All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast: Recent Episodes
TrekMovie.com editors Anthony Pascale and Laurie Ulster
The All Access Star Trek podcast from TrekMovie.com covers all the new shows in the Star Trek Universe: Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and any other new Trek on TV. Your hosts Anthony Pascale and Laurie Ulster will review new episodes, cover the latest Star Trek news, include exclusive interviews, and offer our own personal takes as we go… which aren’t always the same.
In this supplemental episode, Tony interviews Martin Quinn (Scotty) and Laurie interviews Dave Foley (Dendru) about the latest Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, “Human Best Friend.”
Anthony and Laurie are at the big Trek to Vegas convention this week, so there’s no news this week as they pre-recorded their review. They talk about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ latest episode. “Human Best Friend,” digging into the stories they liked (Ortegas/Scotty), the comedy that really worked, and the areas where they felt it didn’t. A mixed bag! Laurie also briefly mention her favorite moment (which she forgot to mention last week) from Michael Dorn’s episode of Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny. You can listen to our panel at STLV here, and look for a supplemental episode tomorrow, featuring interviews with Martin Quinn (Scotty) and guest star Dave Foley. (Kids in the Hall! News Radio!)
This is a special bonus episode for both the TrekMovie podcasts: All Access Star Trek and Shuttle Pod. This is a live recording of the TrekMovie “Star Trek Status Report 2026” panel from Creation’s Trek to Vegas convention in Las Vegas, recorded on the opening day of the convention, Wednesday August 5. On the panel were TrekMovie founder Anthony Pascale along with his All Access Star Trek co-host Laurie Ulster, and Shuttle Pod co-hosts Matt Wright and Brian Drew, all TrekMovie.com editors. We had a spirited discussion about how Star Trek is at a pivot point, with things appearing to wind down while there are some some signs of optimism for the future. There were some interesting comments and questions from audience members as well. A regular episode of the All Access Star Trek podcast will post on Friday, with a review of SNW 403, followed by a supplemental featuring interviews with Scotty actor Martin Quinn and an exciting guest star from episode 403. Look for that supplemental to drop on Saturday.
In this supplementary episode, Anthony & Laurie talk with Axelle Carolyn, director of episode 402 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “The Griffin Incident.” A horror vet and Star Trek fan, Axelle breaks down some specific scenes and talks about the choice to get gory and the unresolved ending. Follow Axelle on Instagram.
Anthony and Laurie kick things off with a business update about the Paramount/WB merger, then dive into the news that came out of San Diego Comic-Con on Starfleet Academy, Sprouts, Strange New Worlds, and the movie being written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, as well as discussions about the future of the franchise as a whole. They also give a quick STLV preview and talk about their new collaboration with the SyFy Sistas. After that, they review episode 402 of Strange New Worlds, “The Griffin Incident,” looking at visuals, storytelling, character development, and the genre swing. They wrap up with their bits of the week: Kumail Nanjiani talking about his love for Trek, and a great story about TNG fan Sammy Davis Jr. on Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny.
One more special supplemental episode tied to the season 4 premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This time Tony and Laurie welcome back Chris Fisher, who directed episode 401 (“Valles Marineris”) and is an executive producer and the show’s producing director, based in Toronto. We talk extensively about the challenges and nuances of the series premiere and jump into discussing the rest of the season, season 5, and his upcoming book about virtual production.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back and so are Anthony and Laurie! They review the season 4 premiere, “Valles Marineris,” which is a good old-fashioned Star Trek story with new character arcs beginning and impressive visual effects. Come back tomorrow for their interview with SNW producing director Chris Fisher to talk about his work on the season premiere and the entire series, as well as his upcoming book A Producer’s Guide to Virtual Production, which comes out next month.
Tony and Laurie are back! This supplementary edition of the All Access Star Trek podcast features interviews from the recent Star Trek: Strange New Worlds junket, where Tony participated in roundtable interviews with the show’s stars (along with other outlets). The first one is with Anson Mount (Pike), Rebecca Romijn (Number One), and Carol Kane (Pelia), and the second is with Christina Chong (La’an), Ethan Peck (Spock), and Paul Wesley (James Kirk). Anthony and Laurie talk about the cast’s answers and give a bit of a preview of upcoming episodes of the podcast. Strange New Worlds season 4 premieres Thursday, July 23, and we’ll be back on the 24th with a full review of the first episode.
This week All Access Star Trek has a shorter supplemental episode. Laurie is traveling, so Anthony takes this one solo to give listeners an idea of what is coming as we head into the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which debuts next Thursday, July 23rd. This week also includes audio from interviews with writer/co-executive producer Bill Wolkoff and actress Melissa Navia (Ortegas), conducted at the Hollywood Climate Summit, where they both talked about environmental connections to Trek as well as SNW season 4 (and 5). Tony also briefly covers the latest news, including an update on the Paramount/WBD merger going to court, some new Star Trek merch, and some SNW S4 preview updates along with what to expect for Star Trek at San Diego Comic-Con, which is also coming up next week. Laurie and Tony will be back together to discuss and review the season 4 premiere on Friday the 24th, and back each Friday after that for all ten episodes with some interviews along the way, which starts next week with episode 1 director Chris Fisher. Before that, Tony and Laurie will reunite for supplemental episode early next week to catch up and roll in audio from the Strange New Worlds season 4 junket cast interviews. See you then.
This week, we have a special supplemental podcast recorded live at Trek Long Island last weekend in Hauppauge, New York. TrekMovie’s All Access Star Trek co-host Laurie Ulster moderated the “Generations of Trek Women” panel on Saturday on the main stage to “revisit memories of Trek across different eras” and discuss “the evolution of the franchise and what it’s been like for women who performed in it.” The panel was packed with Star Trek guest stars, featuring Stephanie Czajkowski (Star Trek: Picard – T’Veen), Bonnie Gordon (Star Trek: Prodigy, USS Prodigy computer and other voices), Carolyn McCormick (Star Trek: The Next Generation – Minuet/Min) Musetta Vander (Star Trek: Voyager – Derran Tal), and Sachi Parker (Star Trek: The Next Generation – Dr. Tava). Tony and Laurie will be back together next week to catch up on all the Star Trek news and more.
[Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider interview starts at 28:24 / George Takei interview starts at 1:18:49] Anthony and Laurie start with a quick news round-up, focusing mostly on the games, merch, and events being planned around Star Trek’s 60th anniversary this year. They briefly discuss the latest auction in Toronto featuring items from the Strange New Worlds set and the new (in-progress) Doug Jones documentary, then get into this week’s main interview: a chat with the directors of the documentary Beam Me Up, Sulu, Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider to learn how they discovered Stan Woo’s fan film, how they made their way to George Takei to secure his involvement, and why Star Trek was progressive from its very beginnings. They wrap up by playing Tony’s interview with George, done when the documentary film was released.
It’s a crossover! Tony and Laurie join Bryan and Kristen of Trek Marry Kill for a deep dive into the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode “The Ultimate Computer.” TrekMovie dubbed Trek Marry Kill the best Star Trek podcast of 2024 for their unique, fun way of reviewing and analyzing episodes from across the franchise. TrekMovie’s Laurie Ulster, Brian Drew and Kayla Iacovino have previously been guests on TMK, but this is the first time the All Access Star Trek team has joined in together. The four podcasters have a lot of fun using the TMK categories to analyze this classic Trek episode that’s just as relevant today as it was back in 1968.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Gustavo Gobbi, a Star Trek journalist and editor for Trek Brasilis who covered CCXP Mexico for TrekMovie, attending the Strange New Worlds panels and interviewing the four cast members who attended: Rebecca Romijn, Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck, and Paul Wesley. The trio discusses the brand-new teaser trailer for SNW season 4 and everything the actors talked about in their interviews, which you can also hear at the end of the pod. Everyone also talks about the announcement of a new Creation convention in Philadelphia in November and big-name guests who’ll be at Star Trek Las Vegas in August. Finally the trio talks about the latest business updates as Paramount’s CEO is talking Star Trek again, then plays the audio from Gustavo’s interviews with the Strange New Worlds cast.
Anthony and Laurie took a trip to Ticonderoga with Kayla, Brian, and Andy from the Shuttle Pod podcast to visit the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour, which exceeded all of their extremely high expectations. Listen as they talk about the immersive experience, the personal tour they got from owner James Cawley, the special events that happen there yearly, and the experience of the town itself.
Jonathan Frakes, Kitty Swink, and Armin Shimerman join Anthony and Laurie to talk about PanCAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and the Purple Stride walk to support it on April 25. They talk about the importance of identifying symptoms early and making sure you see a doctor who knows about pancreatic cancer, and the joy of doing the walk with friends and supporters. Everyone also talks some Trek, taking a look at where the franchise is now (in a post-Academy and Strange New Worlds world), the state of the fandom, and a bit of TNG and DS9 history. They also talk about changes in the industry, like mergers and using AI to replace actors. The wrap up with a reminder to walk, donate, or share all the info about PanCAN and Purple Stride.
Anthony and Laurie have a lot of news to catch up on. They start with the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, looking at statements from Paramount as well as reactions from both the cast and the show’s fans, and have a brief debate about whether or not that factored into the decision. Robert Picardo’s recent comments about Star Trek taking “a pause” sparked a broader discussion of what might happen next with the franchise both on TV and in movies. They also take a look at a new interview with Paul Giamatti about Academy‘s Nus Braka. They chat about Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir’s comments on this era of Trek, along with his subsequent apology to Alex Kurtzman, and Tony goes through the latest on new comics and games. They recap some of the Trek Talks panels, particularly the Deep Space Nine “Trials and Tribble-ations discussion where Ira talked about nervously calling Leonard Nimoy to get his approval and the Enterprise writers panel where they talked about their pitches for season 5. Laurie gives a full Trek Talks update and then urges everyone to go check out the footage and images from the Artemis mission.
This week, we have a special supplemental podcast recorded live at WonderCon last weekend in Anaheim (so forgive the suboptimal audio). Our friend TrekLand’s Larry Nemecek was hosting a panel with a variety of podcasters and Star Trek superfans as participants, including our own Anthony Pascale. The panel was originally going to cover the online debates surrounding Starfleet Academy, but the show not getting picked up for a third season pivoted things. Here is the official description from the WonderCon schedule. Star Trek at 60: Starfleet Academy: Real Uniter or Faux Divider? Is it 2017 again? Star Trek turns 60 with a host of anniversary plans, but Starfleet Academy has bowed with more controversy than any recent series since Star Trek: Discovery’s heated first year. With SFA’s first season wrapped, “Dr. Trek” Larry Nemecek (The Trek Files, Portal 47) asks a host of Trek industry vets for their own takes on the series as well as the meta-reaction to it: Is that initial negative reaction by some critics and fans more about clickbait-chasing talkers and review-bombing than actual criticism and nuance? an we sense whether IRL armchair Trekkies feel as mainstream critics and activist fans do—in support? Panelists included Neal Hallford (DP, Con of Wrath), Matt Jennings (1701: A Blerd Story), Tony Kim (Hero Within), Giraffe (Strange New Pod), and Anthony Pascale (TrekMovie).
Anthony and Laurie and TrekMovie contributor Bobby Oler chat with John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox, to talk about Trek Talks 5, the all-day marathon of Star Trek panels on YouTube benefitting Hollywood Food Coalition that’s now in its fifth year. In their freewheeling discussion, they also dig deep into John’s experience on Enterprise and his work on other shows, his reasons for giving up social media, sitting on William Shatner’s lap, and why he’s not a fan of table reads, as well as the importance of the Hollywood Food Coalition and the way Star Trek fans and pros come together to do good in the world.
[Review starts at 22:37 / Interviews start at 59:27] Anthony and Laurie start with Anthony’s recap of his evening on the red carpet and in the press room at the Saturn Awards last weekend. After that, they dig into Alex Kurtzman’s comments about his ongoing discussions with Paramount Skydance, Henry Alonso Myers’ optimism for a Strange New Worlds spin-off (and news on the fate of its sets), Olatunde Osunsanmi’s optimism for more Starfleet Academy after season 2. Optimism! They also talk about the new Waze update that adds The Doctor’s voice to your driving directions. Then it’s time to get into the Starfleet Academy season 1 finale, “Rubincon,” which pulled together elements from across the season. They wrap up by playing the audio from Tony’s recent interviews with showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau.
[Review starts at 23:46 / Interview starts at 59:59] Anthony and Laurie start with the buzziest news: The Paramount/Warner Bros. merger is moving forward. They talk about what this might mean for Trek, also noting that this is the first time in ten years we haven’t had any Star Trek shows in production or greenlit. They also discuss Seth MacFarlane’s new comments about The Orville season 4, and awards wins for Prodigy and Terry Matalas. Then it’s time to review Starfleet Academy‘s penultimate episode of season 1, “300th Night,” which delivered big on both action and emotion. They wrap things up with Tony’s new interview with “300th Night” director Jonathan Frakes.
[Review starts at 15:05 / Interviews start at 53:54] Anthony and Laurie start with breaking news: It looks like Paramount is going to win the bid to buy Warner Bros., instead of Netflix. (More on that next week as info comes in.) Also: Star Trek is receiving a Hall of Fame awards at the Saturns, a new comic sends Uhura back to 1963, and the Nimoy family is asking fans to help honor Leonard’s legacy. They cover the latest on Starfleet Academy, noting that the show has wrapped production on its second season and appreciating the note George Takei sent Karim Diané about playing Trek’s first gay Klingon. Then it’s time to review episode 8 “The Life of the Stars,” an emotionally intense episode with some great sci-fi and the return of Mary Wiseman’s Tilly to the franchise. They play Laurie’s interview with Mary and then Tony’s chat with showrunner Noga Landau and episode co-writer (and show creator) Gaia Violo. They wrap up with a quick look at William Shatner’s heavy metal album and LeVar Burton on Rob Lowe’s podcast.
[Review starts at 25:34 / Interviews start at 49:31] Anthony and Laurie talk through the latest news: The screenwriter of Star Trek: Nemesis says Data did NOT die in movie, there’s a new documentary out about George Takei, and IDW is launching new comic book series for Trek’s 60th anniversary. They also round up some Starfleet Academy news: That comic book in last week’s episode was not made by AI, Paul Giamatti has hopes for Nus Braka’s future, and Kate Mulgrew has choice words for anyone who insults Holly Hunter’s Chancellor Ake. Then it’s time to review “Ko’Zeine,” which Tony & Laurie both found to be a little weak, and play Tony’s new interviews with George Hawkins (Darem) and Bella Shepard (Genesis).
[Review starts at 08:07] It’s our 250th episode! Anthony and Laurie cover the news: Jess Bush talked about Strange New Worlds at a convention, where she hinted that the Spock/Chapel relationship might not be as over as we think, and Robbie McNeill and Tim Russ are providing voices for the upcoming Voyager Across The Unknown game. Then they jump into their review of Starfleet Academy episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away,” appreciating the high stakes, the taut pacing, the character moments, and the intense performances of Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti. Both hosts really liked the episode, but also had a handful of nitpicks to throw in, although the episode was still a hit. They wrap up with connections between Star Trek and Commodore 64 & Amiga, a Bluesky account about Worf’s emails, and a small Trek Talks update.
[Review starts at 4:09 / Interviews start at 58:03] Anthony and Laurie keep the news short this week, but do talk about a new comic series from IDW that covers the unexplored (and very dark) history of why the Klingons are refugees in the 32nd century. The rest of the podcast is dedicated to Starfleet Academy episode 5, “Series Acclimation Mil” and its loving tribute to Deep Space Nine and the Sisko family. As they discuss the episode, they play clips from various interviews with Tawny Newsome and Robert Picardo, then afterwards, the full interview Tony did with Tawny and Cirroc Lofton.
Anthony and Laurie start with awards news: Strange New Worlds is up for four Saturn Awards, and both SNW and Section 31 are up for some Canadian Costume Awards. They also talk about an upcoming Star Trek-themed episode of The Masked Singer, the arrival of a new batch of Scouts episodes, a new SFA comic, and some early intel on audience data for Starfleet Academy. Then they dig into their review of this week’s episode, “Vox in Excelso,” which they both found to be rich, layered, and very Star Trek. They wrap up with Tig Notaro’s Oscar nominatino, a first listen of the new podcast from Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner, and the answer to the all-important question: Why is William Shatner eating cereal in his car?
Anthony and Laurie start the podcast with a quick look at the Razzie Awards’ multiple nominations for the Star Trek: Section 31 streaming movie and some of the chatter around Starfleet Academy, which includes insults from blowhard politicians and excellent rebuttals from Gina Yashere on CNN and Whoopi Goldberg on The View. Then they review Starfleet Academy‘s third episode, “Vitus Reflux,” which definitely leans into the whole YA vibe. After that, they play Tony’s brand-new interview with Academy‘s Oded Fehr (Admiral Vance). Then Laurie gives a quick Trek Talks update and they both discuss the recent William Shatner-eating-cereal-in-his-car discourse.
In a supplementary episode, Anthony and Laurie review episode 2 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, “Beta Test.”
The day is here! Tony and Laurie take a quick dip into the news — Star Trek Las Vegas is probably going to sell out this year, early responses to Starfleet Academy and where to watch it for free — then plunge headfirst into their review of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s premiere, “Kids These Days,” to talk about the episode both on its own merits and as a new series debut. Tomorrow, we’ll have another podcast out covering episode 2!
Starfleet Academy is almost here! With the premiere less than a week away, Anthony and Laurie are joined by Creation’s Dr. Ann Marie Segal to talk about the first six episodes of the show—no spoilers!—and all the hoopla around it. Ann Marie and Laurie both went to the world premiere in NYC and have tales to tell, plus everyone weighs in on what they think of the show. The group also talks about a new interview with Star Trek head honcho Alex Kurtzman.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by TrekMovie’s Joe Andosca, The Salon‘s Trevor Hook, and Dr. Ann Marie Segal of Creation and The 7th Rule, to look back at Star Trek in 2025 and ahead to an uncertain future in 2026. They talk about their favorite episodes, books, games, and events from last year, as well as the top Trek news stories and some of the missteps. Then they turn their attention to 2026 at what’s certain—Starfleet Academy, more Strange New Worlds—and what’s a little murkier: the future of Trek on TV, the recently announced movie, the state of Skydance/Paramount, 60th anniversary plans, and more.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by the Shuttle Pod‘s Brian Drew to go through all the latest Star Trek news, covering Skydance/Paramount’s attempt to buy Warner Bros. Discovery via hostile takeover, the struggles smaller companies are having paying for the significantly increased costs of licensing, while Netflix is losing their global license for the Star Trek TV library. We also take a look at the latest in Star Trek documentaries, details on Starfleet Academy and the imminent wrap of Strange New Worlds, and more, along with our brief highlights of our own podcast in the last year.
It’s pitch week! Anthony and Laurie are joined by Trev and Stanley from The Salon to talk about all the Star Trek TV pitches out there—but they start with an in-depth look at the brand-new clip from the first episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. They talk about Paul Giamatti’s insights into his SFA character, Nus Braka, and Robert Picardo’s confirmation on which version of The Doctor is in the show. They discuss the sentimental posts from Strange New Worlds actors as production heads towards its end, and the imminent departure of Prodigy and other Trek shows from Netflix across the globe. Then it’s time for the main topic: all the TV pitches out there for new Trek series from creatives who’ve already worked in the franchise. They break down each one—ideas from Tawny Newsome & Justin Simien, Terry Matalas, Mike Sussman, Akiva Goldsman & Henry Alonso Myers, Aaron Waltke, and Jennifer Muro—and assess its viability as a group. After that, each person makes their own pitch for a Star Trek show that is assessed by the others: Greenlight? Development deal? Hard pass? Listen to find out.
Anthony and Laurie go through the latest news, starting with a round-up of Starfleet Academy tidbits—voice casting, a character photo, and a brand-new poster—to build up anticipating for its January 2026 debut. They discuss Christina Chong’s perception of what season 3 of Strange New Worlds will bring and all the photos and videos Anson Mount is posting as they wind up filming on the show for the final time. And Prodigy is up for two Emmys, plus it’s about to leave Netflix. Next, they switch into movie mode, with updates on why a Paramount exec canceled the Noah Hawley Star Trek movie, and what it might mean if Paramount (Skydance) ends up acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery. They have the latest on the long-awaited Voyager documentary To The Journey and a possible next season of The Center Seat, the already sold out Star Trek Lego set along with the sad news that Hero Within (and other smaller companies) can’t afford their Trek license anymore. Then they round up all the intel from the Trek to Chicago convention, with interviews and panels from Todd Stashwick, Jeri Ryan, William Shatner, and Brent Spiner & Gates McFadden, who add some detail to Jonathan Frakes’ story from a few weeks back about TNG table reads. Then they play Laurie’s interview with Garrett Wang about Voyager‘s 30th anniversary, “Two-Pip Kim,” early days with Jennifer Lien, and more. They wrap up with Tony’s enthusiasm for the new Stargate series, Laurie’s announcement of the date for Trek Talks 5, and a lot of Instagram activity from Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn. Phew!
