Deep dives into art and media. We did five years dissecting Deep Space Nine with The Rules of Acquisition. Star Trek is overrated. We went in on David Lynch. That was fun. Now? Biding our time. It happens when it happens.
Episodes
Wednesday May 29, 2019
Wednesday May 29, 2019
In times of war the law falls silent. WE DO NOT.
Julian is contacted by Section 31 to run some spy shenanigans at a conference. We end up discussing more than just this episode, and trying to decipher if DS9 overall is portraying a hard moral philosophy or not.
This is a Jean le Carre story apparently?
What kind of moral position is Deep Space Nine trying to sell us? Three options are posited: Cold War “Dark Pragmatism”, a sacrifice of one's own moral actions in the service of preserving Federation idealism in trying times, or nothing at all and they’re just making this all up from episode to episode.
Are Sloan and Ross making the same case that Sisko does “In the Pale Moonlight”? Does Bashir as the point of view character give us the show writers’ opinion?
Is moral ambiguity in storytelling overrated? Is it just putting on “smart face?”
Have our feelings on the idealism of Star Trek flipped since the time we started the podcast?
What does the DS9 have to say about ethics?
Is this show just ISB karaoke? Even the RDM episodes?
Is Ross finally “the good admiral,” or does this episode say otherwise?
How many episodes of DS9 even deal with these kinds of moral stories? Did it all start with ItPM or was it hinted at before?
Did shows even have thesises that firm in the 90s?
This episode at least did, right?
How much of the show does this ep make callbacks to? Where did Ronald D. Moore get the title for this episode, and what does it have to do with Lincoln and Habeas Corpus?
Cicero and Rome is brought up, but NOT in reference to the Romulans.
Where does the saying “never say die” come from?
Did Spock’s dad have Tuvan syndrome? What’s a Rigelian? Aw man, what kind of Trek podcast are we?
Oh look, a Voyager.
And a couple of Bill and Ted alumni.
Is this at all a Zach Snyder morality?
Hey, if you have opinions on all this we want to hear them. 917 408 3898
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Wednesday May 22, 2019
Wednesday May 22, 2019
We got holodeck shenanigans. Sisko has good reason to not want to go to not visit the 60s. We revisit the career of beloved actor Mike Starr.
Waitaminute. Do people not like Vic? Finally: An episode not based on an old movie, right?
What was the reason behind the memorable Sisko scene in this?
The “jack in the box” concept is interesting.
A TJ Hooker connection! Spencer for Hire!
Were the music levels off? How bout that sinister piano?
More Mike Starr. Imagine if he were Admiral Ross.
Who knew “cheech” was spelled “Cicci”?
Oh Felix. Worf ain’t here for Vic. A man after James’ own heart.
1994 was a good year for Mike Starr.
Is Sisko a bad boyfriend? Does his widower status affect his relationships?
Is this a good enough episode for something we don’t care for?
An emmy for hairstyle.
How do we feel about Sisko’s stance on romanticizing the 60s? How can we talk about these things in our modern climate and in the future?
1999: Mike Starr was in Summer of Sam and West Wing.
Wade hasn’t seen some movies.
Who played Zemo? What did one old movie contribute to cinema maybe?
Gowron? Where? Sy Onara.
Sisko’s singing. Where’d that alamo song come from?
A “fine” Tennessee heritage.
Mike Starr was in Billions just last year.
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Wednesday May 15, 2019
Wednesday May 15, 2019
Odo meets one of his people, and their intimate relationship causes some tension with Kira.
Sex vibes for days.
For all that creators have acknowledged in the DS9 doc and elsewhere that the show could have done better with LGBTQ issues, is this episode an example of exploring those questions? Or more about marginalized identites in general? We may not be the best equipped to talk about it, but we’re gonna try.
What favor did the fx guy do for this episode?
How much more mileage could they have gotten out of Laas as a reoccurring character instead of Vic?
Does the shows opinion on “humanoids” differ from what Star Trek usually expouses? Are we doomed to make “others” out of people by our own DNA?
Is this the most meaty episode we’ve had in a while?
We stumble into a few Nerd Corners.
Have we really not met any more of The 100?
Oh yeah, this is Martok. Who is he impersonating in order to seem condescending?
Everything is The Link. And sexual.
