Earl Grey: A Star Trek The Next Generation Podcast

The Arts in TNG.The Next Generation arguably features the most concerts, play performances, poetry readings, and art works than any other Star Trek television series. Whether it was having every senior officer being musically inclined, having fun in the clay modeling room making a mask or an entry for "Captain Picard Day," or keeping Commander William T. Riker from the nude modeling painting class, TNG inserted cultural works into many episodes. The show's writers/producers made sure that noted Shakespearean performer Sir Patrick Stewart incorporated several references in the series' seven-year run, from the Bard's historical plays to his sonnets. Lt. Commander Data's development in humanity also included his exploration of artistic self-expression, leading to him playing the violin, painting his dreams, and being directed by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in his one-man performance of a "A Christmas Carol." Join co-hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx as they find the "sweet spot" of the NCC-1701-D

"The Best of Both Worlds" Alternate Ending. One of the most memorable musical moments in The Next Generation was the final seconds of the season three cliffhanger episode, with the television screen displaying those fateful words, "...To Be Continued." TNG's "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" opened with the Enterprise-D's deflector weapon being  rendered useless by the Borg Collective. But what if it had worked? The destruction of the Borg cube, along with Captain Jean-Luc Picard/Locutus would have shift the show to an almost entirely new series, led by Captain William T. Riker. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip discuss how all the characters would be affected by this change in circumstances, how the series would have radically changed, and if we would have ever seen Sir Patrick Stewart in TNG again. Join Earl Grey as they explore a parallel universe where season four set a new course for the crew of the NCC-1701-D.  HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Man

"Face of the Enemy" Commentary. Romulans. Vulcans. Tal Shiar. Conspiracies. In the sixth season episode of The Next Generation, "Face of the Enemy," a rare Troi-focused episode explores the consequences of Ambassador Spock's work with Romulans from the two-parter "Unification." Darren, Daniel, and Phillip provide their commentary for this episode that depicts the strengths and further potential of Counselor Deanna Troi, as she must play the part of a Tal Shiar agent aboard a Romulan warbird. This story also provides greater insight into the Romulan Imperial Fleet, as we see different uniforms, ranks, and the explanation of what it is like to live in such a police state. Add to that a Starfleet ensign with a blonde Romulan haircut and this episode will get you craving a plate of viinerine and a glass of Romulan ale. Put on your pointed ears and shoulder pads and enjoy Earl Grey's commentary to "Face of the Enemy." HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Ma

Comedic Episodes.Star Trek: The Next Generation is a show that tackles serious issues, including life and death, morality, mortality, and the meaning of existence. However, TNGalso features many comedic episodes and moments showing that it does not take itself too seriously. Comedy features in Q's many appearances (either showing up naked on the bridge or as the Sheriff of Nottingham) to Lwaxana Troi chasing Captain Picard around the Enterprise. Phillip, Daniel, and Darren discuss their favorite comedic episodes, from "Captain's Holiday" to "A Fistful of Datas," as well as the lines and moments that made them laugh just like Data at the end of "Deja Q." Join in the laughter as Earl Grey initialize The Comic Holodeck program and talk comedy in TNG.HostsPhillip Gilfus, Daniel Proulx, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen Chapters Deja Q (00:04:39)QPid (00:10:15) Manhunt (00:19:25) Captain's Holiday (00:26:19) A Fistful of Datas (00:3

Interactive TNG VCR Game.The Next Generation has inspired the development of many games on various platforms. A board game released during the live run of TNG was the cutting-edge technological feat of "Star Trek: The Next Generation - Interactive VCR Game - A Klingon Challenge." Darren, Daniel, and Phillip choose their characters, press "play" on the VCR, and set their wits against the Klingon Kavok who has hijacked the Enterprise-D. The Earl Grey trio must cooperate, and compete, to ensure they earn computer access levels, gain access to a phaser, and avoid being paralyzed by stasis fields. The timer speeds up as they crawl through Jefferies tubes to the bridge in their attempt to stun Kavok. Tune in and see if they are successful or if Kavok is manages to use the flagship to take over the Klingon Empire.HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen ChaptersInstructions (00:03:08)Finale (00:37:40)Thoug

Nemesis.Star Trek Nemesis is generally considered one of the weaker entries of The Next Generation feature films, as well as the entire Star Trek movie franchise. The story mixed together action sequences, the idea of "dark mirrors" for Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lt. Cmdr. Data, and attempted to send off the Enterprise-Echaracters to their next stage of life (or death, in the case of one android). Daniel, Darren, and Phillip examine the multiple aspects that did not work in the film, what parts they enjoyed, and how this movie predicted the look and feel of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek into Darkness. Pour a glass of Romulan Ale or Chateau Picard, and join Earl Grey for Next Gen's final journey. HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen ChaptersFinale to TNG? (00:03:02)  Issues (00:10:30)  Deleted Scenes (00:22:25)  TNG Movies (00:28:30)  Being Positive (00:33:34)  Conclusion (00:47:16