Anthony and Laurie talk about the biggest Star Trek news in a long time: There’s a new Star Trek movie in development and odds are it’ll make it over the finish line. After a chat about that, they dive into their interview with Kitty Swink and Jonathan Frakes to talk about Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, discussing the importance of early diagnosis, how to identify symptoms, where to get help, how to support loved ones, and the medical strides being made along with action the government needs to take. They also lighten things up a little with some Star Trek talk! Jonathan & Kitty find out about the new movie announcement for the first time, Kitty talks about watching DS9 with Armin for the Delta Flyers podcast, Jonathan asks for honest opinions about Strange New Worlds‘ “A Space Adventure Hour,” reminisces about why table reads at The Next Generation stopped happening, and gives his favorite directing tip. Jonathan also talks about directing for the upcoming debut season of Starfleet Academy.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek this week! All three talk about the latest Star Trek news including how things are changing for the franchise under Skydance, especially now that there won’t be a 4th Kelvin movie. The group also talks about how Strange New Worlds has hit a production milestone, the news that soap star Deidre Hall has filmed a role on a new (unidentified) Trek show, Sonequa Martin-Green providing some hope for a cameo on SFA, and the announcement that the first official Star Trek LEGO set is coming this month. They also get Larry’s thoughts on the legacy of Original Series director Ralph Senensky. The podcast wraps up with some of the exciting Trek tours Larry will be leading this year and other plans in the Dr. Trek universe.
Anthony and Laurie hold the news for one more week to make room for their interview with the creatives behind Star Trek: Khan the audio drama podcast: writers Kirsten Beyer and David Mack, and director Fred Greenhalgh. They talk about the whole process, starting with Nicholas Meyer’s original scripts, working with Nick as Khan changed from a TV miniseries to a podcast, and working with the actors and sound designers to make it into a full-fledged audio drama. They talk about story choices as well as the reception from both fans and the higher-ups at Paramount. Next week: a deep dive into all the news with Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek
Anthony and Laurie skip the news this week, except to point to some Halloween-themed content on TrekMovie.com along with our #TrekStarHalloween costume contest on Instagram, with prizes from Doug Drexler’s personal collection. The main part of the podcast is Laurie’s recent interview with Star Trek’s most prolific director, David Livingston, to celebrate Star Trek: Voyager‘s 30th anniversary and raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Laurie and David dug into specific choices in episodes of Voyager, working with guest stars like Scarlett Pomers and Sarah Silverman, David’s joy whenever he’s asked to talk Trek, and just how much involvement a Star Trek director had back in the Berman era. They wrap up talking about the microgrants created to honor the legacy of SyFy Sista Subrina Wood.
Anthony and Laurie talk to Doug Drexler, the multihyphenate who worked on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and Picard (for starters), doing makeup, illustration, scenic art, ship design, CG work, and more. As the Kickstarter campaign launches for the new “Trek Star” documentary about his life and career, he tells stories about his work in the Trek franchise and beyond, his love of the Trek franchise, and more.
Anthony and Laurie sort through all the news from New York Comic Con: the Starfleet Academy trailer, the clip from Strange New Worlds season 4, the panel with actors and showrunners, and some of the Star Trek merch on the show floor as well as Laurie’s journey in the Starfleet Academy Interactive Experience. They also talk about what didn’t happen at NYCC and how it was different from previous years. They end the podcast on a sad note, talking about the loss of SyFy Sista Subrina Wood, whose unique voice will be greatly missed by Star Trek fans and pros alike.
Anthony and Laurie asked Fred Bronson to come on the podcast to talk about writing The Animated Series’ “The Counter-Clock Incident” and co-writing the story for The Next Generation‘s “The Game,” and got so much more! Fred talked about co-writing TNG’s “Ménage à Troi” with Susan Sackett, working for Gene Roddenberry and pitching script ideas to him over lunch, pitching to Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Rick Berman, and Jeri Taylor, getting a tour of the Star Trek (2009) set, Gene’s evolving opinions, and so much more.
Anthony and Laurie cover the news first, starting with a first look at the design for the Star Trek float that’ll be in the 2026 Rose Parade. They round up more tidbits from the panels at STNJ and STLV conventions (Uhura! Tuvix! Voyager reunion!), along with a quick update from Marina Sirtis. They talk about a new Voyager game (more Tuvix!), new (fan favorite Eaglemoss rerelease) ships from Fanhome, and a first-time collaboration between Star Trek and Magic: The Gathering. After that, they play Laurie’s recent interview with Robert Duncan McNeill (done for the Star Trek Family fan group) to celebrate Voyager‘s 30th anniversary and raise some money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. They wrap up with Star Trek getting a legal ruling and some famous Trek names on 24.
On the anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek: Enterprise, Anthony and Laurie are joined this week by writer/producer Mike Sussman, who worked on Voyager and Enterprise, starting out as an intern and eventually writing multiple episodes for both. He talks about how he got the job and his time working in the Berman era of Star Trek and discusses his pitch that would bring Scott Bakula back to Trek, Star Trek: United.
[Khan review starts at 19:42] Anthony and Laurie are joined by TrekMovie reviewer Dénes House this week. They start with a quick look at the news—there’ll be a Star Trek panel and Starfleet Academy experience at New York Comic Con, Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley talk about the Spirk mind meld in the Strange New Worlds season 3 finale, Kate Mulgrew is still mad about the cancellation of Prodigy, Gates McFadden has a fun take on TNG’s “Sub Rosa,” and Jeri Taylor gets honored at last Sunday’s Emmy Awards. Then the trio is ready to talk about the new audio drama Star Trek: Khan. They review the first two episodes with all agreeing it is an excellent new part of Star Trek in terms of storytelling, performances, and production. We also play interviews from Khan co-writer Kirsten Beyer and stars Naveen Andrews (Lost) and Wrenn Schmidt (For All Mankind). They wrap up with bits of the week, including Rebecca Romijn’s Star Trek role as a clue on Jeopardy, the fun Target Audience reaction podcast watching Star Trek for the first time, and Laurie promoting her upcoming moderation of an online panel with Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill.
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 24:56] Anthony and Laurie start with the news, talking about Skydance’s plans for the future and Zachary Quinto’s hope they will include a final Kelvin movie. They cover some of this week’s Star Trek Day announcements (Star Trek Lego! A preschool show!), and preview the Khan audio series. Tony talks about the Strange New Worlds screening & panel at the LA Screenings event in LA on Star Trek Day, and Laurie recaps the Trek to New Jersey convention. Then it’s time to review Strange New Worlds season 3 finale, “New Life and New Civilizations.” They talk about Pike and Batel, Spirk, the Vezda, magic vs. sci-fi, and more, and play the full audio from Tony’s interview with showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, whereupon Laurie goes on a Gorn rant and Tony suggests she focus on celebrating that the end of their storyline has come.
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 17:06] Anthony and Laurie start this week’s podcast with the news, looking for the meaning behind a new Trek promo on Paramount+, digging into new details on Noah Hawley’s shelved Star Trek movie, and getting tidbits on Starfleet Academy. They go through more of the panels from STLV to get insights into Deep Space Nine, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds, then take a look at SNW on the Nielsen streaming charts. Then it’s time to review Strange New Worlds episode 308, “Terrarium,” which they both liked, although they disagree about a few choices. They play Tony’s interview with Melissa Navia (Ortegas), then wrap up the podcast with a Trek-themed political parody post and a book Laurie wrote a chapter for.
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 23:20 ] Sometimes, an episode comes along that benefits from a little intoxication. To review this week’s Strange New Worlds wacky Vulcan episode, Anthony and Laurie decided that being sober was the wrong way to go, so Tony poured himself some Jack Daniels and Laurie fired up a joint. Before their respective substances kicked in, they covered the latest in Paramount/Skydance news and how Star Trek’s future is looking up, a bit of Starfleet Academy news from Kirsten Beyer, tidbits about Enterprise and TNG from panels at Star Trek Las Vegas, and a couple of upcoming regional conventions. With elevated moods, they then reviewed “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” which they both felt missed the mark on both Vulcans and comedy, although they managed to find some bright spots and avoided taking the whole thing too seriously… for the most part. Cheers!
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 26:25] Anthony and Laurie star the podcast by looking to the future, covering Paramount (now a Skydance company)’s interest in making Star Trek movies and the creative people looking to make new pitches for Trek shows and movies. They discuss Simon Pegg’s thwarted plans for a Beyond spin-off, plans for the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con, Lower Decks‘ wins at the Hugos, and some new Trek games coming our way. They also talk about Jonathan Frakes’ surprise that his SNW holodeck episode has mixed reviews and the strong numbers for the show’s new season, then dig in to their review of this week’s episode, “What is Starfleet?” and then play Laurie’s interview with Mynor Luken (Beto Ortegas).
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 28:26] What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas: Anthony and Laurie are back from Star Trek Las Vegas with tales to tell! The podcasters recap the highlights of the 5-day convention and go through just SOME of the news that came from the event: Scott Bakula and producer/writer Mike Sussman pitched an Archer show to Secret Hideout, Terry Matalas has 30 pages of a post-Picard script that includes ideas for how to bring back Todd Stashwick, Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien’s sitcom pitch is done and in the hands of Paramount+ (a Skydance Corporation), Simon Pegg thinks Skydance’s David Ellison will be interested in making another Star Trek movie, and Starfleet Academy will show us new sides of The Doctor. NOTE: The podcast was recorded before news broke about the new Paramount’s plans for Star Trek, so we will pick up on that in next week’s pod. After the news, they dig into this week’s episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” digging deep into the Kirk of it all, celebrating Pelia, laughing at cat clocks, and seeing Pike at his captain-ly best. They wrap up with Tony’s interview with Valerie Weiss, the scientist-turned-director who helmed the episode.
This is a live, unedited stream of TrekMovie’s “Star Trek Status Report: 2025 And Beyond” panel recorded at the STLV: Trek To Vegas convention on Thursday, August 7, which also happens to be the day Skydance officially took over Paramount. Here is the official description: “TrekMovie editors and podcasters Anthony Pascale, Laurie Ulster, Matt Wright, and Brian Drew will talk about where things stand and where things are headed for the franchise on television, film, and beyond. Please come and say hi, there will be a Q&A to ask any burning questions you have.” This is a supplemental podcast from TrekMovie’s All Access Star Trek and Shuttle Pod podcasts. All Access Star Trek will be posting our regular weekly pod on Friday, August 15th with Tony and Laurie recapping STLV 2025 and reviewing Strange New Worlds episode 306.
The TrekMovie team is at Star Trek Las Vegas this week, but Anthony and Laurie recorded their review of Strange New Worlds episode 305, “Through the Lens of Time” earlier. And both enjoyed the episode which has a classic Star Trek premise. Today’s podcast also includes Anthony’s interview with guest star Cillian O’Sullivan (Roger Korby), talking about “Through the Lens of Time” and more.
Brian Drew from The Shuttle Pod joins Anthony and Laurie to talk about the latest on the approved Paramount-Skydance merger and all the news from last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, which brought big reveals about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (including a teaser trailer, character bios, and more) and Strange New Worlds (with teases for season 3, season 4, and beyond… and puppets), plus long-awaited details—and a teaser—for the audio drama Star Trek: Khan. Then Anthony and Laurie review Strange New Worlds’ episode 304, “A Space Adventure Hour,” which they had very different takes on. They wrap up with the announcement of TrekMovie’s upcoming panels at Star Trek Las Vegas.
Anthony and Laurie review episode 3 of Strange New Worlds‘ third season, “Shuttle to Kenfori.” They talk about the three different stories—a zombie planet expedition with Pike and M’Benga, insubordination from Ortegas, and growing Gorn issues for Batel—and how they intertwine thematically. They also dig into some nitpicks about hair, mind melds, and Klingon costumes, and discuss Pike’s character arc plus the joy of seeing Una in command. There was also some breaking news which Anthony quickly covers regarding the Skydance/Paramount merger getting final regulatory approval. Together with Laurie they will cover that in more detail in next week’s pod, along with all the news emerging from San Diego Comic-Con.
A bonus episode with all of our junket interviews for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Laurie guides you through the four interviews that Tony conducted, adding her commentary along the way. There are three cast interviews in the following groups: Interview 1 with Melissa Navia (Ortegas), Celia Rose Gooding (Uhura) and Babs Olusanmokun (M’Benga); Interview 2 with Martin Quinn (Scotty) and Jess Bush (Chapel); Interview 3 with Rebecca Romijn (Number One) and Christina Chong (La’an). And the fourth interview is with executive producers and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers. The cast interviews focus on their characters in season 3. The producers interview is broken into two parts, starting with a deep dive into the season 3 premiere (“Hegemony, Part II”) and then discussing how they plan on wrapping up the show in season 5, and their hopes to do another show set in the TOS era.
Since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 premiered with back-to-back episodes that are extremely different in tone, we separated our podcast reviews into two episodes. Today, listen to Anthony and Laurie’s dive into “Wedding Bell Blues” to talk about Trelane the Q (although they never said Trelane or Q), Spock and Chapel, Roger Korby, and Laurie’s very biased views on the wedding industry and the band Wham.
Along with the new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the All Access Star Trek podcast is back in action. Tony and Matt cover the latest news: an update on the Skydance/Paramount merger, Star Trek Emmy and TCA nominations, a Comic-Con preview, and some new comments from the last Star Trek 4 director about that film being shut down in 2022. We also talk about TrekMovie’s exclusive coverage of Strange New Worlds, including Akiva’s thoughts on the future of the series into season 5 and beyond, the showrunners’ comments on the season 3 premiere and previews of what’s next, and more commentary from the cast that included Martin Quinn’s take on Scotty. Then Laurie (who’s out of town this week and couldn’t do the news) and Anthony review SNW’s season 3 premiere, “Hegemony, Part II,” which wraps up last season’s cliffhanger and sets some new stories in motion. Want our review of season 3’s second episode, “Wedding Bell Blues”? Come back tomorrow for a bonus episode.
Anthony and Laurie start the podcast with a deep dive into the latest goings-on with the Paramount/Skydance merger, unraveling the latest events and discussing what its impact on the Star Trek franchise (including movies as well as TV) could be. They talk about the news that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will end after season and how that will affect the arc of the show, then spend some time digging into the season 3 trailer as well as the panel discussion from the recent screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. Both podcasters also share their (mostly spoiler-free) early thoughts on the first five episodes of the third season, which has been shared in advance with the media. Laurie gives a quick wrap-up of the Trek Long Island convention, Tony talks about the announcement for Spaceballs 2—and a hint from Tim Russ that he may return for it—and Laurie recommends a fun video of the Lower Decks show open done TOS-style.
This week, listen to the interview Laurie did at Trek Long Island with actress Susan Diol, who played Carmen Davila, the ill-fated colonist who was killed by the Crystalline Entity on TNG’s “Silicon Avatar,” and Dr. Danara Pel on Star Trek: Voyager. Susan talked about her experiences on Star Trek, other career experiences (Seinfeld!), being a woman in Hollywood, going on a couple of dates with Brent Spiner, and much more.
Anthony and Laurie welcome actor and artist Bruce Horak to the podcast to talk about getting cast as Chief Engineer Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, doing knife-catching scenes and death scenes, singing as a Klingon, filming during Covid, and bonding with Uhura. He also tells us about his way of seeing the world and how he’s expressing that in his painting and the documentary he’s crowdfunding, Boldly Going, in which he meets others who have overcome barriers to find creative freedom and purpose and paints their portrait as he talks to them, creating a moment of connection captured on canvas.
Anthony and Laurie play the audio from all of Tony’s interviews at Universal Fan Fest’s Star Trek night, which include Starfleet Academy‘s Kerrice Brooks & Bella Shepard, Picard‘s Michelle Hurd, Deep Space Nine‘s Nana Visitor, and Lower Decks’ Jerry O’Connell and Tawny Newsome. They talk about the tone of Starfleet Academy, progress on Tawny’s Trek sitcom in development, hopes for the future of Lower Decks and Picard/Legacy, and Nana’s plan to play Janeway and Kira at the same time. They wrap up with a ticket giveaway for Star Trek Long Island, so listen for instructions!
It’s been a while, so it’s time to round up the news! Anthony and Laurie are joined by TrekMovie comics reviewer Joe Andosca to talk about Tony & Joe’s evening at Universal Fan Fest with Star Trek actors and the immersive experience on the Enteprise-D. We also have updates on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, business news about Paramount Plus, new info about Discovery‘s finale, and accolades for Lower Decks. They wrap up with post-Trek Talks and PanCAN updates and an Andor recommendation.
Anthony and Laurie welcome creature designer Neville Page to the podcast this week. Neville has designed aliens and creatures for all three of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies, Discovery, and Picard, not to mention a few little movies like Avatar, Cloverfield, Super 8, and more—and he has a new Kickstarter project: a book that that’s both a personal and practical field guide for anyone building a career in the creative arts. Neville talks about how he got started in his career, digs into the details on some of his Star Trek creatures like The Torchbearer, Saru, and Krall, describes the challenges of tackling legacy Star Trek aliens, and much more.
John Billingsley, Kitty Swink, Armin Shimerman, Jonathan Frakes, and Juan Carlos Coto join Anthony and Laurie to talk about the upcoming PurpleStride march to raise money and awareness for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. They talk about why it’s so important, plus key changes in research and funding over the past year. Then the gang segues into Star Trek, speculating on the state of the franchise, what caused the end of Berman-era Trek, streaming TV and the era of shorter seasons, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and Jonathan Frakes’ farting chair.
John Billingsley (Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox) joins Tony and Laurie to tell everyone about Trek Talks, an all-day marathon of Star Trek panels to benefit Hollywood Food Coalition happening on April 5. John talks about how donations help the Coalition expand its mission, working with other groups to combat food insecurity and offer other vital services, then gets into the details about Trek Talks 4 and what panels and interviews to expect (as well as the superhero underwear he may be wearing for the occasion). He also talks about his time on Enterprise as #7 on the call sheet, his recent roles on shows like Manhunt and Matlock, and the practical jokes he used to play on Scott Bakula.
Brian Volk-Weiss from the Nacelle Company joins Tony and Laurie this week to talk about the new, deep cut Star Trek action figures his company has up for pre-order, as well their other Trek-related projects like Gates McFadden’s podcast and documentaries. He also gives us a preview of what’s next for the toy line and hints at some upcoming Star Trek docs too. Before the interview portion of the pod, Brian joins in to talk about the latest news, including Strange New Worlds going back into production, an actor update from Starfleet Academy, and high Nielsen ratings for Section 31, and the surprise announcement about the Star Trek: Khan audio drama. We also talk about the possible return of William Shatner to the Star Trek franchise. The pod wraps up with Brian taking a shortened version of our Star Trek Questionnaire.
After a quick catch-up on the production status of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and the Inglorious Treksperts’ plans for Star Trek Las Vegas, Anthony and Laurie dig into the questions sent in by podcast listeners. We also get an update from our sister podcast, the original TrekMovie pod, Shuttle Pod.
Anthony and Laurie covered the ‘Section 31’ junket and the NYC red carpet premiere, respectively, so this week they play the audio from their interviews and talk about what the cast and crew had to say, the fan reaction to Paramount +’s first streaming Star Trek movie, and more. This includes a discussions with Alex Kurtzman about the future of the franchise and we also had a chance to talk to Discovery actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz and Strange New Worlds actress Carol Kane. From Section 31 we spoke to star Michelle Yeoh (Georgiou), Rob Kazinksy (Zeph), Sven Ruygrok (Fuzz), Humberly Gonzales (Melle), James Liao (San), Omari Hardwick (Alok), and Kacey Rohl (Rachel Garrett).
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Matt Wright and Denes House. After recapping the NYC premiere event and junket, the group gives an honest review of the Star Trek: Section 31 streaming movie, discussing the movie itself as well as the intention and history behind the creation of Section 31, how the movie fits in to the franchise both story-wise and industry-wise, and more.
For this special podcast—one day early, just for you!—Tony and Laurie are joined by TrekMovie’s Matt Wright and Aaron Bossig (also of the Hungry Trilobyte podcast) plus Tamia Harper of the SyFy Sistas podcast. Together, the group goes through their favorite episodes of the year from Discovery, Prodigy and Lower Decks as well as discussing the Roddenberry Archive “Unification” short film and what it could mean for the future. They also discuss their favorite 2024 Star Trek books, merchandise and events along with some personal memorable moments from the year. The group wraps up with previewing Star Trek in 2025, including the Section 31 movie, season 3 of Strange New Worlds, the 30th anniversary of Voyager (along with the To The Journey documentary) and few other assorted highlights to look forward to. There are also questions and some speculation about how the pending Skydance takeover of Paramount Global could impact Star Trek.
Anthony and Laurie happily welcome Gates McFadden back to All Access Star Trek to talk about season 3 of her podcast, InvestiGates. She talks about her guests, the challenges of interviewing people you already know well, having to listen to yourself, the dangers of over-articulating when Brent Spiner is your guest, her thoughts on the chances of a Legacy series happening, and more. Happy holidays, and see you in 2025!
Tony and Laurie are joined by the Shuttle Pod‘s Matt Wright this week. They kick off with the latest news including a wrestler added to the cast of Starfleet Academy, more details about the Section 31 movie, and the addition of The Wrath of Khan to the National Film Registry. The trio then digs into their review of the Lower Decks series finale, “The New Next Generation,” and say a sad farewell to the show. Everyone loved the finale , had very few nits to pick, and celebrated all the great moments that tied together the final season and the series as a whole. They wrap up with a look at TNG’s Tamarian language, the history of the Klingon Bird of Prey, and a special about Christmas movies featuring Star Trek celebs.
[Lower Decks review starts at 8:47] Anthony and Laurie start off taking a deep dive into the trailer for the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 streaming movie. They agree it’s a better trailer and the movie looks like it has good production values and plenty of action, and they hope it can make good on promises to be “fun.” After that, they review the penultimate episode of Lower Decks, “Fissure Quest,” the first part of the two-part season and series finale. Both love the episode were surprised just how many canon connections (and characters) were jammed into it, thankful it had a longer runtime. The podcast wraps up with Tony’s conversation with Garrett Wang where he talks about playing various Kims on Lower Decks, along with how he feels about almost returning for Picard and more.
