SPACE-TIME BURNHAMUUM. It's training day for Michael Burnham's new first office, Commander Rayner, and he has to learn on the job as both of them are thrust through the history of Disco thanks to a pesky Krenim timebug installed on the ship by Moll & L'ak. Will the tension between the two Starfleet personnel resolve in time to save the ship and the galaxy? Only time will tell.

The grades begin at (15:44). 

JAKOTAY OR CHANEWAY? Did we ever settle on the label for a Janeway-Chakotay relationship? Oh well, it hardly matters, since those two crazy kids are always on the fence about making a move. It all comes to a head in this time travel adventure from season 7 where a Janeway from just before the pilot finds herself becoming more and more attracted to a season 7 Chakotay even as he fills her in on the horrible fate that awaits her during her first command. Does this episode serve as a love letter to Star Trek: Voyager or something better? Will Bryan & Kristen TREK, MARRY, or KILL IT? 

The grades begin at (22:15).

Don't forget! We're giving away a Blu ray box set of Star Trek: Discovery - The Complete Series. To enter, all you have to do is submit a poem about Discovery to our email: trekmarrykpod at gmail. We're accepting poems until 11:59pm PST on December 1, 2024. If we like your poem the best, we will send you the box set as a Thank You!

OH NO, DEAR. The Enterprise is thrown through time back to the groovy 60s and in order for Kirk & co. to escape that predicament they'll need to help of a pilot who couldn't make it into the space program and who has, apparently, never seen a woman in the workplace before. We conclude our Star Trek Predicts... Today! theme month by looking at an accidental time travel story that Bryan accidentally put in the schedule. Is this season one episode a TREK, MARRY, or KILL? 

The grades begin at (15:38). 

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?

SHUT UP, WESLEY! People forget where this eternal line was first uttered, but it's right here, in this oft-forgotten episode from TNG's first season. But "Datalore" does quite a lot of heavy lifting for TNG lore, not just with that line, but also some new "rules" about Data. With Lore -- Data's evil twin -- set to return in Star Trek: Picard - Season Three, Bryan and Kristen take a look at his first appearance and see if that memorable line isn't the only thing worth remembering about this episode and season one in general.

If you're enjoying our show, like us, rate us, and review us on whichever platform you listen. Curious to know about grades for the other series? Check out our website, trekmarrykillpod.com, and stay up to date on our standings. 

HOLODECK HIJINKS ENSUE when Lt. Barclay unlocks a secret file that stored the sentient hologram Professor James Moriarty from Data and Geordi's ill-fated adventure we graded in last week's "Elementary, Dear Data." Moriarty figures into the plot of Star Trek: Picard - Season Three in some way, and joining Bryan to figure out how he fits -- along with returning to this Next Gen classic -- are Laurie & Brian from TrekMovie.com. 

After you listen to our episode, go check out their podcasts on the TrekMovie.com podcast network. If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod and at our website www.trekmarrykillpod.com.

LEAVE DATA ALONE! Dr. Pulaski teases Geordi for hoping Data would get into the spirit of cosplaying as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the holodeck instead of quickly solving the case like a computer would. This compels Geordi to ask the computer to create a holographic adversary capable of defeating Data, a character who winds up being Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, played in this episode by the wonderful Daniel Davis.

Bryan and Kristen prepare for Star Trek: Picard - Season Three (debuts February 16, 2023) by rewatching this season two episode that introduces the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character into the Star Trek universe. Speculation abounds in this one, but not what our hosts think Moriarty's role will be in this upcoming Picard season, but what they'd do if the holodeck existed in real life. 

COUNSELOR TROI'S MOM has a problem: she wants to sleep with Captain Picard, only, he's nowhere to be found. So in the meantime, she takes to interviewing all the males on board the Enterprise to see he would be a worthy mate. And just where is Picard? He's hiding in the holodeck playing a Dixon Hill adventure. 

How do Bryan and this week's guests, Tamar and Nathan, feel about this season two adventure? You'll just have to listen to find out. This one was an in-person record, so the sound quality might be a bit different from our previous episodes. And don't worry, Kristen just has the week off, but will be back next week for an all new one. 

