Trek Marry Kill – Details, episodes & analysis

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!