TNG and DS9 are the only two series that I really know well enough to make these recommendations for.

I would highly recommend watching TNG before DS9, even if she likes DS9 better. TNG and DS9 work best as companion shows, with TNG building up a lot of DS9 plot-lines in its latter seasons. I would also highly recommend against starting with any episodes involving Q or the Borg, or any of the series “highlights”. Let those plots build, and you don’t want to spoil some of the best episodes in a sampler. My go-to TNG introduction picks are:

-Cause and Effect

-Darmok

-Measure of a Man

DS9 can be harder to pick introductory episodes for. Its more serialized nature means that a lot of later episodes have a lot of spoilers. I would highly recommend against picking any episodes that highly involve the Dominion or the Dominion War, let that plot build itself up. That does however, leave us with a lot fewer options. My DS9 introduction picks are:

-Duet

-Past Tense

-Bar Association

Mike using his YouTube money to buy and preserve old TV and Movie props is the best arc. Maybe in his retirement he can curate his collection

Ask me any other day and my answer will be different, just highlighting a few GOATs this tread is neglecting.

1: Raging Bull

2: Citizen Kane

3: Dr. Strangelove

Picard starts every day by broadcasting “Space… The final frontier” to the crew

I still enjoyed the first game but wasn’t one of the lead devs on KCD a capital G Gamer? I remember some… interesting tweets from him. Was he booted or did he change his ways?

Edit: Derp, should have just read the article before commenting. Fascism eats its own yet again.

Is he? The two have many shared interest sure, and maybe he has some dirt on Musk. I feel like if Putin was the “grand puppet master” he’s often made out to be then the war in Ukraine would be going much better for him. The article above seems to indicate that Putins influence has waned considerably since 2016.

Pure speculation, but could Trump no longer be as beholden to Putin as he so clearly was in his first term? Musk seems to be holding his reins now, and maybe he realizes any Kompromat the Russians may have had just doesn’t matter any more in the face of his cult of personality.

That said, it seems to be in both parties best interest for Putin to get out of the war while Trump is in office. A president favorable to Russia gets a big win on the world stage, and Russia gets to quietly back out of a conflict that has been a complete disaster for them.

Unrelated to the opsec, why is a SpongeBob Movie premiering on Netflix? Isn’t Nickelodeon Paramount?

Dream set idea: Huge 1701-D set.

Though not to scale, can be opened to reveal three interior decks. Top deck contains the Bridge, Picard’s Ready Room, and the Conference Room. Middle deck contains 10-forward, Sickbay, and a Crew Quarters with a Poker Table. Lower deck contains Main Engineering and a Transporter room.

Minifigs of the Bridge Crew, Guinen, Barclay, Wesley, Ro, Ogawa, O’Brian, Keiko, and a handful of misc crewmen. Throw in Spot and a Judge Q too.

I’ll believe it when I see it. That said, I’d be willing to shell out for a Rivendell size and quality 1701-D or DS9

Idk, I know a pianist and his house is just filled with boxes and boxes of sheets music!

Biggest argument in favor of compulsory military service I’ve ever seen. The everyday citizen soldiers didn’t give a fuck about the coup, and weren’t willing to risk confrontation with their military trained fellow citizens for a wannabe dictator. It was a beautiful thing.

His rise really is symbolic of the rot that has taken hold of our society. Truly, our most degenerate moron has risen to the top of the shit pile.

One RPG that does a really great job of circumventing this is Morrowind. Early in the story there are several natural breaks where the PC is encouraged to do side quests and immurse themselves in the world. Once the main quest gets going it starts to take precedence, but the world ending threat builds slowly at first.

Disappointed that Marina Sirtis wouldn’t interview, though I kind of get why. Her role as a woman on Trek is certainly one of the more… complicated ones.

I have not but I’ll have to check it out. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy being time travellers from the future would certainly be a twist!

This is an idea I ran by a fellow Trekkie awhile ago. An “Ed Wood” like movie about the behind the scenes of TOS. Satirize it from a place of love, focus on the drama between the cast and the antagonism between the studio and Gene. Quality movie material!

Fucked regardless but how fucked remains to be seen. Just as before, Trump will spend his presidency golfing, what really matters are his cabinet picks. Best case scenario is that just like 2016-2020 in-fighting and general incompetence make the administration a revolving door and keep the Christian Nationalist from realizing their darkest ambitions. Worst Case is that the Fascist have learned from their mistakes. I also think Trump either dying or being forced to step down (with a pardon of course) is a possibility that is on the table. Vance is a much more competent Fascist and this is definitely a worst case scenario.

Regardless, I think there are a few things that are guaranteed to happen:

• The dismantling of much of the Federal Government. Starve the Beast will finally come to fuition. The Department of Eduction, the FDA, The EPA, ect will become toothless if not entirely abolished. De-regulation will bring us back to early 20th century levels of consumer protection and quality control. Read “The Jungle” to get an idea. Public Health is going to tank dramatically.
• The little safety net Americans have will be pulled out from under them. Workers will be entirely beholden to their employers. The price of most consumer goods will surge, bankruptcy from healthcare cost will skyrocket, and homelessness will become even more common. Homelessness will become completely criminalized and the % of the American population imprisoned will make today’s prison population look small.
• The police and surveillance state will be expanded dramatically with the intent of targeting undesirables. Immigrants will be deported, while Trans people and political dissidents will be labeled as sexual criminals and will be eliminated. As time marches on more groups will be targets for the state. People around you will simply disappear sometimes, victims of secret police.
• An increase in media censorship by morality police. Pornography will be banned, and using that vague label media critical of the regime or expressing ideas against the regimes interest will be censored.
• The US will pull out of NATO and pursue a policy of isolation. Authoritarian and expansionist regimes around the world will be allowed to pursue their interests unchecked.
• A general brain-drain as educated people with the means to do so flee to Canada or Europe. As time passes it is likely that emigration from America will be made more difficult by the state, effectively stranding people here who didn’t get out soon enough.
• We will completely miss the window to do anything to avoid the worst-case scenarios for climate change. So it’s not just America that’s fucked here.

Smoke em while you got em, it’s about to get rough for everyone. We are in the death throes of the Neo-Liberal world order. Buy a firearm and get a vpn. Keep your vehicle as fueled as you can, and if you are able keep a sizable amount of cash stored somewhere safe. There’s never been a better time to go vegan and get in shape. Do what you can for the people you care about.