This is our second Wild Card episode, where the guest chooses the episode. You'll find out all about why a Lwaxana Troi episode made it on the list. Starting next week, we'll be kicking off 2023 with episodes featuring Data, Lore, Moriarty, and more in preparation for the premiere of Star Trek: Picard - Season Three! Don't forget to check out our social media (@trekmarrykpod on Twitter & Instagram) and website: trekmarrykillpod.com -- Our Star Trek: Voyager - "Caretaker" poll runs through January 31st. Is that episode a Trek, Marry, or Kill? Vote!

And Happy New Year!

THE ULTIMATE CROSSOVER? UPN decided to attack a two bird problem with a single stone: corporate synergy. Does special guest star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson boost a Seven of Nine storyline in the 6th season of Star Trek: Voyager? According to Nielsen ratings, yes, it did, making "Tsunkatse" the highest rated episode of that season.

With Kristen away, Bryan has on two of his favorite Twitter follows: @andymoney69, now a writer-director of the Award-winning short film TITO, which you can watch on YouTube (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10yvDxNw-x0), and @FanSince09, the greatest Philadelphia Phillies & Eagles fan since 2009. The pair had previously hosted the parody baseball conspiracy theory podcast and are just two massive professional wrestling fans. 

Pro wrestling and Star Trek fandom are a crucial Venn Diagram overlap here as this episode features The Rock just before his stardom ascends into the mainstream. Does all the wrestling stuff work in this episode where Seven of Nine must fight for hers and Tuvok's survival, or do Andy & FanSince see through the Star Trek-ian attempt to give this cynical corporate merging of IP some dramatic heft?

JEAN-LUC PICARD has meant so much to audiences that his return to TV in Paramount+'s Star Trek: Picard was an event, one that this week's guest, Hector Navarro (YouTube's Heroes Reforged) actually attended -- and quite by accident!  Hear his story about being in the audience at the Las Vegas convention where Patrick Stewart made the announcement, and then stick around for not just our usual grades, but also Hector's view on why Bryan and Kristen should pay more attention to Lower Decks and Prodigy. It's an impassioned defense Jean-Luc Picard would admire.

When we catch up with now-retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, both he and the Star Trek universe as we know it have changed. Picard no longer a man at the edge of the final frontier. The Federation no longer interested in preserving life. The destruction of the Romulan homeworld has created an intergalactic incident. Simultaneously, a revolt by androids leads to a 9/11-like incident on the planet Mars, creating a ban on all synthetic life in Federation territory. What's Picard to do, then, when he meets a synthetic woman named Dahj... who happens to be Data's daughter?

If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod and at our new website: trekmarrykillpod.com

THE FIRST PREQUEL to bear the name Star Trek, and it's incredible that so much of Enterprise has remained canon despite all the changes to the universe following the Chris Pine movies. Bryan and Kristen explore the big 2-hour premiere episode of the last Trek show of the Rick Berman era to see if Scott Bakula works as the first captain of a starship named Enterprise and if humanity's first adventure into deep space lives up to those adventures in the previous pilots. 

Is this the greatest Star Trek pilot ever? Do you wish you could hop into a decontamination chamber with T'Pol or Trip? Of course, the biggest "controversy" of the show's four-season run was its theme song. Is "Faith of the Heart" a bop or a flop? 

If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod and at our new website: trekmarrykillpod.com

WHAT THE PARADOX? It's the end of the time loop as we know it and Voyager feels fine -- kinda, sorta. Getting back from 20th century Earth isn't without its complications though, as Captain Janeway discovers that American capitalism is as evil as the Borg when Henry Starling reveals that he plans to travel to the 29th century in his stolen time ship despite her warnings that such a trip would cause a temporal explosion. Meanwhile, Tom Paris and Rain Robinson grow so close that Sarah Silverman has off-screen stories about making out with some of the show's actors during her guest stint; Chakotay & B'Elanna are captured by militiamen; and, The Doctor gains the ability to leave Sickbay, forever altering the character. Ah, but do all these qualities make the episode a TREK, MARRY, or KILL?

The grades begin at (20:28). 

WEIRDEST TREK EVER. That's the only way to describe Star Trek's return to television after a thirteen-year hiatus since the end of Enterprise. Bryan and Kristen tackle the first two hours of the show that helped launch Paramount+ (née CBS All Access) and try to figure out just what the adventures of Michael Burnham are supposed to be about. We don't even get to the USS Discovery by the end of these first two hours. Bold choice or shaky planning?

