<description>&lt;div&gt;We're voyaging out to the farthest reaches of space and into the deepest recesses of the mind for another look at &lt;em&gt;Harry Potter&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Star Trek&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Potterversity&lt;/em&gt; regular Louise Freeman, a retired psychology professor and licensed behavioral analyst who previously joined us for &lt;a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/09/potterversity-episode-56-the-murky-marshes-of-memory-part-2/"&gt;two episodes on memory&lt;/a&gt; in &lt;em&gt;Harry Potter&lt;/em&gt;, contacted us after our &lt;a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2025/05/potterversity-episode-64-where-no-potter-podcast-has-gone-before/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Star Trek&lt;/em&gt; episode&lt;/a&gt; to share another connection that occurred to her. She asks us to consider the famous Dumbledore quotation &lt;em&gt;"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href="http://www.mugglenet.com/harry-potter/harry-potter-series/the-deathly-hallows-book/"&gt;DH&lt;/a&gt; 723) in the context of implanted memories in &lt;em&gt;Star Trek&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; We focus on Captain Picard's life in an extinct civilization on the &lt;a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-the-characters-from-star-trek-the-next-generation/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Next Generation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; episode "The Inner Light" and Chief O'Brien's prison sentence on &lt;a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-star-trek-deep-space-nine-characters-into-their-hogwarts-houses/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Deep Space Nine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;'s "Hard Time." Both experiences take place only in the characters' minds within a few minutes yet feel like years to Picard and O'Brien. Technically, Picard never left the bridge of the &lt;em&gt;Enterprise&lt;/em&gt; and O'Brien never served time in jail - it happened inside their heads but felt real to them and had lasting effects.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; We also discuss Captain Pike's time on Talos IV on &lt;a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-star-trek-the-original-series-characters-into-their-hogwarts-houses/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Original Series&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, where aliens can create convincing illusions either to trap people or to give them a better quality of life, which is particularly appealing for Pike after he becomes severely disabled. Nog's time in a Las Vegas nightclub in a holosuite following a traumatic injury on &lt;em&gt;Deep Space Nine&lt;/em&gt;'s "It's Only a Paper Moon" leads us to consider &lt;em&gt;Potter&lt;/em&gt;'s ghosts and another Dumbledore quote: &lt;em&gt;"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"&lt;/em&gt; (&lt;a href="http://www.mugglenet.com/harry-potter/harry-potter-series/philosophers-sorcerers-stone-book/"&gt;SS&lt;/a&gt; 214). These "unreal" experiences can have positive or negative consequences and demonstrate the power of escapism not only within these series but for audiences who feel immersed in them.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Can you think of any other connections between &lt;em&gt;Harry Potter&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Star Trek&lt;/em&gt;? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at &lt;a href="mailto:PotterversityPodcast@gmail.com"&gt;PotterversityPodcast@gmail.com&lt;/a&gt;, and connect with us on &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/Potterversity"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://instagram.com/potterversity_podcast/"&gt;Instagram,&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/potterversity.bsky.social"&gt;Bluesky&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt; </description>

Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

Potterversity with MuggleNet.com

Potterversity Episode 65: Potter & Trek Part 2 - The Reality Inside Your Head

JUN 9, 202556 MIN
Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

Potterversity Episode 65: Potter & Trek Part 2 - The Reality Inside Your Head

JUN 9, 202556 MIN

Description

<div>We're voyaging out to the farthest reaches of space and into the deepest recesses of the mind for another look at <em>Harry Potter</em> and <em>Star Trek</em>.<br> <br> <em>Potterversity</em> regular Louise Freeman, a retired psychology professor and licensed behavioral analyst who previously joined us for <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/09/potterversity-episode-56-the-murky-marshes-of-memory-part-2/">two episodes on memory</a> in <em>Harry Potter</em>, contacted us after our <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2025/05/potterversity-episode-64-where-no-potter-podcast-has-gone-before/"><em>Star Trek</em> episode</a> to share another connection that occurred to her. She asks us to consider the famous Dumbledore quotation <em>"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"</em> (<a href="http://www.mugglenet.com/harry-potter/harry-potter-series/the-deathly-hallows-book/">DH</a> 723) in the context of implanted memories in <em>Star Trek</em>.<br> <br> We focus on Captain Picard's life in an extinct civilization on the <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-the-characters-from-star-trek-the-next-generation/"><em>Next Generation</em></a> episode "The Inner Light" and Chief O'Brien's prison sentence on <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-star-trek-deep-space-nine-characters-into-their-hogwarts-houses/"><em>Deep Space Nine</em></a>'s "Hard Time." Both experiences take place only in the characters' minds within a few minutes yet feel like years to Picard and O'Brien. Technically, Picard never left the bridge of the <em>Enterprise</em> and O'Brien never served time in jail - it happened inside their heads but felt real to them and had lasting effects.<br> <br> We also discuss Captain Pike's time on Talos IV on <a href="https://www.mugglenet.com/2024/05/sorting-star-trek-the-original-series-characters-into-their-hogwarts-houses/"><em>The Original Series</em></a>, where aliens can create convincing illusions either to trap people or to give them a better quality of life, which is particularly appealing for Pike after he becomes severely disabled. Nog's time in a Las Vegas nightclub in a holosuite following a traumatic injury on <em>Deep Space Nine</em>'s "It's Only a Paper Moon" leads us to consider <em>Potter</em>'s ghosts and another Dumbledore quote: <em>"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"</em> (<a href="http://www.mugglenet.com/harry-potter/harry-potter-series/philosophers-sorcerers-stone-book/">SS</a> 214). These "unreal" experiences can have positive or negative consequences and demonstrate the power of escapism not only within these series but for audiences who feel immersed in them.<br> <br> Can you think of any other connections between <em>Harry Potter</em> and <em>Star Trek</em>? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>, and connect with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Potterversity">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/potterversity_podcast/">Instagram,</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/potterversity.bsky.social">Bluesky</a>.</div>