Enterprising Individuals

Get ready to surrender control of your feelings as we negotiate with "Sarek"!Anika Dane and Liz Barr, the hosts of Antimatter Pod, join the show the week to discuss an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that sees the return of a legendary Trek character and actor. Ambassador Sarek is negotiating a treaty that will be the crowning achievement of a life dedicated to service and self-control. But, when a rare disease causes his turbulent emotions to infect those around him, he'll have to cede control of his mind to Captain Picard, who may find his own mind consumed by Sarek's suppressed regrets and desires!Gene Roddenberry, for all of his faults, was a man with a vision of a future where humanity had conquered its demons and pursued peace and self-improvement. But as he neared the end of his life, he, like Sarek, found his faculties waning and he was similarly forced to pass on his creation to a willing and able new generation of writers and creators. On this episode, we talk about the tragic frustration

This week, we're putting Trek on trial for its treatment of female characters! Star Trek is supposed to be a humanist utopia, but how close does it get to actually offering equal opportunity and genderblindness? We go through the magic pregnancies, the impractical costumes, and the horrors of the TNG show bible to ask: "How actually feminist was early Trek?" Jarrah Hodge is on hand to run the numbers and to point out that female creators mean female characters, to examine Trek's depiction of women in power, to deconstruct the "harridan" trope and the "Keiko effect", to look at revealing episodes like "Turnabout Intruder" and "Remember Me", to posit that Troi suffered more than O'Brien, and to revisit once more the "Myth of the sexy Kirk"!Admiral Nechayev is my spirit animal!Follow Jarrah on Twitter and check out Women At Warp!https://twitter.com/jarrahpenguinhttp://www.womenatwarp.comCheck Jarrah's math with her research on women in Trek!https://www.trekradio.net/star-treks-women-writers/https://www.themarysu

Just throw any old thing on this week as we get ready to pay "The Price"!Writer, artist, and podcaster Bonnie Liston joins the show to discuss an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that sees Counselor Troi torn between a new love and her responsibilities to the crew. A seemingly stable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant is up for sale and the Enterprise in on hand to oversee the negotiations. But, when a Troi falls for a rival negotiator, she'll be forced to examine the ethics of her empathic gifts and decide if passion is worth the price of her career in Starfleet!The Next Generation is often cited as the show where Gene Roddenberry's dream of a future of equality for the sexes was made manifest, but the show's treatment of its female characters in its early seasons often puts that legacy in doubt. During our discussion, we talk about the painful (and ongoing) birth of feminism in sci-fi, whether TNG is as feminist as fans remember, the struggle of telling stories about human fallibility in an evolved soc

Prepare to Enter the Star Trek Universe and have your face rocked . . . ROCKED by the revelations from this year's San Diego Comic Con! The Kurtz and Team Trek came out swinging this year, with new revelations about Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Lower Decks, Short Treks, and Star Trek: Picard! It's almost too much to handle, so cool down with our stories from Shore Leave 41!Wibbly wobbly Treky wekky!Get all the news that's fit to cast in the world of nerdy entertainment with Just Enough Trope!http://www.justenoughtrope.comBuy John Jackson Miller's novel The Enterprise War and pre-order Dave Galanter's book, Dead Endless!https://amzn.to/2LMclIHhttps://amzn.to/2Yimw9AJoin our crew on Patreon and get access to our live episodes, DS9/VOY recaps and more!http://www.patreon.com/eistpodClick through our Amazon link on enterprisingindividuals.com to support the show!http://www.enterprisingindividuals.comhttps://www.amazon.com/?tag=jet01-20&linkCode=ezFollow us on Twitter and Facebook for Trek news and updates!ht

Get your hankies ready this week as we receive "The Visitor"!Author and Star Trek Adventures line editor Jim Johnson joins the show to discuss one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's most affecting hours. An accident aboard the Defiant causes Sisko to be lost in time and Jake must struggle to overcome the loss of his father. As the years pass and Jake gets older, he sees his contentment, his family, his health, and his future being stripped away, as he contemplates a fatal solution that could bring back his father and correct the tragedy that forever altered their destinies!DS9 was far ahead of its time, both for portraying a black family in science fiction and for having the courage to present stories about love and family against the backdrop of space military sci-fi. It also featured Jake as an unlikely sci-fi hero, a creative with no desire to fight or explore space, choosing instead to explore his own creative limits. During our discussion, we talk about DS9's own take on "The Inner Light" and how it contras

