Out of Contreks: Recent Episodes
outofcontreks
A podcast where two guys who have seen part of Star Trek try to watch all of Star Trek, in no particular order. Publishes every other Sunday.
This episode of Deep Space 9 feels very biblical, so it's apropos that Ryan and Brady spend a large portion of it talking about Adventures in Odyssey. We also discuss the reasons people have faith and the recent schism in the Catholic Church, and there's a little bit of Star Trek talk smuggled in there too.
Not gonna lie to you: I don't really remember what we talked about in this episode. If I recall correctly, we talked about Andorian antennae, the lady Andorian freedom fighter, and how boring the Vulcans are on Enterprise. I'm sure it's still a good time, though!
After spending a while at the beginning of the episode talking about upcoming Star Trek video games, Ryan and Brady dive into this very impressive episode of Voyager, which is about what to do if you have bad co-workers... but in space! In so doing, we talk about our own experiences managing employees, the best kind of Star Trek metaphors, and Ryan reveals one time when an irrational fear of his proved totally justified.
Ryan and Brady had some fun with this Enterprise episode! Could it be that the show gets better in the second half? Is this really Stargate or Babylon 5-coded, as Ryan seems to think? How about that CGI? We talk about all that and more!
Ryan and Brady link up for our annual episode with Caitlin and Nicole of That's Not How Science Works. In this episode, we discuss the saga of Prodigy's availability on streaming networks and whether smells can get through space helmets. We also play a fun quiz at the beginning themed around the recently-ended best alien race poll with The World Cup of Star Trek. Can you beat Brady or our guests?
Probably not a good indication of Ryan and Brady's current feelings about Discovery that this recording is under 40 minutes and we spend the first several minutes of it discussing the old Rosetta Stone language learning software. Apologies for this episode coming out late; Ryan is moving and kind of lost track of things. The EV suits in this show look pretty cool, right? I used one as the episode image!
Voyager never did a Mirror Universe episode, but Warlord feels a lot like one. Ryan and Brady talk about a pretty fun episode that both allows Jennifer Lien a rare opportunity to show her stuff and contains a strange sexual undercurrent that feels straight out of Deep Space 9.
Ryan and Brady discuss the best Tom Paris episode, the one where maybe... Tom is right???? In our continuing discussion from the last episode, join us as we discuss good in media res openings, cool sci-fi concepts, and our recurring belief that Janeway is Star Trek at its most Clintonite.
Ryan and Brady try to avoid talking about a very unpleasant episode of Picard by talking about anything else, including a lengthy digression into the current politics of a couple different Trek actors and William Shatner's Super Bowl commercial. We also talk about Allison Pill's bum rap in Hollywood... really, anything to avoid talking about what Ryan refers to as possibly the worst in media res opening in the history of filmed entertainment.
Ryan and Brady chat about a low-key (even for this show!) episode of Enterprise, compare it favorably to a famously boring episode of Star Trek Voyager, and talk about Enterprise's general unwillingness to take its perfectly good premises and give them a little juice.
For the first time in more than a year, Ryan and Brady are putting out a special on a new season of Star Trek, this one the initial outing of Starfleet Academy. But where does it rank in the annals of nu-Trek? Is the dialogue actually youth-oriented, or is it a bunch of millennials and Xers trying to sound young? Has Jett Reno ever done anything wrong? (No.) All that and more inside this piping hot mp3 file!
(Note: As this is a special, it was recorded the day before release and is such a little rougher, audio-wise, than our normal episodes)
Ryan and Brady look into a Voyager episode that examines the nuances of the Doctor's relationship with the rest of the crew. While we aren't entirely satisfied with the ending, the episode itself is a pretty interesting one, allowing us much fodder for discussion on how exactly the message of "Latent Image" can be mapped onto a real-world situation, if at all.
Quick production note: We try to keep most Out of Contreks episodes reasonably family-friendly, but this episode does have a lot of swearing in it, primarily inspired by the horrible events of Jan. 2025 that were carried out by government thugs in the Twin Cities, where one of the hosts lives. If you don't mind that, give it a listen, because it's a pretty fun and wide-ranging discussion after the opening 10 minutes, and even in the opening 10 minutes we come up with a variety of colorful terms to impugn Elon Musk and Stephen Miller, who are two of the dumbest and most evil people on the planet Earth (also, since we recorded this episode, Elon Musk's name has come up in the Epstein Files because he was begging to get onto the island).
It had been a while since either Brady or Ryan had seen Shore Leave, the famous, fever-dreamesque outing of the Original Series in which Bones is literally killed and then brought back to life -- an incident that probably isn't even the weirdest thing that happens in the episode -- and boy, had we forgotten some of the finer points. Join us as we discuss Trek's descent into madness, courtesy of the strange, brief Trek career of writer Theodore Sturgeon.
In this wide-ranging episode about a very good episode of Deep Space 9, Ryan and Brady go off on several tangents, everything from nostalgia for parenting young kids to the efficacy of sci-fi metaphor to classic VeggieTales music to which Star Trek species would be the nastiest to bone down with. In between, we talk about the Jem'Hadar and an unsung performance from Bumper Robinson.
Ryan and Brady look into the first part of one of the most famous Voyager episodes, and what we find is something... all right. Join us as we look at why this episode is so famous, where it sits in Voyager lore, and what this show does well and not so well.
Happy New Year! In this episode, Ryan and Brady get their annual Ric Olie reference out of the way quick before discussing a DS9 episode that has a lot of fun little character bits for Sisko as it explores the nature of responsibility. Also, I chose the episode image because of O'Brien's incredible turtleneck. A true god among men.
Ryan and Brady aren't sure what to make of this Enterprise episode that doesn't even seem quite sure of what to make of itself. Still, though, it got us to open some cool Star Trek cards, and it's a rare truly Out of Contreks episode for the both of us.
Would this be a good episode to watch while high? Ryan and Brady discuss the (mostly aesthetic) positives of this late Season 2 TOS episode and generally have a good time talking about a shaggy thing that isn't really very good, but it's got those TOS vibes. Sometimes, that's all you need.
We got a rare opportunity to expose a new person to Wesley Crusher without the burden of expectation, and boy howdy does it not disappoint. Join Ryan and Brady as we talk about Trek's most famous self-insert character, old SNL sketches, the one cool effect sequence in this episode, and how dumb this episode's resolution is.
Ryan gets to nerd out about James Bond as he and Brady talk about this very fun holodeck episode of DS9. Also discussed: Star Trek Timelines, turtleneck fashion, and Star Trek's take on nature vs. nurture as it relates to pattern buffer mishaps.
Production note: This is, hopefully, the last episode where Ryan has bad audio, as we hopefully will have resolved our mic issues by this time. Also, we are actually not doing Cease Fire next episode, due to a scheduling issue. We are actually doing Final Mission (TNG S4E9), and our Big Money Movie Ideas crossover will be coming in a few months.
Sorry for our late episode posting this week, gang! That was on Ryan for forgetting to post it during a very busy crowdfunding campaign at his work. Anyway, on this episode we talk about starting to understand why people weren't super into TOS Season 3, as we dive into an episode premise that has an interesting premise but a not nearly as interesting execution.
Out of the Paramount+ mines, Ryan and Brady tackle a wide-ranging episode that includes talk of the Decipher Star Trek CCG, what fake name you would scramble for in a pinch, how this episode reads like a critique of revisionist plantation tourism, and much more! It's one of our favorites as of late.
