A Star to Steer Her By

We're going way off our usual path for THIS 10 Forward, as we discuss the 1987 satirical classic "RoboCop"! When officer Alex Murphy is killed in the line of duty, the evil Omni Consumer Products turns him into their new weapon/PR stunt for the City of Detroit Police Department. What follows is over-the-top violence and SO MANY "Trek" actors. Also this week: can Bobby fly? When do b*tches leave? A...

Time to finish off Season 6 and start Season 7 (my God, how are we already to the final season of TNG?!) with "Descent". Data likes feeling, the Borg like individuality, and Lore likes manipulating all of them! Also this week: getting derailed in record time, "Gordy" v. "Babe", and mocking the guest! Timestamps: Descent: 1:52; Season 6 wrap up: 44:17

It's our first three-episode...uh...episode in quite some time, so we've got a guest to help us through! Justus joins us again as we chat the truth of a man claiming to be Kahless in "Rightful Heir". After that, Riker gets a hard look at his past and doesn't like what he sees (but Troi sure does!) in "Second Chances". Lastly, old man draws in cloud while chronological sanity straight up breaks in...

It's two different kinds of truth-seeking this week on TNG. First up, Riker's very understanding of reality is challenged in "Frame of Mind". After that: was it a failed experiment or sabotage? Was it suicide...or murder?! And WHY is Beverly the one trying to figure it out in "Suspicions"?! Also this week: episode recipe, another nonsensical investigation, and Q v Q. Note: sirens on the recording...

Everybody's gettin' busy this week on TNG! First up, Picard takes advantage of Starfleet's idiotic lack of anti-fraternization rules to date one of his crew in "Lessons"! After that, some aliens got so lonely they metaphorically did it with a bunch of planets just so their ghosts would have someone to talk to in "The Chase"! Also this week: the continuing placemat saga, "Brief Encounter", and educ...

Everything is personal this week on SSHB. First: it's a two parter with too much. Data learns more about himself and his abilities with the help of Doctor Bashir and poor OSHA compliance in one story, while Worf seeks rumored Klingon prisoners - one of which might be his dad! - in "Birthright", parts one and two! After that, Picard is on his own protecting the "Enterprise" in "Starship Mine". Also...

We've another returning guest this week for SSHB, in the form of Michael Fisher! Last seen for "Best of Both Worlds", now he's joining us for a Troi-centric episode that knocks our socks off with "Face of the Enemy". After that, it's another all-time TNG classic when Picard is given a chance by Q to relive the past in "Tapestry"! Also this week: never go to conferences, young Picard's dance card,...

This week, our returning guest Rossi brings us a method to try and create some order on the bridge, but mostly gets guff for it because we're jerks. We also see the return of an old, computerized foe in "Ship in a Bottle" AND the return of Geordi's unfortunate ability to fall for women he's never met in "Aquiel". Also on deck: a spunky opening, existential nightmares, and bad mysteries. Timestamps...

We've made it to "Chain of Command", a two parter so famous we decided to give it its own episode! It's Jellico's command when Captain Picard is sent off on a mission that maybe really should've been handled by anyone else. So what did your SSHB stalwarts think of this oft-praised ep? Well listen and find out! Also this week: terrible plans, David Warner on short notice, and a bit of tangent about...

Season Six both disappoints and actually tells a good story this week on SSHB. First up, Worf is stuck playing a bad video game with his horrible son and Data is somehow underutilized in "A Fistful of Datas". After that, an old conversation is redone pretty well in "The Quality of Life". Also this week: ransoms, director Frakes, and other TV sci-fi Timestamps: synopses: 1:22; A Fistful of Datas: 6...

Season six of TNG continues its trend of "meh" this week. First up: a young woman with big dreams for her future finds there is more to her late parents - and herself - than anyone realized in "True Q". After that, the most ill-conceived transporter technobabble yet turns four "Enterprise" crew into children who then have to save the ship from...really?...the Ferengi in "Rascals". Lord. Also this...

The holodeck lends a hand a bit too well this week in both episodes of TNG, but that's honestly a tenuous connection at best. First up: the powers that be get another TOS alumnus to appear, as Mister Scott beams aboard in "Relics". After that, a middling attempt at an alien abduction story, "Trek"-style in "Schisms". We mostly end up talking about cake. Also this week: bad Scotty impressions, a 90...

It was hard to muster any enthusiasm this week on SSHB. First up, a Barclay appearance is wasted on a meh episode with a bizarre ending in "Realm of Fear". After that, the show lazily puts Troi through the wringer in predictable, sexist ways before resolving it with a moronic ending in "Man of the People". Also this week: Jake zoned out, never ask Dr. Internet, and literally writing by committee....

