Transporter Lock - A Star Trek: Discovery podcast

Character Analysis: Harry Mudd

November 27, 2017

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Harcourt Fenton Mudd: scoundrel, con-man, forger, misogynist, thief, sociopath. When Captain Kirk’s recurring villain was reinvented for Discovery, his list of crimes expanded to include murder. Previously a harmless ne’er-do-well, Harry Mudd, portrayed on The Original Series and The Animated Series by Roger C. Carmel, became more than a thorn in Captain Lorca’s side when played by Rainn Wilson. Is he even still the same man?

In this episode of Transporter Lock, Bri and Ken offer their character analyses of Harry Mudd. What are his motivations, his morals, and his redeeming qualities, if any? If Star Trek was addressing social issues of the 1960s, was Mudd meant to represent gender inequality? And if Mudd’s a misogynist, does that make Captain Kirk a feminist? Has Mudd appeared too often on Discovery, and will we see him again? All this and more in this week’s show!

Who else would you like us to dedicate an episode of Transporter Lock to? Let us know!

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S1 Mid-Season Questions

November 20, 2017

Podcast: Download (Duration: 47:07 — 25.3MB) | Embed

Star Trek: Discovery is off the air for the next two months, and its mid-season finale has left us with many questions. In this episode of Transporter Lock, Bri and Ken offer answers and fan theories to listener questions, submitted via email and reddit:

How does Discovery align with Gene Roddenberry’s vision for humanity’s future?
Who is the bigger threat to the Discovery‘s crew: Lorca, or L’Rell?
Who are Michael Burnham’s parents?
Where are the Andorians?
How does Lorca keep his Tribble population under control?
Are Ash Tyler’s memories of sexual assault his own — or is he misremembering Voq’s life?
Would Anthony Rapp come out about his sexual assault by Kevin Spacey had Star Trek not given him a voice?
How come we see no evidence of the spore drive in future iterations of Star Trek?
Where has the starship Discovery warped to?

Thank you to everyone who shared their questions! Did we not answer yours? Hit us up on Twitter!

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S1E9: Into the Forest I Go

November 14, 2017

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The first half of Star Trek: Discovery‘s first season ends with a bang: Mutiny! Klingons! Mêlée! Rescues! Kisses! Explosions! Sabriel and Ken wrap up “Into the Forest I Go”, in which villains fall, traitors rise, and Stamets crashes. Is Starfleet’s war with the Klingons coming to a close? Is the USS Discovery‘s next voyage within their control? What could the next half of the season hold? Tune in to find out!

Trigger warning: This episode of Transporter Lock discusses the contents of the episode of "Into the Forest I Go", which contains torture, PTSD, and sexual assault.

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S1E8: Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

November 8, 2017

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In their quest to adapt a crystalline tower to a giant sonar used to detect cloaked Klingon ships, Saru finds the peace he has sought his whole life — and he’s willing to abandon his mission, kill his crewmates, and derail the war effort to keep it. What a jerk! Or is he a tragic hero who deserves, if not our pity, at least our sympathy? There is no harmony between Ken and Sabriel in their assessment of Doug Jones’ character in this, the penultimate episode of Discovery‘s fall season. Also: Is Admiral Cornwell really dead? And who’s third in command of the Discovery? And how is the ship’s spore drive like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Find out in our podcast!

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S1E7: Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad

October 31, 2017

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It’s Groundhog Day aboard the USS Discovery and on the Transporter Lock podcast, and we’re stuck in a time loop reviewing this rom-com Star Trek episode. Is this episode repeating not just itself, but also TNG’s "Cause and Effect"? Is the crew’s after-hours party a chance for us to see them as people, or just a painful reminder of the worst aspects of Ken’s college years? Can you spot the Andorian and Tholian technology in this episode as well as Sabriel does? What would Harry Mudd’s Dungeons & Dragons alignment be? And is David Mack’s Desperate Hours novel a worthy prequel to the CBS series? Stay tuned to find out!

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S1E6: Lethe

October 23, 2017

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Remember the TNG episode "Dark Page", where Deanna Troi projects herself into Lwaxana’s mind to learn a dark secret and relieve her parent’s guilt? Burnham and Sarek are doing their best reenactment in this week’s episode, "Lethe". Meanwhile, Lorca whips out the vodka and the sleaze to distract Admiral Cornwell, who’s all too receptive. Will Lorca pull a "In the Pale Moonlight" to keep her quiet? Or are Vulcan extremists conspiring with the Klingons to do Lorca’s dirty work? And why are Vulcans so incredibly racist?! The only person who doesn’t care about any of this: Stamets, who’s high as a kite after powering the spore drive. Groovy!

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S1E5: Choose Your Pain

October 16, 2017

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The crew of the U.S.S. Discovery has trust issues. Acting Captain Saru doesn’t trust Burnham; the kidnapped Captain Lorca doesn’t trust Harry Mudd; and the poor tardigrade doesn’t know who to trust. Can everyone put aside their differences long enough to escape the Klingons and use the spore warp drive for a rescue mission? Sabriel and Ken take some detours to Rura Penthe, Iowa, and the Grand Ole Opry as we weave our way through the fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

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S1E4: The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry

October 9, 2017

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The USS Discovery must perfect its mycelium warp drive if the crew is to save the mining facility at Corvan II — and Michael Burnham may hold the key. Will she pull an Equinox and help Captain Lorca weaponize an organism? Will Landry pull a Tasha Yar and leave a vacancy in security? And will Kol pull a Foodler and deliver dinner to the Klingons in under thirty minutes? Find out in this week’s Transporter Lock!

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S1E3: Context Is for Kings

October 3, 2017

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Six months after the Battle at the Binary Stars, Michael Burnham arrives on the USS Discovery, where Captain Lorca is engaged in "Black Alert" field tests. Is the NCC-1031 a scientific vessel — or a Section 31 outpost? Why does the crew hate Burnham for a war with the Klingons we don’t think she started? Did Star Trek introduce a character on the spectrum with Cadet Sylvia Tilly? And can Paul Stamets’ mushrooms save the world? Find out on this week’s episode of Transporter Lock!

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S1E2: Battle at the Binary Stars

September 26, 2017

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The second episode of Star Trek: Discovery and the first to be exclusive to CBS All Access finds a united Klingon Empire facing off against a squadron of Starfleet vessels. With plenty of callbacks to Star Trek lore, "Battle at the Binary Stars" cements itself in the franchise’s history while making some important deviations in battle tactics and Vulcan mythology. Ken and Sabriel offer their takes and analyses in this episode of the Transporter Lock podcast.

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