To Baldly Go

Aaron Emery

Join me as I watch through Star Trek for the first time and discuss with my Trekkie friends

  1. 1d ago

    Star Trek TNG S05E10-12 New Ground, Hero Worship, Violations – “Not the strongest slate...” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 071)

    Aaron and Nate continue Aaron's first-time watch of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Season 5, Episodes 10-12: “New Ground,” “Hero Worship,” and “Violations.” This week, we get: Worf learning some hard lessons about being a parent A child dealing with trauma by becoming Data A deeply uncomfortable attempt at Star Trek horror One of our least favorite episodes since season 1 We covered: New Ground Hero Worship Violations New Ground Worf’s son Alexander is back, and this time he’s moving in. We talk about Worf’s struggles as a father, the challenges of communicating with kids, and how the episode captures some of the difficulties of raising a child who might be a little different from everyone else. We also question some of Worf’s decisions, wonder whether he would have acted differently if Alexander weren’t his son, and ask the most important question of all: why exactly are we going through the wave instead of around it? Hero Worship After surviving a disaster that killed the rest of his crew, a young boy begins imitating Data as a way of dealing with his trauma. There are some great performances and interesting ideas here, but we found the episode rushed and disjointed before everything gets tied up rather cleanly at the end. We also talk about Patrick Stewart-directed episodes, our tendency to nitpick, and whether we would judge these episodes differently if they appeared in another season. Violations Well...f**k this episode. Star Trek takes a swing at psychological horror, and for us, pretty much everything is a miss. We talk about why “Violations” is so uncomfortable, its attempts to be clever, and whether there is anything redeeming about the episode. “This is the worst thing since Code of Honor” gets uttered, which should give you some idea of where the conversation goes. Not exactly the strongest slate of episodes. We also discuss: Future plans for the podcast Movies versus television as storytelling mediums The importance of stories

  2. Sep 22

    Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – “For the fans” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 070)

    First-Time Watch – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Our release-order journey brings us back to the original crew for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Watching the films alongside The Next Generation continues to make the larger Star Trek universe feel more connected. This time around, we get another link between TOS and TNG, some major additions to the franchise’s history, and one last adventure with the crew that started it all. This week, we get: Another bridge between the TOS and TNG eras Political intrigue, assassination, and conspiracy One final adventure with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the original crew We covered: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Release-order viewing pays off again as the movie adds more connections between the original series and The Next Generation — including Colonel Worf, grandfather of the Worf we already know, and the events surrounding Khitomer. There’s a lot happening beneath the surface of the movie. Who is actually behind the assassination plot? How much of the conspiracy do we really see? And does the ending have enough time to resolve everything the movie sets up? We also talk about how familiar parts of the movie seemed, deleted scenes, literary references, suspension of disbelief in science fiction, and perhaps the most important question of all - does Kirk surrender?. But more than anything, this felt like a movie made for Star Trek fans. Not everything has to appeal to everyone. Sometimes it’s enough to make something for the people who already love these characters and this world. And after spending so much time away from the original crew, it was simply fun to spend some time with them again. Next time, we return to our release-order watchthrough. Never give up. Never surrender.

  3. Sep 15

    Star Trek TNG S05E07-09 Unification I, Unification II, A Matter of Time – “Why is Spock here? Why now?” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 069)

    Aaron continues watching Star Trek for the first time from the beginning, joined by Nate as we continue through Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with “Unification I,” “Unification II,” and “A Matter of Time.” Spock has arrived on The Next Generation — which immediately raises the question: Why Spock? Why now? “Unification I” and “Unification II” give us a pair of seemingly disparate storylines that slowly move toward one another. We talk about the advantages of having the time to properly tell a story on television, narrative storytelling versus how information might actually be communicated, and the effectiveness of bringing one of Star Trek’s most recognizable characters into TNG. But watching in release order adds another layer. With Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country right around the corner, we discuss the timing of Spock’s appearance, using a television series to promote a movie, movie-release strategy, and how differently audiences consumed media in 1991 compared with 2026. Along the way, Aaron makes a painful admission, we ask why everyone calls the planet “Vulcan,” revisit Sarek’s relationship with humans. Then there’s “A Matter of Time.” Nate doesn’t like it. Aaron thinks it’s...fine. Naturally, that sends us into a deep dive through Matt Frewer’s IMDb profile, the Dumb and Dumber cartoon show, Robin Williams nearly playing Rasmussen, Foo Fighters, and whether an otherwise average episode is lifted by just how good The Next Generation has been lately. Never give up! Never surrender!

