17 to 01: I, Mudd

This one takes a weird veer into Derek's surprisingly Libertarian views on copyright law. 

Not surprisingly, we glance over objectification of women and the ethics of having sex with robots. Not a lot of lessons to pull from this one except that Derek does not like Harry Mudd.

Also, what is camp? Yes, I'm ignoring the definition Derek throws out.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Cortona

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

Cortona (Block 1)
Overview
The Battle for Outreach changed the Wolf’s Dragoons. The response expected by the entire Inner Sphere was a half-cocked ground war waged by elite mercenaries against a proper state and Star League member. Instead, The Dragoons were eerily cool. Outreach rebuilt, the Dragoons rebuilt, and in January of 3068 Colonel Maeve Wolf announced that The Dragoons would be offering their technical expertise in the operation and maintenance of HPG stations. It wasn’t until 3070 that they had a major buyer, The Federated Suns, who brought them on to handle a single Class A HPG station with associated B stations.

It didn’t take long for The Word to react. A false flag operation disabled the HPG, but the Dragoons kept their contract with the use of their secret weapon; a Cortana omnimech equipped with a mobile HPG station pod. While not as convenient as a full HPG facility, it kept communications operating during the attack while repelling the Blakists.

Based off of the venerated Marauder II, the visually similar Cortana was pushed through production during the rebuilding of Blackwell. Despite a number of design flaws which have arisen over the years, there are currently no plans to release a Block 2. Only slight modifications have been made for Cortonas now manufactured on Capolla and Fomalhaut.

Palm Rot

17 to 01: The Trouble with Tribbles

Oh my goooooooood! Derek doesn't like "The Trouble with Tribbles"! Beneath my every line of dialog in this episode is my desire to scream at the impossibility of Dereks' wrong opinion of this episode that is wrong!

They're Tribbles! They're adorable! Everyone is having fun why aren't you having fun Derek?!

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

The Magnus Effect

Basket Run 27: Basket's End

17 to 01: By Any Other Name

Now with new and improved Balanced Sound(TM) Technology! Also, we are way out of order as the work on this has gotten backlogged. I've got a week of vacation coming and I absolutely will not be able to fix it then.

It's always harder to talk about good episodes and "By Any Other Name" is a good episode. It's an underrated gem that's got a solid story and an eeeh concept behind it.

I am legitimately excited about the return of coffee cups, Mad Manning, and the Federation's amazing technicolor jumpsuit. I am more excited about ball pit ghillie-suit action Sulu.

This episode was written by Jerome Bixby, who also did "Mirror, Mirror," "Requiem for Methuselah," and "Day of the Dove." So they got him to do two more, which shows that Star Trek was pretty right to listen to Derek.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

No TRO entry today

Sorry. Work has been kicking me in the ass and I'm going out of town on Saturday, so my plate is kinda full.

I can't even promise to post during lunch because I don't have a lunch due to some training we have at lunch. I don't have to go, I only have to go if I want people to think I want to get better at my job

So I have to go.

Here's a link of me yelling at some asshat on tumblr.

High Tide

Basket Run 26: Putting the Solitude in Solitude

17 to 01: Patterns of Force

Due to ongoing audio issues, here's a very early "Patterns of Force." It's unanimous this episode doesn't go hard enough against Nazis, but it does provide a great pretext to discuss current events. 

So is Star Trek progressive because it doesn't go in on Nazis, or is that where it fails in its generally progressive tone? If this is a failing, is Star Trek's greatest strength in just having these conversations so that, 48 years later, we can still talk about it and make it relevant? "Starting a conversation" is often the pretext desperately grasped when a career based on being inflammatory starts sinking; is Star Trek any different?

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Coyote

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

Coyote COY-4N
Overview

       The Coyote is best known for participating in the 3081 SLDF actions against the Ghost Bears. Sent by First Lord Centrella’s Magistracy, they became emblematic of Operation Velvet Thunder. The operation’s failure to defend The Draconis Combine and the Coyote’s shortcomings in combat led to it becoming a laughing-stock amongst the Bears and many denizens of the Inner Sphere. Most citizens of the Draconis Combine see it as a symbol of The Star League’s token assistance in their hour of need. Those who scorn the Magistracy Armed Forces or their own nation’s involvement in The Star League point to the Coyote and Velvet Thunder as proof.

       Few of its critics consider that the Coyotes seen in action in the early 80’s were the colonization support ‘Mechs Magesty Metals and Manufacturing brought to the Star League as demonstration units. Magesty planned on being the beneficiary of a new wave of colonization allowed by what they then termed “an unprecedented era of peace.” Their floor models were conscripted and sent to Luthien as The First Lord, despite her reservations, was determined to shame Successor States into action with the Periphery nation’s willingness to fight the inexorable Ghost Bear assault. 