[Lower Decks review starts at 12:41] Anthony and Laurie talk about Star Trek’s two Saturn Awards nominations, then discuss the Section 31 catch-up video released by Paramount Plus. They chat about Robert Picardo’s praise of Paul Giamatti on Starfleet Academy, Tawny Newsome’s update on her live-action Trek comedy, Kate Mulgrew’s comments to a fan about a Janeway series, Anson Mount’s audition for Lorca, and Michael Dorn’s thoughts on playing Worf again. After that, they review the newest episode of Lower Decks, “Upper Decks,” which puts a spin on the concept of the show itself, then play Laurie’s interview with Jerry O’Connell about playing Ransom and being an expert on parallel universes.
As this is Thanksgiving week, we don’t cover the news except to point listeners to the site to check out Tony’s interview with the executive producer of “Unification” and breakdown of that short film featuring the return of classic Kirk and Spock. Anthony and Laurie review “Fully Dilated,” the newest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, relishing the guest star’s performance and all the meta fun. The podcast wraps up with Tony’s entire interview with Lower Decks supervising producer and director Barry J. Kelly talking about the making of this episode as well as giving us some hints for the rest of the season. Happy American Thanksgiving!
Anthony and Laurie start the week discussing the release of the Roddenberry Archive’s latest short film Unification, which has fandom buzzing over the return of William Shatner’s James T. Kirk. Roddenberry also released some cool new interviews with Shatner, Robin Curtis, and George Takei. They catch up on the latest news on Strange New Worlds and discuss Laurie’s conversation with DS9’s Nana Visitor about the journey she took writing Open A Channel – A Woman’s Trek. [24:07] The podcasters then pivot to Lower Decks’ “Of Gods and Angles.” Both agree it was a lot of fun but also predictable, while the highlight was the Boimler story with Dr. T’Ana. They roll in some audio from Tony’s new interview with Gillian Vigman talking about how she ad-libs T’Ana’s signature curses. [45:55] They wrap with a former NASA official who flashed the Vulcan salute while being sworn into for Congressional testimony, and how to stay in the loop on Trek Talks, which has a growing lineup of star-studded panels for the January 2025 charity event in support of the Hollywood Food Coalition.
[Lower Decks 505 reviews start at 34:05] Anthony and Laurie have a lot of news to cover this week! They talk about Strange New Worlds, drop a few tidbits about Starfleet Academy, and round up the latest intel on Section 31. They discuss Jeri Ryan’s description of a Captain Seven show she turned down and LeVar Burton’s thoughts on a legacy show, the Prodigy season 2 release on physical media, and the latest on the greenlit Star Trek movie and the one waiting in the wings. They also have updates on season 3 of Gates McFadden’s podcast, share the sad news that Tony Todd has died, and talk about the regional Creation cons happening around the country. With all that done, they review the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “Starbase 80?!,” covering the Enterprise tribute, excellent guest stars, and more. They wrap up the podcast with some tales from their separate event screenings of To The Journey, the documentary about Star Trek: Voyager.
Anthony and Laurie skip the news this week to review two Star Trek: Lover Decks episodes, “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel” and “A Farewell to Farms.” We also hear a bit from showrunner Mike McMahan from New York Comic Con talking about Boimler’s “growing” arc this season.
Tony and Laurie will be reviewing the latest episode of Lower Decks (“The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”) on next week’s episode along with episode 4. This week we present our season 5 interviews starting with Tony’s chat with T’lyn voice actress Gabrielle Ruiz focusing on this week’s latest episode. The former Broadway and Crazy Ex Girlfriend star talks about taking on the role of a Vulcan and how “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel” was a perfect fit for her. Up next is Tony participating in a NYCC remote roundtable interview with other media outlets with Lower Decks voice actors Tawny Newsome (Mariner), Jack Quaid (Boimler), Noël Wells (Tendi), and Eugene Cordero (Rutherford). The cast talks about season 5, emphasizing how much they don’t see it as the end of the stories for their characters. The pod wraps up with Laurie in a roundtable interview with series creator/showrunner Mike McMahan, conducted in the press room at NYCC, so apologies for the background noise. Mike breaks down how he approached season 5 differently, dropping some hints on what we can expect for the rest of the season. Tony and Laurie will be back next week on November 8th to review Lower Decks season 5, episode 3 (“The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel”) and episode 4.
Anthony and Laurie have two new episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks to review! Season 5 has finally begun with “Dos Cerritos” and “Shades of Green.” Before they can do that, they talk through all the news from the panels and our interviews at New York Comic Con about the streaming Section 31 movie, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Strange New Worlds season 3, and Lower Decks. They wrap up with a way to have a Star Trek experience on the Enterprise-D bridge built for Picard season 3 and LeVar Burton’s latest and much-deserved honor at the White House.
It’s the 200th episode of All Access Star Trek, so Anthony and Laurie asked Star Trek: The Next Generation legend Jonathan Frakes to come by and talk about Next Gen, Picard, directing Trek films and TV past and present, his early career, and a whole lot more. The chat spans his career from auditioning for Welcome Back Kotter through to his latest directing gigs, including for upcoming Star Trek shows and more. We also asked him if he thinks he will ever play William Riker again.
Thanks for sending in your questions! Anthony and Laurie asked Star Trek: Prodigy co-executive producer Aaron Waltke our listeners’ burning questions and squeezed in some of our own. He talked about time travel, Gwyn’s hair, convincing Star Trek actors to join the cast (and the ones who passed), connecting the show to the others in the Star Trek Universe, the show’s performance on Netflix, and much more. The podcasters wrapped things up after Aaron left by sharing Seth Meyers’ speculation on the redacted Star Trek comments in the January 6th court filing, Kate Mulgrew’s play in NYC, and Laurie’s upcoming appearance at Parthenon Books in Syracuse, NY, to promote her Gilmore Girls book.
Anthony and Laurie haven’t talked about Star Trek news in a while, so this week is a big news roundup. They talk about the plans for the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic-Con, a Strange New Worlds production update, the new Lower Decks clip, and the arrival of the show’s season 4 on YouTube & Pluto. They discuss comments from Michael Dorn about being offered a role on Discovery and why he said “yes” to Picard, Zachary Quinto’s thoughts on playing Spock again, James McAvoy’s revelation that he was offered a role in a J.J. Abrams Trek movie, and Scott Bakula’s opinion on the wo sides of Star Trek fandom. They round up the recent political efforts by Star Trek celebs and dig into some of the details from Laurie’s interview with Jonathan Del Arco. They lament the end of Star Trek Explorer magazine and sing the praises of Nana Visitor’s new book. The podcasters wrap up with Star Trek references in The Simpsons season premiere, a redacted section from a Jan. 6th court filing, and a Beverly Crusher cocktail.
Listen to the full audio of Laurie’s interview with Jonathan Del Arco who played the Borg Hugh on Star Trek: The Next Generation and returned for Star Trek: Picard. They start off talking about the Vote Save America fundraiser and live show in support of the Harris/Walz campaign and then pivots to a frank discussion about his time with Star Trek including revealing some new things about the development of ‘Picard.’ Fore more on Trek The Vote visit votesaveamerica.com/trek.
Listen to the full audio of Laurie’s interview with Jonathan Del Arco who played the Borg Hugh on Star Trek: The Next Generation and returned for Star Trek: Picard. They start off talking about the Vote Save America fundraiser and live show in support of the Harris/Walz campaign and then pivots to a frank discussion about his time with Star Trek including revealing some new things about the development of ‘Picard.’ Fore more on Trek The Vote visit votesaveamerica.com/trek.
Listen to the full audio of Laurie’s new interview with Jonathan Del Arco who played the Borg Hugh on Star Trek: The Next Generation and returned for Star Trek: Picard. They start off talking about the Vote Save America fundraiser and live show in support of the Harris/Walz campaign and then pivot to a frank discussion about his time with Star Trek including revealing some new things about the development of ‘Picard.’
This week, listen to our full interviews with Star Trek: Discovery‘s Doug Jones (Saru), Elias Toufexis (L’ak), and Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) talking about the fifth and final season of the series, now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Anthony and Laurie start with the news that the Skydance/Paramount merger is moving forward. They share the sad news that Deep Space Nine‘s James Darren has died and talk about his eclectic career, then shift to discuss the plans for Star Trek Day this year, which are are all about charity campaigns. Production has begun on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, actor Sam Richardson drops a tidbit about his role on Section 31, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez namedrops Janeway (and gets thanked by Kate Mulgrew), Nicholas Meyer talks The Wrath of Khan ad Elias Toufexis talks L’ak on Star Trek: Discovery. [25:07] Then they get into this week’s interview, where writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe talks about his original pitch (at TNG) for DS9‘s “Past Tense,” the inspiration for the Bell Riots and the society they took place in, the shot they couldn’t get, the current Star Trek shows, and more. [1:22:25] They wrap up with Gene Roddenberry doing Star Trek cosplaying in 1966 and memories of Leonard Nimoy from Tom Selleck and Ted Danson.
One year ago last August, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds made history with “Subspace Rhapsody,” the franchise’s first musical episode. To celebrate the milestone Anthony and Laurie are joined by musicians Tom Polce and Kay Hanley, who wrote all the songs for the episode (and Laurie can hardly contain herself). They talk about what the songwriters were asked to do, how it changed along the way, and get into the details on each of the individual songs. Kay and Tom also talk about working with the actors, squeezing technobabble into song lyrics, and play a bit of an early demo. They answer burning questions like “Is Akiva serious when he says he wants to bring ‘Subspace Rhapsody’ to Broadway?” and “Who was the most nervous about doing a musical episode?”
Brian Drew from the Shuttle Pod podcast joins Anthony and Laurie this week. They talk about the latest twist in the Paramount merger (now that another bidder has emerged), round up the news on Starfleet Academy, Section 31, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, that Star Trek workplace comedy Tawny Newsome and Justin Simien are developing, and the Nicholas Meyer audio drama about Khan we haven’t heard about in a while. They touch briefly on the upcoming Blu-ray & DVD releases of Prodigy season 2 and all of Discovery, and then it’s time to dig in to all things Star Trek Las Vegas. The trio discusses the changes this year and goes over the highlights of the convention from panels, to events, to the hotel and much more. They wrap up with some bits of interesting and fun moments from STLV.
Anthony and Laurie couldn’t record this week but we still wanted you to have something fun to listen to, so here is Laurie’s recent interview with Kate Mulgrew and Tony’s with Wil Wheaton. Both talk about their roles in Star Trek: Prodigy and what it would take for them to return to live action Star Trek as Admiral Janeway and Traveler Wesley. Enjoy!
This is a live recording of the TrekMovie.com “Star Trek Status Report: 2024 And Beyond” panel held on Saturday, August 3rd at Creation Entertainment’s STLV event in Las Vegas. This is the biggest Star Trek convention of the year and Tony and Laurie from the All Access Star Trek podcast were joined by Matt and Brian from Shuttle Pod to talk about the current status of the Star Trek franchise, focusing on TV and film, as well as where things are headed with announced, potential, and rumored projects. They also discuss how the changing media and business landscape is impacting the franchise, and what the pending Paramount/Skydance merger could mean for Star Trek.
Anthony and Laurie pull together all the news and reveals from SDCC, covering Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the Section 31 streaming movie, a new Trek sitcom in development, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, a Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover, IDW’s plans for Lower Decks comics, and Prodigy. They talk about the trailers, the clips, the conversations, and more, and play clips from Laurie’s brand-new interview with Kate Mulgrew. They wrap up with a reminder to come say hi if you’re at Star Trek Las Vegas!
[Review starts at 18:05] Anthony and Laurie kick off this week’s podcast with Chris Pine’s thoughts on the next Kelvin Universe movie and an update on the Voyager documentary. the hype around San Diego Comic-Con, and what to expect at Star Trek Las Vegas next week. They give an update on the availability of Prodigy season 2 in other countries, play a little more of Tony’s interview with Wil Wheaton, then dive into their review of the final five episodes of season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy, talking about the main story, character arcs, relationships, time travel conundrums, and how satisfying it was as a possible series finale. They wrap up with recommendations for a Twitter follow and some great Star Trek books.
[Review starts at 21:13] Matt from The Shuttle Pod fills in for Laurie this week to cover the news with Tony. We cover the latest award news, and speculate about the announced Star Trek collaborations, including the one with Doctor Who. There’s also a little casting update for Starfleet Academy and a story tidbit from the “Star Trek Origin Movie.” Turning to Prodigy the guys discuss our latest interview with the Hageman brothers and roll a preview clip of Tony’s brand-new interview with Wil Wheaton. We then run Tony and Laurie’s previously recorded review of Prodigy season 2 episodes 11-15, discussing how the show takes a bit of a pivot in tone, and takes deeper dives into the characters, with some fun diversions along the way. But we still can’t figure out where the show stands on the whole J/C thing. The podcast wraps up with a brief preview of STLV coming in the first week of August, which will include a TrekMovie.com panel.
[Review starts at 21:14] Anthony and Laurie kick off the podcast with the news that Paramount Global and Skydance have officially agreed to a merger, discussing the next steps and potential implications for Star trek. They also preview what to expect at the Star Trek Universe and other official panels announced for San Diego Comic-Con later this month. In addition, there is a new casting announcement for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and the international chart success of Star Trek: Prodigy. Then they review the next batch of five Prodigy season 2 episodes, covering episodes 6 through 10, taking them to the halfway point of the new season which dropped on Netflix on July 1. They wrap up with a quick bit about Leonard Nimoy, Katey Sagal and Norman Lear.
[Review starts at 15:48] Anthony and Laurie start with the surprising news that the Skydance/Paramount talks are back on and heating up. They also discuss the latest on Trek movies on the big screen (including Chris Pine’s comments about playing an older Kirk) as well as the small one, Celia Rose Gooding’s thoughts on Uhura in season 3 of Strange New Worlds, Mike McMahan’s tidbits about season 5 of Lower Decks, and Rosario Dawson’s revelation that she had to turn down a Star Trek role to be in Ahsoka. Then it’s time to dig into the very long-awaited season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy. Tony and Laurie review the first five episodes, looking at them individually and as an arc and celebrating that the show is finally back. They wrap up with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on if scientists have discovered Dyson Spheres (like from TNG “Relics”), and Laurie’s guest appearance on the Deep Space Love podcast to talk “Rejoined.”
Tony is off this week but we present the full audio (minus a couple of bigger spoilers) of his new interview with Kevin and Dan Hagemans, co-creators and showrunners for Star Trek: Prodigy. The brothers talk about what’s new in season 2, how it connects to other Star Trek shows, and how they assess what could happen next for the series. All 20 episodes of Prodigy season 2 land on Netflix on Monday, July 1. Check TrekMovie.com next week for discussion from Dan and Kevin of some of those bigger spoilers. Starting next week the All Access Star Trek podcast will begin our “Summer of Prodigy,” reviewing the 2-part premiere of season 2.
Fresh off the release of the first trailer and more details for season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy, coming to Netflix on July 1, Tony and Laurie are joined by co-executive producer Aaron Waltke. He breaks down the trailer and gives us more insight into how the new season was crafted, what we can expect for our familiar characters and new characters (including the USS Voyager-A), and more. We wrap up the pod pointing fans to some great YouTube vids with Star Trek model mashups and DS9 transformed into the sitcom 30 Rock. We also reveal who won the Master Replicas golden Enterprise-D giveaway.
[Laurence Luckinbill interview starts at 22:07 ] Anthony and Laurie are celebrating the 35th anniversary of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by chatting with Laurence Luckinbill, who played Spock’s half-brother Sybok. But first, they cover the news: the latest on who may or may not be buying Paramount, the addition of Paul Giamatti to the Starfleet Academy cast, Alex Kurtzman’s thoughts on the future of the franchise, the upcoming release of Prodigy on Netflix, the Discovery box sets coming our way, Star Trek at the Peabody Awards, and the new podcast coming from Enterprise‘s Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating. Then they settle in to talk with Laurence Luckinbill about the making of the movie, his feelings about it now, and more. They wrap up with a closeout sale on Eaglemoss ships from Master Replicas—with a chance to win one!—and a poetry book from the Delta Flyers.
Tony has the week off so we are presenting the full audio of his latest interview with Doug Jones talking about Saru and the Star Trek: Discovery season 5 finale and how it was turned into a series finale with the extra “epilogue.” Laurie introduces the interview and points listeners to TrekMovie.com for updates on Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 and the potential Skydance/Paramount merger.
After a brief production update on Strange New Worlds and the latest from Alex Kurtzman on the Starfleet Academy show, Anthony and Laurie are ready to do their final review of Star Trek: Discovery. They play some clips from Tony’s new interview with Doug Jones, then dig into the series finale, “Life, Itself,” to determine how satisfying it was as a season and series finale and discuss character arcs, visuals, performances, connection to the Short Treks “Calypso,” and more. They wrap up with the good news that Gates McFadden’s podcast is getting a season 3 and some great interviews with Kay Hanley and Tom Polce, the songwriters behind Strange New Worlds‘ “Subspace Rhapsody.”
[Discovery 509 review with Lisa Klink starts at 25:59] There’s big news this week! Anthony and Laurie talk about the announcement that Oscar winner Holly Hunter will lead the Starfleet Academy series and reports that Simon Kinberg is in talks to oversee a new era of Star Trek feature films. They discuss the news that Picard’s Terry Matalas is showrunning for Marvel, note that Strange New Worlds season 3 is about to wrap, and try to be patient like the Hageman brothers about when to expect Prodigy on Netflix. After listening to some of Tony’s interview with Discovery’s Blu del Barrio (Adira), Tony and Laurie are joined by Voyager/Deep Space Nine writer Lisa Klink to review the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “Lagrange Point.” They wrap up with a fan-led stream-a-thon to save Lower Decks and a lovely article from Discovery’s Patrick Kwok-Choon about becoming a dad and captaining the Discovery on the same day.
[Discovery 508 review starts at 15:17] Laurie’s back from vacation, just in time for Anthony to fill her in on the latest about Paramount’s attempts to find the right buyer. Not a lot of other news this week but they catch up on a comic book milestone and some nominations for IDW. They talk about Star Trek: Discovery‘s first appearances on the Nielsen charts and play some audio from Tony’s recent interview with Doug Jones (Saru), then launch into their review of episode 508, “Labyrinths” with bonus commentary from co-writer Eric J. Robbins. Tony and Laurie agree it was an excellent episode weaving in Burnham’s character deep dive with the Breen plot action. They wrap up with updates on some local Star Trek conventions.
[Discovery 507 review starts at 24:00] Laurie is still away on vacation, so once again Shuttle Pod’s Matt Wright joins Anthony to talk about the Trek news of the week, and again we start with the chaos at Paramount Global as they continue talks with Skydance and Sony/Apollo, with our analysis of what this all could mean for Star Trek’s future. We then catch up with the latest from some Kirks: Chris Pine wondering why Star Trek 4 needs yet another screenwriter, and William Shatner pondering the possibility of returning to Trek through the magic of CGI de-aging. Turning to Star Trek: Discovery, they get an update from Doug Jones explaining his mid-season absence (he took time off to promote Hocus Pocus 2) before rolling in some audio from Tony’s new interview with actor Elias Toufexis, including what it was like for him to perform as L’ak in “Erigah” in full makeup in a bed for the whole episode. The avowed Star Trek fan also took on a nitpicky question about the Breen from “Erigah” as well. NOTE: The full interview with Elias will be going up on TrekMovie.com this weekend. We then rolled in our previously recorded review with Laurie for “Erigah” where she and Tony agreed it was a strong fast-paced episode that got a lot done for the season plot and the characters, with a lot of fun from Reno and more. Matt sticks around for bits of the week, where we take a look at Michelle Yeoh’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a recently unearthed film from one of the fist Star Trek conventions in the 1970s.
[Discovery 506 review starts at 21:39] With Laurie away on vacation, Shuttle Pod’s Matt Wright joins Anthony to talk about the Trek news of the week, starting with the chaos at Paramount Global with the CEO leaving and competing bids to buy the company. They also catch up on Toronto’s new “Star Trek Stage,” get an update on TeakTrek from PanCAN PurpleStride, and consider the value of Star Trek teaming up with World of Tanks. Matt and Tony also take a look at fan efforts to support (and maybe even save) Star Trek: Lower Decks. Turning to Star Trek: Discovery, they play some audio from Tony’s new interview with Mary Wiseman talking about Tilly’s adventure in this episode and her potential future. The podcast then rolls in Tony and Laurie’s previously recorded review of “Whistlespeak” where they agree it is a rich episode that is a bit of a throwback to classic Trek. Matt sticks around for bits of the week, where we take a look at Laurie’s European adventure with Little Riker and wish veteran Star Trek director Ralph Senesky a very happy 101st birthday.
[Discovery 505 review starts at 17:00] Anthony and Laurie start with a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds production update, then round up the latest on the William Shatner documentary, a new Discovery coffee table book, and IDW’s “Star Trek: Celebrations” comic. Then they play some audio from Tony’s recent interview with Carlos Cisco, co-writer of this week’s Star Trek: Discovery episode, “Mirrors.” After that, they give “Mirrors” a full review; Tony liked it more than Laurie, but they both enjoyed the Moll and L’ak backstory. We also have a quick reminder about the PanCAN Purple Stride walk happening this weekend, which you can hear all about in our supplemental interview released on Monday. They wrap up with two podcast recommendations: first a deep dive into the competing Paramount bids on The Town, and a recent interview with makeup legend Michael Westmore on The 7th Rule.
