Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke the mold on Star Trek series. It was a Star Trek series that stayed in one place. The emphasis was placed not on exploring strange new worlds but on developing characters and relationships over time. As a result it was also the first Star Trek to pioneer the development of long-term story and character arcs that would build both within a season and across seasons. In this episode we discuss this series. We talk about how it differs from other Treks and what we think about those differences. We discuss the different characters and talk about who our favorites are. We also get into our favorite stories and scenarios within the series. Along the way we’ll talk about problematic characters, adding culture, the importance of side characters, and whether the ending did everything that it needed to do.
Due to time constraints there is no five-minute controversy this week.
This week Stephanie is cohost and Juliette, Miranda, and Mark join the cast.
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The world was altered forever in 1987 when Star Trek: The Next Generation first hit the airwaves. Continuing the story of the original Star Trek, the show brought the series back for a new generation of viewers, updating the premises and effects and revitalizing Star Trek fandom into something that would last well into the 21st century. In this episode we discuss that series and how we feel its concepts stand up against the original Trek. We also talk about the cast and who our favorite characters are. We also get into our favorite episodes and how some of them may still be relevant today. 
Picard season 2 continued the adventures of an older Jean-Luc Picard. This time the story added popular characters Q and Guinan and also explored Picard’s past and character. In this episode we discuss the second season of Picard. We take a deep dive into the plot and discuss whether the story elements worked together and how well they developed the themes of the season. We also discuss the characters and their various arcs and how satisfying we found those. We also take some time to discuss season 3 and how we’d like the series to end its run. 
For many Star Trek: Discovery was a welcome return to the Trek universe for fans who’d wanted a Star Trek TV series for years. However, the series remained divisive with many long-term fans refusing to watch the series. Enter Star Trek: Picard a series meant to catapult the Star Trek franchise forward but providing ample connections for established fans. In this episode we do a deep dive on the series. We talk about the plot, the reunification of the Star Trek timeline, the characters and the cast. We also make sure to spend plenty of time on the cameos, the cathartic release from Star Trek: Nemesis, and our predictions for season two. 
Star Trek: Discovery season 3 brought the titular ship to the far future opening up a wide storytelling vista for the series. In this episode we discuss the changes to the setting. We examine the new characters, new situation, and the new tech and effects. We also debate the merits of the plotlines with the Emerald Chain and the cause of The Burn. Along the way we also talk about the awesomeness of Grudge and whether or not the queen herself has any secrets to share. We’ll also bring up the old continuity bugbear and discuss how this season relates to what we know about certain races, beings, and times from elsewhere in the Star Trek franchise. 
This episode we continue our celebration of 100 episodes of The 42cast. We recorded far too much material for our 100th episode that we just couldn’t fit it all in. In this episode as a bonus to you, you get the conversations that we couldn’t include! In this episode, 
Star Trek was an idea devised by Gene Roddenberry over fifty years ago. He wanted to tell a hopeful story about the future that not only entertained but showed the potential of humanity. His series was not considered a big success at the time, but it has lived on in reruns and numerous spinoff TV shows and spinoffs since the late 70’s. In this episode we take a look at “Star Trek” as a whole. We discuss Roddenberry’s vision and why it still resonates today. We discuss the topic of what makes something “Star Trek”. We also talk about what we like and on’t like about the franchise.