Tue, 16 May 2017
Spock's Brain vs Shades of Grey. "Spock's Brain" has gone down in history as one of the worst hours of genre television ever made, and one that Leonard Nimoy himself said was the first time he's ever felt embarrassed while playing the character. "Shades of Grey" is not that far behind as being considered one of the worst of TNG. The writing for both shows is lacking creativity and ingenuity as evidenced by the use of the word "brain" being said 37 times and a clip show that uses a flimsy medical excuse to cover 17 episodes over a two season run. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Lee Hutchison, and Amy Nelson with special guest Ken Tripp from Standard Orbit discuss these two episodes. We look into what makes these two infamously maligned episodes so very interesting to talk about. From uniforms, lazy writing, and acting, we delve into both episodes to uncover the positive attributes of ideas and morals. Chapters Intro (00:01:16) Ken! (00:02:14) Standard Orbit good new (00:03:10) Spock’s Brain (00:04:30) Riker’s Brain (00:08:57) Pulaski (00:11:04) Brains? (00:13:43) Wigs (00:19:12) Spock’s Brain rewatch (00:20:34) Thinking for themselves (00:23:38) Clip Art Show (00:26:34) Angry Troi? (00:36:00) Writing a Doctor (00:37:56) Closing (00:41:01) POTFM (00:41:20) Patron (00:43:37) Contact (00:45:58) Duration Running Time: 49 minutes 12 seconds Hosts Lee Hutchison, Amy Nelson, and Richard Marquez Guest Ken Tripp Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 9 May 2017
Mental Health and Counselling. One of the stand out additions to the Enterprise-D bridge crew when Star Trek returned to television was a ships counsellor . The addition of a counsellor to the crew was a very bold step and reflected the attitudes of the 1980s towards therapy and sharing your feelings. Did The Next Generation's use of a counsellor and episodes tackling mental health help tackle the taboo of discussing mental health? Or did the use of Guinan as a confidenant with a cocktail reflect the type of therapy that many would prefer. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Lee Hutchison are joined by Duncan Barrett from Trek.fm's Primitive Culture to discuss how The Next Generation views mental health and the role of the ships counsellor. The team discuss their views and experiences of counselling and if the approach used in the series actually would help the Enterprise crewmembers. Richard looks at how counselling is used in the Armed Forces and if it echoes how it is used on a starship. Note: There is a minor audio issue in the first nine minutes of this episode. Feature Hosts Guest Production |
Tue, 2 May 2017
Picard as Captain. Leadership styles come in many different forms and types and each captain adds their own flare to this job. So, how does Captain Picard rate? He tends to be more distant and professional until the very last episode when he joins the crew for a game of poker. However, we learn more about Picard's hobbies, talents and interests than we do the other captains. But, does this make him more personable or relatable? Picard pushes his crew to be their best, yet is this his only responsibility as captain? In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson are joined with Patrick Devlin to discuss Jean Luc Picard as a captain. We look at the other captains within the franchise and discuss their leadership styles. When following a commanding officer, boss or principal, which is type of leadership is preferred? One who is task-oriented or one who is more social? Chapters Introduction (00:00:38) Captain Picard (00:01:22) Comparing Captains (00:04:20) Caring for a crew (00:06:30) Hotel Enterprise (00:12:38) Relationships on a Starship (00:17:00) Favorite Commander (00:21:37) Mature Captains (00:35:00) Growing Captains (00:38:00) All Good Things (00:49:15) Closing (00:57:45) Patron (00:59:35) Contact (01:01:44) Duration Running Time: 1 hour 3 minutes 18 seconds Hosts Amy Nelson and Richard Marquez Guest Patrick Devlin Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 25 April 2017
Unsung Episodes: Season 3. Every season of The Next Generation has episodes that get overlooked or ignored. Well, not here and not today. Most fans will quickly identify "Who Watches the Watchers," "Yesterday's Enterprise," and "Best of Both Worlds Part I" as being their favorite episodes from season three. So, if we set those episodes aside, which other episodes should we celebrate and recognize from this season? In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison list their three unsung episodes from season three. Each host puts up a good defense on why their chosen episodes should be among the fan favorites or at least viewed with a fresh perspective devoid of preconceived perceptions. Unsung Episodes is a series that will continue through 2017 highlighting each season in honor of the thirty-year anniversary of TNG. Chapters Introduction - (00:00:38) Brainstorming - (00:02:08) First Choice - (00:04:00) Second Choice - (00:09:17) Terrorism - (00:10:45) Allegiance - (00:20:47) TOS Crossover - (00:24:00) Klingons - (00:26:45) Q vs Kevin - (00:32:23) Closing - (00:44:56) POTFM - (00:45:05) Patreon - (00:46:29) Contact - (00:48:36) Closing - (00:49:55) Hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 18 April 2017
