ALL GOOD THINGS... was a fantastic finale for The Next Generation and TV in general. But seven years later, how did the Voyager finale measure up? Does it manage to avoid unflattering comparisons to that famous episode? On the occasion of its 25th anniversary and Fighting the System Month, it seemed like an appropriate time to revisit this one. Joining Bryan to decide if it's a Trek, Marry, or Kill is Charlynn Schmiedt, who co-hosts the Mission Log: Prodigy podcast as well as T.P. For Your Earholes: A Beavis and Butt-Head Podcast -- AND -- has the greatest handle in internet history (@ohtheprofanity). Check those out after listening to this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SON OF A GLITCH. Control of the Enterprise is given over to a computer program programmed by a one-time wiz-kid who is trying to invent The Next Big Thing. But is automated space exploration that thing? Probably not. Bryan and Kristen are joined by Anthony Pascale & Laurie Ulster from TrekMovie.com's All Access Star Trek Podcast to discuss an episode from The Original Series that resonates today as much as it did upon first airing. Thank you for listening to us all these years. It's Trek Marry Kill's **200TH** EPISODE! Check out TrekMovie.com's All Access Star Trek podcast here or wherever you listen to podcasts: The TrekMovie.com Star Trek Podcast Network - Podcast - Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HENRY ALONSO MYERS presents his Star Trek-ified version of Birth of a Nation in the latest "it's okay because they're aliens" racial comedy that Strange New Worlds is the genre they've pioneered. But does this one match up well with, say, "Spock Amok," or "Charades," the episode to which this is a soft sequel? Bryan and Kristen try not to concern themselves with the plot and just examine this one as an expression of... something. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BETO'S FIRST MOVIE isn't quite what it was sold as. It's not feature length and it's more of a hit piece than an examination of what Starfleet is, and that's probably for the best as it's clear that Erica Ortegas's lil' bro has some serious problems with what's happened to his sister in service of the fleet. Are Bryan and Kristen impressed by this format-shifting episode of Strange New Worlds? Check out Open Pike Nights' Strange New Words podcast interview with Alan B. McElroy right here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rykqCxlGVx9HgNQ4x8uHo?si=4ilqCsIrRdew_KQOdGiOEQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TRUSTING HIS FARRAGUT. Lt. Commander Kirk is thrust into command of the USS Farragut, but thankfully, he has Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and Nurse Chapel there to help him get through a hairy situation. Meanwhile, aboard a captured Enterprise, Chris and La'an play Lee & Starbuck, skulking the corridors taking out Cylons -- I-I mean ancient astronauts who've lost their humanity and are trying to strip the ship for parts. Open Pike Night's Strange New Words interview with episode writers David Reed & Bill Wolkoff: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sCmaTzEWewjxwss64S5we?si=Mo-h2t3hS9i3YGKo6n5-DA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Treksperts2) "Metamorphosis" director Ralph Senensky on the Scott Mantz Star Trek podcast, Enterprise Incidents Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ANSON MOUNT'S RETURN from paternity leave thrusts Captain Pike into an adventure where he loses his memory and becomes... the darkness that's been inside him all along? And it's because an asteroid crashed on a planet thousands of years ago? Huh? This week, Bryan is joined by Michael Baumann of the cycling blog Wheelysports and the baseball blog FanGraphs to sort out a greatest hits-type of story.  Michael has a great theory about how every Star Trek series has a captain who is a different type of dad. Is Mount's "Dad Energy" your kind of Star Trek captain energy? Is this episode a big swing that connects? The grades begin at (33:39).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GATES MCFADDEN DIRECTS one of the biggest swings in the history of the Star Trek franchise: the crew de-evolves! How did the Dancing Doctor's perspective improve the episode and is her directorial debut a classic? Joining Bryan this week is actor-writer-producer-director Heidi Cox, creator of the web series "Stalking LeVar" and co-founder of Dweeb Darlings (@DweebDarlings on social), a media company promoting balance in the industry for women driven content from women creators.  