The Least Dangerous Game

Hey, Joe. Hi. So, tonight we are watching an episode of Lower Decks, it's the least dangerous game, which is series 3, episode two, I want to say. And this is the culmination of your trek through Lower Decks. Oh boy, have I been? Yeah, I don't know why. Just randomly, one day, I was like, right, fine. Today's the day. I had a day off and I was like, I'm going to watch every lower decks episodes I haven't seen. And I watched, essentially, the bulk of season two, apart from what we had done commentaries on and the bulk. I don't know, Adam, we had done a commentary on anything from season three. And I watched up until the Deep Space 91 all in one day. Like, I just kept going. And they weren't a duffer there. I mean, it was blissfully good. And may I say I have a new favourite episode of Kurtzman Trek? Can you guess what that is? No. Oh, is it the Deep Space 9 episode? I really like that one. No, it wasn't that one. It was an embarrassment of duplers. Oh, God, that's good. He's so great. I remember. Who's playing that duplo? Because who's... I know. Well, it was a recognisable voice. And that Joe, where they multiply when they're socially embarrassed. It just got, but it was basically the triple gang, but to such an extreme. It was so funny. Some of the people from Futurama. Names like Phil Lamar and Morris Lamarsh and stuff are kind of familiar. so it's possible that it's them, but they're proper sort of cartoon actors. And one of the things that I love about the Deep Space 9 episode is how and our visitor absolutely just plays her character like a cartoon character rather than, uh, like, you know, and the, that the thing between her and Shaq's trying to sort of outbajor each other about. so good. So treendous. I think what I learned to appreciate as well. Far more watching it in order is the character relationships and how much you've come to care about these people as you go through the season. Because when season 2 ended, it has Mariner's mother, what's her name? Captain Freeman. Thank you very much, you're much better with these names than me being arrested. And then the whole of series 3, episode one is them attempting in a terrible way to try and free her. But I realised, man, I got royal emotional involvement with these cartoon characters. It's astonishing. Yeah, no, really, really fun. Oh, and may I say, also mathematically precise? Perfect redemption. That was such a brilliant episode of Star Trek. Like taking something so daft, an evil exocomp, essentially. and doing something just completely... I thought we were out of original ideas in Star Trek, that was completely original. And the ending where the X-Con still turned out to be a complete fucking asshole. It's amazing. So great. She's going to team up with evil computer Wayune in series four, I hope. Oh, no, try and get her revenge. So who is your favourite of the 4 kind of leads, the 4 lower deckers? I can't help how this, like, extreme amount of empathy for Boimla. He tries so hard. Like, like Mariner's really cool and Tendee and what's the other one? Rothers? Rutherford. Yeah, they're really, really sweet. But boiler man is such a useless geek, isn't it? I love him so much. It's great, isn't it? I have a massive soft spot for Tendee just because she's so enthusiastic. She loves everything so much and she is sort of sweet and funny but I love all of them. What about the um, the 4 kind of bridge officers? Oh, I think I said in the previous episode, the caps, the vocal performance. Who plays the captain? I can't remember her name actually. And I saw a photo of her sort of reasonably recently. And I think she is sort of terrifically cool. I can't remember. We'll see... such a good performance because it tows that line between sort of cartoon character and like Star Trek captain really well and grounds of show brilliantly. But I think Shacks is my favourite of the brew room. And they are saying the scene where he runs through the ship because he finally gets to, is it set? No, eject the warp cord. Eject the warp core. So happy, isn't he? This is my moment. Yes. And they're all going, what? So great. He has a habit of calling Rutherford Baby Bear, which I just think is absolutely adorable and just a little bit hot, actually. But none of the characters are... a cut under. like they're all really likeable and really fun to watch. So no matter who you're following in an episode, you're kind of guaranteed a win. And I've got to say the consistency on this show to just purely entertain. I actually think it probably, in terms of hit rate, it puts, I'm gonna say so bold now, every other Star Trek show in the shade. I don't think anyone was expecting that with lower decks, but... No, not every episode is revolutionary. Some of them are better than others, but they're all really fun and they're all really watchable. And you can't say that about every Star Trek show. No, no, and certainly not the previous animated show, which is consistent. No, but I think it's worth mentioning. We've done some pretty dough Voyager DS9, TNG