Podcasts about starquest media

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. The post Mel’s Hole appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A Kansas City weather anchor starts speaking a language no human knows — and Steven Spielberg's *Disclosure Day* turns alien contact into a question about God. Dom Bettinelli, Jeff Haecker, and Tom Grelinger dig into the faith at its core. The post The Secrets of Disclosure Day appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A silent Vader. A painterly battlefield. A Sith playing the long game. In the *Maul: Shadow Lord* Season 1 finale (S1E10, "The Dark Lord"), Mike Creavey, Jeff Haecker, and Kathryn Laffrey weigh Maul's betrayal and Devon's dark turn. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 10: The Dark Lord appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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 post Bem (TAS) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Young Australians are returning to faith at rates nobody predicted. Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli tells Lindsay Sant, Caroline Knight, and Lino Saubolle what's behind it, and what St Patrick's Cathedral has to do with it. The post The Tide Is Turning: Archbishop Comensoli on Melbourne’s Catholic Surge appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post What Really Happened to the Lost Ark of the Covenant? appeared first on StarQuest Media.

The new Stargate series is dead — Amazon pulled the plug right before they hit record. Victor Lams, Lisa Jones, and Jeff Haecker hold a wake, then celebrate all ten seasons of SG-1. 214 episodes. No regrets. The post Stargate SG-1 Complete Series Retrospective appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post Doctor Who Cancelled? appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Every sci-fi fan has thought "I want that." Dom Bettinelli and Thomas Sanjurjo sort the genre's gadget wishlist — communicators, tricorders, warp drives, transporters — into what's real, what's coming, and what stays pure fantasy. The post The Sci-Fi Tech We Wish Were Real appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A deal with Crimson Dawn, a toxic-river gauntlet, and a fog that hides the most feared breath in the galaxy. Jeff Haecker, Kathryn Laffrey, and Jon Koral break down Chapter 9 of Maul: Shadow Lord and the cliffhanger that sets up the finale. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 9: Strange Allies appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post Who Mourns for Adonais? (TOS) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A calm voice spoke inside a healthy woman's head, insisting she had a brain tumour — then a scan proved it right. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle unpack a baffling real medical case and the hidden power of the human brain. The post Her Brain Told Her She Was Dying — and It Was Right appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post What Mary Knew; God’s Choices; Autism & Names in Afterlife; & More appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Dr. Weir stays behind on the Asuran homeworld so Sheppard's team can get away with the ZPM in SGA S4E2. Lisa Jones, Jeff Haecker, and Victor Lams break down the heist, the farewell, and Samantha Carter's quiet arrival. The post Lifeline (SGA) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Apple's WWDC 2026 promised a new Siri, redesigned parental controls, and a platform cleanup. Dom Bettinelli, Joanne Mercier, and Pat Scott debate whether Apple Intelligence has finally arrived. The post Apple Intelligence: Is It Really Here This Time? appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Sixty-four years ago a Scottish bodybuilder lit a cigarette and changed movies. Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Chip Hines, and Jeff Haecker break down Dr. No — the film that built the Bond template — and ask what a Catholic should make of 007. The post The Secrets of Dr. No appeared first on StarQuest Media.

At his lowest point, Maul crawls through the dark reliving the childhood that made him. Jeff Haecker and Kathryn Laffrey trace the cycle of abuse, the painted animation, and the Crimson Dawn tease. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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." The post The Communicator (ENT) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Can a book teach an eight-year-old who God is — or carry a couple through a lifetime of marriage? Publisher Michael Murphy talks YOUCAT with Lindsay Sant, then Caroline Knight tells the true story of voices that diagnosed a brain tumour. The post The Yellow Book That Outsold Everything but the Bible appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Thousands of star-like flashes flicker across sky-survey plates shot 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. The post Pre-Sputnik Transients appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A powerless Atlantis drifts toward an asteroid field with a dying leader aboard. In Stargate Atlantis S4E1 "Adrift," Lisa Jones, Jeff Haecker, and Victor Lams unpack a major cast shake-up and Emmy-nominated visual effects. The post Adrift (SGA) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Hardening your browser doesn't mean building a bunker — just locking the doors. Dom Bettinelli and Tom Grelinger share quick, no-jargon steps to make everyday browsing safer for you and the non-techies in your life. The post Browser Hardening for Normal People appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Tolkien called 111 "eleventy-one." For our 111th episode, we celebrateswith a six-round Tolkien trivia competition that tests our panel of Jeff Haecker, Rob Leonardi, Patrick Mason, and Robert Story, who must face host Alix Murray's toughest questions. Who will win and be crowned King Under the Trivia? The post The Eleventy-First Quiz Show appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Cornered on occupied Janix, Maul is more exposed than ever — and Devon's loyalty is slipping. Thomas Salerno, Kathryn Laffrey, and Jeff Haecker weigh temptation, sacrifice, and the rising price of allegiance. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 7: Call to Oblivion appeared first on StarQuest Media.