This is the five-year anniversary of Discovery's debut, making it the perfect time to revisit it and see if the show has been unfairly maligned during its run. Do the first two hours combine into something Star Trek fans would want to Trek, Marry, or Kill?

If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod

MINOR BIPEDAL SPECIES? Captain Kathryn Janeway has a problem: in order to save a childlike race of people called the Ocampa, she must strand her ship and crew 70,000 light years from their home quadrant of space, or else risk the Ocampas future as slaves to the evil Kazon. What is a Starfleet captain to do? 

This week, Bryan and Kristen grapple with Captain Janeway's decision and a lot of the behind the scenes decision that went into creating Star Trek: Voyager along with "Caretaker," its pilot, specifically. Will this episode fit comfortably into any of our three labels: Trek, Marry, or Kill? 

If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod

GRIEVOUSLY SAVAGE RACE? Join Bryan and Kristen as they decide whether or not the pilot of their favorite Star Trek, The Next Generation, deserves to be Trek'd, Married, or Killed. 

Patrick Stewart steps into the role of Jean-Luc Picard, which would eventually set off a pop culture debate as to who's the best captain: Kirk or Picard? In the 2-hour premiere episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard and the crew of the new Starship Enterprise are tasked with discovering the "mystery" behind the improbable success of a new space station, Farpoint, situation on planet Deneb IV. On the way, the Enterprise is intercepted by an omnipotent being named Q who warns the Enterprise to turn back and stop exploring space or else be put on trial for the crimes of humanity. 

In order to stave off summary judgment against the human race, Picard and crew must uncover the mystery of Farpoint Station to the satisfaction of this Q fellow. Does this episode, which kicks off the most popular Star Trek series of all time, satisfy our hosts? Listen and find out!

If you like this episode, consider rating us five stars and/or liking us wherever you listen. Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @trekmarrykpod

THERE'S YOUR WORMHOLE! Writer-Producer J. Holtham (The Handmaid's Tale, Supergirl, Pitch) joins Bryan and Kristen to decide if Deep Space Nine's 2-hour premiere warrants a Trek, Marry, or Kill. And where does Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek's first black captain, land on their list of favorite captains? 

Michael Piller is responsible for bringing Star Trek: The Next Generation from pale spinoff of a cult TV show to pop culture phenomenon. And he got first crack at a post-Gene Roddenberry Star Trek future. Meet Sisko, Kira, Dax, O'Brien, Quark, Odo, Jake, Bashir, and many more as the Star Trek format shifts from deep space exploration to strong character and cultural work in a show that paved the way for the turn of the century Golden Age of Television. That's right! Your favorite serialized shows owe some thanks to what has long been considered Star Trek's "middle child"! 

Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

The galaxy's newest Star Trek podcast has rules! 

A SECOND PILOT? Star Trek spent three seasons defying the odds, and it all started here in this second pilot, a rare occurrence by TV's standards even today. What did NBC see in this show? Why, the promise of action adventure and solid science fiction, of course. They get all that and more  with William Shatner as Captain James R. Kirk of the USS Enterprise and a script by novelist-turned-TV writer Samuel A. Peeples. 

As the Enterprise probes the edge of the known galaxy, they encounter an energy field that gives Captain Kirk's best friend, Lt. Gary Mitchell, the power of a god. In order to save his ship, Kirk must choose between stranding his friend on a distant world or killing him. 

Check this one out to hear how Bryan first saw it and why both he and Kristen think Gary Mitchell is a piece of sh**.

ALERT! We use strong language when talking about the character of Gary Mitchell!

Our theme music is "70's Synth Funk Jam" by Phill_Dillow on Pixabay.

Our first regular episode kicks off a look at all the Star Trek pilot episodes. 

MEET CAPTAIN PIKE and the crew of the Enterprise *before* Captain Kirk took command. In this episode, Bryan and Kristen examine the first episode of the newest Star Trek series and try to figure out if it's a sequel to Star Trek: Discovery, a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, an alternate timeline, or all of the above. 

The Enterprise voyages to a pre-warp civilization to locate a lost survey team led by their own first officer, Number One. They discover this planet has developed a warp bomb, and when they uncover the how and why of it, Captain Pike decides it's time to break Starfleet's General Order one.