episodes on this podcast already, you know. We haven't done a Duff Lower Decks. No, and I think that I think the thing too that shines through is just how much they love Star Trek, like just how well they know it and how much they adore it and even the stupid bits. And like this episode, I think that we're about to watch, you know has elements of rise. Yeah, I mean, come on. about leaning into the shittiest parts of the franchise. That's right. But also there's elements of justice. There's, you know, lots of original series, kind of stuff down on the planet. It is really, really, absolutely delighted by how stupid Star Trek can be, and it leans into it. Do you remember what I said to you when we did darkling about how if Rice had had like 50 times the budget, then maybe it would have worked. Well, I'm telling you now, the sequence where she skydives off the platform at the top of this planet and the sort of, I keep saying the camera in animation. But you know what? When the camera goes from the interior, um, what's the thing called a platform out into space? and it's like a vertical shot down in animation. No, it's incredible. I was so impressed. Yeah, amazing. And then we have the um, then we have the A plot or the B plot, one of those. It gets the title, I think, the least dangerous game, which is Bohemler and Tendi. And that's a different pairing from what we normally get. We normally get Mariner and Boimler and Tendian, Rutherford. But I quite like Boimler and Tendi. And this plot about Boimler deciding to change his approach to becoming a captain is so great. The thing that struck me was both plots. had character payoff. Like big character payoff. The, the, let's say the A plot is the boymer plot, because that's the title. Um, you know, is him learning to seize opportunities and stop being such a big, you know, shy crybaby and actually embrace new challenges and look where it gets you. And the B plot is Mariner and oh, good grief. Help me out. Mariner and Rutherford. Oh, ransom. Marin Ransom. No, Mariner Ransom, actually learning a bit of self-respect for each other. And him then admitting at the end, yeah, I don't like it when you talk back to me and you don't respect me. And they both had carrot and payoff. So it's not just a load of fluff, you know, this material does have a point. Yeah, it's surprisingly. Fantastic, lower dicks. I'm surprised it doesn't get more acclaimed. And I think people like it. But I think people considering sort of what the less around of Cosmetric. Yeah, as if it's disposable. But I think maybe the best thing about Kurtzman Trek is that each show has its own identity, 90s trek is a bit of a piece, certainly in the look of it, and the way that it's produced and the way that it's directed, even if the approach is a little bit different on Deep Space 9 at least, they all kind of look the same. These shows are all set in different time periods. They all have different kind of genres and different approaches to serialisation. They all look incredible, but they all look vastly different. And I think that's really fun. That's the thing that I've liked most about this new golden age. Star Trek that we're experiencing. The best thing about lower decks is. This is nice trek with a budget, you know? Yeah. And although I did notice in that DS9 episode, you know, apart from that piss tape where they're going around the pylons in a nice sedate pace. They were actually shooting that episode. Sorry, they were doing the animation in the style of DS9. So they weren't trying to make it to the camera the camera work in inverted commas. wasn't too exciting or pacy. They were kind of doing a bit of and shoot down the promenade. And I thought, yeah, that's quite nice. Yeah, it's it's kind of very respectful for the of the past. But it also is very aware it's being made now. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, what do you think? Should we go in? I think we should. Let's do it. Oh, wait. Do you know what? I think this may be now my 2nd show. You know, I told you that TOS is when we roll a TOS. That's the one I get most excited about doing now. Because I'm discovering a lot about TOS that I just adore especially when I'm talking about it with you. I mean, boy, I've heard back, I'll travel a triple episode too many times now. But this is my 2nd favourite, I think now, when we get lower decks. Okay, as excited. It's really great. All right. Here goes. I'll count it in. Five, four, three, two, one, and we're off. So this itent that they do for all the new Star Trek shows, it's the Enterprise, like the original Enterprise from Strange New Worlds, normally, but for this show, it's the Cerritos. It's a, it's a, I've also been watching cartoon. Stranger movies as well. But we'll get into that another time. Yeah. So he is J.G. Hertzler. It's Marvel. Yes. And you know what? He's going. he's going full on Martok, isn't he? Well, you remember these games? Like you used to get like a videotape or something and it would be so they're kind of playing a role-playing game being Klingons and it's