Antimatter Pod

144. Rom(ulan)Com (SNW 2.03)

Anika and Liz find themselves stranded in 2023 Toronto, and over some Tim Hortons and poutine, catch up to discuss the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"...

• FIRST we are very angry and sad about the cancellation of Star Trek: Prodigy
• SECOND, we were extremely nervous going into this episode, and then … we loved it? 
• Introducing Paul Wesley's Kirk via a set of AUs is really smart
• Is this the best episode of Enterprise or the sequel to "Time and Again" we didn't know we needed? Yes. Is it a problem that SNW keeps revisiting old stories? Yes. Did we love it regardless? Yes
• Okay FINE we're shipping La'an/Kirk BUT IN THIS TIMELINE ONLY
• An actual Secret Romulan that we didn't make up? A GIFT FOR US! (Also, again, aliens among humans, THERE'S A THEME)
• The UNIT Dating Controversy of it all
• It took three goes, but finally Khan Noonien Singh is played by a South Asian actor!
• Anika calls it: we're gonna see Brent Spiner in the finale
• "Progress requires trauma" - does it, though? Does it really?
• Are we the first Star Trek podcasters to talk about Pete Davidson?

143. Star Trek: JAG (SNW 2.02)

Anika and Liz don their dress uniforms and stand trial for the crime of ... oh, something. Background bird noise and that helicopter, probably. But ALSO we are here to talk about season 2, episode 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: "Ad Astra Per Aspera", including...

• Gene Roddenberry would be SO MAD there's a civil rights lawyer in Star Trek! Which is not the ONLY reason it's great, but it's one!
• Utopias are hard work and civil rights progress via litigation is incremental, and this episode gets that
• This is a Neera Ketou Stan Podcast
• HOWEVER Liz thinks the writing veered into a couple of ugly tropes
• What's Vice Admiral Pasalk's deal? Is he a Secret Romulan???
• It would be interesting to dig further into genetic alteration as a cultural practice versus eugenics as a violation of civil rights
• It's allegories all the way down!
• "Aliens hiding among humans" seems to be a theme this season, but NOT in a paranoid way? Aside from our new hobby of Seeing Romulans Everywhere, of course
• Ortegas has a new facet to her character! She's racist!

141. Fake It Til You Make It (SNW 2.01)

Anika and Liz are left unsupervised for a moment, so what choice do they have but to steal the Enterprise?

Yes, season 2 of Strange New Worlds has begun, and we are here to discuss:

• This was a solid B+ of an episode! Why does The Algorithm want us to think everyone hated it?
• We know more about Pelia from two scenes than we've learned about Ortegas in a whole season
• The algorithm keeps bringing us the Bad Spock Takes
• But seriously, we can criticise the heteronormativity without being biphobic and/or misogynistic 
• Anika makes the argument for Spock/Christine
• La'an and Spock are mirror images
• M'Benga, Chapel and the homebrew super soldier serum
• Conceptually, the super soldier serum is great; in practice, the racial dynamic is … bad
• How much do we love Pelia? SO MUCH
• "This is getting out of hand. And awesome."
• The costume design for the away team is amazing and we love it
• For Nichelle

141. The Ninth Episode Curse (Star Trek: Picard season 3 - part 2)

Anika and Liz put on their most stylish Starfleet tactical vests and walk right into a trap. And along the way, we finish our discussion of season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, including...

• We are not impressed by Captain Shaw
• The Jack and Seven relationship is a HIGHLIGHT
• Worf treats Raffi better than literally anyone else in the whole of Star Trek: Picard, which is … bad. Like, it's great! But it's bad
• Liz hijacks the podcast to talk about Succession, and how Terry Matalas is like Logan Roy
• "Vox" is better than previous penultimate episodes of the seasons, but still not great! Everyone is suddenly an idiot! 
• Order 66, Star Trek style
• Romance is … not this series' strong suit
• We spend a good few minutes working out how an unexpected pregnancy in middle-age can happen in a 24th century "utopia", which is probably more time than the writers put in
• It's really hard to root for Seven/Raffi when they don't seem to actually like each other
• Stepford Laris
• Liz has a whole rant about autistic representation in Picard; Anika responds with nuance
• In conclusion, this is our pitch to showrun Star Trek: Legacy

140. The Main Character Of The Federation (Star Trek: Picard season 3 - part 1)

We're putting on our old uniforms, hijacking a starship and stealing a shuttle to rescue Beverly Crusher, and we have NO REGRETS. Yes, it's finally time for Anika and Liz to talk about Star Trek: Picard...

• There is a strong possibility that this was … bad
• In Star Trek: Picard, Borg nonsense is always on the horizon
• Is Terry Matalas mirror!Anika? The signs are there!
• A lot of our problems with this season are actually with season 2, ie, the discarding of the original cast
• Some TNG characters were incredibly well-served in season 3. Others… 
• Returning female characters, fridging, and men who hold grudges for three decades
• The MCUification of Star Trek
• Anika cannot be normal about Jack Crusher
• Something very odd is happening with the passage of time in this series, and in the absence of any other evidence, we're going to assume it's Janeway's fault
• Hey, remember when Soji was the female lead? Anyone?

139. Every Trek Everywhere All At Once (Q-Squared)

Anika and Liz confront their alternate universe selves (who are them but with more trauma and different hairstyles). Along the way, we discuss...

