Phasers Set To Stun: Starfleet Academy S1. E10 - Rubincon

0:01 Space the Final Frontier. Join us for a bold conversation our prime directive to recap our favorite Star Trek shows, both new and old, to engage and debate about all things Trek. Prepare to energize with Phasers Set to Stunt. Hello everyone, and welcome back to Phasers Set the Stun.

0:43 This is the ongoing film by podcast series where we celebrate everything Star Trek, covering every quadrant of the ever expanding Trek universe, from television and animation to films, directors, merchandise, and so much more. Plotting the course as always you your core track crew. I'm David Burns, I'm Scott Hoffmann, and I'm Wayne Whiten. Well, gentlemen, we have made it to the end of season one of Starfleet Academy with Episode ten, Rubin Khan. But so before we proceed, red Alert listeners, if you are not caught up with the theories, please go do so, as there are many spoilers ahead. We will be right here at the Academy waiting. Scott, go ahead and tell our listeners what this episode was about.

1:25 Ruben Coon is directed by Olatundi Osin Sunmy and written by Alex Kurtzman. And Kristen Byer. In this episode, the Athena stands alone as the only starfleet vessel outside of an Omega forty seven particle mindfield that threatens everything in Federation space set by nus Braka. The Athena can't cross this field without triggering a catastrophe. Aboard the Athena is a skeleton crew of Captain Ake, the Doctor jet Reno, Sam Jayden, Terrema Raymi, Genesis Sam Caleb, and his recently rescued mom. As we saw at the end of the last episode. They barely have time to recover before Braca and his ships surround the Athena. Captain Ake hides the cadets in an airlock to stay safe and hidden from Braca and undetected, just before he takes control of the bridge. His initial plan is simple gloat in front of the Captain. Ake killed the crew and seized the Athena for himself, but when he sees Anisha, Meir, who he thought he was dead, he decides to level up his revenge. He kidnaps Ake and Anisha before leaving the rest of.

2:32 The crew to go down with the ship. Braka escapes and his ships attack the stranded crew, which seems to be destroyed. Before opening credits roll, however, we quickly see that the doctor was able to extend himself into a holographic trick that fooled Braca into believing the Athena is destroyed. This takes a toll on the doctor, who seems unable to speak intelligibly. Sam focuses on helping her dad, while Reno and the cadets find ways to get the Athena up and running in an attempt to save Anisha, Ake and the Federation on their own. Meanwhile, Bracas stages a mock trial of the Federation, with Ake representing the accused, himself as the prosecution and Anisha as the judge. He plans to see Ake emotionally destroyed, Anisha aligned with his vision once again, and the Federation doomed to the demise he thinks it deserves. Captain Ake stages a masterful defense, knowing that Caleb is alive and that she can help Anisia's son, while also proving that Bracca's vendetta is misguided. In juvenile on the Athena, every cadet has a moment when they shine from Rami growing as a pilot Genesis becoming a leader, Terma learning to trust herself, Caleb reconnecting with his friends, and Terarma and Jaden solving the mystery of the doctor who reveals the key to disarming the Omega forty seven, and filed with a big assist from Sam so the crew can ultimately save the day.

3:51 It's a tense and surprising blend of a courtroom and a catastrophe episode, and a fitting end to this first season. Well it's got covered it off. I guess we're done. In your body, thanks for listening. No, no, Well I said a lot, A lot happened in this episode. I gotta say the opening was fantastic. I love the fact that, you know, we got all of that before they even showed the title, you know, Starfleet Academy, and how they did it that way of just wrapping it. It was very cinematic, is what it was. Yeah. Yeah, cast against that exploded ship. Yeah. And you know, just as Star Trek does such a great job with their PTSD episodes, they do really good courtroom dramas too. Even though wasn't really an official courtroom, it still was a courtroom episode, which are little thing is going on on the outside of the courtroom. But beyond that, I thought it was a really good episode.

4:39 I'm curious what Wayne thinks, because I know the last time we talked, he said that everything had felt a little rushed. We could have had three episodes, and I still kind of agree with him on that, but I feel like they did. Wrap it up a little bit better. I liked the bookend stuff. By what we got at the very beginning of the series of Nla of this being put on trial and how you know, with you know, how we open up the season with you know, Brocken them on trial, I thought. That was well done. I like that how they twisted it. But Nala was never really backed into a corner. She knew what she was doing and she came out swinging. No. I agree with you one d percent on that, And but I mean, I still think this story would have benefited with a third episode, just to let the the characters shine a little bit more developed the look when they did, I just feel a little rush. But all in all, I thought it was a very satisfying ending to the season. I really did for and I agree with the book in part two. I noticed that as well.

