Deep Space Pride: A Gay Star Trek Podcast (Trek Geeks)

The high from Chicago is long over, and yet there's plenty of Star Trek to discuss! This week, we cover off on a bit of light Star Trek news, which includes us NOT being invited to the Strange New Worlds NYC premiere! Which Johnson wouldn't go to anyway because he has other plans. And congrats to Wil Wheaton, who has a bestselling book on his hands!

We then chat about this week's episode of Picard, "Monsters" - which Mike appreciates a bit more than Johnson. We decide to structure the conversation a bit more than usual and break things up into the A plot, B plot, and C plot - though sadly we don't get as much Jurati/Borg Queen in this episode.

With the cadence at which we're recording these episodes, there's a lot to catch up on! But mostly about everything else besides Star Trek because there's a a dearth of new Trek episodes on the horizon, and - oh right - the actor's strike. Maybe that's why we spend the majority of the episode chatting about our lives and everything else we're watching that's not Star Trek!

Once we finally get to it though, we discuss "Caves," the most recent episode of Lower Decks Season 4 we've seen. This most recent entry is essentially an homage to Berman-era Trek cave sets, and perhaps a wink and a nod to Shades of Gray. We also spend a bit of time looking back at the season so far -- and what does Mike McMahan have in store for us for the finale?!

So after a bit of a break, we're back with new Trek and new episodes! Let's see how long we can keep it up.

And in a blink of an eye, we're in April 2024. Spring is in the air, the pollen count is increasing, and there's new Star Trek - finally! Mike and Johnson catch up on life, love, and the shows they've been watching - from 3 Body Problem to One Day, we have multiple genres covered.

But of course, we're here to talk about Star Trek, not other shows! The final season of Discovery is finally upon us, and we're ready to break it down. Are we excited? Nervous? Hopeful? Tired? All of the above??? Listen to find out!

And now we're back to Prodigy - way to give us whiplash Paramount Plus! Good thing that this episode is a doozy in all the best ways - it's hard to count the number of references that they decided to pack in. Between all the character appearances on the holodeck to the reveal of Captain Chakotay at the end :scream emoji:, we're glad that Prodigy decided to start episode six with a bang.

After getting Prodigy out of the way, we then chat about our overall thoughts on the Coda trilogy, and the end of the Star Trek Litverse. Major spoiler warning to those that haven't had a chance to read these books yet!

Though March is pretty much over, we've decided to continue our series - in this episode, we dive into the women of our favorite Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine. Mike and Johnson gush for two hours about Kira Nerys and Jadzia Dax, perhaps two of the most complex female characters that Trek has ever produced. They then somehow still manage to find time to drop by Deanna's office to share what's going on with their lives, including Johnson's recent bout with COVID.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Our hearts are broken by more gun violence against the LGBTQIA+ family with 5 lights being prematurely extinguished by a lone gunman at Club Q in Colorado Springs. We hope you'll join us in donating to a Go Fund Me page for the survivors, victims, and families at https://bit.ly/club-q-gfm

This week, we chat about two more episodes of Prodigy - "All the World's a Stage" and "Crossroads" (and no we're not talking about the 2002 hit starring Britney Spears). From discussing TOS throwback references to Kate Mulgrew's nuanced contribution and performance to the show, we're enjoying the adventures of the Prodigy crew. But is there another extended break in the cards for season 1B of Prodigy?! We'll hopefully find out soon.

In addition to the episode review, we have forced sharing time - and talk about how the fear of failure (Crossroads' weekly moral lesson from Kate Mulgrew) may have shaped certain decision points in our lives. And if you listen long enough, you hear an interesting story about a massage experience Johnson had in China back in 2014.

And we're at the halfway mark of Prodigy Season 1... and the show finally drops what the whole "Prodigy" aspect of the show's about! Mike and Johnson share their thoughts about the mid-season finale, and how great a job they feel the writing staff has done with this first season. And cue the SCREAMING when Vice Admiral Janeway makes an appearance! Definitely some excitement for where this show is going to take us.

Mike and Johnson also give a quick personal update on what's been going on in their personal lives -- including some fresh news on the dating front. Don't miss out people!

It's finally here! After months of waiting, we get the series premiere of Star Trek Prodigy - and it's excellent! Mike and Johnson are big fans from the get go - we chat about a show that will hopefully not only herald in a whole new era of Star Trek fans, but keep us old geezers entertained. Join us as we dive into some of our favorites parts of the first episode, and explore some of the mysteries the series has already thrown our way - while Johnson is crossing his fingers that John Noble gets more opportunities to chew the scenery.

Another week, another flurry of Star Trek news! This time around, we have all the announcements and trailers coming out of Star Trek Day. While the event itself probably could have been better, at least we have plenty of Star Trek news to chew on, including first looks at some upcoming episodes. But when are we going to get news about a new show?!

We then chat about the most recent episode of Lower Decks, "The Least Dangerous Game," which features Klingon Dungeons and Dragons, a Bold Boimler, and Mariner reenacting Chris Pine's dive from Star Trek 2009. Thanks for joining us!

After weeks of no new Trek, we've finally arrived at the third season of Lower Decks! Has the wait been worth it? Mike and Johnson break down the season opener, which has Mariner dealing with emotions while the rest of the Lower Deckers live out our James Cromwell fantasies.

In addition to the episode discussion, there's a lot of other Star Trek to talk about - from news coming out of Vegas to a rich array of multimedia for us to consume, it's Star Trek at all places and at all times. We're also on the lookout for some new news, with Star Trek day right around the corner!

Another super sized episode starts with the announcements from Star Trek Day! Though we missed all the panels, we chat about some key takeaways - which includes the exciting LGBTQIA+ Discovery casting news, the new Discovery trailer, and some info about Star Trek Prodigy. When we finally get into Lower Decks, we have a hearty discussion on "Cupid's Errant Arrow" (say that three times fast) and "Terminal Provocations." Off topic delves into Netflix's new show Away, which prompts a deep dive into a LGBTQIA+ main character and East versus West; we round things out by touching on Mulan, Raised By Wolves, The Boys, and Lovecraft Country. Finally, Mike shares the highlights of his Provincetown vacation, while Johnson talks about his (nonexistent) dating life, his hobbies, and his trip to see his parents.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!
You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

A lot happens in the world of Star Trek in just two weeks! First, we chat about our New York ComiCon experience, and our thoughts on the Discovery, Prodigy, and Picard panels (which we unfortunately couldn't attend in person). Though we wish we were there, at least we still got some trailers to react to.