• Toxic masculinity spoils the party again
• Track A is trauma all the way down
• The entire multiverse ships Picard/Crusher, which, honestly? Feels right!
• We shouldn't have to say this, but infidelity does not justify murder
• Like
• Come on guys
• Content warning: we discuss real world family violence and the murder-suicide in this book from about 7:25 to 15:00
• (The specific details of the murder-suicide run from 11:42 to 15:00)
• (Also Liz's cat started walking acoss the desk and brushing his tail against the pop filter around the 15 minute mark -- at least, that's where it became impossible to mute the track because Liz was speaking)
• This book owes Deanna Troi an apology
• Tasha Yar, Hair Exposition and a long digression on the semiotics of short hair on women in the 1980s (Liz looked up Denise Crosby's Playboy shoot, but it was for research, honest!)

Finally, we are once again asking our listeners to consider supporting the fundraiser to cover Mr David's medical expenses and the renovations required to make his home accessible.

138. No Trek Home (Q-Squared)

While Anika builds a machine that lets her enter the heart of the universe, Liz is reduced to atoms and hangs around the galactic barrier for a few centuries.

OR ... we got together for part 3 of our deep dive into Peter David's Q-Squared. And we discuss...

• Tommy Riker versus Jean-Luc Picard
• Guys, don't send a deeply traumatised former POW off to have a haircut from a stranger without getting his consent and giving him a Xanax first!
• Track B Worf seems great, right up until you realise he's Qanon Worf
• Jack Crusher and Liam Shaw: how to build a character
• Anika explains how Jack Crusher and Jar Jar Binks are the same
• Beverly and Picard TOUCH HANDS and it's a lot
• A brief public service announcement: Michelle Yeoh is not Asian-American and should not be the face of AANHPI Month for Paramount+
• We have very limited tolerance for Q's stream-of-consciousness and also Gary Mitchell
• There are hints -- they're pretty subtle, but they're there -- that Picard and Q have some sort of … bond? On a profound level? Huge if true
• WAR GUINAN

If you love this novel as much as we do, please consider throwing some money towards the fundraiser for Mr David's medical expenses.

137. Dr Howard and the Multiverse of Trekness (Q-Squared)

Peter David is recovering from a series of strokes, along with a mild heart attack. His wife is raising money for his medical bills, and if you enjoy our coverage of his work, please consider throwing a few bucks their way.

Also, this episode contains spoilers for the end of Star Trek: Picard.

Anika and Liz hang out in midair in a turbolift shaft and read pages 106-214 (paperback edition) of Q-Squared by Peter David. Along the way, we discuss…

• Paranoid readings, ie, Peter David did not singlehandedly invent misogyny out of nowhere
• Tommy Riker is the Spock. Yes, really
• Worf/Deanna is a multi-universal constant. Sorry, but it's true
• So is Worf/Riker. Don't @ us
• CANONICAL PICARD/BEVERLY
• This was very formative
• Track B Picard = Raffi Musiker
• There's something a bit cathartic about hating Jack Crusher (the first) as much as we do
• "There's a particular type of masculinity that people associate with the starship captain."
• Nurse Geordi and Data the human-oid
• We are taking out a restraining order against the entire Q Continuum
• Trelane obsesses over something Kirk said but doesn't understand it, making him the ultimate Star Trek fan
• Fan service and nostalgia

136. Into the Trekiverse (Q-Squared)

FIRST: After we recorded this episode, we learned that Peter David is recovering from a series of strokes, along with a mild heart attack. His wife is raising money for his medical bills, and if you enjoy our coverage of his work, please consider throwing a few bucks their way.

Anika and Liz hop some timelines and read pages 1-105 (paperback edition) of Q-Squared by Peter David, and along the way, discuss…

• Our first encounters with the novel
• A brief overview of Picard/Crusher shipping in the official tie-ins
• They don't make tie-in novels like they used to
• We come to this with pre-existing opinions about Peter David
• Getting into the alternate universe set-up of Track A: Captain Jack Crusher, Commander Picard, Dr Howard, Nurse Geordi, POW!Riker and Vigilante!Worf
• This book gets deeper into Jack Crusher's personality than any other TNG-related material, and, uh, yikes
• Peter David writes a GREAT Riker
• Listen to Where's Beverly's Hallowe'en episode for Liz's "Beverly is a space witch" theory
• The perpetual widowhood of Beverly Crusher
• Canon timeline Deanna is a punchline and it's not funny
• "This novel makes me feel things, and I appreciate that."

135. Sensitive New Age Terrorist (TNG 3.12)

As our unofficial Festival of Beverly continues, Anika and Liz hang out in some caves and have very earnest discussions about terrorism. Yes, we're discussing "The High Ground"!

• Star Trek: Picard spoilers from 00:00 to 00:59
• We are deeply unqualified to talk about the Troubles. Of course, so were the TNG writers… (Book credits: Just Another Kid by Torey Hayden and Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. If you want a review of "The High Ground" from an actual Irish person, please see this post by the always excellent Darren Mooney.)
• As a character study of Beverly Crusher, "The High Ground" is amazing. As an episode with something to say about terrorism, it … exists.
• Melinda Snodgrass was particularly good at including female characters in roles that otherwise tended to default male, and not worrying about whether or not they were "likeable".
• When Finn talks about the moral cowardice of the Federation, he probably just watched "Lift Us Up Where Suffering Cannot Reach".
• "The High Ground" does avoid the common American trope of romanticising the IRA.
• Yes, Beverly and Deanna are both in feminised "caring" professions, but, um, how many female CMOs have been regulars in Trek? 
• The nameless boy who becomes Beverly's apprentice
• Picard spoilers from 31:28 to 32:16
• The Beverly/Picard shippiness in this episode is OFF THE CHARTS
• Finn feels like a first draft of Chakotay
• Just gonna put this out there: the Prime Directive is bad, actually
• Picard spoilers again from 41:11 to 44:30