“Ad Astra per Aspera”

When Una Chin-Riley faces a court martial for concealing her identity as an Illyrian, Starfleet and the Federation itself also stand trial for the hipocrisy of their rules and how they are enforced.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with a discussion of “Ad Astra per Aspera.” We look at how the debate shines a light on the Federation’s failure to uphold IDIC, real-world struggles to avoid discrimination and persecution, and ask whether the appeal to emotions helps or harms the delivery of the story’s message. We also examine how the stance on genetic engineering fits into canon, the curious omission of Denobulans, the missing Vulcan backstory, and more.

Chapters
Intro (0:00:00)
Fitting (Or Not) into Canon (00:03:35)
Turning a Blind Eye (00:12:36)
Denobulans Be Like Whaaaaa? (00:16:14)
Intolerant of Tolerance (00:18:20)
A Rule Is a Rule (Unless It Isn't) (00:21:04)
The Untold Vulcan Backstory (00:24:37)
To the Stars through Hardship (00:31:44)
Hypocrisy and Emotion (00:35:02)
A Story with No End (00:41:27)  
The Illogic of Judging Others (00:50:30)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:55:42)
Closing (00:57:49)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)