00:45 – Welcome to Talking in Cars and kickoff of the January 2026 ARC 01:20 – Overview of Arc 86: V’Ger Rebirth and the Excelsior launch 02:10 – Introduction to the new Challenge Track system 03:00 – Easy vs. Hard daily tasks and how early milestones work 04:15 – Hostile rotations, crewing considerations, and daily cadence 05:30 – Weekly schedule breakdown for Gorn, Hurok, and Silent hostiles 06:45 – Crew restrictions and the Strange New Worlds apex barrier penalty 08:05 – Recommended crewing strategies for G7 and sub-G7 players 09:30 – Free-to-play accessibility and milestones 1–5 10:45 – Unlocking the Excelsior and tier-based daily mechanics 12:00 – Massive damage scaling and the new PvE damage meta 13:30 – Elite Challenge Credits and Excelsior progression loop 15:25 – Legendary milestone requirements and near-perfect participation 17:05 – Launch-week catch-up mechanics and gifted challenge points 19:10 – Challenge Track vs. Battle Pass clarification 21:10 – Rewards overview: faction credits, Forbidden Tech, and banners 23:30 – Sigma faction credits value and refinery math 25:40 – Cost-to-value discussion of the $20 legendary unlock 28:20 – Free-to-play ship sourcing timeline and long-term value 32:40 – Officer spotlight: Uhura and Sulu roles and effectiveness 36:30 – Prototype Forbidden Tech overview and sourcing paths 40:00 – Critical analysis of Prototype Forbidden Tech value 45:15 – Mid-ops experience changes and alliance considerations 47:40 – Final Q&A, reminders, and show wrap-up

00:01 – Show open, tech chaos, Griffin camera issues, and welcome to Arc Fall Eve 05:30 – IRL streaming setup talk, Starlink mounts, redundancy planning, and Hawaii prep 10:19 – Arc preview kickoff: leaks, mid-ops focus, and January expectations 13:42 – Mid-ops arc breakdown by ops brackets (20–50) and ship focus overview 17:00 – Arc timing concerns: Tuesday start, weekly cycles, and point adjustments

00:21:41 – USS Excelsior reveal video begins and historical context 00:23:10 – Excelsior’s decloaking ability explained and comparisons to Voyager 00:26:00 – Galaxy-wide “Enhance” ability discussion and deployed ship mechanics 00:29:20 – New dailies preview: silent hostiles, rotations, and difficulty balance 00:32:18 – Free-to-play Excelsior sourcing path explained through daily challenges

00:35:26 – Challenge refinery breakdown: blueprints, titles, and forbidden tech 00:38:57 – Prototype tech discussion and community skepticism on value 00:41:24 – Excelsior research tree overview and combat buff implications 00:44:30 – G7 efficiency nodes and why they matter more than prototype tech

01:02:10 – Event structure concerns, clarity issues, and alliance communication needs 01:18:40 – Mid-arc expectations, playtest shortcomings, and live ops realities 01:33:15 – Community Q&A: deployment limits, PvP implications, and daily flow 01:52:00 – Long-term Excelsior value, arc pacing, and progression philosophy 02:09:30 – Final thoughts, reminders, next-day follow-ups, and show wrap-up