How many times have we talked about an episode from the Paramount+ era of Star Trek in which Ryan says "This is one of my least favorite moments in nuTrek?" Is it just bad luck, or are there just too many of those moments? Anyway, Ryan and Brady talk about the episode of Picard where Seven and Raffi have a really long fight in a parking lot.
Look, we promise, there's no more new Star Trek on the schedule for a while after this. We're trying, people! We've got some primo DS9s coming up, some original series... it's gonna be great.
Ryan and Brady take a detour into the recent Star Trek Day announcements before going long on the third season of Strange New Worlds, a very pleasant show that is also maybe out of ideas? Join us as we talk about what a difference a good cast makes, prequels that could be spiritual but end up being literal, and baseball metaphors.
Ryan and Brady limp to the end of their mini-Discovery run with this Breen-centric episode. But did the showrunners miss an opportunity to reveal the look of the race for the first time? Why are the details of this episode so hard to remember?
Ryan and Brady talk about the old reliable of Star Trek Voyager: A Doctor episode! A goofy outing for the Delta Quadrant crew becomes, if you think about it, a kind of touching meditation on who could survive their innermost thoughts being put on display for all to see.
Max and Michael of the Star Trek miniatures game Into the Unknown join us again for another Deep Space 9 episode. Come for their sneak peek at the new Klingon expansion content coming for the game later this year, and stay for us talking about this episode's strikingly naturalistic writing and the brilliance of Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell.
Interested in purchasing Into the Unknown? You can check it out here!
Note: We had to reschedule which episode we were doing this week because a power outage limited Ryan’s ability to edit the show.
This week on Out of Contreks, Ryan and Brady talk about yet another Season 5 discovery episode, this one with some interesting musings on organized religion. Join us as we apply our own experiences to this episode and talk about whatever is going on in the overarching season 5 fetch quest.
Ryan and Brady explore some Klingon stuff and some Spock stuff and try to remember what the hell was going on in Star Trek Discovery Season 2. Is this the most confusing Star Trek season to watch out of context... even if you've already seen the whole thing front to back?
Ryan and Brady talk about their first ever series finale to come up on their random number generator, and for once, their two-months-ahead-of-time schedule actually turns out to line up perfectly. Not for their discussion about the premiere date of Strange New Worlds Season 3, which was announced shortly after the episode was recorded, but for the premiere of James Gunn's new Superman movie, which opens this coming weekend and which catches some strays in this episode as Ryan and Brady talk about the unremarkability of commonly expressed artistic statements.
Ryan and Brady reteam with Caitlin and Nicole of That's Not How Science Works to discuss this late season Voyager episode that seems to be the writing staff taking another bite of the Tuvix apple. Come for the discussion of Neelix and Tuvok as characters, stay for the weirdly long discussion of Tenet at the end of the show!
Ryan and Brady kick off an unexpected journey into many episodes of Discovery over the next few months with a look at the nu-Trek era's cool Andorian makeup, the limitations of "decompressed" prestige TV storytelling, and how to nail the tone of inserting an important social issue into your work.
Ryan and Brady dig into the pilot of Enterprise, talking about what works, what doesn't, whether it's pronounced "bow" or "bough," and why Brady wasn't allowed to watch Enterprise when he was a kid (it was too horny!).
Ryan and Brady examine this mid-series Voyager outing and cast a wary eye on its rather simplistic portrayal of depression. We also discuss the origins of the Delta Flyer, a couple of entries in Ethan Phillips' non-Trek acting career, and once again ponder the dynamics of what is actually going on in a holodeck.
For once, Ryan and Brady come not to damn Enterprise with faint praise, but to celebrate it! This jaunt through the mirror universe is easily the most fun they've ever had watching an Enterprise episode, and they revel in the fun haircuts, the evil dogs, and one of the simplest and most effective episode openers in the history of the franchise.
Ryan and Brady cover one of the most famous Star Trek episodes of all time, the once maligned, now kind of adored (?) Arena. But does this famous Original Series entry really deserve the mockery or acclaim that many viewers have placed on in over the years? How does it hold up to other, less famous, episodes of the original Star Trek run? We get into those questions and more in this very fun record.
Ryan and Brady return to the tangled web of late Enterprise Vulcan conspiracy chronology, watching the next episode after another episode they watched a while ago and sort of try to recall at the beginning of the show. Listen in as they discuss the episode's strange surprise ending, continue to heap praise on Jeffrey Combs, and, as so often happens when talking early 2000s Trek, compare this episode to The Phantom Menace.
Ryan and Brady tackle another Season 3 episode of The Original Series, and while this one is a bit thin on plot, it boasts a real set of aesthetic choices that make it well worth a discussion. Join us as we discuss test tube scientists, the great chemistry of TOS's three leads, and how in the end, The Original Series really was a show made by a well-meaning but undeniably horny middle aged guy.
On this week's episode, Ryan and Brady are covering the the longest episode title in Star Trek history! But is this mid-season 3 outing worthy of such a portentous name? Join us as we discuss Shakespearean deliveries, tube-based security systems, and if maybe the Star Trek Season 3 haters didn't know just how good they had it. We also talk about fan-maintained wikis and the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider series. It's a wide-ranging discussion!
Ryan and Brady talk about yet another very "lore important" episode of DS9 they've happened to draw, including some discussion on the genuine rapport of Kira and Odo, how to tell when you're in a Star Trek simulation, and, of course, Garak appreciation.
Ryan and Brady dive into the first part of Prodigy's first mid-season finale, discussing the new uniform variant, what happened to make the Diviner so mean, "evil" holograms, and, as always, this show's similarity to Star Wars: Rebels.
Ryan and Brady get together with MVP Out of Contreks listener Mark Rustad to discuss the new Section 31 TV movie, a film that is not very much a movie, nor is it very much about Section 31. There is one pretty cool sequence in it, though, which they talk about for a while, as well as the movie's long-gestating production history, dialogue problems, and how it ranks on the overall list of Star Trek films (hint: low).
Then, they circle back to 2024 to do mini-specials on Prodigy Season 2 and Lower Decks Season 5, the two shows they couldn't do full specials on last year due to time constraints.
Note: This episode was recorded very close to its air date, so it is only lightly edited.
In this episode, Kirk has to fight some sentient gas! This might not sound like the most innately interesting thing for an episode of Star Trek to be about, but join Ryan and Brady as we discuss the ways the writing team -- and, especially, the main trio of TOS actors -- get as much juice as possible out of this concept.
It's a good thing Data can't feel embarrassment, because, oh boy, otherwise his mom would be pretty embarrassing! Ryan and Brady discuss this late period TNG episode and its one big twist, how it's similar to a better DS9 entry about Odo, and how there's a normal episode of Star Trek going on in the background.
Fresh from the highs of our 150th episode, Ryan and Brady sit down to discuss Enterprise's version of Devil in the Dark, which heavily features a snot monster. Real talk? Why is this episode called "Vox Sola"? In Latin, that means "lone voice," which I guess sort of makes sense because it's absorbing all of them into its being, but there are still plenty of voices trying to keep that from happening. Feels like a first draft!
It's an anniversary episode for Out of Contreks, which means that this time, we're tackling The Search For Spock. Join Ryan and Brady as we discuss the first Trek movie that feels like a long TV episode, some incredible '70s fashion that just happened to appear in the '80s, and how, to woo Leonard Nimoy back to the franchise, the Trek helmers allowed him to direct a movie about how Trek isn't as good when he's not in it (which is true!).
