A Star to Steer Her By

[Blog will spoil some new-Trek] Cryptids and etymology are out in force this week on "Voyager"! First up: Tuvok is attacked by mysterious aliens that might not exist, rendering him as un-Vulcan as he's ever been in "Riddles"! After that, a long-thought dead species arises from the grave...but what plans do they have for the present-day Galaxy? Find out in "Dragon's Teeth"! Also this week: better d...

UP TOP AGAIN: we're gonna ruin S.3 of Disco and chunks of S.1 Picard in the blogtivity, shut off at that point if you haven't seen them yet and care! As to our episode, we're not talking sausages but bratty little crew! First up, the Doc is feeling put-upon so decides to learn to daydream, only to find his mostly-creepy fantasies put the crew in danger in "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy". After that,...

SPOILERS: up top so no one misses it. We spoil most of Picard S.2 during the blogtivity, and also bits of Discovery S.3. Anyway, you can proceed now. This week, some of our heroes are grappling with guilt. In "Survival Instinct", Seven finds out a rash action during her Borg days has ruined the lives of three fellow former drones. After that, Torres has condemned her mother to Klingon Hell and we...

Oops! The EMH has gone EVIL this week, through various means! First up, his body is hijacked by the AI that was formerly running a doomsday missile that insists on finishing the job in "Warhead". After that, his subroutines get rejiggered by Starfleet personnel who've had a much rougher time in the Delta Quadrant than their intrepid counterparts and have the psychological scars to show for it in "...

We're all over time this week on "Voyager"! First up, flash back to some Janeway ancestors and meet the most boring, annoying man in history in "11:59"! After that, literal time travel and related boondoggles ensue when Seven is drafted by the Starfleet Time Police in "Relativity"! Also this week: Christmas in February, no good guys, and ranking time travel plots! [Timestamps: 11:59: 08:26; Relati...

We're getting some old-timey literature vibes this week on "Voyager"! First up: a Malon ship is experiencing mechanical issues, but is it normal wear and tear or a deformed madman lurking in the depths in "Juggernaut". After that, "Voyager" goes all "My Fair Lady" and invites one of the "Kids in the Hall" along for the ride in "Someone to Watch Over Me". Also this week: bathing methods, a Canada a...

Real whiplash this week, dear listener. First up, it's a right mess of an episode that brings back bad faux–Native American nonsense and makes Robert Beltran scream a lot in "The Fight". After that, we do NOT resist the urge to make too many "Seinfeld" references when Jason Alexander shows up as a soft-spoken but malevolent genius in "Think Tank". Also this week: NPR voice, the many uses of creed,...

It's the biggest surprise of the streaming era of "Star Trek", and we're here to broadly talk about its first season! Yes, "Star Trek: Prodigy" recently finished up its freshman outing and it was SHOCKINGLY good! Come listen to us basically just gush the whole time about a cartoon aimed at families starring characters that are mostly not adults. I know, we're shocked, too! Also this week: using ca...

It's a week of medical maladies this week on "Voyager", but there's something else going on! First up: the most interesting plot in "The Disease" is unfortunately not the main one, as we mostly follow a mopey Harry. After that, a bizarre sickness is infecting the crew, and the solution reveals a horrifying truth in "Course: Oblivion". Also this week: no alien love, no plot armor, and no escape fro...

Everyone's heading home this week on "Voyager"...OR ARE THEY?! First up: has a way back to Earth finally been found?! A wormhole that seems too good to be true has appeared, but Seven, the EMH, and Naomi Wildman question its veracity in "Bliss". After that, The Borg Queen sends Seven an invitation she can't refuse to come back to the arms of the collective in "Dark Frontier"! Also this week: Tella...

We've been threatening it for ages, and the time has come at last! Yes, real life popped up and threw our scheduling a bit out of sorts so Mel Brooks has come to the rescue as we talk "Spaceballs"! Somehow we DON'T just quote the movie for an hour and a half (but we do quote it A LOT, so brace yourself) but actually discuss it, its influences, and what it, in turn, may have itself inspired. So pre...

Welcome back, loyal listeners, to the beguiling science fictional world of "Star Trek: Voyager" as fireside chatted by 3/4 of your usual SSHB Stalwarts and a Mystery Guest! That mysterious layer of reality known as subspace is causing havoc for our intrepid heroes this week, as the game becomes real life for light-based lifeforms in "Bride of Chaotica!" After that, subspace twists time and Tuvok f...