Not only was this Gates McFadden's TV directing debut, it's the first time in Star Trek history that an episode is directed by a woman castmember and lucky for her she gets to direct a horror movie aboard the Enterprise. Is this a big swing that connects? What's the fate of Spot's kittens? You'll just have to listen. The grades begin at (23:53). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THINE OWN SELVES. The Cerritos crew meets their alternate reality versions and are not too happy by what they discover about themselves via a parallel universe. Meanwhile, Tendi's choice to remain with the Orion Syndicate for a bit longer than you might expect gives her character an added, interesting dimension. This month's animated spotlight kicks off the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. Will Bryan and returning guest co-host Katie Hampton Trek, Marry, or Kill these episodes?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  If you're enjoying the show, considering rating and reviewing us wherever you listen to the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MOST FAMOUS EPISODE? Last week was the 55th anniversary of perhaps the most famous episode of Star Trek, which is really saying something. It's a middle of season three episode wherein the Enterprise takes on two passengers -- one half black on the left side of their face and half white on the white; the other half white on the left and half black on the right -- that leads to an allegory or parable about Civil Rights era America. Is it overwrought or filled with thought?  The grades begin at (32:18).  Our Two Hander theme month continues with an episode that features guest star Frank Gorshin (aka TV's The RIddler from the 1966 Batman TV series), which allows our hosts to wonder about a famous story from Adam West's memoir in which he and Gorshin attend an orgy in the Hollywood Hills. Were you or someone you know there? We want to hear about it! But also, we want to hear your thoughts about the show. Email address dropped at episode's end. If you're enjoying the show, consider rating and reviewing us on your podcast platform of choice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KIRA'S SOLEMN VOW leads to a shocking truth: vengeance is not moral. In the course of investigating a single Cardassian she comes to the realization that collective punishment of all Cardassians isn't justice, even if this particular Cardassian wants to face judgment for his people's crimes. It's one of the most intense episodes of Star Trek ever made and to help Bryan discuss this Deep Space Nine achievement is writer Andrew Bloom (Slashfilm, Consequence, The Spool).  He's written a piece about "Duet" on his Substack In Full Bloom -- check it out! If you're liking the show, consider rating us on your podcast platform of choice. Check out all our standings at TrekMarryKillPod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JEAN-LUC'S MOMMY ISSUES. This week, Bryan & Kristen transfer command codes of the podcast to the hosts of the Ship Full of Jerks podcast, Mark Farinas & Ryan Thomas Riddle. They bring to a close Love In A Vacuum Month with a look at the time Jean-Luc Picard dated a subordinate. Does it reflect Gene Roddenberry's vision of the 24th century or is it something closer to a man with modern day mommy issues? The Jerks are on the case! Check out Ship Full of Jerks wherever you get your podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ship-full-of-jerks/id1672781041 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ODO'S PANIC ATTACKS lead to some scary times aboard Deep Space Nine thanks to some volcanic gas from a planet in the Gamma Quadrant and the arrival of Odo's old captor/trainer/parent figure, Dr. Mora (James Sloyan). It's an episode that was intended to be about alternate personalities, but it winds up being something else entirely. Kristen test runs her New Year's Resolution, Bryan tries to sing Klingon opera, and he introduces Kristen to the word "cremains." What do you think? Is that a real word or Bryan-brand hokum? It's the first of our Two-Hander Month! The grades begin at (17:12). If you're enjoying the show, considering rating and reviewing us wherever you listen to podcasts and help spread the word! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We kick off 2024 with our animated spotlight on the beloved Star Trek: Lower Decks and we do it by bringing in one of the biggest fans of the show: Katie Hampton, a comedy writer and performer in LA who co-hosts the Napping Through Happy Hour Podcast (social: @ElSassyPants or @ElSassyPantz on TIkTok). She was also a guest on our Star Trek: Picard -  "Surrender" episode last season. Will she and Bryan see eye to eye on this new kid on the block in the Trek universe?  "Second Contact" begins at (30:48). "Envoys" begins at (1:13:07). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices