Out of Contreks

Ep. 61: "Silicon Avatar" (TNG S5E04)

In a kind of sequel to our last episode, we discuss the end of the Crystalline Entity, uh, saga? Can something be a saga if it's only in two episodes and then mentioned a couple other times?

Regardless, Ryan and Brady talk about a great guest star turn, a dark ending for a TNG show, and mull the classic question: Why isn't Riker creepy? This episode is a little on the short side, but we pack in some very fun discussion.

Ep. 60: "Brothers" (TNG S4E03)

It's a Brent Spiner-stravaganza! For this important world-building episode of The Next Generation, Ryan and Brady talk about how much Brent Spiner loves to cut loose, camera tricks, and also how that one little boy in this episode is a huge tool.

Ep. 59: "Strange New World" (ENT S1E04) (feat. That's Now How Science Works)

It's what we hope is becoming an annual summer crossover with the ladies of That's Not How Science Works! Today's episode looks in on a very early entry of Star Trek Enterprise, a show Caitlin and Nicole have both seen more of than Ryan and Brady. We talk about early human-Vulcan relations, the decidedly non-space trappings of Enterprise, and Caitlin and Nicole class up the joint with some actual science talk.

Speaking of which, here's the article Caitlin cites on jet-injected vaccines.

Ep. 58: "Judgment" (ENT S2E19)

Back to our regular schedule this week! Ryan and Brady have different reactions to this mid-period Enterprise episode, which bears a lot of similarities to Star Trek VI. Ryan liked it more than Brady did, which is why he spent 10 minutes trying to pause Netflix at the right time to get this episode image.

Ep. 57: "Survival Instinct" (VOY S6E02)

We're had some scheduling issues, so we moved an episode up to cover the gap. We're hoping to get back to our schedule over the next couple of episodes.

 

In THIS episode, the Borg return once again to Voyager, and Ryan and Brady have mixed feelings about it. We continue to explore the usefulness of the once-fearsome race frequently appearing in the Delta Quadrant, making detours into a strange racquetball sport and the underappreciated Jeri Ryan.

Ep. 56: "The Nagus" (DS9 S1E11)

We're in Wallace Shawn territory, folks! For the first time we've featured a Grand Nagus Zek episode on the podcast, we discuss DS9 character development, what the Ferengi mean in the greater context of Star Trek, and take a detour toward the end into how we feel about parenting episodes!

Ep. 55: "Gravity" (VOY S5E13)

Tom Paris is, like, REALLY interested in the idea of Tuvok cheating on his wife in this one. There's also some Nolanesque time dilation and Tim Russ looking good in a tank top.

Ep. 54: "Symbiosis" (TNG S1E22)

Here's an episode that Ryan and Brady thought was about one thing, but then it was actually about something else much more boring and after-school-specially. Still, we gab about the return of a TOS movie actor, how much we like Crusher vs. Picard stories, and that great face Riker is making in the episode image.

Ep.53: "Half A Life" (TNG S4E22)

The first Lwaxana Troi episode Ryan and Brady discuss is also probably her best! We talk about this great entry in TNG, how it relates to the culture of productivity in the United States, and why Lwaxana is one of the few Star Trek guest stars who can actually carry an episode. We also briefly discuss what is up with the weird desk accoutrement of the guy in the episode image.

Ep. 52: "Space Seed" (TOS S1E23)

Ryan and Brady dig into this classic Star Trek episode to judge if it's worth basing a movie on. We find some pretty retrograde views on women (though certainly not the worst we've seen from the original series) and a pretty rockin' performance from Ricardo Montalban. Throw in a couple of really good scenes from Bones and Uhura and one very strange, (accidentally?) resonant rumination on how humanity lionizes its greatest killers, and you have a solid outing on your hands. Hopefully you think that about our episode, too.