Why don’t we do it on the promenade?
Laas may be a jerk, but he’s not wrong. Is the science on his side?
Are the Founders on their way to being classic Star Trek Space Gods?
Is this an important bridge on Odo’s arc to where he ends the show?
Does this episode echo important gay stories being told at the time?
Hate to do it, but we have to talk about alien genitalia. The Orville gets mentioned. Go to https://archiveofourown.org/ if you need more.
Is Quark’s pep talk the advice nobody actually needs to hear from well meaning people?
Is Laas Larry Kramer?
Is it weird that the Klingons are pressing charges?
Good ol’ Cavey.
Is there a “goof” with the Founder’s disease? Is there a book that solves things?
If you can’t goop with me at my solidest…
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Wednesday May 08, 2019
Wednesday May 08, 2019
A killer is on the loose, but does it take a killer to catch a - oh this is something we've seen before.
What is the bad part of this episode? Is there any part of it that isn’t just a take on Silence of the Lambs?
Did Anthony Hopkins ruin 90s villains with creepy slow talking?
What does it say when Davey Crocket scenes pop the most?
What’s going on with Vulcans this season? What’s going on with the writer of this episode?
On the DL at the Alamo.
Would Hector Ilario’s late night be written different post #meToo?
Why use a projectile gun? Does every writer have a pet transporter gimmick? How ethically dubious are real x ray goggles?
Nice melon. Bad safety procedures.
Ezri vs the Chris Evans roles.
The Rite of Voq Emergence. The mechanics of talking to former Trills.
The “Who’s gonna win Ezri” subplot this season: We don’t like it! Sexualizing vs sexuality.
Zem Brott and we found Star Trek’s poly relationships!
Do we really need toxic abusers or is that just for contrived plots?
Are all these movie homages damaging the show? Did Babylon 5 find a way to avoid these kinds of problems? Just HOW Silence of the Lambs did this start? Is there anything else in here?
Does anyone have the ability to spy on anyone on DS9?
Was Ezri just a placeholder for the endgame?
Let us know all your thoughts about the show 917 408 3898
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Wednesday May 01, 2019
Wednesday May 01, 2019
The Nagus is Missing in the Alternate Universe and Quark and Rom need a cloaking device for the Regent.
It’s the final Mirror Universe episode of Deep Space Nine, and we couldn’t be more upset.
Two of our favorite things. The Mirror Universe PLUS Ferengi shenanigans!
Get ready to talk about evil bisexual tropes. Hugh was right about problems in the mirror U since season its first reappearance in DS9. Now in Discovery they’re still doing it.
How many episodes are going to start with “we haven’t heard from X in a while”?
Did this do some interesting things with Ferengi religion and spirituality?
Is Quarks horniness more character assassination?
Which is the best Mirror ep? Aside from the original. Oh sorry, “Alternate.”
Is this show making fun of its fans? Does it have senoritus.
Remember “Vulcan Love Slave”? Remember all the coworkers’ doubles that Sisko slept with?
How bout that object work from Max and Armin? What did it take to carry an invisible object?
Wait wait wait. Not-Hologram-Vic and Sloth Plisken?
ISB, Boogie Nights, and Zach Snyder.
Did The Last Jedi rip off a character from this ep?
One thing James didn’t hate about this episode: Brunt.
Tugging on ear hairs: Ferengi sex is gross.
You take care of your Nagus. It’s just what you do: Anarcho Capitalists love for authoritarianism.
Hey, Andrew Robinson was in this. Why aren’t we seeing more Avery Brooks lately? Just how intimidating is he?
Why again, do we want to go to the Mirror -sorry “Alternate”-Universe? Did it lose the original thread? Do people want Benny Hill shenanigans? Get ready for our new podcast!
What is Kira going to do to the Regent that’s so stimulating? Thanks Joel Esterhaus, for the 90s obsession with sexy domination.
James has a second nice thing to say; this time about Nicole DeBoer.
If they know this is the last season why isn’t the show closing doors?
Back to sexual politics and harmful tropes.
Apropos of nothing: Tilda Swinton is great.
What do we think about comedy in these things? Stay tuned for Yakkity Saxuality!
