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PATRON TAKES COLLECTION

Comments

I wonder if the solution, if not abandoning reading takes at all, may be mods who have seen the entire thing already, who know what you guys would see as spoilers/hints/teases, and have them firewall all comments prior to them being viewable by you.

Forbidden Donut

It’s a shame but I think get rid of Patreon takes it’s just not enjoyable and not really a benefit to being a member at this point. I’d rather have the opportunity to rate but have comments switched off.

Paul Rymer

@LonghillAndy I caught myself writing a post for a Patron Take on the wrong episode once. I caught it before I posted it though. I think Release Order (Air Date) and Production Order lists can be confusing. Not all media is arranged in the same order, for some shows. I can't speak for Star Trek but it's something to be conscientious of.

Jovet

Haven't you figured it out? Not everyone is running with 4 lights these days.

Jovet

I used to think the longer takes were fine if only just for A&J to read them, but it sounds like they don't want to read them, either.

Jovet

I don't believe questions can be spoilery. Spoilers are hard facts.

Jovet

@tyranusfan Perfunctory.

Jovet

Josh's point was they don't want to read those at all.

Jovet

Polls might be an alternative option that allow for interactivity but let you set firmer boundaries. Getting people's general impression of the quality of a season before and/or after getting into it; whether the community agrees with a particular take; even revisiting things: "The Way To Eden": Great Episode or Greatest Episode? (jk).

Avaria

As far as I'm concerned, there's no way of dancing around trying to avoid a spoiler. If you're hemming and hawing, it's a spoiler. Don't post it.

Michael Metrick

Happy Easter, fellas!

Michael Metrick

I'd say get rid of it and find another way to interact with the audience. I'd rather you not be spoiled or have random thinly veiled semi-spoilers fed to you etc. Even things where you go "Oh! I remember a comment about this!" It'd be better to just get a genuine reaction imo.

Clyde Frog

A moderator taking care of these posts would be a better alternative to replying to call out a spoiler but it is still nowhere near worse than the initial spoiler itself. If they're not bothering to read long patron takes, they are unlikely to read the replies to the spoiler post, just the spoiler post itself.

Brendon Waldron

In this case, that's not what's causing it. It's just really screwed up. Google "DS9 S1" and look at how it orders the episodes. It's easy to just not use that but it was accurate for everything up until this point.

THE LORE!!!

Since Patreon won't set a character limits, then maybe link out to a form that does set character limits and read them from there.

Badger

I don't think calling people morons for showing enthusiasm for their favorite show is very forward-thinking. New people misunderstood the assignment, simple as that.

Badger

I don't get much out of the Patron Takes personally, but obviously some people do enjoy the segment still. However, I think its ultimately more important for Josh and Alex to not have to read a bunch of spoilers or vague comments that are basically spoilers. The patron takes for the pilot of DS9 still has multiple spoilers and certainly couldn't have been written by Alex or Josh where they currently are in the journey. Its time to sunset this segment or to have a moderation team to look at these things for the guys. Alternatively, just Josh looks at the takes and at least Alex is less spoiled than Josh? I just don't have faith in people to be chill and even worse, some people actively enjoy spoiling stuff.

Cory Paton

Shane, I agree with some of the above but you have literally talked about seeing a character in future episodes in one of the takes. That’s a spoiler.

Jon1701

Brendon, several of the comments tagged as spoilers are basically identical to one of the examples Josh gave of what an appropriate comment would be. You're right that there are a few posts that reveal some things in a vague or generic way. My point was that some of the people tagging stuff as spoilers are revealing far, far more in doing that and that a person who has never seen the series reading only the top level comments would see some stuff which they *might* take as revealing some generic and hard to pin down things, whereas a first time viewer reading the responses that single out spoilers*will* take them as revealing more and more specific things.

Shane Coombs

Oh, and by the way, in the example I gave it is certainly possible that someone may have said, "That Rene looks like Picard!" to be clever and slip a spoiler in there covertly, but many of the examples I have seen are cases where it is entirely possible or probable that the original poster didn't even intend to do this but then either way the "this is a spoiler!" reply does make it a spoiler anyways.

Shane Coombs

Yeah nah the original posts frequently ARE spoilers and exactly what he describes in the video as spoilers, it seems you misunderstood that section...

Brendon Waldron

Jesse and Jon, I am talking about things that do not in and of themselves reveal anything about the future of the series at all and which Alex and Josh COULD write after viewing but which other people, trying to be "spoiler police," are now tagging as spoilers because they themselves know about future episodes and are basically reading into the comments, but because they are doing this they are turning the whole thing into something that reveals more about the future of the series. To take an example from what has already been watched, imagine if in the patron takes of "Family" some people said stuff like, "Gee, that actor they cast as Picard's nephew looks like he could be a young Patrick Stewart," or, "I love Rene - he's clearly got Picard DNA in him!" These do not reveal anything about the future. In and of themselves a first time viewer would read them as either an opinion about the casting or as a commentary on how Rene shows the same spirit in him as Picard. In fact, Alex or Josh could say exactly the same thing. Now, if someone had gone in there and replied with "Spoiler," or worse, "Spoiler - don't talk about future episodes," then THAT takes a comment that revealed nothing and makes it clear that somehow Rene is going to show up again, which of course the actor does in "Rascals" playing a young Picard. It doesn't reveal exactly what is going to happen, and it might even have Alex and Josh wondering in the wrong direction, thinking that maybe it IS Picard from some kind of time loop or something, but it would still take a comment that was NOT a spoiler and make a spoiler out of it. These are the kinds of comments I am talking about, and there are several at this point.

Shane Coombs

I'm thinking of the trailer to ST3 spoiling the destruction of the Enterprise

Loot Narsbaar

A generic or vague spoiler is still a spoiler. 10 generic or vague spoilers will add up. It’s the drip, drip effect. It’s really not difficult. We just need to discuss the episode in front of us. If Alex and Josh couldn’t write that take, then it’s a spoiler.

Jon1701

I respectfully disagree. A vaguely worded spoiler that you wouldn't catch on a first watch is still a spoiler. as said in the video, if there are 20 vaguely hidden messages all about the same thing it becomes easy to see it as spoilers.

Jesse

Consequently, I think this is also why people going around typing "spoiler" into all the posts they think are spoilers is actually a big *cause* of spoilers, because when someone inadvertently reveals one of these very vague and general things, the "this is a spoiler!" comment takes that vague and general (and perhaps easily missed) spoiler and makes it explicit, specific, and impossible to miss.

Shane Coombs

I was thinking about this a lot yesterday and I think there is a very specific reason why this has been a bigger problem with DS9 but I can't think of a way to try to explain it without offering a spoiler. The best I can do is to say that if you think about TOS and TNG, there are ways they are the same and there are ways they are different. Obviously any series is going to have ways that it is different from others, and one of the ways DS9 is different from other series is, at least for the first couple of seasons until you have a feel for DS9, going to make it very difficult for people to say almost anything at all about some basic elements of the show without giving certain kinds of vague or general things away. It's not that it can't be done, but it's that especially with the definition of "don't say anything a first time viewer couldn't say" it's very, very, very easy to inadvertently and entirely without intending to or even realizing it reveal certain kinds of things.

Shane Coombs

Now there are people going through the takes tagging people's posts as spoilers, but the problem is that not only are the original posts frequently not spoilers, and not only are the original posts almost identical to one of the examples Josh gives in this video of an appropriate comment, but often the people tagging things as spoilers are actually taking posts that were not spoilers and now MAKING them spoilers because they are either explicitly saying the thing that they're accusing the post of revealing (but which the post doesn't actually reveal) or because they're saying "spoiler" on things which Alex, Josh, or anyone else who has never seen the series before would not understand gives anything away but now because it says "spoiler" they will realize it does and start thinking deeper about. what it means. Honestly, having read through the comments I would say that the original top level comments either contain no spoilers or very, very, generic and vague spoilers but the responses are starting to have some spoilers because of this. Read through the top level comments and don't open the responses and I think you'll be okay.

Shane Coombs

That new Patreon channel ChatGPT Watches Star Trek for the First Time is amazing. Too bad it's still on the first episode reaction after several months and that it keeps actively asking for spoilers.

DG

But my essay is the most original essay of any patron here. I say the most amazing things and really look at the episodes in ways that no one else has seen. (delusional average Patron take)

Michael Bradley

Are you watching it along with them? Or are you ahead of them? What’s your experience so far?

Sainjl

Yeah. On my end, sometimes it’s replying to something that’s already said by someone else. The cat is already out of the bag, so let me just point this out. Not about big stuff but the smaller stuff.

Sainjl

depends on whether the pilot is counted as one episode or split into two

paultardspambot .

I think the patron takes are great, and I think it's a good bit of audience interaction, but understandable if people are getting spoilery. I try to self edit, and double go through mine and keep at most 2-3 sentences, but sometimes you realize you've written a essay without thinking about it.

Thomas Cole

Well, and the thing is their entire BUSINESS is reacting to things they don't know. Dropping spoilers is, by it's very nature, counter-intuitive to why they're here, and why we're here.

Nolan

Pith is part and parcel to patron participation.

tyranusfan

You should create "Patron Essays" 😂

Ricky

You could have ChatGPT process the patron takes comment stream and pick out the ones that you should read.

Paul Hess

I would be totally fine with eliminating whatever could expose you to spoilers, at any cost. Genuine reaction is too important. To quote your favorite movie “let [the spoilers] die”.

Jayson

I won't edit my comments on DS9 episodes 1-5, but 6 forward I will be keeping them shorter, to only a couple sentences.

Kristopher

Some people get really defensive when we point out spoilers, thinking that we're trying to be heroes and only doing it for Josh and Alex's benefit but its not just about them, as paying customers for these reactions, we don't want them spoiled for OUR OWN benefit, in order to get a proper reaction that we are paying good money for. As for the Patron takes, I've always looked at is as not a device to have a discussion about the episode with them, but just to provide a topic of discussion for them to discuss themselves, that's why it should be brief.

Brendon Waldron

Long and short: quit being morons, everyone

Jack Molitor

I've all ready seen little spoilers in the takes for ds9, its hard to make a comment after seeing all the star trek and not use that in a comment , just focus on that one episode and nothing to come , but then its not that hard just take a moment to think about your comment . I watch them to see there reaction and there talk about the episode , to get a fresh look at the show, people need to relax and enjoy the reactions . I don't make a comment to get read on a video I enjoy more watching them. I hope you guys get help looking at the patron takes just in case. because I like listening to them

DataL0re

It's not just a necessity for TV presentation. They read the takes immediately after the episode ends, while it's still fresh. Long takes are kind of incompatible with that goal.

Pokeysaurus

I'm going to be short and blunt: herding cats is impossible and there's always bad actors. You need a 3rd party volunteer to gather good takes right after a fixed deadline.

David Clamage

I don't think I've ever made a spoiler but 2ill be sure to double check

harrypothead42024

When you read long takes, you can maybe just summarize and not read the entire thing?

River Acheron

ChatGPT ahh

Josh (Target Audience)

Exactly. And a big part of the appeal of watching TA is when they react to those big surprises. Why would we want to spoil that for them and really, for ourselves?

Wrestling With Gaming

Thanks for this video 🙏. I like to think he read my comment on the “Huge News” video requesting exactly this.