In this DS9 episode, Sisko falls in love with a figment of someone else's imagination. In this podcast, Ryan and Brady talk about that for a while and then discuss the galaxy's most overconfident scientist and how exactly we're supposed to feel about the end of the episode.
In this episode, Ryan and Brady take on the one with young Tom Paris... Wait, I mean Nick Locarno! We also talk Boothby, an understated performance by Gates McFadden, and more!
This episode was put together in a hurry, as Ryan is in a Shakespeare production this weekend, so sorry if the audio is maybe a bit less edited than usual.
Ryan and Brady talk about an episode that really benefits from the long-game serialized storytelling that DS9 and 90s Trek in general did so well. Plus, we touch on more Klingon traditions and praise good old J.G. Hertzler!
Can Star Trek live on aesthetics alone? Brady says no, Ryan says... maybe? Kind of? in this iffy but striking outing of the Original Series' infamous third season. Come for the comparisons to David Lynch, and stay for the boys' reminiscing on puppet-based children's entertainment (the creator of Lamb Chop wrote this episode!).
In which Ryan and Brady don't make a "Darkling Doc" joke and really go in on trash-talking Brannon Braga for a good long while. Also, if you like the sound of CCG card packs being opened on mic, we do that here for a while!
Join Ryan and Brady as they discuss the premiere of what at least one of them thinks is actually the best season of Picard, if only for the sartorial choices... and then listen as they both are disappointed that this isn't the second episode, which has fun stuff like the skull of Gul Dukat. They also discuss a bit of Star Trek news that is probably about a month old at this point!
Ryan and Brady mull alien fashion, discuss the always-reliable Jeri Ryan, and reflect on how Neelix is just a very nice man in this surprisingly solid Borg episode of Voyager. Plus, Ryan cracks a pack of Star Trek CCG cards in the cold open! What will he find? (mostly some Hirogen commons)
Ryan and Brady saddle up for their last "accidentally out of order" episode of the summer (for the five or so real-heads who might actually care, obviously, the episode we mention doing "next," Yesteryear, was actually our previous episode, and our real next episode is Voyager's The Raven). Regardless of the confusion, we have a good time talking about Gul Dukat, the greatest villain in Star Trek history, as well as a brief consideration of the number of "important" DS9 episodes we've watched for the show.
Sorry for the late-night post, folks. Ryan just got back from Gen Con.
In today's episode, Ryan and Brady are joined by frequent guests Caitlin and Nicole of That's Not How Science Works to discuss the consensus choice for the best entry of Star Trek: The Animated Series. Join us as we discuss good animation vs. "good" animation, DC Fontana knowing her stuff, and Ryan crying while watching this decades-old cartoon for children.
Ryan and Brady talk about a consequential episode that gives our podcast its best look yet into the psychology of Gul Dukat. We also spend a bit of time talking about a VCR game that features Robert O'Reilly as Martok, which is where today's episode art is from. It's a good time!
Ryan and Brady delve into the ins and outs of a perfectly serviceable Enterprise episode, including a writing cliche Ryan hates, a discussion of the medbay's weird horny sauna, and a tangent on Paramount+ streaming content.
If the metatextual meditation on PTSD of our last episode was too much for you, allow Ryan and Brady to talk about The Time Trap instead, a goofy Animated Series episode that had Ryan's son saying "huh, good episode" as the credits rolled. Discussed: the alien UN, the weird piece of tape that connects the Enterprise to the Klingon ship, and more.
With what we're pretty sure is our longest episode of all time, Ryan and Brady dive into this classic Deep Space Nine episode with the help of Max Brooke and Michael Gernes, the designers of the upcoming Star Trek miniatures game "Star Trek: Into the Unknown." Max and Michael break down the analysis of Star Trek metafiction, the logistics of holodeck food, and the long-game characterization of DS9, but first, they sit for an extended interview on their cool new game from WizKids, which debuts later this year (and is set during the Dominion War).
Sorry for the audio issues, folks. This file should have both hosts' audio.
Ryan and Brady dig into the final season of Star Trek Discovery and come to the conclusion that this season was, if not great, also was not bad! We rank the seasons, talk about the finale, discuss the ending, and wonder if one of the writers found religion during the course of writing the show. All that, and more!
Ryan and Brady dig into the final season of Star Trek Discovery and come to the conclusion that this season was, if not great, also was not bad! We rank the seasons, talk about the finale, discuss the ending, and wonder if one of the writers found religion during the course of writing the show. All that, and more!
Ryan and Brady talk about well-meaning but strangely tone-deaf episode of... you guessed it, Voyager. Come for the discussion of how pop culture so often treats Native American culture with a patronizing air, and stay for the ponderings on how a holographic tissue works.
On this gentle evening episode of Out of Contreks (that's what we call it when we post it at night instead of in the morning like Ryan does when he's on his game), Ryan and Brady talk about digital painting techniques and some valiant performances trying to save a pretty boring Data A plot -- so boring, in fact, that it doesn't make an appearance on part two of this TNG two-parter, which we've already covered on the show. We also spend a while discussing the current state of "remastering" Voyager and Deep Space 9, which you can read more about in this interesting article.
What if the Borg but in Enterprise? That's basically all that's on the mind of this episode, and Ryan and Brady get into it. Ryan forgot to post this one early this morning, and now he's doing it in a rush before recording a new batch, so sorry for the lack of episode notes.
Ryan and Brady do a brief overview of this Season 2 Discovery episode and riff on modern progressivism, the bloat of serialized storytelling, and a Christian pop-punk band of the early 2000s.
Ryan and Brady discuss one of the first Star Trek episodes to ever air, the creepy and atmospheric Charlie X! Join us as we discuss the brilliance of D.C. Fontana, science fiction on a budget, the show still figuring itself out, and which actor's head looks like an upside-down triangle.
An episode of Star Trek in which so little happens that Ryan and Brady spend a large amount of time talking about movies, both real movies that currently exist and future Star Trek movies that might one day exist. There is also this one really rude Tellarite in this episode, and we get some juice out of that guy.
Ryan and Brady get into what starts out as a pretty promising episode of Enterprise Season 4 and what turns out to be... an OK episode of Enterprise Season 4. Join us as we discuss a Star Trek board game, time travel rules, and how Nazi Germany is listed on Memory Alpha as one of the combatants in the Temporal Cold War.
Ryan and Brady talk about an episode of The Original Series that is very important to the series canon but is primarily notable for its aggressive (and perhaps unintentional) heteronormativity. Consider this, however: When Brady emailed this episode to me, he wrote "I'm very proud of us for making it through the whole episode without using the phrase 'Cochrane blocked.'" So, mission accomplished, I guess?
Ryan and Brady cover the second season premiere of Star Trek: Enterprise, and in typical Out of Contreks fashion, neither of them has any idea what happened in the finale of season one. Join them as they talk about Archer's Max Headroom cameo, Suliban skin, and Enterprise's trademark "prude sexuality."
Ryan and Brady tackle an early TOS episode that has some pretty uncomfortable views on teenage sexuality, as well as a disease that makes people break out in blue makeup. Along the way, we discuss why exactly this episode is set on an identical copy of Earth, annoying future abbreviations, and the strange decision to cast an actor to play a character who is supposed to be literally half his age.
