Deep Space Pride: A Gay Star Trek Podcast

Shockingly, Mike and Johnson have different thoughts when it comes to the Discovery finale. At this point, we're publishing once a month! But life is busy and full of the unexpected. It's definitely been a long road and we're not sure how we got here, but Star Trek Discovery is over. On this week's episode, we talk about the series finale, "Life, Itself." We catch up on some news first, including the Paramount/Skydance deal (is it happening...?) and Holly Hunter's casting on Starfleet Academy. Our series finale deep dive then has us talking about the past, present, and future of the Discovery crew. Who had the best character arcs - and who had the worst? What did we think about the coda - and do we care about the tie-in to Calypso? Listen to find out!

And after another unexpected break, we find out that we have four episodes of Discovery to catch up on! This is fine. April is but a distant memory, and we find ourselves in May - with Memorial Day right around the corner! Unfortunately, this means that we have NOT been keeping up with recording, and before you know it we have a backlog. But not to fear! We'll get through it in less than two hours somehow. This week, we chat about Jinaal, Face the Strange, Mirrors, and Whistlespeak (it was a challenge just to remember all these episode titles). Discovery Season 5 is definitely ending up to be one of the stronger and consistent seasons of the series - but what did we think about each of these episodes? Listen and find out!

So after a bit of a break, we're back with new Trek and new episodes! Let's see how long we can keep it up. And in a blink of an eye, we're in April 2024. Spring is in the air, the pollen count is increasing, and there's new Star Trek - finally! Mike and Johnson catch up on life, love, and the shows they've been watching - from 3 Body Problem to One Day, we have multiple genres covered. But of course, we're here to talk about Star Trek, not other shows! The final season of Discovery is finally upon us, and we're ready to break it down. Are we excited? Nervous? Hopeful? Tired? All of the above??? Listen to find out!

Somehow, we all made it to the end of 2023! That means other than catching up on Star Trek news, we're here to talk about all the things that stood out for us this year. Despite the ups and downs of the franchise, 2023 was a great year for Star Trek - we chat about some of our favorite episodes and moments. Of course, a year end recap wouldn't be complete without a look ahead; other than the upcoming election cycle (sarcasm), what else are we looking forward to? Join us and find out!

With the cadence at which we're recording these episodes, there's a lot to catch up on! But mostly about everything else besides Star Trek because there's a a dearth of new Trek episodes on the horizon, and - oh right - the actor's strike. Maybe that's why we spend the majority of the episode chatting about our lives and everything else we're watching that's not Star Trek! Once we finally get to it though, we discuss "Caves," the most recent episode of Lower Decks Season 4 we've seen. This most recent entry is essentially an homage to Berman-era Trek cave sets, and perhaps a wink and a nod to Shades of Gray. We also spend a bit of time looking back at the season so far -- and what does Mike McMahan have in store for us for the finale?!

Star Trek Day was amazing this year and totally worth watching, right!? Given that there's going to be a dearth of Star Trek on the horizon doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of Star Trek to talk about! Between discussing Star Trek Day (which Mike watched and Johnson did not), Very Short Treks, and United We Trek, there's actually a lot going on in the Star Trek universe - and that's BEFORE we even get into Lower Decks! That being said, we spend a bit of time talking about "Twovix" and "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee." We're glad to say that the show hasn't missed a beat, and it seems like Mike McMahan heard our feedback and finally gave everyone promotions (we're willing to take all the credit). It's incredible how much this show can pack into less than 30 minutes of television - whether it's all the Voyager references you could want, or a new character that would make the perfect plush toy.

The near end of summer also means that Strange New Worlds Season 2 has come to an end - with Season 3 airing in... 2025? We discuss this and other news items - which honestly isn't a lot considering the SAG/AFTRA strike. In fact, after Lower Decks Season 4 and Discovery Season 5, there might not be much new Trek for a while - how will we survive!? But that is a tomorrow problem! In today's episode, we're here to talk about the last two episodes for SNW S2, the musical episode "Subspace Rhapsody" and the finale "Hegemony." Mike and Johnson share their thoughts, and definitely become animated in discussing their different views on these two episodes. Do we want more musicals? Do we want more Gorn?! Listen and find out!

