The Greatest Generation - Star Trek Podcast of the Dead (VOY S6E3)

Episode Date: June 5, 2023

When BLT’s near-death experience includes a vision of her mother’s dishonor, she’s willing to die again if it means springing her mom from Gre'thor. But when she can’t cheat Kortar and it’s the afterlife or eels, choosing to live means finally tossing her bat’leth overboard. Where’s the line when it comes to Klingon cultural appropriation? Which community is disappointed in the show’s practical effects? Is Nek’lhr a more likable character than Neelix? It’s the episode where Voyager is hell!Support the production of The Greatest Generation.Friends of DeSoto for Democracy.Friends of DeSoto for Justice. Follow The Game of Buttholes: The Will of the Caretaker!Music by Adam Ragusea & Dark MateriaFollow The Greatest Generation on Twitter, and discuss the show using the hashtag #GreatestGen!The Greatest Generation is on Twitch.Facebook group | Subreddit | Discord | WikiSign up for our mailing list!Get a thing at podshop.biz!

Priority 1 message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. Hey friends of Disodo. Before today's episode, we just wanted to take a moment to talk about the historic labor actions being taken by writers and actors in the American Film and Television industry. If you're a fan of the work done by the people who make Star Trek, we hope you'll join us in standing in solidarity with the folks who actually bring these adventures to life. Over the past several years, the AMPTP, the organization that represents the American Film and Television Production Studios, have reduced the profit from movies and TV going to workers. And in so doing,

they've attempted to weaken the labor unions that represent those workers. They wouldn't even engage the unions on many issues in their negotiations. And so a strike was the only course of action to take. Adam, Wendy and I have been having a lot of internal discussions about how best to stand with the unions and we are continuing those conversations in a dynamic situation. We're doing our best to understand where the picket lines are in these digital spaces,

and we would never intentionally cross one. With the information we have, we feel like we can do more good talking about and supporting the strike and continuing our show as planned. We'll keep you informed about what all this means for greatest trek specifically. Today we're making a contribution to the Entertainment Community Fund. This fund exists to help all the people whose livelihoods have been put on hold because the AMPTP refuses to negotiate

in good faith with the unions. It provides financial support for writers, actors, and all the thousands of laborers who make the shows that we talk about here and without whom we wouldn't have Star Trek to cast pot about. Those folks are all out of work because billionaires, company shareholders, and the executives of these companies don't want to compromise on the length of their yachts. We hope you'll join us in supporting entertainment workers in a challenging time, especially after they've already endured several years of challenges brought on by the pandemic

and season two of Star Trek Picard. We've set up a page where you can also contribute. It's at friendsofdecotoforlabor.com. That's friendsofdececoto for Labor.com. That's FriendsOfDecoto for Labor.com. Link in the episode description. Okay, now let's get on with the show. Here's to the finest crew in Starfleet. Engage! Watch your bad shot. Hello! I'm Captain Captain Bringengwe, the U.S.S. Fortnight. Captain Captain Captain Bringengwe, the U.S. is for the U.S. is for Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain Captain from a birthday trip to New York. Yeah, I was your big birthday trip to New York. I don't like going to New York without you.

Ah. You are New York to me. I was feeling a lot of sadness about not being there with you. I wanted to drink all the drinks, eat all the eats. Ride all the pelotons. Did I tell you I did that out there? Yeah, you were saying you were going to go to the

the mothership of peloton. I did something great out there. When are these fucking people going to sponsor our show by the way? No wonder their company is struggling. I think that's part of it. They maybe don't see the value proposition of getting into a partnership with us. Maybe after today, they will. I did something that a lot of the Jim Shimoda folks, I think would be interested in doing. That, of course, the hashtag GYM Shimoda Fitness Community of FODs. Yeah.

And like, I really wanted to do this. Like, I carved out some time to go to the studio and take classes. And I wanted to take two classes from two very specific instructors. Oh yeah. Cause the instructors are kind of like celebrities. They really are.

And that's something I wanted to talk to you about because like I really got to become a fan at a live event. And like do a meet and greet after in a way that was like such a great reminder of how meaningful that stuff is. If you're an enthusiast for a thing, like, wow, I haven't been on the other side in a long time

and it felt good. It felt good to get that. Yeah, I think that when we've done live shows, it's often something that's pitched to us. Do a VIP ticket and meet the people and often we've met that with some skepticism like that. Do people really want to do that? That's always where it comes from is a,

ah, like us, who cares? How good could this be for them? Yeah. But it was a reminder that it is only for them. And so little for you in that arrangement. Alex is my favorite biking instructor. And so I had like get wait listed for his class because it's very popular.

Yeah. I'm gonna kick you ass today. Come on. And I could be on a transcontinental flight with Alex seated right next to me. And I wouldn't say anything, not because I was too nervous, but because I don't know, Alex from Adam.

Right, yeah, big, big star. Finally got into the class and I got to do it with my wife and a good friend of ours, you know, Grant, long time friend of mine. He lives in New York with his wife and we were out visiting them for the weekend and we, all three of us got into the class and it was

So exciting. Yeah, you're you're sort of cattle called in there and you're assigned your bike And I was told because Grant had taken these classes before he's like look man You don't want to get the bad bike. There's a bad bike in there if you get the bad bike Make sure you hop off and hop on to another and I was like, Grant, I don't know I don't know how to identify a bad bike in there. If you get the bad bike, make sure you hop off and hop onto another. And I was like, Grant, I don't know. I don't know how to identify a bad bike by looking at it. He's like, you'll know, because we got split up. I got off the stand by list first, and then my wife and Grant got in,

like before the door to the airplane shut. Like, they weren't sure they were gonna make it in until the very end. So I get in there and I thought I was on a pretty good bike, so I stayed and you would like the production of this because there is a lot to it. Like there's a whole control room and there's producers in the studio

and there's a preamble before the class starts and it's very live feeling because there's a countdown and an entrance and it is big fucking energy. Like the music is loud. Do they have a warm-up comic to get everybody psyched? I was really surprised by that. No, the room is basically like it's just playing music kind of softly while you load in and you get ready

and you're pedaling to kind of warm up and you're in there for like 20 minutes just killing time. And then the music gets loud and the lights change and here comes Alex loud and enthusiastic and like high five and people and like hopping on the bike and shit is going off. Like I'm getting chills just thinking about it. It was crazy and we did our 30 minute ride and it was super fun And I got a birthday shout out because it was my birthday Yeah, it was my 400th ride and that was another thing too like you want to go and do a milestone here

So you get you really sink them up. Yeah, so I went in there and and got some shout outs and any Jim Shimoda who's on the peloton who wants to ride my ride. You might be able to see me in the class. It's the May 6th ride with Alex Tucson. Wow. So the camera pans over the crowd. Cool. Yeah. Yeah. It was great. Alex made a comment about my headband because I was the only person in there wearing a headband. That was fun. Hey, speaking of the camera panning over the crowd and you may be able to see Adam in a video shot in New York. Uh-huh.

