Star Trek Discovery Podcast, featuring Picard, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds

Ruthie and Brian discuss Season 2 Episode 11 of Star Trek: Discovery, which is titled, Perpetual Infinity. We both loved this episode that explored the relationship between Michael Burnham and her mother, and how it ties into Section 31 and the Red Angel.

Ruthie and Brian discuss Season 2 Episode 11 of Star Trek: Discovery, titled, Perpetual Infinity. This episode was written by Alan McElroy & Brandon Schultz, and it was directed by Maja Vrvilo. She directed the first Short Trek.

Burnham has to deal with finding out about her mother not being dead, and Leland goes out of Control. See what I did there?

It's episode 35 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, and Ruthie and Brian analyze and discuss your feedback for Star Trek: Discovery - S2E10, which is titled The Red Angel. This episode was written by Chris Silvestri & Anthony Maranville, and it is directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper, who has been announced as the director of the first two episodes of the new Picard series. We learn a lot this episode, like who the Red Angel is, who developed Project Daedalus, and how Leland was involved in Burnham's parents' death.

Ruthie and Brian discuss Season 2 Episode 10 of Star Trek: Discovery, titled, The Red Angel. This episode was written by Chris Silvestri & Anthony Maranville, and it was directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper, who will be directing the first two episodes of the new Picard series. She directed S1E12 Vaulting Ambition previously.

What just happened? :-) So Burnham is The Red Angel after all, or is she?

For this supersized episode 34 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, Ruthie and Brian discuss Star Trek: Discovery - S2E9, which is titled, Project Daedalus. This episode was written by the new co-showrunner for Season 3, Michelle Paradise, and it is directed by Jonathan Frakes, whose name you might recognize. :-) Pike and Cornwell rendezvous to infiltrate Section 31 Headquarters, only to encounter some unexpected results. We finally get to know Airiam, but is it too late?

On this supersized episode, Ruthie and Brian discuss Season 2 Episode 9 of Star Trek: Discovery, titled, Project Daedalus. This episode was written by the newly announced co-showrunner of Season 3, Michelle Paradise, currently co-executive producer, and directed by Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander William T. Riker on TNG and in the movies, and a longtime Trek director, including Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, and is his third time directing Discovery. We get to know Airiam!

Star Trek: Discovery – Season 2, Episode 8: If Memory Serves For episode 33 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, Ruthie and I discuss Season 2 Episode 8 of Star Trek: Discovery, which is titled, If Memory Serves. This episode was written by Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie, and it was directed by TJ Scott....

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2, Episode 8: If Memory Serves

For episode 33 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, Ruthie and I discuss Season 2 Episode 8 of Star Trek: Discovery, which is titled, If Memory Serves. This episode was written by Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie, and it was directed by TJ Scott.

Discussion on If Memory Serves begins at 13:41...

We begin the podcast with feedback from the previous episode. We get into this episode at 13 minutes 41 seconds.

Fred's Pics and Spoiler Alert!

We have been blessed yet again with pics chosen by Fred from The Netherlands, including the cover image. We will show them throughout this blog post. To that end, SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched If Memory Serves, you may want to stop reading here!

Previously on Star Trek!!!

In an unprecedented move, that many people say was brilliant, our "Previously on..." segment at the start of the show had something we have never seen before. It was "Previously on" from another Star Trek show! In this case, of course, it was "Previously on Star Trek". We saw some classic images from the first pilot episode of Star Trek, titled, "The Cage", which was also featured in the two-part TOS episode, "The Menagerie". For me, this was very unexpected but very welcomed. It also signaled something I already knew but it was good to have the evidence: This show takes place in the same prime timeline as The Original Series, TNG and all the rest of the series that followed. It's just a visual and technological update to bring it to a 2019 standard, but it follows the same story canon as all the other shows. The success or failure of what the producers did was discussed at length. I loved it, understood what it meant, and was so happy to see them do this. Ruthie, on the other hand, was confused by it, and she talks about why at length during the episode.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S208 (00:32) - Blue Talosian flowers (The Cage).

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S208 (00:43) - Talosians (The Cage).

Talos IV!!! Vina!!!

When Burnham and Spock arrive in the Talos system, they encounter a black hole, or is it? Of course, it's just a projection from the Talosians. Spock comes out of his state to take control of the shuttlecraft.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (06:34) - Burnham thinks she enters a black whole.

When they land on Talos IV, they are greeted by Vina, the same woman Pike and the Enterprise encounter there a few years before.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (12:58) - Short skirted Vina walking towards Spock.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (15:21) - Vina & the Talosians.

Pike's Peaked

When they were on Talos IV, the connection Pike had with Vina, though the Talosians tried to force them to mate in captivity, was very real. The powers they have to project communication across light years is quite impressive. I thought it was cool that they could do this and go undetected by Section 31.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (48:53) - Let us all go.

Of course, we're here to fix Spock...

