"Nyota’s Wish" by Daxs10thHost, can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/49312207

"“Okay,” Mariner says, slamming her glass down so hard its contents slosh onto the bar. “I think we should have a slumber party. Like now.”"

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

The Wounded (Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), S4 E12) was recommended by Crimson (he/him), who said:

This is another watershed episode: We get Cardassians for the first time! Furthermore, we have Marc Alaimo playing a Cardassian, though not the one we're used to (he still chews it up nicely here...though those mutton chops, woof). It's also a great episode for giving Colm Meany a chance to stretch his legs, especially as he and Rosalind Chao carry the B plot. I love that this episode digs into war trauma and the prejudices it can breed that you don't even notice, as well as the difficulty when you move on from something and someone you respect doesn't. Plus we get some quite nice singing -- Minstrel Boy is one of my favorite tunes, though I first recall hearing it from Black Hawk Down. (And as an aside, Minstrel Boy is a prime example of how the Irish and Klingons might find a lot in common. Who else has an upbeat song about dying gloriously in righteous battle?)

The Wounded first aired on January 28, 1991, written by story by Stuart Charno & Sara Charno & Cy Chermak, teleplay by Jeri Taylor, and directed by Chip Chalmers

A rogue Starfleet Captain (Bob Gunton) jeopardizes the Cardassian peace treaty.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

"Distant Origin - Painful Truth" by GrayRainbow173, can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/40365432

"The Captain and her First Officer are being debriefed about their encounter with the Voth.

Takes place several years after the episode "Distant Origin" (S03E23)."

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

That Hope Is You, Part 1 (Star Trek: Discovery, S3 E1) was recommended by Lauren Alexis Rivers She/Her, who said:

The first episode when Discovery arrives in the future, it introduces one of Discovery's most complex characters, Cleveland Booker, aka Book. A courier, he is our guide to one of the furthest points in the future we have ever seen. The episode largely features Burnham alone in a strange land, much like the Alice in Wonderland she had once quoted. It introduces the new world and a galaxy very different from the one we know.

I always liked this episode because rebooting a series, soft or otherwise, is very hard to do. Most shows never manage to successfully transition their characters to a new setting. But Discovery not only does it well, but they also create a unique story in star trek where for the first time we see a broken Federation and a hurting universe, and these hopeful kids are going to do what they can to make the galaxy better.

That Hope Is You, Part 1 first aired on October 15, 2020, written by Michelle Paradise & Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman, and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi

Arriving 930 years in the future, Burnham navigates a galaxy she no longer recognizes while searching for the rest of the U.S.S. Discovery crew.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

"The missing 5 hours" by Miss_Inquisitive_Sci_fi, can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/40112271

"A missing scene where the crew catchup for dinner at the Captain's and discuss strange anomalies after the missing 5 hours."

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

Critical Care (Star Trek: Voyager, S7 E5) was recommended by Marky See He/Him, who said: Hi Folks,

I am loving the show. Growing up, my Dad and I weren't very close, he was much more inclined to sports where I am cut from a much nerdier cloth. We do however share a love of Sci Fi and I remember vividly sitting down together to watch Voyager when it came out.

Inspired by the Joy of Trek, I set out to rewatch Voyager as I haven't watched an episode since the early 00s.

As a teen, I loved Voyager for the danger, action and adventure, but on the rewatch I have really enjoyed the study of humanity portrayed by characters like Seven and The Doctor.

I love this episode as it adds to the numerous other discussions and the theme of whether or not The Doctor is a sentient being or just a piece of very smart technology. Building on his morals being overwritten in Equinox so he could experiment on Seven, his memory being erased in latent image so he could keep functioning and now in climax Critical Care, choosing a path of action that could actually cause harm to a patient in a tiered system of health care that sadly is not unfamiliar to us 23 years after it was aired.

Critical Care first aired on November 1, 2000, written by story by Kenneth Biller and Robert Doherty, teleplay by James Kahn, and directed by Terry Windell

The Doctor's program is stolen and he is forced to work in an alien hospital, where he skillfully manipulates the system to provide ethical medical care.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

"When on Risa..." by SeemaG, can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/19760191

"Worf and Dax discover one of the hidden delights of Risa."

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook

Masks (Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), S7 E17) was recommended by He/him, who said: Although many find the episodes "incomprehensible" or "incoherent," I find it a joy.

First, Brent Spiner gets to really through himself into an array of personality types. He gets to show off his acting chops in ways that he rarely gets to, and almost never gets to on Star Trek.

Second, I truly enjoy this quick peek at a mythology where we can recognize all the parts as familiar to Earth mythologies, but they fit together in ways that we don't normally see. We get to follow Picard into seeing how he, as an archology student himself, would piece together that mythology from just the few pieces given to him.

Masks first aired on February 21, 1994, written by Joe Menosky, and directed by Robert Wiemer

The Enterprise finds an ancient library that recreates its civilization by taking possession of Data and transforming the ship.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook