PoliTreks

18 - Methods Devour ThemselvesIn this very ambitious episode, Shashank and Barry have teamed up with our good friend Brett O'Shea from Revolutionary Left Radio, a political science/philosophy/activist podcast, to talk about the book 'Methods Devour Themselves: A Conversation' co-authored by Benjanun Sriduangkaew and J… 7 Dec 2018
1:56:57 18.1 - Methods Devour Themselves Raw InterviewsBeing that the episode was coming on 2+ hours in length, and the fact that we could not get both interviews on the show in their entirety, we decided to release both episodes back-to-back in a separate release. This way, you dear listener, can have a chance to engage more with the authors' points… 7 Dec 2018
1:19:54 17 - Section 25 - DS9 25th Anniversary Celebration (Part 3)In this, our return from hiatus, we bring you the 25 things we love about DS9. In hour discussion, we range from small detail to major story-centric themes, and add in socio-political elements that stand out. Because it's hard to shut up about DS9, this is one of our longest episodes yet! Enjoy! 29 Oct 2018
1:50:11 16 - Jay Kuo InterviewIn this episode, we talk with Mr. Jay Kuo, a member of Team Takei. He is a man of great creativity and talent and we get a chance to get his insights on communication online as it relates to Star Trek and the real world. That, along with the news and some great listener feedback, this is an episode… 9 Sep 2018
1:18:46 Supplemental #2: STLV 2018In this, our second supplemental episode, Shashank and Barry are joined by Jamie McGregor to talk about STLV 2018. This is not merely a recap - here we talk the politics of the Con itself, the actors, the shows, and the people going. We dive into contradictions we see about having the convention… 11 Aug 2018
40:14 15 - Section 25 - DS9 Dubious CharactersIn this episode, Shashank and Barry continue their DS9 25th Anniversary celebration by deep diving the PoliTreks of some of the most dubious characters of the series. In no particular order, these characters offer a tonal shift in the Star Trek story as it developed through DS9's seven seasons… 14 Jul 2018
1:31:27 14 - On Toxic Fandom in Politics and Star TrekIn this episode, Barry and Shashank discuss, at length, toxic fandoms in the Star Trek Community, and in other communities. Shashank takes into account a core logic of toxic behavior that exists within the current political world, and connects similarities to how many behaviors are mirrored by… 18 Jun 2018
1:04:18 13 - Teaching TrekIn News, Shashank and Barry do their best to stay measured while discussing the case of the 1500 children lost by ICE. Shashank shares a couple of odd poll numbers about some world leaders and Barry reacts. Shashank gives us an update on how his newly adopted puppy, General Zod, is doing. For our… 1 Jun 2018
1:39:21 12 - DebateTrek - Is Edward Jellico Good?For our main topic, we have one question: IS EDWARD JELLICO GOOD? In the debut episode of DebateTreks, co-host Barry DeFord takes on TrekRanks host Jim Moorhouse in an epic war of words over the topic of Edward Jellico. In News, co-host Shashank Avvaru shares his thoughts about the White House… 12 May 2018
1:27:11 11 - Infinite PoliTreks, Infinite DiversityIn this week's episode, Shashank and Barry sit down for a wonderful chat with Ryder Wilhelm, and Dan Deevy (the founder of Gaaays in Spaaace!) on the experience of being a member of the LGBTQ+ Community within Trek Fandom. This discussion is both entertaining and illuminating and we are sure you… 23 Apr 2018
1:18:14 10 - Section 25 - DS9 Celebration (Part 1)Section 25 is a series of PoliTreks episodes celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Through critical examination and comparison to the real world, Shashank and Barry rejoice in characters, episodes, moments, dialogs - everything DS9 in lists of twenty five. First… 8 Apr 2018
1:20:39 9 - The PoliTreks of The Wrath Of KhanRevenge politics, nasty tactics of the righteous, and space guerilla warfare! Shashank and Barry continue their 'PoliTreks Of' Series this time with a perennial favorite, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Join us for a rousing discussion of what political messages come from this movie and what i's… 23 Mar 2018
1:31:41 8 - The PoliTreks of The Motion PictureOn our eighth episode of PoliTreks, Shashank and Barry delve deep into the political underpinnings of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the first of our series - 'The PoliTreks Of'. We look at working relationships and how people in higher positions can sometime usurp those in lower positions, how… 9 Mar 2018
1:22:53 7 - An Interview With Manu SaadiaFor Episode 7, Shashank and Barry get the distinguished pleasure to speak with Manu Saadia, author of 'Trekonomics'. This is the essential book on the discussion of what a 24th Century economy would really look like, socially, politically, and, of course, economically. Manu's book also challenges… 16 Feb 2018
1:12:58 6 - Environmentalism in Star Trek IVIn this episode, Shashank and Barry delve deep into the message of environmentalism in Star Trek: The Voyage Home. Here we discuss the implications of the now 30+ year-old movie to our environmental situation today, how to approach the different challenges we face, and some the things that both… 1 Feb 2018
1:21:15 5 - Spies in our Starciety (Part 3)In this, our final part in the Spies In Our Starcity series, Shashank and Barry take a look at the spy as an individual. This time they turn their focus on the venerable Garak! 17 Jan 2018
1:06:45 4 - Spies in our Starciety (Part 2)In Part 2 of our "Spies In Our StarciEty" three-part series, Shashank and Barry talk about Section 31, linking it to historic and contemporary spy agencies. Using DS9 Episodes "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" and "Extreme Measures", we compare the CIA, Gestapo, CSUS, ISI methods, make-up, and tactics. 20 Dec 2017
1:11:03 Supplemental #1: WE INTERRUPT THIS PODCASTThe line has been drawn. The sides have been chosen. Shashank and Barry interrupt their regularly scheduled podcast to gush, debate, discuss, speculate about the bombshell announcement that Quentin Tarantino is developing a Star Trek movie. 13 Dec 2017
30:04 3 - Spies in our Starciety (Part 1)In episode 3 of PoliTreks, Shashank and Barry tackle a perennial theme in Star Trek: spies! This first part of a three-part series, we use the TNG episode 'Face of the Enemy' from season 6 to explore the plight of the reluctant spy - those who have been b 3 Dec 2017
1:04:11 2 - A Case for the TravelerOn the second episode of PoliTreks, Shashank states a convincing case for The Traveler, while Barry comes to realize that maybe, just maybe, Shashank may be onto something! 19 Nov 2017
1:30:46 1 - HeroesThe first episode of our brand new podcast series, PoliTreks is here! Hosts Barry and Shashank examine the triumphs and failures of heroes in Star Trek and parallels in our real lives. 12 Nov 2017
1:02:04