Mon, 30 December 2013
TNG Philosophy. The Next Generation took a lot from The Original Series—including the general outlook and philosophy of the show. As TNG grew from its initial conception, it gradually evolved a unique identity and started exploring issues all its own. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx talk TNG philosophy. What has changed since TOS? How is “the Roddenberry Vision” represented? We debate these questions and more to decide whether or not TNG represents an accurate vision of the future. |
Mon, 23 December 2013
Star Trek Generations with Standard Orbit. In this special episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser and Daniel Proulx are joined by the crew of Standard Orbit—Mike Schindler and Drew Stewart—for a special holiday analysis of Star Trek Generations. Continuing on from Part I of our discussion on Standard Orbit, the super-sized crew looks at the remainder of Generations from a TNG perspective including Kirk vs. Picard, Data’s character development, the Christmas scene, and much more. So join in as the two crews come together for the first time and make an episode to cross the generations. |
Mon, 16 December 2013
Ships of TNG. The Next Generation brought us a variety of ship designs. From the workhorse of the fleet—the Excelsior class—to our beloved Galaxy class, all the way through to something radically different like the Olympic class, these ships were used for different purposes and expanded the Star Trek universe. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss a few of the ship designs that we saw throughout the series, the positives and negatives of each, and ship design in Star Trek in general. |
Mon, 9 December 2013
TNG Season Eight. Going into Season Seven, many of the actors from The Next Generation were contracted through Season Eight. At some point, the decision was made to end the show so that the creatives could focus on movies and the launch of Voyager. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss various aspects of TNG’s lost season. What would we have wanted to see? What would we want to avoid? What might we have gotten? We also discuss how an eighth season of The Next Generation might have affected the other incarnations of Star Trek. |
Mon, 2 December 2013
Katherine Pulaski. In Season Two, after Gates McFadden left the show, the audience was introduced to a new doctor—Katherine Pulaski. A very different character from Gates's Crusher, Muldaur’s Pulaski has since gained a limited-but-fierce loyalty amongst fans. In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss all things Pulaski, including what we liked, what we hated, her various relationships, and what simply makes her different. |
Mon, 25 November 2013
TNG Introductions. Occasionally it becomes necessary to introduce new people to the world of Star Trek, whether they are friends, family, or the occasionally first date. There have been many discussions about the best way to do this, but in this episode of Earl Grey the focus is on how to bring new Next Generation fans into the fold. To help us do this, the regular Earl Grey crew of Phillip GIlfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx are joined by Mrs. Sci-fi herself, Maureen Moser. |
Mon, 18 November 2013
Ensign Ro Commentary. During TNG's fifth season the decision was made to shake up the show with the introduction of a new character. Ensign Ro Laren was a feisty Bajoran who would become an important part of the crew and someone we'd get to know for the next couple of years. In fact, she almost ended up on Deep Space Nine. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx provide their first commentary track as they take you through her namesake episode, "Ensign Ro." Along the way we discuss the introduction of the Bajorans, their conflict with the Cardassians, badmirals, the lack of blue shirts on TNG, Guinan, and how we feel about Ro as a character. |
Mon, 11 November 2013
Romance on TNG. The Next Generation started out strong with the coupling of Commander Riker and Counselor Troi, and kept going strong for the rest of the series. Between Picard and Beverly, the two Imzatis, and a host of others, TNG had its fair share of relationships. In this episode of Earl Grey, hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx talk all things romantic on TNG. Which relationships worked? Which were mere distractions? Which should have never been attempted? We discuss these questions as well as some of the inconsistencies seen throughout the show, and even touch on some of the relationships that weren’t utilized as much. |
Mon, 4 November 2013
Huston Huddleston: The New Starship Interview. It’s one of the most iconic settings in all of science fiction—the bridge of the 1701-D. And when The Next Generation wrapped and the ship crashed on Veridian III, we thought that hallowed ground was gone forever. Thankfully fate didn’t count on Huston Huddleston, whose ‘Save the Starship’ campaign has resurrected Picard’s old stomping ground for those of us in the past. Don’t you just love temporal mechanics? In this episode of Earl Grey we bring you our first interview as Huddleston sits down with hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx for an overview of the project, how it’s doing currently, and a little bit about what is coming next. We also get in some general TNG talk, including favorite episodes and celebrity encounters. |
Mon, 28 October 2013
Data. When The Next Generation launched, it only made sense to create a Spock-like character. Though initially intended as such, Data grew to be much more than a shadow of the famous Vulcan and became one of the most popular characters on the show. In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Darren Moser, Phillip Gilfus, and Daniel Proulx discuss all things Lieutenant Commander Data, from favorite scenes and moments to his extended family—including how to fix the death of this exciting and long-lived character. |