  4. Sep 8

    Star Trek TNG S05E04-06 Silicon Avatar | Disaster | The Game – “Kwazy Kupcakes” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 068)

    We continue Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with “Silicon Avatar,” “Disaster,” and “The Game.” This week, we get: An episode with a great premise that can’t quite stick the landing The Enterprise crew thrown into unexpected situations and unusual pairings A story about addictive technology that feels a little more relevant every year We covered: In “Silicon Avatar,” an old threat returns when the Crystalline Entity attacks another colony. The Enterprise picks up a scientist who has dedicated her life to studying the Entity, but her interest turns out to be a lot more personal than scientific. We discuss the callback to Data’s origins, whether this episode ever had a chance at a satisfying ending, subtle character development, actors pretending to play instruments, and what it means to dedicate your entire life to finding and destroying something. In “Disaster,” the Enterprise is crippled and the crew is scattered into some very unusual combinations. Picard gets stuck with a group of children, Worf finds himself delivering a baby, and Troi unexpectedly ends up as the senior officer on the bridge. We talk about why these unlikely pairings work so well, Troi being forced into command, whether her empathic abilities should have been more useful, questionable space physics, science words, and why sometimes a little cheese is exactly what Star Trek needs. Galaxy Quest also enters the conversation. Finally, in “The Game,” Wesley returns to the Enterprise just in time for nearly everyone aboard to become hopelessly addicted to a new game. On paper, it has everything we should love...a mysterious conspiracy, addictive technology, a solid discussion of screen addiction, and even the return of Wesley. But, we just couldn’t get invested. We discuss social media, phone games, dopamine hits, South Park, Neuralink, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, jigsaw puzzles, anti-drug specials, and, of course, Kwazy Kupcakes from Brooklyn 99! Three episodes with plenty of interesting ideas — even when the execution didn’t always work for us. A quick production note: I had some internet issues while we were recording, so there are a few moments where the audio might get a bit jumpy Next time: TBG 069 — Unification I | Unification II | A Matter of Time Never give up! Never surrender!

  5. Sep 1

    Star Trek TNG S05E01-03 Redemption II, Darmok, Ensign Ro – “Nate and Aaron at the Podcast” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 067)

    We begin Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with “Redemption II,” “Darmok,” and “Ensign Ro.” This week, we get: A Klingon civil war on a massive scale A first contact where understanding the words isn’t enough The introduction of a complicated new member of the Enterprise crew We covered: Data in command and what happens when he decides not to follow orders The continuing legacy—and tragedy—of Tasha Yar Klingon politics, culture, and the difference between a society and its government Whether Data actually gets angry Communication through metaphor, memes, GIFs, and shared stories The Epic of Gilgamesh and the stories we use to understand one another The limitations of the Tamarian language How “Ensign Ro” builds an entire history around a character before she even appears Riker’s immediate reaction to Ro Competing loyalties and what ultimately motivates Ro “Redemption II” brings the Klingon Civil War to a satisfying conclusion while giving Data one of his strongest command stories yet. The episode operates on a huge scale without losing sight of its characters.  And we thought we already knew Tasha Yar's tragic story... Then comes “Darmok,” one of the best-known episodes of The Next Generation. The words are understandable, but their meaning isn’t, leading us into a conversation about metaphor, shared cultural references, memes, ancient storytelling, and what communication actually requires beyond simply translating vocabulary. Finally, “Ensign Ro” introduces a character who somehow feels established before she even walks onto the bridge. We talk about the episode’s worldbuilding, Riker’s visceral response to Ro, her competing loyalties, and the motivations behind a character who immediately makes the Enterprise a little more complicated. It’s a great start to Season 5. Join us as we continue watching Star Trek for the first time, in release order, one episode at a time.