       The ‘Mech made to power campsites and fight pirates was sent up against one of the most advanced militaries in human history. Magesty Metals later sued the Magistracy for damage to the design’s reputation but even after seven years, their predicted boom in colonization hasn’t materialized. Neither have sales for the Coyote as anything but a rugged, front-line BattleMech.

Force Awakens Spoof

Basket Run 25: No Assassinations

17 to 01: The Immunity Syndrome

Derek and I talk about actors, identities, and how your career moves on after you've been on Star Trek. Please enjoy "McCoy is a bad doctor" jokes numbers 1,472-1,903.

I never picked up the "telepathy is crazy long ranged" thread, but this Shatner conversation is due dilligence for any conversation on Trek. I apologize if you're a William Shatner fan, but William Shatner--at the very least during the creation of Star Trek--was a total choad.

But seriously; everyone spit into this can.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Ojear

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

EVE-1002 Ojear
Overview
‘Mechs like the Hermes II and Hussar have served as fine platforms for The Word of Blake’s advanced C3 systems, but in the mid-seventies, internal pressure mounted for a dedicated carrier. This resulted in the Ojear, a BattleMech dedicated to acting as the forward element for a Level I’s C3 network.

The Ojear is also a test-bed for a number of experimental technologies. It’s likely that the extreme design needed to defray costs by housing equipment that hasn’t seen widespread use in the field.

Anthophobia

This thing is like a music video with no music.

I mean, there's music, but...

Basket Run 24: Dawnstar Civilians

17 to 01: A Private Little War

There are so many parts of "A Private Little War" that are really intriguing and then get lost in the mire. It's amazing because so many things exist in this episode without the whole thing breaking down. None of it works, but it manages to stumble along for 50 minutes without completely crashing so...yay?

I've heard this episode used as an example of Star Trek's strong and nuanced take on politics, but I'm not seeing it. Is "A Private Little War" Star Trek's most overrated episode?

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Freedom

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

DVO-10S Freedom
Overview
               The first Falcon Incursion was only stopped by the timely intervention of the ilClan War, though you wouldn't hear many in the Lyran Commonwealth say so. Media trumpeted the success of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces in stopping the Clan invaders cold yet again. However, when demoralized front-line veterans were reassigned to other postings or released from service, the story of yet another brave victory against the Clans began to fall apart.
               The Freedom was rebranded late in production to be the "ultimate clanfighter." Press attached the name of every possible successful politician and warrior to it. Its gauss rifle and trio of autocannons were touted as being as the first of a new generation of technology, ready to revolutionize warfare “for the next thirty years.” It was a desperate hope that enough carefully crafted photo ops and edited battle ROMs could reinvigorate the LCAF and the Lyran people to fight ever harder against The Jade Falcons.
               The Skye Autonomy Accords put an end to those hopes. While it remains a venerable BattleMech, its association with rebellion and origins within a de facto foreign power make it useless as a tool of national pride.

The Campbell Report

Basket Run 23: Hall of Contemplation and Death

17 to 01: The Doomsday Machine

We see an early example of Star Trek's recycled sets used to represent another ship. 

The remastering always surprises me with out thoroughly they miss the aesthetics of Star Trek. This looks pretty good, but it's just not great. Maybe if I saw the original versions I'd think differently.

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

Mario Maker Levels

I know everything is about Fallout 4 right now, but Mario Maker still exists, you guys.

Basket Run 22: Wilderness and Winterhold

17 to 01: Bread and Circuses

Usually Derek and I have a broad spectrum of topics we cover, but "Bread and Circuses" has a sought and achieved the goal of surpassing us. War versus slavery, the benefits and dangers of television, and the definition of male strength just some of the things this episode touches on.

But we call all agree that Claudius Marcus wandered onto set from Game of Thrones and they just kept him. He's like, right below Khan for villains from The Original Series, right?

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Cobra

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

CBR-85T Cobra
Overview
The Cobra was found to be an adequate ‘Mech when the Lyrans started fielding it in the sixties. The destruction caused by the first Jade Falcon incursion forced a reorganization of the LCAF and the Cobra was dropped from the procurement rolls.
Defiance Industries shopped the design around until the Word of Blake connected them with the nascent Federated Hellfire Territories. The Territories were trying to capitalize on their successful raid New Avalon a few months prior. They had gained them the final pieces of the Davions’ next-generation missile technology and they wanted a flagship platform to use them. The Cobra’s humanoid appearance, field-tested performance, and cost made it their favored options.
The first several production runs were shipped from the Commonweath, but rebuilt factories in the Territories have since picked up production, with oversight from Defiance and the Word.

Basket Run 21: The Rest of Windhelm

The video/audio problems persist.