Let us know what you think! Give us a call or contact us by whatever means you like
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Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
O'Brien is missing from Deep Space Nine, and also from most of this episode. To find him Ezri must go home to face her family and the ... the toxic effects of capitalism?
The sequel that definitely nobody asked for.
Not even the writers apparently. What happened here? Who is owed an apology?
Audra Come Home.
Where does this episode sit next to other season’s low points?
Is this episode actually a nuanced critique of capitalism? Wade, your audio is going in the penalty box for that take.
Do UFP citizens live in a post capitalist society or not? What is the Federation? Are not all Trill Federation citizens? Why would anyone leave it? Is Ezri’s mom a Ron Paul fan?
Finally, in season 7 of our multi year podcast, we try to figure out what the Federation of Planets defines itself as.
Bilby? Ok, but what about this new character? Sorry O’brien.
Bobo Jessica Lang. The Godfather? This is a mess; all hands on deck.
James misses his friends. What exactly is this Star Trek again? What is its thesis? How is our relationship with the show shifting?
Is Ezri the new Worf?
Does Miles have a thicker accent?
We get some Trill world building. Is Ezri’s family a Bret Easton Ellis novel? Did Ezri become the black sheep by joining? Whoah is her brother a creep. What kind of mediocre brother is her other brother like?
People who relate to Dax’s pronoun confusion deserve better.
Imagine if Norvo were like Brenda’s brother on Six Feet Under?
Jambi!
What was the problem with Bilby’s wife? Was it worth this?
Follow your passion, or become a sad broken murderer.
Is it our fault when our brothers get turned into murderers by Capitalism?
Who doesn’t love a good matte painting? Make it happen Wes Anderson!
Has there ever been a good Orion Syndicate episode in all of Trek? How might that work?
Apologies again for Wade's poor audio on this one
Let us know what you think!
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Wednesday Apr 17, 2019
Wednesday Apr 17, 2019
Nog has some very understandable issues to deal with. Maybe we do too?
Is this the best holodeck episode ever? Is that damning with faint praise? What makes a holodeck episode anyway?
Vic Fontaine. Oh Vic. OH MY, how some people hate you.
How does this episode’s representation of a hologram character exist within the entire Star Trek franchise?
How long til the show smartens up about the swinging 60s?
What was the original pitch from David Mack way back in season 2?
Even with Vic disdain, there is a lot that this episode does pretty well. Aaron Eisenberg for instance, is pretty great in this.
What if Vic’s club was “Snoop’s” instead?
What, no space-fentanyl?
Is Kesha a traditional Bajoran name?
What video game is Nog playing?
Remember when Obrien was the favorite character of the writers? Or Sisko? Even Garak? We’re sorry, Keiko.
That breakdown scene is good, but what do we three idiots know about combat?
Continuity Corner: Where did Worf go in the middle of this episode? Insurrection!
How would we talk about Vic in an ethics class? Calvinism for holograms.
Who hasn’t played Animal Crossing? What kind of gamer are you even?
Billy Corrigan and the Saddest Kid in the World.
For all anyone’s quibbles, this is the kind of episode that sets Deep Space Nine apart from other Star Treks.
For somebody else’s opinion on this episode check out this essay from What a Hell of a Way to Die’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/exploring-themes-17868430
Feel free to hit up our patreon too: https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
And you have comments for the show, or questions about medicare of other issues, give us a call!
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Wednesday Apr 10, 2019
Wednesday Apr 10, 2019
Hey remember how cults were all the rage in the 90s?
Kira Nerys does. Should she be more ready to disengage from Dukat's tiresome shenanigans at this point?
What cult is this? Koresh or Applewhite?
Say what you will about this, it has a hard target.
Dipping into a warm bath of cults. The Jesus Movement vs more repressive religion of the 80s/90s. Heaven’s Gate Aum Shinrinko and Raelians.
Heaven shopping on the promenade.
Is Dukat’s arc starting to fray at this point?
When did Kira’s Sunday school teacher become a Satanist? How does this tie into Qanon?
Are these targets too easy? James asks for both sides of the issue.
How does Dukat resemble a scandal plagued preacher?
Lord forgive me, I gotta go back to the old me.
Wade is a dummy who can’t remember Jared Padalecki’s character on Gilmore Girls.
Cardassian baby facepaint, fake babies, and what’s up with this baby?
