"We were innocent. It will never be that way again." We discuss “The Masterpiece Society”, which develops many of the same themes as TOS’s “Paradise”, but more sophisticated, including stagnation in a closed system and balanced societies as boring. Laura has a theory about this society being connected to the Eugenics Wars and we discuss the implications for women in this highly controlled society (it doesn't look good). Geordi and Troi are the episode MVPs, but Geordi wins for Smoothest MFer.

“Sometimes you need a fresh start.” We thought it would be fun to review the best sci-fi pilot of all time, “Space Pilot 3000.” We spot several Trek easter eggs, talk about the heartwarming/-breaking core of the show, and highlight our favorite jokes from this episode. We’re also super amazed at Futurama’s attention to detail. Tangents include: our continually disappointed moms; Zoolander connections to sci-fi; Wolfram Alpha. Warning, you may need to visit your chronocologist after this episode.

"Physical discomfort is very effective, Captain." After several extremely TMI tangents, we consider a classic TOS take on dystopia in "The Cloud Minders," a solid season 3 episode notable for creative narrative choices and possibly the most DTF alien ever to grace the screen. Highly stratified societies make for prime dystopian antics, and we discuss class warfare, as well as parallels to slavery; fyi, slavery by any other name is still slavery, and it always sucks. Go get your flu shots y'all!

"Would you like to use a butterfly net on him Jim?" Today we’ve got “This Side of Paradise”, considered a prime example of utopia in Trek. It doesn’t quite fit the criteria we have, but we do have some ideas involving dead women and children for how it’s a dystopia. Laura also thinks the episode is pro-capitalist, and Emmanuel wants more aliens in the show. Tangents include: Laura’s attempt to change job titles; our knowledge of high school level books; spore effects on different characters.

We're kicking off a new series based on utopias and dystopias in Trek. Laura goes into teacher-mode and provides some background and definitions for the concepts while Emmanuel makes surprisingly insightful jokes. We talk about Rodenberry's utopian dreams for humanity and look at various examples of both utopia and dystopia including: A Taste of Armageddon; The Masterpiece Society; Justice; The Caretaker. Next time we'll decide whether This Side of Paradise deserves the utopia label.

"Does everybody know about this wheat but me?" In this episode we face our mortality head on and wonder about our eventual legacies before breaking down our namesake episode. We talk all about the comedic elements of Trek's first purposefully funny episode, which showcases the cast's impeccable comedic timing and delivery. Tangents include: the replicators from Stargate SG 1; the episode as a parody of Cold War espionage; how to feel better when you're having a rough day.

This episode we actually review "The Vulcan Hello"! Emmanuel continues to be impressed with the show's production value, we get into a fight over androids vs robots, and wonder why Spock and Sarek seem to be the only Vulcans in the universe. Emmanuel has another conspiracy and we talk about how the p-word makes us feel icky. Our verdict: Disco is a fun show to watch even if there are some writing issues. NB: Laura makes a lot comments which may be factually incorrect. Body count: 1 Torchbearer

It's a bonus episode! We start discussing Discovery's "Vulcan Hello" but get sidetracked into a loooong conversation about design and technology on the show. Holograms, how do they work? Klingons, how do they be? While Emmanuel continues to not word good-we're thinking of giving him speech lessons-he remains surprisingly open minded about all the aesthetic changes the show has made. Tangents include: Khan miniseries (?!); prophets vs messiahs; motorcycle migrations. Pt 2 will be actual review!

“Let’s talk about fake places that are warm and fuzzy.” We made it through a wilderness of pilots and we’re ready to rank them, deciding highlights and failures: what’s our favorite TOS pilot? Worst pilot? Best? Spoilers, we agree on worst and best but not on anything else. And tangents galore: Laura's jealousy about Emmanuel's work hours; RPG cult classic Legend of Dragoon; fantasy casting for 2009 Khan; Emmanuel's mustache fetish. We also pick the topic for our next series. Over ‘n’ out!

"You can't be afraid of the wind." This episode we meet jolly Dr. Phlox, whose sunny outlook balances out some hella rude behavior: first, Archer picks on T'Pol at dinner, who in turn is salty as heck to a stressed out Hoshi. Star Trek Sexy Times™ really get rolling with the bar on Rigel 10—butterflies or lizard tongues, which is sexier?—and "Magic Hands" Trip in the decompression chamber. The back half of this episode is plot heavy and confusing, esp. for Laura. Body count: more Sulibabies.