Put down that book and whip out your horga'hn 'cause we're talking about sex in the Star Trek universe! Alexa and Connor of the Boldly Boinking podcast join the show to talk about the REAL mystery of Star Trek: in a healthy, hangup-free humanist utopia, where's all the sex? Connor and Alexa, aka Rocketman and the Tribble, are Trek sexperts and we're going to get to the bottom of *add your own "bottom" pun here*. We talk about the dorky enthusiasm of Trek sex, Trek's presentation of non-toxic masculinity, the effect of the human diaspora on human society, the Borg and BDSM, Janeway/everyone, "Blood and Fire", Riker as Kirk XL, single serving soulmates, consent and the holodeck, Aaron trots out his "Justice"/AIDS theory again, Alexa stans for Dax, and Connor shouts out dem Montalban pecs! Plus, we're all horrified by "Pretty Maids All in a Row"! Check it out!Not "Pretty Maids All in a Row"...do NOT check that out...Hear more Rocketman and the Tribble on Boldly Boinking and follow them on Twitter!https://podcast

Batten the hatches and hold fast this week as we try to survive "Starship Down"!New York Times bestselling author David Mack returns to the show to discuss one of two DS9 episodes he co-wrote with writing partner John J. Ordover. The Defiant is attacked by Jem'Hadar warships while on a trade mission and is critically disabled. Now, Chief O'Brien and a crew of enlisted men must keep the ship afloat in the atmosphere of a deadly gas giant . . . all while Sisko lies close to death, Bashir and Dax are trapped below decks, Quark and Farmer Hoggett have to disarm a torpedo, and the Jem'Hadar are still out there!In the TNG/DS9/VOY days of Trek, many freelancers and young writers tried selling scripts to Paramount and they made them attractive by presenting brisk, money-saving "bottle show" concepts. This is NOT one of those scripts. Starship Down starts with a bang and continues with a series of bangs, exposing the crew to mortal peril and forcing our heroes to confront their inadequacies in order to save the day.

This week, Heather Rae joins the show to talk about Trek's record dealing with LGBTQ issues, seeing more gay and lesbian characters on-screen, and what the future looks like for gay characters on Trek TV! Plus, even MORE earth-shaking announcements about the future of the show!Please consider contributing to these LGBTQ charities!Human Rights Campaignhttps://www.hrc.orgThe Night Ministryhttps://www.thenightministry.org/get-involved-with-the-night-ministryGLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defendershttps://www.glad.org/get-involved/Join our crew on Patreon and get access to our DS9 & Voyager recaps!http://www.patreon.com/eistpodClick through our Amazon link on enterprisingindividuals.com to support the show!http://www.enterprisingindividuals.comhttps://www.amazon.com/?tag=jet01-20&linkCode=ezFollow us on Twitter and Facebook for Trek news and updates!http://www.twitter.com/eistpodhttp://www.facebook.com/eistpod

Take a sentimental journey with us this week as we raise a glass to the days gone by and examine "Relics"!NerdsThatGeek.com editor-in-chief John Edward Betancourt joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that pays loving homage to both the TOS era and one of the Original Series's best characters. While answering a Federation distress call, the Enterprise-D discovers a mysterious Dyson sphere and its lone occupant: 147 year old Starfleet engineer Montgomery Scott! As Scotty struggles to acclimate to the 24th century, the Enterprise finds itself snared by an energy field that threatens to destroy the ship. Will Scotty be able to work one more miracle to save one more Enterprise?As TNG became more established as the new Trek status quo, the creators behind the series became more open to acknowledging the franchise's amazing past, and this episode is a celebration and loving send-up of the Trek of yesteryear. During our discussion, we talk about the love and energy the c