We fast forward past a few SNW episodes to talk about a recent favorite, "Those Old Scientists!" Mike and Johnson are both huge fans of this episode, which features Boimler and Mariner visit the Strange New Worlds crew. From the constant references to physical comedy, this episode is somehow able to blend the spirit of both shows successfully. We're huge fans! But first some news items, which includes a look at the final season of Discovery, a trailer for the next season of Lower Decks, and the announcement of a musical episode of Strange New Worlds!? Mixed feelings on that one.

And we're back bitches! After an extended break (not Johnson's fault), we catch up on what's been going on in our lives the past couple of months. Will listeners be surprised that we're alive? We then move onto talking about the latest Star Trek news - there's a lot to wade through, including the cancellation of Star Trek Prodigy. We then chat about the first two episode of Strange New Worlds Season 2, "The Broken Circle" and "Ad Astra per Aspera." One of these days we'll also wrap up our discussion of Picard Season 3!

We are continuing our series of having guest hosts on Deep Space Pride, with folks from the LGBTQIA+ community! This week we chat with Kelvin Wood, Star Trek enthusiast and cohost of All Good Things, a Star Trek podcast that examines thematic topics in Trek lore. We chat with him about the difference that Star Trek has made in his life, and his love for the Trek community. We also talk about this season of Star Trek: Picard (up to episode 8), and what we're loving about the show so far. We also discuss the matter of representation in Star Trek - what the franchise has gotten right, gotten less right, and where we hope for it in the future. You can find Kelvin here: https://www.instagram.com/kelvinstimeline/ https://twitter.com/allgoodpod

We've returned from a short hiatus with a special guest! This week we have Matt Jennings, fellow Star Trek fan and member of the LGBTQIA+ community. As a multi-talented artist who has pursued a career in the performing arts, Matt has spearheded 1701: A Blerd Story - a self referential web series that examines his life as a Black Gay Nerd. We chat with Matt about his show, his inspiration, and where he's taking things next. Of course, we also can't help but to talk about some of the latest Star Trek news - including where we are with Star Trek Picard Season 3, and the impending final season of Star Trek Discovery plus lots of Deep Space Nine love. Join us for our thoughts and banter!

Star Trek Picard Season 3 is right around the corner, and we're here for it! We chat about the trailer that premiered during the NFL Championship game (which is also when we discover Mike's knowledge about football), discuss what (or who) we're looking forward to most, and provide spoiler-free thoughts on what we've seen of this season. Before we get into everything Picard, we have a quick chat about Annie Wersching's passing - our memory of her roles in other shows, and the highlights of her performance as the Borg Queen on Picard Season 2. RIP Annie - we'll miss you!

On our first episode of the year, we have a special guest - Davey Willett, the host of The Treksperts Quiz podcast. Mike and Johnson were contestants on a recently released episode, and decided to return the favor by having Davey as a guest on Deep Space Pride. In addition to spending some time getting to know another Star Trek fan who's a member of the LGBTQ+ community - we chat about the 30th anniversary of Deep Space Nine and the two-part Season 1 finale of Prodigy, before we all drop by Deanna's office to share some life updates. We recorded this episode earlier in January, and talk about Trektalks 2 which took place on Saturday, January 14th. You can still go to https://trektalks.net to donate to the Hollywood Food Coalition and also watch the replay of the telethon. We also hope you'll go check out The Trekspert Quiz podcast which can be found all the places you listen to podcasts. You can follow the show on Instagram and Twitter @trekspertsquiz or go to https://www.trekspertsquiz.com. You can find Davey on Instagram @dingodave84

Not quite sure how we're here already - but welcome to the end of 2022! We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to do a quick recap of the year, which has us literally going through all the Star Trek we've watched this year. It's hard to believe that 2022 brought us 51 episodes of new Trek, but it happened! Of course, we also need to talk about what we're looking forward to in 2023. While Johnson persistently questions whether or not he'll even be able to stay alive, Mike is a bit more hopeful and anticipates some great Trek in the not-so-distant future. Special thanks to our fellow Trek Geeks Podcast Network podcasters Kasey and Ron for sharing a highlight or two of theirs for inclusion in this episode. We also want to thank all our listeners for sticking with us over the past year. From Mike's constant wi-fi issues to the Discovery soapbox that is always calling Johnson's name, we're just glad that you're all still around. See you next year!