17 to 01: The Apple

I like the twists of this episode and Spock takes so much damage! Why does Spock suffer so much? Why is there another satanic reference there?

Is McCoy really from the South? Do they still have the Bible down there? 

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO 3087: Bye Week

With the exception of Tuesday, NaNoWriMo/3087 is going well. I felt kinda sick and I don't know if it was because of too much or too little:

1) caffeine
2) alcohol
3) sugar

But I've got nothin' for you today. I'll try to update during lunch, but I've been kinda "working" through those lately.

Avengers of Oz

Basket Run 20: The Hall of Haters, part II

More video and audio problems. :(

17 to 01: Obsession

Hey, we're skipping three episodes ahead while I fix some audio on "The Changeling," "Wolf in the Fold," and "Mirror, Mirror."

Like "The Changeling," there are a few good ideas here that are picked off and used better in later episodes. That this episode's greatest claim to fame is the second-greatest number of red shirts killed says a lot about it.

Does Kirk feel too bad about dead crewmen, or does he not feel too bad enough?

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

NaNoWriMo 3087

I'm attempting National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) again this year. My goal this time around is to finish off the 3087 Technical Readout. Most of the history is already recorded as are the notes I want to hit with the 'Mechs.

To be honest, writing the TRO entries can get pretty grindy and there's this feeling that you're repeating a few off-the shelf phrases and terms. Best case scenario: all of that is alleviated by desperation and a mad dash to just get things done. Worst case scenario: it will be finished.

I'd say a few words about editing, but...that's probably not going to happen. Maybe I'll tinker with a few pieces when they conga line across the blog on Wednesdays, but 3087 is more exorcism than exercise at this point.

Speaking of those Wednesdays, November has four of them. I'll be pulling the best of entries from the previous week every Tuesday night and queuing it up. The rest will have to wait until the rest of the year.

Oh, hey. Full TRO listing after the cut.

I think this came out last month

Basket Run 19: The Hall of Haters, part I

17 to 01: Friday's Child

I never realized how erratic Eleen's character is in this episode until Derek calls it out. I still love this episode because we add pillow throws to the WWF moves which have so far solely comprised Kirk's fighting style. 

"Friday's Child" also has the galaxy's deadliest slide whistle, which is...a thing you can say about this episode.

Stockholm Syndrome comes from a 1973 bank robbing hostage situation. You can guess where.

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Wolfhound

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

WLF-7 Wolfhound
Overview
    By 3075, the Wolves in Exile, the Kell Hounds, and the nominal Lyran government of the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon had accepted that a long-term arrangement was needed. Few were eager to join either the government on Tharkad or continuing to limp along as an amalgamation of Clan, mercenary, and actual state.
    When the Council Clans sought the help of the Exiles, their only condition for entering the greatest war The Clans had ever known was for the Exiles to restore Clan Wolf, relegating the Clan led by Vlad Ward to a corrupt aberration. When the Council Clans were defeated and Ward’s allies were reaved, Kell created Clan Wolfhound for those who wished to stay within the ARDC. Those who desired a wholesale return the ways of the Clans stayed with Clan Wolf.
    Seeing it as one of the many ends of the war, Khan Kell commissioned the Wolfhound redesign as a totemic, front-line unit for a population of warriors left bewildered by years of massive social and political changes. It performed well throughout the ilClan War and has become, unlike many other totem 'Mechs, a popular export.

I Am A River Unto My People

Unless you've already seen it, of course.

I think Luke being the bad guy is a big fake-out, but it's a good fake out. I mean, take the betrayal of Vader being a whiny teenager and turn it around so in ten years you're watching the original trilogy and know Luke will be some asshole with an antichrist lightsaber some day and you can quickly imagine why Luke isn't Kylo Ren.

He is gonna be a force ghost by the third movie though.

Basket Run 18: Half a Run

17 to 01: The Deadly Years

And yet another episode where Kirk's judgement is compromised for plot reasons. Also, if anyone ever does a podcast about our podcast, they'll probably have a counter dedicated to Futurama references.

We finally turn and face the attribution of "classically trained actor" to William Shatner. It is an epic duel. For those of you who know about acting, are we right or are we just making shit up?

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Staff

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

SA-2T Staff
Overview
    Originally designed to be the fastest ‘Mech ever made, the Staff carries that title only within the Federated Hellfire Territories. While respectably nimble, quick, and maneuverable, the Staff is outpaced by a handful of ‘Mechs fielded by both the Inner Sphere and Clans.
    The premiere recon unit of the Territories, the Staff carries LRMs and a pair of Optok VII small lasers for closer work. The Optok lasers run hot and require quite a bit of maintenance, but their targeting systems allow them to better target infantry and increase their striking distance by ten percent.