  6. Aug 25

    Star Trek TNG S04E25-26 In Theory | Redemption – “Star Trek Pizza” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 066)

    We’ve reached the end of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation! This week, Data tries his hand at romance in “In Theory,” and Worf finds himself caught between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire as a civil war begins in “Redemption.” This week, we get: Relationships and programmed behaviors Klingons We covered: In Theory Redemption In “In Theory,” Data decides to enter into a romantic relationship and approaches dating in perhaps the most Data way possible: by creating a program for how a boyfriend is supposed to behave. We talk about projecting expectations onto other people, Data’s attempts to understand human behavior, and how Brent Spiner continues to somehow make all of this work. Then, “Redemption” takes us deep into Klingon politics as Gowron’s claim to leadership sparks a civil war and Worf finds his Starfleet duties increasingly at odds with his family and his people. We talk about the continued Klingon world building, Picard’s role as arbiter and kingmaker, and how this episode feels less like a self-contained story and more like one piece of something much larger. Finally, we look back at four full seasons of The Next Generation, talk a little about “New Trek,” and compare Seasons 3 and 4. Season 3 still gets the slight edge, but four seasons in, the series continues to be remarkably strong — and Aaron is still loving it. Next time: We begin Season 5 with “Redemption II,” “Darmok,” and “Ensign Ro.”

  7. Aug 18

    Star Trek TNG S04E22-24 Half a Life, The Host, The Mind’s Eye – “Juxtapose This” | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 065)

    Star Trek, The Next Generation First-Time Watch – Season 4, Episodes 22-24 In this episode of To Baldly Go, we continue our first-time watch of Star Trek: The Next Generation with three episodes that take us from questions about aging and societal rituals, to the nature of identity, to some good old-fashioned Romulan manipulation. This week, we get: Rituals and societal structure A story we've seen before Romulans We covered: Half a Life The Host The Mind’s Eye In Half a Life, Lwaxana Troi unexpectedly finds herself at the center of one of an uncomfortable moral dilemma. We talk about different cultural approaches to aging, euthanasia, finding nuance in what initially feels like a black-and-white decision, and the difference between knowing your days are numbered and actually knowing the number of your days. Along the way, Aaron develops a newfound appreciation for Lwaxana, and we establish that it’s Worf, not Woof. In The Host, the Trill make their first appearance, giving us a story with some genuinely interesting questions about identity, relationships, and how much of our essence is tied to our physical bodies. Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t always live up to the premise. We discuss some questionable character decisions, what exactly happened to Riker’s personality while he was serving as the host, bottle episodes, missing Dr. Pulaski, Men in Black, and, naturally, The Amazing Race Season 7. Finally, The Mind’s Eye brings the Romulans back into the picture with a Geordi-centered take on The Manchurian Candidate. We talk about why the Romulans work so well as villains, the value of recurring adversaries, episode Easter eggs, who actually benefits from the Klingon conflict, and one of the reasons TNG’s developing continuity works better for us than the largely standalone nature of TOS. Join us as we discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 4, Episodes 22-24: “Half a Life,” “The Host” and “The Mind’s Eye.”

  8. Aug 11

    Star Trek TNG S04E19-21 The Nth Degree, Qpid, The Drumhead | First Time Reaction – To Baldly Go Podcast (Ep. 064)

    First-Time Watch This week, we continue our first-time, release-order journey through Star Trek with three episodes from the fourth season of The Next Generation. We begin with Barclay suddenly becoming the smartest person on the Enterprise in The Nth Degree. Then Q returns to teach Picard a lesson about love by dropping the crew into his own version of Robin Hood in Qpid. Finally, an investigation into sabotage aboard the Enterprise grows into something much larger in The Drumhead. This week, we get: The next stage of human evolution Q and his Merry Men Conspiracies We covered: The Nth Degree Broccoli Another trip to the center of the galaxy Data's IQ Life 3.0 Becoming one with the computer A strong ending Barclay's redemption Qpid Was this a fun episode to make? Q is back A disjointed, forced plot Nate sounds like Gregg Weird and disappointing What did Q actually add to the episode? The Princess Bride Swearing Robin Hood vs. Camelot themes The Drumhead Sabotage and treason? An ambitious episode Was the ending deliberately unsatisfying? Did they try to do too much? Not all conspiracy theories are real—but conspiracies exist The difference between asking questions and drawing conclusions When our discussion is more compelling than the episode Picard's pronunciation of "Aaron" Parallels to McCarthyism Final Thoughts Three very different episodes give us plenty to talk about this week. Barclay gets an unexpected chance at redemption, Q returns for an adventure that doesn't quite work for us, and The Drumhead takes a swing at paranoia, conspiracy, and the dangers of reaching conclusions before the evidence supports them. Next time, we continue Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 with: Half a Life The Host The Mind’s Eye Never give up. Never surrender.

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Join me as I watch through Star Trek for the first time and discuss with my Trekkie friends

Information

  • Creator
    Aaron Emery
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    To Baldly Go