Antimatter Pod

35. Romulan Fish Nuns (Picard 1.01)

We're back! And we're talking about the first episode of Star Trek: Picard, "Remembrance". 

It's difficult to get into a full list of topics covered without spoiling the episode's twists, but here's the short, vague version -- we talk about...

• exposition
• the treatment of black people in the script
• journalism in Star Trek
• 21st century moral dilemmas
• the characters
• the settings
• nuclear fission -- or fusion, Liz isn't sure of the difference
• Adam Driver

TL;DR we liked it but...

34. My Good Friend, Jean-Luc Picard

In our last episode before the launch of Star Trek: Picard, we talk about the character of Jean-Luc Picard himself: an aristocrat who aspires to be a street hero, a man who seems to embody the Federation establishment, yet surrounds himself with outsiders.

We also consider: 

• hobbies and ongoing education in the world of Star Trek
• legacies
• depictions of PTSD in Star Trek
• the secret underground bear pong league on the Enterprise-D

And, just in case it sounded like we were very focused and on-topic, Liz also pitches the next Charlie's Angels movie.

For more links, check out antimatterpod.tumblr.com.

33. Gaslit by Candlelight

"This isn't a romance. It's a horror story." 

Anika and Liz take a look at TNG's "Sub Rosa". And, you know, we try really hard to be positive about matters Trekkish, even in the face of (say) a favourite character taking a photon torpedo in the face. 

But there's no getting around it: "Sub Rosa" is terrible. 

We talk about consent, depictions of sexuality in Star Trek, and the ... interesting takes on this episode from the people who made it. 

We also discuss...

• Star Trek and gothic fiction: a combination doomed to failure?
• Why the only man for Major Kira is (prime) Gabriel Lorca
• (Really!)
• The new comics setting up the Picard series
• Beverly's approach to relationships

And we wonder, does Ronin help out around the house? Do the dishes? Probably not!

Note: Given the nature of "Sub Rosa", we're discussing sex and rape far more than in the average episode. 

You can find links and credits for our theme music at antimatterpod.tumblr.com.

32. Sybok's Fan Fiction

We're considering the notorious Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, wildly reviled as the worst Trek movie ever. And, well, we kind of like it! Why?

• Spock turns out to have yet another sibling he forgot to tell anyone about!
• The Nimbus III Three
• David Warner has never been sexier
• Who doesn't love a space cult?
• Caithlin Dar and Vixis and Uhura, oh my!

We also wonder: 

• Is it possible Shatner is a better director than he's given credit for?
• Does Starfleet need more knitwear?
• Where did they get the palm fronds for Uhura's nude dance, and how come Kirk never gets to do the sexy dancing?

Content note: because this is a deeply flawed movie, we also have to talk about the murder of the exotic dancer -- if you would prefer to skip that content, the discussion runs from approximately 49:20 to 51:52. Or, for a more detailed conversation about sex work in Trek in general, and this scene in particular, we recommend episode 80 of Women at Warp.

31. Tribble Apocalypse

Slightly belated discussion of New York Comic Con and the new trailers for Discovery and Picard, and also the two new Short Treks: "Q&A" and "The Trouble With Edward". (Well. They were new when we scheduled this episode.)

Also covered: 

• Liz met Jason Isaacs
• Are the Disco writers softening us up for something controversial?
• How the Federation is like the Catholic Church
• No, really!
• Are we meant to be shipping Spock and Una?
• (too late, we ship it)
• Which Antimatter Pod host would eat a tribble? (Spoilers: one of us is an appalled vegetarian!)

Link: Women at Warp talk to Hanelle M. Culpepper about directing Star Trek.

30. Well Done, That Goose

To celebrate getting to thirty episodes, we invited listeners to submit questions! And went from worrying we wouldn't get any (so embarrassing) to putting out an 80 minute episode...

We get to talk about the evolution of Star Trek's storytelling after the introduction of the VCR; assembling an all-female-character heist team; Klingon clickbait; genderswaps; our hopes for season 3 of Discovery; and, most importantly, which characters -- if any -- could defeat a goose in single combat, armed with a bat'leth? 

Honk!

29. The Perfect Starter Boyfriend

Having spent their formative years in Voyager shipping circles -- don't worry, we'll define terms -- Liz and Anika talk romance on Voyager. 

(Note: although we are generally family friendly...ish, this episode is definitely more PG-13 than others. And Liz uses the term "bone down" more than once, which is weird, because the words had never passed her lips before the day of recording.)

Pairings discussed: 

• Neelix/Kes (and Paris/Kes)
• Paris/Torres
• Janeway/Chakotay
• Janeway/Paris
• Chakotay/Seven
• Torres/Seven
• Janeway/Kashyk
• Janeway/that hologram dude, ugh
• (we might be biased)
• Janeway/Tuvok
• Other Tuvok ships
• Paris/Kim
• Harry/Seven
• Harry/...anyone? 
• Doctor/Seven
• Carey/Wildman

Also covered: are Discords the new mailing list? AO3 and the Hugo Awards. Wild speculation about Tuvok's prowess. B'Elanna and Seven's romance novel book club. And one wild card shipping option. 

28. Outsourcing the Exposition

Anika and Liz watch "Encounter at Farpoint" and discuss...

• ugly sweaters
• why is everyone on this ship so unfriendly?
• Tasha's backstory
• the state of the world today
• the Federation's failures
• umbrella frames as couture

We managed to get more than 30 minutes in before we even mention Q. Take that, self-appointed judge of humanity!

Check out a compilation of the @TrekDocs posts at Reddit, and see antimatterpod.tumblr.com for links to our personal social media and credits for our theme music.

27. The Ballad of Leslie Crusher

At various stages of TNG's development, the Enterprise's resident teen genius was going to be Leslie Crusher -- a girl. Anika and Liz wonder what it would have been like to have a girl STEM genius on television in 1987. Would she have been well-written? Would audiences have hated her as much as Wesley? Would she have inspired girls of our generation to become engineers? 

We also talk about similar characters and significant female characters in other media, including...

• Doctor Who (Adric, Ace)
• Star Wars (Leia, Padme, Rey)
• Jupiter Ascending
• The Hunger Games
• every single version of Lost in Space, including the 2004 John Woo pilot starring Jayne Brook

See antimatterpod.tumblr.com for more detailed show notes, including links to the production memos quoted.

26. Worf Seders Dot Tumblr Dot Com

We're joined by friend of the podcast Jules to discuss religion in Star Trek, and to interrogate the alleged secularism of the franchise.

You might know Jules as "the woman in the Captain Killy cosplay who asked Alex Kurtzman about the implications of erasing the Discovery crew from the record" at San Diego Comic Con -- and we talk about that, too. But by the end of this episode, you'll also know her as "the woman with elaborate and amazing headcanons about Worf's Seders".

Also covered: 

• Blair Imani, the hijabi fan whose Geordi LaForge-inspired cosplay gave us the idea for this episode
• Roddenberry's evolving beliefs
• What else is lost if humanity "evolves beyond religion"?
• Anika argues that all the TOS movies (including Generations) are full of overt religious themes
• Liz defends Kai Winn, and we have a semi-related discussion about education on Deep Space 9
• Discovery's depiction of religion, particularly in "New Eden" (which is Jules's cue to start drinking)
• Con artists who claim to be deities
• Q as the Jewish devil 
• The false science versus religion dichotomy

AND MORE!

You can find Jules on Twitter at @juleshastweets, and her DS9 rewatch blog at badpajamas.space. Check out antimatterpod.tumblr.com for more detailed show notes and links to our social media.