A Star to Steer Her By

In "Anomaly" we pick up where we left off, investigating the mystery THING that sent a space station tuchus-over-teakettle and made Kwejian an ex-planet. Book is really going through it and signs up for a TERRIFICALLY dangerous mission, which is his prerogative, but did he HAVE to bring the cat? He also gets saddled with a holo-Stamets, whose resting mourning face has nothing on Book's unrelenting anguish. Also this week: mentor Tilly, a pair of Captains, and sci-fi horror! [Anomaly: 01:05; The Blog: 54:47] [Leave the lights on: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/798154459721138176/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-void ] [If you missed our Jason X coverage last year: https://soundcloud.com/sshbpodcast/ten-forward-43-jason-x-spacey-jacey ]

Season 4 of "Discovery" starts with a BANG! Haha, no but seriously a planet gets blown up in "Kobayashi Maru". Meanwhile, Tilly and Adira have to save a space station that's gotten all squiddled and is tumbling out of control during a mission overseen by the Federation's new apparently-micromanager President. But is there something else going on? Also this week: uniform upgrades, tonal shifts, and the monsters of science fiction! [Kobayashi Maru: 02:43; the Monster Mash: BLOG: 59:52] [boys becoming men, men becoming wolves: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/797497438274551808/the-monster-at-the-end-of-this-blogpost ]

It's the end of Season 3 and the answer to the big mystery that was set up so long ago: where's "That Hope Is You, Part 2"? Oh! Here it is! On the ship, we get some underwhelming action scenes while back on the dilithium planet, Saru gets to have a successful dinner and also play space Dad! How does it all shake out? How did we feel about it? You'll have to listen and see! Also this week: wave after wave, somehow The Grinch, and the season wrap chat! [THIYpt2: 01:34; wrap it up: 56:09] [Another one in the can: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/796857312356728832/discovery-season-3-do-you-have-some-aloe-for-that ]

Michael goes full Jean-Luc McClane this week in "There is a Tide...". Never mind whatever was going on with Saru and Co, as that plot is just completely gone this week so we can have some action moments of varying quality. We also meet Osyraa's most valuable henchmen: a dude we thought was dead and someone who is simultaneously the smartest person in the Galaxy and ENTIRELY oblivious to how evil his boss is. Also this week: pooples, literal deus ex machina, and sci-fi tech! [Tide: 01:23; gadgets and gizmos aplenty: 1:08:16] [You want thingamabobs? We've got 12! https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/796225981080846336/thank-sci-fi-we-invented-the-whatever-device]

Finally, we get to the root of The Burn in "Su'Kal"! That...that's really what you're going with, "Discovery"? Huh. But on the plus they let Doug Jones out from behind his customary makeup to let him really run free as Saru goes through a bit of an emotional wringer. Meanwhile, Tilly is left in charge and gets to take part in a time-honored "Trek" tradition of losing her ship to pirates. Dang it. Also this week: Culber is finally tagging along, Michael is finally xenoanthropologizing, and we're talking about sci-fi vehicles! [Su'Kal: 00:53; Get in: 56:31] [Vroom vroom: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/795592066996600832/pimp-my-sci-fi-ride ]

It may not be three ghosts but Georgiou is getting her own little "Christmas Carol" in "Terra Firma, Part 2". Witness what this show seems to think is a redemption of everyone's favorite (?) genocidal maniac as she's kind of nice to Mirror Saru and has her daughter murder a bunch of people in her name. Look, we don't know what they were going for here, either. Also this week: thank goodness for Sonequa, wasting Killy, and a look back at the Mirror Universe! [Note: Picard S.2 spoilers 36:55 - 37:33] [TF2: 01:50; How did we get here?: 1:00:18] [Break out the skimpy costumes: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/794961272577851392/were-all-mad-here-in-the-mirror-universe]