KingPin124

There is always so much to say! The first thing that comes to mind might revolve around implications and continuity, but what about the second or third thing on your mind? There's always a safe take waiting.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

Better safe than sorry. Some things like, "I wonder if we'll see this character again" are obvious But even things like, "What did you think of this character?" can be a spoiler because it's only a question you'd ask for a certain type of character, thus spoiling a bit of the discovery. That being said, pretty much all of us are guilty of stuff like this. We all just need to try hard to do better.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

I didn't read it either

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

Absolutely! Here’s a 12-paragraph argument in support of why a pair of YouTube reaction creators should read multi-paragraph long audience comments at the end of their videos: Reading long, thoughtful audience comments at the end of YouTube reaction videos is more than just a kind gesture—it’s a smart, community-driven strategy that can deepen engagement, improve content quality, and build a loyal viewer base. For a pair of creators who rely on the emotional and intellectual investment of their audience, incorporating these kinds of comments into their videos could be a natural and impactful next step. When viewers take the time to write multi-paragraph responses, they’re not just reacting—they’re contributing meaningfully to the conversation. Acknowledging these efforts on-screen validates their participation and strengthens the relationship between creator and audience. This sense of mutual respect encourages return visits and a stronger sense of belonging. People want to feel heard, especially when they’ve put genuine thought into their words, and showcasing those comments sends a clear message that deep interaction is valued. As this practice becomes more visible, it sets a new tone for the comment section as a whole. Viewers are more likely to offer thoughtful reflections themselves if they see that kind of content getting recognized. Over time, this raises the bar for discussion, transforming the space from a casual drop-in zone to a more engaged and insightful community forum. The overall culture of the channel shifts toward quality over quantity—something most creators aim for but often struggle to achieve. Including comment reading at the end of videos also provides a natural transition point in the content flow. It allows the creators to wind down from the main reaction while still maintaining the viewer’s attention. This post-video “cool down” can serve as a reflection space, where creators and audience members collectively process what they just watched. It gives viewers who are emotionally or intellectually moved by the content a more complete experience, allowing them to digest and consider different perspectives before the video ends. From a production standpoint, it’s a low-effort, high-reward move. It doesn’t require extra filming locations, editing tricks, or costly graphics—just time and attention. And yet, it meaningfully enriches the final product. Even a few minutes spent reading and responding to a long comment can add depth and variety to a video without disrupting the core format. Moreover, it puts a spotlight on the intelligence and diversity of the audience itself. Many viewers are insightful, articulate, and passionate, and their voices can add tremendous value. Highlighting their comments shows new viewers the kind of discourse that lives beneath the surface of the channel, and it encourages others to step up and join the conversation. It sends the message that this is a space where thinking, learning, and honest reflection are welcome. Long comments also give the creators a new angle for discussion. They become springboards for creator commentary—an opportunity to clarify a moment from the video, dive deeper into a specific reaction, or share an anecdote that didn’t fit into the main reaction. It lets the creators react to their audience in the same way the audience reacts to them, forming a complete conversational loop. This strategy also helps on a practical level. Watch time is a key metric for YouTube’s algorithm, and holding viewer attention past the reaction segment can improve video performance. A compelling comment-reading segment keeps people watching longer and prompts more viewers to write their own detailed comments, which boosts engagement and visibility even further. Perhaps most importantly, this practice nurtures a culture of listening—something increasingly rare in fast-paced online spaces. In an internet landscape that often rewards brevity, hot takes, and outrage, taking the time to thoughtfully respond to a viewer’s full opinion is a radical act of patience and respect. It slows things down and encourages depth over speed. In time, this approach could even evolve into a recurring mini-segment with its own personality or branding. It becomes something viewers anticipate and look forward to, helping to establish consistency and identity within the channel. Returning viewers might begin to recognize familiar names or ideas, contributing to a sense of continuity and shared history. For creators who react to emotionally heavy or culturally significant content, this kind of thoughtful response is especially important. Audience members often share personal stories or unique analyses in response to powerful moments. Reading those comments aloud invites collective reflection and emotional growth—it turns the comment section into a living archive of experiences and insight. Ultimately, reading long comments at the end of a video honors the two-way nature of platforms like YouTube. This isn’t traditional media; it’s an interactive, community-driven space. Elevating the voices of viewers reminds everyone that the channel thrives not just on the content the creators make, but on the conversation that content inspires. It completes the circle and affirms what YouTube is meant to be: a shared experience, not just a show.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

The guys have said they're already dipping less into the Audience Member takes due to the volume, and that was before DS9. I would be surprised if any were read from those pages much longer. Not sure what the breakdown for how many are in what tier, but that's probably sustainable for the time being.