Will Bryan and Kristen Trek, Marry, or Kill this one?

WELCOME TO TREK, MARRY, KILL! We're another modest Star Trek podcast with a modest goal: to determine which episodes devoted fans and curious viewers should find and "Marry," which are good enough to "Trek" out again and again, and which episodes we should "Kill," but only in the metaphorical sense; because, let's be honest: even when Star Trek is bad, it's still pretty good.

In this initial episode, meet your hosts, Bryan and Kristen. They'll discuss their relationship with the franchise, which episodes they're probably NOT going to cover, and go over all the criteria they'll be using to determine which label -- Trek, Marry, Kill -- a given episode deserves. And then stick around for two more episodes for our premiere week!

ALERT! We use strong language, particularly when it comes to talking about F***, Marry, Kill, the schoolyard game upon which this show is based.

TIME TO DIE? Voyager's involvement in a temporal explosion throws them into a causality loop that brings them to Los Angeles in the year 1996. Bryan & Kristen continue their Star Trek Predicts... Today! theme month to see just how well the writers blended Star Trek and 1996. Meanwhile, there's plenty of talk about what life was like in the late 1900s, a serious correction to last week's episode, and education about women's clothing that you don't want to miss.

A HASTY RESOLUTION? Sisko takes the place of Gabriel Bell and his plan to restore history goes off basically without a hitch. Is that the most compelling version of the story? Meanwhile, as part of the Star Trek Predicts... Today! theme month, Bryan & Kristen look at what the second part of this episode gets right about September 2024 and how it misses. Gavin Newsom references abound -- but also, how strong is your mid-1990s Emmys trivia? There's also some discussion of Errol Flynn and why he's referenced by a character who couldn't possibly care about an old famous actor. 

The grades begin at (30:51). 

Stick around afterwards for some random Errol Flynn facts. 

HISTORY IS NOW. The Bell Riots are Star Trek's biggest line in the sand between its fictional future and our now and it's all because how we treat each other now determines our civilization's tomorrow. A transporter accident sends Sisko, Bashir, and Dax to August 2024 in San Francisco where in Star Trek's history, the government has imprisoned the unhoused in Sanctuary Districts. Our Star Trek Predicts... Today! theme month kicks off with 1995's predictions about 2024. Hey... a lot of this stuff is happening this week -- and next! 

The grades begin at (21:11). 

A NEW SEASON means new grades! Bryan and Kristen also announce some free giveaways for the season, look back at what worked and what didn't in season two, add some instant KILLs to the running tally, announce some of the new theme months and answer your listener questions. 

THE GORN ULTIMATUM. All big swings must come to an end, and Strange New Worlds doesn't disappoint with its second season finale. There's a major set piece that competes with the best that Star Trek has ever done. Big emotions! Big decisions... and Scotty? It's also Trek, Marry, Kill's second season finale AND 100th episode. We've got a lot of people to thank for joining the show this season. 

The grades begin at (16:38).

We'll be back in September with new episodes. Don't forget to check out our TREK / MARRY / KILL tracker at trekmarrykillpod.com; and, if you're so inclined, rate & review us on your podcast platform of choice.

OUTSIDE CONTEXT PROBLEMS. Ben Sisko just wants to hang out with his son in the Gamma Quadrant, but Quark wants to advertise his bar on the station monitors. Something's gotta give and it turns out the entire Star Trek format gets sacrificed to tell this story as the DS9 writers looked to differentiate their show from TNG -- and boy do they! Is the destruction of a Galaxy-class starship a traumatic moment in Bryan's life? Does the introduction of The Dominion equal Strange New Worlds' take on the Gorn? Listen and find out. 

The grades begin at (22:09).

MAKE IT SONG! Strange New Worlds breaks the TV mold by doing their musical episode early in the show's run rather than later. There's lots of singing but very little dancing. Bryan has a theory as to why. But more importantly, this week's special guests joining Bryan and Kristen have theories of their own about why this episode works so well and also why there are a few small pockets of the hour where it works less well. 

Becca is a Grammy Award-winning musician who breaks down the vocals. Bill is an Emmy Award-winning writer who points out just what the show gets right technically in translating the notion of a musical into the Star Trek universe. 

