Treks and Tangents
Treks and Tangents is a weekly Star Trek watch-along podcast exploring the franchise one episode, and eventually one movie, at a time.
Jaci is experiencing Star Trek with fresh eyes, while Brian brings the longtime-fan perspective. Together they recap each story, compare first impressions, dig into the characters and ideas, chase plenty of tangents, share trivia, and rank what they watch along the way.
They’re currently working through Star Trek: The Original Series, with more Star Trek series and films ahead.
Whether you know every transporter malfunction by heart or you're discovering the final frontier for the first time, join us each week for a fun, conversational journey through Star Trek.
Episodes
53 episodes
Patterns of Force (Star Trek TOS S2E21)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week, Brian and Jaci tackle “Patterns of Force”, an episode with a straightforward adventure wrapped around some very uncomfortable history. Between Kirk and Spock going undercover, a conveniently us...
Return to Tomorrow (Star Trek TOS S2E20)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]"Return to Tomorrow" gives Brian and Jaci plenty to dig into: mysterious glowing orbs, body-swapping aliens, surprisingly romantic sci-fi, Leonard Nimoy getting to cut loose as Henoch, and Nurse Chapel qu...
A Private Little War (Star Trek TOS S2E19)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Things get messy fast in “A Private Little War” as Brian and Jaci tackle Mugatus, Klingon gunrunning, and an episode that seems determined to start five different plotlines before figuring out what to do ...
The Immunity Syndrome (Star Trek TOS - S2E18)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]It’s the 50th episode of Treks and Tangents, and naturally we’re celebrating with… a gigantic space amoeba, an exhausted Enterprise crew, and an alarming amount of stimulants to test everyone’s p...
A Piece of the Action (Star Trek TOS - S2E17)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week on Treks and Tangents, "A Piece of the Action" sends Kirk, Spock, and McCoy into a planet-sized 1920s mobster convention, all thanks to one very influential book. Brian and Jaci talk To...
The Gamesters of Triskelion (Star Trek TOS - S2E16)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Brian and Jaci enter the brightly colored, triangle-obsessed chaos of “The Gamesters of Triskelion,” where apparently the Hunger Games, Squid Game, and a 1960s costume department all col...
The Trouble with Tribbles (Star Trek TOS - S2E15)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week, we finally meet one of Star Trek’s cutest, and unofficial podcast mascot, icons in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” We talk about why the episode’s humor works so well, Kirk getting buried alive in...
Wolf in the Fold (Star Trek TOS - S2E14)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]On this episode of Treks and Tangents, Brian and Jaci take on "Wolf in the Fold". Scotty becomes the prime suspect in a string of murders on Argelius II, leading to séances, lie detectors, Jack t...
Obsession (Star Trek TOS - S2E13)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]In this episode of Treks and Tangents, Brian and Jaci tackle Star Trek: The Original Series episode Obsession. When a deadly cloud creature resurfaces from Kirk’s past, the captain turns...
The Deadly Years (Star Trek TOS - S2E12)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week on Treks and Tangents, we revisit The Deadly Years, where a routine mission leaves Kirk and several senior officers aging decades by the day... but Chekov somehow escapes with little mo...
Friday's Child (Star Trek TOS - S2E11)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week on Treks and Tangents, we’re trekking through Friday’s Child, where the Enterprise arrives on Capella IV to negotiate for valuable minerals and instead finds a Klingon rival, a deadly c...
Journey to Babel (Star Trek TOS - S2E10)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]In this episode of Treks and Tangents, we take on Journey to Babel, an episode packed with diplomacy, family drama, murder mystery, medical crisis, and a suspicious little ship causing big proble...
Metamorphosis (Star Trek TOS - S2E09)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]In this episode of Treks and Tangents, Brian and Jaci beam into Metamorphosis, an episode full of purple rocks, a lovesick lava lamp, one very grumpy commissioner, and the surprisingly awkward in...
I, Mudd (Star Trek TOS - S2E08)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Treks and Tangents beams down for “I, Mudd,” where Harry Mudd returns with a throne, a planet full of obedient androids, and somehow still manages to become a prisoner of his own nonsense. Brian ...
Catspaw (Star Trek TOS - S2E07)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]It’s just a jump to the left… and somehow Star Trek wandered straight into a low-budget Rocky Horror fever dream. This week on Treks and Tangents, Brian and Jaci explore Catspaw, an episode packe...
The Doomsday Machine (Star Trek TOS - S2E06)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]The Doomsday Machine might be one of Star Trek's greatest examples of a bad day getting steadily worse. A giant planet-eating space cornucopia is chewing its way through solar systems, the En...
The Apple (Star Trek TOS - S2E05)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]On this week's episode of Treks and Tangents, Brian and Jaci beam down to The Apple and discover a planet that looks like paradise but is somehow packed with killer flowers, exploding rocks, weat...
The Changeling (Star Trek TOS - S2E03)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]This week on Treks and Tangents, our co-hosts tackle “The Changeling”, an episode featuring a homicidal floating space probe that somehow convinces Kirk to invite it aboard the Enterprise after i...
Mirror Mirror (Star Trek TOS - S2E04)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]In this week's episode of Treks and Tangents, we're stepping through the transporter and into the Mirror Universe for Star Trek: The Original Series' iconic episode, Mirror, Mirror. What happens ...
Who Mourns for Adonais? (Star Trek TOS - S2E02)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Apollo’s got abs, a lightning machine, and the emotional stability of a guy who just got left on read.This week on Treks and Tangents, our co-hosts tackle Who Mourns for Adonais?; the ep...
Amok Time (Star Trek TOS - S2E01)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Spock is dying.The cure?Apparently: getting married and fighting Kirk with a giant Vulcan salad fork.This week on Treks and Tangents, we dive into Amok Time: the episode whe...
Operation -- Annihilate! (Star Trek TOS - S1E30)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]On this episode Treks and Tangents, we break down Operation -- Annihilate!. Also known as the episode where Star Trek decided, “What if the villains were just… really gross?”These...
The City on the Edge of Forever (Star Trek TOS - S1E29)
[Hailing Frequencies Open]Widely regarded as the highest-rated episode of The Original Series, The City on the Edge of Forever shows Star Trek at its absolute peak.In this episode, we break down why this s...