As of this, we will be back from recording the re-encounter at far point. How about that? Yeah. Lots of miles flying back and forth to New York lately. If I'm reading this correctly, it will have been filmed and tickets to watch the stream of it will be available now at greatestjentour.com. And it's going to be a lot like the streaming's spectacular, but for the re-encounter at far point.

It's going to be a lot like a peloton class because when you're watching the stream at home, you can do it from a bicycle or a couch or anywhere in between. Is there a live chat on a Peloton ride? Because there will be one at the re-encounter at far point stream. It's high five only, which is a lot less exciting than a live chat. The chat's going to be a ton of fun. You and I always hang out in the chat. Oh, yeah. Speaking of meat and greets, we're going to have a meat and greet as one of the options for tickets.

All of that greatestgenTour.com. Yeah. I swear to God, you didn't set me up for this. That was very natural feeling. Like that's what we were headed all along. Yeah. I always thought that I was headed straight for the grave all along Adam. Much like Belonatoris in today's episode.

Yeah, yeah. What do you say we buy two tickets, Ben, in coach? For Voyager Season 6, episode three. Bart, of the dead. for Voyager Season 6 Episode 3. Bart! Of the dead! Yeah, okay, you talked me into it. Reaper, of course. Unless you've got something a little bigger in your torpedo tubes,

I'm not dreaming about that. Our cold open finds us with BLT in an about to crash shuttle. Yeah, we start in media bang. It's not pilot related. No. It's Ion storm related. And I thought at first, like so many other shuttle crashes that have been Chicoete at the wheel,

the shuttle isn't going into a planet, it's going into the shuttle bay. This effect shot is incredible. Yeah, really great job here. Oh man, so fun. Getting to see out the front window as the shuttle makes a hard landing on the floor of the shuttle bay.

It's kind of cool that like, you don't need a super clean effect shot to sell this because everything's shaky and smokey and crazy feeling. Yeah, I did a perfect job with this. Yeah. BLT bangs her head on the way in. Bang! Of the head!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Redic Tom Paris is here to scanner with a medical tricorder. Tricorder of the medic! Wait, did I do that right? You did it great. Yeah. Oh, it's just a mild concussion, Ben. And you just send her right back out on the football field with one of those.

Right. She is not concussed enough to not get in trouble. So she gets to Janeway's office where she is dressed down for a risking life and limb to save a multispatial probe. The one that they have, like they only have the one multispatial probe, but they also only have one BLT. I think a lot of people would risk it all

for a high value probe. Yeah. You know when I lose that thing? That's why the whole thing about the flared base. Yeah, exactly. Do not lose the probe. Yeah. I think this is something that Janeway can appreciate in this scene, kind of a like, you're

in trouble for going above and beyond. Later that night, BLT is alone in her quarters when Chicoeté comes in with a wooden shoe that they found wedged in her portness cell. Hence the word, sabotage. And this wooden shoe is a clingon design. I really love how Beltran and Dawson like play with the weight of this thing. Yeah. Like you really get a sense of its mass in this scene in a fun way.

Like it could weigh nothing in reality, but they do a great job selling it. It's empty. Yeah. So yeah, like the, the idea is that this is a piece of an old Klingon ship. That's what fucked up her shuttle and it is pretty wild as far as discoveries go because it means there was a clinging on bird of prey in the D-quad like a long, long time ago. And that makes it like an archeological find. Remind me to plant a flag on behalf of

the Empire. I like the dismissiveness with which BLT sort of kicks in the theory that Chico De had about wow. So like the first Klingon explorers route here, doing their Klingon exploring and BLTs like they were probably assimilated. And then their ship was sort of blown out the trash chute of a boring ship. And that's how all this crud got into my Nassau. Yeah. So she puts it down on a glass table, and the camera pans so ominously down

to the like below shot of this thing on the glass table that I was like, this glass table is fucking done for. It's a real TMG season one angle up through that table, for sure. It is. Table of the glass! The one piece of marking on this piece of metal is a cling on logo, and this thing starts bleeding, and it's BLT eyes to commercial as this blood like seeps out onto the table and

then disappears. Do you think this is a sequence that has both practical and special effects in it? I thought the blood, some of the blood on the table looked real, but then like the ooze out didn't quite look real. And in the darkened quarters, I think it was really hard to tell tell I think in a way that that served the effect if it was one Right, I think it is an effect, but it's like yeah It's an effect that is like not trying for something that they're not quite able to do You know this is an episode that's unique for its use of effects especially in the like river of blood scenes that come later. And I wonder

if any of that plugin was used here as well as the river of blood, you know? So the next morning, BLT has a hang with Harry Kim down in engineering and they've put this hunk of metal up on some kind of scanner and Harry Kim is really not into the idea that there's something special about this that blood came out of it that BLT saw, what she thought she saw. Harry like kind of whispers to BLTs, like, you know, I see blood coming out of a lot of things.

This is, my tolerance for this is pretty high. He's like, did you try putting a towel on the bed, BLT? Because it's really, there's nothing to stop you from doing whatever you want. Things seem kind of out of order here, right? Because if BLT is seeing blood that doesn't actually exist, she should be talking to the doc and not Harry Kim. Wouldn't you say? Yeah. It's be talking to the Jack and not Harry Kim. Wouldn't she say?

Yeah. It's also three in the morning in this sequence. So she's like gotten him up out of bed to talk about this. I think that's part of why he so annoyed at her. I mean, this is Stickman time right here. Yeah. You pull him off the beat to work overtime. Those Delaney sisters are going un-wood at the moment.

Yeah. What do you do it? Yeah. Let's just stick this thing in a containment field and deal with it in the morning. What is Neelix doing up to? Is he like a baker where he gets up super early to get breakfast ready for everyone? Over time! Of the dead! You don't get rewarded for working extra hours either.

No, it looks as just a try hard. So the way he's trying hard today is he's looked into a lot of interesting, uh, cling on history. I've been doing some research. Why? He wants to throw a big celebration for BLT and her great archeological discovery in the cling on style. research. Why? He wants to throw a big celebration for BLT and her great archaeological discovery

in the Klingon style. And this goes to something that you brought up recently, which is the sort of erasure of BLT's Klingon cultural heritage. And this is something that we've talked about Paris engaging in a lot. Like when Paris does a special thing for BLT or they engage in some kind of ceremony, it often is the human version thereof. And Nielix is going hard in the other direction in a way that really chafes against her. And she is not enjoying it. But wouldn't you say that the person this should shave against, that you detect no shaving at the entire episode is Paris? Because let me try to articulate a concept here that I think you'll understand.

I think FODs will get this too. If I were doing a good job respecting my wife's cultural heritage or interest or whatever. And some fucking dude throws a party in celebration of that, like to sort of make up for my deficiency. That would reflect poorly on me. And what's interesting about this episode is that is never interrogated. No. Paris' feelings in that way. Like Paris should feel stepped down here. He should

You just not no now This cling on party later as far as parties go have to be one of the most fun types to plan right the the regalia Yeah, the wine the food. Oh, man good stuff So yeah, Neelix is off to plan that, but BLT is off to have a little hang with Tuvok before the big event. And he, you know, this candle made me nervous that some freshening up was gonna be taking place.