Yes, there's comparisons to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical from which this episode draws a lot of its inspiration. And as a final content warning: if you don't want to hear even a breath of negativity about this episode, this might be one to skip, though we suspect most listeners will love our hosts' final grade. The grades begin at (25:44). If you want to skip to specific songs, here's the list:

STATUS REPORT (26:18)
STRANGE NEW WORLDS THEME (34:25)
CONNECT TO YOUR TRUTH (36:08)
HOW WOULD THAT FEEL? (42:39)
PRIVATE CONVERSATION (48:19)
KEEPING SECRETS (52:44)
I'M READY (59:49)
I'M THE X (1:09:39)
KEEP US CONNECTED (1:14:27)
WE ARE ONE (1:18:06)

Best Trek Tropes and the rest of the grades resume at (1:23:19).

THE VILE FRONTIER. The elites are at it again! Kirk & Spock are tortured for the amusement of a bunch of blue-blooded assholes in order to compel Dr. McCoy to give up his Starfleet commission and become their personal physician. It's The Original Series most notable examination of class warfare that resonates to this very day! It also features singing and dancing loooooong before "Subspace Rhapsody" AND one of the first interracial kisses on television, though it's not as historic as it was once made out to be.  

The grades begin at (17:58). 

PING PONGIN' SEVEN. It's a time travel romp as Seven of Nine gets roped into a game of chicken with a vengeful Captain Braxton previously seen (and played by a different actor) in the "Future's End" two-parter. Will Bryan & Kristen TREK, MARRY, or KILL it?

The grades begin at (20:30).

INFINITE VELOCITY = INFINITE REGRETS. Bryan is joined by author Tom Salinsky whose book, Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series: The Original Series, The Animated Series and The Next Generation, releases on July 30th. He committed himself to a daily journey of Star Trek and catalogued his findings all for your reading pleasure. But what did he think of one of the weirdest, wildest swings in the history of Star Trek? 

When Tom Paris achieves Warp 10, he begins to evolve into a real headache for the crew. Does anything that happens after that make even a bit of sense? Will they TREK, MARRY, or KILL the one where Paris & Janeway become space salamanders and have salamander babies? 

The grades begin at (26:34). 

WHO'S THE DEVIL? A straight down the middle episode from the original series has Bryan and his guests pondering what really stands out about this adventure where the crew must overpower an alien serpent statue that has taken away all humanly pleasures from the humanoids it has tasked with fueling it for centuries on end. Breaking the chains of Vaal's control is an anxious Captain Kirk and a horny Ensign Chekov with his girlfriend (?) Yeoman Landon. There's some damseling, some ass-kicking, and a whole lot of red shirt deaths in this one.

It's our final Wild Card episode of the season and joining Bryan to help grade this one are writer-producer Robert Skir, actor Kurt Carley, and Jim Newman, co-creator of the Go Fact Yourself podcast (https://gofactyourpod.com/). The grades begin at (18:25).

ANOTHER HORRIFIC SECRET harbored by Dr. M'Benga compels another member of the Enterprise crew to aid in a coverup. This time around, it's not M'Benga's family matters, it's his war record. Turns out, he was The Winter Soldier during the Klingon-Federation War and the arrival of a Klingon defector turned Federation ambassador has dredged up some ugly memories. Does this one earn its shocking twist and merit a place in the top tier of Star Trek's canon? Bryan and Kristen decide!

The grades begin at (18:28). 

RAPID AGING SUCKS. Well, that's one of the main lessons of this episode where Dr. Pulaski is exposed to a virus that makes its victims age rapidly. Meanwhile, Bryan and Kristen explore the IMDb of one of the guest cast, wonder who lines up to get Diana Muldaur's autograph (when she used to attend conventions), and discuss how the high res conversion of the season two episodes actively disrupts the viewing experience by calling attention to smaller details that otherwise would've been ignored and making everything look not so good. Does that ding the episode enough points to merit a KILL?

The grades begin at (24:03). 

COMPUTER, END PROGRAM? Boimler & Mariner board the Enterprise, only it's not the Enterprise they usually mean when they talk about "those old scientists." It's Pike's ship -- does that change the vibe? Does Strange New Worlds successfully pull off its latest "big swing," the TV crossover? 

