Jimmy Akin Podcast

Advent is a season of anticipation—the Church preparing to receive the greatest gift. At StarQuest Media, we explore modern culture through the lens of faith and reason, offering more than 50 hours of programming each month that reaches hundreds of thousands of people. Each hour takes 10–15 hours of work—planning, recording, editing, show notes, art, and promotion—and patrons make it possible. This Advent, become a monthly patron at $10+ (or increase by $10). As our thank-you, the first 400 patrons will receive a Mysterious World sticker signed by Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli. Generous supporters will match every new or increased monthly gift up to $15,000 through Epiphany—doubling your impact. Prepare for Christmas by supporting media that brings faith and reason to today's world.

It's our annual Thanksgiving Weird Questions episode, and this time Cy Kellett is asking Jimmy Akin questions about whether the Holy Spirit has chromosomes, what sacraments angels can perform (if any), whether Zoroaster was a savior before Jesus, and what to make of the sword of St. Michael.

A utopia built on exploitation. In The Savages, what happens when a society thrives by draining others' life force? Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unpack the moral cost, lost social commentary, and Steven's powerful farewell from the TARDIS.

Super-intelligent elephant slugs who are telepathic zookeepers and vague off-screen resolutions—are humans just amusing pets? Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler unpack The Eye of the Beholder from The Animated Series.

Did the CIA kill JFK? A mysterious woman's testimony at 1985 libel trial apparently indicated CIA agents were in Dallas with operatives and weapons on the night before the assassination. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine the credibility of the claims and counter-claims.

Vampires, rebels, and ancient Time Lord enemies clash in this gothic Fourth Doctor tale. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unpack Adric's shaky debut, undead aristocrats, and whether this episode stakes its claim as a classic.

A haunted castle, mysterious aliens, and Star Trek's first Halloween-themed story! Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler unpack the spooky fun of Catspaw, from Lovecraftian undertones to classic Trek tropes. What makes this strange episode stand out? How does it connect to deeper sci-fi ideas beneath the surface frights?

After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, theories abounded and some accused CIA agent E. Howard Hunt. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look at the 1985 lawsuit by Hunt against some of his accusers and what was revealed in the courtroom about the CIA's possible role.

Is A Night in Sickbay the worst Star Trek episode ever? Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler rip into its bizarre writing, inappropriate sexual tension, and baffling Hugo nomination.

How do science and magic intersect? St. Albert the Great wanted to understand. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli, joined by Dr. Justin Sledge, unpack St. Albert the Great's mystical side—his writings on magic, alchemy, and the hidden powers of nature.

A time-traveling fish crashes the Doctor's Christmas reunion—what does this say about holding onto the past? With Susan, Alex, and Lucie Miller, the Eighth Doctor wrestles with family, legacy, and loss. Featuring Dom Bettinelli & Jimmy Akin.

Can a spatial anomaly make a ship boring? In Twisted, the Voyager crew wanders endless corridors while Neelix's jealousy hits new lows. Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler critique its broken logic and wasted story potential.

It's a fifth Friday, so Cy Kellett of Catholic Answers Live is asking Jimmy Akin weird questions from listeners, about topics like whether Jesus said he had extraterrestrial sheep, could dogs be guardian angels; whether Jesus had opinions; and more.

What happens when the Master is forced into 277 years of introspection? Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin unravel Self-Help's sharp critique of self-improvement culture, with big laughs, deeper lore, and some unexpected character growth.

What happens when fear hijacks Starfleet's ideals? In "Paradise Lost," Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and Fr. Jason Tyler examine Admiral Leighton's coup, changeling mind games, and the cracks in the Federation's golden image.

For thousands of years, people have sought to communicate with spirits in basically every culture and religion. But is all spirit communication forbidden to Christians? Jimmy Akin gets to the truth of the matter on what the Bible says, what different Christians have held, and what the Church says today.

What happens when fear overrides freedom? As changeling paranoia grips Earth, martial law looms and trust fractures. With Sisko and Odo at the center, Jimmy Akin, Father Jason Tyler, and Dom Bettinelli unpack the unsettling DS9 episode “Homefront.”

A mysterious Tennessee farmer who received startling visions of the future no one believed. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli revisit the story of John Hendrix with new information about his incredible claims and their connection to a big event in American history.

Is Eleanor a glitch in time? Did Hallam fake the death record? History works without aliens. Dom Bettinelli and Jimmy Akin debate laudanum, class, and a canister loop in the Sixth Doctor audio story, “Catch-1782.”

A tense moral chess match. Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Jason Tyler, and Jimmy Akin ask: Was Picard right to cross the Neutral Zone? Cold War stakes, Henry V echoes, stellar acting.