Fascinating? - A Star Trek Podcast

The Conscience of the King was the thirteenth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, with a travelling theatre group bringing back some bad memories for Kirk. In this episode Gerry and Iain debate an imperfect seduction and brush up on their Shakespeare. Kirk and the Enterprise are summoned by Tom Leighton ( William Sargent ), an old acquaintance who has made a startling discovery. Whi...

The Menagerie: Part 2 was the twelfth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air. In this episode Gerry and Iain consider the motivations of the Talosians and whether a happy ending was the right outcome for Captain Pike. As Spock’s Court Martial continues, we see the former captain of the Enterprise , Christopher Pike ( Jeffrey Hunter ) captured by the Talosians who hope to develop a...

The Menagerie: Part 1 was the eleventh episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air. In this episode Gerry and Iain ponder the motives behind Spock’s renegade actions and consider whether a promotion would make Commodore Mendez a Badmiral. When Spock hijacks the Enterprise from Lt. Hansen ( Hagan Beggs ) and kidnaps his stricken former commander, Captain Christopher Pike ( Sean Kenney )...

The Corbomite Maneuver was the tenth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, though the first to be produced. In this episode Gerry and Iain cower at the sight of a scary baby and question whether Kirk’s tactics were effective enough to name an episode after them. When the Enterprise is forced to destroy an unidentified space cube that bars its way, Kirk resolves to press forward...

Dagger of the Mind was the ninth episode of Star Trek’s debut season to air, with an escaped patient from a penal colony raising questions about the ethical standards employed at the facility. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look that awkward moment when you bump into the colleague you haven’t seen since you hooked up with them at the office Christmas party. After delivering medi...

Miri was the eighth episode of Star Trek’s debut season to air, with a duplicate earth populated by feral children leading the senior staff of the Enterprise to contract a fatal illness. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at creepy kids, speedy science and the level of irritation caused by a simple bunk bunk bunking. On a planet exactly like Earth (exactly like it) the Enterprise cre...

What Are Little Girls Made Of? was the seventh episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, with a dramatic rescue attempt undertaken to recover a scientist lost for half a decade. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at the threat of AI overthrowing its creators and how to convince people your sex robot is actually a completely innocuous android lab assistant. Dr Roger Korby ( Michael...

Mudd’s Women was the sixth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, as an intergalactic rogue leverages a unique situation in an effort to secure his freedom. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at unambitious women and the social calendar of Rigel XII. Harry Mudd ( Roger C. Carmel ) and his ‘cargo’, Ruth ( Maggie Thrett ), Magda ( Susan Denberg ) and Eve ( Karen...

The Enemy Within was the fifth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, with Kirk split in two by a transporter accident and crewmen trapped on a planet below. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a skilled animal actor and a deeply questionable piece of Vulcan logic. There’s a smaller cast than usual for this episode as Bill Shatner faces off against himself for much of t...

The Naked Time was the fourth episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, as a virus rapidly spreads through the crew causing inhibitions and good sense to evaporate. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a swashbuckling Sulu and Kirk’s one true love. The illness dominates this episode, with first Tormolen ( Stewart Moss ), then Riley ( Bruce Hyde ) acting irrationally. The se...

Where No Man Has Gone Before was the second pilot and the third episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, with a silvery-eyed man-god putting megalomania before maintaining friendships. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a trigger-happy Vulcan and some snazzy sweaters. The star of this show is Gary Mitchell ( Gary Lockwood ), a long-term friend of Captain Kirk’s, whose hi...

Charlie X was the second episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, bringing a wildcard aboard the Enterprise in the shape of orphan Charlie Evans. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at problems that come up when you don’t make new people feel welcome and also they have the power to vanish you. Along with Charlie ( Robert Walker Jr ), we are introduced to Captain Ramert ( Cha...

The Man Trap was the first episode of Star Trek ‘s debut season to air, introducing audiences to William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock and DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at the dangers of spending too much time with a former lover who is now a salt-devouring creature from another planet. We spend time wit...