In this supplemental edition of All Access Star Trek, Anthony and Laurie are joined by Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Jonathan Frakes, and Juan Carlos Coto (Manny Coto’s brother) to talk about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the Purple Stride walk on April 27th, the importance of early detection and family support, the improvements in detection and symptoms to watch out for, why there’s hope for the future, and the power of Star Trek fans to do good in the world as a group. They also talk Trek, covering topics like Ferengi makeup new and old, the cancellation of Lower Decks, the definition of “filler episodes,” the differences on set between Star Trek in the ’80s and ’90s vs. now, and more. John Billingsley was going to join the group, but was unable to make it at the last minute. He will be at the Purple Stride walk! If you can, please join Purple Stride, donate to the cause, or both. If you can’t, please spread the word via social media and word of mouth. purplestride.org/TeamTrek
[Discovery 504 review starts at 26:00] Anthony and Laurie start with the good news that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been renewed for another season and the bad news that Lower Decks will end after its fifth. The Trek on TV talk continues with Alex Kurtzman’s description of the challenges of making Trek for streaming networks and the benefit of shorter seasons, plus Martin Quinn’s comments about being the first actually Scottish actor to play Scotty. Then they start talking movies: the announcement that the origin movie has been officially added to Paramount’s production slate and a cryptic conversation on The View about Whoopi’s potential involvement in a Trek film. Next up, the return of the original Enterprise model to the Roddenberry family and the latest on Star Trek: Discovery—and then it’s time for a full review of Discovery episode 504, “Face the Strange,” which Tony and Laurie consider the highlight of the season so far. They wrap up with the invoking of Star Trek at a White House State Dinner and the Trek-adjacent series The Librarians.
[Discovery 503 review starts at 23:00] Anthony gives an update on the Star Trek prequel movie, then he and Laurie dig in to the latest on the Paramount/Skydance talks, talking about why shareholders aren’t thrilled about Shari Redstone’s plans and what that could mean. They discuss the new offerings from the Roddenberry Archive and new Star Trek-branded coffee, then turn their attention to Star Trek: Discovery. They talk about showrunner Michelle Paradise’s reasons for using TNG’s “The Chase” as an inspiration for the season, plus Mary Wiseman’s (not-so) cryptic comments about the Starfleet Academy show, and play some audio from Laurie’s recent interview with Wilson Cruz on the same topic. They briefly chat about the “This season on…” trailer and then dive into their review of Discovery episode 503, “Jinaal,” talking about Wilson Cruz’s strong performance, Trill mythology, the challenges of juggling multiple stories where some are less compelling than others, and more. Then it’s time for their bits of the week: Ernie Hudson’s description of auditioning to play Deep Space Nine‘s Ben Sisko and a podcast about Leonard Nimoy and the early days of Star Trek fandom with Bonnie Moss.
[Discovery 501 review starts at 24:32; 502 starts at 57:35] Anthony and Laurie are joined by Matt from the Shuttle Pod this week! They start with the latest news on a potential Paramount sale to Skydance, Alex Kurtzman’s hopeful statements about Trek “surprises,” the addition of a Deep Space Nine channel to Pluto TV, and Hugo nominations for Strange New Worlds. They also speculate on new info about the Section 31 movie and talk about the “First Contact” score heard at a NATO ceremony last week. After that, they take a deep dive into the first two episodes of season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery (“Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”), discussing the refreshing pace of the show, character arcs, best moments, nitpicks, and play a clip from Sonequa Martin-Green’s interview at the NYC premiere about the Burnham/Rayner relationship and what it means to her.
Anthony and Laurie have a lot of news to go through from the recent Star Trek cover story in Variety! They give updates on the Section 31 streaming movie, Starfleet Academy, and the Star Trek movies that are still moving forward (or in development), as well as the latest on season 3 of Strange New Worlds. They discuss the release of Prodigy season 2 on French TV. The bulk of the pod is devoted to clips from their Star Trek: Discovery season 5 junket interviews. Co-showrunners Michelle Paradise and Alex Kurtzman and actors Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, David Ajala, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, and Blu del Barrio all talk about what to expect in season 5, which arrives next week. They wrap up with 3 Body Problem interview with Rosalind Chao and one of Laurie’s birthday presents: a USS Enterprise-D Bluetooth speaker.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Brian Drew from the Shuttle Pod podcast this week. They start by looking at the latest competing offers to buy Paramount Global, what else is on the table, and how all these high-level business dealings might impact the Star Trek franchise on TV and the big screen. And in other business news, we hear what some executives had to say about the future of Trek on the big screen and why Star Trek: Legacy has not been greenlit for the small screen. There is also some production news to catch up on for the Section 31 movie and Strange New Worlds and a few Discovery season 5 tidbits. The trio then moves on to talk about the new William Shatner documentary You Call Call Me Bill and the NYC premiere event (that Brian and Laurie attended) where Shatner and his director, Alexandre O. Philippe, did a Q&A with Neil deGrasse Tyson. All three offer their thoughts on the doc and how it fits its subject perfectly. They wrap up with a Star Trek prediction update from the BBC, a look forward to Adam Nimoy’s new memoir about his father, and a look back at Gene Roddenberry’s The Lieutenant.
Anthony and Laurie start with the latest intel on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. They talk about the Critics Choice Super Awards nominations for Strange New Worlds and Picard, then dive into Terry Matalas’ comments about choices made, ideas abandoned, and production challenges on seasons 2 and 3 of Picard. Then it’s time to get into the latest live events: Tony talks about his experience at Star Trek San Francisco and the podcasters talk about panels with Melissa Navia, Robert Picardo (about Prodigy), and Lower Decks cast members. Then it’s Discovery time! Laurie and Tony play clips from TrekMovie’s red carpet interviews with Sonequa Martin-Green, Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Wilson Cruz, Doug Jones, and Blu del Barrio, who talk about what to expect in season 5 as well as the legacy of the show itself and what might come in the future. They wrap up with their own spoiler-free thoughts on the first four episodes of the new season.
Tony is busy this week headed to the ST-SF convention in San Francisco so we are bringing back an interview we did last summer when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was waiting to start production on season 3 due to the strikes. The show is now half way through production and so we thought it was a good time to hear what Chris had to say… ORIGINAL EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Laurie and Tony have a lengthy, engaging conversation with Chris Fisher, producing director and co-executive producer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. His enthusiasm for the job and the show is infectious as he talks about hiring and working with directors, working with Paul Wesley, collaborating with the creative teams, using the AR wall, combining practical with virtual effects for the Gorn, what he knows (and doesn’t) about the Section 31 movie, and much more. He also gives his take on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (and how long it would take to get production rolling again once they’re over) and talks about being mentored by Star Trek behind-the-scenes vets Merri Howard and Marvin Rush.
Anthony and Laurie start by remembering Discovery actor Ken Mitchell who passed away earlier this week. The podcasters then go over the latest news, including a Paramount business update, a deep dive into the new Discovery season 5 trailer, and Aaron Bossig’s Star Trek: The Cruise logs. Then it’s an extended interview with writer, producer, and podcaster Mark Altman, starting with the Inglorious Treksperts podcast celebrating its 300th episode this week where the Treksperts talk Star Trek III with special guests Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, Fox president Steve Asbell, and Marvel president Kevin Feige. We also cover Mark’s upcoming Star Trek locations documentary (To Boldly Go), his excitement about working with Jonathan Frakes on the new sci-fi show Deathlands, and his thoughts on the future of the Trek franchise. Things wrap up with our bits of the week: Trekkies saving democracy and an analysis of Trek’s horniest episodes. Here is a breakdown of this week’s pod: 00:36 Remembering Ken Mitchell 03:19 Star Trek news of the week 21:04 Mark Altman interview 1:28:34 Trek bits of the week visit HTTP://TREKMOVIE.COM for more details and links and to comment on this week’s episode
Anthony and Laurie do a news roundup this week, starting with the potential for a streaming partnership with Paramount+ and Peacock and what that could mean for the Star Trek franchise. They go through the latest on Star Trek: Discovery (including its premiere date announcement and the potential for cast crossover on the new Starfleet Academy show), Terry Matalas’ Writers Guild nomination for Picard, Patrick Stewart’s Showperson of the Year award, what to expect in the new season of Lower Decks, production updates from Strange New Worlds, books and comics coming our way, and the Star Trek Cruise. They wrap up with an article asking if we’ve become too cynical for Star Trek, and the highlights of Virtual Trek Con 5.
Anthony and Laurie start with the news about Picard’s big night at the Saturn Awards. We dig new revelations about recent shelved Star Trek movies including Noah Hawley revealing his Trek film would have starred Cate Blanchett and Rami Malek. And Tony talked to Danai Gurira about almost being in the Star Trek 4 movie with Chris Hemsworth. The podcasters catch up on the upcoming release of season 4 of Lower Decks and the Star Trek spatial experience on Apple Vision Pro, and William Shatner’s thoughts on an AI version of Captain Kirk. Then they dig into Tony’s interviews at the recent Saturn Awards. We have audio with Doug Jones about season 5 of Discovery, Paul Wesley about Kirk’s evolution into season 3 of Strange New Worlds, Tawny Newsome on season 5 of Lower Decks and season 1 of Starfleet Academy. Jeri Ryan, Terry Matalas, and Michelle Hurd talk about season 3 of Picard and the chances of returning in Star Trek: Legacy, as do TNG stars Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, and Wil Wheaton. Tony also talked to Nicolas Cage about his desire to be in Star Trek and Gremlins star Zach Galligan about guest starring in Voyager.
Anthony and Laurie go through the latest news: Byron Allen’s company is interested in buying Paramount, Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31 co-stars have finally been announced, Dave Blass says the Picard spin-off is still not in the works, the TNG cast is set to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Saturns, Patrick Stewart stars in a new Super Bowl ad for Paramount Plus, Zoe Saldana thinks the Kelvin crew might get one last film together, and William Shatner’s new biographical documentary has a trailer. [18:22] After that, they chat with actor John de Lancie about FanFair, the company he and his son have to get digitally signed unique artwork to fans who can’t make it to conventions. He also talks about some of his early choices as he played Q in the Next Gen series premiere and beyond, his conversations with Gene Roddenberry about how often Q would be on the show, his surprise at finding out Q would die in Picard season 2, and that post-credits finale scene in Picard season 3. [68:48] They wrap up with John Larroquette playing a Klingon again on Night Court, and a fun thread about “Threshold” salamander sex from The Vagina Museum.
Anthony and Laurie catch up on Star Trek news this week, starting with the latest acquisition offer for Paramount Global from Skydance. They talk about a new interview with Elias Toufexis, one of the main villains of the upcoming final season of Discovery as well as Doug Jones’ comments about the finale. They check in on the latest Picard spin-off talk from its showrunner and stars, hear from the Prodigy producers about the upcoming Janeway-Chakotay reunion, and round up the other tidbits from Trek Talks 3, including a “Tuvix” debate and some behind-the-scenes insights about the Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover. They wrap up with Paul Giamatti as a Klingon and a quiz about which Star Trek actor should give you a hug.
Anthony and Laurie start with the biggest news of the week: A new Star Trek movie is in development! They go through the tidbits of information available and talk about director Toby Haynes, who directed the Trek-themed Black Mirror episode “USS Callister.” They also discuss Patrick Stewart’s comment that a Picard movie is possibly in the works, William Shatner’s thoughts on his Kirk being “erased,” and the departure of the TOS and TNG movies from Paramount+ to Max. They also talk about Jeri Ryan and Terry Matalas’ Astra TV Award wins for Picard, episode titles and a premiere event for Star Trek: Discovery‘s final season, comments from Prodigy producers about the Janeway-Chakotay reunion coming in season 2, and the arrival of Ezri Dax in Star Trek Online. They wrap up with a final preview of Trek Talks 3 before the big event on Saturday.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by TrekMovie’s Aaron Bossig, Dénes House, and Joe Andosca plus Ann Marie Segal of Virtual Trek Con and The 7th Rule to talk about everyone’s Star Trek favorites of 2023 and what they’re expecting in Trek in 2024. Categories include best episodes of the three shows that had new seasons last year, best merch, best return of a legacy character, best podcast, and more. As for 2024, topics include new seasons of current shows, the final season of Discovery, the arrival of the Section 31 movie event, books, comics, cons, and more, as well as some speculation on possible new shows and what might happen with a Star Trek feature film.
Anthony and Laurie start their last podcast of 2023 with the latest on the possible merger between Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery and how that could affect the Star Trek franchise, and some insight into the shelved Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie, based on a new interview with its writer. They also discuss Michelle Yeoh’s update on prepping for the Section 31 TV movie event, the early success of Star Trek: Prodigy on Netflix, and what the producers have said they’d like to do if the show gets additional seasons. [23:35] Then it’s their interview with Enterprise‘s John Billingsley, who has come by to talk about the upcoming benefit for the Hollywood Food Coalition: an all-day marathon of Star Trek panels on YouTube on January 13th. He also talks about the legacy of Enterprise, speculates on ways Phlox could return to the franchise, and discusses his career as a character actor and why being on the board of the Hollywood Food Coalition is so important to him.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Shuttle Pod‘s Brian to round up all the latest Star Trek news. They start with a production update: With the strikes over, Strange New Worlds is already back in action and Section 31 has start date set, plus Prodigy has wrapped post-production on season 2 and Discovery has set its premiere for April. They talk about the latest awards nominations for Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Picard,, then talk about the latest merch (DVDs and starships!) and what to expect at Trek Talks 3 in January. The big topic this week is Shari Redstone’s interest in selling her controlling stake in Paramount Global, how that could affect Paramount+, and how that in turn could affect Star Trek. They wrap up with a 1960s RCA ad featuring TOS, the Delta Flyers watching DS9 with Terry Farrell and Armin Shimerman, and William Shatner on a comic book cover with Batman and Superman.
Anthony and Laurie discuss the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery panel at CCXP, the latest on Nicholas Meyer’s Khan audio drama, Michelle Hurd’s interest in a Worf/Raffi spin-off, Chris Pine’s lack of Star Trek 4 news, and some new Trek merch. They then turn to Laurie’s interview with Tawny Newsome, who talks about Lower Decks season 4 and season 5 as well as being in the writers’ room of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Newsome also talks passionately about her love of Deep Space Nine and more. They wrap up with a fun video from Red Letter Media featuring the Enterprise-D and the announcement of TREKTalks 3, a day of streamed Star Trek panels for the Hollywood Food Coalition.
[PODCAST REPOSTED TO FIX AUDIO ISSUE] Tony and Laurie start with a news round-up now that the strikes are over and everyone can talk Trek again: Strange New Worlds is gearing up for production again (and Jonathan Frakes will be doing some directing) as is the Section 31 movie event, guest star Elias Toufexis is excited about Discovery season 5, and Mike McMahan’s talking about the next season of Lover Decks. There’s also news about the missing 3-foot Enterprise model that used to sit on Gene Roddenberry’s desk, which may have just resurfaced after 46 years. Today’s big interview is with Star Trek: The Original Series‘ Walter Koenig, who talks about life on the set back in the 1960s, the emotional Chekov scene he filmed but never saw in Generations, his take on people who say William Shatner overacts, and his uncomfortable moment on the set of The Wrath of Khan. They wrap up with a quick plug for each other’s recent appearances on other podcasts—The 7th Rule‘s news show and Trek, Marry, Kill.
Tony and Laurie start with a news round-up now that the strikes are over and everyone can talk Trek again: Strange New Worlds is gearing up for production again (and Jonathan Frakes will be doing some directing) as is the Section 31 movie event, guest star Elias Toufexis is excited about Discovery season 5, and Mike McMahan’s talking about the next season of Lover Decks. There’s also news about the missing 3-foot Enterprise model that used to sit on Gene Roddenberry’s desk, which may have just resurfaced after 46 years. Today’s big interview is with Star Trek: The Original Series‘ Walter Koenig, who talks about life on the set back in the 1960s, the emotional Chekov scene he filmed but never saw in Generations, his take on people who say William Shatner overacts, and his uncomfortable moment on the set of The Wrath of Khan. They wrap up with a quick plug for each other’s recent appearances on other podcasts—The 7th Rule‘s news show and Trek, Marry, Kill.
Anthony and Laurie are very happy the SAG-AFTRA strike is over! They briefly cover what this could mean for the various Star Trek productions, then keep celebrating good news as Prodigy season 1 has a launch date on Netflix and scored an Emmy nomination. They talk about Walter Koenig joining The 7th Rule podcast, then play interviews they both did with Star Trek: Picard production designer Dave Blass and makeup artist James MacKinnon, done to help promote the new Picard Legacy Blu-ray box set.
Anthony and Laurie quickly cover the latest on the SAG-AFTRA strike, then chat about their recent interview with makeup artist James MacKinnon, who talks about being hired to work on the next Star Trek movie… for a week. They talk about some new Trek books coming next year, new Lower Decks merchandise, and an update on recording for season 5 of Lower Decks. The podcasters then launch into their review of the Star Trek: Lower Decks season finale, “Old Friends, New Planets,” talking about how the slow build all season paid off so well. There was a bit of debate over the merits of this season’s villain and how well the plan and motivation was crafted. But both agree that season 4 was the best so far and this episode brought back plenty of surprising callbacks along with some exciting cameos from The Next Generation. They wrap up with some Lower Decks deep-cut costumes from Halloween and a fun podcast with Sir Patrick Stewart.
Anthony and Laurie give a quick recap on what’s happening with the SAG-AFTRA strike, then [starting at 4:51] review the penultimate episode of Lower Decks season 4, “The Inner Flight,” talking about the episode as a standalone and as a reflection of the show itself and all the surprising connections to franchise lore. The podcasters end with some thoughts on what to expect for Star Trek in the coming year after next week’s season finale of Lower Decks.
[Lower Decks review starts at 34:41] Tony and Laurie dig into all the news from New York Comic Con! Alex Kurtzman thanked the fans for their successful efforts to save Star Trek: Prodigy and gave updates on all of the Trek shows still on the Paramount+ roster, including the ones in development like Starfleet Academy and the Section 31 movie event. Kid Cudi talked about his collaboration with Trek and Mike McMahan talked about what’s to come on Lower Decks. They do a quick recap of upcoming comics from IDW and books on the way, then talk about Mike McMahan’s post-panel interview, where he talked about the future of Lower Decks and what he has planned for season 5. They wrap up with a chat about the season 4 trailer for For All Mankind and a 7th Rule episode with TNG writer Melinda Snodgrass.
Anthony and Laurie start with the joyful news that Star Trek: Prodigy has been saved by Netflix (which they go into more detail about with the Shuttle Pod‘s Kayla on Thursday’s crossover podcast). They talk about some buried-in-a-press-release fine print about the Section 31 movie and the Starfleet Academy show, what to expect at New York Comic Con this weekend, the “making-of” video about very Short Treks with Casper Kelly, new info about Quentin Tarantino’s writers room for his scrapped Star Trek movie, an auction of the collection of legendary Hollywood model maker Greg Jein, and some Star Trek games you should know about. Then it’s time to talk Star Trek: Lower Decks. They review “A Few Badgeys More”—while they both miss T’Lyn, they loved this week’s guest stars, particularly Jeffrey Combs and Jack McBrayer, and are very much enjoying this season of the show. They wrap up with some real-life space stuff—asteroid samples!—and LeVar Burton’s appearance on Marc Maron’s podcast.
Following up on our emergency podcast in June about Star Trek: Prodigy being removed from Paramount+, Kayla from Shuttle Pod and Tony and Laurie from All Access Star Trek reunite to talk about the great news that the show has been saved. Season 1 and Season 2 are coming to Netflix. The trio talks about the news, speculates about season 2, and offers hope that the move to Netflix could lead to a third season.
[Lower Decks review starts at 33:58] Anthony and Laurie start by talking about Paramount’s interest in “fine-tuning” scripts for the next Star Trek movie and getting it into pre-production. There is also a lot to cover from Patrick Stewart’s new memoir Making It So and media tour including his hopes to do another TNG movie with some interesting ideas for Picard himself. Stewart is also taking about how he had an alternate ending he’d suggested for Star Trek: Picard, his experiences with Tom Hardy on Nemesis, and more. Laurie also talks about seeing Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg kick off his book tour. Jonathan Frakes also has ideas for Riker’s role in a potential Star Trek: Legacy series. After highlighting some new Trek comics and DVD sets, they review the last of the very Short Treks episodes, “Watch, Don’t Run,” which they agree was a nice way to end this mixed series of animated promotional shorts. Then it’s time to talk Star Trek: Lower Decks, starting with Mike McMahan’s comments that fans shouldn’t take a sixth season for granted as priorities and plans are constantly shifting. That launches them into a review of the latest Lower Decks episode, “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” which takes us to Ferenginar for the first time. Laurie and Tony both liked it, but felt it wasn’t as strong as the rest of the season has been. They wrap up with a nice detail on LA’s new Leonard Nimoy Theater and a flashback to a Captain’s Summit with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Whoopi Goldberg.
[Lower Decks review starts at 26:53] Anthony and Laurie start with the great news that the WGA strike is over. Although the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, there can still be work done on Star Trek, so the podcasters break down what this could mean for each show, or even the next movie, which has bubbled to the surface once again as “still on the tracks.” They give an update about the swapped-out visual FX shot on the Star Trek: Picard DVD sets, then segue into their recent interview with Picard production designer Dave Blass, who has strong opinions about the urgency of booking Terry Matalas to develop a new Trek show with the Picard cast. They wrap up the news with a reminder about the new Prodigy DVD set. It’s then time to do the reviews, starting with the latest very Short Treks episode (“It’s Holograms All The Way Down”) written by Prodigy co-EP Aaron Waltke. Both Tony and Laurie loved this one and hope fans give it a watch for all the layers of lore and cameos Aaron crammed into 90 seconds. After that, it’s time for their review of the newest episode of Lower Decks, “Empathalogical Fallacies.” And once again the All Access team loved the episode, especially giving T’Lyn her own storyline with high praise of the guest stars and how jammed-packed the episode is with little moments, fun nods, and heart. They wrap up with a recommendation for a fun Lower Decks artist as a Twitter follow and an early TV appearance by a then-unknown Brent Spiner.
