Jimmy Akin Podcast

Radiation from a black hole turns the crew into a shipful of obsessives in Enterprise S2E9, "Singularity." Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler ask whether you can really build a whole plot on a pun.

He spent his career debunking fake mesmerists and mediums — then dreamed his brother's funeral weeks before it happened. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli trace Mark Twain's strange turn toward telepathy and ask what the Catholic has to say about it.

A powerful alien telepath locks Voyager's crew in private hallucinations and then vanishes without explanation. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin on whether "Persistence of Vision" earns its mystery.

The U.S. government holds real patents for putting voices in people's heads — and thousands say it's happening to them. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli separate the real physics from psychiatry, internet lore, and outright fraud.

When Klingons destroy the conference she was headed to, Kira ends up teaching guerrilla tactics to a demoted Dukat. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unpack DS9 S4E14's moral complexity, Damar's debut, and whether Dukat is tragic or just evil.

A Liverpool merchant spent 30 years tunneling beneath his own neighborhood and never said why. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli weigh seven theories about Joseph Williamson and his mysterious underground labyrinth.

A separatist leader kidnaps Beverly Crusher and makes arguments the Enterprise crew can't quite answer. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler on TNG's toughest terrorism episode: "The High Ground" (S3E12).

A bottomless pit in central Washington, 80,000 feet deep and impossible to fill. In 1997, one phone call to Art Bell turned a piece of local folklore into a national mystery. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli investigate Mel's Hole.

An alien observer who detaches his own body parts puts Kirk and Spock through their paces in TAS S2E2. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler weigh whether "Bem" earns its strange premise — and how this episode named James Tiberius Kirk.

The most famous lost object in history — the Ark of the Covenant — vanished from Scripture before 586 BC and was never seen again. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine what it was, trace its history, and weigh nine theories for where it went.

No Christmas special. No showrunner. No production partner. The BBC has put Doctor Who out to competitive tender, and Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin weigh what the shake-up means for Billie Piper, the Timeless Child, and the show's next era.

A giant green hand grabs the Enterprise — and the Greek god Apollo demands worship. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler weigh TOS S2E2's ancient-aliens premise, Kirk's defiance, and the ending that was filmed but never aired.

Does a growing human population dilute demonic influence per person? Plus: the Magi's star, Mary after Pentecost, leavened Eucharist history, God's timelessness, and the serpent of Genesis 3. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli answer patron questions.

A lost communicator on a war-torn pre-warp world forces Archer and Reed to risk their lives over an ethic the Prime Directive hasn't invented yet. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler take on Enterprise S2E8, "The Communicator."

Thousands of star-like flashes flicker across sky-survey plates shot in the 1950s, before any satellite existed — some clustered, some lined up, some on famous UFO nights. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli weigh five explanations for the pre-Sputnik transients.

When pirates steal Voyager's computer core, Janeway's holographic Leonardo da Vinci ends up on an alien black market. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler debate whether John Rhys-Davies alone can save it.

It's a fifth Friday, so Jimmy Akin is answering weird questions from Catholic Answers listeners, about topics like alien demons, vampire ethics, Jesus's DNA, ancient tech, how much water a priest can bless, and more.

The Circle falls, but the price is one hero's life. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler close the DS9 opening trilogy: duty vs. family, a holosuite trap, and the politics that end a coup.

A lake in the Indian Himalayas holds hundreds of human skeletons from multiple centuries and continents. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli trace six theories, and the truth turns out to be stranger than the legend.

Minister Jaro is the Circle — and he's willing to torture Kira to keep it that way. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler dig into Part 2 of DS9's season-opening trilogy.

Something happens at the moment of death. Sometimes the living sense it from miles away. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine 140 years of research into crisis apparitions: who experiences them, what the science says, and what the faith says.

A legend built on a lie. Or is it? Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler discuss DS9's first three-parter, Li Nalas's complicated myth, the rise of the Circle, and a father-son scene that carries more weight than it first appears.

Jesus' most misunderstood prophecy has sent readers down the wrong path for centuries. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine the Olivet Discourse: what did Jesus actually predict, and did it happen?

Loyalty tests and entrance exams collide when the abrasive Remmick investigates the Enterprise while Wesley competes for a Starfleet Academy spot. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler on TNG's "Coming of Age."

Starting Wednesday, May 6th, Jimmy Akin is teaching Introduction to Parapsychology for the Rhine Education Center—8 weeks of live online classes (Wed, 7–9 PM ET, recordings available) covering the scientific evidence for psychic functioning and survival of bodily death. You'll look at telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, apparitions, mediumship, hauntings, poltergeists, reincarnation cases, and the major criticisms of the field—plus how it all fits with the Christian view of the human person. Audit it or take it for a grade. Tuition $225 ($200 for Rhine members). It's also the required first course for the Rhine's certificate programs. → RhineEdu.org

There are more mattress stores in the US than McDonald's. They're almost always empty. They cluster suspiciously close together. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli investigate the internet's wildest retail conspiracy theory.

Spock is dying and the only cure is in the hands of Orion pirates willing to blow up an asteroid to protect their neutrality. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler on the TAS episode written by a 19-year-old.

