We’ve come so far, and got so far, but in the end…it was really, really far. I don’t have a head for lyrics.We look forward, I talk a bit about ruts versus grooves and Derek speculates on Season Five.We’re considering a number of change

In Theory

May 5th, 2019 49m 40s

I wanted to go deeper on impostor syndrome in relationships, but we covered it well enough. What I can’t get over is the B-plot here.I’m sorry, “the bullshit plot here.” On the one hand, I’m angry the space/time bubbles aren’t explained bet

The Mind’s Eye

Apr 29th, 2019 48m 48s

“The Mind’s Eye” is a pretty straightforward episode. There’s not a big idea and or real character moment. Things happen in it, but they’re good things that drive a clear, well-developed plot.It turns out that triangulation is really compli

The Host

Apr 22nd, 2019 53m 8s

We’re back after a little break with a classic episode.There’s a lot to unpack with this one, and even if the lesson seems lost on some of the production staff, we try to stay focused on the most culturally relevant takeaway.Also, it wa

The Drumhead

Apr 15th, 2019 47m 42s

We lost the tape.We’ve got so many twists and turns in the reasoning behind this one. Ironically, this was recorded at the height of the fervor over the Mueller Investigation and so there’s a lot to uncover in terms of “what makes an invest

Solo Session: USS Callister

Apr 7th, 2019 1h 15m

Unedited, slightly incoherent, and mostly redundant, The Beige and The Bold Solo Sessions are episodes where I run through a show without Derek. Solo Sessions are published when production difficulties prevent the posting of a new, original

Qpid

Apr 1st, 2019 48m 56s

This one got me thinking about Star Trek and fanfiction. I don’t judge Star Trek fanfiction, mainly because I make improvisational Star Trek fanfiction every week with my friend Derek under the presumption it will amuse other people. Also becau

The Nth Degree

Mar 25th, 2019 51m 37s

It’s another Barclay episode. It’s great to see the range of Dwight Schultz, even if our leads get warped a bit to make it work. Is it necessary for shows to have bad guys and good guys? Is it necessary just for episodic shows like The Next Gen

Identity Crisis

Mar 18th, 2019 48m 18s

Honestly, “Identity Crisis” is so solid it’s hard to talk about. In retrospect, we spend a lot of time nitpicking here, but at least we didn’t talk about using Troi more.The thing about “Identity Crisis” is that it’s an episode which has so

Night Terrors

Mar 11th, 2019 46m 25s

There are so many thing this episode does almost right. I mean, I love it. It’s the kind of ensemble show Star Trek: the Next Generation can be and that is when it’s at its best. Maybe it’s just me, but as I get older I see a more paternali

Galaxy’s Child

Mar 4th, 2019 47m 58s

Sometimes, a story–whether it’s a movie, a book, or an episode of television–is so bad you don’t know where to start. Sometimes it so so bad that you can start at the start and ride it all the way through to the end.If that wasn’t clear, “G

First Contact

Feb 25th, 2019 47m 45s

What I’m trying to say is that we appreciate Lanel’s initiative and drive. They are virtues, and they’re rare ones. Just not virtues in a biblical sense, I guess.We gloss over a lot of this episode and that’s probably because it’s such a so

Clues

Feb 18th, 2019 48m 19s

It’s a solid episode and we’re being mean. It’s not “about” anything in the Star Trek sense. We don’t have a debate about whether Data’s loyalty to Picard is based on its own merits or obedience to the chain of command. We don’t discuss the

Devil’s Due

Feb 11th, 2019 47m 53s

No surprise this one was a reworked Phase II story, which I’m surprised that I–having read the Phase II scripts–didn’t catch. It makes a lot of sense when you view this through the lens of The Original Series. Or maybe just through the lens of

Brother

Feb 4th, 2019 1h 4m

We’re finally out of the war and Star Trek: Discovery has set a completely different tone with Science Officer Douchenozzle, Engineer Barzan Lady, and Captain Cool Dad.Derek and I both were hoping for a season with a little more focus than

The Loss

Jan 28th, 2019 47m 17s

I kinda forgot to do this one two weeks ago, but we’re up to speed now.Derek and I talk about the trinity of wasted potential in this episode, say a few words about its merits, remind everyone that Guinan has a Schlorblax in psychology, and

The Wounded

Jan 21st, 2019 46m 14s

It’s a Chief O’Brien episode about passion and reason and pain and understanding. It cuts to the quick because the pain from Bob Gunton as Captain Maxwell is very grounded. It’s a weighty episode and it works.While TNG has flirted with cont

Data’s Day

Jan 14th, 2019 45m 49s

It’s finally “Data Has Feelings but The Writers Won’t Acknowledge It: The Episode.” “Data’s Day” is such a good slice of life episode. There’s the phenomenon where some folks who grew up with The Next Generation credit it for being a family

Final Mission

Dec 24th, 2018 49m 39s

I know a lot of these episodes are just delivery mechanisms for Patrick Stewart to give a speech, but we need to aim a little higher than “Final Mission.” We deserved–Wil Wheaton deserved more than a flimsy B-plot separating him from the E

Future Imperfect

Dec 17th, 2018 46m 55s

Man, Riker’s head is kind of terrifying. Or maybe I should say that the way the writers picture us picturing the inside of Riker’s head is terrifying.In talking with Derek, he says that nothing happens in this episode. Given the multi-tiere

Reunion

Dec 3rd, 2018 49m 13s

This episode is a little different: Worf gets a kid. It changes a lot of things and it’s really scary for everyone, but luckily, it’s forgotten by the next episode.I gripe about post-Season 2 TNG, but I feel like this one really hit all the

Legacy

Nov 26th, 2018 48m 33s

I usually bring up when TNG goes for some of the harder-edged stuff folks accuse it of never going for, but while this one has some real elbows out, it feels softer-edged than other instances and I don’t know why.We need to stop catsuits an

Remember Me

Nov 19th, 2018 47m 39s

I don’t mean to seem ungrateful because no sooner do we start getting Troi doing her job than Wesley’s throughline starts unraveling. Really? “See past the numbers”?Are the crew justified in assuming that everyone from Tau Alpha C is a Trav

Suddenly Human

Nov 12th, 2018 47m 30s

We don’t mention it in the episode, but I think the internal contradiction of xenophobia and taking alien babies is an internal contradiction that makes the Telarians a little more real. What it is that separates that from inconsistent characte

Brothers

Nov 5th, 2018 47m 54s

Doctor Soong is the worst.The Beige and The Bold is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcasting platforms. It updates Sunday nights at 12:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM CT.