Speaking of reactions, we also give our honest thoughts about two episodes of Lower Decks, "Hear All, Trust Nothing," and "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption." While it was awesome to see and visit DS9 again (though perhaps we were left wanting for more), it's the Peanut Hamper episode where we have rather... different opinions. What did we each think? You'll have to listen to find out!

We're reaching the home stretch when it comes to Season 2 of Lower Decks! This week, we discuss "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie," which unfortunately is an episode title that we had serious problems remembering (even though we were fans of the episode itself). We get a healthy dose of Billups' backstory, while Boimler and Mariner retread some old ground.

After the episode discussion, it's time for another stop at Counselor Troi's office! Johnson shares his brush with personal injury (which may or may not have anything to do with signing up for a matchmaker), while Mike is looking forward to adopting a dog with Dennis. And with a puppy now in the mix - how exactly are we going to balance our personal / podcast lives when there are TWO new Star Trek episodes every week come November!?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Just cause Mike's on vacation doesn't mean he's not working his ass off for this podcast! While in Hawaii, Mike gets to interview Doug Jones, who talks about his time on the Discovery set over the course of Season 3. Does Doug drop any hints about Season 4? You'll have to listen to find out!

We then get into our regularly scheduled programming, where we discuss the DS9 Season 5 episode "In the Cards," where we focus on the escapades of Jake and Nog as they go on a fetch quest to cheer up Captain Sisko. We also chat about which starship we would want to be the captain of, if we had the opportunity.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Andddd we're back!! Mike and Johnson have returned from Vegas, after having survived a five day trip together at The 55-Year Mission Convention. So what did they think? It is perhaps a portent of things to come when Johnson's highlight was a room full of tsotchkes and merchandise.

After a long break, we finally have some new Star Trek to talk about! We chat about the Season 2 premiere "Strange Energies," which has us visiting a Boimler-less Cerritos. Can Mariner get over her annoyance at Boimler? Will Tendi and Rutherford's friendship survive? And most importantly, will we be seeing Boimler again anytime soon?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We've finally arrived at "That Hope is You, Part 2," and there are many MANY thoughts. Mike and Johnson share their extremely differing opinions on the Star Trek: Discovery finale, while one of them suffers a bit of an existential crisis. Should Michael be captain - or need to be? How will Saru come back in Season 4? And when will this Discovery technical manual that we've been clamoring for be coming out!? Join us for all of this and more on our 20th episode!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Not quite sure how we're here already - but welcome to the end of 2022! We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to do a quick recap of the year, which has us literally going through all the Star Trek we've watched this year. It's hard to believe that 2022 brought us 51 episodes of new Trek, but it happened!

Of course, we also need to talk about what we're looking forward to in 2023. While Johnson persistently questions whether or not he'll even be able to stay alive, Mike is a bit more hopeful and anticipates some great Trek in the not-so-distant future.

Special thanks to our fellow Trek Geeks Podcast Network podcasters Kasey and Ron for sharing a highlight or two of theirs for inclusion in this episode.

We also want to thank all our listeners for sticking with us over the past year. From Mike's constant wi-fi issues to the Discovery soapbox that is always calling Johnson's name, we're just glad that you're all still around. See you next year!

We take a break from our regularly scheduled program to chat about the announcements that came out of First Contact Day - thank you Paramount Plus! We dive deep (maybe a bit too deep) into the teasers from Discovery Season 4, Picard Season 2, and Lower Decks Season 2, as well as our first look at Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Prodigy. We talk about our hopes, dreams, and what we want these shows to avoid... and who can start this petition for Michael Okuda to consult on Discovery!?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

By the time this episode airs, Mike's two week vacation will have sadly come almost to an end... but all good things? This week, we're talking about the Season 6 episode "The Magnificent Ferengi," which literally features some of Johnson's favorite activities - running, screaming, and crying (in combination for most dramatic effect). We also have a quick chat about some of our favorite Star Trek music.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

After a five-week hiatus, Discovery is back!

While it's great to be back in adult Star Trek land, it was also nice to have a break from HEATED ARGUMENTS, which Mike and Johnson definitely have about "All In!"

Listen as we strongly disagree about Discovery's overall trajectory for the second half of Season 4, while reflecting on some of LGBTQ-affirming moments that the show offers us. Johnson is also ready to bid on that Windex bottle prop that Culber was using in this episode.

This week, Mike and Johnson did a LOT of Star Trekking - probably too much! Other than recording this podcast, they went to a Star Trek exhibit, tried to see Mary Wiseman's play (but failed), and watched The Motion Picture in a theater. We promise we're not crazy fanatics!

We then chat about the latest SNW episode, "Ghosts of Illyria" - which presents us with a mystery of the week, as well as giving Una the chance to reveal more about her past. Mike and Johnson talk about their favorite and least favorite moments of this episode, and some of the best standout character moments.

Now that Picard Season 2 is fully behind us, we can fully focus on Strange New Worlds! This week, we have an Uhura-centric story in "Children of the Comet," and for once in quite some time Mike and Johnson have a lot less to argue about. We discuss how this show is giving us characters that seem fully fleshed out and lived in, and we talk about some of our favorite moments from the episode.

Star Trek Picard Season 3 is right around the corner, and we're here for it! We chat about the trailer that premiered during the NFL Championship game (which is also when we discover Mike's knowledge about football), discuss what (or who) we're looking forward to most, and provide spoiler-free thoughts on what we've seen of this season.

Before we get into everything Picard, we have a quick chat about Annie Wersching's passing - our memory of her roles in other shows, and the highlights of her performance as the Borg Queen on Picard Season 2. RIP Annie - we'll miss you!

And it's time for another new series! For the next month and a half, we're going to take a look at some of the underappreciated episodes from The Next Generation - we'll pick one episode from each season to discuss. First off, we have "Heart of Glory" - Mike's pick for season 1. Will Worf choose his fellow countrymen over Starfleet?! It's definitely a nail biter.

Mike and Johnson then drop by Deanna's to discuss the failures of red tape and bureaucracy, while Johnson decides to propose an unorthodox solution.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Mike's Hawaii vacation is only a week away, which means that his mind is elsewhere - but that doesn't stop him from focusing on this week's underappreciated DS9 episode, Season 3's "Visionary." Mike and Johnson talk about Miles O'Brien's time travel hijinks, how little the crew of DS9 seems to care about their chief petty officer, and the ways in which Miles O'Brien actually has a lot in common with Harry Kim. We round out the discussion with the Trek we've been watching and some of the stars that Mike wants to meet in Las Vegas next month.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We start by discussing how gays are dramatic, and eventually get to talking about Star Trek: Picard. After having reviewed the finale, we look back at Season 1 as a whole (making the season review its own episode, so our dear listeners don't get bored of us right out of the gate). Was the buildup to the show worth it? Did the series successfully continue the journey of Jean-Luc Picard? Will we ever get used to hearing Raffi say "J.L."? We agree on some points and not on others - but what we both definitely agree on is that we don't want to hear people complain about spoilers (cause there are plenty of those here)!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Next up in our series highlighting Underappreciated TNG episodes is "Tin Man," where we meet Tam "I'm not really a fan of people" Elbrum, whom Johnson relates to on some levels. We then move onto some off topic, where we talk extensively about Andy Weir's new novel "Project Hail Mary," along with all the other random shows and movies we're watching.