Ryan and Brady discuss one of their favorite, as well as one of the most infamous, Lower Decks episodes of all time in this holodeck bonanza. Listen in as we attempt to weigh what makes a callback more than a callback, explore which Lower Decker Brady most identifies with, and, of course, give our thoughts on that scene.
In a small scheduling change prompted by the holidays, Ryan and Brady are releasing this DS9 episode just a touch out of order. Fortunately, it's a fun one, as we talk about hacking in the Star Trek universe, undercooked B-plots, and how this small little episode of DS9 strangely predicted COVID-19 (which, by the way, Ryan has, so go easy on him).
Ryan and Brady dig into a very entertaining, strangely prescient episode of The Original Series with a wild, unnecessary twist ending. Is this low-key one of the best Star Trek episodes Gene ever wrote? What does it have to say about the medium of television, and the "civilization" of violence as entertainment? Why did they stop calling video "video" in the future? We cover all that, and more!
Ryan and Brady check in a few weeks late to discuss Season 4 of Star Trek Lower Decks! We talk characterization, deep dives into Nova Squadron lore, and what the show is doing well this far into its run.
Ryan and Brady tackle a Season 4 Discovery episode that at least one of them finds to be downright sociopathic. We talk infatuated Saru, Tilly's semi-departure from the show, and the pitfalls of viewing every event as a stepping stone in your personal journey.
Odo and Garak square off in the second half of this famous DS9 two-parter, the first part of which Ryan and Brady happened to cover almost exactly a year ago! But how does 12 Years A Slave inform the conversation we have about this episode? Is there anything better in the episode itself than the famous behind-the-scenes picture we've used as the episode image? Was frequent director David Livingston up to some new tricks, or were some of these techniques being used to shoot around stand-ins? We cover all of these topics and more this week!
Ryan and Brady talk about another Animated Series episode, this one with a surprising depth, sweetness, and cleverness. Join them as they discuss Star Trek's policy of nonviolent solutions, shapeshifting into functional but inanimate objects, and interspecies dating.
October's Trek Animation Month continues with this strange little sequel to a famous Original Series episode. Listen in as Ryan and Brady discuss how plugged in Filmation was to the overall Trek canon, cool/bad animation art design, and the logic gaps of this supercomputer.
The Out of Contreks unplanned Star Trek Animation October continues with this hastily-organized, recorded, and edited discussion with Caitlin and Nicole of That's Not How Science Works about the Very Short Treks series of YouTube Shorts. Join us as Ryan talks about how much he liked these episodes while the other three people on the podcast react with skepticism, and stay for lengthy tangents on streaming TV, beating a joke to death, the finale of Enterprise, and more.
Welcome to October 2023, which, through no intentional planning of our own, has become Star Trek Animation Month for Out of Contreks. In the first of four episodes this month on animated Star Trek episodes, Ryan and Brady talk about the first episode of Prodigy we've covered on the show. We also discuss the potential of an episode like this, compressed storytelling time, and which main Trek cast would be the best hang!
Ryan and Brady and DS9 return to the well of parent trauma, but this story about Ezri Dax's real mom isn't quite as oddly compelling as the tale of Odo's fake dad. You know what is compelling, though? Miles O'Brien. He's in this one!
Ryan and Brady get together for a loopy, cat-purr-filled discussion of a middling TNG Season 2 episode, but not before spending nearly half the runtime talking about the most recent World Cup of Star Trek vote. After that, stay tuned for discussions of culturally insensitive portrayals of martial arts and musings on how weird it is to see an older gentleman named Kyle.
Ryan and Brady begin with a fun discussion of Shakespeare in Trek before moving on to this perfectly serviceable Original Series episode that appears to have been made on the cheap. Join us as we talk about 1960s sexuality, weird haircuts, and the least expensive special effect of all time: standing still.
In this extra-length episode (beset with a few Skype challenges), Ryan and Brady check in on the latest season of Star Trek prequel-spinoff show Strange New Worlds, running through the highs, lows, crossovers, effects of the writers' and actors' strikes, and going off on a lengthy digression of how the Star Trek casts have progressively increased in hotness since Deep Space Nine.
It's a momentous episode of Out of Contreks, as Ryan and Brady do an in-person record to discuss what has been historically cited as Ryan's favorite episode of Star Trek. But does the episode still hold up, 10 years after either of the hosts last watched it? Find out and listen in as Ryan and Brady discuss William Shatner's ineffable qualities, Leonard Nimoy's perfect facial expressions, and one of the funniest bits of sci-fi attention to detail in franchise history.
Ryan and Brady examine a TNG mid-series Klingon episode and discover that it is one of the most narratively important outings of Imperial Phase Trek. There's a lot to talk about, but of course, we focus on the introduction of perhaps the most famous, and the most infamous, recurring Klingon characters of all time: Gowron and Alexander.
Ryan and Brady dive into a Voyager episode that wants to be about colonialism but ends up in that weird end of history imperialist vibe where so much of Voyager accidentally lives. In the process, we discuss the Huaorani indigenous people in Ecuador (we erroneously call them the Auca tribe in the podcast, which is not what the Huaorani call themselves), recollect the Star Trek movies, and laugh about the subplot regard Tom Paris's speeding ticket.
In this discussion of the Season 4 Discovery premiere, Ryan and Brady talk effective storytelling, sub-Whedon banner, and how diagnosing patients in the 32nd century is even easier than in the 23rd century. Just point and click! This episode a little more positive than our usual Discovery episodes but it's still not exactly glowing.
Caitlin and Nicole return for our longest episode ever, discussing all 10 webisodes/short films/whatever these are that make up Paramount+'s Short Treks streaming series. We talk bad animations, what makes good tie-in media, and take a detour at the end of the episode to talk about our hopes and fears for the Section 31 TV show.
Things get unexpectedly real in this Deep Space 9 Odo episode, as Ryan and Brady talk about this surprisingly layered examination of the dynamics between fathers and sons. We also discuss why Odo looks like that.
Ryan and Brady cover the first episode of TNG Season 3 and try to remember at what point in this season the show actually gets really good. We also discuss the humanity of computer viruses and Guinan's questionable backstory. The episode image is a shot of a deleted scene mentioned in the episode.
Ryan and Brady take on a Discovery episode chockablock with elements we don't care for and use it to talk about writing crutches, conflict resolution, and an extended riff on a time when a Star Trek mobile game made several members of its player base extremely mad.
On this special episode of Out of Contreks, Ryan and Brady engage in a quickly recorded, mostly unedited discussion of the recently-concluded final season of Star Trek: Picard. Topics include plot presentation issues, interesting in-universe ramifications, writing crutches, and also how Michael Dorn is the absolute king.
On this week's podcast, Ryan and Brady talk about the underrated Marina Sirtis and a surprisingly layered late period TNG episode. We also talk bad haircuts, whiffed endings, and once again speculate on the rapidly changing levels of inconvenience associated with species reassignment surgeries in the Star Trek universe.
Ryan and Brady talk about one of the best ever episodes of Star Trek, what it has to say about communication and metaphor, and how it's served as an even more prescient indicator for the way we talk to each other now.
On this episode, Ryan and Brady discuss a fun little mid-period TNG outing that allows sometimes-shunted-aside players like Troi, Keiko and O'Brien to flex their muscles. We also discuss the perpetually locked-in Michael Dorn and try to figure out what exactly Picard is hoping to accomplish at the end of the episode.