5:41 I always think, you know, I always like that when they do that. I know they did that very very well with the Star Trek dictioneration, and I think they did a really good job. I enjoyed the episode. You know, I said I was going to wait and make my decision whether or not I liked last night last week's episode, after I saw this, and I'm like, it's I'm satisfied. I think they it came together really nicely. Yeah, Scott, what about you? Yeah? I agree. I think I could see some places where they could pull this out a little bit further, but I was ultimately satisfied with the entire episode, the pacing, the direction, the writing, the acting. I thought I was all spot on.

6:23 I think it's interesting when you mentioned it as kind of a book end to the season. I hadn't really even considered that before you mentioned that. Obviously, it's a good catch that it opened. It begins in a courtroom, and it ends in a courtroom of sorts with these three players at the core, which does a really great job of making it a self contained season. I'm glad that it's going to continue because I think it has a lot of potential, and i'd like to see that potential played out over several seasons if possible, but if somebody wanted to, they could just keep this as a self contained story. Of just one season. Yeah, I think it was. It was really well done.

7:06 Yeah. Before we really dive into more of this episode again, I want to shout out Jeff Russell for his amazing score to this episode. And Wayne, I did see the soundtrack getting released. It's either this month or next month. Oh I missed that. I'm glad. Oh, I'm so glad to hear that too, because, like you, I love the music that he did for this entire season, and it was great this episode. Yeah, I mean every week it just seems he just he improves on it more and more. Yeah, I just I don't know how he does it. But man, yeah, I cannot wait to see what's coming up next season with what he has planned for the score. So absolutely no, a lot of good stuff in this episode to like, I mean, Scott, you mentioned it in your synopsis there. I love how the doctor used himself to do the hologram thing to hide of them getting blown up. I thought that was really cool and you felt, I mean, I knew you knew what was going on.

7:56 And then obviously you went right into the hologram itself where they were at, and I just felt that. Was cgi was phenomenal by the way it. Was, I know, towards the end when they were coming up out of that gas when they warped in. Dude, that was an incredible shot. Yeah. Yeah, well, and I like how they. As much as they're giving the ability for the new crew, the new cast members to shine in this, how much space they're giving for legacy characters to continue to grow. Particularly what you're talking about with the doctor. I didn't even dream that that was a capability of his. I think it was an interesting use of the character that he basically is almost kind of self sacrificing himself. It feels like it's entirely possible that if they had gone any longer with it, or if something else had happened, if there's some kind of damage, he may not have been able to come back because he would have been reduced to kind of holographic projection. I think it's interesting how they kind of played that out with something that reminded me of an episode of Deep Space nine where they essentially kind of get like a little bit of a brokosophasia kind of thing going on where they can say the words that they.

9:12 Want to say. It's interesting that little bit of loss of self there with him not being able to quite get it across, even though he's completely lucid knows what he wants to say and is almost saying that. I loved the use of that, and I loved the chance of being able to get Jaden to have kind of a connection there, to have that kind of medical epiphany to know that, you know, what might be going on. That was one of the things that I think resonated in the most with me was what the doctor was able to do and what jet Reno was able to do as kind of the acting captain absolutely shined in this. Yeah, I love just how proud the doctor was. You saw it in his face when they realized what he was trying to say, and he was just you know, he was getting so excited because they were finally realizing what he was doing and they're solving, you know, the riddle.

10:02 But speaking of Reno, I think this is her best performance even from Discovery in this particular. Episode because she completely takes charge. But there's one scene that really stood out to me, and it's the scene between her and Caleb when she tells it, remember when I told you to tell me who you are. I wanted to know who you are, and you didn't know how to respond. And when he explained what he wanted to do, that he was there to save his friends and stuff like that, she says, right there, you just told me who you were. You did not turn your back on them. You come to the rescue of your friends. Many would have turned their backs. And I love that scene. I thought that was very powerful between Reno and Caleb.

10:44 Yeah, I agree, that was a good scene. Yeah. I was a little amused by the twist surprise that they had in this episode, you know, that reveal that it wasn't the Federation that destroyed a Bracus planet, it was as far there. Yeah, that is a very very old, trusted science fiction trope that they've we've seen used over and over again. But I'm I'm not folding this episode for it for using it. It just you know me, David, so I've got to bring this up. It reminded me of an old John Perty episode of Doctor Here where these these time travelers go back in time to stop the destruction of Earth and the Doctor reveals it that you know, they didn't destroy your world, you did it yourselves.

