Tue, 20 June 2017
Conspiracy. Is it possible to follow the council given to not trust anyone? Isn't this the exact type of phrase given to breed mistrust? Friendship is built on trust and how can you take risks for your friends if you don't trust them? Picard takes a very calculated move to trust his crew and find evidence of this conspiracy within Starfleet Command. But his decisions nearly get his crew under the control of the alien invaders. |
Tue, 13 June 2017
The Drumhead. In any organization, it is good to fix what is broken. But what if nothing is broken and you are still looking for a problem? Captain Picard must find the saboteur after an explosion in engineering and information leaks to the Romulans. Starfleet sends in Admiral Satie to assist Picard. Her determination is relentless. She continues her search even after the resolution of the problems have been found and ends up calling Captain Picard a traitor to the Federation. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson with special guest Patrick Devlin discuss "The Drumhead." This profound episode reveals the true nature of witch hunts. We explore the background of drumhead trials which adds to the meaning of this story. We can see their effects portrayed in Worf as he gets caught up in the frenzy of suspicion. We recognize the need to be ever diligent against extreme suspicion as Picard warns throughout the entire episode. Chapters Intro (00:01:18) The Drumhead (00:02:56) Witch Hunt (00:04:31) Emotional Admiral (00:06:45) Worf (00:10:15) Enterprise Connection (00:15:20) Betazoid Investigator (00:18:35) Guilty Until Proven Innocent (00:25:15) Pigeon Hole (00:29:18) Drumhead Meaning (00:33:22) Fancy Dresses (00:36:17) Power Play (00:40:45) POTFM (00:47:45) Patron (00:49:04) Closing (00:51:24) Runtime 53 minute 53 seconds Hosts Richard Marquez Amy Nelson Guests Patrick Devlin Production Richard Marquez (Editor and Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) Lee Hutchison (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) |
Tue, 6 June 2017
Ensign Ro. Ensign Ro Laren was introduced in season 5 of The Next Generation and was a recurring role until the end of the series. She came on in part to replace Wesley Crusher at the conn station, but also to be at odds with the main characters. Her character definitely pushed the envelope with each of the main characters and she proves to be an irreplaceable character. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson with special guest Justin Oser discuss Ensign Ro's character and personality within the Enterprise-D. We highlight each episode she appears in and how she interacts with the crew. By looking at the span of episodes over a three year period, we recognize her character's growth and development and how she adds a richness to the series. Chapters Into (00:01:19) First Impressions (00:03:00) Ensign Ro (00:09:05) Disaster (00:17:10) Conundrum (00:24:54) Power Play (00:34:04) Cause and Effect (00:41:59) The Next Phase (00:48:02) Rascals (00:54:58) Pre-Emptive Strike (01:02:00) Final Thoughts (01:11:35) POTFM (01:16:39) Patreon (01:17:57) Contact (01:20:20) Duration Running Time: 1 hour 27 minutes 57 seconds Hosts Amy Nelson and Richard Marquez Guest Justin Oser Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 30 May 2017
Parallels. The ideas of alternate timelines and multiverses are fantastically combined in "Parallels." Worf goes through a quantum fissure on his return from a bat'leth tournament causing him to quantum flux between several parallel universes. It is only through the matching of his RNA that allows him to be returned to his correct universe. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Lee Hutchison, and Amy Nelson discuss the seventh season episode "Parallels." We identify the different sets and uniforms used to differentiate between parallel universes, the exponential nature of parallel universes based on choices made, and what choices warrant a break from the timeline. We also comment on the validity of the Worf/Troi relationship introduced so late in the series. Chapters Into (00:00:17) Parallels (00:02:48) Favorite Scenes (00:03:43) Other Realities (00:06:45) Commentaries (00:09:26) Cause and Effect (00:16:45) Classwork (00:20:22) Worf’s Confidence (00:24:38) Worf and Troy (00:27:00) How are we wrong Amy? (00:29:47) Troy and Riker (00:37:46) Brandon Braga (00:40:06) Budget Savings (00:43:20) Cardassians (00:44:29) Closing Thoughts (00:46:45) POTFM (00:55:15) Patreon (00:56:36) Contact (00:58:57) Hosts Lee Hutchison, Amy Nelson, and Richard Marquez Production Richard Marquez (Editor and Producer) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 23 May 2017
Movie Trailer Reviews. The Star Trek franchise has both TV series and movies. With each movies comes great anticipation and furthers the story of our beloved crews. Standard Orbit has previously reviewed the movie trailers for Star Trek movies I - VII and for the reboot movies, which can be found here: http://trek.fm/standard-orbit/127, http://trek.fm/standard-orbit/128. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Lee Hutchison, and Amy Nelson discuss the movie trailers for Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis. We look at each theatrical trailer of each movie and decide if it still holds up after all these years. Generations: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mfBbpyiK7ds Chapters Hosts
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Tue, 16 May 2017
