Episodes

Pardon us. Aspen went on a nightswim, so they keep slapping the mic. We got bottle eps this week, dangit! Cheaper production is better (sometimes)! Dr. Miranda Jones and the Medusan ambassador join the Enterprise this week. And we marvel at how...

Thanks to Mike Moody-Garcia for letting Kenny guest on his pod! We’re back with another ESSENTIAL BABYLON 5 episode. Kenny Madison from the ⁠Trek Wars podcast⁠ joins Mike to discuss how Babylon 5: The Road Home is very, very good for the franchise....

Does Dave Filoni have a brother? That's the topic of the week. Also, Star Trek and Star Wars are the topics, too. Aspen talks about "the Filoni Zone." Kenny, naturally, talks about Dave Filoni pulling a George Lucas and synthesizing his favorite...

Aspen is sick! And suffering from The Paradise Syndrome! Star Trek fails to show up this week as we act out of character and nitpick the flaws in Paradise Syndrome. Kenny talks about the Malevolence as an analog to the German Battleship Bismarck....

Our friend Andrea DiMauro-Walton joins us to talk AHSOKA. And Star Trek, too, I guess. Aspen and Andrea talk about the Romulan Commander. Kenny talks about how Anakin just seems like a guy now (and why that's GOOD). Andrea talks about her experience...

We start two new seasons at once! Kenny talks about the bold mission statement that is Ambush. Aspen talks about individualizing the clones. We both talk about The Clone Wars - chronological order versus release order. And Kenny introduces...

We've got two backdoor pilots! Both Gene and George get unprecious with what's come before. They break canon and create a new character that becomes the focus. One is the American Doctor Who. The other one is Aspen's favorite Star Wars character....

Neoliberalism! Aspen talks about Neoliberalism and Revenge of the Sith. Kenny asks for a definition of what Neoliberalism means. We also talk about what morality looks like in Bread and Circuses. Also, auteur theory is the only consistent way to...

Great! Star Trek predicted tech bros taking over everything in 1968! The Ultimate Computer rips up everything thanks to Dorothy Fontana. Meanwhile, Clone Wars expands to 12 minutes an episode and we're all the better for it. Aspen talks about how...

Aspen watches Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars for the first time. Kenny geeks out at how visually clever it is. Also, The Omega Glory is an exercise in how to pat yourself on the back for being a great American. It is certainly a week for TV....

We talk about Attack of the Clones being both reactionary filmmaking and REVOLUTIONARY filmmaking. Aspen talks about the infantilization of women and how Kirk Drift might be wrong. Also, we talk about how RedLetterMedia accidentally ruined all film...

This week, we watched an episode of a popular sci-fi franchise that was about a phantom menace co-opting a charismatic figurehead to allow fascism to spread across the galaxy. But enough about Patterns of Force from Star Trek! We also litigate how...

This week, "Risk is our business!" Aspen loves the ending changes of Return of the Jedi. Kenny points out this week's human propaganda of Return to Tomorrow. We talk about being complicit in empire (both being residents of the U.S. and of the...

Aspen and Kenny dive into the depths of proxy wars and American jingoism. Are we the baddies, they ask? And the answer is yes, yes we are. They're also joined by dead and made up guests alike, including Jeff Trekworthy, Irvin Kershner, the Lucas...

MACLUNKEY! Kenny gives a tiny history lesson about where Star Wars comes from and how it takes a village to make a movie. Meanwhile, Aspen REALLY likes the episode where the Enterprise fights a Space Amoeba™ (thanks in part to her boyfriends)....

Party Ewok/Malani the Warrior (Star Wars: Ewoks) vs. A Piece of the Action (Star Trek: TOS) We've finally finished Ewoks! Aspen can't get enough of Drut's & Bothel's accents in Malani the Warrior. And Kenny can't get enough of fizzbin! And the...

The Gamesters of Triskelion (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Battle for the Sunstar (Star Wars: Ewoks) Ewoks meet the Empire! This week, we talk about all the cool ships in Battle for the Sunstar. Aspen litigates iterations of Gamesters of Triskelion. And we...

The Trouble with Tribbles (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Just My Luck/Bringing Up Norky (Star Wars: Ewoks) Aspen and Kenny talk Star Trek bureaucracy, the excellent origin of the Tribbles script, shenanigans and luck, and how much they HATE the Ewoks character...

Wolf in the Fold (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Horville's Hut of Horrors/The Tragic Flute (Star Wars: Ewoks) Fear! Fear will keep the podcast in line. Fear of these 3 episodes, since Jack the Ripper is on the Enterprise. And Wicket took the Woklings to the...

Obsession (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Prow Beaten/Baga's Rival (Star Wars: Ewoks) This week, both shows tackle shame. Kenny talks about plot motivation versus character motivation. Aspen talks about a lack of consequences for characters. And did you know...

The Deadly Years (Star Trek: TOS) vs. The Season Scepter (Star Wars: Ewoks) Aspen & Kenny talk about age-ism and how Deadly Years sabotages its own heroes. Kenny mentions the superb sequel to Deadly Years, To Serve All My Days. Aspen talks about...

It's a competition of second chapters with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan VERSUS Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back! Kenny and Aspen are joined by noted Ron Howard lookalike (and good friend) Ryan Hill to discuss his personal experiences...

Friday's Child (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Hard Sell/A Warrior and a Lurdo (Star Wars: Ewoks) Three mid episodes. Aspen talks about cultural relativism versus cultural absolutism. Kenny talks about a writerly POV becoming diminished. And we both struggle to...

Journey to Babel (Star Trek: TOS) vs. Gone With The Mimphs / The First Apprentice (Star Wars: Ewoks) The word "iconic" gets thrown liberally. We talk about Linda Woolverton and D.C. Fontana. Kenny talks about Spock as a reflection of post-WWII...