Second Chances

More than any other episode, this one makes me think about the title of this series. Second Chances is bold in that they keep Riker around and don't write him off as some kind of alien of the week. It's pretty beige in that they thought about shaking up the status quo without really changing their cast but didn't for what are essentially commercial reasons.

So Will Riker goes on a shelf simply because people want him around, but don't particularly care if anything--y'know--GOOD is done with him. The man lives in a glass case watching any additional character development passing him by.

In the beginning of Season 4, I pitched the idea of "Captain Riker, Ambassador Picard," imagining how season four would look if after Picard's assimilation by the Borg, Riker became the captain and Picard became an ambassador at large on the Enterprise. 

In that same spirit, I'm going to pitch "Chief of Operations Thomas Riker" for some of the episode we have coming up. How will future episodes change if Thomas Riker takes over as Chief of Operations and Data becomes First Officer of the Enterprise? Will anything change? Will we have additional storylines to think of? We'll see.

The Beige and The Bold is hosted on Anchor and is available on most podcasting platforms. New episodes are usually posted on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM CST.

source https://anchor.fm/tbntb/episodes/Second-Chances-esj7qk

Captive Pursuit

It's our first O'Brien episode. No, he doesn't get tortured. Why would you even ask that?

"Captive Pursuit" captures a lot of early Deep Space Nine. There's a lot of TNG's mystery stories, but with more action. The characters are actual characters, but without their throughlines or an ungrayed moral lesson, it can feel pointless. In the series' urgent attempts to ingratiate itself with fans, like including the Duras sisters a few weeks ago and Q next week, it feels like it's ignoring the strengths of Star Trek and its own strengths.

I do wonder how TNG, TOS, Voyager, or even Discovery would have handled an episode like Captive Pursuit.

Nine Deeps of Space is a Trekalong podcast that lets you watch Deep Space Nine along with us on Netflix. It updates every other Sunday night at 10 PM CST. NDoS alternates with its partner series, The Beige and The Bold, which is about Star Trek: The Next Generation.

source https://anchor.fm/ndos/episodes/Captive-Pursuit-es8r4p

Suspicions

It's a pretty cool Doctor Crusher story that effectively packs a lot into it. Remember how rushed "The Chase" was? I feel like "Suspicions" moves at a similar pace but uses a framing device to make it actually work.

It's too bad we never see the scientists again, but who knows? Maybe this technology will be useful again some day.

I want to thank this week's and last week's guest Jack, who was a lot of fun to work with. The Beige and The Bold is hosted on Anchor and is available on most  podcasting platforms. New episodes are usually posted on Sunday nights  at 9:00 PM CST.

source https://anchor.fm/tbntb/episodes/Suspicions-erafja

Babel

So we've moved past the humor/horror of "isn't this happening now, lol," TV logic, and into the forgetting references. Titus Andronicus was the Shakespeare play. The Scrubs episode was Season 5, Episode 12 "My Cabbage."

DS9, like its predecessor, features officers who know how to make a scene dramatic. Starfleet sends out surveys for this kind of thing.

I feel like we don't have a big idea here. Things happen and while it's a good ensemble episode that's closer to mediocre than bad, I just don't see the point of it. It illustrates how people can be selfish in a crisis, but the story doesn't really care about that; it just works around it.

Nine Deeps of Space is a Trekalong podcast that lets you watch Deep Space Nine along with us on Netflix. It updates every other Sunday night at 10 PM CST. NDoS alternates with its partner series, The Beige and The Bold, which is about Star Trek: The Next Generation.

source https://anchor.fm/ndos/episodes/Babel-er3m6j

Frame of Mind

It's all corrections for this one. That's boring, so imagine reading this in Robert Stack's Unsolved Mysteries voice.

• My reference to Supernatural actor Jensen Ackles' constantly deepening voice was abandoned early in the episode, but that happened, and it was weird.
• It's Paramount+, not CBS All-Access anymore.
• I have seen a Philip K. Dick book including the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." Haven't read it.
• Pico de gallo is the chopped onion, tomato, and pepper thing. There is no corn in it.
• That Babylon 5 episode was "A View from the Gallery," not "A View from Downbelow."

The Beige and The Bold is hosted on Anchor and is available on most podcasting platforms. New episodes are usually posted on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM CST.

source https://anchor.fm/tbntb/episodes/Frame-of-Mind-eqe15u

Past Prologue

In this one we're talking about the big, red analog button in every runabout, Klingon sartorial choices, and how effectively Commander Sisko can recap Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. We also meet a new guy named...Farak or something. I don't think a tailor will be too important to our series going forward.

I guess the lesson here is that there's no unity without change? That it's not worth owning your nation wholly if you've burnt it to the ground to get that? Maybe it's a dick move to hold the people you're trying to benefit hostage as part of your vigilante actions? 

Nine Deeps of Space is a Trekalong podcast that lets you watch Deep Space Nine along with us on Netflix. It updates every other Sunday night at 10 PM CST. NDoS alternates with its partner series, The Beige and The Bold, which is about Star Trek: The Next Generation.

source https://anchor.fm/ndos/episodes/Past-Prologue-eq551s

Lessons

For a pretty sedate episode, we've got a lot going on here. Folks kid a lot about TNG being more about administrative issues instead of high-stakes space action, and Lessons is definitely that. It focuses on one character, Picard, and it's bizarre we don't even get a character arc. It's packed with stuff, but stuff that doesn't seem to take us anywhere in the end.

It might be the worst good episode of the series. Is that why no one talks about this episode ever?

My guest this week is Anna, who was a joy to record with.

The Beige and The Bold is hosted on Anchor and is available on most podcasting platforms. New episodes are usually posted on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM CST.

source https://anchor.fm/tbntb/episodes/Lessons-eptdb6