007 - Shakespeare and an Introduction to Romulans

Welcome to episode 7 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I set out to explore strange new worlds.  To seek out new life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where so many have gone before…

Starting with Star Trek: The Original Series, I am watching through in an attempt to figure out why people love this show so much, and just maybe come to love it myself.

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Abbie and Nate, as we discuss Shakespeare in Space and get an introduction to Romulans:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes – The Conscience of the King and Balance of Terror

• I make a prediction and am way wrong

• The first mediocre episode I’ve watched.  Underwhelming

• Nate is the exact opposite of me

• Abbie and Nate are on the same page

• The episode “feels” like Star Trek

• How old is Kirk?

• Voice testing to confirm Kodos’ identity

• Racy dialogue

• Using Spock and McCoy dialogue for exposition

• Star Trek stereotypes

• Living in space and the differences between The Enterprise and standard military ships

• What is the Enterprise’s mission?  Military?  Diplomacy?  Policing?

• How do you handle impossible decisions?

• HIPAA laws go out the airlock sometime in the next 300 years

• Space-sounding words and being light-years off-course

• I was convinced to change my rating, and I am open to revisiting later

• A Yeoman Rand-om sighting

• The Series is really hitting its stride

• The sanctity of the Neutral Zone

• A Cold War with the Romulans

• Similarities and differences between Romulans and Vulcans

• Religion and ceremony in Star Trek

• Putting my Biblical and Theological Studies degree to work

• Living life in space

• Space exploration is still a risky proposition

• Will I like Star Trek as we progress through this and the other series?

• Shots fired at DS9

• There are lyrics to The Original Series theme

• TNG discussion

006 - I didn't ask for an explanation!

Welcome to episode 6 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I continue my journey to explore strange new worlds.  To seek out new life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

Starting with Star Trek: The Original Series, I am trying to figure out why people love this franchise as much as they do, and maybe I will eventually come to enjoy it myself.

As we have been rating episodes, we are trying to move beyond “just give it a number!” and have some definition of what the numbers mean.  We have adopted IGN.com’s updated rating system of 1-10, with no fractional numbers:

10 – Masterpiece

9 – Amazing

8 – Great

7 – Good

6 – OK

5 – Mediocre

4 – Bad

3 – Awful

2 – Painful

1 – Unbearable

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Abbie and Nate, as we discuss:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes – The Corbomite Maneuver and The Menagerie, Parts 1 and 2

• Another updated rating system

• Attack of the Giant Rubik’s Cube, ahead of their time

• Abbie tries to avoid giving a rating

• It’s not chess, it’s poker.  IT’S NOT LUPUS!!!

• The whole crew was involved

• A bottle episode, but it worked…except the ending

• Kids who sound like adults are weird

• It was all just a test

• Our first “fascinating”

• Different uniform colors

• The series is still figuring out what it’s doing

• There is nothing unknown, only temporarily not understood

• The Enterprise is the woman for Kirk

• Combat coffee

• Kirk’s temper

• Following Kirk off of the turbolift

• Kirk didn’t want an explanation

• Mr. Bailey is having a bad day

• Sulu is calm under pressure

• Nate hates dietary salad

• James Doohan (Scotty) served at D-Day

• Balock did not become Luke Skywalker

• Abbie makes up a new word

• I talk myself into a lower rating for The Menagerie

• I missed why Pike was in his current state

• Weak endings take down otherwise strong episodes

• The “All is Lost” moment – shout out to Steven Pressfield

• Watching people watching TV

• Worldbuilding elements – Starfleet, Starbases

• I convince Nate to raise his score

• Episodes to look forward to

005 - No Blah Blah Blah

Welcome to Episode 5 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I continue my quest to explore strange new worlds.  To seek out new life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

I have started with Star Trek: The Original Series to understand why people love this franchise so much.  Maybe, I’ll even come to enjoy it, myself.

In this week’s episode, I am again joined by Abbie and Nate, as we discuss:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes – Miri and Dagger of the Mind

• How do we rate these episodes?

• I make a Star Trek reference that is completely missed, so I just sound like a jerk

• Spock is not a flat-earther

• Ineptness of the Enterprise security crew

• Dr. McCoy doesn’t try to save anyone who is not part of the crew

• Suspension of disbelief – Story consistency!

• Creepy Kirk

• Nate tries taking my job

• Bones is going to science the shit out of this!