11:28 You know exactly what came to mind when when she revealed that it's it's a It was a great twist then, and it's a really good twist here at Star Trek. But I had to crack a smile at that and made me laugh. Yeah, ALUs expect somebody is going to be running through the scene with the words cautionary tale on a card, just like, hey everybody. Yeah, but no, it may work. It really did it did? It did very work? You know, I didn't really I didn't see that coming. I'd put it. I didn't even think about it until Nledge uncovered it for us and like, oh hey. And then Brock obviously was like he was. He was beaten right there. You could tell even though he was trying to think he wasn't in and up playing it up. But I love to finally seeing Broka realize he was defeated, because I mean he was tough to defeat, There's no doubt about it. This whole season, he's been ahead of everybody.

12:19 So it was finally you could see that we know he's coming back, minunderstanding he's not in season two, but you know, he's going to come back if they go to. Season three, which I can understand them not having him in season two. You don't want to use too much of a good thing, and right, Paul Giamani is a good thing. Really definitely. I'll mention that later, but I can see them wanting to do a different storyline than bringing him back for season three. Yeah, I agree. You know, there's this is kind of giving away my what I think is the standout people in this episode, so I kind of get ahead of myself a little bit, but a little bit more of detailed a little bit later though. The scene between a Nisian and Nala where Anissa's basically telling her that she wants to dance on her grave, I gotta tell you that was an incredibly powerful scene. You know, her explanation of, you know, people who go through grief basically other people may say they understand that grief, but in reality they don't because they don't experience, they don't feel, even though Nala does have that kind of experience with her son, but when it all came down, when it all came back, and Nala basically said, you know, if you do want to dance on my grave you already are. And then she explained everything in detail about the pilot that they killed, you know, explained who that pilot was. That that was some incredible detail right now. That really just pulled you into that episode even more than they really needed to in this courtroom drama because they do such a great job of it.

13:46 But I mean, that was just very powerful scene between those two. Yeah, I mean it's very well written because she's basically saying, like, you know, I can't dispute anything that you're saying about me, but I can explain some of what you might not be aware of, right, which is interesting, Like the undertone of this whole thing is the Federation rebuilding itself and earning their trust back a lot of times from people that don't necessarily have any could justifiably say like, I don't know if I can ever trust the Federation again.

14:29 For her to basically say, like, you know, but consider what happened like this situation and what was happening behind the scenes you might not be aware of, helps Anisia to get a different perspective. She might not necessarily be able to get rid of all of her hate in that moment. At least she understands a little bit more. For where it was coming from. And she's not going to get you know, all love adew with the Federation again, but she's at least willing to accept that enough to you know, trust her son with them and to know that, you know, this is where he wants to go. I think would also really help that scene be even more powerful was the fact that the cadets on the Athena were hearing it. We're listening in on that dialogue there towards the end when when Nalla was explaining about that pilot and all of that, and obviously Caleb needed to know that so that he could basically, you know, go down there to you know, speak up for Nava, which that was an incredible scene as well, just his basically, you know, he loves his mother and he tells her, you know, I love you, but you know you always told me to look.

15:41 Up to the stars. I never understood that until Starfleet, which that's almost a dagger in his mom's gut right to even say that, because of her hatred for Starfleet. But then Caleb just goes on to explain of what he found was Starfleet, you know, and here again the cadets are listening to his explanation, which is kind of nice because earlier, when you're trying to explain it generally shut him down. Remember, don't waste your breath, you know, when she told him when he was trying to apologize. But here he's basically apologizing again, you know, but it's to his mom. Even the cadets are on Athena listening to his explanation and his apologies, so it helps them realize that what he was trying to do really was from the heart, you know.

16:24 And it just a lot of people struggle with standing up to their parents because everybody puts their parents when most people put their parents in such a pedestal that they never want to disappoint them right ever, And in this situation, you know, Caleb has to make that stance because for one, I mean, Naala is on trial here and he really cares for her because she's been there as that mother where you know, and he has not been right. But you know, he was trying to find her, but she stepped in for that. So he was there to have two mothers who are basically standing off from and there he had to protect both of them. But the one who is in most danger with Nalla, and that spoke volume of Caleb's character.

17:08 Yeah, but you can see how she's basically you know this this entire time. She has what she has wanted for him, that she recognized that he ultimately found in the last place that she ever expected him to, and she I think accepts that she can trust him to be able to write his own story and to to trust the family he's found and to let her know that he's he's going to be Okay, there's going to be you know, problems that he's going to have, but she can trust him to follow this path. Yeah. Absolutely.