When pirates beam away Voyager's computer core and the Doctor's mobile emitter, **Janeway** ends up chasing them to an alien world where her holographic **Leonardo da Vinci** — now powered by the stolen emitter — believes he's been kidnapped to America. The man who has the computer core? Leonardo's new patron. His name is **Tau**. **Dom Bettinelli**, **Jimmy Akin**, and **Fr. Jason Tyler** go through "Concerning Flight," the 11th episode of Voyager Season 4, and the verdict is unanimous: this is a middle-of-the-road episode saved entirely by **John Rhys-Davies**. They dig into the behind-the-scenes story, in which the episode's writer wanted a Leonardo-centric adventure and was overruled — a decision that reportedly made the writer hate the final product. The plot holes are significant. Voyager's computer core was apparently unencrypted and unpassword-protected. There was no backup. And yet the ship somehow navigates vast distances of space for 10 days while "almost none of the ship's crucial systems work." The panel has thoughts. Beyond the plot holes, the conversation goes wide. There's a close read of the Doctor's characterization here (not good — he's more interested in ship gossip than the emergency). A look at Tuvok's stiff but effective attempt at small talk with Leonardo. The Requiem for Methuselah callback — Janeway's aside that James T. Kirk claimed to have met Leonardo da Vinci. And the parallel to the TNG Moriarty two-parter, where another beloved literary figure escapes the holodeck. The episode also sparks a long digression on the science of human skin pigmentation — why did melanin decrease as humans migrated to higher latitudes, how long did it take, and why this makes Tuvok the least plausible Scandinavian on the ship. One detail worth catching: the villain's name is Tau — the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as Jimmy notes — not the philosophical principle. The post Concerning Flight (VOY) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Some days everything clicks. Other days your brain won't cooperate. A University of Toronto study traces that gap to daily shifts in mental sharpness. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle break down the science. The post Why Some Days You’re Unstoppable (And Others You Can’t Move) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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 post Zombie Marriage, Holy Roman Emperors, Jesus's DNA, and More Weird Questions appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Atlantis faces an orbital Asuran weapon and must launch the entire city into space to survive. Jeff Haecker, Lisa Jones, and Victor Lams break down the Season 3 finale — including the introductions of Dr. Jennifer Keller and Colonel Ellis. The post First Strike (SGA) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

With the original cast heading into Avengers: Doomsday, Jeff Haecker, Rob Leonardi, and Patrick Mason revisit X-Men and X2, the films that launched Marvel's pop culture dominance and gave us a devoutly Catholic teleporter. The post The Secrets of X-Men and X2: X-Men United appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical takes on AI. Dom Bettinelli, Joanne Mercier, and Fr. Andrew Kinstetter unpack *Magnifica Humanitas* — from Babel and Jerusalem to Tolkien and the duty to remain profoundly human. The post Magnifica Humanitas: What the First AI Encyclical Actually Says appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Grogu doesn't just tag along in *The Mandalorian & Grogu*, he carries the film. Mike Creavey, Jeff Haecker, and Thomas Salerno dig into the fatherhood theme, Embo's live-action debut, and whether the movie was worth the wait. The post The Mandalorian and Grogu appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post The Siege (DS9) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Could an architect-priest who built churches with his own hands become a saint? Lindsay Sant sits down with archivist Odhran O'Brien on the cause for Monsignor John Hawes — then a new study explains why some days you're sharp and others you're not. The post The Priest Who Built His Own Churches: The Monsignor John Hawes Story appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post Skeleton Lake appeared first on StarQuest Media.

What do you do when you find the weapon that could end a holy war, but using it means forcing truth on people who never asked for it? Jeff Haecker, Victor Lams, and Lisa Henley Jones take on The Ark of Truth. The post Stargate: The Ark of Truth appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Google just declared AI the operating system for everything it makes. Dom Bettinelli and Thomas Sanjurjo dig into Google I/O 2026 and ask the hard question: can you trust an ad company to run your life? The post Google Goes All In on AI appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Every creature in Arda has a story. The panel examines Middle-earth's animals — Huan, the Eagles, Ungoliant's brood, Beorn, the Nazgûl's horses — and asks what separates the natural from the supernatural in Tolkien's world. The post Animals of Middle Earth appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A chase across Janix ends on a moving train, where Devon Izara lowers her saber — and Maul walks away. Thomas Salerno, Jeff Haecker, and Kathryn Laffrey unpack Chapter 6 of *Maul: Shadow Lord*. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 6: Night of the Hunted appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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 second-season-opening trilogy. The post The Circle (DS9) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A kea parrot with no upper beak shouldn't be able to fight, groom, or lead. Bruce does all three, and better than any intact bird in his group. Caroline Knight, Lino Saubolle, and Lindsay Sant on the science of radical adaptation. The post No Beak, No Problem: Meet Bruce the Champion Kea appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post Crisis Apparitions! appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Fifty years in a time bubble aboard the Odyssey. Lisa Jones, Jeff Haecker, and Victor Lams say goodbye to Stargate SG-1 in the series finale "Unending." The Asgard are gone. Was it worth it? The post Unending (SG1) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A group of college kids walked out to face the greatest hockey team in history and changed the world. Dom Bettinelli, Noelle Crowe, Fr. Chip Hines, and Patrick Mason break down the 2004 film Miracle — coaching, Cold War, and what made this win matter. The post The Secrets of Miracle appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Printers remain one of the key pain points of computing. Dom Bettinelli, Pat Scott, and Fr. Andrew Kinstetter try to alleviate some of that pain and sort through which printers are actually worth buying in 2026 for each use case. The post Why Printers Are Still Terrible (And What to Buy Anyway) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

An Imperial Star Destroyer parks over police headquarters on Janix, and everything changes. Thomas Salerno, Kathryn Laffrey, and Jeff Haecker break down Inquisitor Marrok, Devon Izara's wavering faith, and Maul's fracturing crew in Chapter 5 of Maul: Shadow Lord. The post Maul – Shadow Lord, Chapter 5: Inquisition appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post The Homecoming (DS9) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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? The post Jesus' Most Misunderstood Prophecy? The Olivet Discourse (Not the End of the World) appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post The Mattress Store Conspiracy? appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Jimmy Akin is teaching Introduction to Parapsychology for the Rhine Education Center The post Scientists Confirm What the Church Always Knew: Proof of Psychic Powers & Survival After Death appeared first on StarQuest Media.

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. The post Ancient Christian Ghosts appeared first on StarQuest Media.