PoliTreks

041 - SPOOKY TREKS: The BorgPoliTreks is gearing up for the spooky season! Special guest Felicity Pickens a.k.a RadMissFliss jumps in with Shashank to confront the horrors of the Borg species. Resistance may be futile, but discussion is not, and everything about the Borg including their look, the concept of assimilation… 6 Oct 2021
46:30 040 - Diseases in Star Trek, Part IIPoliTreks closes out the discussion on diseases in Star Trek with guest host Che. They discuss the DS9 episodes Babel, Quickening, the Enterprise episode Stigma, and the Voyager episode Scientific Method. What did you think of this episode? Please let us know about your thoughts by writing to us at… 22 Sep 2021
1:32:04 039 - Diseases in Star Trek: Part 1While much of the developed world begins a slow path toward recovery from COVID-19, the disease has taken a toll of near apocalyptic proportions on our co-host Shashank's homeland of India. With that as our backdrop, he and Barry take a look at the diseases in Star Trek. Some are physical, some… 6 May 2021
1:04:52 038 - POLI TREK: INSURRECTIONCo-hosts Barry and Shashank return to PoliTreks after an extended hiatus. They discuss their reasons for being away and jump straight to the main topic - the terrorist attack on the US Capitol. On January 6th, the US Capitol, the citadel of American Democracy, was attacked and almost succumbed to a… 22 Jan 2021
1:01:21 037 - Indigenous Representation in Star TrekPoliTreks is back with a very candid interview with our friend Bryson to talk about representation of Indigenous People throughout the life of Star Trek. Bryson brings his perspective as a member of the Mi’kmaq (*Pronounced Mig-maw) People of the east coast of Canada and the USA. We lay criticism… 9 Jun 2020
1:13:50 036 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - Broken PiecesPoliTreks returns for the continuing analysis/review series of each episode of Star Trek: Picard! Shashank and a guest host break down in detail every scene of the episode, discuss easter eggs, overall themes and metaphors. In this episode, Shashank, who is doing this episode by himself and stuck… 29 Mar 2020
31:54 035 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - NepenthePoliTreks returns for the continuing analysis/review series of each episode of Star Trek: Picard! Shashank and a guest host break down in detail every scene of the episode, discuss easter eggs, overall themes and metaphors. Shashank is not happy about this episode but to balance out with positive… 25 Mar 2020
1:40:59 034 - Interview with Amrit Kaur from Short Treks: Ask NotBarry and Shashank get to chat with the talented and engaging Amrit Kaur, Indian-Canadian Actor who played Cadet Thira Sidhu in Star Trek: Short Treks - Ask Not! We delve into Amrit's career as an actor, writer, and activist, getting to know her inspirations, other projects, and what may be in… 18 Mar 2020
1:14:13 033 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - The Impossible BoxPoliTreks returns for the continuing analysis/review series of each episode of Star Trek: Picard! Shashank and a guest host break down in detail every scene of the episode, discuss easter eggs, overall themes and metaphors. To unlock the mystery box that is episode 6 "The Impossible Box", John… 6 Mar 2020
1:46:40 032 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - Stardust City RagPoliTreks returns for the continuing analysis/review series of each episode of Star Trek: Picard! Shashank and guest host Aly Martinez break down in detail every scene of the episode, discuss easter eggs, overall themes and metaphors. Accompanying Shashank on this exciting journey to Freecloud for… 26 Feb 2020
1:33:28 031 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - Absolute CandorPoliTreks is back again with another installment of the Engaging with Star Trek Picard series. This time on the Artifact Grey Zone operating table is episode 4, Absolute Candor. Joining Shashank for this dissection is Jenn Tift, co-host of Snap Trek! Together, Shashank and Jenn break down in detail… 19 Feb 2020
1:33:47 030 - Engaging with Star Trek: Picard - The End Is The BeginningPoliTreks returns for the continuing analysis/review series of each episode of Star Trek: Picard! Shashank and guest host Aly Martinez break down in detail every scene of the episode, discuss easter eggs, overall themes, metaphors and lament the continuing absence of Number One. The End Is The… 13 Feb 2020