17:49 I love the fact that they get to punch Brocket too. Yes, come on, we all cheered for that. Right, Yeah, exactly. Jack has deserved it many. But no, I mean, there's there are so many good scenes in this episode, you know, I mean something. I know I've read some obviously people's comments and stuff out there, and I just shake my head at it, just like I do too. I do too. I'm like, you know what, it was still a good season, and I'm sure we'll talk a little bit more about that when we get to the end of this episode. You know how we felt and stuff about the season itself, but overall, I thought this was a really good, fineale, you know it. The only thing I kind of felt was awkward is about taking a summer off. Okay, I mean there's really no seasons in space, so I guess even though they were on Earth, I guess they're just it's a it's a break, you know, between the two between the two years.

18:41 I guess it just felt awkward or my I mean I alone on that. Well, I mean, you know, they they observe that, they've always done that on the starships. You know, they observe day and night and true there's none of that in space too, so I could see them observing the seasons as well. Yeah, I mean I think as far as like a you know, in the starfleet career or it's basically many sabbaticals that you take before you come back, which I think at this stage in the Federation's development is probably more important than ever because it's each of these cadets going back to their own worlds, their own cultures, unless they decide to go someplace else, which is totally fine, but they're having independent experiences that they ultimately bring back to the Academy and every time they come back for a subsequent year.

19:30 It's a choice. So it's kind of like a manifestation of everybody learning to trust the Federation that these young kids are bringing themselves back into this mix to continue pushing it forward until they dedicate their whole lives to it and then you know. Yeah, no, it's true if you look at it the way I give it. They need that break for one thing. I'm just jealous because they get a summer break. But that's right me too. It's not fair. We don't get those as adults, unfortunately most of them. Anyway, I missed those days when you could when we did have. That, I know, I know. So what did you guys think about the whole celebration that Sam did when Brock obviously found out that his remote was not working, they fixed it, and then all of a sudden, the federationships just start, you know, popping in all over the place, and then Sam just going crazy.

20:18 Let's go on the bridge. I thought that was a fantastic Yeah, matched her character and it did. It, did you know? And I feel like, even though she's fighting the two characters a little bit, I feel like at the end of this episode, she's kind of at peace now for a majority. Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah, she's finding that balance again because her her kind of rebirth as Sam two point zero came very much from a kind of a dark place right after catastrophe and then it was just recovering from that ever since going right into burn two point zero. Yeah, so she probably just didn't feel like she could trust herself to be that or say one point oh and was It's interesting how she kind of looks down at Sam one point out to just say like, I can't believe I was like that, and it's like, but you still can be.

21:11 It's just you have to wait for it to be the right moment of joy exactly. Yeah. I liked the whole Kalob narrating at the end with his first log and basically saying, this. Is the last thing I expected. Well, yeah it is, but I mean just shows how much his character has grown over the season too, a lot. A real lot. Yeah. This was you know, when when we first saw him, we thought that, you know, he was going to find his mother and then run off. He really didn't care, But now obviously we see he does. Yeah, Yeah, he's he obviously grew the bots. I think of all the characters, even a lot of them have growth. Obviously, this is with Caleb's story this season for the most part. Yeah, so it was only natural that he had the most growth. But I actually loved the photo montage at the end with the credits.

21:52 Oh yeah, that. Was so cool. They even broad up, which was hysterical. Yeah. I think my favorite one was Rappert Ricardo's. Yes, some of them you really could tell his film. You could see it in their faith, you know, even in how little they were, you could still see it in them. So but no, really good episode, good finale. So let's let's move on to I know, some of our favorite parts of these episodes. Which character shined the most? Wayne, I'll start with you. Well, this was a really hard one for me because I really want to say je Reino, but but I can't.

22:32 I can't because I have to go with with Nospranka. Just like he did with his other two appearances, he stole the show away from the others. He's really that that court resume. He's really chewing the scenery. He is, But but I loved every minute of it, you know. He he's definitely cemented himself as one of the better villains of the Star Trek universe. You know, he's right up there with the Ricardo Monabon and Christopher Plummer. My eyes and I just loved every scene between Giamani and Helen are Holly Hunter because both of them are just giving some real class a acting here. And I'm glad that both of them have joined the Star Trek Universe. And I can't wait to see more of them, I really do, because I love those scenes.

