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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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Now displaying: Category: Existentialism
Sep 24, 2018

Philosophical Themes in "The Cage."  

In the opening scenes of "The Cage," the unaired pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Christopher Pike is having an existential crisis, feeling the weight of his responsibility as a starship captain, being responsible for the lives of the people under his command, and longing for a different kind of life (being home on Earth with a picnic lunch and horseback riding every day, or perhaps becoming an Orion trader). When Captain Pike is imprisoned by the Talosians and given the chance to have his every wish granted as an illusion, Captain Pike is forced to grapple with what he really wants in life and with the true nature of human happiness.  


In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophical themes in "The Cage," from the existential angst of free will, making choices, and the burdens of responsibility, to the importance of human freedom and free will, risks and rewards, and of looking to the future and setting a course for the next adventure.  


Chapters 
Intro (00:01:19) 
Criticisms and Observations of The Cage (00:03:34) 
Alien Commentary (00:08:23) 
Zoo: Humans as a Lower Life form (00:14:04) 
Existential Tiredness (00:17:40) 
A Galaxy of Illusions to Choose From (00:30:18) 
The Pleasure Machine (00:35:43) 
The Worth of a Man's Soul (00:38:37) 
The New Adam and Eve (00:45:11) 
A Faustian Deal with the Devil (00:50:41) 
Free Will and the Human Condition (00:55:16) 
Aftermath of Talosian War (01:00:37) 
Final Thoughts About The Cage (01:07:06) 
Closing (01:14:09)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morison  

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) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Apr 10, 2018

The Visitor.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophical themes in the fourth-season Deep Space Nine episode, "The Visitor." Inspired by Jake Sisko's passion for writing, Zachary and Mike discuss the relationship between creative writing, lived experience, and what the German philosopher Martin Heidegger called "Being-in-the-World." Zachary and Mike also discuss "The Visitor" as a phenomenological metaphor for various aspects of human experience, including interpersonal connection, parenthood, regret, aging, and the lifelong quest to rediscover one's true self.  

Chapters 
Intro (00:01:20) 
Initial Thoughts about DS9 "The Visitor" (00:02:46) 
Heidegger and "In-der-Weld-Sein" (00:03:44) 
Life Observed vs. Life Lived (00:10:39) 
Unresolved Moments in Time (00:18:29) 
Phenomenology of Human Experience (00:26:32) 
Metaphysical Personal Connection (00:30:16) 
Self-Sacrifice and Cutting the Cord (00:47:00) 
Experience and Change Over Time (00:51:43) 
The Old Defiant Crew Out of Mothballs (01:03:17) 
Final Thoughts (01:05:51) 
Closing (01:12:56)  

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) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

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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Apr 11, 2016

The Bonding.  

When Lieutenant Marla Aster is killed unexpectedly during an away mission under Lieutenant Worf's command, Worf takes young Jeremy Aster under his wing by participating in the Klingon ritual known as "R'uustai" ("The Bonding"). In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling explore the philosophical themes of death and loss. Mike and Zachary discuss meaning and the existential absurdity of life and death, the sociological and cultural role of rituals, Jeremy Aster's escapism and the illusion of happiness, the finality of death, and the sense of powerlessness in the face of death. Finally, Mike and Zachary continue the turbolift debate between Captain Picard and Counselor Troi about the wisdom of allowing children to live aboard a starship.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 24 (00:01:07) 
Synopsis of TNG "The Bonding" (00:06:00) 
Initial Thoughts (00:06:46) 
Death, Meaning, and the Absurd (00:12:20) 
Emotions and Death (00:16:47) 
Worf and Jeremy Aster (00:21:55) 
The Role of Ritual (00:25:43) 
Death, Pluralism, and Cultural Relativism (00:30:31) 
Exploration and Meaning - The Challenger Explosion (00:41:21) 
The Finality of Death (00:43:11) 
The Role of Death in Life (00:45:25) 
Escapism and the Illusion of Happiness (00:48:22) 
Subjective Meaning vs. Objective Meaning (00:52:18) 
Deep Space Nine - "It's Only a Paper Moon" (00:57:20) 
Cross-Cultural Connections (01:03:45) 
Children on the Enterprise - A City in Space (01:09:53) 
Final Thoughts (01:18:41) 

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! 
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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