Katie Hampton from her Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast returns. The grades begin at (22:47).

TOO MUCH FUN. The Defiant is orbed back in time to the teaser of "The Trouble with Tribbles" on the occasion of the Star Trek franchise's 30th anniversary. Bryan and Kristen dig in to an earlier crossover that featured extravagant technology to accomplish the task. Does this time capsule of Forrest Gump-inspired technology and Back to the Future-level grandfather paradoxes still hold up? More importantly, is it a BIG SWING that connects?

The grades begin at (27:01).

GENE RODDENBERRY'S MISOGYNY. Apparently, women couldn't be Star Trek captains all along. In a season that began with "Spock's Brain," wherein we discovered that Gene Roddenberry (and Gene L. Coon) had a chip on his shoulder about beautiful women preferring handsome men in their prime the season -- and series -- ends with a similar diatribe from Roddenberry's mind. This time, women want the same positions men have, only, they don't have the constitution to handle the job! It's a silly notion foisted on TV viewers by a silly man and a tough way to end the run of a show that had largely been an inspiration to everyone, regardless of gender. 

Will the crew figure out that Captain Kirk's mind has been swapped out with a vengeful ex-girlfriend? Due to some scheduling changes, this episode is Kristen's first date back to record even though she's appeared recently; and, look out for another release tomorrow as part of our weekly schedule. Today's a special one because it's the 55th anniversary of "Turnabout Intruder."

The grades begin at (27:22).

UHURA HAS VISIONS and none of them are good. Will she be able to figure out the source before she loses her mind? Helping her through all this is Lt. James T. Kirk who is aboard the Enterprise for reasons, one of which is to eventually meet Spock. Is it an historic moment? 

Shereese Alexander was on our episode about Voyager's "Drone" and returns to comment on her very first episode of Strange New Worlds while also celebrating the end of The TNG Podcast, which looked at every episode of TNG, as well as promote her Tik Tok channel @thescifisavage -- check it out! Will TNG come up in this discussion? Hmmm...

The grades begin at (35:39). 

BEYOND THE VACUOLE. Ensign Eager himself, Harry Kim, winds up in another dimension or on another planet after a transporter malfunction sends him through a subspace vacuole. He arrives in a world that thinks he's visiting them from their afterlife, which is no heavenly place at all it would seem -- thanks to him being unable to keep his big mouth shut. 

Returning to discuss Brannon Braga's big swing at exploring life & death on Star Trek is Marina Kravchuk (@drakkorex) from Daily Star Trek News. Does this big swing connect?

The grades begin at (24:18). 

WELCOME HOME, RO? Michelle Forbes returns to Star Trek: The Next Generation just before the series finale and 30 years later Bryan finally understands just exactly how tragic this episode's ending is, resonating all the way until Star Trek: Picard's "Imposters." 

Joining him to sift through 30 years' worth of opinion about Captain Picard is actor-producer Samantha Gregory, who has co-founded a women-led production company Sam Hill Productions (samhillproductions.com and sam__hill__productions on social) and who has played Ro Laren before in a Star Trek fan film. 

The grades begin at (20:55). 

RESURRECTIONS AND DIPLOMACY. Katie Hampton of the Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast returns for our monthly animated spotlight. This time out, our core four Lower Deckers get paired up unusually: Tendi & Mariner go on a Girls Trip in the first episode and Rutherford & Boimler have an adventure together in the second. Instant classic pairings that make for classic episodes? 

The grades begin at (19:10). "Mugato, Gumato" review begins at (51:18). 

ONE FINAL ADVENTURE inside the holodeck is what the writers had in mind for the antepenultimate episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Is it a big swing that connects? Joining Bryan to render a final verdict is TV reviewer Diana Keng (@diana4tv), who wrote hundreds of Star Trek reviews for TV Fanatic, but now provides her talents to another of outlets. 

Does the 30th anniversary of this episode's premiere make the hosts nostalgic or has time allowed them to more soberly assess one of the last episodes of a foundational show? 

The grades begin at (24:40). 

NICE SHOT, da VINCI! Our animated spotlight for this season of Trek Marry Kill concludes with the final two episodes of Lower Decks' first season, and joining Bryan to discuss is Katie Hampton, who appears in Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix movie, Unfrosted, which debuts May 3rd, 2024. 

