The Doctor takes a cut-rate vacation at a spa on a toxic planet and then lectures the audience. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss why this episode falls flat, starting with the messy plot and unrealized characters and ending with heavy-handed preaching that breaks the fourth wall.
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When Tom Paris is convicted of murdering a jealous husband, Tuvok is on the case. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss the film noir inspiration for the story, where it works and where it doesn’t, and how the episode puts the answer in front of the viewer from the beginning.
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Since the beginning of history, people have offered many explanations for how the world works, including religion, magic, psychic phenomena, and science. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli sort out what these terms mean now and historically and how faith and reason approaches each.
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Mysterious Headlines
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The new season of Doctor Who is here and Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli are excited to talk about the premiere two-part episode, especially the great writing, the James Bond theme, and the big reveal of an old “friend”. Find out why they think this is a promising start to the 13th Doctor’s second season.
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Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this first O’Brien-centric DS9 episode, which also was an early inspiration for the Jem’Hadar. They also talk about what the episode is saying about big-game hunting and the nature of free will.
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We regularly give Patrons the opportunity to ask Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli to answer their questions and make them available exclusively to them first and then later to the whole audience in a special bonus release. This time, we have a very broad range of questions.
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The 1982 book Holy Blood, Holy Grail claimed a secret conspiracy to control the future of Europe would undermine the Bible and the Christian faith. It would eventually be the basis for the Da Vinci Code. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look at what the book said and whether any of its claims could be true.
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Mysterious Headlines
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We wrap up our Big Finish to 2019 with a story of the Master that not only brings back a classic Who actor, but also the actors from the 8th Doctor TV movie as UNIT agents. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss how the sinister Master recounts a tale of being trapped in 20th century America. But what’s his plan?
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Darmok is one of the most beloved episodes of TNG. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha explore why this is so loved as well as the concept of a culture that communicates only in idiom and metaphor. Plus the unusual circumstance of Starfleet being more aggressive during first contact.
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It’s time for more weird questions with Jimmy Akin, including this time new books in the Bible; Heaven on another planet; impeaching the Pope; time travel & the Eucharist; marrying aliens; zombie apocalypses; and more.
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