We criticize because we care, right? Star Trek: Picard had a lot of potential as a series, and executed some things well. But other concepts just didn't work the way the show intended. We break down the pros and cons of the streaming series and pitch ideas of what we'd do differently if we were the showrunners. Star Trek Properties Referenced:Star Trek: PicardEpisode Links:Jean-Luc Picard - Memory AlphaStar Trek: Picard - Memory AlphaGuest Links:Benjamin Hunting: Dead Air, BenjaminHunting.com, The Unnamed Automotive PodcastMike Austin: Road & Track(Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

Elim Garak is a fan-favorite character, and his friendship with Julian Bashir was queer-coded as more than just friendship. How did that ultimately end up with them being in a relationship (at least in an alternate reality) in Lower Decks? With the help of fan fiction.We talk about how great Garak is, and also explore how Star Trek fan fiction got started, how women were a driving force behind it, and how it helps fill in the blanks of a vast universe that everyone can enjoy.Note: This particular episode carries the "Explicit" tag for some light, unedited swearing.Star Trek Properties Referenced:Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Those Old ScientistsStar Trek: Lower DecksEpisode Links:Elim Garak - Memory AlphaJulian Bashir - Memory Alpha"The Wire" - Memory Alpha"Improbable Cause" - Memory AlphaA Stitch In Time - Andrew J Robinson"Amok Time" - Memory AlphaHephaestion - WikipediaUrsula K. Le Guin - WikipediaN. K. Jemisin - WikipediaGuest Links:Erin Marquis: Jalopnik(Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

Bonus: Did you know that Bill Nye -- that science-affiliated guy -- has a family relation to the whaling industry? This is a sample of the extra discussions that take place before and after each podcast recording, and it is normally only available to members. We thought the conversation was too good not to share with everyone and to show non-members what they can get when they upgrade. 

Science fiction, especially Star Trek, has a close relationship with the oceans and whales. We talk with a deep-sea ecologist about why that is, and explore how whales have been perceived in popular culture over the years.Star Trek Properties Referenced:Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStar Trek: Lower DecksStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: Starfleet AcademyEpisode Links:"A Natural History of the Starwhale" - Southern Fried ScienceSeaQuest DSVMoby Dick - Herman Melville"Cetacean Ops" - Memory Alpha"The Enterprise Is Insanely Huge" - EC Henry"Google Bombing" - WikipediaProbe - Margaret Wander BonannoGuest Links:Andrew - OpenCTD, PatreonBen - Model UN, Dead Air, Website, Unnamed Automotive Podcast(Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

While we are welcoming to fans of all types, the "Bad Fans" that talk about Trek being "too woke" or taking Trek too seriously don't understand why Trek has endured. This year is the 60th anniversary of the franchise, and it has endured because it is inherently funny. It always has been.Star Trek Properties Referenced:Star Trek: Those Old ScientistsStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Strange New WorldsStar Trek: ScoutsStar Trek: ProdigyStar Trek: Lower DecksStar Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStar Trek: The Next Generation Episode Links:"Fry Is His Own Grandfather" - Rubber Duck"Many-worlds interpretation" - Wikipedia "The Cage" - Memory Alpha"The Menagerie" - Memory Alpha "Trials and Tribble-ations" - Memory Alpha"Balance of Terror" - Memory Alpha"The City on the Edge of Forever" - Memory Alpha"A Piece of the Action" - Memory Alpha "The Ultimate Computer" - Memory Alpha"Arena" - Memory Alpha"A Taste of Armageddon" - Memory Alpha"The Return of the Archons" - Memory AlphaGuest Links:Roberto Baldwin: A Tribute to Prince and Bowie, SAE Automotive Engineering Podcast(Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)