Would Kira be less messy and dramatic in a more serialized show?
How can an intelligent person believe some of this hokum their culty religion is pushing on them when it’s obvious where dat baby came from?
Some pah wraith world building with Paradise Lost.
Corman-ing in the airlock.
The writer bashing you’ve come to expect from the RoA.
Hey, the title of this episode actually makes pretty good sense.
Why Fala had to die. What if HBO made it?
Are YOU a member of a cult, preferably a sex cult? Call the hotline!
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Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
War is hell. Sisko and crew get put in the middle of it.
What does the end of History and the 90s have to do with this episode? WELL WE’RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IT.
Salts vs Boots. Tuco Salamanca! Will Robinson! Neoliberalism!
Why was this such a hard episode to get made?
Is this a facile argument about war in general? Is the question of whether the war is just or necessary an important one to ask for this story?
Contrast this to City on the Edge.
Framing alien species against humans. Does Quark here epitomize an ideology that we’ve grown beyond?
Hell is for Heroes. And that ain’t us. Heinrich Colbe has some cred though.
Leave Worf out of this one.
Remember PCU?
Does this suffer for the lack of Star Trek aspirations?
Is the sermonizing about war is underthought?
Rule 34 again: War is good for business.
He almost changed the line. Nicole wasn’t going to beam crouched.
What songs do the troops play before battle?
Oh Vic. Some of us hate you. Star Trek even turned the Beastie Boys into Vic Fontaine.
Is Tuco Vargas? In praise of technobabble.
Turns out with an episode this good we have to critique what it says, not how it says it.
Let us know what you think!
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Wednesday Mar 27, 2019
Wednesday Mar 27, 2019
You guys, Martok HATES Kor.
When Kor shows up at Worf's drunk in the middle of the night and asks him to do a favor so he can die with dignity, what is a bro supposed to do?
Progressive Left vs the old liberals: Worf is Peter Daou.
This 90s show is all about post Trump politics, right?
How many people or characters can we compare the cast of this DS9 episode to?
What are the sexual mores of Klingon culture?
Klingon military school is like getting into West Point back in olden times.
We’re still unsure what a Dahar master is.
The house of Kor, past and present. Future? Maybe not.
Oh, that Dax B plot. Not our favorite. The questions one gets tired of answering. What aspects of Dax are the writers retreading?
Did Jadzia’s non warriors death get expunged?
How entwined are Kor’s accomplishments and his noble bloodline?
Klingon Tucker Carlson?
Peter Daou stories are Worf stories.
Mean Girls in the cafeteria.
Oh yeah? Take some Shakespeare, bullies.
Remember Bobby Bacala? What if the Sopranos… no, nevermind.
That Ronald D. Moore can put a script together, even if it is a basic “blaze of glory” story.
Martok doesn’t like people eating in his car.
Wade wrote down a lot of Klingon. Nunek!
What does Armin Shimmerman have to say about Quark this season? What do we?
The past was so fraught, we’re scared to just name some characters.
Klingon Social Security and suicide squads. We’re going to disrupt dying in battle.
Let us know what you think by joining the conversation on Patreon!
Or shoot us an email at the ol' hotline number.
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Wednesday Mar 20, 2019
Wednesday Mar 20, 2019
What happens in this episode? [See title of episode]
The final installment of the Ferengi Pickers Cycle. Kira’s boyfriend also gets an interesting story!
Does DS9 actually do faith ok in this episode?
“Back massages,” huh?
Do the Ferengi’s crony capitalism superpowers have any place in the Federation?
Is Sisko being a jerk captain here?
The individuality of clones. Do we have trouble waiting for a third act turn that didn’t come? Defect; Defective.
Female Changeling, you look rough.
Rule 168: Keep it on the DL. What is Ferengi gay subculture like in a repressive society?
First set of ears? Ferengis are gross.
Vorta creation myths and religion discussed.
Only a god would ever think to hide by going on silent running. Wait. Does Odo need to breathe?
A pause to throw shade at Discovery and fandom maintenance.
Vorta’s have an off button.
Kira [and the writers] have a good take on religion and faith.
Think they may do even more stories about her boyfriend? Be nice to Weezer fans, y’all.
