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