Anthony and Laurie start with the news about what to expect at New York Comic Con this year and the expansion of Paramount+ into Japan and Switzerland. They pivot to Jonathan Frakes’ comments about Star Trek: Discovery‘s final season having “new energy” and talk about how polarizing the show is for fans. Then it’s on to Ed Speleers’ description of filming that Picard closing scene with John de Lancie, the upcoming Strange New Worlds season 2 DVD sets, Roxann Dawson’s decision not to direct more Star Trek, and some new fine art posters coming from Vice Press. Review time! They start with the very Short Treks episode “Worst Contact,” discussing the short itself as well as the fan reaction, then happily dig into Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ “Something Borrowed Something Green” and the fun of Trek’s very first visit to the Orion homeworld. They wrap things up with a deep exploration of the Dauntless from author David Mack and new spider species named after the TOS crew.
Anthony and Laurie give an update on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and talk about their day on the picket lines in Los Angeles and New York on Star Trek Day. They discuss Prodigy‘s recent award win, how to find a cool Easter egg on the Star Trek: Picard – The Final Season DVD, some new Star Trek games, and review the newest very Short Treks, “Holiday Party.” After a couple of Lower Decks updates, they review this week’s episode “In the Cradle of Vexilon,” with both agreeing it was funny and very Star Trek-y. They wrap up with Star Trek connections in the new game Starfield and a Star Trek lesson in high school about persuasion.
Anthony and Laurie start with an overview of Very Short Treks, the new animated shorts coming this fall, and do a quick review of the first one, “Skin a Cat.” They talk about the new disc set for Star Trek: Picard season 3 and a new book about Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Then they turn their attention to Lower Decks, reviewing the first two episodes of season 4, “Twovix” and “I Have No Bones But I Must Flee.” Moopsie!
This is a special supplemental episode of All Access Star Trek with Laurie’s interview about ‘United We Trek.’ John Billingsley (Dr. Phox, Enterprise), Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard), and actress Natalia Castellanos visit All Access to talk about United We Trek, their planned “counterprogramming” on Star Trek Day: picketing events in Los Angeles and New York on September 8. They’re inviting anyone who has ever worked on Star Trek—as well as fans, who they say are an essential part of what Star Trek is all about—to join them on the picket lines. They talked to us about why they planned the event for Star Trek Day and covered some of the major issues behind the SAG-AFTRA strike, especially why it’s so important to fight for the future. They also give details on how fans who can’t make it to the picket lines can pitch in. The All Access Star Trek podcast will be back on Friday with our reviews of the first two episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4.
Anthony and Laurie catch up on all the news from August including Paramount’s plans from Star Trek Day and some Trek celebrity plans for some picket line counterprogramming. Much of the news covers updates on Star Trek: Prodigy including Aaron Waltke’s update on season 2 (and hopes for season 3) and the latest fan campaign efforts including the aerial banner. The podcasters also pick up on Strange New Worlds ratings, comments from showrunners on season 3, and discussion talk about the Gorn, of course. The featured topic for the podcast is previewing the upcoming fourth season of Lower Decks, premiering next week. We get an update with Tony’s interview with supervising director Barry Kelly talking about what’s new for season 4 including how T’Lyn makes the show “10% funnier.” The podcasters go over all the trailers and previews to offer thoughts on what has them most excited about the upcoming season with the general consensus that it looks to be one of the best yet. They close things out with their bits of the week with Tony hoping an effort to get Leonard Nimoy on a US postal stamp pays off and Laurie reporting on her odd discussions with ChatGPT about Jewish characters in Star Trek.
Laurie and Tony have a lengthy, engaging conversation with Chris Fisher, producing director and co-executive producer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. His enthusiasm for the job and the show is infectious as he talks about hiring and working with directors, working with Paul Wesley, collaborating with the creative teams, using the AR wall, combining practical with virtual effects for the Gorn, what he knows (and doesn’t) about the Section 31 movie, and much more. He also gives his take on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (and how long it would take to get production rolling again once they’re over) and talks about being mentored by Star Trek behind-the-scenes vets Merri Howard and Marvin Rush. No news or bits this week, due to the length of the interview. Enjoy!
The Shuttle Pod‘s Matt Wright fills in for Tony this week to round up the news and give all the highlights from The 57-Year Mission convention in Las Vegas, covering the overall vibe, the challenge of not being able to talk Trek because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the latest on Prodigy, the panels and more. [ 22:52] They then turn to the Strange New Worlds season 2 finale to discuss the Gorn, the arrival of Scotty, Pike’s indecision, and some of the twists along the way in the surprise cliffhanger.
This is a special live joint podcast from the 57-Year Mission convention, recorded on Thursday, August 3rd. At Star Trek Las Vegas the two TrekMovie podcasting teams got together for a “State of Star Trek” panel to discuss what’s going on with the franchise and where things are going, especially in light of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes along with changes in content strategy at Paramount+. The panel was comprised of the All Access Star Trek duo of Anthony Pascale and Laurie Ulster joined by The Shuttle Pod‘s Kayla Iacovino, Brian Drew, and Matt Wright. the panelists offered their thoughts on Star Trek in 2023 and also took questions and comments from the crowd.
With the TrekMovie gang all at the STLV 57-Year Mission Convention, this week’s pod doesn’t include a news wrapup and focuses solely on reviewing the new musical episode of Strange New Worlds. TrekMovie editor and Shuttle Pod co-host Matt Wright joins Tony and Laurie to talk about “Subspace Rhapsody.” As is certainly the case with fans in general, this “big swing” of an episode garnered differing opinions among the group, but all the podcasters were impressed with the artistry that went into crafting the singing and dancing and how the songs were tied into the character arcs from the season.
[Review starts at 26:55] Tony and Laurie have updates from San Diego Comic-Con about Star Trek: Discovery, Prodigy, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and some new animated shorts. They talk about the new clips and trailers as well as some new merchandise coming our way. After the news, they dig into their review of Strange New Worlds‘ “Under the Cloak of War,” which they agree was ambitious and hit the mark more for Tony than for Laurie, although both felt it had impressive performances, raised important questions, and touched on some key Star Trek themes. They wrap up with a new tidbit from the Delta Flyers podcast and a new crowdfunded documentary about Star Trek locations, plus a reminder to come see the TrekMovie team’s panel at The 57-Year Mission in Las Vegas next week.
With the early drop of “Those Old Scientists,” the long-awaited Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover, Tony and Laurie decided to squeeze in an extra podcast to talk about it. No news, no bits, just a straight-up review. Spoiler alert: They loved it.
Tony and Laurie sort through the latest updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike and how it will affect the production of upcoming Star Trek shows as well as what its impact might be on San Diego Comic-Con and The 57-Year Mission in Las Vegas. They also talk about the Star Trek events coming up at SDCC, including the screening of the long-awaited Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover episode. After the news, they dig into their review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ “Lost in Translation,” which they both liked. They’re both happy to see Hemmer again as well as Pelia, loved Celia Rose Gooding’s performance, and despite some quibbles, enjoyed the episode thoroughly. They wrap up the podcast with an Enterprise-themed (TOS era) hotel room in Oregon and an astronomy talk with Tim Russ and TrekMovie’s Kayla Iacovino.
[Review starts at 20:51] Tony and Laurie start off discussing the SAG-AFTRA strike and how that can impact Star Trek production and promotion, especially San Diego Comic-Con. They then round up the latest news on awards, including an Emmy snub for Picard and Strange New Worlds making it into the streaming top 10. There’s also a new book offering some clues on Lower Decks season 4. Finally, the podcasters talk about the passing of Enterprise executive producer Manny Coto. For Strange New Worlds the podcast first looks over the latest TrekMovie exclusive interviews including listening to what Jess Bush (Christine Chapel) had to say about Roger Corby. Tony and Laurie then turn to the week’s main topic, reviewing “Charades,” where they mostly agree, but also had different takes on this “big swing” towards another rom-com style episode. They wrap things up with talking about a special Treksperts podcast about Manny Coto and a special moment between William Shatner and Picard production designer Dave Blass at Star Trek: The Tour.
[Review starts at 12:42] Tony and Laurie round up the latest news: Star Trek: Prodigy‘s TCA nomination, the upcoming exit of most Star Trek content from Canada’s streaming network Crave, an exclusive clip from the docuseries Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982, and Akiva Goldman’s explanation for moving the timeline of the Eugenics Wars. Then it’s time for this week’s main topic: a review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ “Among the Lotus Eaters.” Tony and Laurie talk about the story’s premise, the connections to canon (and whether or not they’re needed), and have completely different takes on the punchy conclusion as well as Captain Pike’s burgeoning romance, although they both enjoyed Ortegas’ scenes as well as the episode’s main guest star, Reed Birney. They wrap things up with a look at an incredible fan-written book recapping the oral history of the Battle of Wolf 359 and a review of Rainn Wilson’s new book Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.
Tony and Laurie give an update on the removal of Star Trek: Prodigy from Paramount+ including talk about efforts to save the show and the fan petition. They also talk about their hopes it will find a new home and where you can buy the show while we wait for more news. For merchandise news, they discuss the new Halloween-themed comic miniseries coming from IDW. [5:35] After the quick news update, the focus of the podcast is their review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” diving deep into what it means for La’an’s character, who this version of James Kirk is, and where the show tries to both explain and tweak canon. They also talk about how the new episode celebrates Canadian culture and specifically the city of Toronto, where new Star Trek shows are filmed. [45:16] Finally, we wrap up with a book co-written by Laurie that comes out next month and a T-shirt design inspired by their All Access Star Trek interview with Prodigy co-EP Aaron Waltke.
After the big news broke on Friday that Paramount Global is canceling and removing a number of shows including Star Trek: Prodigy, the TrekMovie podcasting teams assembled for an emergency pod to talk about it. Kayla and Brian from the Shuttle Pod join Tony and Laurie from All Access Star Trek to break down the news and put it into context with what is going on with Paramount and the streaming business. The podcasters also express their sadness to see such a great show get canceled but are hopeful it will find a new home, as Paramount has said they plan to license both season 1 and the upcoming second season to another network. They also have a frank discussion about the state of Star Trek merchandise and about what all of this could mean for the future of Star Trek on TV.
[Episode review begins at 20:48] Tony and Laurie start the podcast with Akiva’s comments about the “undeniable” appetite for a Star Trek: Legacy show as well as Patrick Stewart’s wish for a Picard movie. They give some details on the upcoming Picard Blu-ray and DVD set and the “Picard Legacy” limited edition set, the upcoming Star Trek: Infinite game, and IDW’s new Star Trek: Picard’s Academy series, along with a long-awaited audiobook from DS9’s Andrew J. Robinson. They cover the latest news on Strange New Worlds (including fan reaction to Akiva’s canon comments and new info on Carol Kane’s Pelia). The rest of the pod is their review of the newest episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera,” comparing it to other Trek courtroom episodes as well as seeing how it fits into SNW lore. They both liked the episode a lot, but still have their nitpicks. They wrap things up with a look at two different podcasts: Trek Politics with Mary L. Trump and Bob Cesca and the SyFy Sistas with Ira Steven Behr.
[SNW showrunners interview starts at 11:46 | SNW review starts at 26:13] Tony and Laurie start with an exclusive update on how the WGA Strike is affecting season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (with an update from the SNW showrunners), then take a look at new and incoming Trek merch: a Seven of Nine pre-Picard novel from David Mack, a one-off Shaxs comic book from IDW, an interview with the writers of the Star Trek: Resurgence game, and the Star Trek: Infinite strategy game. Then they shift into Strange New Worlds mode, checking out the Ready Room preview and newly released photos. Audio from Tony’s brand-new interviews with SNW showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers is rolled in, covering Spock’s arc in season 2, the return of the Klingons, and the thinking behind choosing the Gorn as such a prominent villain. Then, Tony and Laurie review the season 2 premiere, “The Broken Circle,” which they both liked—with some caveats. They wrap things up with a message from William Shatner to Pedro Pascal and a YA novel written by John Cho.
Tony and Laurie are joined by Star Trek: Voyager‘s Garrett Wang this week! Before his arrival, they cover the news: The Directors Guild has made a deal and averted a strike as the Actors Guild is gearing up to start negotiations, and there’s another new Star Trek game coming out. Then they get into the interview with Garrett, who clears up some rumors about Harry Kim appearing on Picard and Prodigy, talks about his love for Strange New Worlds (and how he’d like to appear on it), what he’s learned about Voyager from doing the Delta Flyers podcast (which is almost at the end of the series), does some impressions of his former shipmates, and takes our Star Trek questionnaire. Tony and Laurie wrap things up with a unique new Star Trek comedy podcast and Marc Maron’s amazing interview with William Shatner. Only one week until the season 2 premiere of Strange New Worlds!
Tony and Laurie give an update on the WGA strike, look at the Emmy buzz around Star Trek: Picard, and celebrate Prodigy‘s Tell-Tale TV win for Favorite Animated Series. Then they take a deep dive into season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, covering interviews from MCM Comic Con in London and then playing clips from Tony’s brand-new interviews with cast members Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Paul Wesley, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Jess Bush. They also give their spoiler-free thoughts about the season premiere, which they both had a chance to watch. They wrap things up with a Star Trek-themed intersection in Sacramento and a podcast interview with Doug Drexler.
Tony and Laurie talk about the WGA strike, including the impact on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. They then take a look at the brand-new trailer for Strange New Worlds season 2, which has the first clip from the show’s crossover with Lower Decks and the first bit of dialogue from Carol Kane. They discuss Star Trek: Picard‘s success on the Neilson streaming top 10 chart, Laurie’s interview with Cirroc Lofton and Denise Crosby, and Tony’s review of the Star Trek: Resurgence game. The podcasters then bring in this week’s guest, Prodigy co-EP Aaron Waltke. Aaron talks about the writers’ strike, the epic day when Star Trek creatives from across the franchise united on the picketing pavement, and what’s heading our way in season 2 of Prodigy. Then Tony and Laurie help him channel his own fandom by taking our new Star Trek questionnaire, getting his thoughts on everything from underrated Star Trek episodes to what position he’d have if he served on a starship and who his Trek crush is. The podcast wraps up with a look at a new book about composer Jerry Goldsmith and some Trek celebs playing D&D in Todd Stashwick’s game room.
After a check-in on the ongoing WGA strike, Tony and Laurie take a look at what’s coming our way in Star Trek on TV, starting with the arrival of Strange New Worlds season 2 next month, continuing through new seasons of Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Discovery‘s final season and then the new Starfleet Academy series and Section 31 TV-movie. They talk about what they know about each show, discuss their hopes and predictions, and speculate on what each show’s role is within the greater Star Trek universe, as well as the changes in the streaming industry business and how that might affect the future plans of Paramount+. They wrap up with a look at KHAN!!!: The Musical and a great discussion with Nicholas Meyer on the Hollywood & Levine podcast.
[Terry Matalas interview starts at 14:48] Tony and Laurie talk about how the WGA strike could affect Star Trek, especially if it keeps going, and do a quick round-up of new merchandise (including Prodigy toys, Patrick Stewart’s memoir, and Jonathan Frakes’ return to Riker in the Star Trek: Resurgence game). The rest of the podcast is spent with Terry Matalas, showrunner on Star Trek: Picard season 3. With the series now complete, Terry talks to us about roads taken and not taken, scenes he wished he’d been able to include, gratifying moments, backstories, and more.
[Picard episode review starts at 22:03] Tony and Laurie can’t wait to talk about the Star Trek: Picard season finale, but there’s a lot of big news to get to first! They cover the announced return of Michelle Yeah to Star Trek with a Section 31 TV-movie, the Strange New Worlds season 2 teaser trailer, SNW’s upcoming arrival on Pluto TV, and plans from Paramount+ to develop a Galaxy Quest series. They discuss the popularity of Picard, including its arrival on the list of top ten streaming shows as ranked by Nielsen, the Enterprise-D in Times Square, and the details on the rebuild of that famous bridge. Then it’s time to talk about “The Last Generation,” the final episode of Star Trek: Picard. Tony and Laurie talk about those emotional moments and exchanges, the action-packed rescue, surprising guest stars, and the multiple, very satisfying ending scenes, as well as the way the show is set up for a follow-up series even if nothing is in development yet. They podcasters are sad to see the season end, but happy it went out so beautifully.
[Picard episode review starts at 22:55] Tony and Laurie are joined by Jonathan Frakes for part of the podcast this week! He talks about the PanCAN PurpleStride walk taking place on April 29 and how important it is to keep funding research to fight pancreatic cancer, how he and his TNG co-stars didn’t “dare hope” that they’d get to do what they’ve been doing on Star Trek: Picard, and what it was like filming THAT scene in episode 309. He also raves about the Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover episode he directed and describes a new project he’s hoping will come to fruition with Brent Spiner. News-wise, Laurie and Tony talk about the upcoming IMAX screenings for episodes 9 and 10 of Picard (and the accompanying kerfuffle), and review Picard episode 9, “Võx,” discussing the revelations about Jack, the Frontier Day plans to take over Starfleet, the surprise guest star, the surprise death, and that classic ship. They wrap up with a new Star Trek event from the folks at The 7th Rule and a particularly fun episode of the Trek, Marry, Kill podcast.
Tony and Laurie talk about new character posters for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and new Trek merch (including the TNG movies on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray), then dig into the latest on Picard, from Terry Matalas’ assurance that Kirk will not be making an appearance on the show (beyond the remains we saw at Daystrom) to his description of the show as a proper send-off for the TNG crew. After playing some of the audio from Tony’s interview with Brent Spiner—who talks about Data’s evolution as well as his feline colleague—it’s time to review the latest Picard episode, “Surrender.” Laurie and Tony enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the way it moved the story forward and gave us great character moments along the way, although they’re both impatiently waiting to learn the full story about Jack. They wrap things up with an April Fools’ Day joke from Prodigy EP Aaron Waltke and fun Voyager guest star trivia.
Tony and Laurie have fresh news! There’s been an official series order for the new show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, plus new seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and Lower Decks, and even an airdate for season 2 of SNW. They round up the latest comments on possible new projects and spin-offs from Alex Kurtzman as well as the Picard cast, plus point listeners towards an Easter egg round-up and an interview with the Picard composers. The rest of the podcast is dedicated to their review of the newest Picard episode, “Dominion.” They discuss the great, emotional performances from LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner, Beverly and Jean-Luc’s moral compass failure, Vadic’s motives, Jack and Sidney’s budding romance, and more. Then they wrap up the pod with a retro game and a wise tweet from Prodigy EP Aaron Waltke.
Tony and Laurie talk about an official-but-unofficial update on the status of Strange New Worlds season 3 and speculate about what else Paramount+ may be about to announce. They discuss Seth MacFarlane’s comment about being “cautiously optimistic” for an Orville renewal and have some good news for fans of Eaglemoss Hero Collector ships going back on sale. Pivoting to Picard, they take a look at recent posts and comments from Michelle Forbes and Terry Matalas about bringing Ro Laren back in last week’s show, then dive into their review of episode 6, “The Bounty,” where they relished all the reunions, especially from LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner, who make their first appearances of the season, and try to put together where all the story points are headed next. They wrap up with a fun moment courtesy of the German Defense Minister’s TNG ringtone, and Laurie plays us off with a tune from Brent Spiner’s album Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back featuring backup vocals from his TNG costars.
Anthony and Laurie celebrate Michelle Yeoh’s Best Actress win at the Oscars and speculate about what this might mean for the future of the Section 31 show. They discuss Chris Pine’s enthusiasm for more Star Trek movies, Tony’s interview with Strange New Worlds‘ Celia Rose Gooding and Melissa Navia, the launch of a new comic series from IDW, and the latest from the Star Trek: Picard production team on villains, sets, and technology (including Odo’s bucket). Then they review “Imposters,” the newest episode of Picard, particularly enjoying Ro Laren’s return to the franchise. They wrap up with a look at a new blog covering legal issues in Star Trek (beginning with the ever-controversial “Tuvix”) and a friendly group of Star Trek fans and professionals on Facebook worth joining.
Laurie and Anthony keep the news brief this week. They cover Jonathan Frakes’ thoughts on Star Trek: Discovery ending after season 5 (as well as his guess about what might or might not come next), the prominence of Strange New Worlds in the latest Paramount + brand campaign plus its recent win at the Canadian Costume Awards, and an exclusive from Terry Matalas about Robert Beltran’s comment that he turned down a role on Picard. Then it’s time for a brand-new interview with Gates McFadden, who called in to talk about the second season of her podcast, InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are. (The podcasters manage to squeeze in a few Picard questions, too.) Then they dive into their review of “No Win Scenario” (Laurie’s adding the hyphen in her mind), both loving the episode each finding personal connection to a different storyline. They wrap up with a look at the midcentury design fusion on Strange New Worlds and the brand-new episode of The Pod Directive (the official Star Trek podcast) after a too-long hiatus.
Laurie and Anthony start the podcast with the breaking news that Star Trek: Discovery is ending with season 5 and an overview of what might be next for the Star Trek Universe on TV. They talk about the addition of Star Trek: Voyager to the Pluto line-up, new comments from both Chris Pine and J.J. Abrams about the stalled follow-up to Star Trek Beyond, and the upcoming arrival of Lower Decks season 3 on DVD. They pivot to a round-up of Picard news and interviews from Ed Speleers, Jonathan Frakes, and Michael Dorn, then talk over some of the fan theories about who might be conspiring with Vadic. Then they review Picard 303, “Seventeen Seconds,” which includes some debate about the scene that inspired the episode’s title. They wrap things up with a fun comment from James Worthy and a great resource for finding Star Trek events.
