Ninja Nuns Will Save Us!
Special Guest Host Molly Sanchez (@seriousmolly) fills in for Ryan this week! She and Becca get deep in Planet Vashti - permanent refugee camp for the Romulan diaspora. We ask the tough questions: who’s going to make out with whom, what do all of Captain Rios’s emergency holograms do anyway, and where can Becca get that hat? Also, we meet Space Legolas and some ninja nuns. Strap in!
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Absolute Backstory
Check out this Medium article by T.S. Mendola which also recaps this episode - thanks so much for crediting us for coining Dr. F*ckboy, T.S.!!!
Important Doggo Update
Molly solved the mystery of Captain Archer's dog Porthos! Apparently dogs DO live decades longer in the future (yay!) so this was, indeed, the same dog from Enterprise. Scotty disappears--but doesn't kill!--Porthos in Star Trek (2009), and rescues him in a subsequent comic book. Phew. Confirmed by
Stack Exchange.
What's going on with Planet Vashti?
Are we supposed to infer some relationship to Queen Vashti from the Book of Esther? It seems like a stretch, but here's a great article on the feminist overtones of the Purim holiday - Vashti and Esther: A Feminist Perspective by Wendy Amsellem via My Jewish Learning.
The Qowat Milat are a sect of nuns who follow the Way of Absolute Candor. It seems that Absolute Candor is similar but not really the same as Radical Candor by Kim Scott. Nevertheless, if you're a manager, you might consider picking up this book.
Divergent fans might have noticed a similarity between the "Way of Absolute Candor" and the "Candor" faction, who also practiced radical truth-telling, and were pretty much hated by all the other factions for being dicks.
Michael Chabon making Jewish Trek happen
The Wallenberg class ships were intended to rescue the Romulan refugees. This is a reference to Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the holocaust.
The Prime Directive vs Savior Captains
Check out The Original Series episode "The Apple" for a worst-case scenario of Kirk interfering with a culture and breaking the Prime Directive in the name of his human savior complex. Via Memory Alpha.
Here is some more information on broken treaties between the United States and native peoples, similar to the Federation's broken promise to the Romulans. Via the African American Policy Forum.
Literature
The Three Musketeers is a pretty great book by Alexander Dumas. It's in the public domain and you can read it for free on Google Books. The Count of Monte Cristo, which he also wrote and which Molly also discusses, is a much better book. Last we checked it was free or close to it on Kindle.
Alexander Dumas was black French novelist. You can read about the role of race in his books and his sort of messed up relationship with his white father in this cool article in the Independent. We also recommend this podcast episode about Alexander Dumas from Stuff You Missed in History Class.
Check out Molly's friend and author Meg Elison, whose novel The Book of the Unnamed Midwife won the Phillip K. Dick award.
Dr. Jurati was giving off major Shut Me Up Kiss vibes, which is a trope where women who talk too much get taught to do something for the patriarchy with their face instead of blabbering. via TV Tropes.
Levar Burton's "Special Talent"
You can hear Levar Burton brag about his special talent (tongue strength? dexterity?) in the episode "Kunta in the House" on the Another Round podcast.
