Trek Marry Kill

EMMY FOR FRAKES! At some point during the past 36 years, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Number One, Jonathan Frakes, became Star Trek's ambassador and a cultural meme in his own right. Bryan and Kristen weigh all that against his incredible work in this episode and quickly decide that this one is a lifetime achievement, one deserving of an Emmy Award! Succession? Who cares! Jonathan Frakes is where it's at!

Beyond that, they get into the nitty-gritty of the holodeck and how its power cells allow it to operate like a 7-11, leading to a longer discussion about what you might do if you knew the end was near and all you could do is chill out on the holodeck. They also examine backtalking junior officers, how Picard would rewrite Shaw's confrontation in the simulated Ten Forward bar, and why this episode made Bryan cry while watching Star Trek for the first time in his life. Hear him choke up! 

If you've been enjoying our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts and leaving us a review. You can always check out our standings for Treks, Marrys, and Kills over at www.trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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WORF AND RAFFI become a classic Star Trek duo by the end of this episode that's mostly about Jean-Luc and Beverly's relationship reckoning. How could she keep a secret son from him for all these years? How does Ed Speleers pull off playing a 20-year old human male? How will the Titan evade the Shrike in this weird-ass nebula? What sort of celebrity gossip do Bryan and Kristen peddle about midway through this one? You'll just have to listen and find out! 

If you've been enjoying our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts and leaving us a review. You can always check out our standings for Treks, Marrys, and Kills over at www.trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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WHO'S JACK CRUSHER? It's the question with an easy answer, only, Jean-Luc Picard's in denial. This week, we're joined by Joel, who runs Trek Against ALS, a special fundraiser to help in the fight against ALS by raising support funds for Margot, who was Jeri Ryan's stand in on the ABC series "Body of Proof" and in the last two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. 

Come aboard and listen to Joel talk about how Jeri Ryan and other Trek stars have come together for this important cause and stay for his story about Walter Koenig. 

Meanwhile, Bryan and Joel also deal with Raffi's storyline and how it leads to us getting Worf! And this is the episode where we meet Amanda Plummer's character, Captain Vadic. 

If you've been enjoying our show, consider subscribing and giving us five stars on Apple Podcasts/iTunes or a thumbs up right there in the Spotify app. You can keep tabs on all our grades by visiting trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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ALL GOOD THINGS... get one more story in the 21st century and Star Trek: The Next Generation proves to be no exception. Will this reunion be like an eighth season of TNG or the best season of Star Trek: Picard ever or the best TNG movie we never got? You'll just have to log on and listen!

Jean-Luc Picard receives a message from Dr. Beverly Crusher who needs his help on the edge of Federation space, but in order to get to her, Picard will need to enlist the help of his old Number One, Captain William T. Riker, and in order for Riker to help his old Captain, they'll need the help of Jean-Luc's friend, Seven of Nine serving under one of the galaxy's most supreme jerkwads, Captain Liam Shaw. Meanwhile, Raffi's paranoia gets put to good use for Starfleet Intelligence and her long-time fears of a terrorist attack are finally realized -- only, she's too late to stop it!

If you've been enjoying our show, consider subscribing and giving us five stars on Apple Podcasts/iTunes or a thumbs up right there in the Spotify app. You can keep tabs on all our grades by visiting trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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REMIX OF TERROR? Strange New Worlds concludes its first season with a bookend to Captain Pike's dilemma setup in the series premiere: dude knows he's gonna suffer a terrible fate. Does this episode help him see that he shouldn't try to wiggle out of it? Bryan and Kristen examine an episode that serves as a "What If?" story to one of the stone cold classic episodes from The Original Series. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Does Strange New Worlds do the original episode justice? And, did the Trojan War actually happen, or is that just something made up to sell books? Kristen has the answer. 

Also, how did we feel overall about Strange New Worlds' first season? Did the 30-40-30 ratio (30% Marry, 40% Trek, 30% Kill) described in Episode Zero hold up with this show? 

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts or right there in the Spotify app. You can keep tabs on all our grades by visiting trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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THE VOYAGE HOMAGE. Captain Pike leads a rescue team to an icey planet after the USS Peregrine crash lands there, only to discover that Gorn invaders caused the crash and are not on the planet with them! 