Did you start to lose track of time here given these sequence of events that we've gone through. Like we're in engineering and then we're talking and Neelix about the party and then we're going straight to two bucks. Did you feel like this was the same night? So that engineering sequence is at 3 a.m. This also is really lit and shot like it is a nighttime sequence. So yeah, it this felt like useful confusion to me though because yeah, you don't feel quite comfortable

with where and when you are. And Nelix was acting super weird in that scene before and now Tuvaka is acting really weird. you know, like he really nails her with the turn of phrase self-loathing, clinging on, and then starts, you know, showing her the bat left and starts kind of showing off his own skills of a warrior. And he sort of pivots in his personality. And like the vibes are dreamlike throughout this whole experience for BLT. How unusual would it be to fight your therapist in a session, Ben? I would say that my therapist has gotten me in the cheek with a sword once or twice.

Damn! She's a nice older lady, but she can swing a batlet with the best of them. Nice moves with Tim Russ here. I think it can be easy to look like Star Wars kid if you're winging around a batlet. Yeah. Especially if it's not, you know, your character's primary tool like this is, but Tubaq looks great doing this and he looks great up to the moment he slashes BLT's cheek.

Yeah. And then he talks a little shit before she leaves. It's great. You're not worthy of the flooding or fangs. I like this a lot. It's really awkward when they make eye contact at the party. Like, she shows up with Tom Parris. Yeah.

Pretty quickly, they make eye contact with Tuvak who stomps out of there, angry. Tuvak doesn't do the like, stomach across the throat. He does like the thumb under the eye. Right across the apple of the cheek. Yeah. Of course, it's long day. Good. This one to me, very careful, because I'm going to say this once. Very interesting audio in this party sequence, because the doctor is talking to Sevin about singing Klingon Opera, and that's kind of like the foregrounded audio, but the camera kind of focuses on different things while we're hearing that. And we get that floaty camera perspective too

that suggests something unusual as well. I was thinking a lot about this camera float in this way can be so overdone and if you put like a wide angle lens on it, especially more so, but this is nice. This is subtle. I really liked it. Nielik says replicated some gach and figured out how to make replicated gach move around

a little bit. Yeah. But Reiker never, never did. You know, when Reiker was preparing for his officer exchange program, he just had the still kind. Yeah. Yeah, he had to practice with still. And then when he was eating live ammo later, it's taken it down.

The most popular place at this party is around the jug of blood wine, obviously. And I like to see that. That actually gave BLT in Paris some time to kind of peel off and go sit by themselves. And this is a scene where BLT in Paris some time to kind of peel off and go sit by themselves. And this is a scene where BLT can find something really... I don't know, surprising to me was that how much her mom would have loved a party like this. We don't hear much about BLT's mom on the show.

No, but her mom appreciated all things going on in a a way that Bilti very much does not yeah, and she prevails on Paris to respect her Her wishes to tone down the Klingon shit the the Klingon cultural appropriation that everybody else is Engaging in with some zeal. Oh come on Blana. They're all doing this for you Well, then they don't know me very well. Maybe this is good for the show and maybe it isn't, but I had an interesting direction to take this.

Okay. At what point does direction of the damned? At what point does the appreciation of a culture that isn't yours become awkward or tacky or bad? Because there's a lot of moments in this scene where Paris and BLT are talking and BLT is looking at her crew participating in this party. And I really think that that's an interesting line where like you wanted to pick them having a good time and appreciating the goch, but you don't want

to show them having too good of a time, you know? Yeah, I mean, I think that like if they'd all gotten loaf put on by the doctor before coming down, that would be different. So it really comes down to the costuming and the makeup that would be over the line? I think so, because I think that like in these conversations that are being had about cultural appropriation, a lot of it is about like when and how somebody kind of puts on the cultural signifiers of another culture. Like, you know, a post-molone, sort of speaking in a black scent and having a certain kind of music when it is convenient and then not doing other shit when it is more profitable to be a different way.

when it is more profitable to be a different way. You really want to be on the receiving end of post Malone fan letters fan? I wonder what the post Malone friend of DeSoto event diagram looks like. When you get letters from their fan club, it's from the post post. I guess so, that would make sense. Yeah. Or like I read about like a company in the UK that claim to have

invented making plantationships and like every single person in the global South, just like collectively rolled their eyes. I'm going to admit something here kind of personal, which is I think I often admit something here kind of personal, which is I think I often am reluctant to participate in, you know, cultural things that aren't my own because I am reluctant to look like a tourist or look dumb or look like I'm making fun of a thing that I'm sincerely trying to understand. And I wonder how pervasive that feeling is, just broadly, like in the world. And if that stops people from understanding each other.

Yeah. Because I know that's a barrier for me. I think that I'd rather people be sort of toward that end of the spectrum than to gleefully like putting on the feathered headdress and, you know, dressing up as or whatever. Like I think it is a tough needle to thread and I'm definitely self conscious in those contexts as well. Like when I go to a wedding or something that's like very specifically in a religious or cultural context that is not my own. It is very hard to know like how much to engage and like what parts

are. You know, like you're obviously being welcomed in, but it's like which parts am I being well-hummed into? And like, am I going to miss a barrier that isn't apparent to me, but will be hurtful or feel strange to people who are inside of that culture. Yeah, I went to a Catholic funeral once, and I just barely avoided making the mistake of taking communion there. Like, I'm not invited to take communion at a Catholic mass.

Oh, yeah. And I didn't really know that. And like, the rose were going back and back toward me and I was like, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. And finally, I think someone near me said something about like, yeah, you just stay there, dude. You don't get to eat that. Yeah.

I similarly went to a Jewish funeral one time and I noticed that the guy in the casket had my putter and I didn't know what to do about that. It was being buried with my putter that I loaned to him. Oh, God, that sucks. That clubs you were blaisable. It's 10 years old. They don't make it anywhere. I'm so sorry. Janeway gives a toast. This is a special moment for any captain. All captains look forward to the Klingon Cultural Toast. And she starts toasting, and then the toast starts getting low. Yeah, and slow.

Toast of the slow! Ha, ha, ha, ha. The lighting shifts, voice sounds like it's going through a blaster beam. And now there's like warriors stocking around swinging swords at everybody. How about this? This turns into a mass casualty event. What a tragedy. What a tragedy and what a treat because every actor on this show gets to do a death scene.

And I feel like you've got to relish this so much. You don't get to do many of these when you're on a TV series for seven seasons or whatever. I especially appreciated seeing Garrett Wong like get his like in a like wow, that's gotta be so much fun. Do you think Piccardo and Jerry Ryan felt like they got ripped off having to do theirs as a tandem death? Yeah, yeah, I'd want a solo death, Ben. A solo death seems more fun, right? I'm very proud of my alignment with you personally and professionally, but I want to die by myself.

