Maneuvers

Episode 140

Friday 17 January 2025

On Voyager’s main screen is an image of Seska, a young Cardassian woman with long blond hair. Her face is lit from below, and she is smiling an evil smile.

Star Trek: Voyager

Series 2, Episode 11

Stardate: 49208.5

First broadcast on Monday 20 November 1995

And Seska is back! Everyone’s favourite Bajoran Maquis Cardassian traitress returns — with a daring plan to unite the Kazon sects, or to destroy Voyager, or to capture Chakotay and collect a couple of teaspoonfuls of his DNA. Ahem. Anyway, at least Joe and Nathan get the chance to reminisce about a version of the show that they enjoyed and that gave the cast plenty of fun stuff to do.

Duration: 1:06:33 · Recorded on Tuesday 14 January 2025 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Voyager

The Way to Eden

Episode 139

Friday 10 January 2025

We're in the Enterprise transporter room. Sitting on the transporter pad are a group of five young people and an older man with a shaved head and massive latex ears — all dressed as hippies and all making a triangle shape with their hands. Standing upright opposite them is Spock, who is making the same shape with his hands as they are.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Series 3, Episode 20

Stardate: 5832.3

First broadcast on Friday 21 February 1969

This week, we learn a valuable lesson previously only known to the most tedious middle-aged people: that young people these days are arrogant, embarassing, and stupid — and also probably communists. Meanwhile, the crew of the Enterprise have all forgotten to remove their “Nixon’s the One!” badges, upsettingly.

Duration: 1:14:49 · Recorded on Tuesday 7 January 2025 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: The Original Series

Move Along Home

Episode 138

Friday 27 December 2024

We're in Quark's Bar. Quark is holding his hand out to Odo, while a man with a moustache and some horrid forehead tattoos looks on. They are  standing around a perspex frame, which might just be a board game  of some kind.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Series 1, Episode 10

Stardate: Unknown (2369)

First broadcast on Sunday 14 March 1993

This week, we travel back to a time in the distant past aboard Deep Space Nine, a time before anyone has worked out how the show should be played, written or directed. There’s some fun to be had, of course, but not from watching this episode.

Duration: 1:00:53 · Recorded on Tuesday 24 December 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: First Contact

Episode 137

Friday 20 December 2024

For the first time in history, a rough-looking human being shakes hands  with a slightly taken-aback Vulcan.

Star Trek Movie #8

Stardate: 50893.5 and 4–5 April 2063

Release date: 1996

After a botched first attempt back in 1994, the Star Trek movie franchise brings back many of the beloved characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation in a thrilling adventure, packed full of action, scares and laughs — as well as some sexy moments with an undead cyborg lizard and an optimistic message about the future of humanity. Five stars, really.

Duration: 2:15:30 · Recorded on Tuesday 17 December 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek movies

Absolute Candor

Episode 136

Friday 13 December 2024

Aboard La Sirena, Elnor, a tall young Romulan man with long hair and a sword strapped to his back, is talking to Jean-Luc Picard, who is holding his left arm.

Star Trek: Picard

Series 1, Episode 4

Stardate: Unknown (2399)

First broadcast on Thursday 13 February 2020

It’s been thirty-five years since the Romulans turned up again out of the blue, but now we couldn’t imagine a day without them. And so many of them! Narek and Narissa, two English Romulan Game of Thrones fans who are trying to kill Data’s (remaining) daughter. Zani, a stunningly calm and beautiful Romulan Sincerity Nun. Her ward Elnor, an adorably elfin Romulan Truth Ninja from Melbourne. And a whole angry mob of hot refugee Romulans bearing a justified grudge against Picard for making a loud moral stand while failing to actually help them in any way.

And Rios, Agnes and Raffi are here too of course, in a transitional episode that gives us the chance to talk about where Picard goes wrong, and what it still manages to do very well.

