ST01 013: The Conscience of the King

In this episode:

Star Trek does Shakespeare for the first but by no means the last time.

Kirk continues his habit of seducing women to get close to a criminal mastermind–this time with another TOS sexist female stereotype character.

And she hides a phaser on overload in the most easily foiled murder plot ever.

ST01 012: Miri

In this podcast:

Another case of the producers hammering home the idea that Star Trek should not  be be written as straight Science-Fiction

An exploration about how this episode used the parallel Earth trope, and how future Trek writers tried to explain/retcon its use for Miri’s World

A takedown of the episode’s premise: 300 year old children would not act this… childish.

ST01 011: Dagger of the Mind

In this podcast:

A fascinating window into the producers’ views on how to avoid technobabble and other science-fiction cliches

The first episode that depicts Kirk as a cad, and not just because he kisses a sexy android

Another average episode about a mad scientist who lacks clear motivation for his dastardly deeds–didn’t this happen in last week’s episode?

ST01 010: What are little girls made of?

In this episode:

  • Why this TOS episode earns its reputation as one of the most disappointing–it could have been great but unravels in the last act.
  • Poor Nurse Chapel–why she is not well loved, even by the actress who played her.
  • But it can’t be all bad when you have a dead alien race called the Old Ones killed off by their android progeny (Take note Silicon Valley singularity hustlers).

ST01 009: Balance of Terror

In this episode we discuss:

  • Why this classic is good but by no means perfect
  • Roddenberry’s explanation of why NOT to use technobabble and HOW to avoid it
  • More world building: still no mention of Starfleet or a Federation
  • More on Kirk’s inner conflict and how it explains his deep friendship with Spock
  • Oh, and we get one of the best alien species introductions in all of Star Trek: the Romulans