The Top 47 Things We Love About Trek, Part 2. 

The number 47 repeatedly comes up in The Next Generation, but since Star Trek is currently celebrating its 48th year, Earl Grey uses its 48th episode to continue our look at the 47 things we love about Trek. In part two of this round-robin discussion, Darren Moser, Daniel Proulx, and Phillip Gilfus complete their run through the 47 greatest aspects of Star Trek as they cover the role of female characters, specific episodes, the various series, ship model sets, and more.

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Chapters

36 Creating role models (PG) (1:12)

37 One Little Ship - DS9 (DM) (3:14)

38 The Movies! (DP) (5:05)

39 TOS - An exciting adventure (PG) (9:50)

40 Model Kits! (DM) (12:43)

41 Women of Trek (DP) (17:30)

42 DS9 - How today could be like if we tried (PG) (23:18)

43 Message In A Bottle (DM) (26:43)

44 Broken Bow (DP) (29:50)

45 VOY - How to best handle crisis (PG) (34:04)

46 Incorrect Next Week promos (DM) (36:01)

47 Future Trek (DP) (38:13)

The Top 47 Things We Love About Trek, Part 1. 

Most fans are aware of the reoccurrence of the number 47 in TNG and subsequent Star Trek series. Join us as Earl Grey celebrates its 47th episode—and the larger "47 conspiracy"—by listing the 47 things we believe make Star Trek a great television and movie franchise as it approaches its half-century mark. Darren Moser, Daniel Proulx, and Phillip Gilfus deliver a round-robin discussion of philosophy, ships, episodes, costumes, and more as they explain why they love all things Trek.

Most Forgettable TNG Episodes.

Even the most die-hard TNG fan may have trouble remembering the storylines for all 178 episodes that span the seven season of the television show. A good, bad, or mediocre episode can still come as a complete surprise when one does a rewatch of the series. In this episode of Earl Grey, Daniel Proulx, Darren Moser, and Phillip Gilfus do a round-robin style listing of the episodes they can barely remember from The Next Generation. See if you remember these stories that faded into the recesses of our minds. 

Cardassians on TNG.

Galor-class warships. The occupation of Bajor. The Demilitarized Zone. Marc Alaimo in the armor uniform. These aspects of the Cardassians are seen throughout Deep Space Nine, but they all originated on The Next Generation. In this week's episode of Earl Grey, Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx review all the TNG episodes featuring this species, how they rate as villains for the Enterprise-D crew, and whether the Cardassians stood on their own on TNG or were merely setup characters for future Deep Space Nine and Voyager storylines.

Chapters

First Impressions (3:30)

The Wounded 

Ensign Ro (16:23)

Chain of Command (21:40)

The Chase (28:10)

Parallels (30:08)

Lower Decks (31:20)

Journeys End (34:20)

Preemptive Strike (37:20)

Ranking (41:03)

Setup for DS9/VOY? (47:00)

Enterprise Ship Legacy List.

The Next Generation's legacy is that, through individual television episodes and feature films, it "filled in" the history of ships named Enterprise. In this episode of Earl Grey, Darren Moser, Daniel Proulx, and Phillip Gilfus give their individual rankings of all the Enterprises that have been seen throughout the entire Star Trek franchise. We cover favorites, ones we didn't like, and which should have been left in dry dock permanently. See if the choices agree your own ranking for all things Enterprise.

Lost Elements from TOS.

How much changes in the Star Trek universe in 100 years? When The Next Generation first aired in 1987, viewers discovered a new Enterprise, a new crew, as well as writers and producers who wanted to "update" several aspects of The Original Series. In this episode of Earl Grey, Daniel Proulx, Darren Moser, and Phillip Gilfus discuss which elements from TOS were purposefully avoided, and whether it was a mistake to "reinvent" Star Trek too much or if it helped TNG create its own unique identity as the newest Star Trek television series.

Uniforms & Wardrobe in TNG

Fans may debate how much the TNG crew evolved over their many missions, but there is no question that their uniforms evolved from the initial television pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" to the last feature film, Star Trek: Nemesis. From the four kinds of Starfleet uniforms worn by the 24th-century Enterprise officers and crew to the surprisingly skimpy and full-of-ruffles civilian clothes, Phillip Gilfus, Daniel Proulx, and Darren Moser discuss skants, dress uniforms, and alien costumes in this fashion-forward episode of Earl Grey.

The 1701-E.

Following the destruction of the NCC-1701-D in Star Trek Generations, a new starship Enterprise was commissioned for the crew of The Next Generation. Featured in the final three TNG films—First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis—the Enterprise-E differs greatly from its Galaxy-class predecessor in both size and appearance, inside and out. In this episode of Earl Grey, Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx discuss the finer details of this Sovereign-class ship, including what they liked (and loved!), and why they wish we could have seen more of it.

Guinan.

During the TNG's second season, viewers were introduced to a new character who may have seemed more like the ship's counselor than Troi. Played by comedy superstar Whoopi Goldberg, the sage-like bartender Guinan provided the series with an outside perspective on Starfleet, the Enterprise, and our characters. In this episode of Earl Grey hosts Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx talk all about Ten Forward and its insightful barkeep, who always has an ear to lend, and a pint to offer.

Pen Pals Commentary.

The Prime Directive is a centerpiece of Star Trek storytelling, and in TNG's second season we get an early Prime Directive episode in "Pen Pals." A small girl on a dangerously volcanic planet contacts Data looking for help, and the crew must deal with the fallout of this unpredictable situation. In this episode of Earl Grey Phillip Gilfus, Darren Moser, and Daniel Proulx bring you a commentary track for "Pen Pals" and discuss the many interesting ideas in this episode, which is generally not a fan favorite.