This episode’s podcast opens in classic “remote field-ops Starfleet” mode: the crew is improvising a studio in a bar that is very, very closed, while laptops threaten mutiny and someone apparently parkours over the bar like it’s an Olympic event. The vibe is equal parts professional panel and feral away team, and it sets the tone: you’re here for deep Trek feelings, but you’re also here for the comedy that happens when real life refuses to stay out of your broadcast. Once the microphones stop smoking, everyone zooms in on what Episode 7 is doing structurally: stacking character moments like carefully placed tricorders so that when the season finally fires a photon torpedo, the audience actually cares who’s on the blast radius. Bubba Joe, Bek, ChicagoHearts, and Griffin circle the same big takeaway: the show’s character foundation is working, and it feels like the season is winding a spring for a bigger pay-off soon. Then, because this is your crew, the discussion detours into a surprisingly passionate movie corner: Top Gun comparisons, Iceman-as-character-template, and the kind of hot take energy that could power a warp core for at least a week. That comedy isn’t filler though, it’s their way of translating what they see on-screen into pop-culture shorthand: who’s layered, who’s performative, who’s hiding their real engine under a shiny hull. From there, the conversation gets meatier: Darum’s storyline, the “abduction tradition” angle, and whether the episode teased a clean exit or just dangled the possibility like a redshirt-shaped piñata. The hosts weigh whether the season is actually willing to “lose” someone significant, or whether it prefers emotional loss, identity loss, trust loss, the slow-motion kind that hurts longer than a quick dramatic death. The emotional center of the back half is relationships and trauma, specifically the Tarima-Caleb-Genesis triangle and the consequences of what happened during the crisis. They dig into why Tarima hasn’t reached out (shame, fear, and that last interaction that ended badly), and they spiral into the bigger sci-fi question: how did Tarima’s power hit the whole ship, and was Caleb the conduit that made it possible? Along the way you get the hilarious “is that flirting?” courtroom segment, complete with social psychology and friendly roasting. Finally, the show shifts into rapid-fire mode: “what breaks next week,” who’s most likely to carry trauma forward, and what the season’s endgame might be with only a few episodes left. The sign-off lands as a warm, chaotic victory lap: gratitude for the live audience, gratitude for each other, and a recap of the day’s technical battle scars, including a memorable metaphor involving a litter box that will absolutely haunt Griffin’s legacy in the most loving way possible. 00:55 – “We’re not even allowed to be here” tech scramble begins 05:09 – First reactions: strong character moments, season building toward something big 09:22 – The Top Gun / Iceman detour (and the “Titanic is great?” argument) 13:36 – Darum’s “abduction tradition” and whether he ever had a plan 17:49 – Was the Darum moment an exit fake-out… or foreshadowing for later? 22:03 – Stakes check: who’s in danger, and what “loss” even means this season 26:16 – Character focus and pacing: what the episode prioritizes, what it skips 30:30 – Trauma + aftermath talk starts to sharpen: what the show is really “about” right now 34:43 – Relationship radar: Caleb, Tarima, and Genesis tension starts flashing 38:57 – “Is that flirting?” debate and the social logic of bringing up “the girlfriend” 43:10 – Why Tarima hasn’t reached out: shame, fear, and that last ugly interaction 47:24 – The “Furies” thread: how her powers worked, and whether Caleb was the conduit 51:37 – Genesis deep dive: pressure, control tendencies, and what her “big secret” really means 55:51 – Impostor syndrome (or not): defining what Genesis is actually wrestling with 1:00:04 – Rapid-fire “what breaks next week?” and the PTSD/aftermath implications 1:04:18 – Predictions begin: villains, fallout, and who cracks under pressure first 1:08:31 – Relationship predictions: Tarima/Caleb trajectory, breakup odds, two-parter theories 1:12:45 – More “next week” bets (and the running gag of who’s paying attention) 1:16:58 – Final prediction round: Griffin missing the moment, chaos math hits 100% 1:21:12 – Closing gratitude + “we did it live” survival recap (litter box included)

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.