1:59:58 029 - Engaging with STAR TREK: PICARD - Maps and LegendsIn this episode Shashank dives right into a discussion/review/analysis/gleeful screaming of "Maps and Legends", episode 2 of Star Trek: Picard. Joining him to share the excitement and to keep him in line is the delightful Aly Martinez! Shashank and Aly, his Who Is Trek co-host, elaborate on the… 5 Feb 2020
1:22:30 028 - Engaging with Star Trek PICARD - Part One: RemembranceIn this episode Shashank breaks down some important news items that are ongoing, and some that we missed while we were gone. The Australian bush fires, the passing of Rene Auberjonois and more are discussed before jumping into the main topic: STAR TREK PICARD! Shashank struggles to get a review out… 29 Jan 2020
1:08:35 27 - The PoliTreks of Star Trek: BeyondOn this episode, Shashank and Barry dig into the essential characters that drive the plot. We spend a fair bit of time on the unique featured characters of Krall and Jayla. We also look at the conditions of the franchise when the movie was released, what it was responding to, and some of the… 30 Oct 2019
1:10:27 Remembering Aron EisenbergIn this episode, Shashank and Barry react to the news of the great Aron Eisenberg's passing. This was recorded day-of, so there are some raw moments, however we delve into the lasting memory Aron and Nog, the beloved character he played will live on in our hearts. 29 Sep 2019
57:42 26 - The PoliTreks of DSC:S2In this episode, Shashank and Barry discuss Star Trek Discovery: Season 2. We cover some of the main characters (Pike and Burnham especially), discussing their motivations and permutations, along with the stories told in this season and how they shape and connect to Trek as a whole. We take a… 4 Sep 2019
1:16:09 25 - The PoliTreks of DSC S:1On this episode, Shashank and Barry discuss the political, historical, and social aspects of Season One of Discovery. On the news, we discuss a corruption scandal involving a government-appointed anti-corruption firm. Obvious connections to Cardassian tactics of deceit. The next news item is a… 31 Jul 2019
1:38:42 Special AnnouncementJoin us as we announce our affiliation with the Trek Geeks Podcast Network with special guests Bill Smith & Dan Davidson! 10 Jul 2019
16:00 24 - The PoliTreks Of: Star Trek (2009)In this Episode, Shashank and Barry take a deep dive into the great Kelvin Universe/JJ-verse/soft-reboot/Fast And Furious In Space movie Star Trek, released in 2009 after almost half a decade of no official Trek TV or cinema. We look at our relationship to the movie, cultural perception then and… 4 Jun 2019
1:33:21 23 - The PoliTreks Of: Into DarknessOn this episode, Shashank and Barry look into the perhaps often maligned episode of the Kelvin Universe, Star Trek: Into Darkness. This movie is ambitious and revisits major characters from movies past. We discuss it all, it's social and political relevance and how ST:ID reflects its time period… 26 Apr 2019
1:14:03 22 - Civilizations, Part IIOn this episode of PoliTreks, Shashank and Barry discuss three infamous civilizations in the Star Trek Universe: the Q Continuum, The Romulan Star Empire, and The Terran Empire. We look to their connections to societies, religions, and regimes in contemporary and historical contexts. 17 Apr 2019
1:05:42 21 - Civilizations, Part IOn this episode, Shashank and Barry discuss the possible human inspirations of the alien races of Star Trek. Much has been covered on this, so our hosts try to think outside of the box, or at least in terms of western paradigms. The news segment has another hot-take, this time from Shashank as he… 8 Mar 2019
58:53 20 - VillainsOn this, our maiden voyage of PoliTreks - A (the new 'season'), we look at Villains of Star Trek. This discussion is merely the beginning as Trek has many great portrayals. We also try to bring to the fire villains who may not get as much attention. The news is spicy with, our thoughts on the now… 5 Feb 2019
59:31 19 - Section 25 - A DS9 Celebration Part 4: 25 DS9 LessonsIn the news segment of this episode, Barry and Shashank catch you up on current events from the Trek Lens. The main topic is another part of the Section 25 Series in which Shashank and guest host Jamie McGregor discuss twenty five lessons that they've learned from Deep Space Nine. 6 Jan 2019
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