The penultimate episode might very well be the ultimate holodeck adventure as Mariner reprograms Boimler's sucking up to the Captain simulation into an exciting Star Trek-themed action movie called Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta. Does Boimler learn what he needs to in order to impress Captain Freeman during an interview or does Mariner go on a journey of self-discovery that shakes her to her very foundation? 

Meanwhile, in the season finale, Mariner's big secret gets out that Captain Freeman is her mom and now it's up to them to figure out how to deal with the fallout. And then Captain Riker shows up. 

Our animated spotlights will return in September. 

SPOCK BECOMES HUMAN after a shuttle accident at the mouth of an interdimensional vortex places his broken body in front of a group of energy beings patterned after Amazon customer service chatbots. It only gets worse for our favorite Vulcan when the in-laws drop in to complete a sacred Vulcan tea ceremony. Can his mother help him tap into his human side in time to lie his way through it? Will any of this story make sense? Bryan and Kristen are highly skeptical! Does this big swing connect? 

The grades begin at (26:24). 

If you're curious about Jane Espenson's blog, here's her post on clams. 

MY FAIR SEVEN. The Doctor sticks his photons into Seven of Nine's interest in procuring a man to "date," and little does he know that his programming has made him vulnerable to the feminine wiles of Seven of Nine, who is completely clueless about how humans date. Kristen returns to discuss the "Seven is horny" episode which features a complimentary B-plot featuring the hilarious Scott Thompson from comedy group Kids in the Hall. 

The grades begin at (24:26). 

A LOVE STORY? When Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Commissioner Nancy Hedford discover Zefram Cochrane is both still alive and under the influence of an electrical cloud that has fallen in love with him, it's just the setup for perhaps the deepest exploration of love in Star Trek history. 

Joining Bryan to discuss this BIG SWING from 1967 is Laurie Ulster from TrekMovie.com. Can she and Bryan agree on a final grade for this one?

Two podcast episodes to check out which Bryan references in the episode: 

1) The remastering of TOS for HD on Inglorious Treksperts
2) "Metamorphosis" director Ralph Senensky on the Scott Mantz Star Trek podcast, Enterprise Incidents

OFF THE SCALE! The Enterprise is thrown to the edge of the universe in one of the biggest swings Star Trek has ever taken. Joining Bryan to discuss this important early episode of TNG where Captain Picard talks to his dead mother and when Wesley Crusher meets the Traveler, are Mark Farinas & Ryan T. Riddle from the Ship Full of Jerks Podcast. They're here not only to judge the quality of this season 1 episode but also to extol the virtues of TNG-Season 1 overall. Better than you remember or simply too good to be forgotten?

The grades begin at (26:34). 

BOIM US UP! This month's animated spotlight looks at the highs and lows of being a lower decker as well as the highs and lows of Star Trek stories told via animation. Joining Bryan to discuss are two animation veterans: Cassie has written for multiple animated series and hosts a podcast that spotlights women & nonbinary talent in animation called The Ink & Paint Folk Podcast. Their partner Matt is a CG artist who's worked on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man slated for release later this year. 

The grades for "Much Ado About Boimler" begin at (22:50). The grades for "Veritas" begin at (58:35).

SCOTTY GETS DRUNK with a Kelvan and Star Trek fans are given a scene to enjoy forever. Does the rest of the episode rise to the occasion or is there a "just play the hits" quality to it? It's Trek Marry Kill's 79th episode, and so it seemed only fitting to do an episode of TOS. 

The Enterprise is once again taken over by superior beings and once again it's up to Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty to figure out how to take down "gods." This time, the gods don't want to test humanity or watch them toil for amusement, they need the ship to complete a 300-year journey back to their home galaxy of Andromeda. 

This time, our intrepid crew takes down "gods" with the most human behavior they can conjure. Joining Bryan this week to discuss the episode is CG Artist Matt who worked on both wrapped seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy (season one of which you can watch right now in the US on Netflix) and whose opinion of this episode has changed over time. 

If you're enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on whichever platform you use to listen to the show. Check us out at trekmarrykpod on social. 

Our monthly animated spotlight will post on the 2nd of the month and was preempted only to make sure a TOS episode went in as our 79th episode.