Strange New Takes

Lower Decks is back and the Strange New Takes are coming in hot and heavy! The SNT crew recaps the new episode of our favorite animated Trek and we share some behind the scenes trivia we've collected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reg Barclay is back to his wiley holodeck ways, escaping reality and devising brilliant solutions to complex scientific problems. This episode is essentially Hollow Pursuits redux but with some critical differences (eg. the word "creepy" is used for recreating people in the holodeck). We discuss what makes Pathfinder the superior episode and discuss whether Reg's holodeck use crosses the line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Doctor goes on his first away mission and makes first contact with photonic beings.We examine Heroes and Demons to study how well it does borrowing from Beowulf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lt. Barclay is having problems socializing with his coworkers. So he recreates them on the holodeck where can tell them how he really feels. Is it healthy? Is he operating in a toxic work environment? We tackle these questions on the pod and share our Strange New Takes on 'Hollow Pursuits'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we review the only episode of Star Trek to focus exclusively on two non-regular members of the cast. In 'It's Only a Paper Moon', James Darren gives a command performance as Vic Fontaine alongside Aaron Eisenberg giving an equally strong impression as a war-weary Nog. Listen in as we review this DS9 classic and ponder whether it hits all the right notes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starting a new series recapping Star Trek episodes dealing with the holodeck! This week we're reviewing the Voyager seventh season episode 'Author, Author' which has a surprising amount of depth for what's usually regarded as a comedy piece. Listen in as we debate whether Janeway's conduct is a sign the writers didn't understand her character or whether it's a reflection of how oppressed people are treated when they bring up workplace problems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Harry Mudd decides to put Discovery in a Time Loop, Stamets, Burnham and Tyler must examine the Cause and Effect of the loop to stop it. Ok...so we recapped a very similar time loop last week. But, there's a lot to like in this episode of Discovery and we'll tell you why in our Strange New Takes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brannon Braga wants you to know that this episode was written before and aired before Groundhog Day! The Enterprise crew find themselves stuck in a time loop and must slowly unravel a solution so they can meet Space Frasier and Not-Saavik.We review TNG 5x18 'Cause and Effect' to give you our Strange New Takes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Vulcans crash landed in coal country Pennsylvania in the 1950s. Or did they? 'Carbon Creek' is the story of T'Pol's grandmother making an unexpected stay on earth. OR it's the story of how T'Pol pulled the legs of her commanding officers.We recap 'Carbon Creek' and share our Strange New Takes on whether we think T'Pol was spinning a yarn or telling the truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're going back to a beloved favorite as part of our Time Travel recap series. 'Trials and Tribble-ations' was DS9's 30th anniversary tribute to Star Trek and ended up becoming an instant classic. On the pod we recap the episode and discuss the time travel mechanics used. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Star Trek was teetering on the brink of cancellation, Gene Rodenberry filmed a backdoor pilot for a new sci-fi TV show, as an episode of TOS. This week we're reviewing that episode, Assignment: Earth, as part of our Time Travel series. Listen now to hear our Strange New Takes on Gary Seven, Roberta and whether we'd be willing to watch a TV series based on them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Captain Archer loses his ability to develop memories and the Enterprise fails its mission in the Delphic Expanse. Phlox and T'Pol must kill time-traveling parasites to fix Archer in the past. We recap 'Twilight' and give you our Strange New Takes on the time travel at play! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 'Times Arrow', Data goes back to 1893 San Francisco to stop aliens from feeding on humans while his crew mates must find a way to bring him back. We recap this enjoying TNG adventure romp and give your our Strange New Takes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Series! Time Travel has always been a favorite plot device in Star Trek and we're starting a recap series with episodes featuring it. We're starting with 'Timeless', the 100th episode of Voyager where Harry and Chakotay must alter the past to save Voyager and her crew. Listen in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our final installment of the Pilots Series, we discuss the first episode of Star Trek Picard, 'Rememberence'. Go on a journey with us as we discover what Jean-Luc has been up to since we last saw him Nemesis.Also, if you're looking for a recap of the Lower Decks pilot, 'Second Contact', listen to episode 2 of our podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discovery's 2 part premiere was a "prologue" to the rest of the series. We meet Phillipa Georgiou and Michael Burnham on the USS Shenzhou as the Klingons and humanity start their war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Strange New Takes travels back to before Kirk as we review the pilot of Star Trek: Enterprise, or as it was known at launch, Enterprise. We recap 'Broken Bow' and give you our thoughts on what we liked, what we thought could be improved and how much we hated the decon scene. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're reviewing every Star Trek pilot episode and this week we're on to Voyager! Caretaker is an action-adventure romp that sends the US Voyager and its crew 70,000 light years from home. Do we like the way the episode sets up the series? Listen to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Star Trek's first major format departure began with Deep Space Nine where the action was confined to a space station rather than a ship zooming through space. The series began with 'Emissary', a two-parter that introduced us to the cast and the wormhole near the station. We recap that pilot episode and give you our Strange New Takes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Star Trek gets an 80s makeover as TNG premieres with Encounter at Farpoint. We review the TNG pilot in this new episode in our Pilots Series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Enterprise continues it's 5 year mission in animated form and encounters a 300 million year old lifeform. We review the pilot to the second Star Trek series and give you our Strange New Takes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're starting a new series doing recaps of every Star Trek pilot, going chronologically through each series. This week we start with The Original Series and talk about its two pilots, The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before. While the stories are interesting, both episodes are filled with incredibly overt sexism which can overshadow a viewing today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tiny science vessel stranded on the other side of the galaxy starts its journey home with devastating losses and ends it with moral bankruptcy. Equinox's surface dilemma might be an easy one to judge but this two-parter presents many other inflection points which are harder to navigate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Measure of a Man tops a lot of people's lists of where to start watching Star Trek. We dissect the core moral dilemma and try to tackle the questions in this classic courtroom trial drama episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel to 2024 with Sisko, Bashir and Dax as they encounter the "Sanctuary Districts" created to house the unemployed and unhoused. We discuss the moral dilemmas in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you save the species dying of a horrible genetic disease? Or do you let evolution help the oppressed second species come out on top? We face our toughest moral dilemma yet in Dear Doctor and we're split about the ethical course of action to take. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

