Transporter Lock - A Star Trek podcast

In the sequel nobody expected, La’An and crew return to the magical Elysian Kingdom in an homage to The Princess Bride . Has La’An gotten too many episodes this season? Was it worth it to see our nerd dreams realized as two flying behemoths finally have a genre-breaking encounter? We then witness Uhura growing into the hero we know her to be. Jarrod may hate time travel, but we both lo...

It’s a little-known fact that Chief Engineer Ken Gagne grew up watching Days of Our Lives — a very specific overlap with Star Trek fandom that Strange New Worlds targeted. With Deidre Hall ( DooL ‘s Dr. Marlena Evans) playing ship’s counselor Dr. Eleanor Chivers, “Like Chronitons through the Hourglass” nailed the tropes and cinematic techniques common to daytime drama...

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop collaborates to turn the Enterprise crew into puppets, followed by a Strange New Worlds take on the TNG classic episode “ Hollow Pursuits ” in which very competent crew members trust each other to prevent imminent disaster. In this installment of the Transporter Lock podcast, Commander Jarrod Kailef and Chief Engineer Ken Gagne debate what a “gimm...

Why did anyone think getting the entire command crew drunk simultaneously was a good idea? Ken and Jarrod review this cross between The Hangover and Dude, Where’s My Shuttlecraft? , followed by a monochromatic look at a noir mystery. Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , YouTube Music , Spotify , Amazon Music , Overcast , Pandora , Pocket Casts ,...

Pike’s crew is back in action with the fourth season of Strange New Worlds . The first two episodes take the team to unexpected places, from Jurassic Park to a ghost ship. The first episode features a stunning performance by Saffron Burrows as Battle Commander Cassell, a tragic, empathetic wartime character; while the second episode makes it hard to see the character analysis of Spock, Kirk,...

And so concludes Starfleet Academy ‘s freshman season. Every good Star Trek needs a courtroom legal drama, and this two-parter serves it up, putting Starfleet on trial for the sins of the past and pitting Paul Giamatti’s Nus Braka against Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake. Our young cadets bring to bear all the strengths they’ve learned and demonstrated throughout the season, workin...

As we near the end of Starfleet Academy ‘s inaugural season, we see real character growth in our young cadets — as well as in returning characters, including Voyager ‘s Doctor. Ken and Staci empathize with Darem and Genesys trying to live up to their parents’ expectations, even if we wonder what makes a pebble identifiably Khionian. And the parallels between Sam, Tarima, and Our...

Photonic protagonist Sam becomes the vehicle for an unexpected and emotional coda to Deep Space Nine and the Sisko family, with familiar actors and characters once again gracing canon, leading Ken and Staci to reflect on connecting with and losing their own fathers. We then get the return of Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka in a chilling battle of wits and deception with Chancellor Ake, pairing with the...

Starfleet Academy ‘s youthful cast engage in petty campus squabbles in the third episode, showcasing some poignant character moments amidst some bizarre rounds of laser tag. A week later, they again demonstrate their ability to influence the entire Federation. Be the scale local or galactic, Ken and Staci enjoy seeing these saplings grow, likening their starting points to other fictional cha...

Cadet Staci Lee joins the crew to review the debut of Starfleet Academy . Set in the 32nd century, the show follows the next generation of Starfleet officers against the backdrop of the Federation rebuilding itself after the Burn. The star of the show is Cadet Caleb Mir, who has a double agenda of finding his long-lost mother, torn from him by the very admiral who is now the school’s chancel...

In the final episodes of the third season, Strange New Worlds gets its own take on “ The Enemy ” and Enemy Mine before Pike has his own “Inner Light” moment. It’s been a rough season with a few gems, some rushed editing, and a lot of wasted opportunities, as reviewed by Ken and Em. We also share the news from the recent Star Trek Day , including the Khan podcast serie...

As the third season nears its end, Strange New Worlds hits its stride with two excellent episodes that couldn’t be more different. “What Is Starfleet?” shows a different way to edit and present a story while both raising questions about the Prime Directive and offering metaphors for our modern geopolitical landscape; while “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” is an outright come...

