The Random Redshirt

Our Spotlight Series brings us to TNG's "The Drumhead" and a focus on Admiral (retired) Norah Satie. When a potential security leak and sabotage is discovered on board the Enterprise, Starfleet brings Admiral Satie out of retirement to help with the investigation. What follows turns into a "witch hunt" of sorts as Admiral Satie turns the investigation into a trial of a crewman that Picard reminds her is innocent until proven guilty. Conspiracy and paranoia run rampant until Admiral Satie explodes. Is Admiral Satie one of Starfleet's Finest or Starfleet's worst? You decide!

We continue our new Spotlight Series "Starfleet's Finest?" by jumping into Star Trek The Next Generation. The season 7 episode "Pegasus" gives us one of, perhaps the most toxic Admirals we will meet in our series, Admiral Erik Pressman. Coverups, intimidation, withholding information, and violations of long standing treaties are just some of the issues Admiral Pressman brings with him to the Enterprise. We Riker's past and the weight of his decisions catch up to him, ultimately affecting how Captain Picard views his first officer. This episode brings us everything this Spotlight Series is about....and more!

We continue our "Starfleet's Finest?" Spotlight Series with The Original Series episode "Court Martial". Our focus character for this episode is Commodore Stone who has the incredibly difficult task of being the Presiding Officer in the case of Captain Kirk versus the Enterprise's computer. Kirk's decision in the moment, which we are led to believe results in the death of a crewman, is picked a part in court due to the supposed overwhelming evidence from the computer showing the decision that he made. There's just one problem...Kirk is adamant that the computer is wrong. How does Commodore Stone handle the situation involving the Captain of the Starfleet's flagship? Is he able to stay objective in the face of uncertainty? We discuss all that and more!

We're kicking off a new Spotlight Series entitled "Starfleet's Finest?". The title of our new series is a little bit misleading. Over the course of the new series, we will look at some of the best, and worst, that Starfleet has to offer. That's right we will be taking a look at some of the Admirals and Captains that made appearances across the Legacy Star Trek series (TOS-ENT), discussing their impact on the crew, leadership, individual character, morals/integrity and more. For the first episode in the new series we're starting with The Original Series episode Doomsday Machine, looking at Commodore Matthew Decker as he attempts to get revenge on the massive machine that not only destroyed entire worlds but killed his entire crew on the U.S.S. Constellation. During this series especially, we want to hear from you! Tell us your thoughts on each of the Admirals and Captains we highlight in each episode!

We've been talking about discussing the Alien Franchise for quite some time and we're finally bringing the Xenomorphs to the podcast! Alien is an American science fiction horror and action media franchise created by screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, which began as the 1979 film Alien. We discuss the franchise as a whole, our favorite Alien movies and what struggles the franchise has had. Is this the greatest science fiction / horror franchise of all time? Let us know!