Joining Bryan this week is the hilarious Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub on Twitter) from the best college football podcast ever made: Shutdown Fullcast. He's here because one of his New Year's resolutions was to appear on as many podcasts as possible, with a preference for subject matter not in his wheelhouse. He's not a total Star Trek novice, though, and he's well aware of science fiction in pop culture, knowledge that's necessary for an episode that... pays loving... homage... to Alien, Aliens, The Thing, and, allegedly Gremlins. 

If you're liking our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts and leaving a review! 

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CHILDCARE CRISIS RESOLVED! For most of the first season, Dr. M'Benga has been stuck caring for his daughter who's stuck in Sickbay's medical transporter buffer. That changes after the Enterprise's chance encounter with a living nebula! Does the nebula's ability to transform the crew into characters from his daughter's favorite book wind up being a great story twist or merely a lot of fun for the cast and crew?

Bryan and Kristen put on their cloaks and head into an enchanted forest to see if this crucial episode of Strange New Worlds warrants a Trek, Marry, or Kill!

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts or right there in the Spotify app. You can keep tabs on all our grades by visiting trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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ANGEL OR DEVIL? This week, Bryan is joined by special guest co-host Jen (writer at Baseball Prospectus) to discuss one of the most interesting episodes of Star Trek we've ever seen. The legacy of Spock has featured the culture clash of his human side vs. his Vulcan side, and in this episode of Strange New Worlds that dynamic faces a direct challenge from one of the most compelling characters ever created for the franchise. 

Spock's Human-Vulcan dynamic gets challenged by nonbinary Dr. Aspen who sees the whole thing as a false dilemma. Meanwhile, after the Enterprsie gets boarded by pirates and the crew imprisoned, Captain Pike decides to shed his Boy Scout label and be a true bad boy... by offering to cook for the pirate crew in hopes of inciting a mutiny. As the saying goes, the fastest way to the heart of a mutinous knave is through their stomach, right? 

Jen mentions their involvement with the Youth Leadership Intstitute and if you're interested in checking it out and seeing how it's helping young people address inequities in their communities, then check out yli.org. 

Liking our show? Be sure to rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts and even leave us a review, if you feel so inclined. You can also submit feedback right there on the Spotify app. And, of course, be sure to check out trekmarrykillpod.com for up to date standings of Treks, Marrys, and Kills for each series. 

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PIKE'S FORMER CRUSH has a secret and this week we have guest co-host Cassie Soliday from The Ink & Paint Folk Podcast to talk about it! Is the perfect world of Majalis too good to be true or does it just seem that way to Federation outsiders? 

Meanwhile, Cadet Uhura gets exposed to La'an's list of security rules -- which are more like guidelines -- and Dr. M'Benga's doctor goes on a playdate. Does this episode setup a disturbing motif in this new Star Trek series, or were the writers really just horny for the ending they wrote and worked backwards from that? 

THIS EPISODE ENDS IN A SPLIT VOTE! What grade do you think this episode deserves? Vote via Twitter (@trekmarrykpod), our website, or through the Spotify app! 

If you're interested in animation, check out Cassie's podcast, and if you're enjoying our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts and leaving a review. For a list of all our episodes and our Trek/Marry/Kill standings, check out our website, trekmarrykillpod.com.

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SPOCK BECOMES T'PRING after a Vulcan Soul Swap goes awry and it's all thanks to Spock's pesky humanity! This week, Bryan is joined by Aliza Pearl from the Women at Warp Podcast, the Star Trek Adventures campaign called Clear Skies: Perseverance and she's created an interactive story you can playthrough right now on StoryLoom called Welcome to the Blood Bar.

Will Spock and T'Pring learn a valuable lesson about radical empathy in time to repair the Federation's delicate negotiations with the Rongovians and T'Pring's task to bring in a wayward Vulcan, or will the preponderance of hijinks sink their efforts?

If you're liking our show, be sure to rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts and leave a review! Curious about how many Treks, Marrys, and Kills we've handed out? See all that and more at our website, trekmarrykillpod.com!

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