In other news - Deep Space Pride is going to the this-isn't-Star-Trek-branded 55 Year Mission Convention in August! See you all in Vegas - Mike will greet you warmly while Johnson waves to you from the corner.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

It's Pride Month! To celebrate, we're going to be chatting each week about how Star Trek affected us as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This week, we do a bit of an intro, and talk about how Star Trek made us feel about being gay; we then move onto this week's underappreciated TNG episode, Ensign Ro. We meet the Bajora (we'll add an "n" on the end later for DS9) for the first time and we take a detour to briefly talk about Badmirals. Johnson, meanwhile, is apparently on uppers and interrupts Mike incessantly. Shocked? We're not!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

And now we're back to talking about the women of Trek! This week, we take somewhat of a meandering stroll through "Scorpion" and "Endgame," and examine two of Voyager's key female characters, Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine. While Mike and Johnson don't have the emotional connection to Voyager as they do TNG and DS9, they discuss their appreciation for these two characters, and how they've come to represent strong women in Star Trek lore. Mike then expresses his unbridled excitement at the prospect of talking about Enterprise next week.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

This is one of those episodes where Mike and Johnson end up talking WAY too much and then it's like "OH MY [insert George Takei GIF] would you look at the time!?" This week, we celebrate (briefly) Star Trek VI's 30th anniversary, before getting into the Discovery episode "Choose to Live." And oh look surprise surprise - there's a heated debate about the character of Michael Burnham. SHOCKING. But at least we all understand and recognize that Tilly is a delight!

We then drop by Deanna's office and do some sharing - Mike is just trying to catch up and make sure his dog Hamish doesn't poop everywhere, while Johnson contemplates turning 40 and how he's going to manage to live for another 40-50 years. Choose to live indeed!

This week, we're chatting about the penultimate episode of the second quarter of Prodigy's first season - "A Moral Star Part 1"! While not necessarily the biggest cliffhanger, Mike and Johnson discuss how well this entire first season has meshed, and how this episode draws really well from all the episodes that came previously. But when will all our questions be answered!? Hopefully we don't have to wait until 2023...

On top of Prodigy, we also discuss the latest Picard teaser, the Strange New Worlds one sheet, and the latest news surrounding the Starfleet Academy series. And Happy Lunar New Year to our listeners!

And the countdown to the end of Prodigy's second episode chunk has begun! Before we get into breaking down "Time Amok," we talk a bit of Star Trek news - including the latest Picard trailer, which has both Mike and Johnson just a bit more excited for the new season. We then get into Prodigy, which gives us an episode that has some great moments and morality lessons - hooray for Rok-Tahk saving the day!

We then wrap up the episode with a bonus discussion on The Book of Boba Fett, before dropping by Deanna's with some quick life updates.

We start this episode by sharing a bit about what we've been Star Trekking: Mike is speeding through his Voyager rewatch, while Johnson has reached the last episode of Enterprise (but all good things must come to an end). We then get into "Scavengers," where other than talking about the A-story fetch quest, we also spend some time examining Saru's captaining skills, Tilly's growth, and the tender moment that Stamets and Adira share. And what is going on with Georgiou?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Mike is on vacation, which means that all our listeners are going to be taking a trip back in time (we recorded this episode July 4th weekend)! This time around, we discuss a very talky yet FASCINATING episode, "Return to Grace." It's hard to not recognize Gul Dukat as one of Trek's most memorable villains, and this episode gives us a glimpse into his psyche, way of thinking, and relationship with both Kira and Ziyal.

Before we get into the heavy stuff of this episode, Mike has decided to make Johnson suffer through forced sharing - this week, we ask: "Who would be your bestie - if that bestie was a Star Trek character?" Johnson's answer isn't too unexpected, while as usual Mike needs to employ multiple options.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

While most of the gang is in Vegas for the 56-Year Mission, Mike and Johnson are stuck back in NYC - but that doesn't mean they don't have anything to talk about! This week, they have a special guest - Dr. Samuel Kim, who is an assistant professor of school psychology at the University of Denver. As a member of the LGBTQ community and a Star Trek fan, Dr. Sam brings a unique perspective to viewing Star Trek - particularly as it relates to mental health.

Our discussion ranges from examining Deanna Troi's counseling technique, a look at Barclay's addiction to the holodeck, and the portrayal of trauma in Star Trek. What can these examples from a fictional universe teach about mental health in the real world, and how do we go about addressing potential issues when we don't have Vulcan mind melds or holodecks at our disposal? Listen and find out!

Useful links:
Dr. Sam's Website: https://samuelykim.com/
Dr. Sam's Instagram: https://instagram.com/drsamuelykim
Mustard Seed Generation: https://www.mustardseedgeneration.org/

To continue the celebration of Black History Month, Mike and Johnson take a look at "Woman in Motion," a documentary that highlights the lasting impact that Nichelle Nichols played in Star Trek, as well as on NASA's space shuttle program. Afterwards, it's time for some off topic, where Mike talks about his Babylon 5 binge, and Johnson spills some beans on WandaVision. They then explore what's next on the docket for the podcast, now that 23 weeks of Star Trek are officially behind them!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

This week we chatted with Wil Wheaton, who plays Wesley Crusher in the Star Trek Franchise. He also likes to go by "New York Times Best Selling Author Wil Wheaton!"

We talk to Wil about his book Still Just A Geek, his very busy life (which includes hosting The Ready Room for Paramount+), and his love of Star Trek. Wil also opens up about his own experiences that inspired his book, and his allyship and support of the LGBTQIA+ community. We hope you all enjoy this amazing interview!

The near end of summer also means that Strange New Worlds Season 2 has come to an end - with Season 3 airing in... 2025? We discuss this and other news items - which honestly isn't a lot considering the SAG/AFTRA strike. In fact, after Lower Decks Season 4 and Discovery Season 5, there might not be much new Trek for a while - how will we survive!?

