Tag Archive for Sulu

Episode 21: Return of the Archons

Return of the Archons

So, you’re standing on a street corner with a friend, minding your own business, when suddenly three dudes in cloaks carrying long, hollow tubes approach you from multiple directions. Do you call for help? Run away? Convert to a new religion? The Star Trek answer: all of the above!

LANDRU!!! Part Kramer-haired holographic cult leader, part schizophrenic computer! Join the body! Become filled with peace, and joy, and experience glorious pre-planned acts of violence! What a lovely planet we have to visit this week.

Unfortunately, our own L-Andrew wasn’t able to make this, but we had plenty of fun both at his expense and in his absence.

Can you destroy a computer — with a logical loop? Can a sparkler shoot from a hollow tube? Was George Takei completely high for this show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

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Return of the Archons Review

Episode 16: Shore Leave

Star Trek Shore Leave

If you could visit a planet where all of your most intimate thoughts would be immediately made real, would that be a good thing?

In what is currently (and perhaps shockingly) our highest rated episode to date, the Enterprise crew experiences just such a place, for better or worse. Kirk struggles with a literal inner demon from his past, while Bones chases a white rabbit and Sulu fights a samurai. Zeroes and flocks of seagulls fly above, and a chained tiger wonders why his once glorious run at Ringling Brothers has taken such a s dramatic turn for the worse.

Is this the single best episode of the Original Series? Probably not. But after two shows discussing futuristic courtroom dramas, it was great to see the lighter side of Trek so beautifully and blatantly on display.

Do doctors ever peak? Do Vulcans have any imaginations at all? Could you defeat a mounted wax knight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

Or you can download the MP3 file here.

Shore Leave Review

Episode 6: “The Naked Time”

The Naked Time Sulu with a Sword

Madness reigns as the Enterprise crew faces its inner demons under the influence of a strange alien disease.

On this Special Easter Edition of The TrekQuest Podcast, orange shower curtains can’t protect Spock and expendable crewman Joe from contacting a psychosis-inducing red liquid substance. Passed through contact, the disease is shared with Sulu, our newest navigator Kevin Thomas Riley, Nurse Chappel, Spock, and eventually Captain Kirk himself. Strangely, Bones seems completely immune to the emotionally-inflating disease, perhaps because he is so over-emotional to begin with.

The TrekQuesters had a great time discussing this episode’s classic scenes, from Sulu running around shirtless with a fencing sword to Spock crying like a baby (and then punching Kirk across a table). Even Uhura got a chance to tell Kirk off in this show, a moment we’re sure Nichelle Nichols enjoyed immensely.

Do you know how many bobby pins are in Nurse Chappel’s hair? Do you have a better body than Sulu? Could you beat Kevin Riley at “I’ll take you home again Kathleen” karaoke? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

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The Naked Time Star Trek Episode Review

Episode 5: “The Man Trap”


After a brief hiatus due to travel, work, and moving, the TrekQuesters are back this week to discuss the episode that originally introduced America to Star Trek: The Man Trap. The first Star Trek episode ever broadcast, The Man Trap features a hairy, suction cup-laden, shape-shifting creature that wreaks havoc with the minds (and hearts) of the Enterprise crew.

There’s a whole lotta lovin’ in this show, folks. Bones loves Nancy. Crater loves Nancy. Green loves a galactic go-go dancer. Uhura gives some love to Spock, then gets some back from a Swahili-speaking crewman. Rand gets love, or at least attention, from Green, a pink plant, and a gaggle of demeaning crewmen, and gives some love to Sulu by bringing him his dinner. It seems the only person to get absolutely no love in this episode is Kirk. Strange, huh?

This episode provides also some intriguing insights into the supporting characters of the show, informing us that McCoy, AKA Bones, is also AKA “Plum,” that Uhura is a self-described “illogical woman,” and that Sulu loves plants, particularly the five-fingered variety.

But at it’s core, this episode is about loneliness and desperation — a much more serious episode than most of the others we’ve seen so far. There are still a few humorous/ridiculous moments, of course, but as a whole The Man Trap is a darker form of Star Trek, even somewhat sad, and it left the TrekQuesters looking forward to some comic relief in the coming weeks.

Could you suck 40 teaspoons of salt? Have you ever visited Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet? Would Kirk call your ex-girlfriends “handsome”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

Or you can download the MP3 file here.

Episode 4: “The Enemy Within”

This week, the TrekQuesters barely make it through discussing their least favorite episode to date. Between Sulu’s frigid jokes, the horned “alien” dog, and Shatner’s horrifically over-the-top acting, we were laughing so hard we were literally crying. Add in Dad’s random harmonica playing, and you’ve got a truly unique entertainment experience on your hands.

Probably the least politically-correct episode of the Original Star Trek series (and that’s admittedly saying a lot), “The Enemy Within” attempts to explore some pretty heavy philosophical themes including the inner struggle of good versus evil and the fundamental nature of leadership. In the end, however, it comes up very short — kinda like Shatner embracing his “identical” stunt double at the end of the show.

It’s amazing the episode that’s made us the most uncomfortable turned out the be our longest podcast to date (about 40 minutes). There’s just so much geeky goodness in this episode, from the first Vulcan Nerve Pinch to Dr. McCoy’s inaugural utterance of “He’s dead, Jim,” that it almost makes up for the hideously awkward bits between Kirk, Spock, and Yoeman Rand. Still, this isn’t an episode we plan to re-watch any time soon.

Can half a man survive? Can a parachute keep you from freezing to death? Does Kirk secretly wear makeup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

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Episode 2: “The Corbomite Maneuver”

For our second episode, we review the first Star Trek show filmed after the series was given the green light: “The Corbomite Maneuver.”

This time it’s not chess, but poker, as Captain Kirk bluffs his way through encounters with a spinning cube, a gargantuan sphere, and five blinking Christmas lights (at least that’s what the scout ship looked like on Dad’s VHS edition).

Bones, Uhura, and Yoeman Rand all make their first appearances aboard the Enterprise in this episode, and Sulu takes his familiar seat at the helm. Sitting next to him is a rather annoying Mr. Bailey, who fortunately only graces the Star Trek screen this once and then is banished to give the cackling space-baby Balok some companionship. Fascinating, indeed.

This episode sees Kirk battle wits with both McCoy (who, in case you didn’t know, was NEVER a moon shuttle conductor) and Spock (who gives Kirk his lamest advice advice ever).

Between losing his shirt, being threatened by a puppet, eating green leaves, and boozing it up (twice), this show is quite a ride for the stalwart Captain of the Enterprise.

Do you dig on beehive hairdos? Do you walk around your workplace with your shirt off? Are you afraid of an alien-baby with crooked teeth and a hideous laugh? Tell us about it in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

Or you can download the MP3 file here.