8: Vulcan Affairs

06/21/22 • 51 min

1 Listener

Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast

“The Serene Squall”

A humanitarian mission takes an unexpected turn when a visiting counselor, formerly of Starfleet, turns out to be not who she claims. With ulterior motives tied to Vulcan, this Dr. Aspen is more interested in capturing Spock than the Federation flagship. Meanwhile, Pike, Number One, and most of the senior staff plot a mutiny aboard the pirate ship where they're being held by an Orion. Along the way, all sorts of Vulcan affairs are revealed, including the whereabouts of one long-lost brother.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss “The Serene Squall,” the seventh episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ inaugural season. We explore Spock’s struggle with identity, the rich world building of Vulcan affairs that will transform how viewers read “Amok Time” and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and the trajectory of the Spock–Chapel relationship. We may also do pirate imitations.

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“The Serene Squall”

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Previous Episode

7: Hotel Majalan

“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”

When Captain Pike returns to Majalis, a planet where he once took part in a rescue mission, he meets a woman whom he may have been hitting on a decade earlier. While it may be crazy and unlikely that they are meeting again, Pike has arrived just in time to save her and a young boy from attack. Coincidence? Perhaps. But the situation is far more complicated than it seems and Pike finds himself faced with a troubling reality that he cannot stop when it turns out that the boy is destined to be sacrificed for the good of Majalan society. Meanwhile, the world’s medical technology holds the promise of saving M’Benga’s daughter.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach,” the sixth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ inaugural season. We explore the important messages in the story about our own complacency in society, the exploitation of children, and the importance of strong father figures. We also discuss the structural flaws in the story, but focus on how the writers transcend these to deliver important and timely commentary.

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Next Episode

9: A Cloud Called Debra

“The Elysian Kingdom”

While conducting a routine survey of the Jonisian Nebula, the Enterprise becomes stuck in a cloud of gas known as Debra. Soon the crew finds themselves as characters from The Kingdom of Elysian, the book which Doctor M’Benga regular reads to his daughter. To return everyone to normal, he and Hemmer, the only other person unaffected, must defeat Queen Neve. And in the end, M’Benga must also let his daughter go, so that she can live her life free of illness and explore space ... with Debra.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss “The Elysian Kingdom,” the eighth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ inaugural season. We debate the choice to go to this Trek trope so early in the run of a series limited to 10 episodes per season, and delve into the resolution of the plotline involving Doctor M’enga’s daughter Rukiya. And, as certified Niners, we discuss the choice to make Benny Russell a real person in the Star Trek universe.

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)