Episode 11
Friday 14 January 2022
Star Trek: The Original Series
Series 3, Episode 1
Stardate: 5431.4
First broadcast on Friday 20 September 1968
A young woman wearing fabulous boots materialises on the Enterprise, renders the crew unconscious, and then removes Spock’s brain. And soon we discover — to our horror — that everyone else involved in making this episode has had their brain removed as well.
Episode 10
Friday 7 January 2022
Star Trek: Prodigy
Series 1, Episode 3
Stardate: Unknown (2383)
First broadcast on Thursday 4 November 2021
Star Trek welcomes a whole new generation into its ranks, as Dal, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Pog, Murf and their prisoner Gwyn become the new crew of the USS Protostar. Their first mission: to accidentally set course for a black hole, to learn to work together as a crew, and to come to appreciate the value of good advice. And, of course, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Episode 9
Friday 31 December 2021
Star Trek: Voyager
Series 3, Episode 4
Stardate: 50252.3
First broadcast on Wednesday 25 September 1996
When the Doctor’s hard drive starts to fill up with opera, romantic relationships and all the complex glories of being human, he finds himself increasingly unable to fulfil his function as Voyager’s Chief Medical Officer — instead becoming a heartbreaking analogue of your dad suffering from dementia. Also, a bunch of space things happen that we couldn’t possibly care about.
Episode 8
Friday 24 December 2021
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Series 2, Episode 8
Stardate: Unknown (2381)
First broadcast on Thursday 30 September 2021
It’s Star Trek’s most terrifying crew evaluation since Coming of Age: the crew of the USS Cerritos confront a ridiculous alien from Star Trek: The Animated Series, the Terran Empire, medical ethics, an unconvincing Old West set on the Paramount lot, the plot of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Borg, complex strings of water molecules which acquire carbon from the body and act on the brain like alcohol, hexagonal crates in the cargo bay, and the plot of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. But more than anything, they confront the need to work together and respect each other. Because this is — and of course it is — Star Trek.
Episode 7
Friday 17 December 2021
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7, Episode 4
Stardate: Unknown (2375)
First broadcast on Wednesday 21 October 1998
When passive-aggressive Vulcan racist Captain Solok arrives on Deep Space Nine and challenges Sisko to some kind of sportsball game, a series of hilarious training montages ensues, followed by a Very Important Lesson about how utterly adorable Rom is. Bless.
Episode 6
Friday 10 December 2021
Star Trek: Enterprise
Series 1, Episode 4
Stardate: Unknown (2151)
First broadcast on Wednesday 10 October 2001
After the crew of Enterprise decide to ignore the advice of their only competent crewmember, they find themselves on a very routine away mission on a very unremarkable planet, exhibiting behaviour that would embarass the most racist of your racist uncles. Turns out that at the end of the day, it hasn’t been such a long road getting from there to here.
Episode 5
Friday 3 December 2021
Star Trek: The Original Series
Series 1, Episode 10
Stardate: 1512.2
First broadcast on Thursday 10 November 1966
Tensions are running high this week, as the Enterprise is attacked by a series of regular geometric solids and the bridge crew’s morale starts to crack under the pressure. Is this a ropey and glacially paced moment of disposable 60s TV, or the beginning of something indescribably magical?
Episode 4
Friday 26 November 2021
Star Trek: Discovery
Series 3, Episode 4
Stardate: Unknown (3189)
First broadcast on Thursday 5 November 2020
It’s been 1,183 years since Rick Berman left Star Trek, and so it’s time for two new queer characters to join the Discovery family — Trill host Adira Tal and their adorable boyfriend and former host Gray Tal — in an episode all about the importance of connection and belonging.
Episode 3
Friday 19 November 2021
Star Trek: Voyager
Series 7, Episode 12
Stardate: 54452.6
First broadcast on Wednesday 24 January 2001
It’s our first trip to the Delta Quadrant, and we have questions that need answering. Is B’Elanna’s father a massive racist or just a regular-sized racist? Which is more convincing: Tom and B’Elanna’s baby or an 8472 in a well-lit room? And can we maintain focus all the way through a 45-minute episode of Voyager without a single space anomaly?
Episode 2
Friday 12 November 2021
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 3, Episode 3
Stardate: Unknown (2371)
First broadcast on Monday 10 October 1994
In this week’s episode of Family Ties, when Quark (Michael J Fox) lies about his involvement in the death of a belligerent Klingon customer, he finds himself threatened, hauled off to Qo’nos, forcibly married, and required to defend the honour of his house before the High Council with a combination of Excel spreadsheets and extreme physical cowardice. Will he learn a Very Important lesson about the dangers of greed? (Spoilers: no.)