[Picard news (with episode 1 spoilers) starts at 06:46 / Episode 2 review starts at 28:50] Anthony and Laurie kick off the podcast with an update on the timing of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 and the latest award nominations for Strange New Worlds. They discuss some of the new comics coming out, the arrival of season 2 of Gates McFadden’s podcast, and all the latest Picard news, rounding up the latest from The New York Times, Tony’s purple carpet interviews, and social media. After that, they dig in to their review of Star Trek: Picard season 3 episode 2, “Disengage.” They wrap things up with a funny (doctored) Picard trailer and a rousing endorsement of the SyFy Sistas podcast.
Anthony and Laurie start with updates on season premiere scheduling for Discovery and Prodigy, then talk about the upcoming release of Strange New Worlds on 4K Blu-ray, Star Trek’s inclusion in Paramount Plus’ big Super Bowl ad, comments from Matt Shakman on the status of the next Star Trek movie, a new Star Trek: The Motion Picture-themed comic miniseries from IDW, and how to watch the Star Trek shows internationally. They dig into a round-up of all the latest hints, news, and interviews about Star Trek: Picard season 3, then launch into their review of the season premiere, “The Next Generation,” with enthusiasm. The podcast wraps up with info about Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer and Laurie’s upcoming appearance at Virtual Trek Con 4.
Anthony’s busy with the Picard premiere, so in lieu of a regular episode of the podcast, here’s Laurie’s interview with John Billingsley, Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox. The interview was done to help promote TREKtalks2, a yearly fundraiser for the Hollywood Food Coalition that brings Star Trek celebs from both in front of and behind camera together for a marathon of panels and discussions. In addition to discussing the event, Laurie and John talked extensively about Star Trek: Enterprise, covering the character of Phlox, whether the show was sexist or just sexy (or both), the chance of Phlox appearing on current Star Trek shows, the perils of being on UPN during a tumultuous time in TV, and the season John wasn’t a big fan of, along with the joys of becoming part of the eternal world of Star Trek. Just a heads up: There’s swearing in here, and we have left it as is, neither bleeping nor deleting.
Anthony and Laurie discuss the upcoming rebranding of Paramount+ into Paramount + with Showtime, Jonathan Frakes’ thoughts on the Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover as well as Star Trek’s future onscreen. They look forward to season 2 of Gates McFadden’s podcast, mourn the loss of Annie Wersching, and give an update on the status of the merch left behind by Eaglemoss when it folded. They also give a quick check-in on The Orville. The podcast moves on to the focus of the podcast with a closer look at the final Star Trek: Picard trailer, along with a play-by-play breakdown courtesy of showrunner Terry Matalas. They also catch up on more Picard updates and Tony and Laurie give their spoiler-free first impressions of episode one of season three from their early press screeners. They wrap things up with some Star Trek/Eddie Murphy history and Anthony Rapp’s one-man show in NYC.
Tony and Laurie are back with the latest on all five current shows—Picard, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Discovery, and Prodigy—covering production updates, new interviews about upcoming seasons, and insights into episodes that have already aired. They talk about the Ben Sisko autobiography on the way, Paramount Plus’ affirmation that there’s still a Section 31 show in development, Michelle Yeoh’s increasing star power, and the possibilities of Enterprise characters finding their way into the new Trek shows, with some input on the idea from new interviews with Scott Bakula and John Billingsley. Sofia Boutella is talking about her interest in another Star Trek movie, and Nicolas Cage is talking about his interest in Star Trek itself! The podcasters wrap up with a Spock/Geordi team-up for a vaccination campaign and a Patrick Stewart/Jamie Oliver team-up for a tasty meal.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by Subrina Wood from the SyFy Sistas and Matt Wright from the Shuttle Pod to look back at the astonishing year of 2022 in which five different Star Trek shows were on, then look ahead at each show to see what’s coming and how everyone feels about it. The group also speculates on what show might be greenlit next, thoughts on whether or not there’ll be another movie, and the Khan podcast coming from Nicholas Meyer.
Anthony and Laurie talk about the music clip from Star Trek: Picard season 3 posted by Terry Matalas, then dig into an actual scene from episode 1 of Jean-Luc getting a signal on his old Enterprise-D combadge that was shown on The Ready Room. They chat briefly about TrekMovie’s “best of 2022” categories and picks, and after a quick look back at part 1, they launch into their review of part of the Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 finale, episode 20: “Supernova, Part 2.” Spoiler alert: They loved it. They wrap up the year with news about the new Nichelle Nichols Foundation and the gift of a Leonard Nimoy-themed fanzine yearbook from 1968. Happy New Year!
Anthony and Laurie kick off the news with Anson Mount’s comments about Strange New Worlds’ take on Star Trek idealism and the issues raised in the season 1 finale, then recommend a look at the IDW comic miniseries that takes place between seasons 1 and 2 of the show. They mine Terry Matalas’ latest Twitter comments about Picard for hints about season 3, and then they’re ready to talk Prodigy. They enthusiastically review “Supernova, Part 1” and Tony makes his predictions for part 2 (which Laurie shouldn’t have watched already, but did). They wrap up the pod with Christmas and Hanukkah wishes for all, plus a playful interview with Zoe Saldaña and behind-the-scenes tidbits from Voyager guest star Kim Rhodes.
Anthony and Laurie start the podcast with a look at a new interview about Star Trek: Picard season 3 with Sir Patrick Stewart, then round up other Picard news about Worf and the casting of the captain of the Titan. They cover the recent launch of Paramount+ in more European countries and the upcoming release of Strange New Worlds on Blu-ray, DVD, and Steelbook. They talk about IDW’s new Deep Space Nine miniseries (featuring dogs!), Star Trek: Prodigy‘s win (and loss) at the Children & Family Emmys and LeVar Burton’s lifetime achievement award at the same event. After that, they dig into their review of Star Trek: Prodigy‘s take on the body swap trope, “Mindwalk,” giving extra kudos to Kate Mulgrew and Brett Gray for their amazing performances. They wrap up with a look at Star Trek fans doing good deeds (and getting covered by the local news) and Mike Okuda connecting the dots from Charlie Brown to Star Trek.
[Review starts at 16:02] Anthony and Laurie talk about the loss of Kirstie Alley and how much her role in The Wrath of Khan meant to her, then segue into Michelle Yeoh’s big year: She’s Time’s Icon of 2022, is on all the best-of lists, and is likely getting nominated for an Oscar this year. They discuss the new photos from Star Trek: Picard season 3 as well as Lower Decks‘ Critics Choice nomination for Best Animated Series, then analyze the latest Admiral Janeway log on Instagram. With that done, they review the newest episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, “Ghost in the Machine.” They wrap up with a look at a great PR stunt from Paramount+ and British Airways, and a handmade, hand-cranked music box that plays the Prodigy theme.
[Review starts at 12:46] Anthony and Laurie start with Chris Hemsworth new comments about why he thinks the movie about James Kirk and his dad fizzled, then move into Terry Matalas’ comments about how Picard season 3 is a continuation of both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. They give an update on Discovery season 5, which just wrapped filming, and tease an upcoming giveaway for the release of season 4 on DVD. After that, they dig into Tony’s new interview with Ronny Cox (Jellico on TNG and Prodigy), then review the newest Prodigy episode, “Preludes.” They wrap up with a look at Starfleet’s attitude towards genetic engineering and an episode of the 7th Rule podcast with Ira Steven Behr talking about the Deep Space Nine series finale.
Due to the holiday weekend, there’s no news this week. Tony and Laurie review the newest episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, “Masquerade” and wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We will be back next week with news and a review of the next Prodigy episode.
[Review starts at 18:25] Anthony and Laurie are sad to report that Star Trek: Mission Seattle convention, scheduled for May 2023, has been canceled. They chat about that as well as Zachary Quinto’s thoughts on the possibilities of a fourth Star Trek Kelvin movie still happening and talk about Tony’s new interview with the always entertaining Jonathan Frakes where he talks about supporting the PanCAN charity, directing the Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover, season three of Picard and his hopes to stick with Star Trek behind and in front of the camera in the future. With the news done, they review the latest from Star Trek: Prodigy, “Crossroads,” a fun action-packed episode that brings the crews of the Protostar and Dauntless together (and in conflict) for the first time, along with the introduction of Okuna from TNG and a whole new Murf. They then wrap up with some upcoming events: a webinar with Prodigy composer Nami Melumad and a new live appearance schedule from the indomitable William Shatner.
Anthony and Laurie use a recent interview with Zoe Saldaña to talk about the uncertain future of the next Star Trek movie, then get into some of the details on an upcoming auction of props and costumes from Star Trek: Picard as well as the latest SkyShowtime launches in Europe. They discuss a theory about the Borg that connects Voyager, Prodigy, and Picard, then take a look at the newest Admiral Janeway log on Instagram. After that, they review Prodigy‘s newest episode, “All the World’s a Stage.” They wrap up with a story about Jimi Hendrix and Leonard Nimoy hanging out together and Neil Shurley’s episode of Enterprise Incidents about TOS’ “The Way to Eden.” (Yeah, brother.)
[Review starts at 16:56] Anthony and Laurie talk through the opportunities and possibilities around the return of both Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo to live-action Trek, now that both actors have been chatting about it. They discuss the addition of a second Star Trek channel to Pluto TV, Star Trek: Prodigy‘s Emmy nomination, and the new weekly logs from Admiral Janeway on Instagram. Then, it’s time for them to review the newest episode of Prodigy, “Let Sleeping Borg Lie,” and how it combines action, mystery, and story with emotion and character growth. They wrap up the podcast with a look at William Shatner’s latest book and essential charity fundraising from Jonathan Frakes (for pancreatic cancer), Jeri Ryan (for ALS), and Kate Mulgrew (for Alzheimer’s).
[Lower Decks review starts at 3:04 / Prodigy review starts at 36:14] Anthony and Laurie have two episodes of Star Trek to review, so they keep the news short, focusing on the departure of the TOS and TNG Star Trek movies from Paramount+ and their impending arrival on HBO, plus Strange New Worlds‘ win for Best Streaming Sci-Fi Series at the Saturn Awards. They chat briefly about new comics and games, then dig into the exciting Lower Decks season 3 finale, “The Stars At Night,” and the mid-season return of Star Trek: Prodigy, “Asylum.” No time for bits this week!
Anthony and Laurie cover the recent reveal of the “Star Trek 4” storyline that would’ve brought Chris Hemsworth back into Star Trek movies (but it didn’t happen), with more details from the screenwriters. They talk about the Next Generation cast’s interest in Picard spin-offs, Anson Mount’s latest description of the upcoming wildness on Strange New Worlds season 2, and the Prodigy producers’ thoughts on character growth, legacy characters, and toys from TrekMovie’s interview with them at New York Comic Con. They cover the latest in games (Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is out while Resurgence is delayed), celebrate Outfest’s Visionary Award for the Star Trek franchise, and go over the latest in international launches for Paramount Plus. Then it’s time for their review of Lower Decks‘ “Trusted Sources,” which is something of a mixed bag. (Lower Decks review starts at 20:19) They wrap things up with a canon-affirming tweet from Jack Quaid with George Takei, and a cute-affirming Instagram post from Anson Mount with his irresistible baby.
Tony and Laurie dive right in to all the Star Trek Universe news from New York Comic Con, which includes trailers, panel recaps, and post-panel interviews for Picard (Amanda Plummer! Moriarty! Pacifist Worf!), Prodigy (Jellico!), and Discovery (Callum Keith Rennie!). They then jump into their review of Lower Decks’ epic “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus,” with a lot of talk about how it honors (and even skewers) Star Trek movies. They wrap things up with a look at “Trek the Vote” and a sweet TNG reunion video from New York Comic Con.
Tony and Laurie dive right in to all the Star Trek Universe news from New York Comic Con, which includes trailers, panel recaps, and post-panel interviews for Picard (Amanda Plummer! Moriarty! Pacifist Worf!), Prodigy (Jellico!), and Discovery (Callum Keith Rennie!). They then jump into their review of Lower Decks’ epic “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus,” with a lot of talk about how it honors (and even skewers) Star Trek movies. They wrap things up with a look at Trek the Vote and a sweet TNG reunion video.
[Review starts at 22:39] Tony and Laurie start with the news that all of the TOS and TNG movies have been removed from Paramount+, then round up the latest tweets from Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas and tell listeners how to enter a drawing to win the Picard season 2 Blu-ray or DVD set. They talk about William Shatner’s new book and his estrangement from Leonard Nimoy, and check out reactions to last week’s Lower Decks episodes from DS9 vets Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, and Cirroc Lofton (and clear up the mystery of Quark’s teeth). They look ahead to Lower Decks‘ future and Mike McMahan’s interest in working some of the Enterprise cast into the show. After that, they take on the hefty task of reviewing Lower Decks‘ wackadoo new episode “A Mathematically Perfect Redemption.” They wrap up with the Doctor Who movie that could’ve been directed by Leonard Nimoy and a way to celebrate Star Trek Christmas year-round.
[Review starts at 21:56] Tony and Laurie kick things off with the very predictable news that the next Star Trek movie has come off of Paramount’s release calendar for 2023 and discuss what that may or may not mean for the future. They look ahead to Star Trek: Picard season 3 thanks to Tony’s Star Trek Day interview with makeup designer James MacKinnon and a tweet from the scoring stage from showrunner Terry Matalas, then check out new comics for Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks. After that, they talk about Tony’s Star Trek Day interviews with Mike McMahan and Nana Visitor, then dive into their review of Lower Decks episode 306, “Hear All, Trust
Tony and Laurie start the news with more of Tony’s interviews from the Star Trek Day purple carpet. They discuss Strange New Worlds showrunner Henry Alonso Myers’ big plans for season 2 and Lower Decks‘ star Tawny Newsome’s thoughts on the ways her show has changed in season 3 and how she got to bring her improv training to the set for the show’s crossover with Strange New Worlds. Then they take a look at what’s going on in the world of Star Trek merchandise, from the books, games, and figures that are out now to what’s coming in time for the holidays. After that, they review Lower Decks episode 305, “Reflections,” which they both felt was one of the strongest ones of the season. They wrap up with a look at Zachary Quinto’s ancestor’s history with a famous Vulcan phrase and a Klingon-themed gift from Bryan Fuller to Ron D. Moore during their time on Voyager.
Matt Wright from Shuttle Pod steps in for Laurie, joining Tony to break down the latest news including a TNG cast reunion for a Picard panel at New York Comic Con on October 8, more ship details from Terry Matalas, and hints about Raffi’s evolution in season three. Plus Discovery has wrapped up writing on season five, Paramount Plus continues to expand into Europe, and Kate Mulgrew is talking more about returning to live-action Star Trek. After the news, the podcasters dive into the fourth episode of Lower Decks season three, “Room for Growth,” with both enjoying a Seinfeld-like episode that was sort of about nothing and yet full of character comedy. They wrap up with a recommendation on a thoughtful TOS YouTube analysis and some silliness from New Zealand regarding the police and a Klingon flag.
Fresh from Star Trek Day, Anthony and Laurie round up all the reveals about Star Trek: Picard season 3, Discovery season 5, and Lower Decks, plus casting news and clips from Prodigy and Strange New Worlds, and the announcement of a new scripted podcast, Star Trek: Khan – Ceti Alpha V from Nicholas Meyer. And we finally have a few premiere dates! After they cover the news they review the latest episode of Lower Decks, “Mining The Mind’s Mines.” They wrap up with some amusing Chris Pine memes from the Venice Film Festival and a slew of podcasts Laurie has been guesting on.
Matt Wright (of Shuttle Pod fame) fills in for Tony this week as the TrekMovie team returns from The 56-Year Mission in Las Vegas and starts their recap, covering comments from TNG’s Denise Crosby about Star Trek: Picard, ideas for the future of Dax and stories from her Deep Space Nine past from Terry Farrell, and laments from a justifiably disappointed Anthony Montgomery about his lack of development on Enterprise. Matt and Laurie also recap some of their favorite moments, from a panel featuring Ande Kindryd (assistant to Gene Coon during TOS) to a Nichelle Nichols tribute, and other highlights, including the TrekMovie panel itself. Then they cover the news: the loss of director Matt Shakman from the upcoming (?) Star Trek movie, the schedule and special events planned for Star Trek Day on September 8, the upcoming launch of Nichelle Nichols’ ashes into space, and the Picard season 2 Blu-ray/DVD coming out next month. After that, they review the latest episode of Lower Decks, “The Least Dangerous Game.” They wrap up with a sneak preview of the TOS movie collection in 4K and a talented trumpeter who takes on the TNG theme.
This special podcast features a live recording of the TrekMovie.com “State of Star Trek” panel from the 56-Year Mission Las Vegas Star Trek convention. On the panel were TrekMovie.com editors and podcasters: Anthony Pascale, Laurie Ulster, Kayla Iacovino, and Matt Wright.
As Tony and Laurie are attending the 56-Year Mission Star Trek convention in Las Vegas there isn’t a news update this week, but we do have a review of “Grounded,” the third season premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks. And for an added bonus, Matt Wright from The Shuttle Pod joins us to review the return of the animated comedy series.
[Matalas Interview starts at 19:34] Anthony and Laurie start with a preview of The 56-Year Mission in Las Vegas, covering venue capacity, Covid procedures, guests, and panels, including one on Thursday from TrekMovie. They cover the Saturn Award nominations for Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks, discuss fan reactions to SNW showrunner Henry Alonso Myers’ comments about his pitch for the show, round up more San Diego Comic-Con interviews from the SNW cast, and talk about the latest comics, books, and games coming our way (with some surprising tie-ins). Then it’s time for Part 2 of the epic interview with Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, going back to talk a bit about season two and taking an even deeper dive into season three and the return of the TNG crew, including how he had to keep his inner fanboy in check on set. He also offers up some hints about what kind of Star Trek show he would like to do next, talks about how he just can’t help responding to critics on Twitter, and more. The podcasters wrap up with Kate Mulgrew’s promise to avoid causing temporal anomalies by visiting the Janeway statue and some surprising history about what’s probably the most important scene in The Wrath of Khan.
Anthony and Laurie cover the latest on The 56-Year Mission in Las Vegas, the success of Strange New Worlds on Paramount+, and new interviews from the Lower Decks crew. Tony discusses his recent interview with former Eaglemoss head of licensing Ben Robinson, and they round up the latest intel on Picard from LeVar Burton, Patrick Stewart, and Gates McFadden. Then it’s time for part 1 of their epic interview with Terry Matalas, EP and showrunner of Picard season 3. They wrap up with a look at the Prodigy pizza party and Sarah Cooke’s excellent opinion piece about the Gorn.
Tony and Laurie keep it short this week and just focus on the latest news. They start with a discussion of the legacy of the great Nichelle Nichols, who died on July 30th, and how much she meant not just to Star Trek fans but to people across the globe who poured out their sentiments on social media. They parse through the latest tweets from Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas (including a look at the new composer for the show) and round up the interviews done with the Strange New Worlds cast in San Diego after the Comic-Con panels. They wrap things up with some amazing footage and interviews with Nichelle Nichols that fans will definitely want to check out.
Tony and Laurie are joined by Matt from the Shuttle Pod to round up all the news from San Diego Comic-Con about Star Trek: Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, the Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds crossover, the latest on the next Star Trek movie, William Shatner’s out-of-context, misinterpreted comments, a quick Orville update, the new Sisko-focused comic series from IDW, and more. They wrap up with a Lower Decks Easter egg on Solar Opposites, a look at the sneaky Lower Decks trailer strategy, and a new podcast interview with Jonathan Frakes.
[Interview starts at 21:02] It’s our 100th episode! Tony and Laurie start the news with the five Emmy nominations for Star Trek and the reveal of the season 3 premiere date for Lower Decks. They talk about Sonequa Martin-Green’s latest comments on the future of Discovery, then round up all the post-season 1 finale intel on Strange New Worlds. Then they welcome special guest Aaron Waltke, executive producer of Star Trek: Prodigy, to talk about what we’ve already seen in the first half of season 1, what’s coming in the second half, what it’s like in the writers’ room, and what makes the show both unique and very much part of the Star Trek legacy, then gives an update on the production status of the show. They wrap up with Mike McMahan revealing his secret cameo in season two of Lower Decks and a Star Trek family connection to the James Webb Telescope.
[Strange New Worlds news and review start at 16:35] It’s episode 99! Tony and Laurie start the news with the nominations for Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks from the Hollywood Critics Association and the arrival of Prodigy on Nickelodeon. They segue into Kate Mulgrew’s hinty comment about the THREE different Janeways on Prodigy, and how the whole Voyager gang would love to be back in action together. Tony gives an update on what to expect at San Diego Comic-Con this year, which will include a panel with William Shatner and Kevin Smith for Shatner’s new documentary (about himself). They talk about the new Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Directors Edition on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, offer up a way to win Lower Decks season 2 on Blu-ray, and round up the latest intel on Strange New Worlds. Matt Wright from the Shuttle Pod joins in to review the season finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “A Quality of Mercy,” covering (and sometimes debating) everything from Kirk to “Balance of Terror” to the glories of monster maroon. Tony and Laurie wrap up with some worthy Twitter account follows and a 1992 set visit to TNG from Good Morning America.
[Strange New Worlds news and review start at 9:49] Tony and Laurie start with Sonequa Martin-Green’s barely-a-tidbit about season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery, then speculate on whether or not the crossovers she’s hoping for have already been filmed or not. Then they give an update on Lower Decks, courtesy of Tawny Newsome and showrunner Mike McMahan, and talk about the show getting its first comic book series at IDW, along with other excitement around IDW’s 400th Star Trek comic. They take a look at the latest Strange New Worlds season two news about potential Klingons, then review episode 9, “All Those Who Wander.” (It’s a dark one, folks.) They wrap up with a look at Star Trek’s presence in the new Elvis movie from Baz Luhrmann along with Elvis’ horse-related fandom, and expert (but gross) biology info from Dr. Mohamad Noor, with a reminder to keep watching BioTrekkie With the Admiral with Dr. Noor and Jayne Brook.
