Television – Todd Decker

Garak: Especially the Lies, Part 1

Todd and Rick talk about Garak, one of the most fascinating characters from Stark Trek: Deep Space Nine. At the end of the occupation of Bajor all Cardassians abandon their former station Terok Nor, now Deep Space Nine. Almost all. One Cardassian remains, a gregarious and mysterious tailor named Garak. No one really knows what he is up to. And with Garak there’s never only one story but several contradictory stories. In fact, there was so much that we decided to split our discussion into to two parts. In Part 1 we begin a deep dive into the many stories of Garak, all of them true… especially the lies!

Star Trek: Rapture

Rick and Todd discuss the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Rapture” in which Captain Sisko, Emissary to the Bajoran Prophets, receives a series of dramatic visions. We discuss the interpretive frameworks of spiritual and secular worldviews, the high costs of prophecy, the reliability or trustworthiness of powerful entities, the interaction of spiritual experiences and the brain, and the importance of the visions in the Deep Space Nine narrative arc.

First Contacts in Star Trek

Rick and Todd discuss first contacts in Star Trek. The first contact of Vulcans coming to Earth and first contacts of Federation humans with other species in the galaxy. We discuss the Prime Directive and other Federation policies. We discuss contacts with the Malcorians, the Prophets of the Wormhole, and Species 10-C. What different reactions do species have at contact? What kinds of challenges might arise from differences in language and ways of perceiving reality?

Star Trek: Picard

Rick and Todd talk about the series Star Trek: Picard. The continuing story of the Picard character and the introduction of new crew members Raffi, Rios, Agnes, Elnor, and Soji.