But that is a tomorrow problem! In today's episode, we're here to talk about the last two episodes for SNW S2, the musical episode "Subspace Rhapsody" and the finale "Hegemony." Mike and Johnson share their thoughts, and definitely become animated in discussing their different views on these two episodes. Do we want more musicals? Do we want more Gorn?! Listen and find out!

We've gone through a lot in the last 23 weeks - from the first season of Lower Decks to the third season of Discovery, we've been spoiled with non-stop Star Trek for almost half a year. Now it's time to take a look back at the ups and downs of Discovery Season 3 - what did we love? What did we really dislike? What do we want out of Season 4 - and will Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise hear our pleas!? Join us as we go in-depth in this packed episode.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We've arrived at the end of Season 1 of Lower Decks, a bittersweet moment indeed! Mike and Johnson delve into Mariner's psyche in "Crisis Point" and "No Small Parts," and chat about their feelings on the first season as a whole. We then go into some lengthy off topic, which includes discussions about The Last of Us Part 2, The Boys, Lovecraft Country, The Boys in the Band, and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Mike discusses the plans he has for his day off (Indigenous Peoples' Day is NOT a bank holiday Mike!!), and Johnson talks about his custom fishtank build.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

This week, Mike and Johnson shared their unbridled enthusiasm for "I, Excretus," which they both think might be the best Lower Decks episode of the entire season. This episode has us hanging out with both the lower and upper deckers, while they try to put themselves in each others' shoes - and isn't it about time that someone gave Boimler a promotion?

We also chat briefly about the first novel in the Star Trek: Coda trilogy, Moments Asunder. Mike thinks that it might be the most exciting line-up of Star Trek novels since Destiny, while Johnson has only started to crack open the first book. At least we won't have to wait long for the finale!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com – drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don’t be mean – though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:

- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

On this episode we say goodbye to Emperor/Mirror Georgiou on "Terra Firma" Parts I and II. Mike and Johnson are both big fans of the Mirror Universe, which serves as a perfect outlet for the Discovery crew to be more over the top than ever - but did these two episodes give a proper sendoff to our favorite Terran? And seriously... is this Section 31 series ever going to happen? We also chat about what else we've been Star Trekking - Johnson continues his selective Voyager rewatch, while Mike is starting a new audiobook.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Note from the podcasts hosts: Unfortunately, the audio this week was a bit wonky. We appreciate your understanding and continued support!

And we are already nearing the end of Prodigy Season 1!...Kind of. Mike and Johnson talk about the latest episode of the new series, which will be the second-to-last one before we take a two month break. Who is making these decisions!? Anyway, this week we ponder Dal's level of annoyance compared to the previous episode - while a BIT tolerable, other things make this episode a bit vexing... but that's ok!

We also chat a bit of Star Trek news - which include an update that affects our Star Trek family internationally, and a brand new shiny pin that Mike has!

It's the end of June, which means the end of Pride Month! We wrap up our Pride Prompts with a final question - what should Star Trek do next in terms of LGBTQ+ representation? Both Mike and Johnson think the franchise needs to push the envelope forward, but in different ways.

As for this week's underappreciated episode, we chat about "Playing God" in Season 2 of DS9. Mike is less than enthusiastic about this episode; Johnson thinks that though this episode has a couple of redeeming qualities, it also falls flat. It's then onto off topic, where Mike is watching a ton of Star Wars, and Johnson is celebrating the 15-year anniversary of The Devil Wears Prada.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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Shockingly, Mike and Johnson have different thoughts when it comes to the Discovery finale.

At this point, we're publishing once a month! But life is busy and full of the unexpected.

It's definitely been a long road and we're not sure how we got here, but Star Trek Discovery is over. On this week's episode, we talk about the series finale, "Life, Itself." We catch up on some news first, including the Paramount/Skydance deal (is it happening...?) and Holly Hunter's casting on Starfleet Academy.

Our series finale deep dive then has us talking about the past, present, and future of the Discovery crew. Who had the best character arcs - and who had the worst? What did we think about the coda - and do we care about the tie-in to Calypso? Listen to find out!

What exactly is a Mugato? Johnson has questions.

This week, Mike and his cohost chat about the Lower Decks episode "Mugato, Gumato," which has us wondering if Diplomath is a real board game. That highlight aside, we have questions about some of the artistic choices of this episode - some of which might belong more to a Family Guy montage than a Lower Decks episode. And yes, we get it - T'Ana is a cat!

We then drop by Deanna's office, and share some personal things going on in our lives - Mike is training for a half marathon, while Johnson contemplates the purchase of some accessories.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We have a doozy of an episode as we cover all the things that came out of Star Trek Day - our overall highs and lows, and thoughts on each of the show panels and sneak peeks. Speaking of lows - can someone please get those two tweens off the red carpet? Hope to NOT see you in Chicago.

We also chat about "An Embarrassment of Dooplers," which revisits our favorite pairings of Boimler-Mariner and Tendi-Rutherford, where we have these friend couples work out some of the issues that have been simmering since the Season One finale. And we agree with Rutherford - it would have been really nice to get both Jadzia and Ezri on Deep Space Nine at the same time!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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Are pins better than board games? They certainly take up less space... Once we get around to talking about Star Trek, we go DEEP into Johnson's Enterprise rewatch and Mike's Voyager marathon, then spill some trek on Envoys and Temporal Edict in a 2 for 1 review (we enjoyed one a little more than the other). There isn't a lot of buffer time in this episode - our longest to date - so we recommend having a margarita while listening! Our personal lives are bit slow this week, but Johnson shares some great thoughts on gratitude, which we all need to do in these pre-warp speed times.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

And after a one week hiatus. we're back - Happy New Year to all our Deep Space Pride listeners! Mike and Johnson do double duty this week, since we have some catching up to do. First up is "Stormy Weather," which seems to be a melting pot of recycled Star Trek tropes - Jonathan Frakes did his best? We then move onto the mid-season finale (why?) of Discovery Season 4 - at least "... But To Connect" stirs up some healthy debate. While Michael's point of view is positioned as the right one, was Book's really that wrong?

Here's hoping that the second half of Season 4 finishes out strong - but apparently we have to wait until February to find out! Meanwhile, we have a few more episodes of Prodigy to look forward to next... and will we get Picard Season 2 in February???

It's the week leading up to Mission Chicago, and we are moderately excited! In a shocking twist of events, Paramount decided to release the (amazing) trailer for Strange New Worlds, which we totally didn't think was going to happen before the convention. We chat about this first look and what we're looking forward to in Chicago, before diving into the most recent episode of Picard, "Fly Me to The Moon."

