The Joy of Trek – Details, episodes & analysis

The Wire (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), S2 E22) was recommended by Obiwanjabroni (he/him) pronounced like obi wan kenobi from star wars but the last part is..ja-BRO-nee? I guess lol just listen to the ROCK when he was a wrestler , who said: I know most people would choose this episode as a favorite because it supposedly gives us Garak's "origin story" but to someone who is in recovery and falls off the wagon every other weekend, it's actually kind of a beautiful display of what we go through. The self loathing.. the hatred of those who are trying to help us through it.. the feeling the next morning when they've been so kind to us even though we didn't deserve it.

Definitely not something I expected from Star Trek with the whole utopian awesomeness and all. Another reason ds9 was and will always be my favorite of all the series even though I've been watching since TNG with my dad who watched TOS.

The Wire first aired on May 8, 1994, written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and directed by Kim Friedman

In order to save Garak's life, Bashir must unravel some of the secrets in the Cardassian's past.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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"Musical Alert" by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy, can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/57099433

""This is the Captain speaking. Musical Alert. I repeat: Musical Alert. This is not a rehearsal.""

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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The Cloud Minders (Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), S3 E19) was recommended by Kaleb, he/him, who said: No war but class war baby! I love this episode for being that classic campy trek, while also being a rather good simplification of how environment- particularly an environment caused by oppression in the first place- shapes the way that oppression is justified and continued. Not specifically class related, but that's the medium this episode evokes, and many marginalized identities can be viewed through class structures as well.

I can't deny a good “I won't be the bigger man, I'm dragging you down to my level” type story, especially when it's our protagonist doing the dragging.

I can't help but love Droxine flirting w/ Spock, bc it just registers to me as the relatable experience of “ma’am please, I'm here w/ my boyfriend, who you clearly haven't clocked as such, so I'm gonna try and find the most non-scene causing way to stop this”. It kills me, I don't think this scene is supposed to reduce you to giggles.

Hope you also enjoy!

The Cloud Minders first aired on February 28, 1969, written by Jerome Bixby, and directed by Murray Golden

Kirk races against time to acquire plague-fighting minerals from a world in the midst of a civil uprising.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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Spock explores human romantic traditions, and works on a surprise for Kirk. Meanwhile, Kirk gets back at him for overuse of a title they now share.

First published on February 15th, 2023 on Archive of our Own by VallesMarineris.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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Repentance (Star Trek: Voyager, S7 E13) was recommended by Rugger (They/them), who said: A lot of Voyager's preachy episodes fall flat, but this one always makes me pause. When I first watched this episode as a child, it shaped how I see justice. And, plot-wise, Repentance does a great job of combining a dialogue-heavy, philosophical discussion with real pathos for the murderer, Iko, and linking that pathos to an ongoing character arc with Seven.

While Trek is expectedly against the death penalty, this episode keeps from being one-sided by the sub-plot with Neelix and Joleg.

Repentance first aired on January 31, 2001, written by story by Mike Sussman and Robert Doherty, teleplay by Robert Doherty, and directed by Mike Vejar

Prisoners are brought onto Voyager from a damaged alien vessel, and the crew must deliver them to their destination – for execution. Seven's nanoprobes are used to help heal a prisoner.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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Dr Katherine Pulaski is set to leave the Enterprise, and a farewell party is being held in her honour. All of her closest friends have been invited, but she notices a big absence; a certain yellow-eyed android who inexplicitly has not shown up. When she goes to confront him about it, however, she finds out something quite horrible:

Data believes that Kate does not consider him a friend of hers.

First published July 30th, 2022 on Archive of our Own by Superfloxes.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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Peak Performance (Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), S2 E21) was recommended by Kayodé Lycaon / Kay·o·deh Lie·kay·on, who said: I picked this episode for one line from Picard to Wesley: “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.”

That quote was life changing for me. I had spent my entire life struggling with being bipolar. Parts of my brain just do not work. I was one of the brilliant kids in school but my grades never showed that. I couldn’t focus on homework no matter how hard I tried. Later in my life I had manic episodes that took control over me and I couldn’t stop myself from saying things I shouldn’t have. I’ve lost jobs and friends to episodes.

