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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: May, 2017
69: Turn On, Tune In, Beam Down 0
May 29, 2017
"Rapture" and Altered States of Consciousness. 

On the eve of Bajor's admittance into the Federation, an accident in one of Quark's holosuites results in the synapses being hyper-stimulated in Captain Sisko's brain. Captain Sisko enters a heightened state of awareness allowing him to locate the legendary Bajoran lost city of B'hala.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophical themes and concepts in the fifth-season Deep Space Nine episode "Rapture." From duck-rabbit Gestalt shifts to ineffable, private moments of clarity and insight, Zachary and Mike explore the the relationship between perception, knowledge, and altered states of consciousness.  

Touching on other themes in "Rapture," Zachary and Mike also discuss the ethics of medical intervention and the therapeutic role of faith in healing and well-being. Finally, Zachary and Mike explore the political pros and cons of the Bajorans joining the Federation, when faced with re-surging Cardassian activity and Dominion aggression in the Alpha Quadrant.  

Chapters 
Intro: DS9's Rapture (00:01:08)
Gestalt Shifts and the Potential of the Human Brain (00:05:35)
A Moment of Clarity (00:16:37)
Timothy Leary and Altered States of Consciousness (00:20:33)
Ethics of Medical Intervention (00:27:38)
Faith in Faith (00:35:33)
The Power of Positive Thinking and Mr. Rozhenko's Neighborhood (00:39:43)
Sisko and a Sympathetic Winn (00:46:19)
Bajor's Entry Into The Federation (00:49:02)
The Benefits and Defining Traits of Bajorans (00:59:27)
Final Thoughts on Rapture (01:03:35)
Closing (01:10:55) 

Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison 

Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Kit Loffstadt (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
68: Midwifery Is Our Business 0
May 22, 2017
The Original Series Season 2 - Essential Trek Philosophy. 

Season 2 of Star Trek: The Original Series playfully explores human nature, what human nature is and what it could become, its place in the cosmos, and its relation to humanity's past, present, and future. From future Space Nazis in "Patterns of Force" to ancient Greek gods and Roman gladiators in space ("Who Mourns for Adonais?" and "Bread and Circuses"), TOS season 2 explores the best and the worst of human nature across the whole of human history. We also see the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise debate ethical questions about our relation to the unknown, from giant space amoebas in "The Immunity Syndrome" to the mystical powers of Korob and Sylvia in "Catspaw," along with the iterative development of one the defining concepts of the Star Trek universe, the noninterference principle known as "The Prime Directive." 

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling continue their philosophical retrospective of every season of Star Trek, discussing their top choices for "Essential Trek Philosophy" from season 2 of Star Trek: The Original Series.  

Chapters 
Intro (00:01:08)
Amok Time (00:12:57)
Metamorphosis (00:14:29)
A Private Little War (00:18:32)
The Omega Glory (00:23:26)
Patterns of Force (00:31:31)
The Immunity Syndrome (00:36:19)
Return to Tomorrow (00:41:31)
The Deadly Years (00:46:20)
The Apple (00:51:32)
The Changeling and The Ultimate Computer (00:53:30)
By Any Other Name (01:02:26)
Who Mourns for Adonais? (01:07:33)
Bread and Circuses (01:21:11)
Closing (00:00:00) 
 
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling 
 
Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Kit Loffstadt (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) 
67: From Riker to Worf to O'Brien 0
May 8, 2017

Kierkegaard and Stages on Life's Way.  

This time, we're talking "Soren," but not Dr. Tolian Soren from Star Trek Generations; we're talking about the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard! Søren Kierkegaard is well-known for his "Stages on Life's Way," or three different approaches to life: the aesthetic approach (novelty, adventure, and experiences); the ethical approach (rules, duty, and responsibility), and the religious approach (sincere commitment, meaningful dedication, and authentic leaps of faith). In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss characters from the Star Trek universe that exemplify these three different modes of living.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 67 (00:01:07) 
Søren Kierkegaard and Dr. Soren from Generations (00:03:16) 
Programming an Authentic Life (00:14:24) 
Kierkegaard's Stages of Life's Way (00:22:15) 
The Aesthetic Stage or The Commander Riker Stage (00:31:30) 
The Ethical Stage or The Lieutenant Worf Stage (00:49:50) 
The Religious Stage or The Chief O'Brien Stage (01:07:39) 
Final Thoughts (01:24:51)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Kit Loffstadt (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)  

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