Bad Breath

The Killing Joke - Your Franchise is Pandering Wrong

So the news is that the Alan Moore classic Batman story, The Killing Joke direct-to-video animated feature is cleared to be rated "R".

About a month ago, I volunteered to help out Star Trek: Renegades at the local ComicCon. I was looking to interact with Star Trek fans and talk a bit about 17 to 01. I was giving them free labor; don't judge.

Also, Renegades is kinda bad, so if you're going to judge, judge me for that.

Basket Run 17: You Can Never Go Home Again

17 to 01: Who Mourns for Adonais

So maybe it's wrong to have an atheist watch the episode with so much talk of gods.

Nah, it's great.

Derek puts Kirk's philosophy of "Give me freedom or give me a fire to burn this mother down!" into words we've all been looking for.

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Sheriff

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.

SLF-2409 Sheriff
Overview
    The vexing problem after the Jade Falcons’ massive gains in the Lyran Commonwealth was keeping them. Never content to let anything else do what could be assigned to a BattleMech, the Falcons designed and fielded the Sheriff as a dedicated garrison and lawmaking ‘Mech.
    Attached to garrison units, it’s often deployed in pairs or individually to exert Jade Falcon control on distant areas of their worlds. A cost-conscious design, it’s been instrumental in keeping order and making “Jade Falcon” more than a name for a distant government to millions of people living under the reign of a distant government.
    The design has seen a number of rebuilds and tweaks since its inception as designers, commanders, and even Khans have placed their thumbs on the Sheriff’s delicate balance of cost, service, and effectiveness in a stand-up fight.

Deaths in WWII

Basket Run 16: Reflection/Run

17 to 01: Amok TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!

"Amok Time" is in everyone's top five episodes of Star Trek, right?

This thing is superbly directed, written, and acted. Is there a better episode of TOS? I don't know guys. This episode is just really, really good.

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Shaman

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.  

SMN-3OG
Overview
    When Black Dragon forces started another war with Clan Ghost Bear in 3068, they expected their disparate forces to roll over the Clanners as easily as the Star League Defense Force had defeated Clan Smoke Jaguar seven years previous.
    Instead, they found a Touman ready for a fight, with new weapons, new tactics, and new ‘Mechs. The Clan had to overcome its preference for slow adaptation as The Second Combine-Ghost Bear War forced it to choose between abandoning massive reforms wholesale or embracing them.
    While still utilizing fast, hard-hitting units, the Shaman is the second of a new generation of lighter, heartier ‘Mechs made to go up against the Inner Sphere. As a small, cost-effective unit, the omnipresent Shaman has come to overshadow the Ursus as the representative of those changes.
    It has fought in every major engagement between the Ghost Bears and the Draconis Combine over the past 19 years. Never a favorite with MechWarriors, it’s beloved by everyone from Star Commanders to Khans.

Romans!

Basket Run 15: Greatest Hits

17 to 01: Metamorphosis

You guys like heaps of oblique references to First Contact, right? 

I'm not really sure what the message for this episode is. Love trancends...something? Also, Zefram Cochrane: bisexual. I'd see John Barrowman play the role. You?

Episodes of 17 to 01 are available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

Apes, Man

Ahmed Mohammed

Adults: “This generation of kids is just stupid and lazy.”

Kid: “Makes an electronic device because he loves learning.”

Adults: “WhAt is thiS deviCe? HollywOod BoMB?! ARREST IT!!!1!!”

The real problems you have with “kids these days”:

Their lives are easier than yours were at the same age and you worried that all the suffering you’ve retroactively justified as “character-building” won’t be inflicted on them, when your alleged character determines which person is a human worthy of respect, opportunity, and basic fucking rights as a function of your mood.

You’re only used to exceptionalism and talent coming from very specific corners of society. When society quits patting white dicks on the back for existing and starts putting black folks in space, you think we’ve lost all sense of value.

You’ve kept your head down just turning a wheel until retirement and making sure your kids grow up to keep their heads down and find a wheel to turn until retirement. It must be a surprise when you’re forced to look up and realize there are children with an interest beyond that who’ve been learning about more than just surviving and that such knowledge confers power. Also surprising is the sudden realization that you can no longer tell diversion from danger.

Nothing kids can do this day can live up to your misremembered, rose-colored past.

Basket Run 14: Silence and Fury

17 to 01: The Gamesters of Triskelion

Despite all the hand-waviness, extreme Shatnering, and rubber brains, this one is really good. We also introduce the concept of the Enterprise's ballpit.

I believe in the ballpit.

I really like the ending of this one. It's the best ending that captures the hopeful, forward-facing ideology of Star Trek. Better endings in general though? I can't think of any.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Red Howler

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

HLF-01 Red Howler
Overview
    In a pattern familiar to military historians, the Jade Falcons were enjoying a successful campaign against the Lyran Commonwealth until the Wolves struck them in the back in March of 3073. The self-styled ilClan took a string of Falcon factory worlds from their original invasion corridor and dug in. The Falcons had been eager to crush the Lyrans and ignore the Wolves’ pointless war over a worthless title, but now true battle called.
    The Falcons’ efforts to convert native factories had been in progress for some time, but the loss of many of their core worlds was still a serious blow. Crash efforts were undertaken to convert many BattleMechs into more effective and versatile OmniMechs.
    Designs like the Red Howler, Nemesis, and Sparrowhawk were successful enough through the end of the ilClan War that they were produced as proper OmniMechs after the war’s conclusion.

Foo Fighters on the final Letterman show

I know this happened a while ago, but it's still a good bit.

I won't pretend to suddenly be a big Letterman fan, but it's gotta be a great look back for folks who are.

Basket Run 13: Basket Tumble

17 to 01: Catspaw (Season 2!)

When I said that "things get better" last week, I did not anticipate "Catspaw" being our first episode. Apparently the advanced future of humankind celebrates both Thanksgiving and Halloween.

Derek is happy that the crew of the Enterprise is finally acting like player characters. We learn that Doctor McCoy would turn on the crew in exchange for a world or pure imagination...and burbon.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

It's what you all want, you monsters

They Don't Want Us to Exist

Kim Davis, a clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky is in jail right now for contempt of court. She refused to issue marriage licenses because she objected to the recognition of same-sex couples, despite a US Supreme Court decision that she should.

Less than a month ago, a Colorado court of appeals ruled against Jack Phillips for refusing to make a cake for a gay couple. Like Kim Davis, he cited his strong religious feeling as his reason for his discrimination against gays.

Putting aside for a moment three things:

1. If your religion demands that you sacrifice a child every full moon, you could not do that in America, because your religious beliefs do not allow you to break the law.

2. If you are of a pacifist faith, join the army, and then refuse to fight; you'd be in trouble not for your faith, but because if your job requires you to violate your faith, you should resign.

3. The United States does not give out permission slips from the Christian God and if you don't understand the difference between God and The US Government, you don't understand either very well. 

Basket Run 12: Dungeon Allure

17 to 01: Season 1 Supplemental

All good things must come to an end and after six months we have reached the end of 17 to 01's first season. We're going to take some breaks between seasons to keep with the pacing of Star Trek produced, so we've got at least one more coming before the end of The Original Series.

We've got a lot to reflect on after the first season and a lot of improvements we want to make for the second season. If you're interested in behind the scenes stuff and some nuts and bolts of amateurs making a podcast, you're in luck.

Standing here in the future of the second season, sometimes good things get better. You'll see that next week.

TRO: 3087 - Raven

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

RVN-5L Raven
Overview
    As the other four great houses spiraled into seeming anarchy over the past twenty years, the Capellan Confederation has been a bastion of order. Those outside credit its geography (being far from the Clans) and its slow withdrawal from interstellar politics and trade.
    The Confederation’s recent military conflicts have been few, but often resulted in solid successes. Much of that is thanks to its impressive new Raven design. Both the Free Worlds League and Federated Suns have attempted to capture the cutting-edge electronics warfare machine, without success.
    It was hoped that when the Diamond Shark trade caravan passed through Capellan space in the early 3080’s that they’d emerge with new and ever-rarer intelligence from The Confederation. While the traders have had generally positive things to say about the upgraded Raven, they’re quick to mention it’s not as nice as the Sharks’ own Mad Cat Mk V.
    Though sources indicate their mission wasn’t a successful one, some of the few deals the Clanners struck included their silence about what they witnessed within the insular House.

Adam Savage's Star Trek Captain's Chair

Basket Run 11: Ten-millionth Shout Count

17 to 01: The Paradise Syndrome

Derek is finally, truly happy about the away team composition. It'll probably be the last time. The Doctor McCoy Sleeper Agent theory gets a boost, we question what Kirk's love of Enterprise means, and we fanboy over Leonard Nimoy giving us an excellent wrecked Spock that should have won a something for this episode.

Emotional breakdowns, Spock: 2
Futurama references: 238

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Patsy

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.
 
PTSY-1-2LV Patsy 
Overview
  The Blakist-backed Terran Protectorate was shattered by the ilClan War. With the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine distracted, the coreward worlds of the Protectorate were at risk of becoming a second Chaos March. When they joined to become the tiny Entente Alliance, it was considered convenient, but otherwise unremarkable
The Alliance’s military was anemic and made up of a melange of Clan salvage and Inner Sphere surplus units acquired through desperate barter deals.
  When their leadership located a factory packed up by the Nova Cats and lost in their annihilation, a top priority was to make a versatile, cheap unit to develop a unified set of tactics and raise national morale.
  Luckily, the Cats had been in in the process of designing such a ‘Mech. Known as the Ocelot, it was reworked into the Patsy with a little help from The Word of Blake.