Captain Picard made me realize I was trying my best and it was not my fault that my best wasn’t enough to meet anyone’s expectations.

The other parts of the episode also resonate with me because I’m always trying to find ways around my own limitations. I don’t need to do things the way people say I should. I can what works instead, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Peak Performance first aired on July 10, 1989, written by David Kemper, and directed by Robert Scheerer

The Enterprise and USS Hathaway face off in simulated combat maneuvers. Data fails to beat a humanoid at a game of Strategema and exhibits self-doubt.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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The events of the episode The Naked Time from the perspective of the one department guaranteed to have been the busiest during the chaos. When the entire ship is going mad around them, it is up to the Redshirts to keep their crewmates safe. POV of Security Chief Giotto. Some implied slash for Kirk and Spock.

First Published on October 3rd, 2021 on Archive of our Own by queenofroses12.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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Assimilation (Star Trek: Picard, S2 E3) was recommended by Hauke he/him, who said: While it’s very hard to pull out individual episodes of Picard (especially the first two seasons) on my current rewatch this one stood out to me.

Having narrowly escaped the horrible Confederation of the alternate 2400, the crew travels back to 2024 to correct the timeline. “Let’s see what has been lost in the wake of your fear” Q whispers to Picard again as they jump to the past.

Assimilation sets up the character arcs for the rest of the season.

Raffi is racked with guilt and anger for Elnor’s death early in the episode.

Seven, gets to experience not being met with fear since the timeline hop means she was never assimilated.

Rios immediately gets into some good trouble meeting the charming doctor Teresa.

And Jurati, still racked with guilt over killing Maddox in season one is doing something difficult and dangerous: impressing the Borg Queen (played in this iteration by the magnetic Anne Wershing who sadly passed away in early 2023).

Fear, Hope, guilt, forgiveness. Picard season two is about all these things, deeply personal to both Picard and Stewart, and it doesn’t get enough credit.

“ Move backward to go forward. Shatter to mend. The past is now.”

Assimilation first aired on March 17, 2022, written by Kiley Rossetter & Christopher Monfette, and directed by Lea Thompson

Seven distracts the Magistrate long enough for the group to overpower and kill him and his officers. The ship comes under attack, and the Queen takes advantage of the situation to directly connect herself to the ship's computers. She destroys their pursuers and slingshots the ship around the sun, creating a wormhole to 2024. She tells Picard that they must find "The Watcher" in Los Angeles who knows what Q changed to cause the new timeline. The ship crashes near Chateau Picard in France, and the Queen diverts all power to sustain herself. Elnor dies of his wounds, and Raffi angrily blames Picard before departing with Seven and Rios to start searching for the Watcher. Rios's transporter malfunctions and he is knocked out, waking up in a clinic that secretly treats undocumented immigrants. Before he can leave, immigration officers raid the clinic and arrest both Rios and his physician, Teresa. Rios's communicator is left behind. Despite Picard's warnings, Agnes connects her mind to the Queen and learns the exact location of the Watcher before she can be assimilated, impressing the Queen.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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The Ascent (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), S5 E9) was recommended by Matt Kennedy he/him, who said:

Hi guys! This is my first recommendation - I've been listening for a while now and I adore the show, and it's taken me a long time to decide which episode I want to recommend.

And it's got to be The Ascent. This is a wonderful showcase for the "enemies with benefits" Quark and Odo. And the reason I love this episode is because, as someone who is firmly on Team Space Goblin, this is one of the few times where Odo gets called out for his bulls*** - I always scream and cheer when Quark calls him a fascist to his face. But this is classic Trek, because as much as they hate each other they have to learn to work together in order to survive. The B plot parralels this, with Jake and Nog learning to live together as roomates, while Sisko finds an unexpected ally in Rom. This episode is about being open to each other's differences and for that to lead to acceptance.

The Ascent first aired on November 25, 1996, written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and directed by Allan Kroeker

Forced to crash-land on a desolate planet, Odo and Quark must climb a mountain to transmit a distress signal. Jake and Nog (temporarily back at DS9) find sharing quarters isn't as enjoyable as they thought it would be.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook