star trek: tng

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

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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). 

A TRANSPORTER MIRACLE created two Rikers eight years ago setting up a situation where Counselor Troi would be confronted with the man she fell in love with who was still madly in love with her and Commander Riker looking a different part of himself right in the eyes. It's all in service of getting some Important Scientific Data from a planet and that could not be any less interesting than the love triangle aboard the Enterprise. 

How do Bryan, Kristen, and special guest Kat Spada respond to this one and do you agree with Bryan & Kat that Troi and Lt. Riker hooked up or do you think Kristen got it right?

PLAY IT AGAIN? Captain Picard comes to the rescue of a woman he ghosted! Will it be awkward? Chill? A chance to do it all over again? Bryan and Kristen relive some of the worst that eighties TV had to offer as Patrick Stewart and Michelle Phillips act out trite melodrama in a story that deals with some cultural detritus that has been (seemingly) left behind in the 20th century -- you don't see too many naked ripoffs of Casablanca these days! There's also some stuff about a time fart in here that fails to inspire when it's not a little confusing; but, does Michelle Phillips' experience with people tripping on acid help her performance in this one and does the science fiction B-plot entertain just enough?

If you've been enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, in the Spotify app, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Keep track of our standings at trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas or questions for the show, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram @trekmarrykpod. 

GROW THE BEARD. Season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation fundamentally altered the course of the franchise's popularity and all of that started right here in the season two premiere. Based on a script recycled from the aborted Star Trek: Phase II series, this episode about Counselor Troi having a miracle child causes Bryan and Kristen to discuss abortion, yo momma jokes, and HIPAA laws. Will they TREK, MARRY, or KILL it?

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating us five stars in your podcast app of choice and leave a review if you feel so inclined. Keep track of our standings on trekmarrykillpod.com and if you have any ideas for the show, including what should be our final grade/question before asking TREK, MARRY, or KILL, you can at us on Twitter or Instagram: @trekmarrykpod.

GOODBYE, SPACE DAD. Bryan and Kristen get together to say goodbye to Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D in the series finale of Star Trek: Picard. Is it a fitting end to the longest parasocial relationship of Bryan's life? Does Kristen dig the backdoor Star Trek: Legacy pilot season 3 Executive Producer Terry Matalas snuck in there? 

Picard fights to rescue Jack from the clutches of the Borg Queen while Seven & Raffi enlist the aid of the few remaining Olds aboard the Titan to retake the ship and defend space dock from the networked fleet. It all ends with a poker game and a cameo. 

Jump to the grades (19:32) or straight to our mini grade of the Star Trek: Legacy backdoor pilot (1:10:03). 

This episode also serves as the season finale of TREK, MARRY, KILL! We'll be back August 1st with all-new episodes. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it! Rate us five stars in the Spotify app and Apple Podcasts. You can check out all our rankings at trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. 

THE FINAL ROUND between Data and Lore forms the center of a critical episode in sorting out the season arc of #StarTrekPicard season three. Bryan is joined by actor-improvisor-podcaster Katie Hampton (@ElSassyPants on Twitter) from the Napping Through Happy Hour podcast to talk about the challenges of playing two roles that involves acting against yourself and, wouldn't you know it, Brent Spiner is truly great at it. 

Meanwhile, Captain Vadic faces a cold reality and Riker and Troi are forced to resolve their marital strife. Does it all work or did the writers, in their haste to make a compressed production schedule, overlook a critical issue with the Riker-Troi family storyline? Which way will we go with this one? Is "Surrender" a Trek, Marry, or Kill? 

If you're enjoying our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can check out all our rankings at trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

A BRIDGE EPISODE raises a lot of questions from Bryan, Kristen, and this week's special guest, Emmy Award-winning writer Joshua Pruett (@zombietardis on Twitter & Instagram). Does Jean-Luc's plan to turn the tables on Vadic in hopes of figuring out her master plan make sense or is it all just a bunch of nonsense?

Check out The Last Comics on Earth, released April 25, 2023 by Viking Books and follow Joshua Pruett on social media to stay current with the busy writer of The Last Kids on Earth series as well as Phineas and Ferb!

This episode of #StarTrekPicard also reacquaints us with Data, who shares a new body with Lore; a character from another show returns; Marvel movies collide with the Star Trek universe in a fun and cool way; and, LeVar Burton uncorks some really fine acting. 

If you're enjoying our show, consider rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can check out all our rankings at trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. 

WHO'S JACK CRUSHER? It's the question with an easy answer, only, Jean-Luc Picard's in denial. This week, we're joined by Joel, who runs Trek Against ALS, a special fundraiser to help in the fight against ALS by raising support funds for Margot, who was Jeri Ryan's stand in on the ABC series "Body of Proof" and in the last two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. 

Come aboard and listen to Joel talk about how Jeri Ryan and other Trek stars have come together for this important cause and stay for his story about Walter Koenig. 

Meanwhile, Bryan and Joel also deal with Raffi's storyline and how it leads to us getting Worf! And this is the episode where we meet Amanda Plummer's character, Captain Vadic. 

If you've been enjoying our show, consider subscribing and giving us five stars on Apple Podcasts/iTunes or a thumbs up right there in the Spotify app. You can keep tabs on all our grades by visiting trekmarrykillpod.com. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

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. 

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? 

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?

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?