This episode definitely has a lot going for it - with our crew reunited, we're hoping the back half of the season starts tackling some of the show's bigger mysteries. Hopefully, Picard doesn't pull a Discovery and wait until the very end to reveal all the answers - like why does Q have such a bad Austrian accent?

It's hard to believe that we're more than halfway through season 2 of Lower Decks! This week, we chat about "The Spy Humongous," which we feel isn't too bad of an episode (but not the best either). Things happen to our valiant ensigns, but perhaps the most action is with the bridge crew and the Pakleds - but are the latter just Lower Decks' version of TNG Season 1 Ferengi?

We then move on to discuss a LOT of non-Star Trek related content that we're enjoying, including Babylon 5, Alias, The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, and Q-Force. We then talk about the avalanche of new shows that are coming up - not to mention two new seasons of Star Trek that are right on the horizon!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

All roads have led to this! Mike and Johnson finally chat about the much maligned - UNFAIRLY - season 7 episode of TNG "Sub Rosa," where Gates McFadden literally throws herself into character. Mike is less than impressed, while Johnson sticks to his guns that this episode fits into the "underappreciated" category. Everyone can also expect Johnson to dress up as an orgasm candle at The 55-Year Mission convention.

As for our Pride Prompt this week, we ask - who of the Star Trek crew would you pick for your chosen family? As folks of the LGBTQ+ community, many of us have faced rejection from family - which means that we form those communities of our own. And guess what - Star Trek characters are the best candidates to choose from!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Mike is sick but ever the trooper, and is absolutely ready to talk about Star Trek!! On this week's episode we continue to talk through double servings of Star Trek, starting with Discovery's penultimate episode, "Species 10-C." The only really positive thing that we have to say about this episode is that Tig Notaro has more to do than usual - otherwise we're very ready to move on with our lives. Season 5 can't get here soon enough!

That being said, we still think Picard Season 2 is off to an amazing start, and are loving the moments we get with the crew in "Penance." There's a lot to love in the episode, from the detailed set design to Jurati's rambling - and while we have our theories, we can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out!

And after another unexpected break, we find out that we have four episodes of Discovery to catch up on! This is fine.

April is but a distant memory, and we find ourselves in May - with Memorial Day right around the corner! Unfortunately, this means that we have NOT been keeping up with recording, and before you know it we have a backlog. But not to fear! We'll get through it in less than two hours somehow.

This week, we chat about Jinaal, Face the Strange, Mirrors, and Whistlespeak (it was a challenge just to remember all these episode titles). Discovery Season 5 is definitely ending up to be one of the stronger and consistent seasons of the series - but what did we think about each of these episodes? Listen and find out!

We take a look back at Lower Decks Season 2 - the lows, the highs, and everything in between. We delve into some of our favorite moments, particularly the last three episodes of the season - and what are some of our predictions for Season 3? And yes, Mike revels in the fact that he was indeed correct about the sexual tension between Mariner and Jennifer.

Though Lower Decks might be over, that doesn't mean we don't have more Trek to watch! We discuss what we're anticipating for the series premiere of Prodigy, which looks exciting not only for kids, but for old people like us. And as old people tend to do, we ramble on after all of that about everything else we are watching in an impromptu Off Topic segment.

It's finally here - our 100th episode! Mike and Johnson take some time to reflect on the highlights and lowlights of over a hundred hours of podcasting, what it was like to start a podcast during the pandemic, and why this podcast is special. And with all that - what are they looking forward to next?

We then get into talking about three episodes of Lower Decks - Crisis Point II: Paradoxus, Trusted Sources, and The Stars at Night. We both have high praise for these three, which closes out Season 3 with a bang - but do all signs point to an AI-driven apocalyptic event in Season 4? We'll just have to wait to find out!

This is where it all started - our first ever recorded podcast (which we're publishing months later). Star Trek: Picard is what brought us together, so it's only fitting that it is also our first official episode. Join us as we discuss the Star Trek: Picard Season 1 finale, how we feel it works as an end to the season, and what we hope to see in Season 2. This goes without saying, but we spill major spoilers for the finale and the season as a whole!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

It's a very special episode of Deep Space Pride, as we celebrate our 25th outing! We decided to invite a special guest to this episode - our friend Nancy, who is not only a LGBTQIA+ ally, but is also the one that helped us to come up with the name of the podcast. We first chat about how the name of the podcast came to be, before we make up for the last episode by dedicating an entire discussion to Deanna Troi - highlighting her moments in "The Child" and "Menage a Troi." And only cause it's appropriate, we also make a quick stop by Deanna's office.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Mike and Johnson are back on track this week with their episode discussions - this time, they're wrapping up the first season of Strange New Worlds! They go into lengthy discussion about "All Those Who Wander" and "A Quality of Mercy" - including the debate over a major character death, their reactions to the season finale, and some predictions for Season 2.

Due to upcoming travel and vacation, Mike and Johnson are also banking some episodes that they'll be releasing through the end of July. Stay tuned for some great content and have a great summer everyone!

What a finale! We've finally arrived at the last episode of Lower Decks Season 2, and boy was it a doozy. Somehow, Mike McMahan and team manage to fit a LOT of storyline into just 30 minutes of TV. Every one of our Lower Decks gets their chance to shine, and almost all the bridge crew members have their moments. And we get our first TNG-style cliffhanger!

After talking about the finale, we go into MAJOR spoiler territory and discuss the first book of the Coda Trilogy - Moments Asunder. Skip the last 30 minutes of this episode if you haven't read the book and are planning to!

Mike's finally back from vacation, and he's doing his best to reacclimate to normal life; we chat about the highlights from his two week break, while Johnson bravely held down the fort in NYC. But fear not, cause Mike is going on yet ANOTHER trip - that's right, Vegas here we come (and we both express how much enthusiasm we have for it)! We then deep dive into into our final underappreciated episode of DS9, Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - an awesome episode, even if we want Julian Bashir to get off his genetically engineered soapbox.

We hope everyone has enjoyed this series as much as we have; while we love watching old episodes of Star Trek, we're even more excited by the prospect of talking about new episodes (which are right around the corner)!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

This episode starts with the discussion of a long and arduous journey Johnson embarked on in Central Park. We then gush about "Much Ado About Boimler" and "Veritas," and how changing up the show's formula injected new energy into these two episodes. Mike then dishes on all the stuff he's reading, while Johnson goes on a long tangent about Netflix's acquisition of "The Three Body Problem." And finally - is Facebook Dating any good?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:

- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

After a spectacular season premiere, Star Trek: Prodigy has a more sobering second episode, which finds Johnson expressing some strong and violent opinions about Dal, and the issues that make the character instantly intolerable for him. Mike takes a more measured approach, and gives the character (as well the show) a bit more benefit of the doubt. Either way, we're just reminded that we might not be the target demographic of Prodigy... a 20 episode first season is a good thing, right?

