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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast

Meta Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated to a deep examination of the philosophical ideas found in Star Trek. In each episode, Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison take you on a fascinating journey into the inner workings of Star Trek storytelling, deeper into subspace than you've ever traveled before.
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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast
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Now displaying: March, 2016
Mar 28, 2016

Star Trek IV and Environmental Ethics.  


In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling explore the issues of animal rights and environmental ethics in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In the wake of a recent announcement that Sea World is ceasing its captive orca (killer whale) breeding program, Mike and Zachary consider the possible justification for considering whales (and fire ants!) as beings entitled to moral consideration. From whale consciousness and intelligence, to whales' ability to feel pain, to whale pods and the ethics of care, Mike and Zachary have a whale of a time discussing environmental ethics down in Cetacean Ops.

Chapters
Welcome to Episode 22 and Initial Thoughts (00:01:10) 
Changing Sensibilities - Whale Shows and Breeding in Captivity (00:04:56) 
Synopsis of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (00:10:00) 
Whale Consciousness and Intelligence - Kantian Ethics (00:12:22) 
Whale Pain and Pleasure - Utilitarian Ethics (00:22:27) 
Whale Communication - The Turing Test (00:26:43) 
The Environmental Movement and the Biosphere as a Whole (00:35:10) 
Critiquing the Romanticism of Nature (00:42:03) 
The Value of Nature - Intrinsic Value vs. Usefulness for Humans (00:46:12) 
Whale Pods and Care Ethics (00:50:02) 
Animal Ethics and the Burden of Proof (00:52:39) 
Sentimentalism - Warm Fuzzy Whales vs. Fire Ants and Snakes (00:57:29)
Rewriting Star Trek IV - "Save the Fire Ants!" (1:02:48)
Final Thoughts (01:03:24) 

Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling

Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

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Mar 21, 2016

Manu Intiraymi.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, we're joined by Manu Intiraymi, also known as "Icheb" on Star Trek: Voyager. Together we talk about Manu's experiences joining the Voyager cast, the role of Icheb in the Voyager family, and the evolution of Icheb's character in the fan film Star Trek: Renegades. We also talk about Manu's latest film project, The Circuit, a multi-genre anthology film starring several Star Trek alumni. We conclude with some philosophical musings on the best and worst of human nature, and with some final thoughts on the differences and similarities between Manu the person and Icheb the fictional character.

Chapters
Welcome to Episode 21 (00:01:10)
Introducing Manu Intiraymi (00:04:10)
A Clint Eastwood Story (00:05:03)
Joining the Voyager Cast (00:07:32)
Icheb and the Voyager Family (00:11:56)
The Meaningfulness of Being in Star Trek (00:18:40)
Character Evolution for Icheb in Renegades (00:25:21)
Future Directions for Star Trek (00:29:40)
The Best and Worst of Human Nature (00:35:44)
The Convention Scene and The Circuit (00:38:28)
Acting vs. Producing (00:47:15)
The Concept of The Circuit (00:51:39)
Following Manu and The Circuit on Social Media (00:59:47)
Final Thoughts - Manu the Person vs. Icheb the Character (01:02:36)

Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
 
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Send us your feedback!
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Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact 
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Mar 14, 2016

Preemptive War and Star Trek Into Darkness.  

Star Trek has a long tradition of dealing with ethical, social, and political issues in the real world, and Star Trek Into Darkness is no different. One of the most important issues in the world today is how far a society should go to protect itself. What freedoms should we be willing to give up for sake of safety and security? Should a government be allowed to spy on its own citizens? And is it morally and ethically permissible to start a preemptive war with a real or perceived enemy? Star Trek Into Darkness tackles this last question head-on through Admiral Marcus's attempt to start a preemptive war against the Klingons. In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling examine the ethical issue of preemptive war as the principle ethical dilemma in Star Trek Into Darkness.  

Chapters
Welcome to Episode 20 (00:01:07)
Preemptive War and Star Trek Into Darkness (00:03:12)
The Portrayal of Khan (00:07:28)
Synopsis of Star Trek Into Darkness (00:09:38)
Star Trek Into Darkness and the Post-9/11 World (00:11:52)
Preemptive War - Consequentialism vs. Care Ethics (00:20:14)
The Trolley Problem, a.k.a. The Shuttlecraft Problem (00:28:27)
Preemptive War and Deontological/Kantian Ethics (00:38:08)
Militarism and Fear of the Klingons (00:40:34)
Final Thoughts (00:53:39)

Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
 
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm 
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Mar 7, 2016

Hermeneutics in Star Trek.  

Hermeneutics is the art and science of meaning and textual interpretation. In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss issues of meaning and interpretation in Star Trek. From how to interpret Bajoran sacred texts and prophecies, to the interpretation of Federation law and Starfleet regulations, to the meaning of the Star Trek franchise itself for us today, Zachary and Mike cover a range of philosophical issues related to meaning in Star Trek, such as: original meaning vs. new interpretations, literal meaning vs. metaphorical meaning, the relationship between interpretation and hierarchical power structures, changes in meaning due to evolving language, and various analytical techniques used in hermeneutics.  

Chapters

Welcome to Episode 19 (00:01:07)
Finding New Meaning in Classic Trek (00:04:37)
Hermeneutics - Meaning and Textual Interpretation (00:09:39)
Original Meaning vs. New Interpretations (00:12:44)
Interpreting Religious Texts - Bajoran Prophecies (00:27:57)
Competing Interpretations and Organizational Hierarchy (00:33:21)
Literal Meaning vs Metaphorical Meaning (00:40:39)
Examples of Bajoran Prophecies (00:44:47)
Evolving Language and Changes in Meaning (00:46:37)
Techniques of Hermeneutical Analysis (00:49:14)
Interpreting Federation Law and Starfleet Regulations (00:59:15)
Guiding Principles for Hermeneutical Analysis (01:07:44)
Other Examples of Hermeneutics in Star Trek (01:12:03)
Final Thoughts (01:21:29)

Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
 
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm 
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact 
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://www.trek.fm/
Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm

Support the Network!
Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm
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