Random Trek
Hosted by Scott McNulty
Scott McNulty discusses a randomly selected episode of “Star Trek” — all series, all seasons — with a non-random guest.
245 “The Immunity Syndrome” (TOS) with John Siracusa
Previous Episodes
-
May 2, 2023
244 “Macrocosm” (VOY) with David J. Loehr
David J. Loehr, your favorite artist in residence and one of the people behind Where or When, joins Scott to discuss “Macrocosm” (VOY S3E13). Topics include why there was no sense of peril in this episode, the lack of complete silence, and action hero Janeway.
Watch “Macrocosm” for yourself:
On the next Random Trek - The Immunity Syndrome (TOS).
-
April 18, 2023
243 “Damage” (ENT) with Marisa McClellan
Marisa McClellan, canning expert, joins Scott to discuss "Damage" (ENT S3E19). Topics include why Scott took such a long “break” from Random Trek, exactly how many seasons Enterprise had, doctor/patient confidentiality, and the ethics of just taking whatever you want.
Watch “Damage” for yourself:
-
April 4, 2023
242 “…Nor the Battle to the Strong” (DS9) with Seth Heasley
Seth Heasley, podcaster and patient podcast guest, joins Scott to discuss "…Nor the Battle to the Strong)" (DS9 S4E4). Topics include what to do when you run out of topics for your podcast, the forgotten Klingon/Federation war, and the all-consuming terror of parenthood.
Watch “…Nor the Battle to the Strong” for yourself:
The next episode discusses: "Damage" (ENT S3E19).
-
June 4, 2021
241 “Hero Worship” (TNG) with Anne Zander
Anne Zander, performer, writer, and producer, joins Scott to discuss TNG’s Hero Worship (S5E11). Topics include oddities of the pandemic, android haircare, how being a real boy isn’t all it is cracked up to be, and the promising career of this young director “Patrick Stewart.”
-
May 20, 2021
240 “Fight or Flight” (ENT) with Dave Bradley
Dave Bradley, journalist, editor, and podcaster, joins Scott to discuss ENT’s “Fight or Flight” (S1E3). Topics include why this episode is the second episode in a new Star Trek series, slugs, and how this first contact doesn’t go as well as it might have.
-
May 13, 2021
239 “Too Short a Season” (TNG) with Helene Wecker
Helene Wecker, author, joins Scott to discuss TNG’s “Too Short a Season” (S1E16). Topics include book hoarding, indie bookstore websites, The Hidden Palace (it is good, you should buy it and then read it), and bad old age makeup.
-
May 8, 2021
238 “Masks” (TNG) with Gerry Canavan
Gerry Canavan, Professor of 20th- and 21st-Century Literature at Marquette University, joins Scott to discuss TNG’s “Masks” (S7E17). Topics include Brent Spiner’s relishing of his various roles, Capt. Picard’s leap of faith, and the fact that Star Trek writers really don’t know how computers work. Plus, this episode includes the return of everyone’s favorite segment: Pope Talk!
-
April 29, 2021
237 “Battle Lines” (DS9) with Guy English
Guy English, the best Biff! co-host, joins Scott to discuss DS9’s “Battle Lines” (S1E13). Topics include introduction of our brand new segment, “Pope Talk,” exiling fight-y people, and how we will never speak of Kai Opaka again.
-
April 22, 2021
236 “The Defector” (TNG) with Moisés Chiullán
Moisés Chiullán, a man of many talents with an Electric Shadow, joins Scott to discuss TNG’s “The Defector” (S3E10). Topics include: our favorite Trek movies, Romulans in vineyards, and surprise Klingons.
You can also listen to Scott and Moisés discuss Star Trek VI, if you dare!
-
April 14, 2021
235 “The Alternative Factor” (TOS) with Jason Snell
Jason Snell, the man behind Six Colors, The Incomparable, and co-host of Vulcan Hello, joins Scott to discuss TOS’s “The Alternative Factor” (S1E20). Topics include: how bad this episode is, how the premise is actually good, wacky film filters, and surprise time travel.