2309: A good vintage for bloodwine. Ok, let’s talk about capitalism and profit in Nog’s scheming. What is Ferengi culture’s endpoint? Some aliens can’t get enough cancer.
Is DS9 screwing up my luxury gay space communism?
Could this have been a 5th season episode?
Let us know what you think!
917 408 3898
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Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
One Flew Back to the Cuckoo's Nest. Do Re OH NO.
Julian brings a patient out of a catatonic state and what's the first thing he does after?
Julian. Your ethics, man. Has he learned anything over the seasons? How toxic is the masculinity? Are we supposed to be rooting for him or not? How does Miles feel about Julian’s situation?
Consent. Do they have it? Did Julian seek it hard enough?
Was there actually a story about the expectations we put on women and the assumptions men make? Or was Wade making things up about this episode and stretching the bounds of what the writing can allow? Was he overthinking it? Speaking of overthinking:
Is accusing someone of “overthinking” an episode a dead end that negates any discussion or is it possible to harp on one detail too much ?
Oh boy, we get back into the ethnoship debate. You thought it was over? Nobody can escape the ethnoship. Forget it Jake, they're just better than you.
Have opinions on who's right and who's wrong? Perhaps you can decide:
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Most of it may not even be about ethnoships!
Wednesday Mar 06, 2019
Wednesday Mar 06, 2019
A haughty Vulcan challenges the emotional Sisko to a game of baseball and we got us a shenanigans episode, y'all! But what's this about an ethnoship? Take me out, please.
Secrets of Rom.
A premise well deployed.
Wait, not the Bad News Bears, but… was this based on an old tv show?
An… ethnoship? Oh boy we’re gonna talk about racism.
USS Vidal Sassoon.
Is it a weird message if the superior Vulcans end up overpowering the diverse non Vulcans?
Buckle up!
Does this episode show a different approach to the Vulcans than other Trek has embraced up until this point?
Is it presumptuous for the nerds writing this show to suppose that winning a sports game isn’t the most important victory?
#SolokCancelled
What is the nature of the truth in Kasidy and Ben Sisko’s relationship?
How many ways can James talk over, not listen to, or make assumptions about Wade’s points? [Hi, Wade wrote these notes].
Now, what does memory alpha say about ethnoships?
Is there any merit to a story that shows victory in defeat?
Closing up facts:
Wait. WHO is Cirroc Lofton’s uncle?!
Black hats. Padres and Yankees.
Chekhov’s Fancy Dan.
Federation anthem?
Manufactured triumph. Here here!
Just when you think you’re done… MORE ETHNOSHIP.
Even if it’s not analogous, is it a problem if someone reinterprets a story to make racist analogies?
Got your own thoughts? Hit us up! 917 408 3898
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Wednesday Feb 27, 2019
Wednesday Feb 27, 2019
Does Ezri Dax even want to be on Deep Space Nine? Well of course she does, but the show needs an episode to integrate a counselor into station life. Garak and Worf especially have some issues to deal with.
Is season 7 back on track?
James wants more punch from the scripts. Are James and Hugh overly demanding?
Bashir: That Staring Guy.
For a brief scene it turns into a John Hugh’s movie.
How was the script thrown a curveball by the later casting?
Is new Dax a manic pixie?
Does Sisko misuse Starfleet shenanigans to promote someone who isn’t ready? Wait. Do counselors have medical degrees?
Does Sisko need more grief counselling?
What works about Ezri and how could they have gone further differentiating the character? Bee Arthur Dax!
“This Delta VIP lounge, where I died.”
Why would you fight the lionizing battle of an unjust war perpetrated for empire?
Gross Quark and Julian is gross.
Is Garak more normal than he used to be?
How weird is Sisko again? Does it take for granted the Dax/Sisko relationship more than we do?
Oops, Garak broke again.
Hugh loves ear sex stuff.
Were we lacking more of Worf’s perspective? How might his story have been milked differently?
New trope! Worf has a problem? Get the bloodwine, O’brien!
What happened to cagey Garak? Does DS9 sacrifice character for story? Does Andrew Robinson rise above it? Reptile brain.
NOT based on an old movie? How about that?
Odo and Kira: Creepy old couple.
Have we said they need women on the writers staff? How would Shondaland have made this work emotionally?
