Single Use Sets.

The U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, is one of the largest starships in 24th century Starfleet. It makes sense that viewers only got to see certain sections of the ship during its seven years on television. In this episode, Darren, Daniel, and Phillip go through the various parts of the ship (and re-dressed sets) that were only rarely seen. From the seldom used battle bridge (with its accompanying Ensign Miles O'Brien action figure) to the torpedo bay featured in the episode "In Theory," these sets were used as other ship rooms throughout TNG and other Star Trekincarnations. The trio also explore the sensor maintenance room ("Lonely Among Us"), the warp nacelle interior ("Eye of the Beholder"), the planetary sciences lab ("Pen Pals"), and the gymnasium, which was often used for patri-combat purposes ("The Icarus Factor").  

This tour of one-off locations also includes the docking port seen in "11001001" and the battle bridge access turbolift. Earl Grey ends up discovering a ship-wide rivalry that literally splits the ship into half, causing all to choose a side. Join this episode for the "blink and you miss it" parts of our favorite Galaxy-class starship as the once used sets of Next Gen are discussed.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

The Trial.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the few Trek series to begin and end with the same story - being put on trial by Judge Q. "Encounter at Farpoint" inaugurates the seven seasons of TNG on television with the accusation that humanity is a "dangerous, savage, child race." While the two-hour pilot attempts to refute that charge, the missions of the Enterprise-D can be seen through the lens of those accusations. The finale of "All Good Things..." sees Judge Q telling Captain Jean-Luc Picard that the trial never reached a verdict ... until now, and that humanity is found guilty of being "inferior." Once again, the Next Gen crew must solve a puzzle, one that spans three different time periods, in order to prove that humanity has indeed evolved.

Daniel, Darren, and Phillip join the jury in examining how Q's trial informs what we learn from our favorite Trek series. Do we believe this crew best represents 24th Century humanity? And does humanity simply refer to Terrans or to all of the flagship crew, from andriods to Klingons to Betazoids? Are the "criminal" accusations the same or different in both the pilot and the series finale? Earl Greydeliberates on a verdict of humanity's fate in this episode spanning the entire television run of TNG.
 

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

Command Styles.

When it comes to command, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the pinnacle of Starfleet captains. However, many times in The Next Generation, Picard and his first officer Will Riker turn over command to other members of their crew. Phillip, Daniel, and Darren analyze the command styles of the other personnel who sat in the center seat of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and other starships, during various missions. 

They study second officer Lt. Commander Data's command tenure on both theEnterprise and the Sutherland ("Redemption, Part 2" and "Gambit, Parts 1 and 2"), Commander Beverly Crusher's time in the captain's chair ("Descent, Parts 1 and 2" and "All Good Things..."), Lt. Commander Deanna Troi's turn in command ("Disaster"), and Lieutenant junior grade Geordi LaForge's time as acting captain ("Arsenal of Freedom"). Earl Grey also discusses that other captain of theEnterprise-D, Captain Edward Jellico ("Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2"). 

How did these commanders handle people? What challenges did many of them overcome as first time captains? How many of them consulted Livingston for advice in the ready room? Put on your red shirt so you can tug on it, as Earl Greydiscusses the command styles in TNG.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

The Fandom Experience.

When it comes to experiencing the different levels of fandom of The Next Generation, it's safe to say that "the sky's the limit." Darren, Phillip, and Daniel explore the various ways of expressing TNG and general Star Trek fandom. They talk cosplaying (even including wearing a blue shirt!), attending Trek/general scifi & comic conventions, and what it's like to be members of a fan association like Starfleet International (www.sfi.org). Darren and Phillip share their personal SFI experiences, including the various types of chapters and methods of membership.

Earl Grey also discusses their own Trek game experiences, including the trio playing Star Trek Scene-It, the Last Unicorn version of a TNG tabletop role-playing game, #BridgeMates, and Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game: A Klingon Challenge. They also speculate on what the official Earl Grey fan club would look like, what it would be called, and imagine their Mirror Universe Star Wars podcast.  So grab that Starfleet uniform from the closet, purchase your con ticket, and update your Next Gen RPG character sheet as Earl Grey tackles the fandom experience. 

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

Will Nguyen

The Original Series as Prerequisite. 

Viewers of The Next Generation started watching at different points in their Trek fandom -- for some, it was their first exposure to Star Trek, while other "legacy" Trekkies came to it after The Original Series and movies featuring Captain James T. Kirk and his crew. Guest co-host Andi VanderKolk, aka @FirstTimeTrek, joins Daniel, Darren, and Phillip in discussing how knowledge of TOS enhances the TNG viewing experience. 

