On this episode, we talk about the dark corners of the Federation, doing the wrong thing to achieve the right one, needing an antidote to Trek's optimism, and putting your characters into a box and shaking it. We also discuss the differences between UK and US Trek fandom, getting to work on Star Trek: Voyager, making your own "toy box" and switching genres, turning the "guy in the van" into the hero, the three "JBs", writing spy thrillers in a post-9/11 world, and having Brannon Braga call during board game night!

I'm still taking offers on my "Bourne Lycanthropy" pitch!

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Exile: Marc Dane Book 2 avail. 5/14
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Shadow: Marc Dane Book 4 avail. 5/30
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Complete your Star Trek: Discovery novel collection!
Desperate Hours
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Drastic Measures
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The Way to the Stars
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Fear Itself
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Disavowed
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Control
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Collateral Damage
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