00:01 – Cold open, show start, server sound-off, introductions 04:10 – Why revisit the Vengeance now: adoption rates and shifting player access 08:05 – Vengeance Is Mine event explained: rotating content and spend scoring 12:05 – Strategic spend timing: syncing G6/G7 upgrades with heroic SMS 16:30 – Blueprint grind reality: milestone math and long-term timelines 20:10 – Outpost Plunder as an alternate sourcing path 24:05 – Plunder cooldown mechanics and bulk-purchase optimization 28:05 – Parts sourcing overview: Cold Directive and Arena combat events 32:10 – Efficiency research, Dauntless synergy, refits, and real cost math 36:10 – When Vengeance becomes viable vs maxed G6 epics 40:40 – Power curve discussion: G6 → G7 transition and design intent 44:05 – Ops progression realities: do you need Vengeance to reach 73? 47:05 – Outposts and elite outposts: why ship count now matters more 50:05 – Project Dreadnought, refit currencies, and leaderboard pressure 53:35 – Monetization vs grind paths: accessibility and fairness debate 56:30 – Crewing overview: most common G7 and Breen crews 01:00:30 – Early-tier Vengeance crew alternatives and survivability trade-offs 01:04:30 – Comparative performance: Vengeance vs Cube, Crenshaw, Relativity 01:08:30 – Practical sourcing advice for low-spend and free-to-play players 01:12:30 – Strategic ship planning: avoiding redundant G6 builds 01:16:30 – Elite outpost punching strategies with mixed fleets 01:20:30 – Long-term value outlook: efficiencies, future sourcing, and balance 01:24:30 – Is Vengeance skippable, delayed, or inevitable? Framing the decision 01:28:30 – Final audience Q&A, clarifications, and wrap-up discussion

00:49 – Show open, holiday greetings, and massive live server sound-off 06:29 – Festivus, Diwali, Yule, and “everyone is included” holiday chaos 09:55 – Return of Stupid News and podcast throwback energy 10:40 – Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and pop-culture headlines 12:40 – Cruise culture jokes, Disney controversy, and odd news reactions 15:32 – Audience reactions and grading the return of Stupid News 16:45 – Jules Verne joins the stage for a major community announcement 18:12 – Jules Verne officially announced for Star Trek Cruise IX (face reveal!) 19:40 – Talking Trek creator lineup revealed for the 2026 cruise 21:12 – Cape Canaveral meetup details, free tickets, and community plans 23:59 – Cruise meetups, swag, giveaways, and Scopely proximity jokes 25:00 – Cruise production upgrades, multi-camera streaming, and backpack tech discussion 27:15 – Streaming quality upgrades: 1080p60, bitrate increases, and Twitch limits 28:02 – Cruise panel restrictions, permissions, and appeal process explained 30:02 – Jules Verne impact on the community and long-term influence discussion 31:55 – Griffin exits; transition from announcements into year-end reflection 32:45 – Setting the tone for the 2025 retrospective and honest assessment 34:55 – Framing the discussion: best features, officers, and QoL of 2025 36:35 – G7 launch and regional/Veil space as a major gameplay shift 38:55 – Claim-All refinery button praised as top QoL improvement 41:05 – Squall ship impact across G5–G7 progression and loop value 44:40 – Evergreen officer discussion: Joaquin (Wrath of Khan) breakdown 48:30 – Regional chat, server interaction, and MMO identity finally realized 53:10 – Panel consensus, chat feedback, and comparative perspective vs 2024 58:20 – Wrapping the first hour: momentum, lessons learned, and tone shift 01:02:00 – Transition into 2025 year-in-review discussion 01:08:30 – Honest reflection: was 2025 better than 2024 for STFC? 01:15:20 – G7 launch, Veil space, and regional chat impact 01:21:45 – Joaquin (Wrath of Khan) and evergreen officer design discussion 01:28:40 – Claim-All button praised as best QoL improvement of the year 01:36:10 – Squall ship breakdown and why the loop still matters 01:52:30 – Regional gameplay, Veil chat interactions, and community scale 02:18:40 – Panel feedback, chat consensus, and feature prioritization 02:47:55 – Final thoughts on 2025 progress, lessons learned, and momentum

00:50 – Show Open & Greetings DJz welcomes listeners, introduces Griffin and Jules, jokes about running late due to snow and “still being on central time.”

02:00 – Weather, Road Conditions & Technical Delays Discussion of the rough winter morning, driving conditions, and internet issues.

03:00 – Introducing Arcfall Topics DJz outlines today’s focus: Elite Outpost changes, Fleet Commander Cisco, buffs, currency resets, and player reactions.