What if we get sucked out of Nairlock together? What if we go down on the same plane? Damn, the day the Star Trek podcast died. Yeah, they... There would be songs about it. Bad parody songs. Star Trek podcast of the day! Ha ha ha!

Wendy would have to assemble episodes out of AI-generated voices if ours. Unfortunately, that ChantGPT experiment we did would become the show. And... It would not be good. How about new! Ugh. Yeah. Anyways, the LT is the last to go.

And she wakes up on the deck of a great big ship. She says, you know, it's like, there's like lightning. There's wind blowing everywhere. There's open flames and braziers like swinging from chains and she asks where she is and you know warriors are not permitted to ask questions. Do you want a that tonight? That's a question. So she tries to turn off the holodeck.

A warrior does not ask directions. She can't end the program because this is not a program. How about this atmosphere? I just want to note this a little more. Like I was wondering if the set was cantilevered at all because the motion of the boat is so realistic feeling. It's not just camera motion because it felt like the swinging of chains and stuff on board looked pretty practical. I agree. And it seemed like some of the dialogue was looped

in these boat scenes. And so I wondered if that was because the machinery of rocking the set back and forth was loud. Yeah. This was big fun. Every scene on the barge was great. Yeah. These warriors get a brand. It's the Klingon logo and they try to brand her face and they stick it on her face and the brand doesn't take. It seemed like it hurt though.

If your face is being held, so a brand could do your cheek, do you stop struggling? So at least they hit cheek and not accidentally hit eye or mouth or something. I think there's got to be a moment of no return where you've given yourself over to the idea of the brand and it's going to happen. Right. Because if they have to back up and go for it again, it's going to just be a mess, you know? Like, at least you get the good logo and the cheek clean. Like sharp lines.

Yeah, no, I mean, and it's like, you know, on a wake-up when you're drunk and you fell asleep at the party and your friends are drawing dicks on you because then the dick is gonna be a total mess. Yeah. It's gonna be a nice clean dick on your face. Good sharp dick. That's what you want. Sharpie of the dick. Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it. So BLT having been rebuffed after asking directions looks up at the sign and says that

the next stop is Graythor on the barge of the dead and the dude next to her on the ship is like, everything you've been seeing on Voyager, that's just your mind. Your mind can't grasp the idea of death when you're dying. And so what your mind does is it clings to this fantasy of a life until you get that life destroyed. The way you have. And this is a very useful piece of information she's being given, I think.

Yeah, she learns that this is called the NASH. Yeah. The dream before dying. And that she is here on this barred because she died without honor. Yeah. I love, this is not supposed to be a funny scene, but BLT starts hearing voices,

and they get up toward the stern of the barge of the dead. And it's clear she's not the only one hearing voices. And this other Klingon dude climbs up to the top and jumps overboard at hearing these voices and gets eaten up by these Klingon eels. Yeah. Who knew? Wow. Wow. The voices aren't real,ing on eels. Yeah. Who knew? Wow.

Wow. The voices aren't real, but those eels are. Are the eels making the voices? Oh, like sirens. Yeah. I kind of thought that the eels might be minicking or like using telepathy to make you think you're hearing your friends.

We really need more on these eels. Yeah. What's these eels. Yeah. What, what, what's the eels? Is there like a technical manual for Star Trek Voyager that has a chapter on the eels? The camera tilts down to the Klingon eel and a, and a eel looks at the camera and he's like, I'm in your blood. Ha, ha eels, there's actually two eels.

Yeah, very true. Yeah. They both got to eat. So, Bilti now meets Cortar, who is the guy working the wheel of this barge. I thought for sure Cortar would be the guy who was up next at the wheel. Right. You put your Cortire up there, so you got next. You get the next game.

Getting his pull cue, chalked up and preparing, but he's also the first Klingon. He's the dude that killed the Klingon gods. And for his trouble, he got stuck with this gig for the rest of eternity. He's the person that pilots the barge of the dead from the world of the living to Gorthar. I don't remember that correctly. Let's go with that.

Let's go with that until we get there. Yeah. Gressor. Yeah. Grass or. Right. So yeah, she's here because her mom has been to son. And she's like, how is my mom been to son? And she's like, because you didn't do your cling on shit. That shit splashes onto her.

Great moment before we go to commercial, like BLT's mom and then the camera racks into BLT and she's like My mom is here. So this really is hell Meanwhile in the world of the living Paris is like, oh, thank God I don't have to spend eternity with my mother-in-law. Great news for me. Yeah. Yeah, no kidding. Am I making any sense here?

Paris explains that she just woke up from a shuttle accident. What? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. examining her, you know, light concussion and everything we've seen up till now has been a dream of hers or an experience that she had after essentially dying. So she's torn up her uniforms all fucked up and interestingly she has the exact same wound on her hand that Cortar gave her. Yeah, she's got Custick Mata. Yeah, Custick Mata, exactly. Uh-huh.

And they don't know anything about the Klingon artifact. And that made me sad, because I wanted more of this prop. I totally agree, like the switcheroo of there being no Klingon bird of prey in the D-quad was actively a disappointment to me because they spent so much time talking about the implications of that

and what does it mean and how did they get here and stuff. Sometimes a Star Trek episode doesn't know what is the most interesting thing about itself. And this is one of those moments. Where I feel like we could just take a hard left into that I was so

Interested in that and and wondering what the implications of them having walked away from it were yeah I almost missed a very fun practical effect in this shot where you see the wound on her hand and the doctor is waving the light on it and It lowers out a frame and a different hand that doesn't have a wound on it comes back up into frame. God, this is straight out of college film right there. God, I love it. Oh, it's so good. And I watched it a couple of times. I'm pretty sure that the hand with the wound on it is not Roxanne Dawson's hand and no one that comes back is. But they sell it great because she's holding that hand by the wrist. So when it comes back up. But they sell it great because she's holding that hand by the wrist.

So when it comes back up into frame, she's still holding it. And that other hand holding onto the wrist really helps carry it across the finish line and makes it a nicely executed little visual gag. The foot fetishes are more well-known out there in the fan community, but the hand freaks. They can tell the difference in this scene.

Oh, those nasty hand freaks are like, wait a second. Roxanne Dawson has 10 out of 10 hands. What's this 9.5 doing here? A hand fetishist is just jacking it during an episode of Star Trek Voyager, like always. And they're like, oh, what is this? That's not the hand I was jacking it to. Jack off. That dead.

I thought you were going to go swap of the hand. No bad ideas. Okay. So Chico De Cums in to talk to her after hours. Again, she's hanging out in her apartment alone. Oh, Ben, I looked up what might have happened to that, you know, that Klingon piece of plating. It got lodged in the BLT's in the cell.

Yeah. And it actually was up for auction. No, shit. Yeah, it was a couple of years ago, and I clicked through, you know's in the cell. Yeah. And it actually was up for auction. No shit. Yeah, it was a couple of years ago, and I clicked through, you know how in ABA you can see how many bids there were. Right. And a lot of action on this. Really?

