Antimatter Pod

San Diego Comic Con 2019 was massive for Trekkies, and we're joined by guest Sam (she first appeared way back in ep 3!) to talk about everything. Including: Star Trek: Picard - the trailer, the cameos, the new characters, everything.  (There WILL be spoilers.) Star Trek: Lower Decks - we are ... cautiously optimistic! Star Trek: Discovery - well, we're still mad about the finale, but we're also ex...

As requested by our Twitter followers, we're talking "Journey to Babel". Along the way: We provide a recap for viewers who haven't watched "Journey" lately/ever Liz attempts to say "pacificism" Live headcanon construction Considering "Journey to Babel" in the context of Discovery Does Amanda buy into the Vulcan patriarchy? Tellarites and Andorians and Vulcans, oh my! Costume chat: Amanda wears the...

We're talking about the Star Trek tie-ins of our formative years -- the ones we read until they fell apart. And it doesn't quite turn into a Diane Duane book club, but...  Well. Novels we discuss in detail:  The Romulan Way by Diane Duane How Much For Just The Planet? by John M. Ford Survivors by Jean Lorrah The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes The Devil's Heart by Carmen Carter Dark Mirror by...

Problematic faves! Anika and a sliiiiiiiiiiightly hungover (yet award-winning) Liz discuss the characters we love, but can't entirely recommend without a caveat. Or many caveats.  But first -- we have to define terms. How do you narrow it down when literally every single work of fiction, along with every single human who ever existed, is imperfect? Discussed:  Yeoman Tonia Barrows of "Shore Leave"...

It's our twentieth episode, and we're celebrating by getting totally self-indulgent. We talk about our childhood and adolescent experiences with Star Trek: discovering the series; discovering fandom; that time Anika was an awkward teenager at Alexander Siddig; Liz's mum's review of her early fan fiction... We also talk about Anika introducing her daughters to Trek, and our hopes for Star Trek: Pic...

We're joined by special guest Caroline (aka rikerssexblouse) to discuss mothers in Star Trek.  Anika ran the stats, and we talked about specific characters, including... Beverly Crusher (TNG) Lwaxana Troi (TNG, DS9) Keiko O'Brien (TNG, DS9) Ishka (DS9) Samantha Wildman (VOY) Winona Kirk (ST2009) Tom Paris's mother (who didn't even get a name!) (VOY) Miral Torres (VOY) Amanda Grayson (TOS, ST2009,...

We're talking about Starfleet's admiralty! Just how many Starfleet admirals are evil? Liz ran the numbers! Why are so many admirals antagonistic, if not outright villains? And what are the qualities which make a good admiral? Apparently we have more sympathy for Admiral Norah Satie than most people We're still pretty mad that Kat died Anika proposes a game: which Star Trek characters should or def...

Join us as we discuss the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and ... well, we were not hugely positive about it.  Along the way, we talk about: space battles! ensemble moments we loved! we have ... concerns ... about the Ba'ul's wellbeing! Klingons! poorly executed character deaths! why doesn't Discovery trust its audience?! we hate the epilogue so much! why is season 2 such a mess?!?...

It's the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery's second season, and we're talking about... how Michael is still Alice (in Wonderland) should we maybe not overthink the time crystals? a brief fantasy about Admiral Cornwell mentoring Kirk Enterprise bridge squee shipping the ships (and various people) eyeliner (seriously, we have a lot of thoughts about the eyeliner in this episode) a digressi...

We're talking season 2, episode 12 of Star Trek: Discovery, "Through the Valley of Shadows". And... Pike's character ("He is Starfleet") Can the ableism of "The Menagerie" be fixed? Signs point to no!  Ken Mitchell: he will play all the Klingons (Proposal: Mary Chieffo as the new Suzie Plakson) The L'Rell-Voq | Ash-Michael family unit and love triangle A very obvious plant Adventures in self-destr...

This week, we're talking about season 2, episode 11 of Star Trek: Discovery: "Perpetual Infinity". And, along the way... Does the time travel stuff make sense? Does it need to make sense? How is Dr Burnham getting her puffy vests? Gabrielle and Philippa Poor old Leland Biological and adoptive families Alternate timelines Borg???????? Anika and Liz have very different approaches to world domination...

A short episode ("only" 50 minutes!) in which we discuss the events of "The Red Angel", including key issues such as... Mothers, and why Anika identifies with Michael RIP Leland?  We were so wrong about Control! Sonequa Martin-Green, the extraordinary talents thereof Ash: give this man a new job Kat and Hugh Philippa, please stop sexually harassing your colleagues Costumes And more! Links:  Aristr...