• Bones’ sacrifice

• The sad story of Yeoman Rand

• Spock’s future growth and understanding

• Spock is a bad Vulcan

• Nate explains the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 phasers

• 40 looks very different today

• Abbie and Nate agree on the second episode, and both disagree with me

• Conflict between Bones and Kirk, and pulling rank

• Failed experiments, mysteries, and stupidity

• The agony of emptiness

• The fragility of the human mind and the power of human contact

• What makes us who we are?

• DS9 connections

• Hypnosis and Vulcans – Don’t try this at home!

• Depressing endings – moving on

• Episode formulas

• I declare that I like Star Trek more than the Trekkies

• Examining why our ratings are so disparate

• Some personal attacks on my ability to find things in the fridge

• More rating discussion

Ahead – Warp Factor 1!

004 - A most annoying emotional episode

Welcome to Episode 4 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I continue my mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

I have started with Star Trek: The Original Series in an attempt to understand why people love the show as much as they do, and just maybe come to like it myself.

In this week’s episode, I am again joined by Abbie and Nate and we discuss:

• Our completely individual and subjective rating systems to grade each episode

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes – Mudd’s Women and What Are Little Girls Made Of?

• Catfishing in the ‘60s

• Links between The Original Series and Next Generation

• Starfleet hasn’t been referenced yet?

• You either believe in yourself or you don’t.  Confidence is the ultimate beauty

• A perfect segue to the next episode

• A major disagreement

• Antagonism toward androids somehow turns into Data on the bridge?

• The Ship of Theseus

• Are androids a threat to humanity?

• HP Lovecraft connections

• What was available to watch in the 1960s vs. today

• Revisiting our scores for the first few episodes

Until next time –

Never give up!  Never surrender!

003 - A Philosophical Disagreement

Welcome to Episode 3 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I continue my mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

I am starting at the beginning and watching through Star Trek in an attempt to understand why people love the show as much as they do, and just maybe come to like it myself.

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Abbie and Nate and we discuss:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes – The Naked Time and The Enemy Within

• Ron Swanson was right – this is the wrong way to consume alcohol

• 250 years in the future, people still don’t know how to properly use PPE

• Spock is a weepy drunk

• Abbie and Nate talk about anti-matter, which I know nothing about

• Time travel

• Abbie and Nate talk about Discovery and Strange New Worlds

• Philosophical disagreements

• I play the “my podcast” card to declare Nate is wrong

• What it means to be human

• I AM THE CAPTAIN!!!

• I notice the recurring trend of random crewmembers nearly killing everyone

Until next time –

Never give up!  Never surrender!

002 - Where apparently some have gone before

Welcome to Episode 2 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I embark on a likely longer than 5-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out no life and new civilizations.  To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

I am starting at the beginning and watching through Star Trek in an attempt to understand why people love the show as much as they do, and just maybe come to like it myself.

In this week’s episode I am joined by Abbie and Nate and we discuss:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes - Charlie X and Where No Man Has Gone Before

• What does it mean to be a man?

• Kirk awkwardly handling “the talk” with Charlie and leaving him with some really odd advice

• More lizards!

• Nate and Abbie discuss other series and their terrible episodes while I just listen - I have so much to look forward to

• I am in new territory, not knowing much about what lies ahead, and just sitting back and enjoying the ride

• A strong recommendation for Season 5 of 24

Until next time –

Never give up!  Never surrender!

001 - The Failed Pilot

Welcome to Episode 1 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I embark on a mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To Baldly Go where many have gone before…

I am starting at the beginning and watching through Star Trek in an attempt to understand why people love the show as much as they do, and just maybe come to like it myself.

In this week’s episode, we discuss:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episodes - The Cage and The Man Trap

• My realization that I have already messed up my entire plan to watch the series in order

• Our backgrounds with Star Trek. You can find my background in Episode 0

• How much more there is to discuss than any of us initially thought

Until next time -

Never give up! Never surrender!

000 - What am I doing and what do I already know?

Welcome to Episode 0 of the To Baldly Go Podcast, in which I prepare for my journey through the Star Trek franchise.

In this initial episode, I explain the genesis of this project:

• My embarrassing first contribution to a Star Trek discussion

• What I hope to learn and gain from this endeavor

• Some random stuff I know about Star Trek having never really watched much beyond some of the newer movies and the first season of Picard

If you are also new to Star Trek, join me as I watch through for the first time, starting at the beginning, in an attempt to learn what it is that people love so much about these shows and movies.

If you are a certified Trekkie, live vicariously through me as I experience the voyages of the Starship Enterprise and crew for the first time, and maybe even join your ranks.

Until next time, remember -

Never give up! Never surrender!