In other news, SPOTTED - Wilson Cruz in Hell's Kitchen! XOXO Gossip Girl.

And we're finally back to talking about the force of nature that is the gravitational anomaly... only to learn that it's artificial DUM DUM DUM. Shocker. Mike and Johnson deliberate the facts and figures of "The Examples," which has us caring less about the actual examples and more about Culber and his C-level storyline. In other news - Michael Burnham and Book have a lot of gut wrenching to do over some typical Star Trek tropes, while Mike wants to shove our Risian guest star out of an airlock (TRIGGER WARNING!).

As much as we love Star Trek, we can't help but gush about some of the other sci-fi we're watching right now, including The Witcher and The Expanse, in some scattered but well-intentioned off topic coverage.

We're finally back to recording episodes after a month off! Mike is back into the swing of things, which means we have a chance to catch up on all the news items we missed in the last month - from Nichelle Nichols' passing, to the announcements at Comic-Con.

And just because we can't help ourselves, we also chat about all the other shows we're watching, from The Sandman to Paper Girls. October is also in less than two months! How did we get here?

This week, we talk about all the Star Trek we've been watching - including the newly revealed Star Trek: Prodigy opening credits! Johnson also talks about his recent obsession with TNG talent shows, while Mike goes over the eclectic selection of Trek he's been watching, including the finale of The Animated Series.

We then get into this week's Lower Decks episode, "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" - which sees our crew back together again! We go over some highlights, which include Tendi and Mariner realizing that they don't know each other at all (it's like they were listening to us complain during Season 1!!), Boimler being mistaken for a Kazon, and Rutherford's obsession over Shaxs' return. But is this all basically just a big reset button?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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It took a year and a half, but Season 3 of Discovery is finally upon us! Hear our reactions to the premiere episode, and our thoughts on the show's new characters and alien setting. We get into full spoiler territory, so don't listen if you haven't watched the episode! And inquiring minds want to know - is Grudge the cat for sale?

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:

- Instagram: @deepspacepride
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Just when we were worried about how long Boimler was going to be away the Cerritos, he's already back! Mike and Johnson chat about the Lower Decks episode "Kayshon, His Eyes Open," which sees our favorite ensigns again tackling disasters that need to be contained in a 25-minute episode. And honestly, is Johnson the only one that agrees with Boimler and wishes that there were more string quartets in Star Trek nowadays?

We then go into a long overdue off topic segment. Mike rattles off a bunch of things he's watching, including Suicide Squad and The Chair, while Johnson is clinging to his Apple TV+ subscription like nobody's business.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!
You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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Mike does an impromptu solo episode sharing his own perspective on the 5-year anniversary of Pulse Nightclub shooting, and why we must still have Pride Month. As part of this episode, we are sharing the audio from an IG video from Blair Imani and Brandon Wolf. Brandon is one of the survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting and an activist; he started the DruProject in honor of his best friend, Drew, who was killed along with 48 other LGBTQ+ souls that night. If you are able, please make a donation at: theDruProject.org/donate

Please share this episode and help raise awareness of this tragedy and the continued need to bring Gene Roddenberry’s vision of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC) to life in our world. Thank you for listening.

Special thanks to Blair Imani for permission in using the audio.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don’t be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

On our first episode of the year, we have a special guest - Davey Willett, the host of The Treksperts Quiz podcast. Mike and Johnson were contestants on a recently released episode, and decided to return the favor by having Davey as a guest on Deep Space Pride.

In addition to spending some time getting to know another Star Trek fan who's a member of the LGBTQ+ community - we chat about the 30th anniversary of Deep Space Nine and the two-part Season 1 finale of Prodigy, before we all drop by Deanna's office to share some life updates.

We recorded this episode earlier in January, and talk about Trektalks 2 which took place on Saturday, January 14th. You can still go to https://trektalks.net to donate to the Hollywood Food Coalition and also watch the replay of the telethon.

We also hope you'll go check out The Trekspert Quiz podcast which can be found all the places you listen to podcasts. You can follow the show on Instagram and Twitter @trekspertsquiz or go to https://www.trekspertsquiz.com. You can find Davey on Instagram @dingodave84

After taking a week off, we're back - though Mike is now the one with COVID! But ever the trooper, he stays committed to the cause of talking about Star Trek on a regular basis.

This week, we cover off on two episodes of Strange New Worlds - though we get a bit sidetracked talking about some off topic (e.g. Obi-Wan Kenobi) before diving in. When we finally focus, we dive into Johnson's two favorite episodes of the season, Memento Mori and Spock Amok. We debate the character of La'an (whose name Mike continues to have problems pronouncing), while loving the character development this show is giving us overall.

The countdown to Strange New Worlds officially begins, while we get closer to the Star Trek Picard finale! On this week's episode, we chat a little bit about some random Star Trek news, and what's in store for us over the course of the next month - including seeing The Motion Picture in theaters! Will Johnson stay awake? Only time will tell.

We then move onto "Mercy," which really starts to set things up for the end of Season 2 for Picard. Both Mike and Johnson feel this is a relatively strong outing, with some decent narrative momentum that's driving things forward. That being said, things are still sparse in the Q department - should we be doing so much guesswork at this point in the season? Mike predicts that that the Q storyline is going to spill over into Season 3, while Johnson is hoping that we leave all that behind ASAP.

It's the beginning of the end for Discovery Season 3, as Mike and Johnson give their thoughts on "Su'Kal" and "There Is a Tide..." Is the reveal of what caused The Burn a letdown? Does Tilly do a good job as acting captain? And where is a Discovery technical manual when you need one? After covering these important questions, we then get into Off Topic, where we can't contain our enthusiasm for Bridgerton and The Expanse.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

This week, Mike and Johnson continue chatting about underrated Star Trek episodes - but they've moved onto Deep Space Nine! The first foray into this series will be Battle Lines, which features one of Mike's favorite DS9 characters, Kai Opaka. But why the cliffhanger (arguably)?! We then drop by Deanna's where Mike shares some big news going on in his life.

We also continue to celebrate Pride by asking this week: Which Star Trek character would you want to go on a date with, and where? Mike shares a less conventional idea, while Johnson goes a bit more deep cut.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We are continuing our series of having guest hosts on Deep Space Pride, with folks from the LGBTQIA+ community! This week we chat with Kelvin Wood, Star Trek enthusiast and cohost of All Good Things, a Star Trek podcast that examines thematic topics in Trek lore. We chat with him about the difference that Star Trek has made in his life, and his love for the Trek community.

