Month: April 2026

In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill, we crack open a Steady Eddie IPA and take on a big cultural question: why are people who hate Star Trek directing, producing, and writing the show?

From the optimism of Star Trek: The Original Series and the (somewhat) moral clarity of Star Trek: The Next Generation to the confusion of modern efforts like Star Trek: Discovery, something clearly changed.

We explore:

• Why classic Star Trek worked as a moral framework without preaching
• The shift from storytelling to ideology
• How strong characters like Picard gave way to “feelings-first” writing
• The difference between a future where humanity improves… and one where standards disappear
• Why newer shows feel more like social commentary than science fiction

Along the way, we revisit favorite series, debate underrated entries like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and ask whether anything in modern Trek—like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds—still captures the original spirit.

This isn’t just about Star Trek. It’s about storytelling, culture, and what happens when a compelling vision of the future gets replaced by something else entirely.

And yes, there’s a beer review and a few Star Trek trivia detours along the way.

The boys drink and review a homebrewed porter, then discuss birthright citizenship.

The question of birthright citizenship hinges on one phrase in the 14th Amendment, which reads “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” What does that mean?

The point of the amendment was to give citizenship to freed slaves, but it’s been interpreted to mean that the child of an illegal immigrant, born in the U.S., is a citizen. Is that justified in the text? The boys discuss.

This weird aspect of American law has led to many business opportunities for enterprising criminals. People make a lot of money bringing pregnant illegal aliens into the country. That’s bad enough, but the Chinese have found ways to exploit this as a national security issue. They’ve been creating “American citizens” who are then raised in China. To what purpose, we wonder.

While on the topic of the 14th amendment, the boys discuss the Obergefell decision, in which SCOTUS decided that states cannot prohibit same-sex marriage.

If the court addresses and overturns birthright citizenship, maybe (God willing) they’ll overturn Obergefell as well. (Not likely, but we can hope.)

P&C end the show with predictions about how SCOTUS will rule on upcoming cases about birthright citizenship.

Chuck Norris wasn’t just a movie star — he was the real deal. A multi-time martial arts champion with serious credentials, he built a reputation long before Hollywood ever noticed him.

And yet, Hollywood did notice. From a run of classic action films to the long-running hit Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris proved he could carry a screen just as well as he could win a fight.

He also wrote books, spoke openly about his faith, and built a broader legacy beyond film and television.

But in the end, what may keep him most alive in popular culture is something completely unexpected: the legendary “Chuck Norris facts.”

At the end of the episode, P&C share a few of their favorites—and reflect on how a genuine tough guy became an immortal punchline.

The boys drink and review Blackbeard’s Breakfast, a robust porter, then discuss a new series about Merlin.

The Daily Wire has entered the fantasy arena with The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin — but to understand what they’re trying to do, you have to go back much further than Camelot.

In this episode we trace the evolution of the Arthurian legend from its earliest Welsh roots to modern reinterpretations. The story didn’t start as knights and chivalry — it started with a war leader and a mad prophet in the woods. From there, it became a national myth under Geoffrey of Monmouth, a romantic tragedy in the French courts, and finally a moral and symbolic drama in writers like Alfred Lord Tennyson, C. S. Lewis, and Stephen R. Lawhead.

Along the way, the core tension of the story takes shape:

• Arthur represents order, law, and civilization.
• Merlin represents mystery, prophecy, and the unseen world.
• Lancelot and Guinevere introduce desire — the human element that breaks even the best systems.
• Mordred brings the final blow: the collapse that comes from within.

We explore how these layers built up over centuries — and how modern versions, including the Daily Wire’s, are really attempts to answer an old question:

Can a civilization hold together without something sacred at its core?

We’ll also talk about:

• Why Arthur is almost strangely free of personal desire
• Why Merlin is often the one who falls first
• How the love triangle turns myth into tragedy
• Why modern culture can’t seem to agree on what this story means anymore
• And whether Rise of the Merlin is trying to recover something we’ve lost — or just retell the story with a different agenda

If you think this is just a fantasy story about swords and magic, you’re missing it.

This is a story about order, mystery, desire — and why every kingdom eventually breaks.

Grab a beer and join us.