The Incomparable Mothership

They said that “Star Trek: Picard” wasn’t just going to be a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reunion show, and that turned out to be true, at least about the first two seasons. We review the show’s just-completed third season, which brought us the emotional and nostalgic moments we craved, introduced an assortment of new characters we liked (or didn’t), and introduced some plot elements that we puzzled over. "Star Trek: Picard" season 3 Jason Snell with Joe Rosensteel, Moisés Chiullán, Cicero Holmes and David J. Loehr Referenced Works Star Trek: Picard Star Trek (franchise) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

We gripe because we love! We break down the third season of “The Mandalorian.” Is burying part of the story in another show doing a disservice to this one? Why are there so may plot threads that seem to go nowhere, or get resolved in an anticlimactic fashion? And, despite all that, how did we all still have a good time? "The Mandalorian" season 3 Dan Moren with Tony Sindelar, Houman Sadri, James Thomson and Kelly Guimont Sponsors ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Referenced Works The Mandalorian Star Wars (franchise) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Nayler and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there. Book Club: "Spear" and "Mountain in the Sea" Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Deborah Stanish Referenced Works Spear [Amazon] [Apple] Mountain in the Sea [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links What are we reading? Erika: “Radcliffe Hall” by Miyuki Jane Pinckard “can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano “Waystation City” By A. T. Greenblatt Aleen: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall Deb: West with the Night by Beryl Markham and Sara Wheeler Scott: Translation State by Ann Leckie Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson Jason: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Everyone laughed at the title, and many laughed at the over-the-top violence, but 1987’s “RoboCop” turned into a sleeper hit that kickstarted a major franchise. We revisit Paul Verhoeven’s first and best big-budget sci-fi satire. Antony Johnston with Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz and Moisés Chiullán Referenced Works RoboCop (1987) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Sure, she’s a human lie detector, but she’s also a murder magnet who’s running from a guy who seems to want her dead. We enter the world of Rian Johnson’s “Poker Face,” where Natasha Lyonne is both Columbo and The Fugitive. "Poker Face" Shelly Brisbin with Antony Johnston, Annette Wierstra, David J. Loehr and Ken Ray Referenced Works Poker Face Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Old Movie Club throws itself into the turning wheels of justice with two legal films from 1957, “12 Angry Men” and “Witness for the Prosecution.” "12 Angry Men" and "Witness for the Prosecution" Jason Snell with Dr. Drang, Shelly Brisbin, Randy Dotinga and Philip Michaels Referenced Works 12 Angry Men (1957) Witness for the Prosecution (1957) Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Grab a backpack and get ready to siphon some gas—we’re setting out from the safe zone on a quest to find opinions about the first season of HBO’s video game adaptation, “The Last of Us.” "The Last Of Us" (HBO) Cicero Holmes with Annette Wierstra, Erika Ensign and Guy English Sponsors ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Referenced Works The Last of Us Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Avoid stepping on butterflies, step into your time machine, and go kill your grandfather—it’s time for our Time Travel Movies Draft! We select favorite films from all corners of the time-travel genre, from time loops to historical shenanigans to nonsensical plot twists. Time-Travel Movie Draft Jason Snell with James Thomson, Glenn Fleishman, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Annette Wierstra and Monty Ashley Show Notes & Links Time Travel Movies James - Time Bandits (1981) (Incomparable 632) Glenn - Somewhere in Time (1980) Erika - Timecrimes (2007) Moises - The Visitors (1993) Annette - The Terminator (1984) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Monty - Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Jason - Groundhog Day (1993) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) James - Demolition Man (1993) (Defocused 113) Glenn - 12 Monkeys (1995) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Erika - Edge of Tomorrow (2014) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Moises - Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) Annette - Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Monty - Primer (2004) (The Incomparable 153) Jason - Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (The Incomparable 317) James - Love Story 2050 (2008) Glenn - The Lake House (2006) (Chick Flick Fix 43) Erika - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Moises - Long Weekend (2021) (The Incomparable’s coverage.) Annette - 13 Going on 30 (2004) Monty - Triangle (2009) Jason - Back to the Future (1985) Bring Out Your Dead James - Palm Springs, Source Code, Looper, Run Lola Run, Army of Darkness, Happy Death Day, Kate & Leopold, Deja Vu, Idiocracy, Hot Tub Time Machine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Avengers: Endgame Glenn - Galaxy Quest, Freejack, Time After Time, Timescape (1992) Erika - The Last Mimzy, The Back to the Futures, Donnie Darko, Terminator: Genisys, About Time, Flight of the Navigator, Peggy Sue Got Married, Frequency, Timeline Moises - Star Trek (2009), Your Name, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, See You Yesterday, Escape From the Planet of the Apes, Men In Black 3, Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time Annette - All the rest of the Terminator movies, Timecop, Doctor Who (The TV Movie) Monty - Muppet Christmas Carol, The Butterfly Effect, Southland Tales, Minority Report, Tenet, Mr. Peabody and Sherman Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

Our Book Club reads “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel, a beautifully written story set in multiple timelines that—like her earlier novel “Station Eleven”—frustrated some, but not all, of our panelists. We also recommend a lot of other books to read! Book Club: "Sea of Tranquility" Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Deborah Stanish and Scott McNulty Referenced Works Sea of Tranquility [Amazon] [Apple] Show Notes & Links Our next Book Club selections are two Nebula Award nominees: Spear by Nicola Griffith The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler What are we reading? Aleen: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry Book Lovers by Emily Henry Beach Read by Emily Henry A Million Junes by Emily Henry Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers Deb: Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them by Siân Evans The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix Erika: Rabbit Test Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Scott: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Siren Queen by Nghi Vo Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran Jason: The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Goodreads Book Club Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.

We wrap up our seven-year walkthough(!) of the seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The show is slowly grinding to a halt, but are there gems to be discovered? Buffy’s got a speech about that. Maybe the real Big Bad was the friends we made along the way! "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" season 7 Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Jean MacDonald, Quinn Rose, Mattie Cox and Steve Lutz Sponsors ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Referenced Works Buffy the Vampire Slayer [Amazon] Show Notes & Links Support this show and other shows like it on The Incomparable network by becoming a member. Members get early access to podcasts, bonus episodes, and more.