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 21:23] Tony and Laurie discuss the high-profile launch of Paramount+ in the UK and Ireland (and the less high-profile one in South Korea), as well as its upcoming expansion across Europe. Then they dig deep into a recent interview with Terry Matalas, where he talks about his love of TOS movies and his plans for Picard season 3 with the reunion of the TNG cast and as-yet-unnamed TNG guest stars. They take a look at a new Sonequa Martin-Green interview about Discovery with a hint of Tilly’s possible return, and clarify last week’s statement from Kate Mulgrew about live-action Janeway. Then they review the newest Strange New Worlds episode “The Elysian Kingdom,” which they both found fun but somewhat disappointing at the same time. They wrap things up with a look at a Star Trek fan at the Jan. 6 hearings and some surprising Star Trek mentions on a couple of non-Trek podcasts.
[Strange New Worlds news and review start at 24:42] Tony and Laurie start with the big Ready Room interview with Alex Kurtzman, discussing possible crossovers among the various current Trek series, and the way producers are listening to fans while planning Star Trek’s future. They dissect Kate Mulgrew’s latest comments about the possible return of live-action Janeway, ponder the possibilities of Nicholas Meyer’s Ceti Alpha V podcast, celebrate the Picard spoiler that Geordi will have a family in season 3, and talk about the start of production on Discovery season 5. Then they cover the latest Strange New Worlds news including Kurtzman discussing the Gorn as season 1 antagonists and the possibility that other TOS characters might turn up in season 2, and the cast talking more about Kirk’s season 2 appearance. The podcasters then dive into their review of this week’s episode, “The Serene Squall.” They wrap up the podcast with a look at how progressive James T. Kirk always was, and the new TAS-style adaptation of Voyager‘s “Threshold” from Gazelle Automations.
[Strange New Worlds news and review starts at 16:05] Tony and Laurie start with an update from Paramount studio chief Brian Robbins on the next Star Trek movie, enhanced by Simon Pegg’s “I don’t f-ing know” comment (and enthusiasm for filming the movie) at FedCon in Germany. Then they discuss Marina Sirtis’ report on the great send-off the TNG cast is getting in Picard season 3 (vs. how things went in Star Trek: Nemesis), Prodigy executive producer Aaron Waltke’s explanations about the USS Dauntless, and the imminent return to production of Discovery. They recommend the latest episode of The Shuttle Pod podcast, talk about the 20-pound Enterprise in the room made by TOMY, then cover the latest news on Strange New Worlds, including a guest appearance by Jesse James Keitel, more info on Kirk’s presence in season 2, and the future appearance of Dr. Roger Korby. Then they jump into their review of SNW episode 6, “Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach.” They wrap up with a look at Wrath of Khan ice cream (and other related festivities), and a surprise Star Trek connection between TOS matte artist Albert Whitlock and the great Mel Brooks.
[Strange New Worlds review starts at 16:31] Tony and Laurie start with an update from Picard showrunner Terry Matalas on how Jurati’s merging with the Borg Queen affected existing timelines, production status on Discovery (starting soon!), and the cancellation of Destination Star Trek London as well as some news on upcoming conventions. They take a quick look at Tony’s recent interviews with producers, writers, and cast members from The Orville, then dive into their review of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ “Spock Amok.” They wrap up with a Star Trek shoutout from Top Gun: Maverick and a worthwhile Twitter follow for fans of Picard‘s motion graphics and displays.
[Strange New Worlds news and review starts at 10:24] Tony and Laurie start with the latest updates from Terry Matalas on season three of Star Trek: Picard, along with the news of a comic book that will bridge seasons two and three. They discuss Denise Crosby’s TrekMovie interview about the 25th anniversary of Trekkies and her thoughts on leaving TNG. Plus a quick reminder The Orville’s third season premieres on Hulu June 3 and Tony’s cast and crew interviews will arrive on TrekMovie over the upcoming week. Then, they quickly discuss comments from Rebecca Romijn and Strange New Worlds writers about how Number One’s big secret will play out through season two, before they take a deep dive for their review of the newest episode, “Memento Mori.” They wrap up with a look at how Bloomington, Indiana celebrated Katrhyn Janeway’s birthday (with help from some Voyager cast) and look back at Orson Welles’ narration of Star Trek: The Motion Picture teaser trailers.
[Strange New Worlds news and review starts at 13:29] Tony and Laurie start with Karl Urban’s comments about the next Star Trek movie, which mirror everything his co-stars have said about the project. They remind listeners about the upcoming Star Trek: The Motion Picture screenings happening across the country, then turn their attention to Star Trek: Picard to get the latest on sets and ships from Doug Drexler and Dave Blass. They also do a roundup of the latest intel from showrunner Terry Matalas that includes his wish for a spin-off featuring Seven and Raffi. Then they take a quick look at the new Star Trek: Prodigy game coming in October and the trailer for The Orville’s third season, which premieres on Hulu June 3. Then, they take a look at some of the tech used to create those strange new worlds (and engineering) on Strange New Worlds, showrunner Henry Alonso Myers’ thoughts on Star Trek and comedy, and review the newest episode, “Ghosts of Illyria.” They wrap up with a look at how the Klingon language is being used to help teach other (real-world) languages, and new Twitter commentary from TNG/DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
[Strange New Worlds news and review starts at 17:51] Tony and Laurie start with a chat about Alex Kurtzman and Tig Notaro’s discussion of Star Trek philosophy on Tig’s Don’t Ask Tig podcast. Then they spend a little time on Star Trek: Picard, covering the news that the different Star Trek showrunners fought over putting Wesley Crusher in their shows, Terry Matalas’ hints about ships and returning cast members in season 3, Patrick Stewart’s assurance that it’ll be more than just a TNG reunion, and Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd’s comments on their characters’ relationship and what it was like working with the Next Generation crew. After a quick roundup of the rest of the interviews from the Strange New Worlds premiere in NYC, Tony and Laurie review episode 2, “Children of the Comet,” which they were both quite happy with, minus a few quibbles. They wrap up with a look at a virtual set recreation of “The Cage” from The Roddenberry Archive and an unexpected endorsement of the pod from Prodigy showrunner Aaron Waltke.
[Picard review starts at 05:30 / Strange New Worlds news and review starts at 43:48] Tony and Laurie start with the latest news from Alex Kurtzman about what might be next for the franchise, straight from the gold carpet at the Strange New Worlds NYC premiere. They discuss Zachary Quinto’s comments about the new Trek movie, the upcoming Paramount+ expansion to the UK and beyond, and Gates McFadden’s comments on the “awesome” TNG reunion coming in Picard season 3. Then they review the Star Trek: Picard season 2 finale, which was a disappointment to both of them, although they remain optimistic about season 3. After that, a quick look at Strange New Worlds news from our interviews with showrunner Henry Alonso Myers and the cast, and then a full-on review of the series premiere.
Tony and Laurie extract every bit of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds info they can from Tony’s junket interviews with the cast and talk about how some of the characters are like (or not like) their counterparts on The Original Series. They also cover the latest promotions and news on the international release of the series that debuts next week. The pod team also quickly covers the upcoming release of Lower Decks season 2 on Blu-ray/DVD, the Enterprise panel at Missions Chicago, and what it’s like being on Star Trek: The Cruise. Then they dig into “Hide and Seek,” this week’s episode of Star Trek: Picard, happy the show is picking up the pace as we head towards the season two finale next week. They wrap up with a look at how holodeck-like technology is being used on Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds and an outtake from The Original Series of Nichelle Nichols singing a love song to Spock.
We start off by previewing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds including discussing Rebecca Romijn’s TrekMovie interview, as well as discussing outdoor promotions, an upcoming Paley Center New York exhibition and screening, and more. Tony and Laurie then discuss the latest The Orville news and give an update on the May theatrical showings of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The podcasters then focus on reviewing Star Trek: Picard’s “Mercy,” including making some predictions about how the season is going to wrap up in just two weeks. For their final fun bits: a look at a real holographic doctor giving a Vulcan salute on the ISS and revisiting last year’s All Access interview with Mary Wiseman and Noah Averbach-Katz in honor of his birthday.
[Picard review starts at 33:50] We start off with Tony recounting his trip to the Star Trek: Mission Chicago convention including recaps from the five big show panels. Tony and Laurie also go over all the other news from the con and beyond including the new Lower Decks teaser trailer, the Strange New Worlds reveal (and then removal) of Spock’s first name, a Prodigy game announcement, and an update from Michelle Yeoh on the Section 31 show. They turn to the review of the latest episode of Picard “Monsters,” and how they feel season two is going so far. And they wrap up with some fun bits reacting to videos of Tawny Newsome jamming with the band at Mission Chicago and an amazing recreation of Star Trek: TNG in the style of the classic Star Trek animated series.
[Picard review starts at 34:25] Tony and Laurie start off with the biggest news: The Star Trek: The Next Generation main cast is reuniting in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, getting a proper sendoff in the show’s final season. They dig into Picard showrunner Terry Matalas’ tweets with more season 3 details, then switch over to Strange New Worlds to cover the new trailer and character promos. But wait, there’s more! Next, it’s a discussion of Chris Pine’s comments that the next Trek movie shouldn’t be aiming for Marvel-level audiences, then an update on the just-released remastered Star Trek: The Motion Picture, new footage from the upcoming Star Trek: Voyager documentary, and the latest guests booked at Mission: Chicago. They talk about Tony’s recent interviews with Jonathan Frakes and Orla Brady, then—finally!—get to their review of the newest Picard episode “Two of One.” They wrap up with Gates McFadden’s response to a “Sub Rosa” tattoo and some new Trek tech being worked on at Apple.
[Picard review starts at 19:36] Tony and Laurie take a look at the newest character promos for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Anson Mount’s happy comments after watching the first three episodes. They note that Chris Pine has met with the director of the next Star Trek movie and discuss the upcoming panels and plans for Mission: Chicago (which will have panels for all five current Trek shows) and WonderCon. Then they turn their attention to Star Trek: Picard, starting with a quick look at last week’s episode via Tony’s interview with Kirk Thatcher and showrunner Terry Matalas’ comments on time travel logic and how the past Trek history does or doesn’t fit in with the timelines. Then they dig into their review of episode 405, “Fly Me to the Moon.” They wrap up with a surreal, Star Trek-themed sketch from Jimmy Kimmel Live! that got very meta, and Rick Berman’s tweet about finally starting his autobiography.
[Picard review starts at 13:56] Tony and Laurie extract what they can from Tony’s recent interview with showrunner Michelle Paradise about the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery and Mary Wiseman’s appearance on The Ready Room, and Laurie talks about seeing Mary’s play in NYC. They also give an update on the 4K Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture coming on Star Trek Day and Prodigy‘s upcoming arrival on Nickelodeon and in multiple countries across the globe. Then they review “Watcher,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Picard, and do some time travel/timeline unraveling along the way. They wrap up with a look at how TNG’s “Cause and Effect” (successfully) broke franchise rules and some DS9 sex talk from Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
[Picard review starts at 18:58 / Discovery review starts at 52:25] Tony and Laurie cover the week’s two big news stories: the addition of Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk to Strange New Worlds season 2, and the latest comments from Chris Pine and Karl Urban about the Star Trek movie (hopefully) coming in 2023. Then they review Star Trek: Picard episode 203, “Assimilation” and the Discovery season 4 finale, “Coming Home,” as well as season 4 as a whole.
[Picard review starts at 16:51 / Discovery review starts at 46:46] Tony and Laurie start off the week’s news with the Strange New Worlds teaser trailer, covering what both is—and isn’t—in it. They give the latest update on Paramount+’s plans to be the exclusive home of Star Trek and talk about Mike and Denise Okuda winning a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild. They dig into Tony’s recent interview with Picard co-showrunner Terry Matalas, give intel on the show’s ships from production designer Dave Blass, discuss the recent wrap of season 3 (and likely the series as a whole), plus look at new hints about the rest of season 2 from the latest promos. After that, they review Picard episode 201, “Penance,” then segue into reviewing Discovery‘s penultimate episode of season 4, “Species 10-C,” then speculate briefly on what might happen in next week’s season finale.
[Picard review starts at 16:00 / Discovery review starts at 45:33] Tony and Laurie start by talking about a new interview with Zoe Saldana, who’s excited about reuniting with her Kelvin castmates for the 2023 Star Trek movie and says it will be a fitting tribute to the late Anton Yelchin. They take a look at the new uniforms for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (as seen aboard the Star Trek Cruise), give showrunner Michelle Paradise’s update on season 5 of Discovery, recap the last batch of interviews from the Picard junket, give listeners a heads up about a brief sale on Paramount+ subscriptions and a new Lower Decks mobile game starring our old friend (and enemy) Badgey.
[Discovery review starts at 22:06] Tony and Laurie start off the news with the confusing reports that the stars of the upcoming Kelvin movie may have been unaware that they’re going to be the stars of the 2023 Star Trek movie until AFTER J.J. Abrams’ announcement last week. Then they dig into comments from John de Lancie and Akiva Goldsman at last week’s Star Trek: Picard junket, discussing Q’s needs, the Borg Queen’s role, and Picard’s new-but-it’s-not-a-thing android body—and take a quick look at The Ready Room for more Picard clues—and chat about the new Prodigy toys coming from Playmates. Then it’s a deep dive into “The Galactic Barrier,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, which leans heavily into this season’s theme of uncertainty, leading into a Gilligan-inspired theory. They wrap up with a look at Doug Jones winning the very first The Chair award and Noah Averbach-Katz’s Kickstarter project, to be directed by Anthony Rapp.
In this All Access Star Trek supplemental, Tony and Laurie begin with their review of the new audio drama Star Trek: Picard: No Man’s Land which will be released on Tuesday, February 22nd. They then have a discussion [starting at the 17:24 mark] with co-writers writers Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson. Star Trek: Picard: No Man’s Land, Trek’s first audio drama for adults, stars Jeri Ryan as Seven and Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker in a story that takes place shortly after the end of season 1 of Picard. It features the two characters deepening the relationship hinted at the end of the season and going on a mission together with the Fenris Rangers. TrekMovie’s All Access Star Trek podcast had the opportunity to interview writers Kirsten Beyer (Star Trek: Picard co-creator, Discovery consultant, and novel writer) and Mike Johnson (writer of comics, games, and animation, who started his Trek career with the Star Trek: Countdown movie tie-in comics in 2009) to talk about how they put the story together, whether it’s considered canon, and how to make new characters pop in an audio-only format.
[Discovery review with Lisa Klink starts at 27:22] Tony and Laurie are joined by Matt from the Shuttle Pod to talk about J.J. Abrams’ announcement that the 2023 Star Trek movie is moving forward with the Kelvin crew at the ViacomCBS—now Paramount—Investor Day event. They also talk about the Strange New Worlds trailer that came and went and how Prodigy composer Nami Melamud is scoring for the upcoming series set on Captain Pike’s Enterprise. The news segment wraps up with the latest on the international rollout of Paramount+ and the international release of the docuseries The Center Seat. Then Lisa Klink joins the podcast to review Star Trek: Discovery episode 409, “Rubicon,” offering up her insight both as a Discovery viewer and as a writer on three seasons of Star Trek: Voyager. The podcast wraps up with LeVar Burton urging you to read banned books, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart in Super Bowl ads, and a Star Trek-themed Wordle.
[Prodigy spoiler talk starts at 07:08 / Discovery review starts at 16:57] Tony and Laurie talk about the legacy of VFX legend Douglas Trumbull and the way Star Trek: Picard plans to pay tribute to him, take a look at how Michelle Yeoh’s popularity could affect the plans for the Section 31 show, and give an update on The Orville: New Horizons‘ new premiere date and just-released opening teaser. They chat about Tony’s recent and delightfully nerdy interview with Prodigy producer Aaron Waltke and round up the latest comments on the show from the Hageman brothers. After a look at Out magazine’s cover stories on members of the Discovery cast, they review the new, post-hiatus episode of the Star Trek: Discovery, “All In.” They wrap up with a Star Wars/Star Trek crossword crossover and a fun video about Doug Jones’ creature-filled career.
[Prodigy review starts at 22:32] Tony and Laurie are joined by The Shuttle Pod‘s Kayla and Matt to sort through all the news about Strange New Worlds (and the clip we can’t see yet) Picard, and Discovery, and give some updates on the Section 31 and Starfleet Academy shows in development along with the latest on the 2023 Star Trek movie, thanks to some comments from Simon Pegg. Then, the group reviews Star Trek: Prodigy‘s mid-season finale, “A Moral Star, Part 2,” with a little help from Tony’s nephew David. (Ani’s been busy, but we’ll get her back when Prodigy returns.) They wrap up with a look at Captain Pike’s horses (plural, please), and a TNG tribute via ukulele.
[Prodigy review starts at 24:31] Tony and Laurie dive deep into the new Star Trek: Picard trailer, then talk about the latest comments from the showrunners about season 2, season 3, and the possibilities for the future in the new issue of SFX Magazine. They take a quick look at sound editing award nominations for Discovery and Lower Decks, a lifetime achievement award for Doug Jones, the new toys you can pre-order from Playmates, Kate Mulgrew’s roles as Janeway and Mirror Janeway in Star Trek Online’s “Shadow’s Advance,” and a preview of the upcoming 4k remastered Star Trek: the Motion Picture Director’s Edition. After the news, they review Prodigy’s “A Moral Star, Part 1,” digging into the story, the characters, and the best lines while lamenting the fact that they have to wait a week for part 2. They wrap up this week’s episode of the podcast with a music teacher who does “quirky” arrangements of Star Trek themes on TikTok, and one of Patrick Stewart’s very first appearances on TV.
[Prodigy review starts at 28:07] Tony and Laurie start with all the recently announced premiere dates, renewals, and episode counts for Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks, and speculate on what the next series to be created might be. They discuss Discovery‘s recent GLAAD Award nomination, John de Lancie’s latest updates on Q’s role and personality in season 2 of Picard, the success (and sheer entertainment value) of the TrekTalks online fundraiser, the new Q figure from Exo-6, the new toys coming our way from Playmates, and the arrival of a new episode of The Shuttle Pod. Then they review “Time Amok,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, and how it won their hearts and raised a lot of fascinating questions. They wrap up with a video of the many, many mentions of the number 47 in ’90s-era Trek (although it’s in this week’s Prodigy episode too) and a Trek fan on Twitter who’s watching every episode in the entire franchise alphabetically by episode.
[Prodigy review starts at 13:39] Tony and Laurie report that production on season 3 of Star Trek: Picard is back up and running after a brief Covid break, then talk about the upcoming Picard audio drama starring Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan. They talk about Discovery‘s nomination for a Make-up Guild Award (and a bit of Trek’s Emmy history) and a recent interview with Shazad Latif where he was asked about the status of the Section 31 show. They wrap up the news with a plug for the TrekTalks livestream event to benefit the Hollywood Food Coalition happening this weekend. After that, they review the latest episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, “First Con-tact,” with some help from Tony’s nine-year-old nephew David. (Ani was unavailable this week.) They close out the podcast with a Star Trek-themed sports team, and a Star Trek-themed hotel.
[Discovery talk starts at 07:48 / Prodigy review starts at 10:47] Tony and Laurie start with the news that Star Trek: Picard season 3 shut down this week when 50 people on the production team tested positive for Covid. They talk about how that might affect the production schedule for season 2 of Strange New Worlds, then discuss more Picard tidbits from Jonathan Frakes’ latest round of interviews. After a quick recap of Star Trek: Discovery‘s trailer for the second half of season 4, they review the brand-new Star Trek: Prodigy episode “Kobayashi,” which they both unabashedly loved. Ani and David (Tony’s niece and nephew) give their Prodigy review, and Tony plays clips from his interview with the show’s writer/producer Aaron J. Waltke. They wrap up the podcast with a little audio from the Cameo that Blu del Barrio bought from Anthony Rapp as a Christmas present—for themself!—and a Deep Space Nine Q&A Twitter thread from Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
[Discovery talk and review starts at 07:14] Tony and Laurie round up all the Jonathan Frakes interviews that came out last week and talk about his upcoming gigs directing Strange New Worlds and Picard and appearing on Lower Decks and his special attachment to Discovery. They remind viewers that Discovery is going on hiatus, but fear not: Prodigy starts up again next week. After a quick preview of the upcoming The Book of Grudge and a look at Commander Eva (yes, Eva) Nilsson’s Discovery log entry about Zora, they review episode 407, “…But to Connect.” They wrap up their last podcast episode of 2021 with good wishes for the new year, and a fun photo of Jonathan Frakes as Captain Marvel at a White House party in 1980. Happy New Year, listeners!
[Discovery review starts at 26:19] Tony and Laurie start off with the news that Star Trek: Discovery will be taking a surprise mid-season hiatus, then round up the latest tidbits about Star Trek: Picard. They discuss the upcoming (and imminent) departure of five classic Star Trek series (TOS to Enterprise) from Amazon Prime and Hulu and will soon be found only on Paramount+, go over a new interview with Mike McMahan about Lower Decks, and talk about new sets, uniforms, cast members, and guest stars on The Orville: New Horizons, which arrives on Hulu in March. Then it’s time to talk Discovery! (20:06) They chat about the new comic series that’ll kick off with Grudge’s backstory and remind American fans that TrekMovie still has a special Christmas giveaway of the Discovery 3 seasons collection. After a quick discussion of (and great appreciation for) Wil Wheaton’s interview with Jonathan Frakes on The Ready Room, they jump into their review of episode 406, “Stormy Weather.” They wrap up with a look at a Star Trek-themed optometrist’s office, the 21st- century version of Retinax V, and a fascinating interview with everyone’s favorite Benzite, John Putch.