23:17 Those two together is just some of the best performances all of this season. I mean, they just feed off of one another brilliantly. You can just see how good they are as actors. And when you get those two in a room just going at it to one another, I mean, it's just it's just perfect. It is incredible. Yeah, it's fun to watch, it really is. But no, that's that's a good choice. Actually it really is. Wayne Scott, what about you. Well, if he's gonna go Braka, I'm gonna go which is a good call. Good, I'm gonna go with a nation mer Maslani. I I was going to say Captain Ak I actually had notes on, you know, detailing why but I think this is one of the first episodes where we've really gotten kind of the breath for Tatiana to fully fletch out this character the range of emotions that she's been feeling. We've only been seeing kind of drips and drabs, even in the last episode, but here we get great emotional range because she goes from just like traumatized, I would say at the beginning when she sees the face of the person that stole her son and kind of goes a little off the rails, has to quickly compose herself, knowing that she has a role to kind of trap Braka or try to throw him off his game, all the way to having to reluctantly trust Ake for a while, express everything that she's had

24:49 bottled up over the past what nineteen years of been growing up, and then ultimately coming around to just being a mom who is seeing her son go off to college essentially. So, I mean, I think she had great range, great performances in here. I'm glad that character was so central to the finale because it was used so well. And when I when I look at the casting for this, you know the big names are Holly Hunter, Paul Giamadi and Tachia Maslani, and I think she. Did great having all three of them in the same scene, and it's just incredible. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, what a wait, what a way to end to see the See seasons with those three?

25:31 My goodness. Now I'm with you, Scott, and aniche is with at the top of my list for this. I mean, Brock is a good view. I had him earlier in the season, so I felt like it was a cop out to go with him again. But it's a good choice, don't get me wrong, it really is. I remember you both laughed at me. We didn't laugh at me, but you was like the villain. Now Wade picks the villain. See but no, Anitia, I thought was just the scene where she just bared the pain and suffering to non in that courtroom scene. Was just phenomenal in itself. I mean, she did a really good job of what little we saw her this year in her performances, but this one she nailed it.

26:11 She knocked it out of the park for sure. You know, the way she conveyed her anger, her grief in that that deep rooted trauma. I mean a lot of people can't feel that and it hits home for a lot of people, and as much pain and agony as she has been through, as Nalla has been through and Caleb has been through, Braka just standing back there as the one who's caused a lot of this, you know, and just laughing it off basically. So I feel she just just. Does an incredible job in this episode that I had to pick her. You know, she was really good in the season the opener, but this one, like I said, she she knocked it out of the part.

26:52 All right. So if you could be any character in this episode, who would it be? Scott, I'll let you go first. I go with jet Rino again, good one. She had so many amazing lines. She makes Raka hater like you, I don't like, but her her navigation of all the different roles that she had to do. She does a great job of helping all the cadets kind of come out to where they need to be. And I just I just love any of the scenes where they're kind of tinkering with like isolinatory ships and things like that. So when she was fixing things with Caleb looked like fun.

27:32 Well, I mean, since I couldn't give my who shined a Jetry. You know, I chose her as well. She was just so good in this episode, you know, and so central to the story. Yeah. Many times back in Discovery and even early in this series, she was really more than just a popping character, you know, kind of like Guynan did on The Next Generation. You know that she was there for a scene, sometimes just for you know, comedy, and then never seen again. But I'm so glad they gave her more to do here in this finale, a lot more, you know, the way she has to lead and encourage the debts to come up with a solution that was gold. I mean, She's sent her seat here and that's why I'd want to be here, because I just I loved her performance. I loved her character, and I hope we see more of her in season two, and like this she has she's more central to the story.

28:22 Yeah, I agree. Well, for me, I'm going with Vanskin. No, I'm kidding, totally totally kidding. No, I'm with you guys on this one. I really wanted to be jet Reno in this one, just because of how she shines on that bridge. But as we all know, every captain gets their their moment of engage or make it so hers is now show me some pretty streaks of light. I love that that character to a tea man. It really did. But Scott, you kind of touch based on it too, and how not a lot of people get under Braka skin but jet Reno does because he literally says, I don't like you, so they just shows you how awesome jet Reno is. And dude, as good as she is, she was having fun on that bridge. I mean, I know she had a lot of pressure on her of working with these cadets, but the mere fact that she has been with these cadets for this whole entire freshman year with them, that she got to see them grow in those few moments on that bridge more than she saw in the academy the entire year. And getting to see that it goes back to what we saw with Tilly, remember where how proud she was getting to see the breakthrough those cadets had and what she was showing them and teaching them without actually saying, hey, you need to do this. Je Reno did the same thing here. I mean, she is so proud of taking control of that and watching the cadets actually shine. They struggled. I mean, Remi

29:53 was having problems piloting in the ship there for a little bit, but she didn't get angry. She helped him, guided him, showed him, hey, do it this way, do it that way. You know, just let you let yourself go with it. And then when she laughed and gave the bridge to Genesis, says please. Don't break anything, please please please please say she was walking away. Yeah, yeah, you. Reno was awesome in this episode. Yeah, tak Natarda is an amazing job with this. Well, one of my favorite characters, I would say of modern Trek. I think I've said that before. Yep. And this is her second Kobyashi Maru kind of real life scenario. Right Like, when we found her, she was basically had no completely implausible it should still be alive. Yeah, she was, and it became more plausible to just see how she did it.