McCoy goes back in time and changes the course of history. Kirk must set the timeline right by letting a woman die. Was he right to let it happen? Were there alternatives? We discuss that and more in this week's episode in our Moral Dilemmas Series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drumhead explores several different questions. When does suspicion turn to paranoid delusion? When does security trump personal liberties? Join us as we discuss Picard's moral stand in Drumhead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Widely regarded as one of Trek's best episodes, we grapple with the ethical question at the heart of In The Pale Moonlight and speculate about whether it would be a good episode to introduce someone to Star Trek. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There may not be new Trek, but there are Strange New Takes! Today we start a new series of retro recaps focused on our favorite moral dilemma episodes. First up it's the episode of Voyager that divides opinion like no other: Tuvix. Is Janeway a murderer? Or a compassionate Captain who knows the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? And "at what point did he become an individual, and not a transporter accident?" We explore that plus much more in our retro review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thirteen weeks later, it's time to take stock and review Discovery's third season. What worked? Were there missed opportunities? Nach, Bill and Adam cover that plus much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discovery zooms into the end of the season with a new captain and a brand new Federation. We recap the season finale with our Strange New Takes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The best episode of Discovery in season 3? The best to date? 'There is a Tide...' is a brilliant piece of writing that kept us locked in our seats and brought up all sorts of terrific discussion on the pod. Give it a listen! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Su'Kal's amazign visuals and compelling plot allowed us to ignore a few structural issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mirror Georgiou has read Les Mis. Who knew! And that wasn't the most interesting reading-related fact we learned in Terra Firma Pt 2! Catch our recap of the second S3 mirror uni episode and hear how we felt about a TOS creature returning to Star Trek after decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They snuck in a mirror universe episode on us! We put on our goatees and turn on the agonizers to recap Terra Firma Pt 1. We finally get Mirror Burnham. We finally get Mirror Killy. And there's the potential for Lorca. Oh my! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Osyraa is here (as predicted) and boy is she mad! Feel the weight of the Emerald Chain as we recap an episode that was jam-packed with 5 different plots and a new big bad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We might not be Romulan nuns but you can expect absolutely candor in these Strange New Takes! Burnham's mom calls her out in public and helps Michael maintain Romulo-Vulcan unity in the newest episode of Star Trek Discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Burnham jets off to save book and gets a demotion (and a kiss) for her trouble. The SNT gang breaks down Scavengers and we've got a few words for Michael and the way she's written. But boy do we love Admiral Vance! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discovery find their way back to Starfleet and the welcome isn't quite what they expected. Also there's some stuff about seeds. We review 'Die Trying' and there's a surprising amount of spread in the ratings we gave the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adira's past and the Disco crew's mental health are the focus in this episode. We take you through our thoughts on the story & writing, character development and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back to the home planet and things aren't quite the same any more. Did the United Earth storyline land as a thinly veiled metaphor for the world? Do we like the evolution of Burnham's character? Why does Book get a uniform before Aditya Sahil? That plus many more Strange New Takes on this week's episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Howdy pardner, mighty funny seeing you 'round these parts. These Strange New Takes ain't big enough for the two of us!This week the gang discusses the latest Star Trek western, Discovery 3x02 Far From Home. Did we want Zareh to get shot? Is the empress' alignment Chaotic Evil? Are we really going to get "Control" back again? That plus more on this week's episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discovery takes us where no Star Trek has gone before and brings us into the 32nd century. The possibilities are endless and they're just getting started! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It isn't often that we get to sit back and reflect on an entirely new Trek...wait...no, we kinda are doing that fairly often at the moment. But you know what we mean! Lower Decks was the first animated Trek in decades and a wholly new concept for the franchise. Did it work? Where does this show sit in the pantheon? We take a short bit to debrief and figure that out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lower Decks finishes its first season with even more homages to TNG (Those New Guys) and (TOS) Those Old Scientists. But is there a strong episode in there too? Listen to our Strange New Takes to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murdering your coworkers as "therapy"? Yikes. 'Crisis Point' gave us a LOT to unpack about Boimler's ethics, Mariner's attitude to mental health, the ethics of the "movie" participation and the episode's writing as a whole. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This may seem like an ordinary podcast episode, but it's actually a celebration! A celebration of all things TNG, just like 'Veritas'. Hit play to listen to our Strange New Takes on the newest Lower Decks episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's sub-cap time at Strange New Takes as we review Lower Decks' take on TNG's 'Chain of Command'! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let us introduce you to an old episode that we were really close friends with at the academy! We go waaaaay back with this episode. We talked with allllll the time, just off camera. Listen now for our Strange New Takes on episode 7 of Lower Decks, 'Terminal Provocations'! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.