The Incomparable

Discovery rolls on toward its end, with an episode that should involve a lot of plot pivoting, but ends up being an old-fashioned talky diplomatic dilemma crossed with scientific puzzle solving. Also, so many Breen! And Rayner learns that when you’re in trouble, you have to take the walk of shame instead of beaming home.

Previous Episodes

• May 2, 2024

  87 “Whistlespeak” (Discovery S5E6)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  What’s more Star Trek than violating the Prime Directive? This week’s “Discovery” episode feels familiar in a very good way. Jason defends Captain Burnham in imaginary Prime Directive court, but Judge Scott is not hearing it. Also, we spend a surprising amount of time wondering about how replicated food works. We blame Culber’s abuela.

• April 27, 2024

  86 “Mirrors” (Discovery S5E5)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  At long last, this episode of “Star Trek: Discovery” answers the question fans have been asking about for decades: What’s under that Breen helmet? Wait, was that not your question? How about some backstory for this season’s antagonists? No? You wanted to know more juicy details about the Mirror Universe? Well, we don’t know what to tell you. Look in the mirror. We did.

• April 18, 2024

  85 “Face the Strange” (Discovery S5E4)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  Time may change me, but I can’t trace time! We ping-pong through the personal history of the USS Discovery as Michael tries to teach herself how far she’s come, Rayner learns to let the Burn go and live a little, and Stamets gets to construct a box to crush a Time Bug. Also, a Short Trek is surprisingly relevant! We break it all down.

• April 11, 2024

  84 “Jinaal” (Discovery S5E3)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  This week Burnham and Book take another hike to find a clue; Tilly explains to Rayner that he’s not on his old “Star Trek” show anymore; Saru tumbles into a Ni’Varian episode of “Veep”; and Gray and Adira go their separate ways, worlds apart. It’s all about connections, you see. And this episode connects Scott and Jason to each other, and both of them to you. See, we’re going with the Disco flow.

• April 4, 2024

  83 “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons” (Discovery S5E1-2)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  Live Star Trek is back in season! “Star Trek Discovery” has returned with a two-episode premiere, and we’re here to break it down. Once again, we profess our love for Jerks Who Are Right. We discover what form a Vulcan Proposal takes. Our new villains look like they’re space Bonnie and Clyde, but maybe they’re just misunderstood. And we enter Conspiracy Corner in order to ponder secret clues for what might be coming next—but not before a moment’s silence for Fred.

• September 1, 2023

  82 “Strange New Worlds” S2 wrap-up panel

  Host Moisés Chiullán with Cicero Holmes, David J. Loehr, Heather Berberet, and Houman Sadri

  With season 2 of “Strange New Worlds” in the rear-view mirror, Jason recorded a season overview on the Mothership. But so many people watched and enjoyed the season that we have brought back the Vulcan Hello season wrap-up panel, too!

• August 10, 2023

  81 “Hegemony” (SNW S2E10)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  We wrap up season two of “Strange New Worlds” with a discussion of canon breaking and why it’s okay, how we liked the season as a whole, and why the most Star Trek solution to a problem involving enemy alien monsters may be to try to understand them better. To be continued… eventually!

• August 7, 2023

  80 “Subspace Rhapsody” (SNW S2E9)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  We’re so excited about this episode of “Strange New Worlds” that we’ve gotta sing! But we’re not going to dance very much. And Scott doesn’t sing. What we can do, though, is talk about Star Trek!

• July 27, 2023

  79 “Under the Cloak of War” (SNW S2E8)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  War! Finally, we get (some of) the story about M’Benga and Chapel’s time during the Klingon war. There’s a “Deep Space Nine” level of darkness in this episode, but did it succeed at what it was trying to do? Or was it just a cup of cold replicated Raktajino?

• July 24, 2023

  78 “Those Old Scientists” (SNW S2E7)

  Hosts Scott McNulty and Jason Snell

  Jason and Scott return, and sooner than expected, to cover the surprise release of the “Strange New Worlds”-“Lower Decks” crossover episode. It’s full of jokes, and references, and—what’s this?—unexpected emotional heft and character nuance! Plus more jokes! Grab an Orion cocktail and pull up a chair, there’s an ancient game of Dom-jot to be played!