30:40 All Right, Well, guys, let's take a break. We come back. We'll do Wayne's favorite part, and then we'll talk a little bit about what we thought of the season. We'll be right back. Welcome back, everybody to a Phasers set the stun where Wayne Scott and I are discussing the finale of Starfleet Academy. So let's go ahead and talk about wayne favorite part, the easter eggs. So Wayne, what did you find? Man? There are some juicy ones in this one. I'm glad. I was glad to find what I did find. But of course, the big easter egg for this episode has got to be the appearance of the Doctor's mobile admitter. I would have thought after eight hundred years that he would have found a way to exist and not need it anymore, but apparently not. As you remember it, well, it existed with him on Voyager and all those years after making it like eight hundred years old. It's actually a piece of twenty ninth century technology that was acquired when the Voyager encountered a twenty ninth century Federation vessel that believed they were the cause of a temporal explosion, and then boat ships were thrown back into the twentieth century, and that's where the Doctor obtained the admitter. All it's all very timey, whymy, But if you want to see that, you watch the Star Trek Voyager two parter futures and from their third season. Now, the Doctor also still has his a mobile emitter. During these appearances on Star Trek Prodigy.

32:03 That's where he started wearing it under his coat rather than on his arm like he did on Voyager. Now, Remy executes a maneuver to warp the ship into the clouds of a gas giant to avoid detection, which is exactly what the USS Enterprise did to avoid Nero and the Narrata in the two thousand and nine Star Trek film. Now, the idea of projecting holographic ships out into space to trick your opponent has been done before, and it was done by the Doctor and he's very familiar with it because the USS Voyager did it in a second season finale Basics Part one. But that time the Doctor himself got accidentally projected out into space right and in the middle of the battle. Oops.

32:43 Yeah, another good episode. You got to watch that two parter as well. Now, Captain Aki states that the Federation doesn't have an anthem. I'm sorry, Naalah, Yes, yes it does. We heard it before the baseball game in the Deep Space nine episode take Me Out to the Now during the Nari Raal newsreel, we got a couple of nice easter eggs. First was the mention of the Federation President Rilick, who was seen a couple of times in Star Trek Discovery, but we also see the mention of three planets that were considered joining Braca's new Coalision, Aldeboran, Halka, and the New Kronos. Well, of course, the New Kronos was found earlier this season in the episode Box and Excelso Aldeborn has been mentioned many times throughout all the Star Trek series.

33:35 I won't get into that. Remember, Scotty on the Next Generation was drinking al deboron whiskey. But let's talk about the planet Halka. This has been seen before a long time ago. That was the planet that was visited by Kirk Spock and the crew of the Enterprise at the beginning of the original series episode mir Mirror. It was when they were beaming up from Halka that Kirk, Scotty, Her and McCoy were thrown into the Mirror universe the very first time. Now, last episode we talked about where the US Discovery was, Well, it's right here. We get a shout out for the ship early in the episode, and then later near the end we got a blink and you miss it appearance right outside the atrium windows. Now, let's let's talk about that. In sequence with the graduating class entries, you notice that there was a date on there. Well.

34:28 During Caleb's log entry, he mentions that the start eate is eight six nine six three one point seven, now, giving that each year equals a startate of about one thousand, and that the year twenty three sixty four is to start eight forty one forty one to forty one thousand. That's what that that is, No, that's already been established. That means this episode takes place in the year thirty one ninety two. So those yearbook entries state their year as thirty one ninety six, which means Darkley Academy is a five year university. It also reveals that apparently they all make it out alive at the end and graduate because they're all there.

35:09 Good catch, look at you, A little bit of mass, a little bit of a math. I can't do that. I'm sorry, my brain doesn't work that way. But well done, Wayne, well done, Well guys. I mean, let's let's talk about our thoughts of the entire season in itself. It had a lot of ups for me. We kind of talked about the one episode. I don't think any of us really light. We could have done without that episode, and if we had not had that, Wayne would have had history partner for this finale, unfortunately. But overall, you know. I thought the the opening of the season was incredible. It was very, very cinematic, and then the episodes beyond that were great. The characters have been fantastic. I've enjoyed getting to know them. I know when you in Star Trek, when you first start to get to know some new characters, it's kind of tough. But now I feel like I know them like I know other crew from Star Trek.

