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Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 2, Episode 15 - "Pen Pals"

Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

Roddenberry Entertainment

Arts, Performing Arts, Tv Reviews, Tv & Film

4.81.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2015

⏱️ 73 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Pen Pals," how long has it been since we broke the Prime Directive. Like REALLY broke the Prime Directive. Well get ready. The Enterprise is studying a system of planets, every one of which is literally falling apart. One planet turns out to be inhabited and Data has been communicating with a child on that planet. How will the Enterprise save her and her planet. Or should they? 

Hosted by John Champion & Ken Ray

Welcome to Mission Log, a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore the Star Trek universe one episode at a time. Each week, Mission Log examines a single episode of Star Trek, diving into its ethical subtext, metaphors, and cultural significance. From the show's most iconic moments to its hidden gems, we analyze what makes Star Trek one of the greatest science fiction sagas of all time.

In this Episode of Mission Log we'll...

  • Recap the story and analyze key moments.
  • Discuss the moral dilemmas presented.
  • Debate whether the episode holds up and if the messages are still relevant.

Join the Conversation: What are your thoughts on this episode? Share your take on the ethical questions and themes explored, and let us know how it fits into the broader Star Trek narrative. We'd love to hear from you!

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Mission Log, A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast.

0:21.4

I'm John Champion. And'm can Ray each week can and listeners here's what we do we watch

0:28.1

Star Trek and then we pick it apart we try to figure out what makes it tick and what makes it hold up or not it Today we cover the episode Pen pals. It's going to be a tough episode John. I mean this is a this is going out worldwide

0:48.0

The amount of postage that we're going to have to cover out of the mission log budget, you know, it might almost be better to go

0:55.3

someplace and call everybody to us.

0:58.9

What you know we do from now and now and again.

1:01.2

I hadn't thought about that.

1:02.3

If we just recorded the show I mean

1:04.9

should we do it as a transcript and we just mail it to all of our subscribers? I don't know. You know

1:09.7

maybe should do something different this time around. We should send it special delivery though, so everybody who's listening now just stay home and just wait

1:17.4

because there's something in the mail for you.

1:19.7

Yes, yes. and speaking of male, yes, because we love pen pals. And I'm not just giving away the episode, I'm saying that we love penals and that we love hearing from people who hear us.

1:36.4

And there are easy ways to stay in touch with us.

1:40.7

Mission Log Pod is the address that you need to know to find us on Skype, Facebook, and Twitter.

1:46.5

If you want to leave us a voicemail, you can call 323, 522, 5,6,41.

1:51.8

Our email address is Mission Log at rodenberry.com and on our show

1:56.7

website you can find discovered documents and all kinds of great stuff that

2:01.0

would all be at Missionlog podcast.com and please remember we may use your

2:06.0

comments on an upcoming episode of mission log.

2:08.8

Let me ask you a question.

2:10.4

Yeah, yeah, by the way. Have you ever just answered the Mission Log phone number? Oh, you know what? I haven't done that. I, uh, I, uh, should I do, should I maybe just set aside time and just be on and ready to go?

2:24.8

I just wonder if that would freak people out because for my other show, for my MAC

...

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