Star Trek: Discovery completed its course after a five-year mission spanning CBS All Access and Paramount Plus. It was the first of the “new” Trek series and spawned its share of controversies as well as accolades. In this episode we review the fifth and final season of the series. We talk about the quest plotline and how we feel about the payoff. We discuss the utilization of the characters and whether we felt that they were used fittingly. We also get into the coda scene and whether we felt that it was a fitting ending for the series. Along the way we talk about lore expansions, narrative payoffs, and Discovery’s main achievements and failures.
This week’s five-minute controversy asks whether we think that it’s a good thing that Robert Downey Jr has been cast as Dr Doom in the MCU.
This week Stephanie is cohost and Stephen joins the cast. Ryan makes a brief cameo.
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Last week we boldly went so far that we needed a whole other episode to come back. As a result this episode gives you the second part of our exploration of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. In this episode we tackle such questions as “does a legal procedural work in space?”, “how many times can you bust a series’ format before it’s too many?”, and “how many original series characters do you need to have before it’s too many?” Along the way we discuss musicals, genetic augments, and relationships. We also talk about missed opportunities and what we hope to get out of the third season.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to gain prominence among fandom. Telling stories about the crew of the Enterprise in the days when Pike was captain, the series evokes a retro feel while boasting modern effects. In this episode we provide the first half of our discussion of season two of the series. We discuss new characters like Pelia and what we think about her. We talk about the prevalence of Kirk in the series and whether or not we enjoy the many connections they make to other piece of Star Trek lore. Along the way we get into favorite characters, how we feel about time travel storylines, and Vulcan shenanigans.
Star Trek: Picard was the second series in the new Star Trek line initially created by CBS: All Access and later continued by Paramount Plus. The series provided a bridge for fans who didn’t connect with Star Trek: Discovery by providing recognizable characters from the height of Trek popularity in the 90’s. While many fans appreciated this effort some did not appreciate the darker tone of that first season. A second season followed with a lighter tone but many plotting issues. In the third season, many Next Generation cast members as well as situations and characters from Deep Space Nine and Voyager were brought into the series to provide further touchstones to Star Trek series of the past. In this episode we discuss the third season of Star Trek: Picard. We discuss the new characters and the old and whether we appreciated the many call backs. We also talk about the plot, whether the Borg are overused, and what other legacy storylines could have been used for the hook this season. Along the way we opine on Star Trek: Legacy and what we’re like to see if that series ever comes to fruition.
In this week’s episode we fire up the spore drive to arrive at Star Trek Discovery season 4. In this episode we delve deep into the storytelling, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of season length, using writers unfamiliar with Trek, and telling a narrative across multiple seasons. We also talk about how much we want to see more of the bridge crew, interspecies romance, and how all the teases to former Trek plots can be so frustrating. We also opine on communication issues, season resolutions, celebrity cameos, and what we want from a fifth season.
The 42cast has reached 200 episodes! We’d like to thank our audience for making this possible. As a treat for this episode we’ve invited back our most prolific guests. We discuss what has been going on in the geeskisphere since Episode 100, and we give our opinions on what has been the good; the bad; and the ugly. We also talk a little about what goes on behind the scenes on The 42cast. Watch out as Nathan goes on not 1, not, but 3 rants in this episode. It is not to be missed!