36:03 I know they're not a crew, their cadets, but still, you know what I mean. I feel like I'm more involved with this. Time period than I was with Discovery, if that makes any kind of sense. I always felt a little lost with Discovery, with feeling comfortable with the time period they were in. But now with Academy, I feel like I have a home. I feel like I'm more at place now because I see where they're going with it, and I love how and I mentioned this a year ago or two years ago, and we talked about at the beginning of the year. I wanted this to feel like Harry Potter and it really did. At times, especially the first few episodes, they nailed it. It felt like you were at Hogwarts, you know, with the students. But overall, I thought the performances were incredible. Paul Giamadi, I feel stole the entire show. Wayne, As you mentioned, he's up there with one of the best villains of Star Trek, and I can't wait to see him again. And I'm glad they're not going to overuse him. Let's give him a break, so when he does come back, it's going to be that much more powerful. So I really like what he brought to the table of Star Trek, and I know he loves Star Trek. I saw an interview with him saying how he was so giddy in the interview of the fact that he was getting to be in Star Trek, and now after seeing the entire season, seeing what he brought to the table, I can see why.

37:21 But overall I thought it was a really good season. What about you, guys, Yeah, I totally agree. You raise a great point about Discovery in this time period. I think for me when that was happening, it felt temporary. M It felt like. Oh, but if we can get back to the past, that we can prevent the burn, and I kept waiting for that to happen, But knowing that they're invested in that, that they're continuing with it, it feels a lot more familiar. It feels like it fits a lot more with another time period, and it's not necessarily discounting everything that came before. It actually allowing more room for that to grow if anybody wants to explore the time between then and now.

38:06 But it also kind of jumps way ahead to say, like, how would it deal with catastrophe? How did it deal with a federation that's not necessarily trusted anymore and having to rebuild that from the ground up. I love the fact that it is in an academy. I think the Hogwarts angle is a brilliant catch and a great decision because you're getting Starfleet beyond the ships, which I know when we were talking about DS nine some people haven't always been comfortable with that. But just to think about how much range there is for stories, how much range there is for potential to look at all the other things that Starfleet is supposed to be.

38:50 Doing. It at the academy level gives you so many more avenues to explore the different facets of it beyond just being in the Captain's chair, being on the bridge. So yeah, I hope this continues. I hope that they take cues from this in what they developed for future Star Trek, whether it's continued with the storyline or things like it. I think it's a lot of good calls. Yep, yeah, absolutely. I mean I know they finished season two already, they filmed it, ye, so I can't wait to see that. But uh, Wayne, what do you think of the season? Well, I mean, you know, touching on what both of you said, you know, I had a hard time. I love the idea of the thirty second century, but I did have a hard time grasping it. And I think the problem when it came to Discovery, which I liked it, was that, you know, that show started off in the twenty third century and we were just getting used to that, and then boom, it was thrown and we were thrown into thirty second century with all these new characters and all these new concepts, and it was really hard to get your head around that. Here, it's already been established, so we're starting already being in an era area that we're familiar with. Plus this show seems to be a lot more grounded, literally, I guess. But you know, so you know these characters, they're they're central. We've been introduced to them very nicely. That's one thing the writers have done this season has introduced these characters really well so that we can we understand them, we know them, we can see them grow. That's something that I think Discovery

40:22 had a little bit of problem with with their thirty second century characters, and I think that helps. I love the thirty second century. You know, now we've we've got three centuries of Star Trek that we can follow, and it's great that that they're being able to expand the whole universe and concepts like this. And I can't wait to see what season two because I want to see more in this thirty second century because I love it. I love it, and I love the characters that what they got here. Yeah, I agree. I feel like, do you think the next season, because we know Brock is out of the way now, do you think that it will go back to the typical you know, each episode is a different story or do you think they're going with the story arc again.

41:05 I think they'll go with a story arc it'll be something completely different. You know. Here, here's the I don't want to call this a concern, because it's not a concern. You know. This first season was definitely Caleb's story, as we we've mentioned before, and it looks like that, you know, his story has been wrapped up a little bit other than the fact that he's starflee We we we've finished up that bit that we've been introduced with his story, and I hope they don't let him fall off to the wayside. I hope they come up with something more new and original for him. Uh, but I forgot what the question was. What we think we're gonna be. We're gonna be a story arc or that.