a sort of dice and board game, but it's got a video element as well. And look at that. They're all cosplaying, which is kind of delightful. And that's that just leading into the fact that Star Trek people are nerds, yeah. They are a bunch of geeks for them. That's what we love them. because they're us. Yeah exactly. You know what, right? I watched this episode with Marlborough. And apart from saying at the end, well, what the hell are you going to talk about that for 25 minutes? So the bit that made him laugh the most was at the end where Martok goes, if you want to keep playing this game, download the expansion pack. Yeah, pay extra. Oh, here we go. A strong contender for my favourite title sequence. Mm, I, my current favourite title sequence is Prodigy because the music is so amazing. Well, and all of the sort of the carrotal innings in that type of sequence as well. But I just love, I just, this has got like the sedate, um, you know, ship going across beautiful landscapes, but taking the piss out of it brilliantly. Yeah, yeah. So in series 3, we've added a crystalline entity to that show. We did have crystalline entities appear at the end of series two remember? No, it was in the episode that we did, isn't it? The one where that the assessment that woman comes on board and puts them all through the holodeck? Oh, go about. What about that alien sucking on the ass of the Sarita? What is it? I don't know. Oh, has there never been an episode with it? No, no. No, no, no. Look at that figure. The little figure in front of a computer holding the bat left up those little figures in the hex things. A Klingon woman holding her bat left aloft. Awesome. And they've got their D20 and everything. It's so great. I love the fact that um, boilers used to be a coward in the game and Martoc basically kills him. And then at the end of it, he chooses to be bold and say, wow, I've learned a lesson to be bold now. And he kills him anyway. Yeah, but he doesn't get like it's none of that sort of he ends up being a dentist or something. You know, like it's like it's not an honourable deaf in at the beginning because he tries to coward his way out of it. Because this is, I mean, this is where the plots come together isn't it? Like this intro kind of talks about the character issues. So Mariner has been put on probation and is being kind of ridden by ransom as a result of last week's episode, which was called grounded. And that's an ongoing plot here. And then bold Boimla. His decision to actually decide to do things rather than be a coward about them. That goes on for the rest of the series. and they're both introduced here Well, that drawing on the wall was all about. Can you see that? Of the 4 of them? No. No, the sequoia thing at the back? Yeah, I don't know what that is one of those things still previous episode. I think that's Tendi. Yeah, yeah, yeah. is them, isn't it? Because it's 2 red shirts and tandy is green with a blue shirt. I currently has got a dreadful, like, Klingon headpiece and wig on and may I say, I have seen worse cosplay in conventions. Yeah, it is terrible, it is terrible cosplay. So this is the thing that gets Boimler going. One of the minor characters from series one and two, who is a sort of pudgy Bolian, who is silly and gets into sort of like he's a sort of butt of comedy jokes and stuff. He's now been promoted to captain after his captain, was hit by a time thing and regressed into being a baby, which is just a normal thing that happens on Star Trek. That's every other board, isn't it? that's right. So now he's a now he's a captain. Oh, this way, it's a small caveat. The way they do that, they throw away these plots of dreadful 90s trailer episodes in one liners. Just makes me howl every time. So good. But it's always that thing too, that you sort of think, well, you know, like an individual Star Trek episode kind of makes sense in it on its own, but when you think about the fact that this is happening to them every week, you know, like or every 2 weeks something just preposterous and high concept happens, it's ridiculous and this absolutely plays into that. In the in the Voyager episode rise, that phenomenal classic that one day will get to. Um, the orbital weapon platform is uh, realised by a dodgy piece of CGI. And then when they're outside, it's them standing on a studio platform with this appalling cloud sky behind them, I mean, it looks so fake. We've come a long way, haven't we? Yeah. I mean, I actually have to say that I didn't think rise was quite as bad as I expected when I watched it recently. Well, you take that with Jerry Ryan then, all right? Yeah, yeah, it is terrible, but it has a sort of plot thing about how everyone is being mean to Neelix or how Tuvok in particular is being mean to Neelix and that's a... It's too late in the relationship for that to come. That should have been resolved by now. There, there's... Oh, my God. Don't you remember? They send these 2 down to the planet, don't they, to make contact with these people that are absolutely obsessed with health and well-being. And they worship a baby, a computer and a volcano. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, because there's a there's a line. It's like we think it's a, uh, you know, a sentient computer or a baby, like a psychic baby. It turns out it's both. Look at this hot guy who's off to play. Is that, what's that game? Is that spring ball? Oh, yeah, that's from Big Space. Bashir and O'Brien play it. episode about it. Oh, it's really boring. Have you seen it? Rivals? and you've got Cole Meaney in that kind of spandex? Yeah. Well, this guy looks better in that spandex. Oh, he does. So this is him being bold, boimless. So he immediately rejects the idea of going because they're sort of big and muscular and he's going to get beaten up. Here he is absolutely lying on the floor completely spent and beaten up and he impresses shacks. But you know what we love is how they managed to get him from one thing to another. So here is him screaming like a massive baby. So he goes, oh, we do these appalling Bajoran dirges. Why don't you come and join the choir. As a soprano. Jesus Christ. You hear it when they're all going, oh, my God. It's so funny. But you know what? weeping as well. Yeah, they're weeping and making that. Dreary noise. Do you know why? They're taking a piss out of all those dreary DS9 episodes. Bajor, aren't they? But the other thing too, did you see on the on the door of that room? It's designated choir room 3, which indicates that there's at least 2 other choir rooms. It's always that thing where, you know, on Star Trek, the next generation, they're having a string quartet because of course they are. Oh, he's Lundy, who's a creepy girl. Comes out of shadows. And what does he want him to do? can't remember. He says, what have you ever been painted in oil, wasn't he? Oh, yes. We need a skeletal boy. Doesn't he say we need a skeletal boy to model friend? I love the fact that in all of these Israel, every point where they're complimenting him, or basically want him on board. Everyone still insults him. Oh, you seem like a baby. Oh, you're a skinny kid, you know? That's right. Look at his arse. Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, he actually resolves the episode by taking off his shirt and they're so impressed by how ripped he is. Is he wrong? Did he turned on by cartoon? Nope, nope. Oh, I don't want to be right. Because I had strange falls at this episode. And look, so they kiss with tongue rather than shaking hands, which is just a reference to justice, isn't it? Like we, they say hello on the justice planet. It is justice, but there's also a race. in TNG where they're all coloured a bit orange. Do you remember? With white wig. So they're kind of they're kind of taken a piss out of every. And do you know what they're called? The Chualans. Yeah. So there is an episode. Did you see the episode where Billips's mother comes on board and tries to get him laid? That was hilariously good. She's got a spaceship. There's like an old-fashioned castle, wasn't she? Yeah, yeah. They're like mediaeval and it's run by sort of dragon energy. It was all stars. She sounds like this, wasn't she? I will I will make you have sex. She is someone really big, I think. I seem to remember that. It was so funny. Because there's a reference to that here because it's like, you know, don't get yourself made into a king Billips, because if Billips has sex, he has to take over the throne of his planet. And so he's down there with all of these hot people and he has to not have sex. I have to say, too, that the, she tries to get him laid by having a hot guy and a hot girl in his quarters. and they're both ridiculously hot and it's kind of like, wow, that's... I just, all I want to play above with is a warp core. So great. All right. So this guy, just saying, he goes, look, being in Starfleet isn't all about being fed exotic fruit by people with weirdly... Slightly different nose ridges. Even they've noticed, not his trek, but the latex is just a little bit different every week. Well, do you remember last time when we did Darkling, they were like Bajorans only with slightly different nose ridges? Like, it's absolutely that. You watched Warlord, where they had the extra nostril. Lots of extra nostrils. So this guy is great. So we have had races that exist for the hunt and I think, you know the Hirogen, the kind of main ones. And I think we may have seen Hirogen in Kurtzman Trekken, maybe even in this, but Cranch, who is much scarier. Isn't that great animation? I just think it's so simple. what it reminds me of. It reminds me of a character from Tron. He's got those sort of, you know, those neon bars all over him. Yeah, yeah. But he's so witty as well. I love the bit where it is chasing her through the corridor and the captain goes, oh, yeah, I had a marvellous brunch with him earlier. He's quite a charmer, you know. But they made up, remember? She actually, while he's being hunted. She runs into him and has a chat with him about brunch and stuff. It's just adorable. So and then it turns out he's even more terrifying. The whole thing is basically the move-along home twist, isn't it? It's like no one, he wasn't in danger at all. Although he does get stabbed and he does suffer permanent nerve damage in his shoulder from being stabbed, but it was all worth it. She said my shoulder might never be the same again, but... Do you notice that the people who serve in the Cerrito spa are wearing the outfit that that guy wears in lower decks, the Star Trek, the Next Generation episode? Didn't, but I can see it now. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Do you know what? I always forget about that. I always forget that was the basically the progenitor of this show wasn't it? Yeah. Well, it's again, it's 4 characters, isn't it? Yeah, so Gower, the Bajoran, the dreadful one is trying to suck up to Riker all the time and then the barkeeper guy, yeah. No, no, no, no. There's a, the barkeeper is the 5th one. The other ones are Vulcan, remember? Oh, yeah. Oh, very serious. He's played by the same guy who plays Vorrick in Vorrick. Voyager. It's not Vorrick, but it's the same actor. Gosh, it's good. It's really good episode. Oh, look. So what happened is they went into the temple or something, but they weren't showing their belly buttons, and so now they're trying to get out of it. They literally holding up their uniform, aren't they? Yeah, yeah. But I think, I think one of them has an outie that really upsets them, uh, upsets the Du Orleans or whatever. So, and all of this is just really terrific, isn't it? Because just to make a point, ransom hasn't allowed her to go down and, you know, she would solve the problem and even ransom. I mean, when they do go down, they do solve the problem and they're doing the things that obviously Billips and Rutherford should be doing. Look at this guy. So he's sleeping hanging from the seat. No, he's not. He looks so terrifying. He's really good. And now he's smearing his face with blood or red paint or something. This was the other time. I've laughed in the episode. It was a bit where he came it was going across the ceiling. He just came. And I thought you couldn't have an original corridor scene in Star Trek anymore, but no, there's lower decks. They can afford to have them go on the ceiling in a way that they couldn't in a minute for this piece of animation where she dives off the platform. is extraordinary. Like I was like, there must be there must have been like some computer. Yeah, I know they're always CGI as well, don't they, in this? Yeah. Do you know what? His vocal performance is so funny, even when he screams, he makes me laugh. hilarious. Yeah, that's it going along the ceiling. And I love... Oh yeah, that woman who opens the door and then she just shuts it again. Fuck me. Get involved. And did you see the original one then with the um, with the dolphins? I think it's towards the end of series one. And it's super weird. It's a little bit like having the Tardigrade in early discovery but they've got a whole system of things that is run by dolphins which is hilarious. Here we go. Dolphins. That guy is such a drama magnet. When the episode ended, Mahock turned to me and he went, what were the dolphins all about? No, but you know me and you know I like I like it when Star Trek does non-humanoid characters. Yeah. Even when they didn't get it quite right in Enterprise. When they tried the turtles, I do really like that in series 3 events. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no in the insectoids and stuff. Imagine her having dinner with that hulking great monster. No, but look, look, look how genial. Look at the conversation that they have now. Thanks again for the mimosas. And then he's like, wow. Yeah, here we go. So Lieutenant Billips is the one who had an outie and that's really upset them. And so now he's being dragged off to be thrown into a volcano. And even that, you know, when we go down, when we're on the planet and we actually see them like atop the volcano. The animation there as well was visually stunning. Like, this is not a fair budget, right? Lower days. Yeah, I mean, it's good. The animation is really sort of properly good. I mean, I expect it does. I mean, you and I, you know, Doctor Who's been animated, the lost episodes have been animated. And boy, 0 boy, I mean, nothing like this, does it? They're rough. Yeah, they don't have much of a budget. Oh, here we go. Here we go. Yeah, yeah. She's going over the edge. Oh, and it's so funny because she gets halfway down and then he says to her, right, I'm sorry. I should have we should have gone down to the planet to help them. She's already halfway down in her sky suit. So I just got to climb up the bloody... It's so exciting, isn't it? Here we go. Yeah, she has to climb up. climb up the entire bloody tower just to pretend as if she hasn't jumped off. It's so funny. It's really good character stuff too, isn't it? Because the thing with Mariner is she's so competent, she's so incredibly good at everything and usually much better at everything than the person who's giving her orders. And so her, you