Pokeysaurus

yeah they do but it always very brief, a like here and joke comment, not really deep discussion but that fine, it there channel and i respect how they want it done

Dark Kronis

They do read and sometimes reply to the comments on the reaction pages, if that's what you were talking about.

Pokeysaurus

Reply “SPOILERS” or something similar to them

Josh (Target Audience)

Loose lips sink ships

Paul Hess

Is it possible to add a vote down or similar feature so that us here can spot inappropriate takes and basically self police to get them hidden from you guys?

JoeCensored

Keep it pithy, Patron people!

Paul Hess

You’ve now got someone calling out spoilers to a great degree, and it feels difficult to say anything meaningful.

Paul Rymer

Totally agree. I've noticed a real trend of Patron Takes becoming more and more novel like over time. I rarely write takes now because anything I ever feel like saying has already been mentioned dozens of times in other people's essays about an episode. A short paragraph at most should suffice. Save the in-depth analysis for the reaction videos themselves.

Elizabeth N

I was guilty of making too long of a take, but then I realized .. those takes almost never get read! I won't say I am the best at keeping them short, but I have tried to keep them shortER. And when it comes to spoilers, I just tried to put myself in the headspace of "what did I know then? Don't say anything you didn't say then!"

Ian Westcott

Jovet is a character. In the Ensign Ro takes, I referred to Cardassians as "Space Nazis" due to the WWII allegory and he was like, "No. Daleks are the space Nazis." And while he's not wrong... Both things can be true. His comments are enjoyable in the episode discussions because sometimes he just puts a timestamp and says "wrong." Haha.

THE LORE!!!

I also think all of us Patreon members need to accept that we should delete a comment if a fellow member says, "you should delete your comment because it's a spoiler." Any of us can accidentally spoil something in our excitement while commenting. No need to get mad about it. Just err on the side of caution and trust that the community here is looking out for TA

Wrestling With Gaming

Come on everyone let’s switch on those 4 lights in our brains before posting 😂

LonghillAndy

Yeah I did that once and Jovet corrected me to delete and rewrite my take, it was for completely the wrong episode of tng, not even in the same series 🤣

LonghillAndy

I really hope patron takes stays because my kids think it’s really cool when my take is mentioned and “daddy is on the internet” 😂

LonghillAndy

I was just musing over whether Patron Takes are compatible with Channel Growth. At present there's ~1.5k paying members and let's say 10% leave a Take, so 150. Now consider 10,000 paying members, 1,000 Takes per episode multiplied by 3 per week. It was a great idea for a smaller channel, but as it grows I can see the Takes becoming a problem.

James Knight

yeah and i do that

Dark Kronis

I think we’ve all been a bit guilty for trying to shove every thought and interesting piece of trivia about an episode in a single take, when really it should just be one thought or tibit of information. Trekkies can be verbose and the patron takes are the first open forum to discuss these episodes in the community. As much as I enjoy the back and forth with other commenters, maybe for simplicity sake they could just be submitted in a form in to a document that we can’t see and most of the discussion becomes a part of the posted recording comments where it’s more appropriate.

EnigmaticPenguin

Just look at the Patron Takes segments that have already aired and see what length they usually read.

Pokeysaurus

As Josh says in the video, they would welcome those longer takes/reviews/deep dives on the reaction video for that episode.

Pokeysaurus

I am aware of the difference I was expressing my dislike for the patron takes in general

AzoriusMage

Well, if there's one thing people on the Internet love to do, it's tell other people they're wrong, so hopefully that's what happens.

THE LORE!!!