Earl Grey explores whether it makes a difference if you discovered the character of Ambassador Sarek in the Next Gen episode "Sarek" without first seeing TOS "Journey to Babel." Does the appearance of Scotty ("Relics") and Spock ("Unification, Parts 1 and 2") have meaning without first experiencing the adventures of the NCC-1701 (no bloody A, B, C, or D!). We discuss "copy and paste" episodes like "The Naked Now" compared to "The Naked Time," and the use of Star Trek: Phase II scripts in TNG. Grab your copy of the 1966-1969 series, and explore how TOS is a required prerequisite for TNG.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Guest
Andi VanderKolk

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Executive Producers
Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, & C Bryan Jones

War in TNG.

Just as in contemporary times, war can take many forms. Star Trek: The Next Generation did not feature a primary war akin to those stories featured in Deep Space Nine or Enterprise, however many enemies confronted Captain Picard and his crew. The Romulan Empire posed a continuing threat to the United Federation of Planets that stood on the brink of war ("The Defector"), the results of the off-screen Cardassian War became a source of many episodes ("The Wounded," "Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2," "Journey's End," and "Preemptive Strike"), and the Borg presented a new form of warfare heretofore unknown to the 24th Century ("I, Borg" and "Descent, Parts 1 and 2"). 

Phillip, Daniel, and Darren explore whether there are modern parallels to the "post-Wolf 359" era of TNG, how its combat/conflict compares to other Trek series, and how the serious potential for galactic war was continuously tackled by the flagship U.S.S. Enterprise. Come sing a mournful ballad of "The Minstrel Boy" and join Earl Grey as they discuss the role of war in Next Gen.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Time Travel.

Time travel and Star Trek go hand-in-glove, so it was no surprise that The Next Generation crew had several "timey-wimey" adventures in its seven years on television and in the feature films. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip go "OUTATIME" in this episode, exploring episodes including "Timescape," "Cause and Effect," "Time Squared," "Time's Arrow, Parts 1 and 2," and Star Trek: First Contact. 

The Earl Grey trio break down all the times Captain Jean-Luc Picard would have been visited by the laugh-a-minute members of the Federation's Temporal Investigations unit with TNG's experiences with time loops, temporal anomalies, and Q's TARDIS-like powers. Prepare to experience a "Quantum Leap" of traveling across the space-time continuum with the Enterprise-D 's "Excellent Adventure" as they try to avoid predestination-paradoxes, and enjoy this episode about TNG and time travel.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

Tapestry Commentary.

The Next Generation often reached back to its early seasons to develop later stories, from the season one episode "Datalore" leading to season five's "Silicon Avatar" and season one's "The Battle" continuing all the way to season seven's "Bloodlines." In season six, an entire episode was devoted to a single story Captain Jean-Luc Picard shared with a young Wesley Crusher in the season two episode "Samaritan Snare." 

In "Tapestry," Q appears to a surprised Picard who has "died" due to his artificial heart, and allows Jean-Luc to "Back to the Future" to his young, wild, and wreckless past. Daniel, Darren, and Phillip provide commentary for this episode, debating the reality of Picard's experience, how they wished Nausicaans made more appearance throughout Trek, and how the evolution of Starfleet uniforms fit into the in-universe timeline. Prepare to get drinks thrown in your face by "handsome" people as Earl Grey provides commentary to the episode "Tapestry."  

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

The Most Alien of Aliens.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as the other Trek series, are often poked fun at for featuring the new "forehead" or "nose" of the week when encountering new alien species. However, there were many new strange lifeforms featured inTNG that fully embraced the concept of science fiction. In this episode of Earl Grey, the trio have a round robin discussion of their favorite examples of the most "alien" aliens encountered by the Enterprise-D. They discuss "space jellyfish" ("Encounter at Farpoint"), Gomtuu ("Tin Man"), the allasomorphs ("The Daupin"), and the crystalline entity ("Datalore"/"Silicon Avatar"). Phillip, Daniel, and Darren also talk energy beings, other space-dwelling life forms, and other antagonists that challenged our favorite crew. Activate your universal translator, refresh yourself on first contact protocols, and join in on this episode that examines Next Gen's most alien species. 

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser

The 1701-C.

Throughout The Next Generation, fans were intrigued by the Enterprise models displayed in the flagship's observation lounge. What was the story behind those mysterious ships that served the Federation between Kirk and Picard's times? In "Yesterday's Enterprise," viewers finally got to see the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-C, under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett, along with her ill-fated crew. Darren, Daniel, and Phillip analyze this Ambassador-class vessel, and how it served as a transition between the 23rd Century Starfleet ships and the Galaxy-class vessels. They also discuss the Enterprise-C's crew, their missions, and what a prequel series to TNG would have been like with this maroon-uniformed crew.

Take a trip back in time with Earl Grey as they ensure that history never forgets the name ... Enterprise-C.

Hosts
Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser

Editor / Producer
Darren Moser