James has a “How would we fix it?” to repair the last scene with Dax and Worf?
How are we approaching DS9 now that we’re older? How much have we aged or changed since the podcast began?
Give us a call to let us know what you think about the show. The robot voice is getting weird.
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Wednesday Feb 20, 2019
Wednesday Feb 20, 2019
We learn a little something about Ben Sisko's origin. OH, and it's time to spend more time with that "Ezri Dax" that showed up at the end of last episode.
Research: Website coming soon.
Ezri: No stumbling out the gate on this one.
Would we have still preferred some stunt casting? What was the thinking behind another Nicole De Boer’s casting?
What does Quark actually contribute?
Never apologize, even if you’re Worf?
Has Star Trek and DS9 been missing counselors since TNG?
What if they’d actually gender shifted Dax?
Admiral Ham Scully?
An appreciation of techbobabble.
Good ol’ desert scenes. James loves ‘em. How does Brock Peters feel?
Damar drinks kanar. Is he unhappy? (yes).
What is the environmental impact of destroying part of a solar system? Should there be protests? Mercury? We got no respect for ya.
Is Admiral Ross not supportive enough of Kira?
Vic gets replaced with a Mike Hammer refence for this episode.
Quark hears about gagh whilst in a klingon coffee shop.
Does Sisko’s orb vision of Benny Russell cheapen “Far Beyond the Stars”?
Last Temptation of the Emissary?
Good pacing and a plan comes together.
Finally figuring out where Sisko’s specialness comes from. Is he a god, or just the tool of gods? -Sorry, noncorporeal wormhole aliens.
How did all the plots relate to each other, or did they at all?
Who dies offscreen?
Let us know what you think! 917 408 3898
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Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
Season Seven commences! Sisko is off the station again and everyone is trying to deal with the catastrophes of season Six. What will the final season of Deep Space Nine entail?
The new status quo. Odo … is fine.
Killing who? Film-what? The Go-bots of streaming services.
Religion again. How topical!
STEMBOLTS.
Worf’s grief. What’s a Klingon to do? Not be Liam Neeson, that’s for sure.
A compliment for Behr.
A Romulan with personality?
Obrien with Scocth. Damar! With Kanar.
Sisko plays Skyrim. Did Sisko’s Cajun Kitchen change?
Worf is not a merry man. Does Vic get better with repetition? What happened to the reset button?
The Bechdel Test gets passed again. Feel like that merits mentioning.
Just what is it like being around Avery Brooks?
For the love of Romulans. Are they more well adjusted than Vulcans? Boomers, man. An idea for Discovery.
A couple of nice minor acting moments.
I need more pads. For piddling.
Nice, believable politics.
Clams, not potatoes. Point: Wade.
What do you think about Sisko’s white robes? Is it a thing for anyone?
The Jackie Brown of season openers.
Help us make the final season of The RoA one to remember!
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Wednesday Feb 06, 2019
Wednesday Feb 06, 2019
Our White Albums for Season 6! It's that time again, where we each cut a full 26 90's season of television into a concise modern 8 to 12 episode series.
Turns out we line up pretty well. What did we keep and what got cut?
What happened to Dax in this season? Did we keep any Ferengi episodes?
No Half Measures on serialization. [Ok, and a few minor knocks on Discovery].
Hypothetical: If you could get rid of the worst episodes of this season if you also had to get rid of “Far Beyond the Stars,” would you make that deal?
How far can unearned confidence take a show?
How much do we remember going into season 7?
Give us your own White Albums or tell us what we got wrong about ours
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Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Season Six is over! Does it die with a bang, or a whimper? The Dominion War reaches a crucial moment. This is not how we want to say goodbye to our space friends.
Are the pieces rushed into place? And does this episode wrap things up satisfactorially?
How many of the pieces here are nothing we want to watch?
[Just a small bit of argumentation]
Did the creators overestimate how invested we were in some of these stories?
What is the big choice Sisko has to make?
The least anemic thread of this episode!
Isolating story threads and rushed serialization.
What kind of hero’s death is walking to church?
How hamfisted is Dukat shoehorned back into Cardassia’s good graces?
Is it just to hit religious themes harder?
What was in the original script for Jadzia? Did they blow all the budget on a Star Wars space fight? Is that why Dax got short-changed?