Here is a link to the Jim Henson Productions title sequence mentioned on today's episode.
In this wide-ranging discussion about a late-period Voyager episode, Ryan and Brady talk about Icheb, Jeri Ryan's ability to elevate material, Neelix's odd food classification, and Star Trek video games.
Ryan and Brady take on this very early TNG episode, some of which looks like it was shot in a black box for some reason. We also cover the first appearance of The Traveler and a surprise turn by Adrian Monk's psychiatrist.
It's a kind of lackluster, confusing episode of Discovery, but Ryan and Brady still find plenty to talk about, including the history of LGBTQ representation in Star Trek, the logistics and origins of time crystals, and of course Pike's incredible jacket.
"There are thousands of shows out there, and this is one of them." This line is spoken in this episode, but does it refer to Star Trek, or this podcast? In a crossover pod with Big Money Movie Ideas (you can hear Ryan and Brady on their show here), we introduce Andrew and Kelsey to this classic original series episode. Listen in as we talk scary rugs, awesome matte paintings and perfectly round eggs and/or holes.
Hi everyone! In celebration of our 100th regular episode, we have turned our random number generator to the pantheon of Star Trek movies to discuss William Shatner's infamous directorial opus. Will we have a The Motion Picture-style realization that this is good, actually, or is the movie as bad as we remember? One thing's for sure: We both have nothing but good things to say about Laurence Luckinbill.
Our first episode of the year is a special episode recorded the day before (with minimal editing in order to get it out in a timely fashion) about the first, elongated season of Star Trek: Prodigy! In the first half of the episode, Ryan's kids, Reggie and Ben, weigh in on the first Star Trek show explicitly marketed toward them. In the second half, Ryan and Brady talk about what Prodigy can tell us about the direction Trek (and the aging millennial pop culture market in general) is headed, before capping the show with a lengthy discussion of the World Cup of Star Trek's recently-completed best season bracket.
Ask not for whom the Morn mourns, he mourns for thee (and for us, who didn't realize this episode was going to come out on Christmas). On Ryan and Brady's 99th episode, they talk about DS9's excellently silly side-character, Ferengi economics, and dad jokes we love.
Ryan and Brady spend a while attempting to dissect this odd Season 7 TNG episode, which feels like it should work for us and just... doesn't. We talk Brent Spiner acting, anti-climactic endings and why this feels like it takes the show back to Season 1.
Ryan and Brady tackle a strange early episode of TNG in which everyone is mean to Data for no reason and the holodeck almost destroys the entire ship on a technicality.
In a rare "Ryan and Brady disagree" podcast, we go deep on Critical Care, a dark, thoughtful, late-period Voyager episode about income-gated health care and the ethics of political violence.
Here's a link to The Joe Manchin Trolley Problem, an article we discuss in the episode.
Join Brady and Ryan as they return for another discussion of Star Trek: Lower Decks, this time the newly-completed third season. A lot of this podcast is them trying to put their finger on just what it was about this season that made it not quite as good as the last two... and then remembering a lot of things that still worked pretty well!
In this DS9 two-hander, we get into the psyche of Elim Garak, one of the best recurring characters in Trek history. We also talk about cool caves, plot twists, and which Muppet it was who sells Scrooge's clothes at the end of Muppet Christmas Carol (apparently, it was not Uncle Deadly, although that's probably who Ryan was thinking of).
An episode where "something is going on" and you wait until the end until you find out what it is. Not gonna lie, this one has really fallen out of the brain in the two months since we watched it. Even Brady couldn't remember which episode this was until about halfway through the editing process.
Ryan has been dreading this episode for a while, but it wasn't that bad! Well, I mean, it wasn't great. It's kind of annoying, but only because it starts pretty strong and then sort of wastes away to nothing... the Star Trek episode, I mean, not the episode of the podcast. Hopefully that's still pretty entertaining.
You could also call this episode "O'Brien and Bashir: Origins," as it's one of the first outings in which the frostiness between the two men starts to thaw. Join Ryan and Brady as we talk about its sludgy middle, killer opening, and excellent comedy stinger.
In which Ryan and Brady discuss Adam the space hippie, the sensational character find on 1969. This episode of The Original Series has full original music numbers, a surprisingly nuanced message, and renewed relevance in our pandemic era. Check out the podcast for an effusive commentary.
It's another Voyager Borg episode -- better than a lot of others like it, though still not as good as the best TNG outings to feature the species. Ryan and Brady talk about how Janeway almost maybe kind of thinks about committing a war crime, and the elevating presence of Jeri Ryan.
It's been a good 10 episodes since we've really excoriated a Star Trek episode on this show, but this Enterprise entry is really terrible. Join us as we talk about stakes, narrative consistency, and the time Star Trek did this premise so much better.
In this episode, Ryan and Brady puzzle through Vulcan politics, talk about the thorniness of Vulcan spirituality, and talk about Archer in cave-diving mode. Enterprise remains something of an enigma to us.
What's this? A Paramount+ live action Star Trek season that Ryan and Brady... actually really like? Listen in for this extra long discussion, mostly unedited so we could get it out shortly after the season dropped, where we talk the differences between Strange New World and Discovery, the perils and successes of recasting TOS characters, how cool Hemmer is, the Gorn problem, and more!
Ryan and Brady enjoy themselves with a wide-ranging discussion of this TNG classic, with topics like fake guns, Max Grodenchick, 90s Trek body positivity, and a dive into Picard's official RPG stats. Also, at the end Ryan goes off kind of unfairly on Wil Wheaton, a bit that has aged even more weirdly considering that we now know that he does show up for a scene in season two of Picard.
This is probably the best episode of Enterprise Ryan and Brady have talked about for the podcast so far. Is that because Jeffrey Combs bumps up the rating of every Trek episode he appears in? Well, it's not not because of that. Listen in to hear us talk about solid direction, Death Star rip-offs, how cool the Xindi are (at least in theory), and more of that good good Shran.
Caitlin and Nicole of That's Not How Science Works have joined us once again, this time to talk about the bonkers Catspaw -- the only holiday-themed episode of Star Trek ever recorded. Join us in an extra-long recording as we talk about the junk science of "racial memory," charming old production values, and how the remastering process can fundamentally change a work.
Ryan and Brady have another short episode this week, discussing a minor "everyone acts weird" entry from Season 1 of Deep Space 9. We also talk about why Voyager often lives better in your memory than on the screen and ponder what it would be like if this was the first DS9 episode someone ever watched.
I think we all just have to accept that the random number generator has decided to make Star Trek: Enterprise a regular part of our lives. This episode is a key moment, perhaps not in the show's journey, but in Ryan and Brady's personal journey: a growing realization that we like the episodes more when they, like this one, look like any amount of money was spent on them at all. Yes, I did switch between third and first person in that last sentence. Peek behind the veil; you think we have a producer putting these things online? It's just us!
In this lengthy, free-wheeling conversation, Ryan and Brady go deep on Season 2 of Star Trek Picard -- a mixed bag of a season that featured the good (time travel fun), the bad (more awful trauma plotting), and, most importantly, the Q.
Here is a link to the Star Trek timeline we discuss at length in the episode.
Ryan and Brady dig into a real mixed bag of an episode, swerving between the joyous highs of a race through space and the dreadful valleys of Tom and B'Elanna's relationship problems. Along the way, they get into some Star Wars prequel talk, comment on the episode's fashionable outfits, and muse about how much of the takeaway from the episode was strictly intended.
