145. Whose Utopia Is It Anyway? (SNW 2.04)

Anika and Liz put on their cute away mission hats and, in between high-pitched noises and Liz's neighbour revving his car, discuss the Strange New Worlds episode "Among the Lotus Eaters"...

• Liz had a visceral reaction to this episode: a timeskip-inducing migraine would have been preferable
• WORSE, Anika is indifferent
• Character development for Ortegas: she flies the ship! 
• Hey, space millennials! Don't go wanting career advancement! Don't even put a toe outside your designated box! 
• Speaking of designated boxes, the whole Warrior!M'Benga thing? Yikes
• It feels like Pike is incredibly bad at his job
• Captain Batel, honey, girl, you deserve better. And also a first name
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: for when the Berman Era isn't heteronormative enough
• Pike is a complacent captain for a complacent Star Trek
• Contemporary Star Trek and the American liberal arts bubble
• …so what does it say that Ortegas, the most 'working class' character, is kinda racist?
• "I realise that I'm reading a lot into my favourite character, but that's what I do."

(Liz would like to apologise for the revving sounds in the first fifteen minutes. She has already bought a better microphone that will record less outdoor noises and probably more chair creaks.)