We discuss Discovery's "Project Daedalus", including... Airiam's history and fate BUT THE PACING the Short Trek "Calypso" artificial intelligence in Star Trek and real life (this is why Dr Soong couldn't get funding) Anika will make you sympathise with Control RIP Admiral Patar, we hardly knew ye or your alleged extremism Admiral Cornwell, queen of our extremely biased hearts Other media we found...

Previously on Antimatter Pod: "Reckon we'll see Vina?" "Nah, seems unlikely."  Which goes to show what we know.  This episode, we're talking about:  Vina retreads, reboots and recreations Michael and Spock Who is the Red Angel, round 5,847. Anika's new theory: Gamora, basically Mirror Talos Section 31 Paul and Hugh (and also Ash) mental health care, and health care overall, in Discovery -- does th...

It's our tenth episode! But we're too busy talking about Discovery's "Light and Shadows" to notice.  What we did notice and talk about:  Michael Burnham, the sensible middle child of the family Amanda Grayson, 1960s archetypes and disposable mothers in SF Sarek: still the worst, but at least he ... tries? And has an improbable yet charming amount of faith in Section 31? Alice in Wonderland Pike an...

Saru goes home again. We start out agreeing we don't have much to say about this episode, then ... talk even more than usual, covering such ground as: Can we come up with a different Jeff Goldblum gif for every episode this season?  This whole episode is exactly why we need the Prime Directive. Kelpien worldbuilding. Who is the Red Angel? What does it want? Who is it working for?  Our weekly semi-...

Once again, Discovery brought us an episode packed with twists, turns and no half-Vulcans whatsoever, and we are here to talk about it.  Our discussion includes... We love Sylvia Tilly the way Philippa Georgiou loves trolling Michael Soooooooooooo is Hugh a mushroom now?  Leland and Pike are old frenemies, and we are into it Kat Cornwell is back!  Anika's La Femme Nikita AU ...we also talk Star Wa...

This week, we discuss season 2, episode four of Star Trek: Discovery, and, along the way... wanky titles (and why we love them) serialised versus episodic storytelling the endless Search for Spock the Prime Directive the Neville Longbottom of Discovery Neon Genesis Evangelion Saru's quarters and we seriously question Captain Pike's priorities Also, an apology from Liz: I had a mild cold when we re...

Disco crammed a lot of episode into its running time! And so have we! Covered:  Disco's crack is back! Questionable decisions! Doubtful pacing! We're so happy! Secret [spoilers]! Okay, if you haven't watched "Point of Light" yet, you should know that we spoil its biggest surprise less than thirty seconds into our chat.  Social expectations for women, especially mothers What Vulcans and Jedi have i...

Fans are calling "New Eden" 'the Trekkiest episode of Discovery so far' -- but is that a good thing? Anika and Liz talk tropes, religion, and that weird feeling you get when you're only feeling lukewarm about something everyone else loves. Also covered:  Worldbuilding Spock: the most dramatic (he gets it from his parents) When do we cut off Tilly's coffee supply? Things we totally called: Saru men...

Anika and Liz are talking about "Brother", the season 2 premiere of Star Trek: Discovery. This episode contains spoilers for "Brother", obviously, along with the whole of season one, and also the Short Trek "The Brightest Star".  Discussed: Amanda Grayson's around-the-house tiara Sarek's take on human children: adopt, don't shop Sylvia "All Too Relatable" Tilly (and The Way to the Stars, the just-...

We're joined by Sam to discuss Tasha Yar and Ellen Landry: two very different women who share the same job, whose potential as characters was never quite realised.  Discussed along the way:  "Yesterday's Enterprise", Sela and more missed opportunities What if "Parallels" but with a million different versions of Landry? Star Trek's discarded women Sam's Landry OTP We also share some of our hopes an...

Wing woman (n) - A female friend who accompanies one to social events, acts as facilitator of encounters with potential romantic or sexual partners and wards off unwanted attention.  Anika and Liz ask the big questions: who, among Star Trek's many female characters, would be the best wing women? And who would be the worst? It's something light and frothy for the final days of 2018.  Highlights:  a...

Anika and Liz go back to the beginning of it all: "The Cage", the unaired Star Trek pilot starring Jeffrey Hunter, Majel Barrett, and Leonard Nimoy as a cheery guy named Spock. We're joined by guest Ellie, who watched "The Cage" for the first time, and is here to say what everyone's thinking: the Talosians' heads look like butts.  We also cover important issues, such as:  wigs shorts in space Numb...