The past is the place to be - either virtually or actually - on TNG this week! First up, Picard lives the final decades of a long-dead alien world in the fan-favorite "The Inner Light". After that, "Star Trek" goes full "Doctor Who" with paradoxes and historical guest stars in the two-part "Time's Arrow". Also this week: more soup, Jake goes Frisco, and wrapping S.5! Timestamps: synopses: 0:52; Th...

It's all about helping foes on TNG this week. First up, what do you do when you get your hands on a lone drone in "I, Borg"? After that: a Romulan experiment goes awry leading to La Forge and Ensign Ro being out of sync with the universe in "The Next Phase". Also this week: we sure are doing a show; how many things can we compare the Borg to; phased state doesn't make a ton of sense. Timestamps: s...

This is the worst pairing we've had in a LONG time, folks. First up, Famke Janssen makes her first appearance opposite Patrick Stewart in the otherwise reprehensible "The Perfect Mate". After that, OH BOY it's a child-focused episode in "Imaginary Friend". Also this week: Chris mispronouncing "Famke", special eggs, and Caitlin's revelation re: men's bathroom habits. Timestamps: synopses: 1:02; The...

We're getting more visitors from the past on TNG again! First up, Wesley Crusher and the rest of the Academy's elite Nova Squadron are in the hot seat after a classmate is killed during maneuvers in "The First Duty". Next, Lwaxana Troi is rushing into a bad marriage even as alien microbes rush to digest and excrete the "Enterprise" in "Cost of Living". Also this week: editorial control, Vulcan act...

We go from very serious to sci-fi romp this week on SSHB! First up: a member of a genderless race falls for Riker and admits she identifies as female, which is seen as an illness on her world, in "The Outcast". After that, it's "Groundhog Day" in space - and predating the movie, in fact - as the "Enterprise" keeps getting sh*tmixed in "Cause and Effect"! Also this week: belated Christmas, Jake bor...

It's a tenuous connection at best this week on SSHB! First up, some unexplained tech has separated consciousnesses from bodies, allowing them to hijack some "Enterprise" crew in "Power Play". After that, it's anything BUT a barrel of laughs for Worf when he loses the ability to walk, but can he get it back thanks to a radical, barely-tested procedure in "Ethics"? Also this week: Doctor Hillary Cli...

It's time to meet new people and re-meet the old this week on TNG. First up: a self-isolated human colony is in need of outside assistance - and maybe some outside tuchus - in "The Masterpiece Society". After that, an alien weapon strips the "Enterprise" crew of their memories and they have to figure out who they are and what (and who) they were doing in "Conundrum". Also this week: Ames's German...

We're stuck with a couple of clunkers this week, folks. First up, it's a crappier version of "The Bonding" when a boy decides he wants to be an android and that blithering idiot Troi agrees in "Hero Worship". After that, the very delicate topic of sexual assault is given a sci-fi twist and absolutely NONE of the delicate nuance or handling it needs in "Violations". Also this week: hitting the brow...

It's all about visitors from other times - literally and figuratively - this week on TNG. First up, Berlinghoff Rasmussen is a temporal tourist with secrets in "A Matter of Time". After that, the worst part of Worf's past is here to stay in "New Ground". Also this week: that's not how that song goes, planet of the Hitlers, and the importance of safe sex. [Note: "First Contact" spoilers from 14:24-...

We're getting visitors from the past both recent and and a bit more distant in this week's TNGs. First up, Wesley Crusher comes back from the academy JUST in time to save the ship from a nefarious alien brainwashing plot in "The Game". After that, a two-parter requires two guests in the form of Sarek and Spock in the fan-wankular "Unification" (also Sela is there). Also this week: Chris wants anot...

This year, your SSHB cast is thankful for usable audio! Yes, something went a little hooey this recording so the track is a bit...rough-sounding, even for us. We've done our best to smooth out the rough edges, but we are aware and sorry that it's a bit funky this week. But what's going on in the shows? Well, first up Data suddenly has old colonist memories again as a relative of one of the long-de...

It's all kinds of new friends this week on SSHB! First up, the "Enterprise" crew tries to make proper first contact with the heretofore-incomprehensible Tamarians in "Darmok", and things get a bit dangerous when Picard's counterpart decides to force the issue. After that, we meet a new crewmember in the form of the disgraced and titular "Ensign Ro", a Bajoran with a (frankly understandable) chip o...