It's another jaunt to The Mirror Universe (or perhaps *A* Mirror Universe) this week as the "Discovery" writers have to figure out a way to get Georgiou into the past for what was then planned to be a "Section 31" series. In "Terra Firma, Part 1" the effects of being away from her universe and time are threatening to strike the Emperor down, and only a man in a funny hat may have the key to save her. There's also some incidental Burn stuff, as a treat. Also this week: bringing back an old favorite, amazing makeup, and Mirror People! [Terra Firma 1: 01:00; Not-quite-familiar faces: 44:12] [Glob eht: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/794325473825046528/mirror-mirror-on-the-viewscreen]

It's that time of year again! We're right around our anniversary so we've cracked open our noggins and brought you more of our trademark fanfics in our trademark styles! It's the "Discovery" crew's turn to be our weird little puppets, and we've not only wound up with a Mudd trio, but our first-ever total character choice overlap! So settle in for some very noncanonical tales by your favorite "Trek" talkers! This week: improving a joke, singing a song, and K is for Klingon! Caitlin: 02:46; https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/793707033641795584/tales-from-the-holodeck-dis-fanfic-caitlins Jake: 10:15; https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/793707127836442624/tales-from-the-holodeck-dis-fanfic-jakes Chris: 39:25; https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/793707155887931392/tales-from-the-holodeck-dis-fanfic-chriss Ames: 1:05:58; https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/793707364967727104/tales-from-the-holodeck-dis-fanfic-amess

There's trouble on the (possibly tiny?) world of Kwejian this week, and Book has to book it over there in "The Sanctuary"! Surprisingly convincing the Starfleet powers-that-be to let the "Discovery" and her crew tag along is super easy, barely an inconvenience, and we're all getting involved in family drama that overlaps neatly with the oft-mentioned Emerald Chain its boss Osyraa! Also this week: two plots with one stone, the Federation Quid Pro Quo, and comedy sci-fi! [Sanctuary: 01:11; yuk it up: 47:03] [set phasers to fun!: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/793057384742486016/a-priest-an-alien-and-a-time-traveler-walk-into ]

The search for the origin of The Burn continues in "Unification III", and our next step is Vulcan! Wait, no, it's called Ni'Var now. At the home to a still-not-quite meshed Vulcan and Romulan culture, Michael Burnham has to defend her thesis while Saru gets to engage in the ages-old "Trek" tradition of being a captain who makes a pass at a guest star. Also this week: sci-fi pinching from Judaism, Advocate Momchael, and military sci-fi! [Unification III: 00:47; FALL IN...IN SPACE (sometimes)!: 52:59] [Drop and read it twenty times!: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/792426499446833153/im-not-at-all-tired-of-all-these-star-wars]

The "Discovery" crew is still finding their legs and has JUST gained a modicum of trust from Admiral Vance, so of course Michael is going to immediately go rogue in "Scavengers". Book has possibly been taken captive on a hunt for clues to The Burn, so it's up to her and Georgiou to face off against a Nepo Baby in a cement fact...ah, futuristic scrap yard. Plus Stamets chills out a bit. Also this week: Linus shenanigans, the Canadian starship, and alien invasions! [Scavengers: 02:02; Welcome to Earth: 50:54] [except for when Earth is coming to YOU: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/791789580533841920/we-come-in-peace-jk-lol ]

The "Discovery" has found her way to Starfleet in "Die Trying"! A shame everyone assumes they might be temporal agents here to cause Time Shenanigans! In an attempt to prove their trustworthiness they head off to a mission that leads to another pre-departure infodump that could've made a character interesting WAY sooner! Also this week: phreaking with Georgiou, a game changer, and alternate realities! [Die Trying: 00:41; it's familiar, but not QUITE: 1:06:30] [oh, THAT's different!: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/791154064875470848/through-more-and-more-looking-glasses ]

The "Discovery" crew continues its twofold search for Starfleet and a little inner peace in "Forget Me Not". A trip to Trill seems like it could hold the answers, until "Star Trek" remembers that the Trill government is just...just awful. Back on the ship, Saru asks the computer for help planning a party and it goes as well as one might expect. Never ask an AI for advice, Saru! Also this week: The Great Gazoo, why the Ames Maneuver rarely happens, and fictional dystopias! [Forget Me Not: 01:04; Dystopic Media (no, not the actual news): 40:09] [You don't need a high rating to read this: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/790525943047389184/one-mans-utopia-is-another-mans-dystopia]

