Starter Trek

Latest Episodes:

VOY: Author, Author - "Trek Was Always Political" Episodes Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Tawny shares some horrifying robots from the past as Andrew tries to understand Starfleet copyright law as the Doctor and Paris make competing holodeck diss tracks as we watch Star Trek: Voyager's Author Author.

▶Coming to Trek to Vegas? Join Tawny and the Syfy Sistas at their annual Patreon Thank You Dinner. Fri Aug 7 - Reserve your seat here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fine-alpinist-ranch-supporter-seat-pre-reservation-tickets-1992084897554?aff=oddtdtcreator

▶Call us at: 323-389-7223

▶Check out the crew's bonus shows at http://suboptimalpods.com.

▶Subscribe to the audio podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/startertrek

▶See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

▶A Fine Alpinist Ranch Production - http://www.finealpinistranch.com

✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔

▶Twitter - https://x.com/yoisthisracist

▶Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yoisthisracist/

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DS9: Far Beyond the Stars - "Trek Was Always Political" Episodes Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Tawny shares her love of Gattaca while Andrew tries to understand the magical realism of this fantastic Trek episode without any context!

▶Sign up for the Syfy Sista's Dinner - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fine-alpinist-ranch-supporter-seat-pre-reservation-tickets-1992084897554?aff=oddtdtcreator

▶Call us at: 323-389-7223

▶Check out the crew's bonus shows at http://suboptimalpods.com.

▶Subscribe to the audio podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/startertrek

▶See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

▶A Fine Alpinist Ranch Production - http://www.finealpinistranch.com

✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔

▶Twitter - https://x.com/yoisthisracist

▶Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yoisthisracist/

▶TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@suboptimalpods

✔ CREDITS ✔
▶Produced By Jessie Earl

▶Edited by AJ McKeon

▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

Suboptimal Premium Pods! : https://suboptimalpods.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TNG: The Outcast - "Trek Was Always Political" Episodes Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

We continue our journey through the most overtly political episodes of Trek, with The Next Generation's big episode on LGBTQ issues, "The Outcast." Riker gets a trans girlfriend, Wof wants to join a straight pride parade, and Jonathan Frakes himself gives us a quick thought about the episode! Welcome to Starter Trek, where Tawny Newsome guides her friend Andrew Ti through the endless frontier of the Star Trek universe, along with their producer Jessie Earl.

▶Call us at: 323-389-7223

▶Check out the crew's bonus shows at http://suboptimalpods.com.

▶YouTube - htt://www.youtube.com/@startertrek

▶Subscribe to the audio podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/startertrek

▶See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

▶A Fine Alpinist Ranch Production - http://www.finealpinistranch.com

✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔

▶Twitter - https://x.com/yoisthisracist

▶Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yoisthisracist/

▶TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@suboptimalpods

✔ CREDITS ✔

▶Produced By Jessie Earl

▶Edited by AJ McKeon

▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

Suboptimal Premium Pods! : https://suboptimalpods.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TOS: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield - "Trek Was Always Political" Episodes Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the first official public version of Starter Trek, where Tawny Newsome guides her friend Andrew Ti through the endless frontier of the Star Trek universe, along with their producer Jessie Earl. For our first batch of episodes, we explore some of the most overtly political episodes of Trek, starting with the subtlest of racial allegories, The Original Series episode "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield." Don't get any of that sticky makeup on you.
▶Call us at: 323-389-7223

▶Check out the crew's bonus shows at http://suboptimalpods.com.

▶YouTube - htt://www.youtube.com/@startertrek

▶Subscribe to the audio podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/startertrek

▶See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

▶A Fine Alpinist Ranch Production - http://www.finealpinistranch.com

✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔

▶Twitter - https://x.com/yoisthisracist

▶Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yoisthisracist/

▶TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@suboptimalpods

✔ CREDITS ✔

▶Produced By Jessie Earl

▶Edited by AJ McKeon

▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

Suboptimal Premium Pods! : https://suboptimalpods.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Folds 3 (The Yo, Is This Racist? Finale) May 28, 2026

Show notes

Tawny and Andrew are joined by Matt Apodaca and Cody Ziglar for the final episode of Yo, Is This Racist! They discuss Maroon 6, what the show has meant to them and the future of this feed!

Check out the crew's bonus shows at suboptimalpods.com.

Suboptimal Premium Pods! : https://suboptimalpods.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starter Trek - Best of Quark: DS9 S2E7 - Rules of Acquisition May 22, 2026

Show notes

Enjoy this un-paywalled episode of Starter Trek in our Best of Quark mini-series. This one covers Deep Space Nine season 8 episode 7 - “Rules of Acquisition.”

Check out more episodes of Starter Trek at suboptimalpods.com!

Suboptimal Premium Pods! : https://suboptimalpods.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Episode This Week! May 06, 2026

Show notes

Hey gang! Apologies but there's no episode this week. We have a big announcement next week though so stay tuned for that!

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too Much for Waffles (with Cody Ziglar) Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

Andrew and Cody Ziglar discuss the perfect pancake recipe, The Drama and a listener question.

Check out the crew's bonus shows at suboptimalpods.com.