The Game. Most kids can relate to having favorite video games and playing these games for hours on end. It is easy to spend days and weeks trying to beat the game and take it to its end when you are young and have few responsibilities. However in this episode of "The Game," this premise is twisted around so the adults are chronically playing the game while Wesley is left to figure out why. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson with special guest Bruce Gibson from Literary Trek, discuss season 5 "The Game". We all agree that Robin Lefler is amazing, Troi eating her chocolate fudge sundae is a serious endeavor, and addiction comes in many different forms. As a side note, "The Game" was the first episode to air after Gene Roddenberry's death on Oct 24, 1991. Chapters Duration Hosts Guest Production |
Tue, 11 April 2017
Mix-n-Match. The Next Generation has some amazing stories within its seven season run, but how would those stories look had they been on a different series? From Captain Archer to The Doctor, we explore how different characters would interact within a TNG episode and storyline. This thought experiment gets your hosts' creative juices flowing! In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Lee Hutchison, and Amy Nelson combine different crews into TNG episodes. The stories remain the same, but the characters are different. The skies are the limit and there are no boundaries in which your hosts remain and no series that is exempt. Chapters Introduction (00:00:39) Archer (00:03:23) Rascals (00:06:47) Rogue One (00:08:10) Holograms (00:13:30) Sherlock Holmes (00:16:46) Stargate (00:20:00) Friends Quiz (00:23:57) Fraizer (00:33:10) Closing (00:36:20) Contact (00:37:53) Hosts Amy Nelson, Lee Hutchison, and Richard Marquez Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 4 April 2017
Nemesis. Exhibit A: Star Trek Nemesis has its claim to fame for being the worst performing movie of the franchise with a mere $67 million in box office sales. Exhibit B: B4 is yet another family member for Data; haven't we seen this before? Exhibit C: Photo of bald Shinzon/Picard from his days in Starfleet Academy. This mountain of evidence is more than enough for many fans to despise this movie. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Lee Hutchison, Richard Marquez, and Amy Nelson will hold Nemesis on trial for its acts against Star Trek fandom. With Lee as the prosecutor, Richard as the jury, and Amy as the defense attorney, Nemesis will answer for its crimes. Chapters First Contact Eve (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:03) Opening Statement (00:01:33) Nemisis Fan? (00:02:10) Copying Wrath of Khan (00:06:00) Rape Scene Appropriate?(00:09:55) Too Much Action? (00:15:35) B4 (00:21:33) Argo and Prime Directive (00:28:33) Are the fans idiots? (00:38:22) A Good TNG Ending? (00:49:00) Have I Swayed You? (00:54:20) POTFM (00:59:36) Patreon (01:00:51) Closing (01:02:57) Hosts Lee Hutchison, Amy Nelson, and Richard Marquez Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 28 March 2017
With the launch and recent attention of Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the writers wanted to send a message that this show, The Next Generation, was alive and well and continuing to grow. So season 5 ended with a cliffhanger to prove this point. "Time's Arrow, Part II" was Emmy nominated for outstanding sound editing and received the Emmy Award for outstanding costume design and for outstanding hairstyling for a series in 1993. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson are joined with Associate Producer Justin Oser to discuss Season 5 cliff hanger Time's Arrow Part I and season 6 opener Time's Arrow Part II. Data's story brings many issues to talk about like humanity with respect to mortality and the social make-up of the 24th century when compared to the 20th century. Yet again, Joe Menosky brings a fresh and interesting story to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Chapters Introduction (00:00:40) Times Arrow (00:01:35) Opinions (00:04:06) Mark Twain (00:08:50) 47 (00:14:00) Guinan (00:15:54) Degraded Head (00:21:21) Terminal Illnesses (00:21:50) Becoming More Human (00:30:30) Reflecting Back (00:35:45) Dividians (00:39:00) Frenchmen (00:43:40) Favorite two parters (00:47:33) POTFM (00:53:29) Patron (00:54:39) Contact (00:56:47) Hosts Amy Nelson and Richard Marquez Guest Justin Oser Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 21 March 2017
Star Trek Tech. Currently in the 21st century, the doubling of computer processing speed every 18 months, known as Moore's Law, is just one manifestation of the greater trend that all technological change occurs at an exponential rate. If we continue at with this same growth rate, we just might realize some of the amazing technology found in the 24th century such as androids, replicators, and interstellar travel. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Amy Nelson, and Lee Hutchison discuss the imaginative technology used on Star Trek. Science and technology are making tremendous gains in the fields of energy, neuroscience, genetics, and nanotechnology which only feeds the fire for every geek's fandom. We debate whether some of Star Trek's greatest technological fiction could actually be possible. Chapters Hosts Production |
Tue, 14 March 2017
Unsung Episodes: Season 2. Every season of The Next Generation has episodes that get overlooked or ignored. Well, not here and not today. Most fans will quickly identify "The Measure of a Man" as being their favorite episode from season two. So, if we set that one aside, which other episodes should we celebrate and recognize from this season? In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison list their three unsung episodes from season two. Each host puts up a good defense on why their chosen episodes should be among the fan favorites or at least viewed with a fresh perspective devoid of preconceived perceptions. Unsung Episodes is a series that will continue through 2017 highlighting each season in honor of the thirty-year anniversary of TNG. Chapters Hosts Production |