Transporter Lock - A Star Trek: Discovery podcast

Short Treks: Children of Mars

January 12, 2020

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The second season of Short Treks ends with "Children of Mars", giving Ken and Bri plenty to talk about! We examine the Starfleet educational system; the prevalence of shuttlecraft, bullying, and physical books; how labor laws and vacation time work; and how First Contact Day is observed.

More important, we piece together how this episode leads into next week’s debut of the Picard series. What involvement did Admiral Picard have in the attack of the rogue synths? What role do Section 31 and the Borg play, if any? There are many fine details hiding in "Children of Mars"; if you missed them, fear not, as we didn’t!

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Short Treks: Ephraim and Dot & The Girl Who Made the Stars

January 7, 2020

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For the first time in 45 years, Star Trek ventures into the frontier of animation! "Ephraim and Dot" is a comedic documentary about a tardigrade’s reproductive cycle, and "The Girl Who Made the Stars" is a tale of conquering one’s fear of the unknown. Ken and Bri review these two animated Short Treks, their place in Star Trek canon, and the promise they hold for future Star Trek series.

Finally, we look back at the cast and crew we lost in 2019: D.C. Fontana, Robert Walker, Michael Lamper, Aron Eisenberg, and René Auberjonois. We encourage all listeners who are able to make a donation to Doctors Without Borders in René’s memory.

Rene Auberjonois—Odo from DS9—has passed away. 😭

When he autographed a photo for me, he asked if I would make a donation to Doctors Without Borders in return. I did.

Let's all make a donation to @MSF_USA in Rene's memory. https://t.co/3wBQyC7ShL #RIPReneAuberjonois #StarTrek

— Ken Gagne (@gamebits) December 9, 2019

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Short Treks: Ask Not

November 17, 2019

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When a decorated but dishonored Starfleet captain puts Cadet Thira Sidhu in an impossible situation, she must choose a side with lives on the line. To be or not to be? That is the question Sabriel and Ken pose to our guest, Dori Robinson, Boston theatre director and co-host of Shakespearean podcast The Mousetrap. Was Cadet Sidhu’s test calculating or cruel? How would we have responded in that same situation? Is any internship worth psychological torture? And what does it say about Number One? From Hamlet to Alexander Dumas’ man in the iron mask, the shortest Short Trek to date spawns the most literary episode of Transporter Lock!

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Short Treks: The Trouble with Edward

October 21, 2019

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What would Star Trek look like if it were a comedy series? We don’t need to wait for the debut of Lower Decks, as the Short Treks episode "The Trouble with Edward" features both tribbles and the comedic talents of H. Jon Benjamin (Archer) and Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel). Ken and Bri ponder the consequences of this tale on Star Trek canon, from tribbles’ rate of breeding to the VCR-style post-credits commercial for breakfast cereal.

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Short Treks: Q&A

October 20, 2019

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New York Comic-Con featured the surprise debut of "Q&A", the first in a new season of Short Treks. The premiere episode does not in fact feature the return of John de Lancie’s recurring villain; instead, it’s a blast from the past as Ensign Spock arrives for his first day of duty aboard the USS Enterprise. As Number One escorts him to the bridge, Spock takes the opportunity to barrage her with questions, just as Ken and Sabriel barrage the listener with their take on this mysterious commanding officer, the morality and defensibility of the Prime Directive, and the Gilbert & Sullivan musical The Pirate of Penzance.

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What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

August 21, 2019

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On the cusp of the new Picard series and a third season of Discovery, Ken and Sabriel pause to reflect on the best Star Trek series ever, as seen in Ira Steven Behr’s documentary, What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This new film was released on home video this month, and seeing it both in theaters and on Blu Ray brought back a lot of memories for Bri and Ken. We review our favorite moments of both the documentary and the series it celebrates.

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Star Trek: Picard teaser trailer

May 23, 2019

Twenty-five years ago today, The Next Generation aired its series finale. It was our first look at what the future might hold for Jean-Luc Picard, who’d retired to his family vineyard in France.

Today, Picard returns to the vineyard in the first teaser for his own series, Star Trek: Picard.

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Season 2 Recap

April 28, 2019

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Susan Arendt of the Continue podcast joins us to review the second season of Star Trek: Discovery! We swoon over Anson Mount, relate to the Spock/Burnham dynamic, consider Tilly’s character development, grow nostalgic for the Enterprise, lament the inevitable malice of Control, theorize the future of the show, review the Spider-Man musical, and smash the patriarchy.

Close-up of Michael Burnham's face wearing time suit helmet

S2E14: Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2

April 21, 2019

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The second season finale of Discovery has finally landed, offering plenty of space battles and fisticuffs that didn’t live up to their potential. The episode also tied up plenty of loose threads, but it left few hanging for us to get an idea of what to expect in the next season.

But we loved the dialogue and the characters, as always, with questions raised and answered in director Olatunde Osunsanmi’s behind-the-scenes diary, an interview with season three co-showrunner Michelle Paradise, and even the non-canon TNG novel Dark Mirror.

Ken and Bri bring you this wealth of lore in our season finale recap!

S2E13: Such Sweet Sorrow

April 14, 2019

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The second season’s penultimate episode is a long, drawn-out affair with many ponderous, redundant speeches and reflections — making it one of Ken’s favorite of the season! Bri was less receptive, perhaps due to time travel giving her a headache. We swoon over the Enterprise and reflect on the characters’ inner monologues and heartfelt goodbyes while looking forward to a trip to the future.

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