Sorry for the slightly later in the day post, listeners. At the time of posting, Ryan has COVID, and his brain fog caused him to forget that today was a new episode day. Anyway, enjoy this pre-Ryan-has-COVID recording about yet another Enterprise episode, with a good guest star performance and... also some other stuff happens. Look, is the lack of detail in this description due to Ryan's brain fog preventing him from remembering what was discussed in this Brady-edited episode, or was this Season 1 outing of Enterprise just not that memorable? Either way, Ryan and Brady got together for a good talk!
Ryan and Brady's first lovefest in a while sees them lavishing praise on this low-stakes Season Two TNG episode. Topics include an Armin Shimmerman sighting, Michael Dorn appreciation, that feeling when the A plot and the B plot are both great and work together, and our ongoing discussion of Pulaski's robo-racism.
Ryan and Brady kick off what is shaping up to be quite the year of specials with a long conversation about the recently-completed Star Trek Discovery Season 4. Buckle in for lengthy discussions of tighter plotting, sentient computers, and, most of all, the show's increased reliance on trauma as its primary form of character development.
Here's a link to the article we talked about on the show, The Case Against the Trauma Plot.
It's time for, qualitatively, what is probably one of the worst Star Trek episodes ever made. Ryan and Brady dive into a cool-looking villain, a dumb-looking funeral, and the unreal amount of standing around in a small patch of sand that is Skin of Evil, TNG's farewell to Tasha Yar.
Ryan here to offer up a mea culpa: I accidentally identify this episode as the final episode of Enterprise before the series finale. I correct myself by the end, but we do talk about it under my incorrect assumption for a while.
Anyway, once we get past that, we discuss Enterprise's weird relationship with sex, the crew's weird relationship with... slavery, I guess?, and we also talk about the original series movies for a while because Bound is not a very good episode.
Ryan and Brady watch a pretty good episode of Enterprise, bolstered by the first appearance (on our show, not on Enterprise itself) of Jeffrey Combs's Thy'lek Shran. We talk about how much we like Combs, cool antenna creature effects, and we say the phrase "Hot Worms" a lot. It makes sense in the episode, we promise.
In this episode of Discovery, Ryan and Brady try to focus on the positive, including Jason Isaacs' performance, the cool sci-fi element of the episode's main plot and how, even though we don't recommend it, watching Discovery Season 1 is actually more enjoyable if you do it a second time.
Ryan and Brady discuss an important canonical revelation in this otherwise pretty dismal Season 3 Voyager episode: the discovery of a heretofore undocumented tribble in the Voyager sickbay. Listen in for details, and also hear us compare this episode to Contact and talk about how patronizing irreligious people can be when they're trying to describe the value of faith.
This episode of Enterprise is pretty nondescript, if we're being honest, so instead, Ryan and Brady talk for a while about the very fun World Cup of Star Trek Twitter poll, bounce around the episode for a while and get into a discussion about why Enterprise is available on Blu-Ray and Voyager and DS9 aren't. It's fun and loose, baby! (and check out those links for more details on what we talked about!)
Why is this Enterprise episode so boring? Why do most of the Enterprise episodes we watch seem so toothless? Brady has a theory: Because the show was made during the George W. Bush era. He and Ryan dig into this theory and talk about this show's version of the Star Trek cowboy episode on the day after Christmas.
Ryan and Brady go... deep? on the Temporal Cold War in this early Enterprise episode, or at least they go deep on how they wish they could go deep on it. Along the way, they discuss celebrities who do podcasts about their own TV shows and discuss whether preparing someone's eggs just right should be a vote of confidence in their character.
Ryan and Brady journey into Star Trek: Dad Edition with Explorers, one of Ryan's favorite episodes of DS9. We talk a little about why this episode works and why the show as a whole works, and we bask in the beloved presence of Benjamin Sisko.
Ryan and Brady discuss one of the better Trek season finales, but not before they talk about some recent Star Trek casting and scheduling news.
In a numerically nice coincidence, this episode is a discussion of one of the most sexual, uncomfortable, and downright poorly made Star Trek outings of all time. Listen in on Brady and Ryan as we do something like the opposite of singing the praises of that one time Wesley Crusher almost got executed for walking on a flower.
Ryan and Brady are back early for a bonus episode, discussing the second season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. We get into the details of what makes this season work, as well as hopes for Season 3 and that one screenshot that split Star Trek fans online.
Hey guys, Ryan here. You know how during the last episode's description, I said we were going to do a mini-special about Discovery Season Three, and then we actually talked for a long time about Space Jam? The reason I was wrong is that I got this episode mixed up with this one, where we actually spend a good amount of time talking about Discovery Season Three at the beginning before ultimately getting around to this unusual, and sexual, DS9 episode. Is it too much, and how much IS too much? We seek to find out, but not before we complement Cirroq Lofton's performance and complain about O'Brien character assassination.
On this episode, Ryan and Brady have a brisk discussion about arms dealers, DS9's ongoing timelessness, the inherent contradictions of humanity (as portrayed by a Ferengi), and even take a small detour into present-day foreign policy at the end.
Ryan and Brady grapple with more Discovery Mirror Universe stuff in their second in-person recording. We also talk a lot about Space Jam for some reason. When Brady emailed Ryan this episode, his email subject was "Execute episode 66," which made Ryan laugh. Maybe it will do the same to you!
In this late period Voyager installment, Ryan and Brady talk about surprisingly efficient storytelling, hologram repression, and how much holodeck human Torres looks like Ripley from Alien. There's a surprising amount to unpack from this deceptively simple episode premise, and we get into it in an intimate, in-person recording.
Ryan and Brady talk about this, perhaps the most sitcommy episode of Star Trek we've yet covered for this show. Also, Ryan was going on vacation and he couldn't get the screenshot from Netflix to load, so it's a short description this time. Fun episode, though!
It's a real two-hander of an episode between Kira and Dukat. Even though it's a good episode, it's not necessarily the kind you can talk about for too long, but fortunately, Ryan and Brady dive deep into the ongoing narrative of Deep Space 9 to explain how exactly this episode could even come to be. By the end, we're talking about DS9's place as the most leftist Trek show and making analogies to real world terrorist attacks. It's a journey! Why not join us?
It's one of the best episodes we've watched for this show, probably a top five DS9 episode overall, and arguably the best ever episode for Worf, the galaxy's most dejected Klingon. Ryan and Brady discuss the catharsis of Worf finally getting his due, the momentous nature of this episode overall, and what might be Ryan's favorite line ever uttered in a Trek show.
In a kind of sequel to our last episode, we discuss the end of the Crystalline Entity, uh, saga? Can something be a saga if it's only in two episodes and then mentioned a couple other times?
Regardless, Ryan and Brady talk about a great guest star turn, a dark ending for a TNG show, and mull the classic question: Why isn't Riker creepy? This episode is a little on the short side, but we pack in some very fun discussion.
It's a Brent Spiner-stravaganza! For this important world-building episode of The Next Generation, Ryan and Brady talk about how much Brent Spiner loves to cut loose, camera tricks, and also how that one little boy in this episode is a huge tool.