04:00 – First Impressions: Elite Outpost & Cisco Jules shares early excitement about Cisco’s skills, Outpost challenge level, and rewards.

05:00 – Plunder Starting at Hostile #1 Major update: plunder now drops from the first hostile, with higher repair cost as the tradeoff.

06:00 – Sigma Fleet Commander Credits & Economy Reset Explanation of why Sigma credits exist and how legacy credit banks would have broken the economy.

07:00 – Converter Surprise Reveal DJz and Jules talk about the newly added fleet-credit converter (500 old → 20 Sigma), noting it wasn’t in original design specs.

08:00 – Converter Value & Progression Speed Jules calculates the converter’s ~20–40% lift over plunder refinery sourcing.

09:00 – Cisco Sourcing & Skill Trees Overview Breakdown of shard sourcing starting at Ops 51, plunder redemption, and the three skill trees.

10:00 – Upgrade Costs: Rare/Epic Credits + Sigma Credits Jules gives detailed math on total Sigma needed (~29k), skill point inflation, and months-long timelines.

12:00 – Comparing to Previous Commanders (Khan, Janeway) Historical comparison showing how Cisco’s cost is significantly higher and why.

14:00 – The Critical “Psionic Defense” Skill Jules identifies the top-priority skill: nullifying node outpost ship ability, making certain outposts dramatically easier.

16:00 – Loot Boost & Field Repair Ability Review of the loot-boost skill timelines and Cisco’s active field-repair ability (up to 25%).

18:00 – Fourth Ship Slot Possibility Explaining the skill that unlocks a fourth ship in outposts and its months-long timeline.

20:00 – G7 Uncommon Station Cost Efficiency Discussion of high-level base construction savings and why G7 players will chase it.

22:00 – Buffs vs. PvP Effectiveness Cisco’s PvP skills vs. outpost buffs; arena implications.

24:00 – Deep Dive: Elite Outpost Buff Trees Jules explains buff scaling, sigma costs, levels, and the significantly higher investment required.

27:00 – Practical Strategy: “Just Enough” Buffing DJz highlights min-max efficiency: buff only enough to barely survive an outpost tier, not necessarily to max.

30:00 – Higher-Tier Apex Barrier & Buff Math Griffin and Jules discuss apex barrier values (20k–60k) and their real impact on survivability.

32:00 – Cardassian “Galaxy Exocomp” Buffs Explaining buffs that persist after the outpost is over—cargo, mining speed, hazard protection.

34:00 – New Elite Outpost Currency & Refinery Elite credits, 4× value exchanges, and new faction reputation bundles.

36:00 – The Million-Plunder Fleet Commander Seat Shock and disbelief at the cost of the new commander seat (equivalent to two vengeances).

38:00 – Rare Core Drops & Directive Flow Elite outposts now drop rare cores directly; directives remain limited to BP/events/gifts.

40:00 – High-Level Strategy Summary DJz: Elite outposts aren’t “earth-shattering” but intentionally force divergent gameplay paths.

45:00 – Esri Dax Discussion Begins Esri + Hierarch interactions, state application, synergy, and isolated cascade mechanics.

47:00 – Miner Strike Team Speculation Esri’s 15,000% isolated cascade damage may allow miners to survive attacks from mid-tier warships.

50:00 – Crewing Theorycrafting How to complete Esri crews, synergy concerns, and need for testing.

52:00 – Esri in Medals, Not Plunder Major positive change: medal sourcing frees plunder for core progression.

55:00 – Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up All hosts summarize December arc expectations, strategy depth, and upcoming streamer coverage.

DJz was away and the rest of the cast decided we had some silliness to get out, as well as some very very cool teaching from inside the lab.