Gordon Ramsay: Good Guy

Don't Fight it, America: Vote Trump

The thing I like most about Donald Trump is that every time--every fucking time--I try to type his name, I throw an "h" in there. I always want to give it a little bit of dimension or class that just isn't there. That's my whole opinion of the guy.

For those of you who don't know, Donald Trump is a professional rich person and reality TV star, like Kim Kardashian without the care put into his appearance. He's currently leading the Republican pack of presidential hopefuls and reveling in both the disgust of the left and the chagrin of the establishment on the right. 

Some say he's not a serious candidate, like a first round Ninja Warrior candidate. Journalists are comfortable imagining he's only running to raise his media profile. I get that; the alternative is imagining that a  Luke Wilson movie is real life.

You know the one.

The Basket Run: Part 10

17 to 01: The City on the Edge of Forever

Oh my gods, Derek does not instantly and deeply love this episode. How does a person not love every part of "City on the Edge of Forever"? The only thing that makes this easier is the eventual appearance of c. 1930's coffee cups.

I'm not kidding about not being familiar with Harlan Ellison. Anyone who is a fan, what I can I read to familiarize myself with him?

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

How I Met Your Mother: Give Me the Stick

The Basket Run: Part 9

17 to 01: Operation: Annihilate!

"Operation: Annihilate!" is a half-assed zombie episode with dodgy writing and questionable choices in casting, editing, characterization, and even wardrobe. It's not a bad episode; it's just a miss. 

I also ramble a bit, unkindly, about people who turn to Star Trek for science and cool ships. 

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also, amazingly, on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Lance

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

RT3-K Lance
Overview
The battle over Luthien was one of the hardest fought of the Black Dragon Revolution. Nowhere was the fighting harder than around the Luthien Armor Works facility. When the last of the loyalists forces pulled off planet, the Draconis Combine’s omnimech production facilities were in ruins.
The new management quickly passed over the idea of resuming omnimech production. The encroaching Ghost Bear forces and the public’s low morale demanded a speedy return to production. 
The Lance was built from the least decimated production line of Luthien Armor Works, that of the Raptor. 

Condoms Commercial

The Basket Run: Part 8

THE AUDIO IS FINALLY BETTER!

17 to 01: Errand of Mercy

Everyone loves Kor, right? I mean, not as a person (he is a terrible person), but as a character who enjoys being the bad guy and has his own ethos. One of the themes that I'm blatantly stealing from The Prisoner is the notion that state actors have more in common with one another than the populations they're empowered to protect. It's pretty interesting, but the tendency for narratives to focus on those actors makes those themes rare.

You can debate captains, but can we agree that Kirk is probably the worst when it comes to a captain's diplomatic role?

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also, amazingly, on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Flea

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

FLEA FLE-23E

Overview

 The Flea -23 was designed during the golden era of cooperation between the Free Worlds League and the Word of Blake. It was intended as a flagship reconnaissance and electronics support ‘Mech, carrying a variety of new equipment, including the void signature system.

 However, when the Dragoons’ Gamma Regiment and warships Alexander and Jardine took a garrison contract for the Capellans just across the border, Blakist technical support dried up. Even equipment made in the League was redirected elsewhere and the flagship design became another minor tweak, the -23E.

 The -23E has been well received and has been a major export even after the onset of the Free Worlds League Civil War. Often seen on the Senate side, its relative toughness sees it showing up on both sides of the battlefield.

Fett's Vette

The Basket Run: Part 7

Just a quick reminder: Part 8 is where the audio gets better.

17 to 01: The Devil in the Dark

"Devil in the Dark" feels a bit like "Man Trap," but it gives Spirk a big shot in the arm, gives us the opportunity to discuss the logarithmic scale of aging, and how hard it is for Horta to break into Hollywood.

Derek is still not sold on Shatner's acting.

17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 01:00 AM CT and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. We're also amazingly on Stitcher.

TRO: 3087 - Jenner

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087.

Believe it or not, there's actually quite a bit of padding for this; I just forgot to queue things up last week. 

Jenner JR8-12D

Overview

The initial few months of the Diamond Shark mission through the Federated Suns was only marginally successful. The Suns didn’t consider the traveling clanners successful and harbored resentment over their hoarding intelligence from their trip through the Capellan Confederation. The Diamond Sharks considered a significant deal with the Federated Suns as potentially injurious to their next stop; The Federated Hellfire Territories. 

A bar brawl with with a member of the Davion Guards resulted in a formal trial and the Spheroid’s valor in battle earned the respect of the Sharks.

