Transporter Lock - A Star Trek podcast

Ken and Bri review the first ten-episode season of the animated adventures of Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, D’Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford aboard the USS Cerritos (NCC-75567). Who is Lower Decks for? When was it at its best? And what do we want from a second season? We share our takes! Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , YouTube Music , Spotify ,...

Star Trek: Lower Decks has debuted, and Transporter Lock returns to the air to review this new animated series! This half-hour comedy is faithful to Star Trek lore, but Ken and Bri find its humor falls flat. Lt. Commander Joe Strosnider of Joe’s Computer Museum joins the podcast crew as a special guest, lending his engineering insights into the premiere episode as we debate our favorite characters...

Susan Arendt of the Continue Podcast returns to the show to join Ken and Bri in reviewing the first season of Picard . We loved some of the new characters and were meh about others. Familiar faces were welcome, though is there such a thing as too much Seven of Nine? And was the season finale poetic, or cowardly? Tune in to find out! Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe o...

Ken & Bri jump right to the heartwrenching end of Picard’s first season finale, as familiar characters say their goodbyes — we didn’t want the game to end! Some of our predictions from part one were correct, but most were not, leaving us utterly unprepared for these gut punches. We remain hopeful of seeing more of Seven of Nine in her own rumored spinoff . For now, we bid adieu to mon capitan...

Ambassador Josh of the Federation Diplomatic Corps joins Ken and Bri to review the penultimate episode of Picard ‘s first season. We finally arrive on the synth homeworld, where we find Data’s look-alike, Lore’s spiritual successor, a deteriorating admiral, and a blank android ready to host one lucky recipient. We have suspicions about who’s really who — and who must die! Stream the audio edition...

Charlynn Schmiedt of the Star Trek podcasts To the Journey and and Punch It joins Bri and Ken to discuss the antepenultimate episode of Picard ‘s first season. The origin of the Zhat Vash is revealed, Seven of Nine takes on a new role, and Raffi tries to put Rios back together again as all the plots start to weave together. We also review Char’s favorite Trek series, Voyager , with a bonus recomme...

So many feels! Jean-Luc is reunited with some of his old crew, providing a temporary safe haven as he and Soji plot their next move. This family has seen its share of pain, but they’re stronger together, bringing Bri and Ken to tears — we didn’t want this episode to end. Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , YouTube Music , Spotify , Amazon Music , Ove...

Picard, Soji, and Hugh finally cross paths in what Ken and Bri consider the best episode of the season so far. But the closer we get to the synth homeworld, the more questions and more theories we have! We sit down in person to connect the dots from TNG episodes “Descent”, “I, Borg”, and even “Encounter at Farpoint”, marveling that some Picard fans can enjoy the series without having the backgroun...

Seven of Nine returns in an episode that should’ve opened with a content warning. Ken and Bri debate Seven’s motivations, what’s happened to her since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, and whether we’ve seen the last of this character. Meanwhile, two different characters bid adieu to their sons this episode, and Agnes is all too briefly reunited with her lover. We have a theory about why she...

Even those whom Jean-Luc Picard has wronged recognize a worthy, if lost, cause when they see it. Our beloved captain continues to assemble his party as Ken, Bri, and Amanda — appearing together for the first time! — admire Romulan warrior nuns, roll their eyes at ancient Borg rituals, and get hyped for a reunion of liberated Borg, old and new. Stream the audio edition of Transporter...

Captain Sabriel returns, as does Chief Archivist Amanda, to review the third-ever episode of Picard . As things heat up at the château, Jean-Luc assembles a crew to help him track down Soji and Maddox. Engage! Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts , YouTube Music , Spotify , Amazon Music , Overcast , Pandora , Pocket Casts , iHeartRadio , TuneIn , Podcha...

The second episode of Picard introduces new characters and intrigue, rapidly advancing the plot while still not putting Jean-Luc on a starship. Ken and guest co-host Amanda are okay with this as we pull apart the threads of the Romulan’s Tal Shiar and Zhat Vash, our empathy (or lack thereof) for synthetic lifeforms, the integration of non-canon characters, and colorful metaphors in Trek . Stream t...

Patrick Stewart returns as Jean-Luc Picard in “Remembrance”, the pilot episode of Star Trek: Picard . Bri and Ken react to the return of this iconic character, how he’s changed over the last twenty years, and his ability to be the action star of this new series. We also puzzle over the connection between synthetics, Borg, and Romulan, and we spot the many tie-ins to the universe of The Next Genera...

