Trek Marry Kill

HOT GORN ACTION! The Enterprise comes face to face with the mysterious Gorn, realizing La'an's worst nightmare! With the entire ship under constant attack, the episode splits into multiple storylines: Cadet Uhura and Lt. Hemmer are trapped in the cargo bay; and, Number One is trapped in Sickbay with the manic pixie dream Nurse Chapel. 

Listen to this one to find out what Bryan and Krsiten think about using mind melds to help with psychotherapy, a glistening Anson Mount, and the movie Interstellar. 

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SECRETS AND LIES invade the Enterprise while investigating a distant planet that once was home to the mysterious race called the Illyrians. Has this genetically modified people been hunted to extinction or have they evolved? Bryan and Kristen conduct their own investigation into an episode that's heavy on incident and light on consequences. 

They also talk about the production realities that affected this one and how much the story owes to shooting TV during COVID-19 lockdowns and safety protocols. Does the show manage to do more than just remind us of the beginning of the pandemic? Does it borrow too much from The Next Generation?  Find out all that and more in this week's all new episode.

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ARBITER OF LIFE? Second episodes can be as difficult as the pilot episode of a new show, and Bryan and Kristen don't see an exception with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Does the combination of Anson Mount's charisma and Celia Rose Gooding's talent sell a sometimes sweaty script or does the Star Trek-ness of the whole thing wind up saving the day? 

The Enterprise tries to stop a comet from colliding with a planet only to be intercepted by The Shepherds, an alien species that views the comet as a religious figure. Meanwhile, Uhura doesn't know if she belongs in Starfleet, despite being great at everything. Can she find the thrill in time to save the landing party that's trapped on the comet as it hurtles towards its destination? 

If you're enjoying our show, consider writing a review on Apple Podcasts and rating us five stars there or whichever platform you listen to Trek, Marry, Kill -- and don't forget: all our standings can be seen on trekmarrykillpod.com. 

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A BUREAUCRAT'S OFFICE! That's all Captain Picard seems good for to rogue Captain Benjamin Maxwell, but little does he understand that the USS Enterprise is the top diplomatic vessel at the Federation's disposal! Trek, Marry, Kill wraps up its Star Trek: Picard Season Three prep by watching this 4th season episode that introduces Cardassians to the world of Star Trek ... and maybe the world to the Kardashian family?

Joining Bryan this week is Rian from podcast network QCODE to discuss what might be the perfect example of Captain Picard in action playing to his strengths. How does he (via Patrick Stewart's performance) convey so much power without firing a phaser or delivering a drop kick? That's Shakespearean training for you! In this one, he's up against two all-time great Star Trek performances, one from Bob Gunton as Maxwell and Marc Alaimo as Gul Macet, a great preview of his performance for many years on Deep Space Nine as Gul Dukat. 

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BEVERLY CRUSHER COMES to the realization that her entire maternal line has been haunted by an anaphasic life form in one of Star Trek's most hare-brained episodes ever. It's the one with the Sex Ghost! Or... the one where Beverly Crusher has an orgasm! Or... the Sex Candle. Whatever you call it, this episode has gone down as a camp classic akin to "Spock's Brain" or "Threshold." Does that make it an automatic kill? 

Bryan and Kristen get to work examining one of the most famous episodes to feature Dr. Crusher, who plays a prominent role in Star Trek: Picard season three. Does this episode besmirch her good name? Is it as wildly bad an episode of Star Trek as you remember? What part of this entire ordeal will they teach at Starfleet Academy? 

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BEVERLY'S GRIEF BUBBLE? With Beverly Crusher set to play a pivotal role in the final season of Star Trek: Picard, Bryan and Kristen decide to watch a couple of key Beverly episodes to prepare. In this one, Wesley's warp bubble experiment traps Beverly in a alternate reality where one by one, everyone she loves disappears. Has she lost it or is something amiss? 

This episode also holds a special place in Bryan's cold black heart: it's the first episode of Star Trek he ever watched. Do you agree with him that this is a solid Beginner's Guide to The Next Generation?

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DATA'S DAD LIVES and that causes a whole lot of problems for our favorite android and the Enterprise. Joining us this week is special guest Craig Calcaterra, a sportswriter who writes at Cup of Coffee, one of the top newsletters on Substack. He also has a brother and a dad, but his love of Star Trek goes beyond family ties -- his love life was at one time centered around the outcome of "The Best of Both Worlds." 

This episode continues our look at key episodes that might factor into the events of Star Trek: Picard - Season Three, specifically, how Lore figures into the 10-episode season. Does his surprise appearance in this episode hold any special meaning? Do Craig and Bryan think "Brothers" warrants a Trek, Marry, or Kill, and did they wind up brainstorming a solid episode had the original version of the episode -- no Lore -- been the one that got made?

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SHUT UP, WESLEY! People forget where this eternal line was first uttered, but it's right here, in this oft-forgotten episode from TNG's first season. But "Datalore" does quite a lot of heavy lifting for TNG lore, not just with that line, but also some new "rules" about Data. With Lore -- Data's evil twin -- set to return in Star Trek: Picard - Season Three, Bryan and Kristen take a look at his first appearance and see if that memorable line isn't the only thing worth remembering about this episode and season one in general.

If you're enjoying our show, like us, rate us, and review us on whichever platform you listen. Curious to know about grades for the other series? Check out our website, trekmarrykillpod.com, and stay up to date on our standings. 

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HOLODECK HIJINKS ENSUE when Lt. Barclay unlocks a secret file that stored the sentient hologram Professor James Moriarty from Data and Geordi's ill-fated adventure we graded in last week's "Elementary, Dear Data." Moriarty figures into the plot of Star Trek: Picard - Season Three in some way, and joining Bryan to figure out how he fits -- along with returning to this Next Gen classic -- are Laurie & Brian from TrekMovie.com. 

After you listen to our episode, go check out their podcasts on the TrekMovie.com podcast network. If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod and at our website www.trekmarrykillpod.com.

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LEAVE DATA ALONE! Dr. Pulaski teases Geordi for hoping Data would get into the spirit of cosplaying as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the holodeck instead of quickly solving the case like a computer would. This compels Geordi to ask the computer to create a holographic adversary capable of defeating Data, a character who winds up being Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, played in this episode by the wonderful Daniel Davis.

Bryan and Kristen prepare for Star Trek: Picard - Season Three (debuts February 16, 2023) by rewatching this season two episode that introduces the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character into the Star Trek universe. Speculation abounds in this one, but not what our hosts think Moriarty's role will be in this upcoming Picard season, but what they'd do if the holodeck existed in real life. 

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