We also talk about this season of Star Trek: Picard (up to episode 8), and what we're loving about the show so far. We also discuss the matter of representation in Star Trek - what the franchise has gotten right, gotten less right, and where we hope for it in the future.

You can find Kelvin here:
https://www.instagram.com/kelvinstimeline/
https://twitter.com/allgoodpod

After a short break, we're back! This week, we chat about various Star Trek milestones - including the 35th anniversary of Encounter at Farpoint. Mike and Johnson chat about where they were when TNG premiered, which snowballs into a conversation about Star Trek series premieres in general. We also discuss the (not) shocking news that Star Trek 4 has been removed from Paramount's slate.

We then move onto our Lower Decks discussion, which covers both "Room for Growth" and "Reflections." From reminiscing about college dorm lotteries to pondering about Mariner's future in Starfleet, we have a lively chat about times that the show does a good job of building additional layers onto our favorite 2-dimensional characters. And yes, Johnson thinks that Masks is an underrated TNG episode.

Mike still has COVID, but he's recovering - in the meantime, he's fully taking advantage of his isolation to catch up on some great TV! We accidentally go down an Off Topic rabbit hole at the beginning of the episode to discuss what he's watching, including The Morning Show and For All Mankind. We dive a bit deeper into the latter, and discuss how shows such as For All Mankind and The Expanse are great at bringing to life how dangerous space can be.

We then get into this week's SNW episode, "Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach," which we both thoroughly enjoyed. We dive deeper into this episode's use of metaphor for our society today, the hopes and fallacies of humanity at large, and our thoughts on the reality of Gene Roddenberry's vision.

And this week on Discovery!! - things are dragging. Mike and Johnson discuss the bit of a slog that is "Rosetta," and how this season has teased out the mystery behind Species 10-C for far too long. Whether it's complications due to the pandemic, bad writing, or a combination of the two - we feel that Discovery hasn't really done the best job at sustaining our attention for such a long arc. While Mike thinks there might be a bit of a cliffhanger to the season, Johnson is ready to leave Species 10-C behind and move onto the next crisis that Michael Burnham will solve.

Fortunately, we're both immensely enjoying this new season of Picard! We dive a bit deeper into the premiere and why we feel things seem fresh, while tease a bit of our thoughts on Episode 2. More of this please!

After the deluge of news that came out of Star Trek Day, Johnson and Mike find themselves with a lack of Star Trek updates to talk about - so they lean into discussing all the current stuff they're watching, including House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, The Expanse (technically a rewatch), and The Handmaid's Tale. This leads into a conversation about the portrayal of complex characters in TV and Movies, and whether or not Lower Decks gets much deeper than its 2D art style.

We then move onto the focus of this week's discussion, the episode "Mining the Mind's Mines" - which has us following the adventures of Mariner, Boimler, and Rutherford as they battle their fantasies/nightmares, Tendi setting out to prove herself, and Captain Freeman getting caught up in some petty bickering. But we also ask - does this episode offer us anything new? Join our conversation to find out!

It's been a long time -- but Prodigy is finally back! This week, we chat about two episodes of what Johnson likes to call Season 1B - "Asylum" and "Let Sleeping Borg Lie." It's been so long Prodigy, and we've missed you! Also glad that there's more fuel for the fire when it comes to those Janeway and Chakotay shippers.

In addition to these two episodes, we also give a quick update on our comings and goings, and venture into a bit of off topic cause we just can't help ourselves. Thanks for joining us!!

Before we get into the episode this week, we have some news items to share - including an update on an upcoming episode of Deep Space Pride where we get to interview Wil Wheaton! We also touch on SNW Episode 9, "Those Who Wander" - and discuss our hot take on some big reveals while it's timely.

We then dive into our discussion of "The Elysian Kingdom." Despite the episode's lack of true significance since almost everyone forgets everything by the end, we both loved how the cast relished the characters they played in this episode. But we couldn't help but wonder - what is M'Benga going to do next season!?

Another two weeks have passed, and we inch ever closer to the end of Season 1 of Prodigy! On this episode, we chat about "Masquerade" and "Preludes" - which has us find out more about Dal's past, see Murf become chief of security, get backstories on the other characters, and finally discover the truth about when Chakotay is. Johnson theorizes that the first chunk of Season 2 will have us go on a Chakotay rescue mission - only time will tell!

Before we get into the episode goodies, we talk about everything else that's going on - the Star Trek we've been watching, Kirstie Alley's passing, our stint on the Treksperts Quiz Show, and an update on our personal lives. Thanks for joining us!

Happy Pride to all our listeners! At the start of this episode, we reflect a bit on the importance of Pride, given some of our own recent experiences. Mike has also fully recovered from COVID, while Johnson has introduced his mom to more 21st Century tech.

Our episode discussion this week is on "The Serene Squall," which features an amazing Jesse James Keitel as Dr. Aspen/Captain Angel. We test a different format this week by doing an episode recap, which in the spirit of Strange New Worlds may be a one-off episode format than something we decide to stick with.

Lower Decks is finally here! Join us as we begin our journey with the ensigns of the USS Cerritos, one that (spoiler) we are thoroughly enjoying. We get into the weeds of talking about all the other things we're watching, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the second season of The Umbrella Academy. Johnson also shares about his fail of a date.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

As Discovery's Season 3 approaches, Mike and Johnson give a rundown of what they're looking forward to after the show's 18 month hiatus. They then both give their first reactions to the premiere's cold open, which was released during New York Comic Con. The excitement is building!

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This week, we chat about "The Icarus Factor" after being inspired by the Season 2 trailer of Lower Decks. Will Worf share his feelings? Will Commander Riker resolve all his daddy issues by the end of 45 minutes? Only this episode holds those answers.
We also take a moment to talk about the other things we've been Star Trekking this week - including more TNG, Enterprise, and Star Trek: Beyond. We also chat about some Picard Season 2 rumors, while Johnson defaults his Trek analysis to sex analogies.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

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And we're back with one of the few episodes we're both recording in person and not over Zoom! This week, we start to episode by enjoying (?) a glass of Chateau Picard, which Mike and Johnson give a mixed review - but the bottle is so cool! We then dive into this week's Prodigy episode, which thankfully gives us a slightly less annoying Dal, but perhaps a more stereotypical portrayal of a Ferengi on Star Trek. We then spend WAY too much time going into off topic - which includes an extensive discussion of the series finale of The Expanse. This segues into a discussion as to whether or not we can compare The Expanse to Star Trek, and perhaps some of the lessons that Star Trek can learn. But then a larger question is posed - what's going to be the next great sci-fi show? Mike and Johnson need suggestions!