Now that the gang's back together, it's time to continue the hunt for Starfleet and the Federation in "People of Earth"! But it turns out the titular people have become real jerks and are under attack by mysterious space jerks, and the "Discovery" crew is caught in the middle of it all! Meanwhile Stamets finds someone new to be smug at. Also this week: unsubtle costume coding, music choices, and the post-Apocalypse! [Earth: 00:40; blog: 43:42] [someone else broke it, we're just living in the aftermath: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/789902267480424448/its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-binge-it]

The "Discovery" crew may have been separated from Michael, but their arrival in the future also starts off with a jolt. A search for where and when they might be leads them to a "Trek" tradition: the alien locale that is suspiciously similar to a Western, complete with spur sounds and swinging doors! And on the ship, Stamets continues to be so stubborn as to risk his life. Classic Paul! Also this week: deus ex kicking, unclear lessons, and time travel! [Far From Home: 01:15; this blog is from the past: 51:28] [or was it the future? https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/789251196682682368/wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey-and-sometimes-both ]

Season 3 of "Discovery" starts off with a bang—rather literally, as Michael's first act in the future is to have a space-car accident. In "That Hope is You, Part 1", Burnham finds her plan to save all living things from Control might have succeeded, but in its place a new crisis arose: a dilithium-destroying cataclysm known simply as "The Burn". Now with her new...friend?...Book, she begins her search for not only her shipmates, but the Federation and Starfleet. Also this week: bird clock, the Smuggler and his Queen, and Sci-Fi origins! [Hope pt 1: 00:35; falling into science fiction: 49:00] [where'd we come from, anyway?: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/788617220254318592/babys-first-sci-fi-indoctrination]

Welcome all to the 400th mainline episode of "A Star to Steer Her By"! While it was always theoretical we'd make it this far, it's still a little mad that we actually have (and more, really, when you consider all the Ten Forwards and Shore Leaves that are counted separately). And we're celebrating by doing our own little twist on "Star Trek" Trivial Pursuit, with a little help from a piece of legendary merchandise! Also this week: planning the next round of fanfics! [The Game: 00:41; The Plan: 51:52]

Back when the New Era of "Trek" was...new...they did "Short Treks". We looked at the first batch back between Seasons 1 and 2 of Discovery and have lamented since more than once that it's something they should have done more of. But considering we were largely cooler on the second batch, maybe there was a reason... Also this week: weird messages, back to cartoons, and ranking the lot! [Timestamps: Q&A: 01:21; The Trouble With Edward: 15:28; Ask Not: 27:03; Ephraim and Dot: 35:57; The Girl Who Made the Stars: 43:16; Children of Mars: 49:27; top'n'bottoms: 59:56] [But what did we think? Look here: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/787354379387879424/short-andor-sweet-the-best-and-worst-short-treks]

We've reached the end of S.2 of "Discovery" and...it's a LOT, guys. "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part II" is mostly action sequences all just strung together rapid-fire with only a few, regrettably-brief pauses for character work. Also one of the worst lines in the history of "Star Trek" is here. All we need is some Beastie Boys and we're at the crossroads of all off JJ Abrams' worst impulses. Also this week: Bill & Ted, rocky ships, and wrapping season 2! [Sorrow2: 01:13; momentary rankings: 1:02:45] [In summation: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/786712440848220160/discovery-season-2-mystery-boxes-all-the-way-down]

We're coming to the end of Season 2 of Discovery, with the penultimate episode "Such Sweet Sorrow"! With the Sphere Data scuppering the Janeway Maneuver, the crew decides to recycle the time travel plan on a larger scale. But they're going to need some help from the "Enterprise" and a familiar face! Well, familiar if you watched the related "Short Trek", which was not possible in all regions...good job, Paramount. Also this week: small space, tactical joke strike, and "Enterprise" aliens! [Sorrow: 00:32; The Blog: 52:10] [Whole lotta prosthetics: https://sshbpodcast.tumblr.com/post/786080521966026752/top-3-star-trek-enterprise-alien-races]