Episodes

  • LD: "Grounded" & "The Least Dangerous Game" (s3e1-2) with Katie Hampton
    Mar 1 2025

    PARK AND RECREATIONS. This month's animated spotlight judges the kickoff of Star Trek: Lower Decks' third season, which include a pair of episodes that pay homage to iconic moments from throughout the franchise. One *could* say that about every episode of Lower Decks -- do Bryan and Katie do that? You'll just have to listen.

    The grades begin at (15:09). Jump right to "The Least Dangerous Game" at (41:27).

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome" (s3e3)
    Feb 25 2025

    KIRK'S UNPLANNED VACATION. An alien obelisk gives Captain Kirk amnesia and strands him among indigenous people transported from Earth to an alien planet in the direct path of a world-ending asteroid. Our Inner Light Month concludes with this look at Kirk basically getting a chance at a normal life but still becoming the captain of a tribe. Is it a TREK, MARRY, or KILL?

    The grades begin at (15:49).

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    44 mins
  • ENT: "Carbon Creek" (s2e2) with Jamie, Bill, and Maria from Enterprisesplaining
    Feb 18 2025

    A GOOD STORY? That's not something Bryan and his trio of guest co-hosts expected from Star Trek: Enterprise here during Inner Lights month. Jamie, Bill, and Maria have their own show where they explain episodes of Enterprise to one another, and for "Carbon Creek," they're doing a bit of a swap with Trek Marry Kill -- look for Bryan to appear on their show in April.

    You can listen to Enterprisesplaining here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enterprisesplaining/id1733657074

    The grades for this one begin at (39:47).

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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars" (s6e13)
    Feb 11 2025

    HOPE AND DESPAIR walk hand and hand, but that's not the only lesson to be learned from a classic episode of Star Trek and Deep Space Nine. From a technical standpoint, the Star Trek format is malleable and elastic if the story has a point, and the story can be about anything if there's meaningful characterization. But! Is this episode a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? Bryan and Shereese investigate as our Inner Lights theme month continues.

    The grades begin at (33:18).

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • TNG: "The Inner Light" (s5e25) with Michael Baumann of FanGraphs and Wheelysports
    Feb 4 2025

    A FLUTE OCCURRENCE. Captain Picard gets zapped into a simulation where he must live out a whole other life as a man on a dying planet. It turns out this has a profound effect on the captain of the Federation flagship, but it's something the franchise barely revisited after what many consider to be the show's finest hour. Do Bryan and guest co-host Michael Baumann agree?

    The grades begin at (29:03).

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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • LD: "wej duj" & "First First Contact" (s2e9-10) with Katie Hampton
    Feb 1 2025

    KLINGONS! VULCANS! PROMOTIONS! This month's animated spotlight focuses on the last two episodes of Lower Decks' second season, in which we get the introduction of T'Lyn and Ma'ah and discover that Ensign Sonya Gomez has been promoted from spilling hot chocolate on Captain Picard to captaining her own starship -- which the Cerritos needs to rescue in one of Trek's most thrilling sequences this century. BUT! Are these episodes TREKs, MARRYs or KILLs?

    The grades for "wej duj" begin at (21:04). Jump to "First First Contact" at (59:10).

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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • VOY: "Learning Curve" (s1e15)
    Jan 28 2025

    SAY "CHEESE," TUVOK! When some surly MaQuis crewmembers refuse to conform, it's up to Tuvok to whip them into shape. Meanwhile, Neelix cuts the cheese and it winds up being so nasty that it makes the ship sick.

    The grades begin at (34:16).

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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Star Trek: Section 31 with TV critic Diana Keng
    Jan 27 2025

    YEOHING FOR IT. The long-gestating Section 31 TV series finally premieres on Paramount+ as a standalone movie -- or is it? Bryan and TV critic Diana Keng try to figure out just what this actually is and how the wonderful, resplendent, and popular Michelle Yeoh's contributions go insofar as making this a TREK, MARRY, or KILL.

    The grades begin at (33:09).

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    1 hr and 33 mins