Another two weeks have passed, and we inch ever closer to the end of Season 1 of Prodigy! On this episode, we chat about "Masquerade" and "Preludes" - which has us find out more about Dal's past, see Murf become chief of security, get backstories on the other characters, and finally discover the truth about when Chakotay is. Johnson theorizes that the first chunk of Season 2 will have us go on a Chakotay rescue mission - only time will tell! Before we get into the episode goodies, we talk about everything else that's going on - the Star Trek we've been watching, Kirstie Alley's passing, our stint on the Treksperts Quiz Show, and an update on our personal lives. Thanks for joining us!

Our hearts are broken by more gun violence against the LGBTQIA+ family with 5 lights being prematurely extinguished by a lone gunman at Club Q in Colorado Springs. We hope you'll join us in donating to a Go Fund Me page for the survivors, victims, and families at https://bit.ly/club-q-gfm This week, we chat about two more episodes of Prodigy - "All the World's a Stage" and "Crossroads" (and no we're not talking about the 2002 hit starring Britney Spears). From discussing TOS throwback references to Kate Mulgrew's nuanced contribution and performance to the show, we're enjoying the adventures of the Prodigy crew. But is there another extended break in the cards for season 1B of Prodigy?! We'll hopefully find out soon. In addition to the episode review, we have forced sharing time - and talk about how the fear of failure (Crossroads' weekly moral lesson from Kate Mulgrew) may have shaped certain decision points in our lives. And if you listen long enough, you hear an interesting story about a massage experience Johnson had in China back in 2014.

It's been a long time -- but Prodigy is finally back! This week, we chat about two episodes of what Johnson likes to call Season 1B - "Asylum" and "Let Sleeping Borg Lie." It's been so long Prodigy, and we've missed you! Also glad that there's more fuel for the fire when it comes to those Janeway and Chakotay shippers. In addition to these two episodes, we also give a quick update on our comings and goings, and venture into a bit of off topic cause we just can't help ourselves. Thanks for joining us!!

It's finally here - our 100th episode! Mike and Johnson take some time to reflect on the highlights and lowlights of over a hundred hours of podcasting, what it was like to start a podcast during the pandemic, and why this podcast is special. And with all that - what are they looking forward to next? We then get into talking about three episodes of Lower Decks - Crisis Point II: Paradoxus, Trusted Sources, and The Stars at Night. We both have high praise for these three, which closes out Season 3 with a bang - but do all signs point to an AI-driven apocalyptic event in Season 4? We'll just have to wait to find out!

A lot happens in the world of Star Trek in just two weeks! First, we chat about our New York ComiCon experience, and our thoughts on the Discovery, Prodigy, and Picard panels (which we unfortunately couldn't attend in person). Though we wish we were there, at least we still got some trailers to react to. Speaking of reactions, we also give our honest thoughts about two episodes of Lower Decks, "Hear All, Trust Nothing," and "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption." While it was awesome to see and visit DS9 again (though perhaps we were left wanting for more), it's the Peanut Hamper episode where we have rather... different opinions. What did we each think? You'll have to listen to find out!

After a short break, we're back! This week, we chat about various Star Trek milestones - including the 35th anniversary of Encounter at Farpoint. Mike and Johnson chat about where they were when TNG premiered, which snowballs into a conversation about Star Trek series premieres in general. We also discuss the (not) shocking news that Star Trek 4 has been removed from Paramount's slate. We then move onto our Lower Decks discussion, which covers both "Room for Growth" and "Reflections." From reminiscing about college dorm lotteries to pondering about Mariner's future in Starfleet, we have a lively chat about times that the show does a good job of building additional layers onto our favorite 2-dimensional characters. And yes, Johnson thinks that Masks is an underrated TNG episode.