know, what she's always tempted to do is just take it into her own hands and she's constantly getting trouble for that. And she's done that. Ooh, ow. You know, people that made me laugh, though. made me laugh out loud. It wasn't so much her climbing back up, although it was funny. It was the gag where it's like, right, come on, we're going, you know, we can't, the platform's not working. We're gonna have to use the suits. And then when she's going down, she's she's snoring because she's knackered. Yeah, calming back out. And then it wakes her up because the parachute shoots her up in the air. Yeah, yeah. So good. And I said to you before, you know, I don't know. I don't know if I said it to you when we were doing a 90s trek episode or when we were doing a lower decks episode. How much they pack into 22.5 minutes. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's what I really love about it. You know, like I love show going for 20 something minutes. I just watched all of the end of Prodigy and just, you know, like it's just in and out and lots of things happen and you can't get bored. I think it's a good time. A good 90s trek episode. You know, it will use its time extremely well and intelligently to explore its ideas, but we've watched enough where we're like, yeah this could do with being 22.5 in this long. Quite a few we've done on this, you know. So the hunter has become the hunted. No, the hunter. Yeah, that's right. as usual. Oh, God. And that's the other thing about this. It's so violent, isn't it? It's like amazingly violent. It's spectacularly violent sometimes. very graphic. Like, we keep coming back to him, but blood just keeps spurting out of the wound. Yeah, I know. It's not gonna make me die here. Not only was him taking the selfie for the boys back home. Yeah, yeah. But it was when he goes, I've got some notes for you. It's that the thing where he's holding out this thing which we think he's going to use to finish him off with, but in fact, it's just his selfie stick. Like, I think that's... You know, if you're going to become the hunter, you know, don't do it too much or at least do something in opposite with it, you know? But again, look, now he does get in with a cat. Oh, look at that, the one more for the boys back home, which is him taking a photo of himself and Boheem unconscious, stabbed by just... So that's that plot effectively done, isn't it? So we've got some time now with the other. And that's the other thing. They pace these things brilliantly. I think they know when enough is enough, you know? Yeah. Well, this is very near the end. Like, I know there's a lot to do, but basically it's just the climactic scene, um, you know, down on the planet in front of the volcano. Yeah, here we go. He's skydiving down again. Yeah, sorry. Sorry, it took me so long. I had to pop to the little boys' room. Yeah, yeah. It's so funny too, and it's that usual cartoon thing where she's sweating and clearly exhausted and he doesn't notice, of course because, you know, that's kind of the whole point. where she's snoring. And you're right. Look, so actually, it's not her as competent this time, is it? He realises this is the one time he can be massively competent because he's so ripped, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they respect his wellness. So all he has to do is he show. Look how beautiful he is. Yeah. Yeah. The psychic baby. The baby's got the voice. Like the evil computers from original Star Trek. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There was some, was it ransom criticising them for just it being too much, like it's a censured baby and, did you notice? you think that's overkill or something? Yeah, yeah. See the sun thing? So there's a sun symbol that appears on all of the things. It's on the computer. It's everywhere on the thing. And that's a belly button, it turns out. Like that's... Well, no, even the sort of the hole of the altar there. It was like a big fan as well. Yeah, they've got their belly buttons painted. There's ransom. We get a shot just up his sweaty pocket. Oh my god. He can bounce me like a baseball any day. I'm telling you now. Jerry O'Connell, honestly. Move over Captain Archer. There's a new alpha male in town. Yeah, absolutely. I really like ransom because he's also kind of an idiot. Well, do you know what's a joy as well, is because these are short episodes, yeah, is that they can just do these like blinking your missing climaxes. like, you know, just throw away climaxes. Yeah, well, you know, we kind of be going, oh, really? We've done 45 minutes for that. No, actually here we've done what, maybe 8.5 minutes on this plot. That's fine. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, save it for your personal log, man. You were you were really impressive down there. That's nice Yeah. Yeah, that is kind of nice. But yes, he's being a dick about it and she's, there we go. So ransom's a dick and I hate him. She says that she walks back in. He's flicking, his muscles going, yeah, I was pretty impressive wasn't I? Oh, see, now look, we've got a bookend scene, which is where we started with them playing the game. Yeah, yeah. kids what we learned this week. Yeah. Well, exactly that, but that is literally it. Um, that they are careful because this is a cartoon. I think because it's part of a kind of genre that you have to have learned something through an episode and they're careful to do that every week. I think that might have been a comment on J.G. Hearst's performance, you know, where she said, they've really programmed this with full intense Martoc mode, haven't they? Yeah. He didn't tend to nauseous teeth quite a lot, didn't he? He's so great. I don't do a bad Martok, you know. So, oh, no, it's so he does die dishonourably as he walks into the bar and demands blood wine. He gets killed and it's a dishonourable death, but he doesn't care. It's a dishonourable death because you died by your own hand because it's been ripped off and strangled you. So is the Sequoia must be there, um, shuttle. They're like, they've drawn on the actual shuttle. I do have a bit of a scrub up. Yeah, yeah. So, concerts, I love it a bit, isn't he? Hertz was in it a few times. So he plays one of the aliens in a mathematically perfect redemption as well. So he's not just playing Martoc. They do get him back to do other staff. So good. I just know it's fun. I'm gonna say something that's not about the episode at all. Do you remember that beginning, right? I think it sums up lower decks beautifully, where they're standing outside the ship in space suits. And then they zoom off without... It goes off without them. They'll never go off without us. Yeah. And then it says, oh, well, Kendi, Kendi, ever the optimist goes well, I'm sure they'll be back in 5 minutes, isn't it? 6.5 hours later. and they've all nearly died of oxygen starvation. Yeah, yeah. all in Sick Bay. You know, I think it really, truly... It does something really exceptional in that it... It takes all of that madness from 90s trick and so much. I look at darkling, the Jekyll and Hyde episode, which was, you know, fucking absurd, but nobody's laughing at how absurd is, you know? And it's almost easy to cherry pick absurd things from 90s trick and bring them into this show. And they're just running with it. I mean, I think it's gone from a strength to strength. One was good, 2 was better from what I've seen of free. It's the best so far. I've not seen to the end of three. So I don't know what the 2nd half of that season's like yet. Yeah. well, I mean, it's great. It is, of course, just superb. So, yeah, yeah, very exciting. Does it surprise you that I prefer this to something like discovery, which is technically like the Star Trek, the flagship. No, not really. I mean, I watched this. I've certainly rewatched this more than I rewatched Discovery, and Discovery's a little bit of an investment, and it's hard to dip in and out because it's so serialised, and the stakes are high, and sometimes it veers into being a bit overwrought. But it looks fantastic and, you know, the cast are really incredible and like I think it has done some incredible storytelling, particularly in the last couple of years. But this is so watchable and so bingeable. It's the Star Trek more than any other Star Trek that I just go back and watch because it's so much fun. Like just comfort viewing. Yeah. I mean, I always pondered the question because I've got 2 massive loves and that's Doctor Who and Star Trek. And I prefer Doctor Who. And I've been thinking about that lately. Why do I prefer Doctor Who Star Trek? And I think it's the humour. I think it's the fact that it has a sense of humour, like not always, but mostly, and it does take the Mickey out of out of its kind of crazier ideas. So this version of Star Trek is just custom built for me, because it is all the wonderful stuff I love about it, character development, and I, you know, I love the characters, there's very little technobabble in this, so hurrah, um, all the madness and fucking insanity of people turning into lizards and things like that from 90s trick. And a massive dollar perfumer. I mean, yeah, yeah, it's paid for me. And just some great characters and great performances too. Yeah, it's a winner. Yeah. It's a whatever. All right, it's time for us to pick what we're going to do next time, and next time is going to be a very special episode, I think. And do you want to tell everyone why that is? First time ever, since you and I have come into contact with each other. We will be recording together as you win your way all the way over from Australia to, I can't believe I was saying these words out loud, Eastbourne in England. Yep, my gender tourist destination East. Oh, you are, you are well excited about coming here. Don't you pretend numberwise? I really am. Yeah. We'll be together. We'll be together. Yeah. Yeah, for the 1st time ever. So that's going to be just amazing. And we are going to take a bit of a break because I'm going to be away for about 3 months, but we will record while we're together and put one out then and I'm really looking forward to