We beam ourselves into ourselves this week so we can relive Star Trek: Discovery Season 2! Author Dave Galanter and podcaster Aly Martinez aka the 23 Year Old Trekkie join your hosts Aaron and Ella as we look back at the highs and lows of Disco's second go around. Over the course of the episode, we discuss the way narrative storytelling has changed on TV and on Trek, revisiting and refreshing classic stories and characters, the continuing development of Michael Burnham as a new kind of Trek protagonist, the pitch perfect portrayals of Pike and Spock, whether Disco will every return from the 32nd century, the continuation of Discovery as a leader in minority representation in genre TV, and we speculate on what's coming up in Season 3!We also talk about the new Trek shows in development, rebooting Spock's brain, the longest "Last Time On" in TV history, slight Endgame spoilers, the "new" Saru, what's up with the haters, the future of the future, is Control Skynet?, pet mugatos, fancy ham, Dave explains the sign

We've got a special feature this week as we present the premiere episode of BackTrekking, the new Trek and pop culture podcast from Ka1iban and GooeyFame, the host of Existence Is Futile! Every story has to start somewhere, and each week on BackTrekking, Gooey and Kal look at the real-world inspirations for your favorite Trek episodes! This week, we're talking about the TNG episode "Starship Mine" and its gutsy, bullet-ridden forebear 1988's "Die Hard"!Yippie-ki-yay, mother Horta!WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE FOR GROWN-UPS ON THIS EPISODESubscribe to BackTrekking on Apple Podcasts!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backtrekking/id1464298918Follow BackTrekking on Twitter!http://www.twitter.com/backtrekkingGet our Trek merchandise on Teepublic!https://www.teepublic.com/user/justenoughtropeFollow Enterprising Individuals on Facebook and Twitter and our Facebook group!http://www.facebook.com/eistpodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/eistpod/http://www.twitter.com/eistpodSupport EI on Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/e

Just Enough Trope's Mikanhana is back this week to help sort out the latest Trek news! We've got updates on season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery, Lower Decks, the rumored Pike series, Tarantino Trek, the Trek "Global Franchise Group", and a Killer Grandma! Plus, a review of the new Deep Space Nine documentary, What We Left Behind, and Kal's thoughts on the Star Trek: Picard trailer!AND, a special announcement about a new Star Trek enterprise! It's a podcast . . . not a ship . . .#behrsockets!Follow Just Enough Trope for the latest nerd news!http://www.twitter.com/justenoughtropePre-order What We Left Behind on Amazon!https://amzn.to/2MauXmtSuit up with our Trek T-shirts!https://www.teepublic.com/user/justenoughtropeJoin our crew on Patreon and get access to our DS9 & Voyager recaps!http://www.patreon.com/eistpodClick through our Amazon link on enterprisingindividuals.com to support the show!http://www.enterprisingindividuals.comhttps://www.amazon.com/?tag=jet01-20&linkCode=ezFollow us on Twitter and Faceb

Get your jeweler's loupe on and clutch tight your '62 Roger Maris card because we're about to play with "The Most Toys"!Writer and Forbes Magazine Associate Editor for Science and Games Alex Knapp joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that sees Data's humanity put on trial once again, this time as much from within as without. Remorseless collector Kivas Fajo has kidnapped Data to be part of his menagerie of priceless artifacts, and Fajo is using his people as hostages to keep Data a prisoner. Can Geordi and the crew of the Enterprise rescue their lost android before Data decides that murder is preferable to enslavement?Data comes face to face with the banality of evil in this solid episode, as our favorite android's selflessness is pushed to the breaking point by a deadly selfishness. During our discussion, we talk about the one-two punch of Spiner and Rubinek, the qualities of a great Trek villain, Trek's long pedigree of first-rate guest stars, how good villains

Get ready to be disavowed and to go rogue this week as New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author James Swallow joins the show to talk about espionage and skullduggery in the world of Trek! The Federation is an open and honorable society, but there are cracks in every seemingly perfect edifice, and that's where organizations like Starfleet Intelligence and Section 31 make their home. On this episode, we talk about the dark corners of the Federation, doing the wrong thing to achieve the right one, needing an antidote to Trek's optimism, and putting your characters into a box and shaking it. We also discuss the differences between UK and US Trek fandom, getting to work on Star Trek: Voyager, making your own "toy box" and switching genres, turning the "guy in the van" into the hero, the three "JBs", writing spy thrillers in a post-9/11 world, and having Brannon Braga call during board game night!I'm still taking offers on my "Bourne Lycanthropy" pitch!Follow James on Twitter!http://www.twitter.com/jmswa