41:48 No, you know, I I guess the sky's the limit for them. But I do think it'll be a story arc. But I think it'll probably be something completely different. I don't know if it'll be have a central I think that they'll probably go with something a little more like like a natural cat catastrophe or something. I hope they don't do another another you know, the galaxy is threatened thing, because yeah, no, please, you don't want to do that again. That not not this soon. But that's that's my thought. I mean, who knows, really they can go any any direction with it. Yeah, Scott, what do you think? I think it'll probably you know, we've seen things like the planet of Vulcan getting a new name, right, We've seen giant changes to Beta Z. I have a feeling it's not necessarily going to be so focused on the established characters. There may be some other arcs. I feel like we're probably going to get something infused, like I said last time, with the second years, with the Freshmans that are coming in, I think there's probably going to be a little bit of a little bit more digging into rebuilding some classic parts of the Federation, with one of them possibly being like a pivotal point that you know, threatens the stability of being able to rebuild it. I feel I hope that there's a little bit more depth in there, because I feel like that's the possibility of bringing some of the classic fans back in, maybe giving

43:21 them away to kind of see the potential for this to grow. By the same token, I don't know, the serious needs to play to people that necessarily don't really want to accept it. They should just go at it and be their own thing. I don't think it has to be for the prior generations. I think it can be, but I don't think they have to try to just do your own thing and let. It grow completely agree. I agree with that to a stint. But if we look back, what were the two strongest episodes this season in my opinion was the Deep Space nine one ye and then the episode with the Doctor, which you know was new stories and developing, you know, new mythology, but was grounded with a little taste of the whole Star Trek mythology. And I really I hope they do that at least once. Don't overdo it that, Please don't overdo that.

44:12 But you know, I would love to see that. You know, it's not just the old Trek fans that that we want to draw back us us, you know, Trekkies that are already here. We we just like, you know, we just like being fanboys for a time. We do. I do hope next season that Vance gets away from Earth or wherever the hell he is kind of you know, shows up in person, retired of the hologram version of him. I think it'd be interesting if there's a little bit of mystery behind that, like fighting Mummy well, I mean possibly, Like, I think it could be fascinating. He's like he's he's omni present but never available, right right, nobody sees him in person. I wonder if there could be a little bit of a surprise there to say, like you could be he's actually in pikes Can edition and that's the only way that he can exist and interact with people.

45:03 Oh gosh, I don't know. Yeah, but I mean still. Scott's going the wrong direction here man. Wood again, hold on, but I don't know, just I don't know. I think there's some interesting depth to explore. Yeah, Parris, well, I can tell you what is happening next with us, So tune in for the next episode where we are giving our Trek expectations on what is coming up for Star Trek as well as we are here at Phasers set stun going to join in with the sixtieth anniversary of Star Trek by diving into the original theories starting from the very beginning. So come back and listen. We have a ton of store that we can't wait to talk about. Listeners, we thank you for tuning in and hopefully you've enjoyed our discussions on Starfleet Academy I know we've got Strange New Worlds season four coming up sometime this year.

45:56 They've not given us a date yet. They did mention this week. The producer did mention late summer. Oh okay, well, good. Okay, good, give us a little bit of time. Yeah, we used to break break tweet. Yeah, little break, little break. Yeah. I'm sure season two of Starfrek Habby probably around the same time next year that they're released it. Yeah, it feels comfortable for them to be able to do that. So good. Well, guys, thank you so much for joining. It's always a pleasure joining here at Phasers talking about Star Trek. It's been fun. This has been a good series. It's kind of nice that we get to start with in the original series, right from the very beginning, from the start. Yes, it's kind of nice. From one me too, me too. Hopefully we'll get more than just a second season. Hopefully we'll get more.

46:38 But with Paramount buying, Warner Brothers and all that stuff, I don't know what's going on. Who knows, who knows what what? Well, we'll get into that. There is another series that that was mentioned this week, but you'll have to tune. You'll have to tune back for trek expectations exactly. That's what we're talking about, that Will said, Wayne. Will all right, listener. So you can check us out at www dot film by podcast dot com for film and TV articles and our entire library streaming free. You can write to us at a film by Podcast at gmail dot com with your questions, comments and concerns. We just may read your response on the show. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and x And if you haven't checked us out on YouTube yet, what is stopping you being right on over and hit that subscribe button.

47:22 We would greatly appreciate it. And so all you're listening to the show, following us on all social media platforms, and subscribing to our Patreon, we thank you. We will see you next time for another episode of Phasers. Set the stunt, Now show me pretty Streaks of Light.