00:00 – Opening from Chicago / Live studio audience reunion 05:00 – Server sound-off and old-school Discord-only show vibes 10:00 – Stupid News returns in classic format 15:00 – Chicago Handshake challenge (Malört + Old Style reactions) 20:00 – Deep dish adventures at Pequod’s & pineapple sabotage recap 25:00 – Community meetup at Short Fuse Brewery / DJz arriving late 30:00 – The deer incident on the way to the airport 35:00 – Tiki bar chaos, Putts getting lost in the bathroom 40:00 – Star Trek convention weekend experiences 45:00 – Transition into game talk: Outpost announcement setup

01:00:00 – Breaking down the “Solo Outposts: The Road Ahead” post 01:07:00 – Discussion on badge scarcity & player progression systems 01:15:00 – Live studio audience guest: Burton from Colorado 01:25:00 – Jules Verne segment: efficiency, data tools, and charts 01:35:00 – Community education philosophy & Jules’ STFC origin story 01:45:00 – Interview shifts to memories of charitable community efforts 01:55:00 – The children’s hospital story and holiday giving recap 02:05:00 – Closing interview moments with Jules Verne 02:15:00 – Wrapping up Chicago trip highlights 02:25:00 – Final thoughts, goodbyes, and Looking Ahead to next year

Talking Trek takes a serious tone tonight as a message is sent to the Fleet Command heads...

00:00 – Opening Greetings & Server Roll Call Warm welcomes, hype train sparks up, and the usual massive STFC server roll call kicks off the show.

04:10 – Christmas Angel Fund Update DJz and Griffin outline the 2025 charity drive progress, floors funded, and this year’s expanded mission.

07:10 – Sound Alerts Chaos & Light Banter The crew laughs through mistimed audio cues, PG-13 moments, and a chaotic early-show energy spike.

10:45 – Compensation Chest Message Breakdown The pair read and analyze the Ops 51+ compensation chest distributed earlier in the day.

14:30 – “Conversation & Collapse” Title Explained DJz introduces the show’s theme: the contrast between his positive talk with Conor and today’s game issues.

18:15 – Outpost Bug Returns & Player Impact Discussion of the previously-reported frozen outpost bug and how it resurged dramatically during an event.

22:20 – Engineering Silence & Ticket Ignored DJz details how dozens of reports went unanswered between Tuesday and Thursday morning.

26:00 – Community Mood: Fatigue & Frustration A deep dive into player sentiment, burnout, and how long-term trust has eroded.

29:45 – Lack of Accountability & Cultural Issues They address STFC’s longstanding reluctance to acknowledge mistakes or apologize directly.

33:00 – The Human Side of Scopely Staff DJz emphasizes the hardworking individuals inside the company and rejects “evil corporate empire” caricatures.

36:40 – A VIP Letter: “I Sense the End Has Come” They read a powerful message from a veteran player expressing sadness, hopelessness, and fading joy.

40:30 – Base Raiding, Broken Mechanics & Mid-Ops Pain A review of broken core systems like raiding, outposts, veil waves, and how mid-level players are most hurt.

43:20 – Battle Logs & Why They Matter to Everyone Griffin breaks down why missing battle-log data harms both gameplay learning and purchase confidence.

46:50 – The Veil System: Long-Standing G7 Issues Discussion of wave crashes, directive loss, and stability problems that have persisted for weeks.

49:55 – Direction to Move Forward: The Bug Priority List DJz describes opening a new Discord bug-report channel and setting community-driven priorities.

53:40 – Connor’s Promise of Transparency & Meetings The team outlines Connor’s offer for DJz to be included in bug-fix progress meetings.

57:30 – Chat Reactions: Hope, Skepticism & “Too Little Too Late” The community weighs in with mixed feelings on whether change is still possible.

01:01:45 – DJz’s Five Priorities for the Next 7 Days A proposed “must-fix” list: raiding, battle logs, veil waves, cube screen lag, and outpost freeze issues.

01:08:30 – Why Fixing Bugs Must Come Before New Features The hosts argue that new officers and meta systems are meaningless if the foundation is broken.

01:15:55 (1:15:55) – Closing Reflections: Fighting for the Community A somber but resolute ending: “We love you guys. We’re fighting for you every day. Let’s keep pushing for better — together.”