The second season of Short Treks ends with “Children of Mars”, giving Ken and Bri plenty to talk about! We examine the Starfleet educational system; the prevalence of shuttlecraft, bullying, and physical books; how labor laws and vacation time work; and how First Contact Day is observed. More important, we piece together how this episode leads into next week’s debut of the Picard serie...

For the first time in 45 years, Star Trek ventures into the frontier of animation! “Ephraim and Dot” is a comedic documentary about a tardigrade’s reproductive cycle, and “The Girl Who Made the Stars” is a tale of conquering one’s fear of the unknown. Ken and Bri review these two animated Short Treks , their place in Star Trek canon, and the promise they hold for future Sta...

When a decorated but dishonored Starfleet captain puts Cadet Thira Sidhu in an impossible situation, she must choose a side with lives on the line. To be or not to be? That is the question Sabriel and Ken pose to our guest, Dori Robinson , Boston theatre director and co-host of Shakespearean podcast The Mousetrap . Was Cadet Sidhu’s test calculating or cruel? How would we have responded in that sa...

What would Star Trek look like if it were a comedy series? We don’t need to wait for the debut of Lower Decks , as the Short Treks episode “The Trouble with Edward” features both tribbles and the comedic talents of H. Jon Benjamin ( Archer ) and Rosa Salazar ( Alita: Battle Angel ). Ken and Bri ponder the consequences of this tale on Star Trek canon, from tribbles’ rate of breeding to...

New York Comic-Con featured the surprise debut of “Q&A”, the first in a new season of Short Treks . The premiere episode does not in fact feature the return of John de Lancie’s recurring villain; instead, it’s a blast from the past as Ensign Spock arrives for his first day of duty aboard the USS Enterprise . As Number One escorts him to the bridge, Spock takes the opportunity to ba...

On the cusp of the new Picard series and a third season of Discovery , Ken and Sabriel pause to reflect on the best Star Trek series ever, as seen in Ira Steven Behr’s documentary, What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . This new film was released on home video this month, and seeing it both in theaters and on Blu Ray brought back a lot of memories for Bri and Ken. We rev...

Susan Arendt of the Continue podcast joins us to review the second season of Star Trek: Discovery ! We swoon over Anson Mount, relate to the Spock/Burnham dynamic, consider Tilly’s character development, grow nostalgic for the Enterprise, lament the inevitable malice of Control, theorize the future of the show, review the Spider-Man musical , and smash the patriarchy. Stream the audio edition of T...

The second season finale of Discovery has finally landed, offering plenty of space battles and fisticuffs that didn’t live up to their potential. The episode also tied up plenty of loose threads, but it left few hanging for us to get an idea of what to expect in the next season. But we loved the dialogue and the characters, as always, with questions raised and answered in director Olatunde Osunsan...

The second season’s penultimate episode is a long, drawn-out affair with many ponderous, redundant speeches and reflections — making it one of Ken’s favorite of the season! Bri was less receptive, perhaps due to time travel giving her a headache. We swoon over the Enterprise and reflect on the characters’ inner monologues and heartfelt goodbyes while looking forward to a trip to the future. Stream...

Ken & Bri are joined by Jessica Janiuk to discuss the antepenultimate episode of Discovery’s second season. Anson Mount elevates himself to “Best Star Trek Captain Ever” with his performance after learning Captain Pike’s future. We ponder the warm yet complex family dynamics of Spock, Amanda, Michael, Georgiou, Dr. Burnham, and even Saru, and we have more theories about how time tr...

Dr. Burnham is alive! The possibility of having back a lost parent struck Ken, making this a difficult episode for not just Michael. But can Georgiou stand the competition for Michael’s affection? Meanwhile, the possibility of CONTROL being precursor to the Borg seems plausible but unlikely. Will the Sphere data fall into the wrong hands — or will Discovery use it to create a benevolent A.I. 950 y...

Before finally learning the identity of the Red Angel, we have some difficult scenes to get through. Burnham’s decision reminds Ken of his own life-and-death ordeal, and the temporal mechanics give both of us a headache. On the bright side, Airiam’s funeral gives us hope that Doug Jones’ singing will be on the Discovery Season 2 soundtrack; we love Georgiou encouraging us to escape binary thinking...