Starter Trek

Latest Episodes:

DS9: Little Green Men - QUARKSTOP! Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

This week on Starter Trek, Jessie Gender, Tawny Newsome, and Andrew Ti take a Quarkstop in “Little Green Men,” where Quark, Rom, and Nog accidentally become the aliens at Roswell; the DS9 writers roast how absurdly much everyone used to smoke in 1950s America; and Quark and Odo get really close.
▶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 @JessieGender1
▶Edited by AJ McKeon
▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENT: A Night in Sickbay - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

This week on Starter Trek, Jessie Gender, Tawny Newsome, and Andrew Ti tackle “A Night in Sickbay,” where Archer completely loses his mind over Porthos, Phlox turns bedtime into a deeply unsettling performance art piece, and Enterprise proves that sometimes humanity’s greatest obstacle to diplomacy is one very stressed man refusing to apologize.

▶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 @JessieGender1
▶Edited by AJ McKeon
▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lower Decks: This Is Not the Podcast Yet - Prep Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Tawny Newsome and Eugene Cordero are about to launch a new rewatch show for Star Trek: Lower Decks. This is not that show yet. This is the prep where they tackle the big questions: where will they receive gifts, whether we can watch the episodes at the gun range, and how they can get a Paramount+ subscription. For Star Trek Day, we're releasing the first episode for FREE! All future episodes of this podcast are available to paid subscribers on Suboptimal Podcasts, with episodes released biweekly! Sign up to get every episode, the progenitor episodes of Starter Trek, support our content, and so much more over at https://suboptimalpods.com/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VOY: Elogium - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

This week on Starter Trek, Tawny, Andrew, and Jessie tackle “Elogium,” where Kes gets space puberty, Andrew tries to figure out why Star Trek doesn't understand cabbage, and somehow the USS Voyager ends up having way more sexual energy than anyone was prepared for.

✔ SOCIAL MEDIA ✔
▶Twitter - https://x.com/yoisthisracist
▶Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yoisthisracist/
▶TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@suboptimalpods

✔ CREDITS ✔
▶Produced By @JessieGender1
▶Edited by AJ McKeon
▶Original Music by Jay Israelson

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DS9: Trials and Tribble-ations - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Deep Space Nine goes where no crossover had gone before: directly into “The Trouble with Tribbles.” We revisit “Trials and Tribble-ations,” featuring Kirk hero worship, Dax flirting across time, Bashir nearly becoming his own grandfather, and Worf absolutely refusing to explain Klingon foreheads.

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TNG: The Dauphin - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

This week on Starter Trek, Wesley Crusher gets his first kiss, meets the girl of his dreams, and discovers her terrifying secret; she's basically a giant monster Furbies. We’re talking The Dauphin!

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TAS: More Tribbles, More Trouble - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Andrew finally recognizes an episode and rediscovers that his childhood nostalgia survives as Star Trek brings back the Klingons, the grain, and far more tribbles than anyone requested for this animated sequel to the classic episode.

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TOS: The Trouble With Tribbles - "Fuzzy Little Guys" Episodes Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

Andrew meets Star Trek’s most adorable ecological disaster as Kirk battles Klingons, poisoned grain, and an exponentially multiplying pile of purring potatoes.

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DS9: House of Quark - "Quarkstop" Episodes Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

It's time for our latest Quarkstop episode, as we dive into HOUSE OF QUARK, where Quark gets caught up in some Klingon scheming while Jessie finds her true Ferengi self.

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENT: Stigma - "Trek Was Always Political" Episodes Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Andrew dives into Star Trek: Enterprise's big HIV allegory episode "Stigma" as we also meet Dr. Phlox's wife and learn perhaps some... problematic things about polyamory and metaphors for minorities.

▶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/

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.