Star Trek Podcast | Earl Grey - The Next Generation | Trek.fm

Death in TNG. All good things must come to an end, and in The Next Generation, that means the deaths of many favorite (and perhaps not so favorite) characters. Mr. Data meets his demise in the final feature film Star Trek: Nemesis, the first security chief Tasha Yar dies a senseless death in the season one episode "Skin of Evil," and memorable guest star K'Ehleyr is murdered by Duras in "Reunion." These deaths affected our TNG characters and fans, leading to debates about whether these deaths served a purpose or whether they should have been avoided. Phillip, Darren, and Daniel discuss the end of these characters and others in this episode, asking how those deaths were treated, what was the aftermath, and what death teaches us about the dangers of exploring the final frontier.

AI in the 24th Century. The Original Series is filled with the twenty-third century crew encountering robots, androids, and god-like computers. In the twenty-fourth century, artificial intelligence still surprises Starfleet's flagship, falling under the category of "new life and new civilizations." In the episode of Earl Grey, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip discuss The Next Generation's episodes that feature Soong-type androids, Starfleet's computer systems (LCARS), holographic intelligence ("Elementary, Dear Data" and "Ship in a Bottle"), and machines that grow beyond their original programming ("Evolution" and "The Quality of Life"). What is the definition of life? How does artificial intelligence in TNG challenge that definition? Join us as we tackle these issues. Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, and Darren Moser Editor and Producer Darren Moser Associate Producer Will Nguyen Chapters Data: Encounter at Farpoint (00:03:09) Lore: Brothers (00:06:45) Lal: The Offspring (00:10:36) The Computer: Emergence (00:17:00) Minuet: 11001001  (00:25:51) Moriarty: Ship in a Bottle (00:31:02) Exocomps: Quality of Life (00:39:11) Nanites: Evolution (00:44:31) Closing (00:46:14) Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm Support the Network! Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm

Season Four Overview. Viewers flocked to the season-four premiere of The Next Generation to see if the Enterprise-D would survive the Borg attack and whether Locutus of Borg versus Captain William T. Riker would mean the end of Jean-Luc Picard. The rest of the season introduced the family members of our crew ("Family," "Brothers," "Reunion"), saw Chief O'Brien get married ("Data's Day"), and Wesley Crusher finally moved on from the Federation flagship ("Final Mission"). In this episode of Earl Grey, Daniel, Phillip, and Darren discuss the introduction of the Cardassians, the expansion of the Klingon civil war arc (featuring Daniel's favorite shadowy Romulan), and what episodes made us laugh, think, and cry the most during the season that fully established TNG as a Star Trek incarnation with its own identity and success. Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, and Darren Moser Editor and Producer Darren Moser Associate Producer Will Nguyen Chapters The Best of Both Worlds (2:03) Family (5:51) Passing TOS (11:03) Family Season? (16:51) Wesley Leaving (21:03) O'Brien (30:25) Highlights of Season Four (33:37)  Fun with Titles (38:58) Q (44:20) Final Thoughts (47:00) Closing (52:03) Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm Support the Network! Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm

Pen Pals Commentary. The Prime Directive is a centerpiece of Star Trek storytelling, and in TNG's second season we get an early Prime Directive episode in "Pen Pals." A small girl on a dangerously volcanic planet contacts Data looking for help, and the crew must deal with the fallout of this unpredictable situation. In this episode of Earl Grey Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx bring you a commentary track for "Pen Pals" and discuss the many interesting ideas in this episode, which is generally not a fan favorite.

Divisional Shuffle. What would happen if our favorite TNG characters belonged to other divisions? What if Data worked in security? What if Picard manned the science station? What if Riker sat at tactical? In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip GIlfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss what it might be like if our beloved Enterprise-D crew had their colors scrambled and danced the divisional shuffle. We touch on blue-shirt Picard from "Tapestry," Lieutenant Riker, and a technicolor Data. Don't get jealous, Wesley!

TNG Admirals. From the initial zoom in to Picard on the Enterprise to the final zoom out from the poker table, Star Trek: The Next Generation consistently had Starfleet admirals as recurring and influential characters. More often than not, these admirals were a thorn in the side of the Enterprise crew, sending Picard on questionable missions, making unreasonable scheduling requests, and even dragging Riker into a cover-up of illegal experiments. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx put on their best dress uniforms and blend into the admiralty. From cameos by familiar characters-turned-admiral—like McCoy and Janeway—to a movie all about a Badmiral, this is a very regal cup of Earl Grey.

Picard's Romances. One of the first differences viewers noticed between Captain Picard and his legendary predecessor was his attitude towards love. We talk all things love as it relates to Jean Luc Picard.

Earl Grey 35: Too Big To Fail

Ferengi. When The Next Generation premiered, many people were surprised to see a Klingon on the bridge of the Enterprise. With the Klingons no longer positioned as the enemy of the Federation, the writers had to bring in a new foe for the crew to battle. Thus the infamous Ferengi were born—and buried within a few short engagements. In this episode of Earl Grey, hew-mon hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx take a c lose look at the fearful Ferengi, from ships to lobes to laser whips.

Wesley Crusher. There are few characters in The Next Generation as "debated" as Wesley Crusher. Often criticized for simultaneously filling the young child role and super genius, many people found the character tough to accept. On this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx delve into the character to see what they like, hate, and tolerate. From his pre-Starfleet days, to his numerous attempts at joining the academy, all the way to Star Trek Nemesis. So join us for this wunderkind-sized episode of Earl Grey!

The Seven/Seven Challenge. In each of season of The Next Generation, there are naturally community and fan favorites. In this week’s episode of Earl Grey, our hosts are given the challenge of choosing just a single episode—the one and only story they can’t live without—from each of TNG's seven seasons. Join hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx as they try their best to boil down each season into one forty-minute episode. If you could only choose one episode per season, which would it be?

Season Two Overview. After the first season of The Next Generation premiered, it become clear that the show was successful enough to warrant further seasons. After dealing with cast changes, a writers' strike, and a now-famous beard, Season Two is a bit of an anomaly within TNG. In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss their favorite and least favorite episodes, character changes, and even the infamous "Shades of Grey" clip show.

One of the threads that is common to all Star Trek series is how we deal with the various species we encounter. Star Trek tried to address this through the Prime Directive, a rule that has served as the basis for countless stories over the years. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss how Starfleet's General Order 1 is handled on The Next Generation. From "Justice" to "Who Watches the Watchers," we explore what works and what doesn't. Do we agree with the actions of the characters in these episodes? Is it consistent with how the Prime Directive is normally portrayed? Join us and see if you agree.

Ships of TNG, Part 2. The Next Generation introduced us to many ship designs that would be used in Star Trek for years to come. In this episode of Earl Grey, Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx bring you the second installment in our Ships of the Line series, TNG Edition. From Ferengi Marauders to Romulan Warbirds to Borg Cubes—and everything in between—we discuss the important alien ship designs that were encountered by Picard's Enterprise.

All Good Things… It's the episode that was the ultimate sign-off for a show that grew from an iffy proposition that no one thought would succeed to one of the most influential dramas—science fiction or otherwise—of its time. "All Good Things…" brought the TNG story full circle by tying everything back to the pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint." In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss "All Good Things…" and how the series changed throughout the seven seasons of the show. We take a trip through time with the characters from before "Farpoint," past Voyager and beyond to find out what we enjoyed and what didn't work quite so well.