You know who the high bidder was? Who? Get it long. No fucking shit. Yeah, again. That dude's mantle. He's gonna have to get like a second house with another mantle.

If you had this prop, wouldn't you attach like kind of a practical blood effect to it? Like a flower for a clown, like a squirting flower? Yeah, that'd be fun. I think you'd have to. Yeah. So Chico Te comes in to BLT's quarters to talk about this experience she's had.

And I thought it was very interesting that he was really not in the headspace to embrace the veracity or the like, you know, spiritual significance of her experience here. Yeah. Like, I mean, of all people on the crew, crew Chico Tay would be the best to sort of Discuss a vision quest with and she's like Describing it to him and he's like, yeah, yeah dream logic symbolism You know just figure out what you're subconscious is trying to tell you that's all that's going on here I love that Chico Tay is like, you know, this isn't that weird. I mean for a time my

Grandfather thought he was a teen wolf and that doesn't make him Michael J. Fox. So like, I think this is something that you could probably get over fairly easily. She really believes that she was on that barge, man. And that the barge is real, that the Klingon religion is real and that this is about unfinished business between her and her mother who she hasn't spoken to in 10 years. I think when you're sketching out this story and all of the details of the barge are collected, I think the detail of the mom is a really great Flourish year. Yeah. She thinks it's all hooy until her mom appears and that makes all the difference.

I thought it was weird that Chicoce didn't point out that while she hasn't spoken to her mom in 10 years, like half that isn't really anyone's fault because they've been stranded in the D-quad for five of those. They don't really ring this bell too much this episode, but also the idea of them not knowing if she's alive or dead is that is real sad shit that everyone on the ship is dealing with. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, she has chosen to believe that this means her mom died for real and she encountered her real mom in an afterlife or like a pre-after life situation on the sparse of the dead. Even pre-after life can get you pregnant. Right.

Yeah, not to mention after-living in a hot tub. Right. Indeed. But like her secular non-cling on lifestyle is fucking up her mom's afterlife because if BLT has no honor, that splashes onto her family. And even though her mom has lots of honor, she's going to die and suffer the ignominy of not getting to go to Stovocore. Right. I've got tickets that lock them, get them. All better large men here. I've got tickets that lock them.

What's not? Are you selling a heist? God. A greatest gen live show is something you don't want to miss. Why? Well, it's a great opportunity to see me and Ben in person, but that's not all. FODs from all over gather at these shows to cosplay, to do pre and post-show hangs,

to make friends, and share their embarrassment. Hey, let's make a pretty great name for a tour. Let's do it! The Share Your Embarrassment Tour is coming in August 2023, and we've got a bunch of dates in a lot of great places. Go to GreatestGenTour.com to get more info. That's GreatestGenTour.com for dates and ticketing information for the Share Your Embarrassment Tour. I'm Jordan Morris.

And I'm Jesse Thorne. On Jordan Jesse Go, we make pure, delightful nonsense. We were open awesome guests and bring them down to our level. We got stupid with Judy Greer. My friend Molly and I call it having the spaceweards. Pat Noswald. Could I get a Balrog burger and some air-gorn fries? Thank you.

And Kumail Non-Giani. I've come back with cat toothbrushes, which is impossible to use. Come get stupider with us at MaximumFun.org. Look, your podcast apps already open. Just pull it out. Give Jordan Jesse Goat try. Being smart is hard. Be dumb instead.

Oh, rats, hey, hey, hey, oh, I'm about to count you in line. These clouds are really freaking me out. I hate having to stand in line. And boy, what do I? These giraffes do not smell good. No, they do not, and they've such short nacks. But I'm hearing we need to get on this. I've got to get on the art. It is about terrain, about a spout to destroy humanity.

Hey, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. Are you Noah? Yeah, I know we look like humans. We're actually, we're podcasters. Yes, probably. We are podcasters, so it's different. Have you heard of Ohno Ross and Kerry? We investigate spirituality, claims of the paranormal, stuff like that. And you have a boat and say the world's gonna end, so seem like something for us to check out. We would love to be on the boats. We came two by two. What do you think? things of the paranormal stuff like that. And you have a boat and say the world's gonna end, so seem like something for us to check out. We would love to be on the boats. We came two by two. What do you think?

Ona Ross and Carrie, available on MaximumFun.org. The UK is doing it. BLT's back to work later on, but she's not really working. She brought some personal reading material with her into engineering. And this is something that Paris notices when he chats her up. And all of this is explained to Paris, the story of her mom and the designer and so forth. And Paris gets a, don't you see, done at him? Don't you see? I have a chance to rescue my mother. And I feel like you're a real asshole if you don't get on the person's level after a, don't you see?

Uh-huh. You kind of obligated to believe a, don't you see, right? I guess so. but in Paris's defense She's like reading a scroll in a language. He doesn't read and like It's funny BLT's pointing it out with a finger that may or may not be hers You can have to ask the the hand fetish community about that She's like don't you see and he's like what like, what I see, Belana, is a manicure that doesn't match the one you had in the last frame. I get jacket to that manicure.

The continuity is all off. Harry Kim's in the corner, he's like, I get jacket to that. Yeah. Yeah. He was stating the obvious again. Twice. She's got to go back in Adam. Yeah. Yeah. He was stating the obvious again. Twice. She's got to go back in Adam. Yeah. She's got to go back to the barge and save her mom. We cut to the conference room where BLT is asking Captain Janeway if she's seen flatliners. And I have not. I have not seen that movie.

What about the remake? No. How could you remake that? A stone classic. Did you remake it? Yeah, they did. I've never seen either version. No?

But I'm going to start with the remake. Ah. I wouldn't. Wouldn't do that. I am on Janeway's side here. There's coffee in that limit to how far all that religious practices go aboard this ship. But there's an important aspect to the argument

against that Janeway does not deploy, which is the death wish episode that BLT had not that long ago, because Janeway's point is like, I can't let you risk your life for this spiritual quest you're on. It just doesn't seem worth it and this isn't like a anti-religion thing. It's a, I need you as a part of my crew thing. And I think the final like gilding of this argument would have been the, and also you remember all those times you tried to kill yourself not that long ago Like I think we're still on a form of probation there, right?

Like what kind of captain would I be right if I let you do this right after censoring you for all of that behavior not that long ago Your under observation and yeah For all of that behavior, not that long ago. You're under observation. And the argument is about like, is this a religious freedom thing or not? And Jane was like, well, if you wanted to sacrifice a child to appease your gods, I wouldn't let you do that. And BLT's like, what if I sacrificed a child

to run the ship, like to provide energy for the ship for a certain amount of time. Would you be up for that? Long live the first servant. Lord, you can't do this to him, stop! What if that child were Naomi Wildman? Ha ha ha ha ha. Sounds great.

