Trek Marry Kill

OUR FIFTIETH EPISODE! This week, Bryan is joined by Shereese & Andrea from The TNG Podcast to discuss an important episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Seven of Nine becomes a mentor or a big sister to a baby Borg drone created by a transporter accident that mixed her Borg nanoprobes with The Doctor's 29th century mobile emitter. 

The trio has a lot of fun digging into the social morays of a stranded crew on a long-term voyage home and get serious about the real-life clash between Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan, which played an important role in helping get Barack Obama elected President of the United States. 

The grades begin at (40:55). And since the great scenes grade runs so long, the rest kick in it (1:17:19).

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod

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HEY BATTER BATTER! Star Trek finally gives in to Michael Piller's love of baseball with The Baseball Episode of Deep Space Nine where Captain Sisko gets the crew together to play against some competitive Vulcans. It's the 25th anniversary of what's probably an oddity for most fans. Think of it like the musical episode of its day... 

Joining Bryan to discuss the episode where his favorite captain wears the hat for his favorite baseball team is national baseball writer Michael Baumann of FanGraphs.com, who interviewed DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr back in 2017 for The Ringer about this very episode. 

Bryan and Michael did not wind up agreeing on the appropriate grade for this one so it's up to YOU, Dear Listener, to break the stalemate! You can vote directly in the Spotify app OR at our website trekmarrykillpod.com.

The grades begin at (23:28). 

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod

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DYING IS EASY. But wrapping up Star Trek's first-ever three-parter isn't. In the exciting conclusion of Deep Space Nine's Circle trilogy, veteran writer Michael Piller deploys every trick in the book to bring this story to an exciting conclusion. Does it hit every mark or will Bryan and Kristen be left wanting even 30 years after it first aired?

There's also plenty of off-topic conversation like what kind of Mission: Impossible stunts our intrepid hosts would attempt on the holodeck and why they love the community of TV. 

The grades begin at the (17:00) mark.

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod

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BAJOR IS OVER. At least, that's what Quark wants us to believe after a wave of Bajoran nationalism threatens the lives of every of non-Bajoran on the station. This week, Bryan and Kristen take a look at part two of Star Trek's first ever three-parter which sees the introduction of the 90s version of Hot Priest, Vedek Bereil, Major Kira's soon-to-be boyfriend. Is he as interesting now as he was then? They also discuss the life of this episode's writer, Peter Allan Fields, with the help of this incredible Twitter thread from DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe. 

The grades begin at the (12:20) mark.

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod

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IT'S THE NINETIES. The Star Trek franchise has never been more popular and striking while the iron's hot is the Deep Space Nine writing staff determined to chart their own course away from the Next Gen juggernaut. But is this show's specificity and sometimes uncomfortable parallels with modern history a bridge too far for the audience of the time? How about today's audience? Bryan and Kristen explore an episode that deals with Bajoran nationalism, surprisingly weird casting, and an even wackier honeypot scene. 

The grades kick in at (34:06). Here's that TV Guide cover that Bryan references. Here's the archive of Tim Lynch's Star Trek reviews.

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod

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BRAIN AND BRAIN! For a very long time, the third season premiere of The Original Series was considered one of the dumbest episodes of TELEVISION to have ever aired. Part of the reason Bryan wanted to do a Star Trek podcast was to see if time + examining episodes from a somewhat different perspective -- like the series of questions we ask about every episode before arriving at our judgment -- would help us see any differently episodes lodged in cultural memory a certain way. 

There's certainly a lot that happened behind the scenes to explain how one of the greatest science fiction TV shows in human history produced an episode called "Spock's Brain," and Bryan and Kristen cover all those bases. CONTENT WARNING: The conversation leads to our hosts discussing Gene Roddenberry's sex lives, which necessarily means a slightly more graphic conversation than usual, so be forewarned.

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PLAY IT AGAIN? Captain Picard comes to the rescue of a woman he ghosted! Will it be awkward? Chill? A chance to do it all over again? Bryan and Kristen relive some of the worst that eighties TV had to offer as Patrick Stewart and Michelle Phillips act out trite melodrama in a story that deals with some cultural detritus that has been (seemingly) left behind in the 20th century -- you don't see too many naked ripoffs of Casablanca these days! There's also some stuff about a time fart in here that fails to inspire when it's not a little confusing; but, does Michelle Phillips' experience with people tripping on acid help her performance in this one and does the science fiction B-plot entertain just enough?

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod. 

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POOR ROMULAN COMMANDER. She thinks she's got a chance with Mr. Spock, but his loyalty is to the Federation and Captain Kirk. This week, Bryan is joined by Mark & Ryan from the Ship Full of Jerks podcast to judge what many consider to be the best episode of The Original Series' third season. Mark & Ryan delve into the slashfic aspect of Kirk & Spock and how their dynamic plays into the events of this episode.

Kirk and Spock execute an elaborate ruse on the Romulans and their commander played by the remarkable Joanne Linville in order to gain access to the newest edition of the Romulan cloaking device. 

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating us five stars in your podcast app of choice and leave a review if you feel so inclined. Keep track of our standings on trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas for the show, including what should be our final grade/question before asking TREK, MARRY, or KILL, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram: @trekmarrykpod.

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KIRK, SPOCK & McCOY just play their behavioral hits in a classic episode of The Original Series that includes everything great and everything 1960s about the show. This being the 55th anniversary year of the episode, it's worth wondering how much of it holds up and how much of it is of its time. Will Bryan and Kristen delight in the character-specific dialogue along with the Roddenberry-driven "science fiction" scenario of a planet in the thrall of both "Caesar and Christ?" 

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating us five stars in your podcast app of choice and leave a review if you feel so inclined. Keep track of our standings on trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas for the show, including what should be our final grade/question before asking TREK, MARRY, or KILL, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram: @trekmarrykpod.

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STEALING THE ENTERPRISE has never looked so easy! In the second season premiere of the hit Strange New Worlds, the writers needed to write around Anson Mount's limited availability and did so by coming up with a prequel to "The Menagarie" -- Spock's first effort to hijack the ship! Is Spock's first time as impressive as his next time? And, does getting new backstory on M'Benga and Chapel give enough weight to their storyline in this episode where they inject themselves with drugs to Hulk out?

Meanwhile, Bryan and Kristen try to remember which TV show posted a list of cliched jokes that were banned from their scripts, but it took until post production for us to locate that it was the writers room for the Comedy Central series Workaholics that posted the list back in 2016.

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating us five stars in your podcast app of choice and leave a review if you feel so inclined. Keep track of our standings on trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas for the show, including what should be our final grade/question before asking TREK, MARRY, or KILL, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram: @trekmarrykpod.

If you're interested in donating to groups in Maui who are on the ground and providing aid in response to the wildfires, we recommend Maui Food Bank (mauifoodbank.org) and the Maui Strong Fund (https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong).

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