that. So this will be sitting on the same couch watching an episode of goodness knows what. What have you chosen for us? Well, I'm sorry, as ever, I've gone down in the easy room, just put it on. Because I like that. Okay. I like the fact that when the choices come up, that's so diverse. Yeah, okay. All right. Well, let's let's go. Let's see what we're going to watch and pass on. you ready? Oh, dear God. It might have to be this one. Oh my god. Oh, goodness. Where we'll end up with that so far. I don't know after watching this. Your random Star Trek, the next generation episode is season one episode eight. Justice. Oh, yes, absolutely. That'll be 2 episodes in a row where we meet aliens who kiss you instead of saying hello. Well, I think we should cosplay. We should get some Kleenex out and dress up. Oh, bring the baby oil. Don't worry. I shall put a nappy on for the occasion. Holy crap. That's brilliant. We absolutely have to do it, you know, with deadly nightshade. I can use. Okay, good. Honestly, we could perfect. whole episode. Yeah, yeah. And do any of your neighbours have a greenhouse or anything that we can sort of crash into? I do. Yes, they do. Yep. I think they're growing weed and not plants, but you know, never mind. Okay, well, we'll get high while we're doing it. Oh, Nathan, can you think of a more perfectly awful episode to watch together? We've been longing for a series one episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. We've done series two, which was a terribly boring episode Manhunt but this, I mean, obviously, they mentioned this episode, every other week on lower decks, it's so iconically terrible. I mean, everybody's like bottom five, TNGs, doesn't it? Oh, God. I can't have watched it for decades. That's brilliant. Out us with the quote then from Beverly Crusher. Yeah, oh yes, go on. The eater want to execute my son. I will not allow that to happen, Jean-Luc. She is the worst before. you're ever going to say in the Star Trek episode. This is going to be great. Oh, I cannot wait. in person. amazing. I've been listening to entitled Star Trek Project with Joe Ford and Nathan Bottomley. We're online at Untitled Star Trek Project.com, where you can find links to our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel. Our podcast artwork is by Kayla Ciceran, and the theme was composed by Cameron Lamb. This episode was recorded on the 30th of January 2023 and released on the 30th of January. We'll see you next time in person for Star Trek the Next Generation, Justice. I didn't watch any more strange new whales, but I did... really like... I really like the 1st gall one. I thought that was good, isn't it? It's a bit like... The fact is, you know, about fuck, no, fuck what happens in it. Like they're just chased by the ship. It's like, it's nothing we ain't seen a 1000000 times before. It's just so well done. Oh, and the transporter, pretty transported Chief Kyle lost his the guy who was hitting on him, got killed, remember? Oh, yeah. And Spock and Mock was good, but I thought the best part of Spock and Mock was those 2 on the ship trying to do that. Bingo was just... Oh, it was so fun. Amazing. The names who don't know how to have fun. But I love Spock and Mark. Like, I just thought, oh, shit, we can do body swap stories because heard about intruder is canon, so it's a thing that can happen in the Star Trek universe. And just that thing where one of them says to the captain, oh you'll be able to tell from my completely different demeanour that I'm not really Spock or whatever. Yeah, it was it was really fun. That was really fun as well. Um, man, that virus one was so boring. I turned it off 2 thirds of the way through. I can't even remember what happened. It's really a good B plot. It's... Oh, I can't remember. I just, I remember, there was a lot of, it reminded me of the worst excess of 90s track, that one. like babble or something like that. Yeah. But it seems like for me, it's just like, let's do that with these production values and on these sets and I just think that's enough for me. I wouldn't want to do that. pretty sheen over a very dreary episode. Pretty is good though. Freddy's important. Yeah, yeah. No, it was good. It was good. All right, let's get going because I have to rush. Okay. This is going to go. So did you all start with Amazon original, yeah? Or no? Paramount original? Yeah, it starts with the ID. Okay, so... Yeah, yeah. Yep, yeah. Let me just go back a little bit. Okay, yes, obviously, yeah, I'm also the idea. Brilliant. Okay. Whose son is it to press the button? Yours. It's been so long, I've forgotten. Okay, great. is it mine? When you're here. All right, all right. I will tell people that too at the end. Let's talk about the end. Yeah. All right. Am I recording? Definitely getting better signal. I mean, I mean, it's a little fuzzy at times. it's not pausing. Yeah, and it will get better. that's the important thing, isn't it? It'll get better, I think, too. Like sometimes when it starts, it's fuzzy and then it gets better. All right. Hey, Joe. Hi.