A number of trade deals were formed, but none more important than a refit of the Jenner. Licensed as part of the peace deal from the fighting with the Draconis Combine two years earlier, it had been reviled by AFFS mechwarriors. The redesign had to make a ‘Mech already beloved in The Combine indispensable to the Federated Suns.

The Diamond Sharks provided advanced pulse lasers and some technical tweaks from the Jenner IIC, allowing field testing of the D12 just a few months later.

Wooing Stephen Fry

The Basket Run: Part 6

17 to 01: A Taste of Armageddon

One of the most iconic episodes. Derek and I spend so long talking about whether Kirk seduces Mea 3 or not. I'm still leaning towards not.

I was thinking Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

Also, I want to note that as of today, 17 to 01 is available on iTunes. It updates Thursdays at 0100 hrs and Friday nights at 8:30 PM ET / 9:30 CT. It's starting at "The Cage," so it'll take a while to catch up.

Oh...

Uh, okay. Thanks, France.

Ash vs. Evil Dead: He says the things

We're all sad it's not S-Mart. We'll move on.

The Best Superpower

So Terry and I are currently planning more Mana, Commentary, and Carnage. So look forward to that on some wild Monday in August (September?).

I was thinking about this io9 article about the best superpower. Alright, it's the superpower that would make you basically unstoppable.

That's worth thinking about "basically unstoppable" could be the unyielding ability to produce North Face jackets and ugg boots. The Juggernaut's power is literally being unstoppable. Doom is unstoppable because of his iron will. The Purple Man can bend almost any person to his will. Wolverine and Deadpool are really, really hard to kill. I'm sure there are DC examples.

What one power could make a person as omni-potent as Doctor Doom? As influential as Zebediah Killgrave? As immortal as Deadpool?

The Basket Run: Part 5

17 to 01: Return of the Archons

We talk about another "white" villain and the opposition of order and freedom.

TRO: 3087 - Commando

3087 is a Battletech alternate universe where The Jihad never happened. Instead, political fracturing continues in the wake of the technological and military upheavals of the 3050's. Its history is told through the pages and designs of TRO: 3087. With any luck this series will be the last anyone hears about 3087. 

COM-3M Commando

Overview
Whenever Senate forces razed the Eagle factory on Paradise, the Free Worlds League Captain faction was suddenly facing a shortage of solid recon ‘Mechs. Rebuilding the factory was considered a priority, but a fall-off in Capellan trade made planners hesitate to resume Eagle production.

Fortunately, the Gibson raid of 3071 had yielded aborted plans for a Word of Blake Commando, a design once exclusive to the Lyran Commonwealth. After minor retooling with native technologies, the once-exclusively Lyran design became a FWLM mainstay.

The LCAF, hard-up for a reliable source of their own Commandos, have taken to buying the -2M with a refit kit. The sales have more than made up for the lost Capellan market.

Gravity Light 2

Gravity Light indiegogo page.

The Basket Run: Part 4

17 to 01: Space Seed

Kaaaaaaaaan?

TRO: 3087 - Phoebus

PO-11T Phoebus

Overview
The existence of the Phoebus, and much of the resultant war industry of The Federated Hellfire Territories, exists thanks to wunderkind John Smiths. Tired of the stuffy hierarchy at The New Avalon Institute of Science in the early sixties, Smiths left research and took his ideas to private corporations for application.

ComStar intercepted him attempting to contact The Word of Blake and their intercession won him a pet project at a struggling outback manufacturer. A year later and millions over budget, the first Phoebus walked off the factory line.

Smiths' research was vital to the discovery of advanced missile systems in the Federated Suns just a few years later. While the original Phoebus carried the same missile systems used in the Inner Sphere for centuries, it was built for easy conversion to the advanced systems. The Phoebus chassis itself was easily scaled to serve as a base for similar ‘Mechs like the Staff, Archangel, Seraph, and Oracle, which are considered mainstays of the FHTCA, AFFS, and FWLM today.

I'm Such a Nerd

These videos were made eight years ago and I'm still so blown away by them.

I don't even play Halo.

You were thinking, "Kris doesn't post audio/video content on Mondays"

Yes he does.

...approximately once a month.

...provided people like it.

...given we can get extras to do guest voices. I have exactly one Australian accent before that situation gets dire.

Attributions:
This program was recorded using a Blue Snowball microphone and edited using Audacity. It describes a game of Magic: the Gathering, which is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, LLC.
Sounds were provided in exchange for attribution by freesound.com and are individually listed below:
awakening_mummy_1.wav by reinsamba 
Cartoon Laugh by JohnsonBrandE
werewolf attacck 1 by Bernuy
Angry Growl by Matvej
Deep Monster Roar.wav by MisterSegev
fire2.wav by tc630 (not recommended)
panic.wav by Erdie
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SoundScape Two_Thrill by FreddyFool
Eternity.wav by Keygenerator
None of the above endorse this podcast in any way.

