Lock us in our quarters this week as we merge with “Meld”!
Author Scott Pearson is back on the show to discuss an episode of Star Trek: Voyager that asks questions with no easy answers. When a crew member is mysteriously murdered, Tuvok is prepared to investigate and apprehend the killer. But when the killer is revealed to be a motiveless, violent sociopath, Voyager’s resident Vulcan will find himself struggling with such a senseless, brutal act, and he’ll put his own mind at risk to find logic in actions that have none.
“No conflict between Starfleet characters” got left behind in the Alpha Quadrant, as many of Voyager’s storylines and even its central conceits require tension in the crew. But, mere disagreement pales in comparison to the kind of violence and disregard for human life shown by the character of Suder, a Betazed who lacks empathy, even for himself. Tuvok’s knowledge and logic prepare him for a “whodunnit”, but not, in this case, a “whydunnit”, and the greatest mystery is sometimes why we do the things we do. On this episode, we talk about the legendary Brad Dourif, the also not-too-shabby Tim Russ, the way their performances spark off each other, the rare times where Trek sensitively explores mental illness, crime and punishment in the Trek universe, the therapeutic applications of the holodeck, eliminating crime by eliminating want, the violence of mind melds, and the requirements for Federation membership.
We also discuss selling a pitch on your last day, the vocational applications of cocaine, too much Tom Paris, aggro bro Tuvok, whether people with no money are thrifty, turning Neelix up to 11, “going full Dexter”, making Trek “younger and more relevant”, some Sarah Connor Chronicles talk, kick-ass Vulcan martial arts, Scott talks about rappin’ with Anson Mount and Ethan Peck, and Kal debuts the “myopia of contemporaneity!”
There’s a sucker stuck in the Delta Quadrant every minute!
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Listen to “Season 4, Episode 18 “Meld” (VOY) with Scott Pearson” on Spreaker.