First Flight Podcast

EP 156 BONUS 2026 Trek of the Month

Welcome to First Flight's bimonthly Bonus Trek of the Month episodes chat!

Chris and Abby love ALL Trek and Melanie has assigned them two great episodes to discuss.

This month is (September) and our episodes are (A Fistful of Datas- TNG) and (Something Borrowed, Something Green- LOW). Take a listen and hear what we love, what we question, what we find important and a Grappler Rating.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on these bimonthly episodes and if you have any connections or Grappler Ratings of your own. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 154- Season 4 Ep 15 Affliction

Season 4 is here and First Flight, and the Carrot Crew, have many things to discuss! It's time for Columbia to launch, Phlox to get kidnapped and Malcom to be shady. Of course, Chris and Abby have lots to say about it.

While Enterprise visits Earth for the launch of Columbia, Phlox is kidnapped and forced to help the Klingons deal with a grave threat toward their species.

Season 4 Format:

-Welcome & Reed Alert (spoiler warning)

-Captain's Log & Haiku (episode recap)

-Pros and Decons (analysis of episode)

- Viewscreen On (calling out a beautiful visual shot or director's choice of shot)

- Flipping Duras and/or VAMF (Vulcan as a Mother Flipper) Awards as needed

-Porthos' Pick (our favorite parts)

-Trivia

-Vulcans' Verdict (rating the episode on a scale of 1-10 grapplers)

Feel free to let us know your Porthos' Picks and Grappler Ratings, VAMF Awards, Flipping Duras and/or your general thoughts on this episode! We save these and share them on special Mail Bag episodes. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads & Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Email us feedback and voice recordings (90 secs or less)

[email protected]

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 154 - Celebrating 60 Years of Star Trek, Part 1 | The Classic Series (TOS-ENT)

First Flight loves ALL Trek and today we bring you a bonus episode that lets Abby and Chris celebrate the six classic series of Star Trek and its unique brand of hope. For each classic series they will highlight one episode that really explores the hope.

The episodes discussed are: City on the Edge of Forever (TOS), The Time Trap (TAS), The Chase (TNG), Far Beyond the Stars (DS9), The Void (VOY), and First Flight (ENT).

We have to give a special shout out to those who submitted their own thoughtful picks for Star Trek episodes that reflected Roddenberry's unique brand of hope. Do you have a pick from the Kurtzman Era of Star Trek? We would love to include your voice in Part 2 of this celebration of Star Trek coming out later this year.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on this thread or any Porthos' Picks, Grappler Ratings, Viewscreen On picks, VAMF and Flipping Duras Awards and/or your general thoughts so we can share them on our next Mail Bag episode. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

EP 153 BONUS- Interlude #4 | Featuring Music from Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis

August 2026

Welcome to First Flight's Bonus Interludes, our bimonthly short chat about two tracks of Trek music that we love.

Chris and Abby love ALL Trek and have given themselves, and the Carrot Crew, some franchise spanning, music moments to highlight and analyze.

This month of (August) we are discussing "Star Trek Generations Overture" & "Kirk's Death" from the Movie Star Trek Generations, and "Repairs" and "Ideals" from Star Trek Nemesis.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on these bimonthly music tracks and if you have any connections or Grappler Ratings or thoughts of your own. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 152 - "Level-Five Transporter Accident" (BONUS)

First Flight loves ALL Trek and today we bring you a bonus episode that lets Abby and Chris critique and celebrate the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, "Level-Five Transporter Accident." Then stick around for Chris to share a way of shifting the online discourse around Strange New Worlds into more productive, nuanced language based on the philosophy of aesthetics.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on this thread or any Porthos' Picks, Grappler Ratings, Viewscreen On picks, VAMF and Flipping Duras Awards and/or your general thoughts so we can share them on our next Mail Bag episode. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Twitter (X), Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 151 - Trek Threads | DS9 2-Parters (BONUS)

First Flight loves ALL Trek and today we bring you a bonus episode that lets Abby and Chris reflect and chat about all the two part episodes of DS9.

The episodes discussed are: Emissary, The Maquis, The Search, Past Tense, Improbable Cause/The Die Is Cast, The Way of the Warrior, Homefront/Paradise Lost, In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light, What You Leave Behind

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on this thread or any Porthos' Picks, Grappler Ratings, Viewscreen On picks, VAMF and Flipping Duras Awards and/or your general thoughts so we can share them on our next Mail Bag episode. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 150- Why Enterprise: Celebrating 150 Episodes of First Flight (BONUS)

First Flight is celebrating 150 episodes with a special bonus that explains how Abby and Chris would answer the question "Why Enterprise?" They each picked one episode from each season, plus one bonus episode, that they would give to someone asking this. This is a fun celebration of ALL of Enterprise and a heap ton of love for the series.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on this thread or any Porthos' Picks, Grappler Ratings, Viewscreen On picks, VAMF and Flipping Duras Awards and/or your general thoughts so we can share them on our next Mail Bag episode. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

EP 149 BONUS- July 2026 Trek of the Month

Welcome to First Flight's bimonthly Bonus Trek of the Month thematic episodes chat!

Chris and Abby love ALL Trek and Melanie has assigned them two great episodes to discuss.

This month is (July) and our episodes are (The Examples- DSC) and (One Small Step- VOY). Take a listen and hear what we love, what we question, what we find important and a Grappler Rating.

Feel free to let us know your thoughts on these bimonthly episodes and if you have any connections or Grappler Ratings of your own. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Find Us on YouTube:

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 148 Comparing Treks: Prodigy & Academy | Annual Prodigy July (BONUS)

It's time for First Flight's 3rd Annual Prodigy July! This year we are looking at Cadets in general and making connections between Prodigy and Starfleet Academy.

We will be covering: Supernova/Come, Let's Away, Preludes/Vox in Excelso, Last Flight of the Protostar/Series Acclimation Mil, First Con-tact/300th Night, Time Amok/Life of the Stars and Imposter Syndrome/Vitus Refleux.

Feel free to let us know your Porthos' Picks and Grappler Rankings, and/or your general thoughts on this episode! We save these and share them on special Mail Bag episodes. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Instagram, Facebook & Bluesky:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Email us feedback (90 secs or less)

[email protected]

Find Us on YouTube:

First Flight's Channel: Tricorder Transmissions Network

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf

Episode 147- Bonus

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Reflections

First Flight loves ALL Trek and today we bring you a bonus episode that let's Abby and Chris reflect on the recently finished Season 3 of Strange New Worlds.

We love ALL Star Trek, and we are excited to chat about the most recent new season of Strange New Worlds. If you love Strange New Worlds, too, here's your episode. If you've been wanting to get into it, here's your episode! If you want more Enterprise, we'll be back next time with our usual review.

Bonus SNW S3 Format:

• Introduction

• Haiku summaries of the season

• Pros

• Decons

• Viewscreen On

• Top 3 Episodes

• Porthos Picks

• Secondary Systems

• Vulcan's Verdict and Grappler Rating

• Data!

Feel free to let us know your Porthos' Picks and Grappler Rankings, and/or your general thoughts on this episode! We save these and share them on special Mail Bag episodes. (Please note, contributions might be shared on the podcast!)

Find Us on Instagram, Facebook & Bluesky:

@FirstFlightPod

Abby: @abbymsommer

Chris: @ShelfNerds

Email us feedback (90 secs or less)

[email protected]

Find Us on YouTube:

First Flight's Channel: Tricorder Transmissions Network

Chris' Channel : Completing the Shelf