We wrap up our Women of Trek series with a retrospective on Enterprise - which has in fact inspired Mike to begin a series rewatch! We lament over the opportunities that Enterprise never took to tell great stories with their minority characters, including poor Ensign Hoshi Sato (who had some of her best scenes with a slug, over the entire course of the show). We then move onto Subcommander T'Pol, who fortunately had a bit more to do as a Spock stand-in - and thank goodness for Season 4 storylines. And now that our Women of Trek series is over, what are we going to do next!? Not even we know.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!
You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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We fast forward past a few SNW episodes to talk about a recent favorite, "Those Old Scientists!" Mike and Johnson are both huge fans of this episode, which features Boimler and Mariner visit the Strange New Worlds crew. From the constant references to physical comedy, this episode is somehow able to blend the spirit of both shows successfully. We're huge fans!

But first some news items, which includes a look at the final season of Discovery, a trailer for the next season of Lower Decks, and the announcement of a musical episode of Strange New Worlds!? Mixed feelings on that one.

We've returned from a short hiatus with a special guest! This week we have Matt Jennings, fellow Star Trek fan and member of the LGBTQIA+ community. As a multi-talented artist who has pursued a career in the performing arts, Matt has spearheded 1701: A Blerd Story - a self referential web series that examines his life as a Black Gay Nerd. We chat with Matt about his show, his inspiration, and where he's taking things next.

Of course, we also can't help but to talk about some of the latest Star Trek news - including where we are with Star Trek Picard Season 3, and the impending final season of Star Trek Discovery plus lots of Deep Space Nine love. Join us for our thoughts and banter!

We only took a week off, but it feels like an eternity! Mike and Johnson have a lot to catch up on - they not only chat about two episodes of Discovery ("Rubicon" and "The Galactic Barrier"), but also touch on the season 2 premiere of Picard ("The Star Gazer")!

When it comes to Discovery, we celebrate some of the finer moments that explore the character relationships, but also bemoan how the writers seem to pick the most inappropriate times for people to share their stories. We also wonder how much longer the show is going to drag out the 10-C reveal, while Mike is secretly hoping that someone spaces Tarka ASAP.

As for Picard, we decide to just lightly touch on the premiere to prevent this episode from becoming a three hour tour. Biggest takeaway - NO to Picard and Laris please!

It took a long time to get from there to here... but Discovery Season 4 is finally over. Mike and Johnson provide their thoughts on the finale of Discovery, which are mostly comprised of complaints (justified)? Hopefully a shorter Season 5 will bring us back to tighter storytelling, and and less bewildering character moments. But hey, Stacey Abrams?

We then move onto chatting about the Picard episode "Assimilation," which has our crew going in a few different directions in their quest to fix time. The highlight HAS to be the back and forth between Jurati and the Borg Queen, and we share our thoughts on a popular fan theory.

We're now in Season 4, where we've picked "The Drumhead" as one of the underappreciated episodes of The Next Generation. Despite a Boimler callout in Lower Decks, Johnson definitely thinks that this episode fits the category of being underappreciated, while Mike is less sure. That being said, we both have a great time talking about this character driven episode, and digging into some of the more interesting conversations that happen between the characters. In other Trek viewing - Johnson rewatched Scorpion in celebration of the episode's anniversary, while Mike inches closer to the end of Season One in his binge of Enterprise.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
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Mike is back from his big Asia trip, but he's still catching up with life and getting over jet lag! Fortunately, we had banked this great conversation with special guest, Callie Wright from Queersplaining and the Lambda Quadrant. We met Callie at Star Trek Mission Chicago back in April where they were part of an amazing panel about LGBTQIA+ representation in Star Trek.

We talk about queer life, the DS9 episode "Prodigal Daughter", representation in Star Trek and a myriad of other topics. It's a fun, educational, and entertaining conversation which we hope you enjoy.

So much Star Trek to discuss! First, we celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Star Trek: First Contact, arguably the best TNG movie ever! Where were we? What were we doing? And how have we grown since then?? We then move onto discussing TWO Star Trek episodes - Prodigy's "Terror Firma" and Discovery's "Kobayashi Maru." We loved the "mid" mid-season (?) finale of Prodigy, which has Dal finally doing something other than being annoying, and some great moments for our characters. We also loved (shocking) the season premiere of Discovery, though we're not without our qualms (not shocking) - and Mike totally owes Johnson a drink because there WAS crying in this episode!

Since Mike couldn't peel his eyes away from Enterprise, we decided to make this easy and chat about "These Are The Voyages..." - the series finale. What follows is an exploration of a disappointing episode, the drama behind the scenes, and a pondering of what could have been. We then move into some off topic, where we chat about all the other shows we're watching - including WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Shadow and Bone, and For All Mankind. And can Mike please watch Elite when he has the chance?!

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

Welcome to the intro episode of Deep Space Pride: a Gay Star Trek Podcast!

Hosts Mike Thurlow and Johnson Lee introduce themselves to the world, talk about their fandom, share why they started this podcast, and invite you to join them on the adventure. We would love to hear from you!

You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you! You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:

Instagram: @deepspacepride
Twitter: @deepspacepride

After another week's absence, Mike and Johnson return with a jam packed episode. We marvel at Tilly's emotional insight in "People of Earth," before attending the Discovery family's awkward dinner in "Forget Me Not." We then explore the journey of Adira's character, and if it'll live up to the expectations of the LGBTQ+ community...but as an aside, is Gray a force ghost? In an extensive off topic segment, Mike talks about his binge watch of Community and the start of The Mandalorian's second season, while Johnson ponders a spinoff podcast about The Crown.

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!

You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:

- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

In celebration of National Coming Out Day, Mike and Johnson take a break from their regular Star Trek discussions to share their respective coming out experiences. Stay for the stories and for the feels.

Info for The Trevor Project
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Phone: 1-866-488-7386

We would love to hear from you! You can reach us by emailing deepspacepride@gmail.com - drop us a note, comment, or question. Just don't be mean - though if you are, we might ignore you!
You can also check us out on social media, which we promise to update once in a while:
- Instagram: @deepspacepride
- Twitter: @deepspacepride

We've finally made it to the finale of Picard S2! Are all of our burning questions successfully answered? We discuss in detail our thoughts on the resolutions to this season's dangling plot threads, before we each give the season an overall rating (spoiler: Johnson gives a lower score than Mike).

We then both talk about something that we're both on the same page on - the premiere of Strange New Worlds! Other than gushing about our excitement for this new show, we also can't help but talk about the men in the series that we think are cute. Yes, this is definitely a gay Star Trek podcast.