And so concludes Starfleet Academy‘s freshman season. Every good Star Trek needs a courtroom legal drama, and this two-parter serves it up, putting Starfleet on trial for the sins of the past and pitting Paul Giamatti’s Nus Braka against Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake. Our young cadets bring to bear all the strengths they’ve learned and demonstrated throughout the season, working better together than they ever have apart.

Staci and Ken reflect on this satisfying conclusion which nonetheless had some outsized writing gaps and plot holes — a recurring trend throughout the season. But we felt the show had far more hits than misses while also serving as a strong entry point for newcomers to the franchise, leaving us eager for more.

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As we near the end of Starfleet Academy‘s inaugural season, we see real character growth in our young cadets — as well as in returning characters, including Voyager‘s Doctor.

Ken and Staci empathize with Darem and Genesys trying to live up to their parents’ expectations, even if we wonder what makes a pebble identifiably Khionian.

And the parallels between Sam, Tarima, and Our Town‘s Emily Gibbs hit us in all the feels, as a returning character from Discovery gives a nuanced and gracious approach to facing trauma and living in the moment.

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Photonic protagonist Sam becomes the vehicle for an unexpected and emotional coda to Deep Space Nine and the Sisko family, with familiar actors and characters once again gracing canon, leading Ken and Staci to reflect on connecting with and losing their own fathers. We then get the return of Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka in a chilling battle of wits and deception with Chancellor Ake, pairing with the previous episode to heal old wounds and reopen others.

Stream the audio edition of Transporter Lock above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Podchaser, or the Internet Archive.