TNG Ranks & Promotions. Star Trek has created a universe where Starfleet personnel have recognizable ranks and positions. The Next Generation promoted several characters and moved others to various ship positions, while at the same time left certain officers in the same rank through all seven seasons and four feature films. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip examine the career paths of the TNG crew, how the Starfleet promotion system on the Enterprise fits into the greater canon of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries, and discover a surprising conspiracy concerning those with full commander rank.HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen ChaptersGeordi La Forge (00:04:00)  The Red/Gold Shift (00:12:18)   Worf (00:21:50)  The Commander Paradox (00:27:00)   Troi (00:38:15)   O'Brien (00:44:17)   Data (00:50:57)   Closing (00:52:51)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.c

Controversial Storylines.Gene Roddenberry believed that Star Trek was a way to debate so-called "controversial" issues through the disguise of a futuristic setting. The Next Generation featured episodes that tackled the modern struggles of changing gender roles ("The Outcast," "Angel One," & "The Perfect Mate"), drug use ("Symbiosis"), terrorism ("The High Ground"), and the lifelong effects of war ("The Hunted"). The quality of these storylines ranged from thought-provoking to disappointing. Phillip, Darren, and Daniel discuss how the writers of TNG did not always provide the answers to these issues, but how they provided a platform to examine our society. We invite you to be a part of the controversy and listen to this latest Earl Grey.HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserEditor / ProducerDarren Moser Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Chapters Controversial Story-lines (00:04:18)   The Outcast 5x17 (00:07:40)   The High Ground 3x12 (00:17:13)   Symbio

Women in TNG.   From the pilot "Encounter at Fairpoint," The Next Generation signaled that it wanted to update the way Star Trek would handle gender roles - it was no longer "where no man had gone before" but "where no one had gone before." The first season featured three female characters - Security Chief Tasha Yar, Counselor Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher. However, two of those three characters did not return in the second season. The full run of TNG and the feature films contain many female characters, both primary cast and guest stars, and created episodes that focused on women, from "The Child" to "The Perfect Mate." @FirstTimeTrek Andi VanderKolk joins Daniel, Darren, and Phillip to discuss the successes and disappointments in how women were portrayed in TNG.   Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser   Guests Andi VanderKolk   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Chapters Is TNG Better in It's Portrayal of Women? (00:05:00)   Where No ONE Has Gone

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.HostsDaniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren MoserChapters Data (00:03:20) Yar (00:19:30) K'Ehleyr (00:29:10) Lt Hawk (00:36:54)The Chorus (00:42:20)Q Who Deaths (00:43:42)The Bonding (00:49:50)Final Thoughts (00:51:11) Send us your f

AI in the 24th Century. Star Trek 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 Compu

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

Lost Plotlines. There are times when an episode of The Next Generation causes a viewer to ask, "Hey, whatever happened to…?" TNG is sometimes criticized as being too episodic compared to more modern television shows thanks to characters, guest stars, and plotlines that would be introduced and then promptly disappear. In this episode of Earl Grey, Phillip, Daniel, and Darren explore these vanishing acts, from Dr. Pulaski telling La Forge that she could give him ocular implants in "Loud As a Whisper" to a conclusion for Commander Sela in "Redemption" and "Unification" to the destructive effects of warp travel in "Force of Nature." Join us as we imagine the storylines that could have been if followed up on in later TNG, DS9, or Voyager.   Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, and Darren Moser   Editor and Producer Darren Moser   Associate Producers Become one! Support Trek.fm and Earl Grey at the $25/month level or higher! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Geordi's Sight (4:00) Sela (9:40) Ambassador Tom

The Worf-Dax TNG Wedding Invitations. We all remember the big wedding in Star Trek: Nemesis that finally united two characters who we saw fall in love throughout the years on TNG. But we would have loved to see our beloved TNG crew attend Lt. Commander Worf's wedding years prior in the Deep Space Nine episode "You Are Cordially Invited." The real-life limitations of budget, an existing storyline, and actor availability kept our favorite Klingon's friends and family from attending the ceremony. Nevertheless, in this episode of Earl Grey, we discuss who should have been sent calligraphy-engraved PADDs inviting them to attack Worf with painsticks at his bachelor party. From Worf's adopted parents and brother, to his closest friends on the Enterprise-E, to other people he encountered while serving under Picard, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip arrange the seating at the wedding reception to include those who would have enjoyed being part of Worf and Jadzia Dax saying, "I do."   Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, &am