Early Christians were no exception in ancient beliefs in ghosts. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss reports of ghostly encounters in the ancient Church, what theologians thought of them, and how Jimmy would evaluate these cases today.

A woman who hates her unborn child. A scheming Klingon. A Prime Directive that's barely an idea yet. Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Jason Tyler, and Jimmy Akin unpack D.C. Fontana's bold "Friday's Child."

The story of the exorcism of "Anna Ecklund" in Earling, Iowa, in 1928 as Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli recounted last time was only the beginning. Because there was an account of the exorcism contained in a secret manuscript that was kept private... and Jimmy has a copy. What does it reveal about the real-life Anna Ecklund and about this remarkable case?

She erased the memory. The guilt came back anyway. T'Pol hunts a Vulcan fugitive on an icy moon — and relives a killing she'd had ritually purged from her mind. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin on memory, guilt, and trust.

In 1928, an exorcism unfolded in a tiny Iowa convent. It inspired a 2016 movie. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine the public account and a never-published secret manuscript of the Earling Exorcism. Part 1 of 2.

Tom Paris and Neelix crash on Planet Hell and are forced to care for a newly-hatched alien creature — and finally put their rivalry over Kes to rest. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler break down the Voyager episode Parturition. Stranded together, Paris and Neelix must cooperate to care for a newly-hatched creature. The panel examines Neelix's controlling jealousy, Janeway's command style, plot logic holes, and the writers' deliberate choice to finally resolve the Paris-Neelix tension.

In 1952, a self-taught philosopher near Palomar Mountain walked into the California desert and claimed to meet a being from Venus. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli investigate the remarkable story of George Adamski, the first UFO contactee.

In DS9's "Crossfire," Odo's longing for Kira collides with First Minister Shakaar's confidence. Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Jason Tyler, and Jimmy Akin ask: is Odo's emotional rigidity protecting him — or guaranteeing heartbreak?

In 1876, raw meat rained from a clear sky over a Kentucky farm, leaving the whole county and big city newspapers confounded. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli work through the proposed explanations to find the most likely culprit, and there's one part they still can't fully explain.

TNG's "The Hunted" is a Vietnam allegory that rarely gets its due. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler examine what works, what doesn't, and how stronger dramatic choices could have made it truly great.

From 1895 to 1900, a burst of discoveries transformed science's understanding of matter itself. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli trace the full arc of radiation's discovery — from Röntgen's X-rays to Becquerel's uranium rays to Marie Curie naming radioactivity — and examine its dangers, benefits, and significance.

The Federation goes on trial in Starfleet Academy's season finale. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler weigh Nus Braka's cheapened backstory, Reno's command highlight, and whether Season 1 earned its emotional payoffs.

The most controverial book in the Bible is also the perhaps the most mysterious. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss the Book of Revelation, the prominent theories for how to interpret it, and what the book actually means.

After 445 episodes and nearly 12 years, Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin take stock: real download data, favorite Doctors and companions, an honest look at the RTD2 era, and what comes next for Doctor Who — and for Secrets of Doctor Who.

Is Starfleet Academy finally finding its footing? Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Jason Tyler, and Jimmy Akin weigh Caleb's family choice, Sam's stronger new edge, Omega-level stakes, and whether "300th Night" earns its season-finale momentum.

We regularly give Patrons the opportunity to ask Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli their mysterious questions and make them available exclusively to Patrons first and then later to the whole audience. This time, we have questions on the Shroud of Turin, the Library of Alexandria, the "heavens", and more.

The first regeneration arrives! As Mondasian Cybermen threaten Earth, Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unpack early body-horror Cybermen, Cold War paranoia, and the moment that transformed the Doctor forever.

Starfleet Academy turns trauma recovery into theater—smart therapy tool or off-model Trek? Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler weigh Our Town's role, Tilly's authority shift, and Sam's 17-years-in-2-weeks reset.

Zodiac hoax—or real killer? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli test 7 "must-explain" clues: the calls, letters, cipher, costume symbol, car-door message, and Stine shirt scrap. Could a multi-person hoax really hold?

Pirates, betrayal, and a cursed treasure test the First Doctor's moral compass. As Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unpack The Smugglers, one question stands out: Is the Doctor obligated to fix every injustice he encounters?

Is Ko'Zeine a bold reimagining of Amok Time—or a hollow echo? Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Jason Tyler, and Jimmy Akin debate duty vs. desire, weak consequences, and whether Starfleet Academy gives us characters worth caring about.

Did the Zodiac Killer actually exist? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli analyze the crimes, letters, and evidence behind a bold claim: the Zodiac was a hoax. Are the links real—or carefully constructed?

Entropy threatens the universe—and the Doctor's life. As Logopolis falls and the Master seizes control, the Fourth Doctor faces destiny. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli could ask: Was this the perfect regeneration?

Two stories, two very different tests of Starfleet discussed by Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler. First, a photonic cadet investigates Benjamin Sisko's legacy and wrestles with destiny, identity, and love. Then a routine away mission turns deadly as pirates strike, forcing hard choices about sacrifice, leadership, and the Federation's moral strength.