TNG: "The Enemy" (s3e7) with Katie Hampton from Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast

MASAKA IS SLEEPY! Writer-Director-Actor Thomas Tulak joins Bryan to discuss one of the most extreme examples of writing, directing, and acting in all of Star Trek history. Is Brent Spiner up to the task of playing multiple characters from an entire civilization? Is Patrick Stewart sleepwalking through his performance or does he manage to act just enough in this one to not be shown up by the 12 errant palm fronds production brought in to decorate the Enterprise sets after the ship starts to transform into an alien sun god/dess's palace? Listen and find out!

And you can watch Thomas Tulak's feature film, Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit?:: The Movie, RIGHT NOW on Tubi. https://tubitv.com/movies/100013396/who-dunt-dunt-dunnit

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating us five stars on whatever platform you use to listen to podcasts. 

PARTY OF LINCOLN! We continue to look at Star Trek's BIG SWINGS with the episode where literally Abraham Lincoln beams aboard the Enterprise. It's a classic Star Trek story that includes wacky 1960s predictions about the future, alien gods pitting our crew against the forces of evil itself for their own amusement, and some really unsubtle Kirk-Spock slashfic material. 

Joining Bryan this week is returning guest Andrew Bloom (@TheAndrewBlog and andrewbloom.substack.com). Will they Trek, Marry, or Kill it?

The grades begin at (26:18).

COOL OR FOOL? In the this month's animated spotlight, Bryan and Katie Hampton from the Napping Through Happy Hour podcast take a look at two Lower Decks episodes that firmly push the freshman series in its own direction. In the first, Mariner suspects that Boimler's long distance girlfriend is a parasite. In the second, Tim Robinson screams his way through some shenanigans.  Are they Treks, Marrys, or Kills?

If you want to jump to "Terminal Provocations," the grades begin at (39:50).

CAMP OR CLASSIC? The Emmy-winning and New York Times-bestselling writer Joshua Pruett returns to walk Bryan through the high camp of one of Star Trek: Voyager's most tragic episodes in which the crew discovers that they are merely mimic goo that's now disintegrating because of an enhanced warp drive. Did Bryan Fuller and Nick Sagan have higher aims or were they locked into a nihilistic ending? And just how many members of the cast were in on the joke of playing up the ridiculousness of turning into puddles of goo? 

It's another BIG SWING for Star Trek -- does it connect? And whose side do you agree with: Bryan's or Josh's? It's another split vote scenario and we're asking the audience to break the tie. 

Check out The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains! releasing this April and check out Josh's social media @zombietardis on most platforms. 

Enjoying the show? Consider rating us five stars on your platform of choice!

LOKI MEETS TWILIGHT? Bryan and Kristen kick off a new theme series: BIG SWINGS. And, folks, Star Trek is committed to the big swing. This time out sees La'an teaming up with an alternate reality Captain Kirk to travel back in time to 21st century Earth for reasons. Does the episode reveal something new about La'an? Does it give us a new side of Kirk even if only through the lens of an alternate reality figure? Or is it all too safe and pat?

The grades start at (17:35).

SOME MALE BONDING is all the crew behind Star Trek: Enterprise needed to get excited again about their show late in the first season. This bottle episode that was largely a two-hander wound up bonding actors Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating IRL. Does this one evoke the adventure and progressivism that are the hallmarks of Trek, or does it tend to scratch the itch of its corporate masters who want a more conventional network TV show? 

Joining Bryan to discuss another episode in TMK's Two Hander series are Kayla Iacovino & Brian Drew, hosts of Shuttle Pod on the TrekMovie.com feed. Does this popular episode make a whole lot of sense? More importantly, is it a TREK, MARRY, or KILL?

The grades begin at (19:08). 

WHY WON'T THEY? A mysterious disease forces Janeway and Chakotay to live on an alien planet for the rest of their lives, but will the tension force them to move beyond colleagues? Wait a minute. What tension? Is there actually something here, or is it merely the inertia of a man and a woman of similar ages being stranded together in a confined space? Is it the ultimate Bachelor date? 

Our Two Hander theme continues into *a second month* as Bryan and Kristen investigate Star Trek: Voyager's stab at a harlequin romance story, just in time for Valentine's Day. Is this May sweeps stunt a success? 

The grades begin at (23:20). 

IT'S BUFFER TIME! Bryan and returning guest co-host Katie Hampton from Geekscape's Napping Through Happy Hour podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/napping-through-happy-hour/id1628046345) judge two more episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks and, folks, you're not going to believe this, but they didn't agree on a grade for either of them! We'll need your vote to break the deadlocks!

After Captain Freeman orders the end of "buffer time," is the reveal that the crew's frantic behavior is NOT the result of an alien influence or virus too weird or cartoonish to make the episode truly great? Is Tendi's sitcom-level behavior during a crewmember's ascension ceremony and Mariner's yawning during a briefing enough to sour strong premises? Listen and decide! 

"Temporal Edict" begins pretty much straight away while "Moist Vessel" begins at (43:38).

Trek Marry Kill will continue the animated spotlights for the rest of the season. On the 1st of every month, you'll get a bonus TMK featuring two episodes of either Star Trek: Lower Decks or Star Trek: The Animated Series; and be sure to go watch Star Trek: Prodigy - Season One now streaming on Netflix. We give all 20 episodes of season one a hearty TREK. 

JUST BROING OUT. A key episode in the development of Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir's friendship sees them trapped on an alien world trying to survive until Commander Sisko can rescue them. Joining Bryan to discuss this pivotal story is Clint Worthington, Editor-in-Chief of The Spool (https://thespool.net), a pop culture website focused on Film & TV.  

Back in 2021, Clint wrote "Queering the Bromance Between O'Brien and Bashir" for StarTrek.com which examines how their close bond, created in part by missions like this one, eventually creates a safe space for both men to express their feelings. This episode also features some Emmy-nominated hairstyles, a shell game, and a very questionable plot by the episode's antagonist. Is it a Trek, Marry, or Kill? 

The grades begin at (21:14). 

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GEORDI'S BIG EPISODE finds him trapped on a weird planet with a Romulan centurion. We get to see LeVar Burton channel his natural charisma and show different sides of our favorite chief engineer, but it's nearly overshadowed by one of the most compelling ethical and moral dilemmas ever featured on The Next Generation when Worf has the chance to save the life of a different Romulan. 

Our Two Hander theme month continues, and joining Bryan to discuss what might be the most overlooked episode of The Next Generation is writer-comedian Katie Hampton from The Napping Through Happy Hour podcast. The grades begin at (28:29).