Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Saddle Up! 17: Schrödinger’s Mixed Bag of Story Elements
“Lost in Translation.” We continue Season 2 as we discuss humor in Star Trek, writing in a modern vernacular, overshadowing important commentary, character arcs, and more.
Saddle Up! 16: Mental Gymnastics
“Charades.” We continue Season 2 as we discuss humor in Star Trek, writing in a modern vernacular, overshadowing important commentary, character arcs, and more.
Saddle Up! 15: Definitely Not the Oatmeal
“Among the Lotus Eaters.” We continue Season 2 as we discuss the story’s perhaps overlooked social commentary, connections to Homer's Odyssey and past Star Trek, the TOS feel of the presentation, Spock’s choices, and a puzzling Prime Directive moment.
Saddle Up! 14: Seams in the Bunny Suit
“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.” We continue Season 2 as we discuss how the story evolves, La’an’s struggles with identity, Paul Wesley's Kirk, playing with history, Khan’s pivotal role, shifting the timeline, and more.
Saddle Up! 13: An Illyrian Enigma
“Ad Astra per Aspera.” We continue Season 2 as we discuss a story that questions the Federation’s commitment to IDIC, examine real-word struggles to avoid discrimination, and debate how the case against Illyrians fits into the existing story of genetic modification within Star Trek.
Saddle Up! 12: Kung Fu Juice!
“The Broken Circle.” We kick off Season 2 with a look at the unexpected start, character moments, the writers’ flirtation with canon, some confusion at the very top over where the series falls on the Star Trek timeline, and why it doesn't really matter when you have stories that are so much fun.
Literary Treks 360: Wagon Train to the Stars
John Jackson Miller: The High Country. We discuss the timeline, the genesis, an event novel, as utopia's turn, willful blindness, everyone is trapped, you can't stop time, technology, use of characters, everything means something, what's next for John and our final thoughts.
![The Ready Room 234: When You Orb an Orb [Anything Is Possible] Post feature image](/content/images/size/w1200/format/webp/2025/01/trr-234-th-wide.jpg)
The Ready Room 234: When You Orb an Orb [Anything Is Possible]
The State of Star Trek 2022. We discuss each of the “modern” series, dig into the fan split over old and new, and imagine what new series might be on the horizon. We also debate the pros and cons of the streaming model for storytelling and how Star Trek and Star Wars are pushing each other forward.
Saddle Up! 11: The Alternate Terror
“A Quality of Mercy.” We explore how this new story reinforces the importance of TOS as the foundation of Star Trek as we know it, how it highlights the pivotal roles of Kirk, Spock, and Pike, and ask whether the series is leading us to a soft reboot.
Saddle Up! 10: Hulk Spock and Hemhura
“All Those Who Wander.” We explore the reimagining of the Gorn and Star Trek as a platform for horror, as well as the added emotional texture for Spock and the departure of Hemmer.
Saddle Up! 9: A Cloud Called Debra
“The Elysian Kingdom.” We debate going to this Trek trope so early in the run of a series limited to 10 episodes per season, delve into the resolution of the plotline involving Doctor M’enga’s daughter Rukiya, and discuss the choice to make Benny Russell a real person in the Star Trek universe.
Saddle Up! 8: Vulcan Affairs
“The Serene Squall.” We explore Spock’s struggle with identity, the rich world building of Vulcan affairs that will transform how viewers read “Amok Time” and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and the trajectory of the Spock–Chapel relationship. We may also do pirate imitations.