The Basket Run: Part 3

My mic input was too high so I had to rebalance Derek  and Skryim nearly off the audio.

Future audio and editing are much, much better...starting at part ten.

17 to 01: Tomorrow is Yesterday

This is such a good episode, but it suffers for the fact that America has seen a lot of time travel stories since then.

Battletech Heaps: Future Technology

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Nominees
Plasma Ball: A slow-moving ball of charged EM energy, it is actually drawn to strong EM signatures. It is a medium-sized weapon that does moderate damage(relative to its size and tech) and is innately difficult to hit with(because of its speed), but it can seek and home in on any 'mech with emitted electronics (ECM in use, BAP, Artemis IV, TAG in use, C3, Lasers in use).

Double-Lock Missiles: Much like the LRMs in Mechwarrior games, they gain a non-cumulative +1 bonus to hit a target on a turn after they've hit that target. Artemis IV and NARC compatible.

Spiderchat

So, is chatroulette still at thing?

Folks Wanna Remove Historic Confederate Statues Now

Good.

A little background
On June 17th of this year, a domestic terrorist walked into an evening church service in Charleston, South Carolina. After an hour of listening to Americans discuss their devotion to God, he opened fire on the room. Nine people died.

He chose one victim to spare and tell others of his motivation (five others survived). The white, 21-year-old man explicitly stated that he was killing black Americans to start a race war. Photos later surfaced of him bearing the flags of apartheid states, citing quotes from the founder of The American Nazi Party, burning the American flag, and--of course--waving a Confederate flag.

It's that flag that's become this tragedy's Easy Way to Preventing the Next One (TM). We always find something to blame and kick weakly in the shins after a white guy kills a handful of folks, but for once the target is a reasonable one. Making the Confederate flag a less common sight won't change the pervasive racism and cultural cowardice that filled this shitbag with the idea that murdering people would make him vaguely fuckable to women.

And some of that has spread further, to a desire to take down statues of Confederate generals which we apparently have aplenty down here. As a Southerner and a veteran of the US armed forces, screw The Confederacy. Screw their flag. Screw their generals. Screw each and every article of Confederate iconography.

But not the horses they rode in on; I don't think Traveller was racist.

The Basket Run: Part 2

This is the first of seven videos that have poor sound quality. 

The video quality is unique to this one. Do not adjust your set.

It'll be better in a month or so.

If you know of any way to crop videos, let me know and I'll start lookin' at it.

17 to 01: The Alternative Factor

Jesus fried chicken, this fuckin' episode.

I'm mad, bro.

Battletech Heaps: Improved Rocket Launchers

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Improved Rocket Launchers (I-RLs)
What is up with Rocket Launchers? A RL/10 has great range, great damage per ton, and great critical slot efficiency. The RL/15 and 20 both deal less damage per unit weight, have worse range, and take up two to three times as many critical spaces. There is no reason not to take an equivalent number of RL/10's in place of an RL/15 or 20. The heavier platforms save a little heat, but you're only firing them once so who cares?

Name                    Dmg  Heat Min SR MR LR Tons Crits Ammo TH
I-Rocket Launcher 10  10, 5C  3    -   5 11 18 0.5   1    lol! +1
I-Rocket Launcher 20  20, 5C  5    -   5 11 18 1.0   2    lol! +1
I-Rocket Launcher 30  30, 5C  7    -   5 11 18 1.5   3    lol! +1

Why would you not this? Taking big RL pods is now at least as foolish as taking larger LRM racks. At least with a RL/30 if you're wagering everything on one hit, you can go all-in on a target number of "3" or "4" and know they're all going to hit instead of letting fly with a battery of RL/10's and hugging the probability curve. Or it can cut the other way. But it's a choice now, y'know?

And Clan rocket launchers, because why not shoot finely manufactured garbage at someone? Top-tier garbage. Garbage that shines.

Name                     Dmg  Heat Min SR MR LR Tons Crits Ammo TH
CUI-Rocket Launcher 13 13, 5C 3(2)  -   5 11 18 0.5   1    lol! +1
CUI-Rocket Launcher 26 26, 5C 5(3)  -   5 11 18 1.0   2    lol! +1
CUI-Rocket Launcher 40 40, 5C 7(4)  -   5 11 18 1.5   3    lol! +1

Clan RLs can fire any number of rockets when they use the rocket launcher. Used shots are marked off like ammo. When firing half of the RL's total rating or less, the heat generated is equal to half of the launcher's total heat, rounded up (noted in parenthesis, above).