Your mission this week, if you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate and seduce the enemy for "The Enterprise Incident"!Editor and comics scribe Kevin Church joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series that sees our upright heroes involved in dastardly deeds. The Romulans have improved their cloaking technology and it's up to the crew of the Enterprise to stage a space heist in the hope of obtaining military secrets. But, can Kirk keep his new ears on straight long enough to get the device, and can Spock keep the Romulan commander in the dark about his true intentions without losing his half-human heart in the process?The crew find themselves in a "Mission: Impossible"-esque predicament this episode, as their usual weapons of tact and phasers are replaced with some very un-Starfleet guile and deception. During our discussion, we talk about the real life international crisis that inspired the episode, the the staff changes behind the scenes that caused Trek's third seaso

This week, we celebrate Avengers: Endgame and comics in general by checking out Marvel Star Trek comics! Join us for a look at Star Trek Unlimited and a quick run-through of Trek on the comic page!#saruligansGet "Captain Saru", our favorite Kelpian, on Amazon!https://amzn.to/2ZED9OxGet your DS9 doc tickets!https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=GOAwjpQg908Suit up with our Trek T-shirts!https://www.teepublic.com/user/justenoughtropeJoin our crew on Patreon and get access to our new Voyager recaps!http://www.patreon.com/eistpodClick through our Amazon link on enterprisingindividuals.com to support the show!http://www.enterprisingindividuals.comhttps://www.amazon.com/?tag=jet01-20&linkCode=ezFollow us on Twitter and Facebook for Trek news and updates!http://www.twitter.com/eistpodhttp://www.facebook.com/eistpod

We are talking the #StarTrekDiscovery episode, “Such Sweet Sorrow, Pt. 2” LIVE! Tweet to the show at @eistpod with the hashtag #discoverage to join the conversation!

Get ready to sing some royalty-free tunes as we warm up our pipes for "Virtuoso"!Comedian, writer, and podcaster Asterios Kokkinos joins the show this week for a look at an episode of Star Trek: Voyager that explores the nature of humanity, artistic expression, and working on the railroad. The Doctor becomes a singing sensation when the crew meets a race that has never before heard music. As his fame increases and his captain expresses her reservations, the Doctor must decide if being human means following your dreams or fulfilling your responsibilities.Voyager gets its own "Measure of a Man" in this episode, and both the Doctor's responsibility to the crew and the crew's responsibility to him as a sentient being are weighed in the balance. During our discussion, we talk about why ethical dilemmas are so entertaining and how sci-fi makes them more palatable, the "AI trolley car problem", how far the egalitarian nature of the Federation extends, whether an unjust deed can be considered moral, how the Doctor is

We are talking the #StarTrekDiscovery episode, “Such Sweet Sorrow” LIVE! Tweet to the show at @eistpod with the hashtag #discoverage to join the conversation!

This week, we take a break from the grind as Mikanhana from the Just Enough Trope podcast is back to help break down the recent Trek news! We've got takes on images of the upcoming Disco finale, a beardless Spock, the theatrical release of the DS9 doc, Sonequa Martin-Greene's new movie role, and pushing a Chief O'Brien statue down the stairs!We also talk about how to spot bad Photoshop, the secret to a good Ryan Gosling impression, Shatner the Twitter Monster, #justice4keiko, we say goodbye to Vonda N. McIntyre, Kal goes coo coo for Dave and Buster's Star Trek VR game, and Mika is looking for a young Elliot Gould-type!Bad Photoshop is my superpower!Follow Just Enough Trope on Facebook and Twitter!http://www.facebook.com/justenoughtropehttp://www.twitter.com/justenoughtropeGet Vonda's book, The Entropy Effect, on Amazon!https://amzn.to/2GeauYYGet your DS9 doc tickets!https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=GOAwjpQg908Suit up with our Trek T-shirts!https://www.teepublic.com/user/justenoughtropeJoin