As someone Guilty of long takes i try to keep them short from now on, it is hard though when i wanted to convey so much, i would be happy with you reading longer ones off-screen and paraphrasing what was said, but if not that fine, perhaps open second chat for post episode discussion, which you could check out every now and them to let us truly nerd out

Dark Kronis

Personally I'm open to anyone point out if my take spoils anything in the slightest. I usually try to edit them several times myself to make absolutely sure I don't hint at anything.

Andreas Schmitt

Hopefully other patrons can let people know if they make that error

Josh (Target Audience)

There IS an area for commentary. Patron Takes is not it. No voting required. This is Josh and Alex’s channel. They WANT to include Patron Takes in the post-watch discussion… and I appreciate that they do.

Tom Occhipinti

It’s a good name

Josh (Target Audience)

I gotta be honest, and I don’t mean any disrespect. But I just don’t understand people joining a reaction channel, not realizing that ALL spoilers should be off-limits. Shhhhhh…

Tom Occhipinti

I'm watching Star Trek for the first time, so I never read the takes, or much of anything posted on the TA Patreon section because too many times things get spoiled. Just MY take.

Darren Chapman

Maybe you can use a form, where you can set a character limit.

Sainjl

Vote on it

AzoriusMage

About as much as you just wrote

Andreas Schmitt

Partly related but partly not... Josh, you may want to pin some kind of comment about making sure the episodes are correct that people are giving their takes for. I usually use just do a quick glance on Google for it, but Eps 7&8 are both listed as Ep 7 there ,Eps 9&10 are both listed as episode 10, etc. It's pretty whacky. People (including myself) already got them mixed up while giving their takes.

THE LORE!!!

Discord

AzoriusMage

20

AzoriusMage

Any guidance on approximate word count for a patron take?

Evan Guthrie

Seems reasonable to me. Let the longer discussions happen in the comments under the video itself. And our intrepid reactors still do read those comments, too.

Joe Concepts

Not sure how much freedom is available to interact with other patrons .... is it possible to create somewhere we can share thoughts on future episodes with other patrons without worrying that you guys will read it?

THE Fans

please do not do this.

Evan Guthrie

One of those features that'd be awesome for patreon to include would be character limit settings on specific posts, almost like X. But until or if that's added, we'll have to self-regulate. Come on folks, we're elite Star Trek fans. We can do this.

Paul

People need to be more self aware as they write a comment. Spoiling even small details is DISRESPECTFUL to what Josh and Alex are trying to do, and to the amount of work they put into this channel. You may think it’s not a big deal, but their channel is based on them going in blind. Spoiling stuff compromises that for them and everyone who follows them because of the blind reactions And yes, I get the irony of this being three paragraphs lol

Wade MacKinnon

Some people are way too precious about their view and Star Trek for sure. I love Star Trek and have watching it for almost 50 years but some people need to chill a bit.

AzoriusMage

Short thoughts, good questions, brain rot buzz words for comedy. Got it!

Ross Townsend

Ditch the Patron takes I prefer people's comments after watching

AzoriusMage

I personally wish more people wouldn't take it personally if another Patron points out that something is a spoiler. I feel like too many people get defensive and have an attitude, and are too protective of their comment. (PS - Sorry about my name. It's an inside joke in another Patreon group.)

Kevin Is Sexy

I wish people wouldn’t spoil you, but I watched all these shows completely out of order in the 80s and 90s and it rarely affected my enjoyment when I was spoiled (once or twice perhaps). Most of the time it was self inflicted. Just a different time I guess but in this day and age when you have stated AGAIN AND AGAIN please don’t spoil us, I can’t understand why people do it. 😩

Jon1701

I think the bit you said about "if we couldn't have the same take" is the most important bit. And don't write a novel of course. Hopefully it's just people being excited about a new series and they'll calm down, because I do look forward to seeing the contrast that the Patron Takes offer.

PixelsAtDawn

No

Josh (Target Audience)

I'm guessing there's no way to set a character limit on comments within Patreon?

Ca$hWednesday


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