Spock's Brain vs Shades of Grey. "Spock's Brain" has gone down in history as one of the worst hours of genre television ever made, and one that Leonard Nimoy himself said was the first time he's ever felt embarrassed while playing the character. "Shades of Grey" is not that far behind as being considered one of the worst of TNG. The writing for both shows is lacking creativity and ingenuity as evidenced by the use of the word "brain" being said 37 times and a clip show that uses a flimsy medical excuse to cover 17 episodes over a two season run. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez, Lee Hutchison, and Amy Nelson with special guest Ken Tripp from Standard Orbit discuss these two episodes. We look into what makes these two infamously maligned episodes so very interesting to talk about. From uniforms, lazy writing, and acting, we delve into both episodes to uncover the positive attributes of ideas and morals. Chapters Intro (00:01:16) Ken! (00:02:14) Standard Orbit good new (00:03:10) Spock’s Brain (00:04:30) Riker’s Brain (00:08:57) Pulaski (00:11:04) Brains? (00:13:43) Wigs (00:19:12) Spock’s Brain rewatch (00:20:34) Thinking for themselves (00:23:38) Clip Art Show (00:26:34) Angry Troi? (00:36:00) Writing a Doctor (00:37:56) Closing (00:41:01) POTFM (00:41:20) Patron (00:43:37) Contact (00:45:58) Duration Running Time: 49 minutes 12 seconds Hosts Lee Hutchison, Amy Nelson, and Richard Marquez Guest Ken Tripp Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 9 May 2017
Mental Health and Counselling. One of the stand out additions to the Enterprise-D bridge crew when Star Trek returned to television was a ships counsellor . The addition of a counsellor to the crew was a very bold step and reflected the attitudes of the 1980s towards therapy and sharing your feelings. Did The Next Generation's use of a counsellor and episodes tackling mental health help tackle the taboo of discussing mental health? Or did the use of Guinan as a confidenant with a cocktail reflect the type of therapy that many would prefer. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Lee Hutchison are joined by Duncan Barrett from Trek.fm's Primitive Culture to discuss how The Next Generation views mental health and the role of the ships counsellor. The team discuss their views and experiences of counselling and if the approach used in the series actually would help the Enterprise crewmembers. Richard looks at how counselling is used in the Armed Forces and if it echoes how it is used on a starship. Note: There is a minor audio issue in the first nine minutes of this episode. Feature Hosts Guest Production |
Tue, 2 May 2017
Picard as Captain. Leadership styles come in many different forms and types and each captain adds their own flare to this job. So, how does Captain Picard rate? He tends to be more distant and professional until the very last episode when he joins the crew for a game of poker. However, we learn more about Picard's hobbies, talents and interests than we do the other captains. But, does this make him more personable or relatable? Picard pushes his crew to be their best, yet is this his only responsibility as captain? In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson are joined with Patrick Devlin to discuss Jean Luc Picard as a captain. We look at the other captains within the franchise and discuss their leadership styles. When following a commanding officer, boss or principal, which is type of leadership is preferred? One who is task-oriented or one who is more social? Chapters Introduction (00:00:38) Captain Picard (00:01:22) Comparing Captains (00:04:20) Caring for a crew (00:06:30) Hotel Enterprise (00:12:38) Relationships on a Starship (00:17:00) Favorite Commander (00:21:37) Mature Captains (00:35:00) Growing Captains (00:38:00) All Good Things (00:49:15) Closing (00:57:45) Patron (00:59:35) Contact (01:01:44) Duration Running Time: 1 hour 3 minutes 18 seconds Hosts Amy Nelson and Richard Marquez Guest Patrick Devlin Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 25 April 2017
Unsung Episodes: Season 3. Every season of The Next Generation has episodes that get overlooked or ignored. Well, not here and not today. Most fans will quickly identify "Who Watches the Watchers," "Yesterday's Enterprise," and "Best of Both Worlds Part I" as being their favorite episodes from season three. So, if we set those episodes aside, which other episodes should we celebrate and recognize from this season? In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison list their three unsung episodes from season three. Each host puts up a good defense on why their chosen episodes should be among the fan favorites or at least viewed with a fresh perspective devoid of preconceived perceptions. Unsung Episodes is a series that will continue through 2017 highlighting each season in honor of the thirty-year anniversary of TNG. Chapters Introduction - (00:00:38) Brainstorming - (00:02:08) First Choice - (00:04:00) Second Choice - (00:09:17) Terrorism - (00:10:45) Allegiance - (00:20:47) TOS Crossover - (00:24:00) Klingons - (00:26:45) Q vs Kevin - (00:32:23) Closing - (00:44:56) POTFM - (00:45:05) Patreon - (00:46:29) Contact - (00:48:36) Closing - (00:49:55) Hosts Amy Nelson, Richard Marquez, and Lee Hutchison Production Richard Marquez (Editor) Lee Hutchison (Producer) Amy Nelson (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Michael E. Hueter (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
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Tue, 18 April 2017
The Game. Most kids can relate to having favorite video games and playing these games for hours on end. It is easy to spend days and weeks trying to beat the game and take it to its end when you are young and have few responsibilities. However in this episode of "The Game," this premise is twisted around so the adults are chronically playing the game while Wesley is left to figure out why. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Richard Marquez and Amy Nelson with special guest Bruce Gibson from Literary Trek, discuss season 5 "The Game". We all agree that Robin Lefler is amazing, Troi eating her chocolate fudge sundae is a serious endeavor, and addiction comes in many different forms. As a side note, "The Game" was the first episode to air after Gene Roddenberry's death on Oct 24, 1991. Chapters Duration Hosts Guest Production |
