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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: October, 2016
Oct 26, 2016

Federation Exceptionalism.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling are joined by Duncan Barrett, co-author of Star Trek: The Human Frontier, to discuss the concept of exceptionalism in Star Trek. Mike, Zachary, and Duncan consider various forms of exceptionalism, both here in the real world and in the Star Trek universe. Are humans exceptional lifeforms with unique properties and abilities compared to other life forms here on Earth? In the Star Trek universe, do humans have unique or exceptional abilities compared to members of various alien species? Is the Federation an exceptional political entity compared with neighboring political organizations such as the Romulan Empire or the Ferengi Alliance? How does Federation Exceptionalism compare and contrast with so-called American Exceptionalism? And is there a positive sense of exceptionalism that can avoid the pitfalls of superiority, cultural assimilation, colonialism, and hegemony while allowing for genuine progress toward Federation ideals of liberty, diplomacy, and self-determination?  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 46 (00:01:07) 
Introducing Duncan Barrett and Initial Thoughts on Exceptionalism (00:02:04) 
Are Humans Exceptional? In the Real World? In Universe? (00:06:56) 
Are Some Ideals More Exceptional Than Others? (00:12:10) 
What Do Alien Races Reveal About the Uniqueness of Humans? (00:25:02) 
The Federation - Political Exceptionalism and the Prime Directive (00:39:03) 
Is Data the Ideal [Exceptional] Human? (00:48:05) 
Exceptionalism in Transcending Limitations (00:56:47) 
Exploring Space vs. Cultural Exploration (00:58:09) 
Manifest Destiny and Cultural Assimilation (01:11:42) 
Good Exceptionalism vs. Bad Exceptionalism (01:18:05) 
Challenging Ideals and the Collapse of Myth (01:23:10) 
Final Thoughts - Is There a Healthy Form of Exceptionalism? (01:31:02) 
Star Trek: The Human Frontier and Duncan Barrett on Social Media (01:33:19)  

Hosts 
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling  

Guest 
Duncan Barrett  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)  

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Oct 17, 2016

The Animated Series - Essential Trek Philosophy.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison are joined by Aaron Harvey, Trek.fm's art director and host of Saturday Morning Trek, to discuss their top picks for "Essential Trek Philosophy" from Star Trek: The Animated Series. Although Star Trek: The Animated Series is written off by some fans as a mere cartoon with no official place in the Star Trek canon, Zachary, Mike, and Aaron show that The Animated Series is filled with big ideas for growing minds, children and adults alike, and that The Animated Series is firmly inline with the philosophical issues and ideals that constitute the essence of Star Trek.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 45 (00:01:07) 
Welcome Aaron Harvey (00:02:24) 
Initial Thoughts about Star Trek: The Animated Series (00:03:45) 
One of Our Planets is Missing (00:13:16) 
The Infinite Vulcan (00:20:13) 
Beyond the Farthest Star (00:23:22) 
The Pirates of Orion (00:33:50) 
The Survivor (00:40:07) 
Bem (00:46:20) 
Once Upon a Planet (00:50:13) 
The Practical Joker (00:51:44) 
Albatross (01:08:19) 
Recap and Honorable Mentions (01:17:40) 
Final Thoughts (01:25:39)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison  

Guest 
Aaron Harvey  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)  

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Visit the Trek.fm website at http://www.trek.fm/ 
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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

Oct 10, 2016

Borg Perfection. 

Resistance against the Borg quest for perfection is usually futile. But what does perfection mean to the Borg, and how does this quest for perfection compare with the human quest for betterment? In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling share a philosophical analysis of the concept of perfection, including its meaning for the Borg, its relation to the human condition, the spiritual role perfection plays for the Borg, and arguments from the history of philosophy relying on the concept of perfection to prove the existence of an ens perfectissumum, or "most perfect being." 

Chapters
Welcome to Episode 44 (00:01:07)
Initial Thoughts (00:01:58)
The Borg Quest for Perfection vs. the Human Quest for Perfection (00:04:32)
The Hubris of Perfectionism vs. Human Limitations (00:08:04)
Humanism and Perfection (00:13:17)
Defining Borg Perfection (00:18:52)
Calling BS on the Borg Queen (00:23:14)
The Symbolic and Spiritual Role of the Omega Molecule (00:26:02)
Perfection and Arguments for God's Existence - The Ontological Argument and the Argument from Degree (00:40:58)
The Higgs Boson - A.K.A. The God Particle (00:52:37)
Final Thoughts (01:01:31) 

Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling 

Production
Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) 

Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm 
Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm 
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact 
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://www.trek.fm/ 
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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  

Oct 4, 2016

The Trill.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison dive into the mud pits for a philosophical exploration of the Trill. From the etymology of the term "symbiont," to the precise nature of the shared consciousness between a symbiont and its host, to gender fluidity and identity, Zachary and Mike share multiple lifetimes of philosophical experience about all things Trill.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 43 (00:01:07) 
Initial Thoughts on Dax and Trill Consciousness (00:02:07) 
The Greek Roots of "Symbiont" (00:05:01) 
Analyzing Trill Consciousness - One Consciousness or Two? (00:07:31) 
Exploring the Boundary Conditions - Death of a Trill Host (00:24:33) 
Personal Identity - Memory and Continuity of Experience (00:28:18) 
Gender Identity, Gender Fluidity, and 1990s Gender Politics (00:40:05) 
Personality Dominance - Host or Symbiont? (00:52:22) 
Consciousness and Remote Sensory Apparatus (01:00:01) 
Long Life Spans and Perspectives on Life (01:09:55) 
Final Thoughts and Essential Dax/Trill Episodes (01:21:24)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)  

Send us your feedback! 
Twitter: @trekfm 
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm 
Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/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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