Casting TNG with Larry Nemecek. The familiar credits roll during every episode of The Next Generation. But how did our favorite actors get these timeless roles? And how close did other actors come to crewing the first version of Star Trek to take place in the 24th century? In this episode of Earl Grey, "Dr Trek" himself, Larry Nemecek, joins us to discuss casting The Next Generation. Darren, Phillip, and Daniel talk about how important it was to get "famous" names in Trek's second televised live-action incarnation, where each of the actors were in their careers in the mid 1980s, and how close Wesley came to being "Leslie" Crusher. Larry also reveals what actors lost out in being cast in the main roles and in what subsequent episodes they appeared in as guests, as well as which actor ended up being cast in a main role in a later Star Trek series. Get your glossy headshots ready, break a leg, and join us in discussing the casting process on TNG.   Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser   Guests

Money. There are many aspects of The Next Generation that put the "fiction" in "science fiction." One of those futuristic concepts that boggles the 21st-century viewer is imagining a world without money. What does it mean to live in a time when, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard explains in Star Trek: First Contact, "the acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives"? Does the existence of replicators and seemingly endless energy destroy any modern concept of economics? In this episode of Earl Grey, Daniel, Darren, and Phillip attempt to suppress their Ferengi capitalistic instincts and try to explain how Federation society works without any identifiable currency. They also tackle how Starfleet exists in the same galaxy as other species who use latinum, leks, darseks, and other forms of money in their pursuit of trade agreements and resource exchange. Get your bitcoin account ready to accept Federation credits as Earl Grey tackles money—or the lack thereof—in the 24th century.    Hosts Phillip Gi

Ship of the Line Book Review. The power of Star Trek novels is that they can fill in the gaps of time periods set between the television series and the feature films. Noted Star Trek author Diane Carey did this—and more—in her 1997 novel Ship of the Line. This story tells the complete tale of Captain Morgan Bateson and the crew of the U.S.S. Bozeman, first introduced in the TNG episode "Cause and Effect." In this first ever book review episode of Earl Grey, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip travel through three time periods: The untold time between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; the events immediately following "Cause and Effect"; and what happened to the crew of the Enterprise-D after its destruction in Star Trek Generations. This book even briefly allows Jean-Luc Picard to observe the events in the TOS episodes "Balance of Terror" and "The Enemy Within." Old Klingon enemies, a familiar Cardassian interrogator, and Scotty, too, all make appearances in this literary adventure of 

Worf with The Orb. The idea of a Klingon serving in Starfleet may have struck some fans as heresy when Worf debuted in the 1987 TNG pilot "Encounter at Farpoint." However, as the journey of this Klingon unfolded, he became a fan favorite. Over the seven seasons of The Next Generation, as well as the feature films, Lieutenant Worf took his place as tactical officer of the Enterprise-D and continued to struggle with his dual identities resulting from being a Klingon who was raised by humans. Whether discovering a long-lost brother, a long-lost son, or a long-lost Klingon homeworld (with its own political turmoil and machinations), Worf helped viewers explore Klingon culture and expanded on what knew about this "warrior race" during the Captain Kirk's time. In order to better understand this vital character, we're joined in this episode of Earl Grey by Christopher Jones and Matthew Rushing, co-hosts of The Orb, to discuss the seeds of his story which continued on Deep Space Nine. So sharpen your teeth, grab your

Insurrection. Star Trek: Insurrection was released on December 11, 1998, and reactions from fans of The Next Generation have been divided ever since. The third movie in the TNG franchise, following the popular Star Trek: First Contact, has been described as feeling like an authentic episode from the television series, while other fans view it as one of the least successful films in all of the Star Trek film franchise.In this episode of Earl Grey, Phillip, Darren, and Daniel tackle the new technologies introduced in the film, the morality-play plot, and what their favorite crew should have been up to during the Dominion War. We also discuss whether the Troi/Riker relationship should have been advanced, if it made sense to have Worf in this outing, and why the Ba'ku seem to look exactly like humans. Feel the clock go backward, break out the mambo music, and come aboard the captain's yacht for the Earl Grey movie review of Star Trek: Insurrection.   Hosts Phillip Gilfus, Daniel Proulx, and Darren Moser   Editor

Schisms Commentary. Click. Click. Click. Click. There are not many episodes of The Next Generation that are considered to be scary, but "Schisms" is an alien abduction story that brings to mind the tone of The X-Files or a horror movie. Darren Moser, Daniel Proulx, and Phillip Gilfus kick off their second year of Earl Grey by providing their own episode commentary for "Schisms," the fifth episode of Season Six. Listeners can follow along to the commentary by queuing up their TNG Blu-rays, DVDs, or episode streaming service, or simply listen to this episode as a standalone podcast. Join the Earl Grey trio as they help Will Riker fight insomnia, wonder about malfunctions in Data's vision, and discover the secret behind the TNG writers' room.       Hosts Darren Moser, Daniel Proulx, & Phillip Gilfus   Editor and Producer Darren Moser   Associate Producers Become one! Support Trek.fm and Earl Grey at the $25/month level or higher! Visit patreon.com/trekfm   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: ht