Manless warfare in the 24th century (and late 90s).
Was Brooks on melatonin in this ep?
Muscles or Potatoes? Vests, vests, vests.
Nerd Corner for when Sisko passes out on the bridge.
Real convenient for Dukat to just show up, huh?
Do all the Dominion scenes go against sense and reason? A lot of good people on both sides.
TV and pat solutions to logical problems that fail to satisfy,
What is the very least effort that Jadzia deserved for a sendoff?
Is it a shame that the prophets’ “death” is the more consequential?
But hey, the final season is now set to begin with a big change in the status quo.
Faith, science, and religion: Should Sisko struggle more with it? What happens if one of us has a body to bury?
Let us know what you think:
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Wednesday Jan 23, 2019
Wednesday Jan 23, 2019
Sisko and the crew become best friends with a voice on the radio.
A return to A plot/B plot structures. And some adventures in the beta quadrant.
We pretty much liked this episode. The 500th episode of Star Trek across all its series.
Who’s that voice?
Kasidy Yates, we missed you (but maybe Sisko didn’t?).
Star Trek finally highlights the bad parts of socialist countries - with Odo’s over reliance on regulations.
How do you know you’re in the Vegan sector?
A new Bashir? Again? A character always in the shop.
Lisa Cusack: A refreshing interesting character for a guest voice. Why not do that for other characters?
A heavy dose of foreshadowing.
Spoilers: We revealed a certain secret ages ago.
Preoccupied Sisko LOVES ipads!
Why do writers write so often about therapy?
Sidebar: P.T. Anderson and The Master.
Does the advent of ubiquitous internet have any bearing on how this story developed?
Ol’ Cavey gets a blue wet makeover.
That B plot, did it have a twist? It’s earnestness throws us for a loop.
“Woah Jeff! We didn’t realize it was this bad!”
The 285th Rule: Another human cliche.
How is Odo broken again? How has he fundamentally changed from the core identity of his character?
Setting up the pieces of this season and setting up for next episode. Making loss mean something.
Is Tom Paris like Julian Bashir? Homer Simpson?
Poor Harry Kim.
We're nearly on the same page with this episode. How do you feel?
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Wednesday Jan 16, 2019
Wednesday Jan 16, 2019
Molly falls down a space-well and comes out ten years older - and pretty damaged.
Must O’Brien suffer, or must we?
Are the writers taking other meetings at this point in 1998?
Is time travel boring? How many of these portals are there just lying around?
Is this a typical Star Trek episode or does the family angle make it something else? Does it being a rework of a TNG idea mean anything?
The B plot: Written after the fact.
What does “uninhabited” mean? Does Molly’s feral-ness make any sense?
What was the original pitch for what happened to her?
Why not relocate to the planet since the holosuites are always booked up?
“This is [Space] Us”
What are the temporal morals that Star Trek episodes expouse but also break every time?
Should the O’Brien’s get a dog?
What are some more “Star Trek” ways to do this story?
Where’s the Doctor Who prop hiding in this episode?
A sidebar on Kelvins and the Kelvin Universe.
Does the Federation not have any drugs that could be more helpful for an anxious troubled child?
None of us are big fans of this episode, but some parts of it bother us more than others.
Anything bothering you? Give us a call!
917 408 3898
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Wednesday Jan 09, 2019
Wednesday Jan 09, 2019
Ferengi women get to wear clothes and Quark gets a sex change.
This episode, for all its faults… they only get worse with age.
All the great actors that get dragged into this…
Starting off, the episode is bad enough, and the end ain't any better.
How easy is it to compartmentalize and quarantine these bad episodes away from the good ones?
Comparing ISB to Moffat.
How do the showrunners stand by this one?
But what can we say nice about this one? Some of the makeup?
Addressing a problem with Ferengi society we’ve brought up in earlier episodes.
What’s it say when a phone bank scene may be the highlight of the episode?
What did Alexander Siddig do to try and redeem the episode, and did it “ruin” the fun of the episode?
What happened to medical ethics again?
We try to wrap our head around viewing this episode as marginalized people instead of 3 straight cis white guys -and fail utterly.
Are there any ways they could have fixed this episode, that could have opened better story opportunities?
Just when you think this episode has done enough, bring in a little gay panic.