The Talosians say that Spock's mental breakdown happens because he is experiencing time as a fluid rather than a linear construct. It wasn't very obvious how the Talosians fixed Spock in this episode. Sure, they showed him his visions, his escape and how he didn't kill the personnel on Starbase 5, but what did they do exactly? That much is unclear. We both had some problems with what they actually did to him, but Ruthie had a bigger issue with it than I did.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (43:17) - Talosians close-up.

As payment, the Talosians want to experience the rift between Spock and Burnham that occurred in their childhood that we had heard about all season long. Some thought that the scene that ended in Burnham calling Spock a "half-breed" a disappointment, but we both thought that it was just the cherry on top. The things she said to Spock were hurtful, but they also made him realize that his emotions could cause damage, and they were the catalyst to making him deny his human side and focus on his Vulcan side and devote himself to logic.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (43:28) - Young Michael (Michael's memory).

Spock is reunited with Pike!

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (52:28) - I don't suppose the Red Angel offered you any advice on how to handle a situation like this.

And then, there's Culber

After not seeing him for an episode, we get to see how Culber is doing. Not good. Culber is disassociated from his old life. Poor Stamets, who can't fathom why Hugh is so distant from him, as Culber pulls away. When asked why he's mad at Paul, Hugh questions it himself and decides he needs to confront the man who murdered him, Tyler, who has more in common with him than he may realize. These scenes are painful to watch, as you really feel what Hugh is going through, and can relate in a most surprising way. In many ways, this was the show at its most powerful.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (31:06) - Culber alone in the turbolift.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (38:59) - Worried Stamets.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (09:57) - Culber just saw a ghost (Tyler).

The fight with Tyler was something you don't normally see in Star Trek, between two people who are not themselves. It was very powerful stuff.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (31:24) - Culber starting a fight with Tyler.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (32:32) - The Culber-Tyler mess hall fight.

Carving out a Section of Section 31 for herself

We also see the machinations of Georgiou her manipulation of Leland and Section 31. We are really enjoying seeing Georgiou here. She's such a complex character. One of the best parts of the episode was the "Say Goodbye Spock" scene at the end that took place on the Section 31 flagship.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (50:32) - Say goodbye, Spock.

STDP 033 - Star Trek Discovery S2E8 (51:56) - Georgiou's smug face.

That's it for If Memory Serves!

That's a lot, but we still left off a bunch of stuff. There's Airiam and what she's got going, framing Tyler, Saru, and Tilly moments, as well as a reunion with Pike, but we should be able to cover those later. I gave this episode my first 10 out of 10 for the series. To me, this was close to perfection. Ruthie, on the other hand, found a lot of this episode confusing, particularly the Talos IV elements, though she still liked it as a whole. While I see a lot of what she said, I still am not compelled to change my rating. I absolutely loved this episode. We'll be back in a week with our next episode. As always, your feedback is essential to this podcast! We'll be having a short feedback deadline most weeks this season, due to scheduling issues. We'll cover more feedback from S2E8 If Memory Serves, so do not hesitate to send in your feedback if you miss the deadline. For Star Trek: Discovery S2E9, which is titled Project Daedalus, the deadline to get in your feedback is Friday, March 15, 2019, at 6 PM Eastern/5 PM Central or 11 PM UTC. You can submit feedback via the GSM Feedback page, Facebook Group, Twitter, you can email startrekgsm at gmail dot com, or call the GSM voicemail at (304) 837-2278 and leave us a message there. Make sure to mention you're calling The Star Trek Discovery Podcast when you call. I'm also podcasting on The Walking Dead. Because of this schedule, we are trying to get our episodes down to a more reasonable podcast length. To help with this, we'd like you to focus on a few key points from the episode, rather than discussing everything about the episode. If submitting a voicemail, please try to keep your calls to 4 minutes or less, with an absolute maximum of 5 minutes. We would like to keep our episodes under 2 hours! Please help with that!

Links to us...

Looking for our RSS Feed? Not anymore! Want to participate? Join our Facebook group! And follow us on Twitter! And don't forget to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts! While you do, we'd appreciate it if you can leave us a review, hopefully, a 5-star! Or, if not, a rating will do!!! And we're now on Spotify!

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2, Episode 7: Light and Shadows For episode 32 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, Ruthie and I discuss Season 2 Episode 7 of Star Trek: Discovery, which is titled, Light and Shadows. This episode's teleplay is by Ted...

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2, Episode 7: Light and Shadows

For episode 32 of The Star Trek Discovery Podcast, Ruthie and I discuss Season 2 Episode 7 of Star Trek: Discovery, which is titled, Light and Shadows. This episode's teleplay is by Ted Sullivan, from a story by Ted Sullivan & Vaun Wilmott, and it is directed by Marta Cunningham.

Discussion on Light and Shadows begins at 7:57...

We begin the podcast with feedback from the previous episode. We get into this episode at 7 minutes 57 seconds.

Fred's Pics and Spoiler Alert!

We have been blessed yet again with pics chosen by Fred from The Netherlands, including the cover image. We will show them throughout this blog post. To that end, SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Light and Shadows, you may want to stop reading here!