It's a no-go, but then BLT really appeals on the like, haven't you learned to trust me? Sort of putting Janeway in the, like, you are my surrogate mother position in a way. Well, it was an interesting order to the argument too, right? Because once it seems clear that it's going to be a no for this idea, BLT, like, slams Janeway, pretty hard about like, you're just like my mom who is like clinging to, clinging on weapons and the book of K-Lis

and you're like orthodox starfleet or whatever. You're just like two versions of the same person. And then she softens up after that argument. And that combination seems to have persuaded her. It's like, don't go down the path that my mom went down that led to our 10 year rift, or really five year rift plus five years of us being stranded out here.

This is Delta Quadrant Interest, right? Hahaha. Compounding weekly. Yeah. So if you feel like we've come a long way of you mentoring me and making a great officer out of me, like let me do the same with my mom. And this causes Janeway to change her mind. And we smashed down to Six Bay where they've sort of like set it up partially as a Klingon ceremonial space because they've brought in like, you know, some decorations and some big candles and some sashes and things. Is the Klingon candle store and the Klingon mall? Actually a cool store at the Klingon Mall, kind of seems that way.

Yeah. These props are great. This is the type of shit that Garrett Wong should be bidding on, you know? Like this will really class up your garden party. Yeah, I bet. A hunk of metal isn't gonna do anything for anyone. The dock wheels over the CRT-TV, VCR combo,

and it's like, I think we might have time to watch flatliners before we do this. Just to really familiarize yourself with what might happen here. Thomas even more against this plan than Janeway was. And he's even down to like convert to Klingonism to stop her. This is such a great point by you. Because do you feel like Paris was expecting the captain to say no, and now he's put in that awful position of like, if he thought the captain were gonna say no,

that means he doesn't have to. It kind of gets him off the hook. But now that she says yes, like, what are you gonna do? You can't be the guy who says no here. He'd look like an asshole. Oh, I would be so upset if I were Paris. Yeah. Instead, he has to be a party to it. He has to go like work the computer with the captain.

Supportive husband of the dead. They make like a force field around the bio bed I'm the dead! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha neural activity decline and she wakes up again. She kind of half brandos, which is how you know she isn't dead all the way. Yeah, but she squirts a little bit for sure. Yeah, I mean, how could you not? Pretty sad if you're Paris watching her brain function slow to crawl like, ugh, that sucks.

I haven't seen her brain function slow to a crawl. That bad since, you know, early in our dating when I was really knocking it out with her. But, you know, we're kind of past the honeymoon phase and it's got very routine. I don't think that it's having the same effect. Yeah, we left our masks and latex phase. Pretty long ago, after a few close calls. So she wakes up on the barge again, this time dressed as a warrior. I like this. I couldn't tell if she was like trying to sneak around this time.

Like it seems like it. But she's not like hiding her presence. She's just like turning away from people so they don't recognize her. This is like a half-filled barge subway car. Right. You know, skulking around. That's the one you're looking for.

You don't want to get on the empty barge subway car because that one's going to have something smelly in it. I had subway doors closed on me on my trip to New York. And it fucking hurt. Those things really close hard. Yeah, those are, those George are no joke. Yeah. That's why they say stand clear of the closing doors, please.

I mean, I was just trying to make it in time. The rest of my friends had gotten on board ahead of me. I almost got left behind. You almost dealt with the nightmare scenario. I know. I know. Having to wait for the next trip. Yeah, no one wants that.

Now that cell phones work in the subway, that is not the bad thing that it used to be. It used to be like, well, I might never see them again. Yeah, that was it, almost. So BLT skulks down to the lower area of the barge of the dead, the basements of the dead. And she finds her mom down there. And her mom is pissed, and I think it's because of BLT's big city apology.

Right. Not a good apology, BLT. I'm sorry if I disowned her, do you? Nope. Yeah. You gotta go quad backs here. Just because you killed yourself to come here and do that doesn't mean that we're accepting your atonement

in this moment. Really got to apologize to Wendy for my head cold. I got to get the mute button set up here. So yeah, they kind of pick up their argument right where they left off 10 years ago. Yeah. And, you know, like you never want your rescue mission to dissolve into an argument with the person you're there to rescue. Like, no. She was just there to like get her mom off of the barge.

Not to like resolve their entire conflict W slash R slash G observing, clinging on ritual. It's almost as if she's behind enemy lines, but her mission is just to take pictures. Yeah. Under no circumstances are you to engage the enemy? I feel like this happens to me every time. Like you die Yeah, and then you meet your your dead parents and instantly you're just behaving the way you did around them when you were a teenager Yeah, it's very humiliating. I know you don't want to

Do it Perfect black make it yourself. I'm trying to help you see this opportunity to grow make it yourself I don't find very many depictions of the afterlife believable, but this one. This one really makes sense to me. Yeah. Just an unforgiving parent for eternity. Yeah. And you're stuck on mass transit to a place you may not ever get to.

Ah! And BLT is like, we don't have time for this fucking bullshit. Like there's a ritual we gotta do to get you out of here. Like I read in that scroll. Yeah. They kind of pitched the idea to the captain, Cortar. Yeah. And after a little bit of arguing her point, Cortar agrees to the deal, and morale BLT's mom is released

before the barge of the dead arrives at Greethor. And you know they're about to get to Greethor because there's the tone that plays. Next stop, Greethor station. Greethor station, next stop. Dreadsfur is available to hell. Greethore Station, X-Stop! Dreadsfur is available to Hell, A-E-E-S. And Murrow Hall.

Stand clear of the closing doors please. On top of BLT's mom not being interested in the idea of like tricking her way into Stovacore, she's like, I'd rather go to Grethor and like suffer this dishonor than have you come in here and do some like oopsie daisy trick and like pull the wool over Cortars eyes and and have no punishment fall on either of us. The whole indignity of this is that it feels like a cheat, right? Right. And BLT's mom is a spiteful ass lady. Like, she's like, yeah.

She's not down with that at all. You still understand nothing about being a cling on. I don't know. Like if morale ever got a look inside the gates of Greethor, the way BLT does, she might change her tune, because it looks hot in there. Yeah. Real hot. Which positively uncomfortable. Yeah. But BLT talks Cortard into a deal where they will drop her off in Greethor and let her mom go. and let her mom go. And the symbolism of this is that the brand transfers

from the mom's cheek to BLT's cheek. Yeah. It sort of seemed like he went for the scheme that she was proposing after rejecting it though, because wasn't like, I'm not gonna let her go until after you're like inside those gates. Yeah, it feels a little premature. Yeah. Anyway, she talks about it and it's time to start pulling up on these gates that

we've been hearing so much about. They look really familiar to me, Adam. The gates? The gates of Grethor. It was a real like Miss Moral, my dear Miss BLT. Welcome to Kajaracic Topak. Two Valk is the one that knocks her off the plank. This is so weird.

This is when the episode really gets bizarre in a really useful way because like we've cut before to Six Bay where BLT is coding and doc and Paris try to get to work on reviving her. But then BLT wakes up in a kind of six bay, which is actually Grethor. And when Nielix and the doctor are there to greet, I mean, you know what you're in hell when Nielix is there, right? But like, feclar's not there and no cavern of despair, it turns out hell is voyager.

