Episodes

  • S1 Episode 8: Terrorist cosplay - on self-determination and pre-emptive defence
    Jul 8 2025

    In this episode firecracker Ensign Ro goes undercover to dismantle a terrorist cell, the Maquis. She comes to see the Maquis cause as just, and the rules and legality of the Federation as oppressive. The Maquis engage in 'pre-emptive defence', and lives are on the line.

    Join us for yet another prescient episode, discussing the ways in which liberalism justifies violence, and why people under its rule may abandon it. Many of the IR themes of this episode call back to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • S1 Episode 7: Helping distant aliens - on humanitarian intervention
    Feb 7 2025

    In this episode we meet Worf's cheeky foster brother as he compels our protagonists to help a population that they would otherwise leave to harm under a principle of non-interference. What obligation does an advanced, space faring people have towards those they encounter?

    Join us for a discussion of an eerily prescient episode, asking moral questions in 1994 that would soon be grappled with as the US and its allies intervened in Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq, and elsewhere.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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    52 mins
  • S1 Episode 6: Just Stop Warp Travel - on environmental politics
    Dec 13 2024

    Episode notes

    In this episode we explore a region of the galaxy where the fabric of space is being damaged by the very method of space travel used by The Enterprise. The scientists who have made this startling discovery have to resort to direct action to force a response from otherwise sluggish political actors. A climate change episode? You bet! Still relevant 34 years after it first aired? Depressingly, probably also yes.

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, climate change and fossil fuels.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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    54 mins
  • S1 Episode 5: Borg Alone 2, on war and identity
    Nov 29 2024

    In this episode we unpack questions of legitimate use of force under liberalism, and perhaps how the 'other' can discover ‘our’ liberal individualism and free themselves from their oppressive power structures.

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, mass violence, and Cold War analogies.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    Hide

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    59 mins
  • S1 Episode 4: Forbidden Love
    Nov 15 2024

    This episode we navigate sexuality and gender, 1992 style. We explore an alien society which is apparently genderless. What happens when one of them falls in love with one of the Enterprise crew? What does gender and sexuality have to do with power in society?

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, and the central place of gender relations in world politics.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • S1 Episode 3: The Liar, The Witch (Hunt), and the Spaceship
    Nov 1 2024

    In this episode we explore the trade offs between security and liberty in the 24th Century, and its eerie parallels to similar themes during the War on Terror. With spies and enemies abound, how much is too much, in the defence of freedom?

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, security and rights.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    Hide

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    50 mins
  • S1 Episode 2: Techno-Communism
    Oct 18 2024

    This episode we encounter an existential threat to the liberal individualism of our protagonists: The Borg. What makes them so terrifying? Communist-style collectivism, or the loss of individuality brought on by neoliberalism?

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, and the politics of the Cold War on the TV screen.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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    56 mins
  • S1 Episode 1: Human Rights and Toasters
    Oct 4 2024

    Episode Notes:

    This week we witness the tribunal to decide if the android Mr. Data is sentient, and a holder of rights, or if he is a glorified toaster, and nothing more than property.

    Join us for a discussion of International Relations, Star Trek, race, and rights.

    Hosts:

    Dr. Faiz Sheikh

    Dr. Sarah Bulmer

    Dr. Dan Watson

    Star Trek episode list for watching along:

    Podcast episode 1: The Measure of a Man, S2EP9

    Podcast episode 2: Q Who, S2EP16

    Podcast episode 3: The Drumhead, S4EP21

    Podcast episode 4: The Outcast, S5EP7

    Podcast episode 5: I, Borg, S5EP23

    Podcast episode 6: Force of Nature, S7EP9

    Podcast episode 7: Homeward, S7EP13

    Podcast episode 8: Preemptive Strike, S7EP24

    Podcast episode 9: Journey's End, S7EP20

    Music and effects:

    Space Fanfare - Cinematic Orchestral Music (Star Trek Inspired) by humanoide9000 -- https://freesound.org/s/744049/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    RedAlert_Klaxon_STTOS_recreated.wav by zimbot -- https://freesound.org/s/178032/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    Teleport Sound by Breviceps -- https://freesound.org/s/453390/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    Hide

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    46 mins