It's what we hope is becoming an annual summer crossover with the ladies of That's Not How Science Works! Today's episode looks in on a very early entry of Star Trek Enterprise, a show Caitlin and Nicole have both seen more of than Ryan and Brady. We talk about early human-Vulcan relations, the decidedly non-space trappings of Enterprise, and Caitlin and Nicole class up the joint with some actual science talk.
Speaking of which, here's the article Caitlin cites on jet-injected vaccines.
Back to our regular schedule this week! Ryan and Brady have different reactions to this mid-period Enterprise episode, which bears a lot of similarities to Star Trek VI. Ryan liked it more than Brady did, which is why he spent 10 minutes trying to pause Netflix at the right time to get this episode image.
We're had some scheduling issues, so we moved an episode up to cover the gap. We're hoping to get back to our schedule over the next couple of episodes.
In THIS episode, the Borg return once again to Voyager, and Ryan and Brady have mixed feelings about it. We continue to explore the usefulness of the once-fearsome race frequently appearing in the Delta Quadrant, making detours into a strange racquetball sport and the underappreciated Jeri Ryan.
We're in Wallace Shawn territory, folks! For the first time we've featured a Grand Nagus Zek episode on the podcast, we discuss DS9 character development, what the Ferengi mean in the greater context of Star Trek, and take a detour toward the end into how we feel about parenting episodes!
Tom Paris is, like, REALLY interested in the idea of Tuvok cheating on his wife in this one. There's also some Nolanesque time dilation and Tim Russ looking good in a tank top.
Here's an episode that Ryan and Brady thought was about one thing, but then it was actually about something else much more boring and after-school-specially. Still, we gab about the return of a TOS movie actor, how much we like Crusher vs. Picard stories, and that great face Riker is making in the episode image.
The first Lwaxana Troi episode Ryan and Brady discuss is also probably her best! We talk about this great entry in TNG, how it relates to the culture of productivity in the United States, and why Lwaxana is one of the few Star Trek guest stars who can actually carry an episode. We also briefly discuss what is up with the weird desk accoutrement of the guy in the episode image.
Ryan and Brady dig into this classic Star Trek episode to judge if it's worth basing a movie on. We find some pretty retrograde views on women (though certainly not the worst we've seen from the original series) and a pretty rockin' performance from Ricardo Montalban. Throw in a couple of really good scenes from Bones and Uhura and one very strange, (accidentally?) resonant rumination on how humanity lionizes its greatest killers, and you have a solid outing on your hands. Hopefully you think that about our episode, too.
Ryan and Brady cover the sixth season finale of Voyager, and... they think they might be starting to understand a lot of the complaints people have about Voyager, folks. To distract themselves, they also discuss bat'leths of the mind, Borg anatomy and #JusticeForHarryKim. And check out that episode image! Pretty gross for Star Trek, huh?
It's our 50th episode, and we've got something special for you: Rather than watch a random Star Trek episode, we've watched a random Star Trek movie instead! But is Wrath of Khan really the best Star Trek movie of all time, or does that ending leave a little something to be desired? There's some disagreement on this point, but one thing is certain: Ricardo Montalban was absolutely RIPPED.
Watching this very early Voyager episode, Ryan and Brady discuss one of the weirdest ethical dilemmas Star Trek has ever posed: Is it OK to steal a man's lungs if he stole them from you first? Also discussed: The universality of chefs hats, the vagaries of the universal translator, and Neelix's sickbay mobile.
When it comes to Star Trek, how dark is too dark? Does knowing the twist about one of Discovery's characters make them more enjoyable to watch? Do replicators revolutionize the concept of doing the dishes? We discuss these questions, and more, in our second ever episode about Star Trek: Discovery.
We hope you had (or are in the process of having) a very happy holiday! This week, we suffered a computer crash while recording, so a bit of the episode has gone missing, but most of it remains for your edification. "Birthright, Part 2" (and our discussion thereof) is all about Worf: his rudeness, his efficacy as an allegory for cultural revolution, and his sexy bod in that tactical turtleneck.
Our scheduling is back on track, at least for now, so here's that Voyager episode we promised you! We talk medical ethics, faulty hypotheticals and get into a discussion of just what the Cardassian/Bajoran conflict is supposed to be an allegory for. It's a classic Voyager episode: We don't agree with the conclusion, but we appreciate the thought it took to get them there!
We return to DS9 and try to figure out what this late period episode is about. Relating to neurodivergent people? The triumph of the human spirit over computers? Eugenics? Oh yeah, and how does a transporter handle velocity when beaming in a moving object?
Not a very good episode of Star Trek, but one that opens up a variety of questions about the Star Trek universe, including the following: "Do offices go back to looking like they did in the late '90s in the future?" "When did the Starfleet fighting style change from 'actual fighting' to 'pretend karate chops'?" "What were the other cast members doing the week that Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer and Jolene Blalock shot this?" "What is the Temporal Cold War, and why can't we ever watch an episode about that instead?"
We talk about nuclear proliferation and the unified Torres theory of the Delta Quadrant in another Voyager episode. We also neglect to mention that this episode takes place one episode previously than the last episode we talked about. Isn't that weird? The random number generator works in mysterious ways!
Brady's computer crashed while he was editing this one, so the audio might be a bit wonky at times. Still, we think the conversation about this episode, one of the best we've yet watched for the show, is worth it. We talk about Q, mortality, bureaucracy, and how a guest star choice almost made this episode much, MUCH worse.
Is Lower Decks the best Star Trek put to screen since Voyager? Ryan and Brady think so. Join us for our overview of the first season of the latest CBS All-Access Trek offering.
*As with the Picard special, the Lower Decks special was recorded one day before air and consequentially received a somewhat looser edit. We still think it's a fun hang, though!
OK, look. I (Ryan) was editing this episode and realized that we spent the cold open talking about whether Brady looks like Spock, a conversation that no listener would have context for. Thus, the image for this episode: At left, Brady when he was 16 (I have cropped out his mullet). At right, everybody's favorite Vulcan. Now you can decide for yourself if my wife was correct.
Or, you can skip ahead and listen to the rest of the episode, about a pretty goofy, weirdly capitalist episode of TOS.
I did not ask Brady if I could use this picture, so it might change later and you'll be left wondering whether any of this was worth it. The internet, like life itself, is an ephemeral being.
This is one of the best episodes we've talked about yet. It has one of the best names, one of the most fun plots, and one of the best one-shot guest stars either of us have seen. It's a rollicking good time; why not join us?
It's a tale as old as time: Bad A Plot, Good B Plot. On our first DS9 episode in a while, we talk adorable Worf, the engineer who's bad at math, and how misconceptions about mental health sadly continue to exist in a socialist utopian future.
Also, here's the unfortunately relevant article mentioned on this episode on the sexism in Star Trek during this and other time periods.
OK, folks, seriously... Why don't people like Voyager? It rules! This episode is really good! There are ethical dilemmas and bad Doctors and Slimer aliens.
Tuvok gives a kid a gun in this one, but it's very good, we promise! We reflect on mortality, misunderstandings and the durability of the Star Trek episode format.
It's our first Reginald Barclay episode, but oddly enough, it's not a TNG episode! As sometimes happens in Voyager, "Pathfinder" is a compelling episode for the first 35 minutes or so before falling apart in the denouement. Hopefully you don't feel the same way about our recording.
It's a fun little Next Generation episode with not a ton to discuss in theme, so Ryan and Brady take some time at the beginning to do a Star Trek draft based on a recent post from the Star Trek twitter account. See the post here, and follow along at home!