Hell is voyager, the EMH is going to be singing and Neelix is her guide, so that checks out. Yeah, none of this feels not hell at this point. And so BLT finds yourself back in the mess hall for Janeway's toast and you feel like shit's about to go down again, right? You do.

We haven't seen Feclar at all. You're wondering is Janeway Feclar? You can't have Feclar in a carpeted set. I think that's what made the TNG episode work. Feclar was clearly like on Linoleum tile. You just floor squeegee behind Feclar on that shooting day. Do you think that they gave any thought to like putting the characters in costumes other than what they wear on the ship to make them look more demon-y?

Yeah, but that's hard when you're trying to make your day and you're going back and forth and stuff. Yeah, it would be fun. I don't know if you need it. A lot of these sequences happen really fast. And you know what they don't have in costumeing, they make up in atmosphere. Yeah. Other atmosphere, like with light and camera angle

and camera lens. I think it works as is. I do too. I just, I think that like especially with Nielix and his kind of like flowery, highly colorful costume, I was like, that's kind of an interesting choice. Nelix as Necklar would be really fun though. He's just wet Nelix. That's all.

This evolves into the Friars Club roast of BLT, where they are all telling her about all of the things that they don't care for about her, the way that she keeps them at arm's length, that she doesn't embrace all of the different roles she plays in different people's lives, whether it be, you know, starfleet officer or make-wice or girlfriend or whatever. This has worked in Star Trek before, notably with the wormhole alien visions that Cisco has. Right. I like how this feels to see characters

were familiar with talking this way. It's scary. Her mom arrives in a Starfleet uniform and the argument continues. There's your uniform change, Ben. I guess so. How about that? BLT is asking for, you know, like, tell me the answer,

like, tell me what this is supposed to be making me realize. Like, obviously, this is about me receiving an important message. This is like the breakdown. I keep comparing this to other TNG episodes, but like the eyes in the dark, Deanna Troy episode, I feel like finally devolves at the end with Troy going, what the fuck is this? Just tell me the answer.

On and on with eyes in the dark. Like I'm tired. I'm so tired. He exhausted. This is like that breaking point for BLT. She's like, she's going through it. She's like, metaphor. But for what?

Right. The last thing her mom says to her is to choose to live, which usually Klingons are telling you to choose your pain. Right. But she comes back up onto the deck of the barge and is given a sword by two valk and you know, it's being asked to fight all of them, but she decides to fling the sword into the water. The camera follows the batlet as it kind of frisbees into the water and then it gets eaten

by this double headed cling on eel. And the eel fucking dies. Yeah. Meal of the eel. Dude, dead eels go to Grethor? No, I think they go to, they become unagi. That'll put lead in your pencil. There's like a really like beautiful rainbow bridge that the Klingon eel waits at.

Yeah. For when quartar finally passes, they get to go over together. Yeah. That's nice. All the eels go to Stobocore. Yeah. All the yields go to Stobocore. Yeah. So it seems like this is enough for mom to go to Stobocore or just to just live. I mean, it's hard to say, right?

BLT having chosen to stop fighting, whatever she means by that definition suggests that her mom gets with that as the point of this all along. Stop fighting. Right. Stop resisting everybody. She's like, fine. I will. And then her mom's like, all right, I guess I'll see you again when either you come home or I'm dead. It's going to be really weird when BLT makes it home and like tries to strike up a conversation with her mom and her mom is not aware of any of this and it's like, I'm still mad at you, leave me alone. A Strangement of the Family! Hahaha! Hahaha!

There is a really poignant episode at the very, very end, right? So BLT wakes up, and she's alive, that she doesn't appear to have brain damage, but you aren't really sure, with the way that she hugs Captain Janeway, because this is very out of character for her. Yeah. I mean, it sort of implies that she has brain damage, right? That's it. I'm saying.

Hugs her and she goes, duh. She just hugs her so hard she kills her. Like she just straight up Lenny's Janeway at the end. We're going to stovocore. And that's the end of the episode. Did you like this just stupid. I did. I think this is a very interesting treatment of spirituality in Star Trek, which is not always Star Trek strong as suit, but spirituality as a way of understanding oneself, as a way of connecting more deeply with one's identity and without it needing to be something that everybody else has to all get on board with. Right.

What this episode really accomplishes, please let more people take that away from this. Yeah, I thought it was a really powerful character study for BLT and made me think in new and interesting ways about her. So I really liked this episode. How about you? I really like how the episode ends. I think that that embrace between Janeway and BLT feels earned and good. And I hope it leads to an interesting relationship between them going forward. I think this show doesn't know what to do with the Paris and BLT relationship, though. I don't understand the choices being made about either sidelineing Paris or involving Paris

in BLT's life episode to episode. I don't really believe their relationship in any way. There doesn't seem to be much heat to it. In a way that in the beginning, it felt like there was some of that. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a thing between the two actors. You know, sometimes two actors just don't have that chemistry. And maybe this is an example of that, or maybe this is an example of the writers just

not knowing quite how to create, you know, that inter-office thing that you get on Miriam sitcoms for the past 20 years, you know? Like, it just doesn't seem to feel real to me. I think more than anything, it's an episode that is made for the theme park of Star Trek that needs to be on the way, right? Barge of the Dead feels like a fun ride, but I want to get on. Yeah, it's the Pirates of the Caribbean of the Star Trek theme park, right? Tell you what, the people riding the barge of the dead ride don't put their hands and feet into the water

because it is red, really red. And you don't want to get eaten by those double headed eels, either. No, you do not. Yeah, I mean, put barge of the dead in the column for theme park on a long, long list of things I hope are on the way. Me too.

You can make a Super Mario world and you can't make a Star Trek world. Come on. Give me a break. Yeah. Yeah, that's where I'm at with it. Fun to talk about, though, Ben. Fun indeed.

You know what else is fun, Adam? It is the messages we get in our priority one inbox every week. Let's head on over there. Priority ones of the dead! Priority one message from Starfleet coming in on Secured Channel. We need a supplement on that. supplement on that?

supplement. supplement. Yeah, it's extra. The interest alone could be enough to buy this ship. Ben, our first priority one message is from IWAYH Joshua. Two, HWIMH Caleb. That message goes like this Now, when 2k guys want to build a house, what you want to do?

To save the marido bliss is a point a neutral third party to help settle disputes Much like a tan neutral wire on a standard electrical junction. A year later, I'm happier here with you, and hope you'll finally admit you're pleased with the countertaps. XO! I'm with Caleb, I don't think the countertaps are right. I think Josh was screwed up big time. Oh no! Yeah, no, that's the wrong color, it's wrong material.

No good. It's tough when you fuck up a countertop. It's there to stay. Not much you can do to cover it up. Yeah. Oh man, congrats on building your home together, Caleb and Joshua, that sounds great. More than a dispute about countertops,

the project of building a house together sounds rife with argument. Yeah, when you and your special person have that many high stakes decisions to make together in that short a period of time, so many. It can be really tricky. Yeah.