Our world is made up of facts we are presented with and how we recall them. So what happens if neither data nor memory are reliable? First up: can Janeway trust an alleged defector from a fascist government when he offers help in "Counterpoint"? After that: there's a conspiracy to keep the EMH in the dark about SOMETHING regarding an alien attack and a crewmember he can't recall in "Latent Image"!...

Content warning: talk of real-world unethical human medical experimentation in relation to one of this week's episodes. It's never easy, is it? What do you do when a crewman is dying and your best hope is a hologram that looks like a war criminal? The EMH is forced to grapple with that in "Nothing Human". After that, Tom Paris suddenly loves the sea so much he's willing to put his life and career...

Ever have one of those days where your head ends up dissected for parts? Or where all your old victims start taking you over and making you (ugh) PLAY WITH CHILDREN?! Well BOTH these things happen to our hapless ex-Borg this week. First up: she and everyone but Harry and Chakotay are dead thanks to bad math, so the survivors are hoping to wreck the Temporal Prime Directive to fix it in "Timeless"....

You all know how it goes! Dance along to our latest round of "Voyager" episodes with us! First up: how did an identical Starfleet HQ - complete with groundskeeper Boothby - get to the Delta Quadrant in "In the Flesh"? Next: Neelix tries to shield his goddaughter from potential trauma while triggering his own in "Once Upon a Time"! Also this week: retconning, space "Sesame Street", and Lwaxana's lo...

Life is a collection of experiences. Joy, sorrow, excitement, boredom, the list goes on. Sometimes it's hard. This week, it's everything. First up: a transporter malfunction creates a super-Borg that is hungry for knowledge and experience, while the regular Borg are hungry for his advanced tech in "Drone". After that: "Trek" does psych again (I know, but it's a little better this time, sort of) as...

The past comes back to haunt the "Voyager" crew in our first non-cliffhanger season finale/premiere combo in a VERY long time! First up: Janeway's devil's deal with the Borg cost a man his civilization and drives him to understandable revenge in "Hope and Fear"! After that, Janeway is questioning decisions as far back as episode one as her crew struggles with the psychological impact of empty spac...

If three's a crowd, what's four? And can someone USED to crowds deal with being alone? First up, in "Demon", a trip to an alien world results in a spare Tom and Harry but not enough existential crises. After that, some vague science means Seven and the Doctor are left alone to care for the rest of the crew as it chills in stasis in "One". Also this week: a twist every scene, a blissful lack of B-p...

Remembering things is complicated, especially when science fiction gets involved. First up: the "Voyager" crew meets a mysterious woman who says she not only knows all of them, but has Biblically known Chakotay, but that her unique biology remembers her unmemorable in "Unforgettable". After that, bias and incomplete data ruin an understanding of history that only the EMH can cure in "Living Witnes...

Sometimes dreams DO come true! First up, Tom is feeling a bit bored by his life but gets a chance to try a new one in "Vis à Vis". After that, the "Voyager" crew gets to live out every Starfleet officer's fondest desire and ignore the Prime Directive without consequences because too much is at stake in "The Omega Directive"! Also this week: a special intro song, a "Voyager" Carol, and the last (fo...

People like to claim video games inspire violence, but what if they can release violent impulses, instead? That's what the Hirogen that have taken "Voyager" and her crew captive aim to find out in "The Killing Game", parts one and two! Brainwashed into believing they are living in World War 2 France, much of the crew are living NPCs for a sadistic game. How will they break free before game over? A...

It's the seminal space-horror classic and its action-packed sequel this week as we drop in on "Alien" and "Aliens", and you bet we keep stressing the names differently almost every time we say them! Join your stalwarts and a first-time guest as we compare, contrast, and generally go on about the first two entries in what might be the most famous sci-fi franchise that doesn't have "Star" in its tit...

Content warning: second episode deals in some unsubtle metaphors for sexual assault The writing on our dear Captain seems a bit wonky this week. First up, she decides to pursue plainly contradictory goals in "Prey". After that, there's a whole pile of bad decisions made in "Retrospect". Also this week: the right amount of individuality, alien face hygiene, and DS9 alien vessels! [timestamps: Prey:...

And you thought having to wait for nights and weekends in the 1990s was bad! To get in touch with the Alpha Quadrant, the "Voyager" crew has to nearly lose their only doctor and then fight off a bunch of hunting-obsessed aliens. But no one suffers more than our beloved EMH, who has to spend time with Andy Dick in "Message in a Bottle". Oh, yeah, and Tuvok and Seven are kidnapped and nearly deboned...