Spock has been found!!!

Burnham decides to go to Vulcan to see if Amanda had any luck finding Spock, knowing she probably wouldn't tell Michael if she did. Going back home reminds Burnham of her childhood years, growing up in the house, and the times she spent with young Spock.

Spock is on Vulcan, and he's really messed up. We learn something I personally found shocking about Spock. He had a form of dyslexia that the Vulcans call L'tak Terai, and that Amanda helped Spock work past this learning disability, after seeing him not get the help he needed at the Vulcan Learning Center.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (08:33) - Learning the Vulcan salute.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (08:39) - Learning the Vulcan salute.

Despite assertions to the contrary, Burnham senses that Amanda knows where Spock is. She kept him in a shrine that shields telepathic communication. Does it also eliminate mind melds? I didn't understand why that wouldn't be the first alternative to help Spock. Maybe that was tried, but the lack of a mention took it down, but just a tad for me. It could have easily been dealt with in a line of dialog. It's not like they couldn't have fit it in the episode, since the episode was the shortest of the season.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (10:05) - That's how I know you're lying.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (13:47) - Michael & Amanda entering the crypt.

We find Spock operating outside of his reality. He's chanting 841947, the Vulcan First Doctrines of Logic, Alice in Wonderland, and not connected to anything or anyone around him.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (18:25) - Spock in the Vulcan crypt.

Georgiou helps Burnham, but what strings does that help come with? And is she lying or telling the truth?

At Sarek's insistance, Burnham takes Spock back to Section 31, where Leland tells her he will get the best care, then says that they don't allow non-Section 31 personnel on board. Georgiou tells Burnham that Leland was going to extract his memories, and lets her escape. So, do you think she's telling the truth, and if she is, what's the angle? Only time will tell!

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (32:31) - Burnham & Georgiou fighting.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (32:35) - Michael floored Georgiou.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey!!!

Some of Star Trek's greatest episodes have involved time travel or have some element of time loops or distortions, and this one is no different. Like Tilly calls it, it's a time blender, a place where the past, present and future all exist at the same time. Get it? Time? This story had some of the trippiness you would expect, and it was great that it tied in elements like Mudd's attempt to take the ship in S1E7 Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad and Stamets' abilities to exist outside the regular time stream. This plot also involved the confrontational relationship between Tyler and Pike. It seems an understanding was reached, but I am not sure everything is resolved.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (04:02) - A "Cloned" Pike.

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (11:32) - Time shifted Pike & Tyler.

That probe reminded me of The Matrix!

They send out a probe, which ages 500 years and gets a big upgrade. It reminded me of the sentinels from The Matrix. I thought that was pretty cool!

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (29:51) - Probe attacking the shuttle.

You may not remember her name, but I have a feeling you will soon!

Airiam, that odd cyborg bridge officer, has been infected by the probes, as the three red lights would indicate. Where that story's going is anyone's guess. Could SHE be The Red Angel???

STDP 032 - Star Trek: Discovery S2E7 (33:21) - Something strange is happening to Airiam.

Oh yeah... Talos IV!!!

Burnham and Spock are heading for Talos IV. This is where Star Trek started! This is the planet Pike's Enterprise goes to in the first TOS pilot episode, The Cage. That pilot was later repackaged to use in the TOS two-part episode The Menagerie. This is big!!! It will explain some things I had questions about from that period, and I can't wait for us to find out more next week!

That's it for Light and Shadows!

We both loved the episode, and we rated it the best so far! This episode was packed! So much happened and yet it's the shortest episode of the season!

We'll be back in a week with our next episode. As always, your feedback is essential to this podcast! We'll be having a short feedback deadline most weeks this season, due to scheduling issues. We'll cover more feedback from S2E7 Light and Shadows, so do not hesitate to send in your feedback if you miss the deadline. For Star Trek: Discovery S2E8, which is titled If Memory Serves, the deadline to get in your feedback is Friday, March 8, 2019, at 6 PM Eastern/5 PM Central or 11 PM UTC. You can submit feedback via the GSM Feedback page, Facebook Group, Twitter, you can email startrekgsm at gmail dot com, or call the GSM voicemail at (304) 837-2278 and leave us a message there. Make sure to mention you're calling The Star Trek Discovery Podcast when you call. I'm also podcasting on The Walking Dead. Because of this schedule, we are trying to get our episodes down to a more reasonable podcast length. To help with this, we'd like you to focus on a few key points from the episode, rather than discussing everything about the episode. If submitting a voicemail, please try to keep your calls to 4 minutes or less, with an absolute maximum of 5 minutes. We would like to keep our episodes under 2 hours! Please help with that!

Links to us...

Looking for our RSS Feed? Not anymore! Want to participate? Join our Facebook group! And follow us on Twitter! And don't forget to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts! While you do, we'd appreciate it if you can leave us a review, hopefully, a 5-star! Or, if not, a rating will do!!! And we're now on Spotify!