Turn off the lights and light a candle as we become one with “Sub Rosa”!
Author Catherynne M. Valente returns to the show this week to discuss an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that will challenge everything you know about amorous ghosts on Scottish planets. After the death of her grandmother, Beverly Crusher discovers that her nana had a mysterious younger paramour named Ronin. As she begins to investigate their connection, she discovers a malevolent force that has stalked her ancestors for centuries . . . and she’s the next target!
On its face, Sub Rosa seems irredeemable as an hour of Star Trek, but if you look past the Celtic sex ghost candle, you’ll find an episode that is positive about female sexuality, that provides rare glimpses into the back story of an underdeveloped main character, and one that pushes plain old Trek into cosmic gothic romance. *If* you can look past the Celtic sex ghost candle, that is. On this episode, we discuss the flexibility of Trek’s setting, if and when Trek succeeds with horror storytelling, what pop culture is like in the 24th century, the English Lit tropes endemic to Trek stories, how the tech of Trek is updated, how longform Trek storytelling has lead to actual relationships being depicted on-screen, Byronic characters in Star Trek, and not actually going far *enough* with your sex candle story.
We also discuss Bean Dad and insurrections, this year’s Eurovision winner, the surprising number of bite-hiders in society, “hopepunk” and finding beauty in a crapsack world, the “warm milk bath” of TNG, how TV lighting kills horror, The Ballad of Jeanna F. Gallo, Irottish appropriation, no Internet = old people hobbies, a masturbation-based narrative, casting Dracula as “Dracula”, sex cringe on TNG, eating grapes for cancer, leaving your job for ghost love, a Golden Girls ep in space, Blazin’ Bev, and Space Fabio the Hereditary Sex Ghost!
Lights! Camera! Writhe!
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Listen to “Season 6, Episode 12 “Sub Rosa” (TNG) with Catherynne M. Valente” on Spreaker.