Duration: 1:18:04 · Recorded on Tuesday 10 December 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Picard

Ferengi Love Songs

Episode 135

Friday 29 November 2024

It's an elderly Ferengi couple: on the left is Moogie, a lady in a  polka-dotted dress and lots of gold jewellery. On the right is Grand Nagus Zek, a very wrinkled old man with huge hairy ears in an equally elaborate outfit. They both look terribly happy.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Series 5, Episode 20

Stardate: Unknown (2373)

First broadcast on Monday 21 April 1997

Again, the story doesn’t really have a legitimate theme, it’s just More Ferengi Farce, but without any solid laughs. In fact, I’d put “Ferengi Love Songs” on or near the bottom of the Ferengi episode list.

Jamahl Epsicokhan, Jammer’s Reviews

It’s all pretty trivial and unamusing. The only reason this is watchable at all is that Armin Shimerman is so accomplished. Moogie is right – leave your action figures in their original packaging.

Tom Salinksy, Trekaday

It was a show that worked well in dailies, in little snippets, but put it all together and you’re saying “Enough already!”

Ira Steven Behr, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion

– I don’t think that that episode was as good as either A Night in Sickbay or Genesis, but I do think it was pretty fun, and I’m glad that Deep Space Nine does it.
– Yeah, I don’t think that was an amazing episode, but pretty fun, I’ll take.

Nathan and Joe, Untitled Star Trek Project

Duration: 1:11:39 · Recorded on Tuesday 26 November 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Azati Prime

Episode 134

Friday 22 November 2024

In the brig of a Xindi starship, Archer is hanging by his arms from the  ceiling. He has been beaten, and there is blood on his face and in his mouth. Behind him, holding him by the head, is the menacing figure of a Xindi-Reptilian.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Series 3, Episode 18

Stardate: Unknown (2154)

First broadcast on Wednesday 3 March 2004

This week, the Xindi and some big-ass lizard guy get to beat the crap out of (a) Enterprise and (b) Captain Archer, respectively. Meanwhile, Nathan and Joe are delighted, not because they’re mean (although they are), but because this is such a thoroughly entertaining hour of Star Trek: Enterprise. Who knew such things could be?

Duration: 1:14:30 · Recorded on Tuesday 19 November 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Enterprise

Accession

Episode 133

Friday 15 November 2024

Kira in her quarters, fed up, in closeup. She's resting her head on her hands and looking at the crudely made clay birds that surround her.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Series 4, Episode 17

Stardate: Unknown (2372)

First broadcast on Saturday 24 February 1996

This week, Miles and Julian learn about larping and friendship, Kira learns about clay and the inevitability of authoritarian male religious figures, and we learn about subtext and delightful character development — all thanks to Jane Espenson, who, it turns out, is the real hero of the episode.

Duration: 1:04:08 · Recorded on Tuesday 5 November 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Survivor

Episode 132

Friday 8 November 2024

In a corridor on board the Enterprise, McCoy, Spock and Kirk are all being attached by a giant spindly orange cartoon octopus with a row of glowing yellow eyes.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Series 1, Episode 6

Stardate: 5143.3

First broadcast on Saturday 13 October 1973

This week, crudely-drawn slow-moving simulacra of the Enterprise crew interact listlessly in a crudely-drawn slow-moving simulacrum of Star Trek. Except for the shapeshifting red octopus, which is awesome. Meanwhile, Joe drops £2.50 renting a Star Trek episode whose budget was nearly ten times that, adjusted for inflation.

Duration: 0:38:18 · Recorded on Tuesday 5 November 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Man of the People

Episode 131

Friday 1 November 2024

We're in Ten-Forward. Deanna Troi is looking both alarming and extremely glamorous, her hair piled high on her head with a grey curl on her forehead and wearing a very spangly and highly revealing blue dress. She is baring her teeth angrily at a pudgy middle-aged man, while behind her another middle-aged man look on, concerned.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Series 6, Episode 3

Stardate: 46071.6

First broadcast on Monday 5 October 1992

It’s an outstandingly stupid episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation this week, except for the astonishingly brilliant idea of giving Marina fun things to do and a range of fabulously fun things to wear. Actually, let me start that again. It’s an astonishingly brilliant episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation this week,…

Duration: 0:58:30 · Recorded on Tuesday 29 October 2024 · Download · Open in new window

Star Trek: The Next Generation