Starfleet Academy season one has finished airing, and according to chuds on the internet, it's far too woke for Star Trek. Have those chuds never watched Star Trek? We recap the first season of the streaming show, note that there's only one more season, and note that there is no longer any new Star Trek in active production. Star Trek Properties Referenced: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Episode Links: Stephen Miller on X Elon Musk Wants To Make 'Star Trek' Real Without Everything That Makes 'Star Trek' Great Guest Links: Byron Hurd: The Drive, The Drivecast Stephen Edelstein: Slashgear, The Drive (Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

Hair plays an important role in science fiction, and Star Trek is no stranger to wild and crazy hair. Plus, pointed sideburns! But Nicole believes that hair is bigger than that. She believes that the better the hair, the better the captain. Star Trek Properties Referenced: Star Trek: The Old Scientists Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Enterprise Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: Picard Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 🖖Nicole's Captain Rankings: James Kirk Christopher Pike Benjamin Sikso Jean-Luc Picard Kathryn Janeway Gabriel Lorca Michael Burnham Jonathan Archer 💈Nicole's Hair Rankings: Christopher Pike Kathryn Janeway James Kirk Benjamin Sisko Jean-Luc Picard Guest Links: Nicole Wakelin: TestMiles.com, Wheel Bearings Podcast (Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

We criticize because we care, right? Star Trek: Picard had a lot of potential as a series, and executed some things well. But other concepts just didn't work the way the show intended. We break down the pros and cons of the streaming series and pitch ideas of what we'd do differently if we were the showrunners. Star Trek Properties Referenced: Star Trek: Picard Episode Links: Jean-Luc Picard - Memory Alpha Star Trek: Picard - Memory Alpha Guest Links: Benjamin Hunting: Dead Air, BenjaminHunting.com, The Unnamed Automotive Podcast Mike Austin: Road & Track (Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

Elim Garak is a fan-favorite character, and his friendship with Julian Bashir was queer-coded as more than just friendship. How did that ultimately end up with them being in a relationship (at least in an alternate reality) in Lower Decks? With the help of fan fiction. We talk about how great Garak is, and also explore how Star Trek fan fiction got started, how women were a driving force behind it, and how it helps fill in the blanks of a vast universe that everyone can enjoy. Note: This particular episode carries the "Explicit" tag for some light, unedited swearing. Star Trek Properties Referenced: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Those Old Scientists Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode Links: Elim Garak - Memory Alpha Julian Bashir - Memory Alpha "The Wire" - Memory Alpha "Improbable Cause" - Memory Alpha A Stitch In Time - Andrew J Robinson "Amok Time" - Memory Alpha Hephaestion - Wikipedia Ursula K. Le Guin - Wikipedia N. K. Jemisin - Wikipedia Guest Links: Erin Marquis: Jalopnik (Note: We may earn from qualified purchases through affiliate links.)

Bonus: Did you know that Bill Nye -- that science-affiliated guy -- has a family relation to the whaling industry? This is a sample of the extra discussions that take place before and after each podcast recording, and it is normally only available to members. We thought the conversation was too good not to share with everyone and to show non-members what they can get when they upgrade.