It's our first episode of Star Trek: Discovery, and our first episode with guests: the always great Caitlin and Nicole from That's Not How Science Works! We talk about new, darker Trek, the efficacy of trying to blow up a volcano, the leading women getting a spotlight and... yes, this is the episode where we find out that Klingon men are really packing down there, and we do discuss that briefly.
Ryan and Brady discuss their first watch of an Animated Series episode, and it's perhaps their widest-ranging talk yet. Theology, the Salem Witch Trials and the origins of Kylo Ren all get a mention. It's a trip!
We ponder capital punishment in a thought-provoking Voyager episode with a disappointing ending. Also, that guy in the episode picture is totally holding Seven hostage with a tuning fork! Go look at it!
It's nice to know that the Enterprise can be fixed with the same advice that any IT guy will give you when you're trying to fix your router. Ryan and Brady cover the evolution of language, Brent Spiner getting to do some capital-A Acting, and much more in this early period TNG piece.
Ryan and Brady mark their 30th episode with the most money talk that's ever been on the show. We had a rollicking good time with this rollicking episode, and we hope you do, too.
This episode has so many sexist moments that we straight up forgot to talk about when Kirk slaps a woman! It's real bad, folks. We got a good discussion out of it, though!
Ryan and Brady talk about what makes a satisfying story and whether this honestly pretty watchable Enterprise episode was trying to make a darker point about determinism. Also, here's a joke we didn't make on the episode itself: 50 First Stardates! You'll get it when you watch/listen.
It's a special In Contreks episode in which we talk about Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard as a whole. This gets a little wild and wide-ranging, as it was recorded the day before publishing and is mostly unedited, but listen on for thoughts about good ideas, bad execution, and the best fashion choice in all of Star Trek.
As the crew of DS9 gets used to Ezri Dax, Ryan and Brady discuss claustrophobia, coping mechanisms, Worf being a big old jerk, and how the Trill can be one of the most interesting AND most difficult alien races to engage with on Star Trek.
Hello there! For what was originally going to be our 25th podcast, we just so happened to draw a momentous episode: the pilot of Voyager. Join us to learn about holofarming, wasting water, and what popular food franchise Ryan's dad accidentally kept calling one of the characters!
We had a small production mix-up, so we're airing this one out of order (we explain more in the intro). We've been on something of a Klingon kick lately, and this is more of the same, from a different show and a different angle. We talk about Klingon holidays and bad Klingon food and bad Tom Paris. Also, the audio is certainly listenable but a little wonky, so sorry about that! A strange episode all around, but still enjoyable!
We want to love Klingons, but sometimes we don't know how! You know who does love Klingons? Jadzia Dax, and we love her! Listen to Ryan and Brady talk about how great Terry Farrell is and the curious decor choices of Bajoran hospitals in this mid-period Deep Space 9 episode.
I'll be honest. I (Ryan) upload these, and this is an episode Brady edited, and I forgot to do this until right before I went to bed the night before the episode is scheduled to drop and I can't remember very much about what we talked about. It's a Klingon culture episode, but with Dax instead of Worf, and there are some interesting Trill ideas, too. I can't remember much else; we recorded it two months ago. Listen along, and we'll find out together!
Is paternalism still going to be a problem in the future? The Voyager episode Ryan and Brady watched this week certainly seems to think so. Join them as they discuss how "Real Life" compares to "The Offspring" and "Fair Haven," and stay for an update on brain trauma and the weird race stuff that frequently afflicts Star Trek's handling of alien species.
Ryan and Brady heap love on this DS9/TOS mash-up but aren't exactly sure how to talk about it, given its strange narrative structure. Also, Ryan at one point goes on a tangent about the streaming wars? It's kind of a weird one, but very positive.
This Voyager episode raises a lot of questions about the Borg. What is their ultimate purpose? Should there even be a Borg queen? And why are they so squeamish about the nude human form? Ryan and Brady set out to answer these questions and more in their 20th release.
In this sleepy episode, Ryan and Brady talk about a throwback TNG outing that sleepily condemns Reagan-era foreign policy. They also puzzle over a strange idiom left by a hologram from a dead civilization.
The holodeck shenanigans never end on Star Trek, especially on Voyager. In this episode, Ryan and Brady explore Janeway's dalliance with a holographic man, whether it's creepy or not, relationship dynamics, and whether you can murder a computer program.
Brady is your guide to Voyager during this episode, explaining the reasoning behind the Kazon and Seska's updated fashion choices. Ryan is along for the ride, and they both get some licks in on a bad speech at the end of ep!
What would the human body look like if you sucked all the water out of it? What is an acceptable trade-off for immortality? Why is Captain Kirk patriotic about the USA when he was born more than a century after it ceased to exist? Brady and Ryan explore all of these questions and more in an episode of The Original Series that really goes for it in the best way.
This episode of Star Trek: Enterprise features two dogs. We know one of them is an Earth dog, but where's the other one from? Ryan and Brady talk about this and more quandaries in our discussion of "Two Days and Two Nights," a Star Trek episode that could almost be an episode of a modern day soap opera instead.
Why don't Ryan and Brady get DS9? We continue to explore this question in DS9's first episode set in the Mirror Universe! Tell us why we're wrong at outofcontreks@gmail.com!
Join Ryan and Brady as they cast a skeptical gaze on this highly mystical episode of Deep Space Nine. Apologies for the sounds of yard work and children in the background; it was a busy day at Ryan's old apartment. This is a pretty fun episode, though!
To be honest, we just can't get away from the subplot where an ensign is assigned to find out a crew member's favorite food during the middle of a life-threatening attack in this, our auspicious first watch of an Enterprise episode.
We discuss what might be the most emblematic Star Trek episode we've yet covered, digging into the metaphors for parenting and the overall human experience in "The Offspring." Plus, we note a throwaway moment where The Next Generation was ahead of its time and mull the merits of Troi.
"One" is the loneliest Star Trek you'll ever dooooooo... We get down to brass tacks on what is and isn't a hallucination and why Seven of Nine is great in our 10th episode!
We reminisce about a staple of our upbringing and talk about what makes good fiction in this Voyager holodeck episode.
It's episode 6's better half! We talk about Riker's ambition, a good Star Trek guest star and how the Borg complement the emotional arc of one of the best Next Generation episodes.
Who to trust, man or computer? Ryan and Brady disagree on the answer, and even on the validity of the question, in the show's first discussion of an original series episode. Come for the philosophical discussion, and stay for the least effective pick-up line of all time and ruminations on the future of paper.
Just how big is the Mars Defense Perimeter? Do Borg have a secret flair for the dramatic? Ryan and Brady find out while discussing the second half of this classic TNG two-parter.
Brady and Ryan talk gender, societal obligation and a mishmash of other topics that come up in this mishmash of a Deep Space 9 episode.
In our first episode of Star Trek Voyager, we have a dignified discussion of the logistics and ethical ramifications of erotic holodeck activity.
On this episode, Ryan and Brady watch another, more representative DS9 entry and talk about male entitlement!
In our first episode, we are very confused by a climactic episode of the final season of Deep Space Nine, a show we've seen virtually none of. Find out what celebrity we think Weyoun looks like, and hear our inaugural discussion on the age-old question: "Is Worf good?"
Ryan Howard and Brady Juengel explain what this podcast is about, give you their bona fides (or lack thereof) and tell you what we're watching for our first real episode, out March 24!