In our two favorite episodes of the season so far, an away team has a point-and-click adventure while an ancient evil invades the Enterprise ; then a proto-Kirk develops into the captain we know he will be. Want to keep better track of your Paramount+ subscription and other recurring charges? Get a free 34-day trial to You Need a Budget (YNAB)! Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or...

Em and Ken review Star Trek ‘s first zombie episode; then we jaunt into a metafictional 1960s universe of Nancy Drew and “The Final Frontier” — the first five minutes of which, Ken considers “must-see TV”. You can watch the entire episode online! Links mentioned in this episode: Companion movie starring Jack Quaid Star Trek comics megabundle Starfleet Academy first lo...

Ken Gagne is joined by new co-host Em Maginnis to review the first two episodes of Strange New Worlds ‘ third season! After a two-year wait, we get a resolution to the season cliffhanger “Hegemony” — but with so many loose threads to tie up, everything felt a bit rushed and convenient. The action slows down for its more light-hearted successor, “Wedding Bell Blues”, w...

Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Philippa Georgiou in Section 31, a feature-length, made-for-TV movie spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery . While not without some fun moments and characters (especially Sam Richardson as Quasi and Kacey Rohl as as a young Rachel Garrett), this heist-movie-without-a-heist fell flat for Ken and guest (and show artist) Allison Holt . Stream the audio edition of Transpor...

Chief Engineer Ken Gagne and Commodore Mark Thompson bid adieu to Lower Decks . A homage to the entire Trek franchise culminates in the two-part series finale, showcasing the heroes of the Cerritos at their best. We debate what other cameos we would’ve liked to see in this show, how Harry Kim was written out of Picard , and where we might hope to see this crew in future series. Stream the au...

What a missed opportunity for this podcast to be purple! Mark and Ken record their penultimate review of Lower Decks , in which a TNG character guest-stars and the Cerritos bridge crew get a frenetic chance to shine. Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , YouTube Music , Spotify , Amazon Music , Overcast , Pandora , Pocket Casts , iHeartRadio , TuneIn ,...

The Cerritos finally visits the infamous Starbase 80, where corn dogs are plentiful, free arcade tokens are available, and zombies abound. Then it’s a callback to the TOS episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” as the Cerritos crew tries to resolve a geometry war between cubes and spheres. Mark and Ken enjoyed the jokes and the references in this pair of episodes while disgruntled that...

The best and worst episodes of Lower Deck’s fifth season to date make references to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Apocalypse Now, and a Klingon VCR game. Ken and Mark catch what we can as we explore Klingon and Klowahkan cultures, our own awkward breakups, and more Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple...

Double the Cerritos, double the Lower Decks ! The fifth and final season of the Star Trek animated comedy series kicks off with back-to-back episodes that has all the main characters confronting what their lives could’ve been. Commodore Mark Thompson joins Chief Engineer Ken Gagne as we marvel at all the ways the non-canon The Animated Series (TAS) has influenced canon Trek; whether there&#8...

All wormholes lead to Prodigy in this fitting finale to the season… and possibly, the series. Ken and Tiffany puzzle through one final lesson in temporal mechanics; we point to the moments that led to Dal’s maturation; and we approve of Prodigy cementing itself so firmly in Star Trek canon, even if it isn’t on Paramount+. Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe...

What could’ve been a pair of action-packed episodes proved heavy on dialogue to carry the scenes. Ken and Tiffany get frustrated with Wesley the Traveler, but we appreciate seeing the return of Wesley the Starfleet officer. And we enjoy the voice-acting opportunities afforded by holograms! Speaking of which, was Captain Janeway… flirting with the Doctor?? Stream the audio edition of Transpor...

Just as our protagonists are reunited and their mission seems to come to a chill conclusion… a dangling plot thread reemerges with a vengeance. This dark, action-packed, and poignant two-parter underscores the values of teamwork and sacrifice, while reminding Ken and Tiffany that we all suffer from a degenerative disease: aging. We also consider the potential role of temporal mechanics in the surp...

It doesn’t get more Star Trek than Tribbles and parallel universes! The combination of TNG ‘s “Parallels” with Voyager ‘s “Shattered” and “Living Witness” finally gives Ken the crossover he’s been waiting for since 1998. We also ponder what Klingon-Federation relations are like under Chancellor Martok, whether using retroviruses on invasi...