Going full Weinstein, even moreso than the cold open.
Is there a documentary about the problems of this episode and this season?
Did this episode think itself daring and progressive?
Where does it stand among the worst Star Trek episodes? Worse than Threshold, the Voyager slug episode?
“One of the great classics of Star Trek” .
The offensive hubris of well meaning white men.
Are you someone who loves this episode or gives it a 10 out of 10? Well then you have to call the show. Them's the rules .
917 408 3898 .
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Thursday Jan 03, 2019
Thursday Jan 03, 2019
Jake and Nog, behind enemy lines with a buncha teens!
Cadet Kelly Clarkson?
What starts off looking like a NohJay Ferengi Nagus episode takes a wrong turn and detour into a muddled mess.
Remember Star Trek The Motion Picture? Oh no, we usually keep that talk of certain horrible things to the Hashish and Superiority pod.
Is it the writing or the acting that's the worst culprit in this episode?
How many ways could this have been made better? How bout we Rashomon this mofo?
Just why is this guy a bad captain?
Comparing season 6 to season 2.
Let us know what you think about this episode or anything else we talk about!
917 408 3898
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Monday Dec 31, 2018
Monday Dec 31, 2018
See, we still do voicemails!
It's been tumultuous in the back half of season 6. We hear voicemails from Greg, Warren, Adam, and read some emails.
Can we get our minds right?
Let us know what you think: 917 408 3898
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Wednesday Dec 26, 2018
Wednesday Dec 26, 2018
Reckoning with a Bajor episode that goes full Ghostbusters.
We get on a Kim Kattrell tangent. Hugh Crawford does the math. But wait, it’ll pay off later in the podcast.
Instead of our regular polar opinionsA decidely mixed bag of an episode.
Odo reduced to “the good boyfriend.”
Is the Nurse Ratched cadence infectious to other actors?
Hey, remember those Pah Wraiths?
Without Mad Men would we have a John Slattery Admiral? Seems like we’d rather talk things other than this episode.
Why doesn’t Sisko get more political power or utility out of being the emissary? Is Sisko unrealistically weak amongst the Bajorans?
It's a decidedly mixed bag of an episode. Or is it not? Let us know what you think!
917 408 3898
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Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
Wednesday Dec 19, 2018
There's a new self aware Hologram in the world of Star Trek. Deep Space Nine gets its resident nostalgia laced crooner and self help guru. Vic Fontaine, ladies and gentlemen.
First off. What we liked about this. Then… all the rest.
A self aware hologram? What makes him so special and different from Moriarty?
Who is the brain genius auteur responsible for this?
Remember swing? Is this a boomer episode?
Who shot down the production until they final were able to cast this episode?
How do the actors feel about the relationship finally kicking off?
What does she see in him? How much of her side of it is missing?
What are other ways to hook them up? Space drugs?
We wrangle with season 6. Can we figure out what’s going on?
How toxic is it to overly romanticize things, such as the past? A common Star Trek problem?
Does this predict incel culture? Shakaar: Total Chad.
We take a small break to do a mini Gilmore Girls podcast before wrapping it up.
Are we too tough on Vic? On Odo and Kira? Ira Stephen Behr?
Give us call and sort us out: 917 408 3898
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Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
Wednesday Dec 12, 2018
What is there to say? Is it the best Star Trek ever? Again?
Sisko looks straight into the camera and details some dark deeds.
Does this do anything to the dream of the Federation? Is it too good to make any of those complaints?
What IS the Federation based on? We try to lay that down at the beginning. Are there systems the Fedration offers that make people better? Was there some Grinch-ian transformation we all went through?
Really though this Deep Space Nine episode is just so well done, so does all that stuff even matter?
How was the original pitch for this? What role did Jake play in the orginal script? What was the last element added?
Lodge 49, temp services, and that guy you hire under pressure who is maybe not the most reliable.
The 98th Rule of Acquisition! Been a while since we heard one of those.
A cut scene with Dax.
The roles we know Vreenak from. Or that actor anyway.
We have some disagreements over a damaged data rod. James takes Peter David’s side.
That last scene, huh? All the good lines are taken.
The episodes we’ve been talking up the most are over with. Where do we go from here?
Hate this episode? We insist you call. The rules say so.
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