But you made it. You too. Congrats. Our second priority one message here is from Brian McGrain, it's to Benjamin Ayer, Adam. And my buddy's Paul and Ben. And it goes like this, Justice for Harry Kim. In the US Navy, promotion from Ensign

to Lieutenant Junior Grade is almost to automatic after two years, then to Lieutenant after four. In Season 5, Harry Kim should have two full Pips. In fact, all Starfleet should, not you, Paris. Harry's been senior staff since day one, and not just in If Janeway sees Harriet as a protégé, why hold back his rank? Do Pips even matter at this point? So far from home, Harry gets to do all the cool shit. He's not pipped for it. Has he expressed a desire to be pipped?

I think that's an aspect to this that the show doesn't really comment on, like if he's straining against the machinery of Starfleet not wanting to pip him, I might be liable to feel this way, but I don't feel like Kim is unhappy with his station. I wonder if it's something that like has to go through proper channels and like Janeway isn't empowered to just elevate people's ranks without it and and so everybody's just like hey let's be cool and let this be what it is you know I am empowered to allow a flatline mission for one of my crew people I am not allowed to give extra pips, I'll willy nilly, I can only take them away.

Maybe it's like the interspatial probe, you know, like they they set out on their mission with a certain number of pips, they don't have extras to give out. They have one extra and it's Tom's old pip and it's in Janeways top drawer. Oh, I'd be ripping pips off dead. If If there were pips, garrously like that, come on. That's not the kind of thing you throw away. Well, if you'd like to get a priority one message to engage in some pip disputes or some congratulating of your special person

on finishing a big project. Had to do maximumfund.org slash jumbo-tron to get yours today. Hey, Ben. What's that at him? Did you find yourself a drunk Shimoda? Drunk Shimoda! I'm gonna give it to BLT when she meets Cortar. She's like, how the fuck do you know who I am?

And he like starts listing other times she's been on the barge. Like she's been close to death several times. That's great. And given her recent palm shunt for making attempts on her own life, it seems like she and Cortar should be like, oh you again, okay. Yeah.

You know, I don't buy all the surprise, all the fained surprise of this interaction that BLT is having with Cortar. Dramatic flourishes of the dead. Yeah, that's a good one. I just love the guy who jumps overboard upon hearing the voices. Yeah.

They did not intend for this scene to be funny, but the way that guy climbs up and jumps off, and then what happens to him after, oh, that poor guy. Oh, that poor son of a bitch. This beingly afterlife and it being hell would make it seem as though, as soon as this guy's torn to shreds by double-headed cling on eels, he would appear right back on the barge.

Yeah. Like there's no escape. There are things here worse than death. I don't know, I feel like that that feels like a good way out to me. You know, I want to be torn apart by eels instead of burning in the hellfire of gray Thor. Yeah, I think you're right about that. Yeah. Maybe that's what they just want people to think. That guy did find a way out. Being eaten by eels is how you get out of hell. But like the word on the street is, nah, that ain't it. Listen to the voices.

Yeah. The voices are actually good. Yeah. Wow. All right, Ben. Very fun episode this time around. And a really fun, I love being around a lot of klingons again. Yeah, yeah.

Rare klingon episodes, but Klingons again. Yeah, yeah, rare Klingon episodes, but this one was great. Yeah. I feel like so rare, invoager, that I really thought that this was a storyline from TNG. Like, there was a moment when like all of these shows were first coming on streaming networks, where I was like, ah, remember that one where Warf

is on the barge of the dead? And I looked high and low to find the TNG episode that that happened on. And I was like, where the fuck is it? Did I imagine that that even happened? You bring up a great point though about how this episode would be different if it were Warf and if it were a TNG episode, Warf would be so fucking insufferable in the barge of the dead. Like he would be all into it.

Even Quartzhar would be like, dude, would you just fucking give it a rest? I'll give you some fucking honor so that you can get off this fucking barge. You know what? The only one who can listen to the voices and jump overboard is Warf Sun of Moe. All right?

I wanna introduce you to some fucking eels out in the river of blood, okay? This fucking guy. Adam, I want to introduce you to our next episode, it's season six, episode four, Tinker Tenor, Doctor Spy. The doctor's overactive imagination leads Voyager into real trouble. Back with the doctor's overactive imagination leads Voyager into real trouble.

Back with the doctor, huh? Hmm, again? Again. Ben, I've taken it on over to the Game of Buttholes. The will of the caretaker. This is where we figure out how we're going to enjoy the next episode. Game board of the Drunk! Currently, our runabout his own square 35, one square head, Nielix's galley.

That's a drinking episode. That is about the only thing relevant ahead. Okay. You're required to learn as you play. Roll. Got the die in my hand. I'm gonna give it a roll. Oh, you want me to blow on that die for good luck? And I rolled a five.

Two-law! Did I win? Hardly. It puts us on square 40, it's gonna be a regular old episode next week. Oh, wow. Okay. I skipped over the Nielix's galley.

Looks like that brown zone episode is getting close at hand, though. Yeah. FOD favorite brown zone up is now in range. How about that? The FODs are my favorite, Adam. We got the ones who support the show on a monthly basis to thank for our livelihoods. Your rule. Yeah. And we really appreciate you. Maximumfund.org slash join is how you become a supporter of the show. Get that monthly bonus content.

You keep the show going and you keep it free for everyone who can't pay for it. Gotta thank Wendy Pretty, our producer and editor. Gotta thank Bill Tilly, the card daddy who runs the act greatest Trek social media accounts. Look for those accounts all over the social web and use the hashtag greatestgen to talk about the show. I encourage you to check out the friends of the Soto masterdone, drunksremotod.com, Discord,

the greatestgen subreddit, Facebook groups, lots of great places to hang out with the like-minded funny folks on the internet. I intended to spend a long time on the discord when I was in the air, flying to New York and back. The Wi-Fi on my plane fucking sucked. Damn, what the hell? Bad Wi-Fi couldn't connect. Yeah. I love chatting up the discord when I'm on a plane. That's one of my favorite things to do.

Yeah, man. That's a... that's a fun one. Uh, we gotta thank Anna Pregusia, our original theme music. Of course, Dark Materia made the original The Card song, and that's all based on... Really appreciate those two for making this show sound the way it does. With that we will be back at you next week. Another great episode of Star Trek Voyager, an episode of the greatest generation Voyager that I assume will have Gary Oldman in it. Oh yeah. He's a favorite of yours. Mm-hmm. Love the old man.

Yeah. We'll be here next week to do the episode, Ben, because we can take it. It's not the episode, the friends of Disoto deserve, but it's the one they're going to get right now. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show.

I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show.

I can show. I can show. I can show. I can show. Maximumfun.org. Comedy and Culture. Artists don't. Audience supported.

Got it, got it, got it. Maximumfun.org. Comedy and culture. Artist-owned? Audience-supported.