[Discovery review starts at 21:43] Tony and Laurie are both interested in the PC/console game Star Trek: Resurgence coming out this spring, so they talk about that as well as the latest images from the Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition 4K, which also arrives next year. They talk about William Shatner being officially designated as an astronaut and the documentary about his trip to space, which premiered just this week. Then they take a dive into the business side of Paramount +: Heather Kadin’s departure, Aaron Baiers’ promotion, the launch of new live channels—especially the Star Trek one, of course—and the news that Star Trek: Discovery is their most-watched original series. Spoiler alert: The next few topics of discussion (starting at 10:15) come from a panel this week at NYC’s 92nd Street Y, where Alex Kurtzman hinted at the show’s long-term plans and Olatunde Osunsanmi dropped some unexpected intel on what’s behind the season’s “big bad.” The podcasters also discuss Michelle Paradise’s reassurance that Tilly will be returning, and dispel a few rumors. After that, they review the newest episode of Discovery, “The Examples,” which they both enjoyed. They wrap up the podcast with a look at more of Leonard Nimoy’s legacy (which involves a trip to space), and a new Michelle Yeoh movie.
[Discovery review starts at 20:59] Tony and Laurie discuss an interview with Alex Kurtzman that leads them to speculate on possible Star Trek Universe crossovers, plus the news that the Section 31 show is still likely to happen, which leads to an update on of ViacomCBS’ plans for ownership and distribution of the TV franchise. They talk about William Shatner’s upcoming documentary on his trip to space, Nichelle Nichols’ farewell party and NASA award, and when we can expect to see Tig Notaro’s Jet Reno back on Discovery. After that, they review Star Trek: Discovery‘s “All is Possible” which Tony liked more than Laurie did. They wrap up the podcast with two YouTube videos, one about pronouncing “Omicron” the Star Trek way and the other putting a Christmas twist on Star Trek: Voyager.
[Prodigy episode 105 talk starts at 9:53 / Discovery review starts at 23:13] Tony and Laurie talk about LeVar Burton’s new interview in Rolling Stone, where he talks about the chances of him appearing on Star Trek: Picard as well as his disappointment with Geordi’s storylines on TNG. They share the news that Prodigy‘s first episode will air on Nickelodeon, then check in with Tony’s niece and nephew, Ani and David, to see what they thought of Prodigy episode 105, “Terror Firma.” After that, they discuss a behind-the-scenes look at Gersha Phillips’ costumes from last week’s episode of The Ready Room, then dive into their review of Discovery’s newest episode, “Choose to Live.” They wrap up the podcast with a look at a Clone Wars-style promo for DS9’s “Move Along Home” and a peek inside the Star Trek Borg Cube Advent Calendar.
[Discovery review starts at 25:08] Tony and Laurie start with the good news that Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will be debuting in multiple international markets this week, despite last week’s removal of the series from Netflix overseas. Then they celebrate the confirmation that Whoopi Goldberg will definitely be on Picard season 2 as Guinan, thanks to a Cameo video made by Michelle Hurd (Raffi). They talk about Mike and Denise Okuda being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, what to expect from the upcoming 4K Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and what’s happening with a newly funded Star Trek theme park. They wrap things up with a look at interviews both new and old about Star Trek: First Contact on its 25th anniversary, and a custom-made Starbucks cup with a classic Janeway coffee quote.
[Discovery review starts at 06:31; Prodigy review starts at 53:51] For the first time, Tony and Laurie have TWO new episodes of Star Trek to review in this week’s podcast. They start with the sad news that Star Trek: Discovery has been pulled from Netflix overseas, and the new season won’t be available there until next year. Then they’re joined by Matt from the Shuttle Pod podcast to review Discovery‘s season 4 premiere, “Kobayashi Maru.” After a farewell to Matt and a reminder that Prodigy goes on hiatus after this week until January 6, Tony and Laurie review the show’s newest episode, “Terror Firma.” Links: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Leaving Netflix For Paramount+ Internationally, Season 4 To Launch Globally in 2022 ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Stars Share International Fans’ Frustration Over Last-Minute Netflix Exit ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Officially Confirmed For Second Season, Beyond The First 20 Episodes
Tony and Laurie cover this week’s news, starting with the rescheduling of the next Star Trek movie, updated Strange New Worlds timing, and the good news that Star Trek vets Mike and Denise Okuda and Doug Drexler have been working on Star Trek: Picard. Then it’s a dive into Discovery with excerpts from New York Comic Con interviews with the Disco cast and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise. Before starting their Prodigy review, they discuss the news that there are 40 episodes coming instead of 20… and an unexpected hiatus. Then they review “Dreamcatcher,” and of course, Tony’s niece and nephew Ani and David weigh in. The podcast wraps up with a look at PSA billboards in LA featuring Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, and Scott Bakula’s tribute to the late great Dean Stockwell.
Tony and Laurie start with a look at the future of Star Trek theatrical movies now that the new chief of Paramount, Brian Robbins, is talking about “multiple” Star Trek films. They celebrate all 13 Trek movies finally landing on Paramount+ (and lament the lack of a ‘Star Trek’ tab), then give a quick production update on Strange New Worlds season 2. They discuss the new docuseries The Center Seat and Tony’s interview with director-producer Brian Volk-Weiss, then give some updates on Prodigy, focusing on new information from the producers and writers. They review episode 103 of Star Trek: Prodigy, “Starstruck,” and also hear from Tony’s niece (age 12) and nephew (age 9) to get their take on it. They wrap up with a look at a Twitter account that combines TNG and Friends, and a TV special about Voyager from 1995.
Tony and Laurie, as always, start with the news: Discovery and Picard picked up three Saturn awards, the new Center Seat documentary premieres in November, and you can expect (at some point) to see Lower Decks books and comics. They talk about the SyFy Sistas takeover of the Shuttle Pod podcast and Tony tells Laurie about his evening at the Star Trek: Prodigy premiere event in Los Angeles. And at last, they review the Prodigy premiere, talking about the characters, the story, the animation, the music, and the Star Trekness of it all—and Tony’s niece and nephew Ani (age 12) and David (age 9) chime in as Star Trek newbies (and the target audience for the show). They wrap up with a look at politicians in an age-old debate (Star Trek vs. Star Wars) and an upcoming Prodigy event Laurie’s hosting on Zoom.
With Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2 wrapped up, Tony and Laurie round up interviews with creator Mike McMahan about what to expect in season 3. They ponder the possibilities of which Soong Brent Spiner will be playing on Picard season 2, what surprises Anson Mount and the Strange New Worlds team have in store, and clues about what’s happening in season 4 from the Discovery trailer. Then they play excerpts from the Star Trek: Prodigy interviews at New York Comic Con, hearing from the Hageman brothers, and cast members Kate Mulgrew, Ella Purnell, Brett Gray, and Rylee Alazraqui. They wrap up with a look at an AI addressing moral quandaries from Star Trek and a relaxing (?) loop of ambient Borg sounds.
Tony and Laurie start off with the biggest news of the week: William Shatner is now the oldest person to go into space. They are both moved by what a profound experience it was for him. They also cover the latest on the possible IATSE strike, recap the New York Comic Con panels and video from Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Discovery, give a production update on Strange New Worlds, and review Brent Spiner’s new book (and audiobook featuring the TNG cast), Fan Fiction. Then they dive into their review of the Lower Decks season 2 finale, “First First Contact.” They wrap up with a look at Clint Howard reminiscing about being on Star Trek as a kid on Late Night with Seth Meyers and an article that draws connections between Star Trek and The Good Fight.
Tony and Laurie talk about the upcoming panels and screenings at New York Comic Con, new Star Trek: Prodigy ads, and Tony’s Star Trek Day red carpet interview with Picard‘s Isa Briones. They discuss the new trailer for the History Channel’s new Star Trek docuseries The Center Seat, Laurie’s recent interview with Deep Space Nine‘s Nana Visitor, William Shatner’s plans to go to space (for real), and the latest on Star Trek comics and novels. Then they review the penultimate episode of season 2 of Lower Decks, “wej Duj.” They wrap up the podcast with a look at a Klingon language expert (who helped them with the episode title) and a game show from 1986 that pitted James Doohan against Michael Dorn.
Tony and Laurie look for clues in the latest images on social from the Star Trek: Picard set and mention James McAvoy’s wish to join the franchise as a young Jean-Luc Picard. They mine Tony’s interview with Anson Mount for info on Strange New Worlds (and listen to a little of it), check out new character images from Prodigy, and cover Tony’s interview with Discovery‘s Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, and Ian Alexander. They discuss the changes in management at Paramount and how that might affect future Star Trek films as well as the potential for an IATSE strike that would impact current production. The podcasters then celebrate getting a premiere date for the new season of The Orville and discuss Laurie’s interview with Voyager writer Lisa Klink as well as William Shatner’s latest projects, which include a reboot of TekWar and a possible journey into space. They talk about the new TOS book, Star Trek – A Celebration, and wrap up the news with a look at Tony’s interview with Carl Tart (Kayshon) from Lower Decks. They review the newest episode of Lower Decks, “I, Excretus,” and while they both really enjoyed it, they have a minor disagreement on its resolution. They wrap up the podcast with a look at a Voyager/science-related practical joke that became canon on Lower Decks and an artist who makes spectacular use of her Star Trek action figures.
Tony and Laurie start the news with Tony’s Star Trek Day red carpet interview with Akiva Goldsman about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, then an analysis of the latest Picard trailer, plus a quick status update on Discovery wrapping post-production on season 4. They discuss a recent podcast appearance from Scott Bakula about Enterprise (and a possible Quantum Leap revival), and talk about Tony’s interviews with Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan and guest star Jeffrey Combs, which leads them into their enthusiastic review of episode 207, “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie.”. They wrap up with some upcoming D&D/Star Trek: Discovery events and fun memories from an actress about being on TOS when she was nine.
Tony and Laurie talk about the restructuring at Paramount, round up more details from Star Trek Day (especially Tony’s red carpet interviews) about Strange New Worlds, Picard, and Prodigy, celebrate Discovery‘s Emmy win, look forward to the 4K remastered Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Director’s Edition, then dive into their review of the latest Lower Decks episode, “The Spy Humongous.” They wrap up with a look at William Shatner reviewing impressions of himself and some fascinating Rick Berman interviews from 2006.
Tony was doing interviews on the red carpet on Star Trek Day while Laurie was watching the livestream, so they compare notes, covering the event as a whole, plus Alex Kurtzman’s new plans for the next Star Trek show. Then they go over all the new trailers, release dates, and news from the panels on Prodigy, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks, discussing new characters, season storylines, and more. The podcasters then pivot to talk about their delight over this week’s episode of Lower Decks “An Embarrassment of Dooplers,” which marks the halfway point for season two.
Tony and Laurie are revved up by the Star Trek: Prodigy opening sequence and intrigued by the newly announced villains, played by John Noble & Jimmi Simpson. They also cover the latest news about the multiple Trek series leaving Netflix, the rearranging of Paramount’s tentpole movie schedule, and recap some of the news and info that came in at The 55-Year Mission in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Then, with some dissatisfaction, they review the latest Lower Decks episode, “Mugato, Gumato.” The podcasters wrap up with a predestination paradox confirmation regarding Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and a reminder to enter the Shuttle Pod’s 100th episode contest.
Tony and Laurie talk about their expectations for the upcoming Star Trek Day panels on September 8, then cover the latest news: Discovery has finished filming after almost a year, John de Lancie has wrapped on Picard but’s still chatting about it from his sailboat, and Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday celebrations included a possible biopic and the beaming of one of his inspirational quotes into deep space. They also talk about the relaunch of Star Trek Magazine as Star Trek Explorer. Then they dig into the main topic: their review of the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris.” Links to news topics discussed in the pod: Star Trek Day 2021 To Feature Live Panels With Cast And Creatives From All 5 Paramount+ Shows ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Wraps Production On Season 4 John de Lancie On ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Connection To Classic ‘Next Generation’ Episode NASA Celebrates Gene Roddenberry On His 100th Birthday, Beams Quote Into Deep Space Gene Roddenberry Biopic In The Works Robert Picardo sings the theme to Star Trek: The Original Series—with lyrics Official Star Trek Magazine Relaunching As ‘Star Trek Explorer’ This Fall Additional mentions: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Previews Reveal More Antics And Iconic Connections In Season 2 From Two Rikers To Spock Two, ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Easter Eggs In “Kayshon, His Eyes Open” Star Trek Logs on Instagram ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 1 Blu-ray Coming Soon To Europe, Australia, And Japan Trekbits: Tony: Star Trek: The Next Generation “Picorder” Laurie: Kayshon finger puppet tutorial on Twitter by Chandra Crane Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at TrekMovie.com
Tony and Laurie talk discuss the news from The 55-Year Mission Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, covering Strange New Worlds, Discovery, Picard, Prodigy, and the Voyager documentary. (We’ll have more on the convention itself on the Shuttle Pod podcast.) They also get a quick update on the production of The Orville, ViacomCBS’ new European partnerships, and the remastered Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan soundtrack. Then they jump into their review of Lower Decks’ second episode of season 2, “Kayshon, His Eyes Open.” They wrap up with a look at some Star Trek ukulele music and Tig Notaro’s advice podcast.
Tony and Laurie are recording together for the first time—having finally met in person—in Las Vegas, where they’re joined by friend of TrekMovie Jon Spencer to talk about what’s been happening in the first few days of The 55-Year Mission, formerly known as Star Trek Las Vegas. The trio discusses what they learned about Ken Mitchell’s involvement in Discovery season 4 and David Cronenberg’s reveal that he’s in it too, covers then digs into the latest info drop on the Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie. After that, they get to the main topic: their review of the season 2 premiere of Lower Decks, “Strange Energies.” Links to news topics discussed in the pod: Kenneth Mitchell Hints At Unique Return For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 David Cronenberg On Kovich’s Return In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ In Season 4 Screenwriter Reveals Details For Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek “Gangster” Movie Additional mentions: Interview: Mike McMahan On How ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Has Grown The Beard For Season 2… And 3 Interview: Jerry O’Connell On How ‘Lower Decks’ Season 2 Is A Celebration Of All Things Star Trek Tony’s review: Review: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Powers Up For The Season Two Premiere “Strange Energies” Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at TrekMovie.com.
Tony and Laurie start with the big news about Alex Kurtzman’s extended $160 million 5-year deal at ViacomCBS, and what that means for the Star Trek Universe. They discuss the departure of most of the Star Trek movie catalog from Paramount+, the 2022 launch of Paramount+ in Europe (including Prodigy), more actors wrapping up their work on Discovery season 4, and quickly go over the Covid precautions being taken at next week’s upcoming 55-Year Mission convention in Las Vegas. For a full preview of the con (including a chat with Chase Masterson) check out the newest episode of the Shuttle Pod. Then they get to the main topic: Star Trek: Lower Decks. Tony tells Laurie about the outdoor screening party in LA the night before and a preview of his red carpet interviews with the cast and show creator Mike McMahan. Then they play excerpts from TrekMovie’s roundtable interviews with the four Lower Decks stars: Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, and Noël Wells. [WARNING: Minor season 2spoilers] They wrap things up with a fan’s detailed look at the USS Protostar (the ship featured on Prodigy) and a trip back in time to when future Star Trek historians’ parents could film William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Catherine Hicks shooting Star Trek IV. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: ViacomCBS Extends Alex Kurtzman’s Contract As They Map Out Star Trek Universe Future On Paramount+ Star Trek TOS And TNG Movies Jump From Paramount+ To AMC+ ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Coming To UK/Europe With Launch Of Paramount+ And New Deal With Sky More Actors Wrap Up As ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 Production Approaches Finish 55-Year Mission Las Vegas Star Trek Convention To Require Proof Of Vaccination Or COVID Test The Shuttle Pod Previews The 55-Year Mission Convention With Chase Masterson Interview: Tawny Newsome And Jack Quaid On How ‘Lower Decks’ S2 Is Great Star Trek… And Gives “Zero Fs” Interview: Noël Wells And Eugene Cordero On Their “Intellectual Love Affair” In ‘Lower Decks’ Season 2 Additional mentions: Star Trek: Prodigy writer Aaron J. Waltke talks starship crew size on Twitter Robert Duncan McNeill lobbies for Captain Proton series on Twitter, tags Voyager castmates & Alex Kurtzman TrekMovie’s tweets from the Lower Decks block party Trekbits: Tony: Star Trek Prodigy USS Protostar Detailed Breakdown on Junkball Laurie: John Tenuto’s tweet with his parents’ video of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home aquarium scene and his 2007 article on TrekMovie
Tony and Laurie give production updates on Star Trek: Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek:Picard, and discuss the latest news about Robert Duncan McNeill pitching his Captain Proton series to Alex Kurtzman, LeVar Burton’s Jeopardy! gig, and what’s happening with conventions—Las Vegas in a few weeks and Chicago in April 2022. After that, they unpack everything that came out of Comic-Con@Home with a deep dive into the trailers and panels for Prodigy and Lower Decks, covering familiar voices, guest stars, cool ships, and a Tom Paris commemorative plate hallucination. They wrap things up with the Klingon Empire’s official recognition of Wales and Robert Picardo’s witty vaccination incentive for Star Trek fans. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: Doug Jones And Anthony Rapp Preview What’s In Store For Saru And Stamets In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ S1 Wraps Production, Anson Mount Hopes TOS Fans Will Be Pleased ‘Howard the Duck’ Turns 35: Stars Revisit Notorious Bomb Amid New Fervor for Marvel Character [THR article that mentions Lea Thompson directing Picard) Robert Duncan McNeill Has Pitched ‘Captain Proton’ Series To Star Trek Universe Producers Watch: LeVar Burton Previews This Week’s Run As ‘Jeopardy!’ Guest Host Creation 55-Year Mission Convention Bringing Over 100 Star Trek Celebrities To Las Vegas In August Star Trek: Mission Chicago Convention Tickets And Hotel Rooms On Sale Now Watch: First Trailer For ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Is Gorgeous… And Reveals The Ship ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ SDCC@Home Panel Talks Character Details And Klingons Trailer Analysis: Escape To A Whole New World In The Teaser For ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Watch: The Cerritos Gang Is Back In Fun ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Comic-Con@Home Season 2 Trailer ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Comic-Con Panel Promises More Fun, Cameos, And A Surprising New Character Trailer Analysis: More Fun, Easter Eggs, And Crazy Sci-Fi Is Coming In ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2 ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2 Confirmed For August Debut On Amazon Prime Video Internationally Titmouse T-Shirt Club coming back (Twitter) Additional mentions: Anthony Rapp Talks Stamets, Science, And Singing On All Access Star Trek Watch Captain Burnham Deal With A New Threat (And New Uniforms) In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 Teaser Trailer Analysis: The Gravity Of The New Mission Comes Together In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 Teaser Robert Duncan McNeill Was Asked To Reprise Tom Paris For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 1 (and 2) Voyager episode “Lifeline” Mike McMahan On Exploring Ensigns And Unexpected Cameos In ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2… And 3 Trekbits: Tony: Wales officially recognized by the Klingon Empire thanks to Welsh Star Trek fan Laurie: Robert Picardo offers vaccination incentive for Star Trek fans Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at TrekMovie.com, and please post your suggestions for topics we should cover in the future as well as guests you’d like us to have on.
After a quick reminder that it’s NEXT week’s episode that will cover Comic-Con@Home, Tony and Laurie discuss this week’s Star Trek news, which includes the surprising news that producers were interested in bringing Voyager’s Tom Paris to Star Trek: Picard. They also discuss Brent Spiner’s joy at working with Jonathan Frakes again, and the latest on the Section 31 show, plus production updates on Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Discovery. Then they dig into the main topic: Anthony’s new interview with Discovery’s Anthony Rapp, who talks about Stamets’ character arc across the seasons and his conflict with Burnham, being directed by Jonathan Frakes, the new uniforms, his thoughts on a musical episode, and more. They wrap up with some real-life Star Trek science and a reminder that LeVar Burton’s run on Jeopardy! begins Monday, July 26. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ And ‘Prodigy’ Cast And Producers Headed To Comic-Con@Home Robert Duncan McNeill Was Asked To Reprise Tom Paris For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 1 (and 2) Brent Spiner On The “Pleasure” Of Being Directed By Jonathan Frakes In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Filming In New Mexico For VFX Alex Kurtzman “Very Optimistic” About Star Trek Section 31 Series Giveaway: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 Blu-rays And USS Discovery Hats Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 Blu-ray Takes You Inside Series’ Great Leap Forward ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 Production Update And First Look At AR Wall Virtual Set Interview: Anthony Rapp On Stamets Balancing Science And Family In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4 Additional mentions: Die Standing, the Star Trek: Discovery novel with Georgiou and Emony Dax Alex Kurtzman On Why The World Needs More Star Trek… And Possibly A Musical Episode Interview: Jonathan Frakes On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’; Hopes To Helm ‘Short Treks’ Musical Trekbits: Tony: Mysterious DNA sequences, known as ‘Borgs,’ recovered from California mud [Science]. Massive DNA ‘Borg’ structures perplex scientists [Nature], Star Trek’s Warp Drive Leads to New Physics [Scientific American] Laurie: Dr. Birko-Katarina Ruzicka’s study of gender ratios in “Star Trek” series Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at TrekMovie.com.
Tony and Laurie start off by discussing Star Trek: Discovery‘s and Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ Emmy nominations, then cover the new (short) scene released to promote Lower Decks season 2, Jerry O’Connell’s new gig on The Talk, the latest from John de Lancie and Jonathan Frakes about filming Star Trek: Picard, Sonequa Martin-Green’s interviews about the journey to becoming Captain Michael Burnham, the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray/Steelbook release of Star Trek: Discovery season 3 (along with an upcoming giveaway). They also talk about the big news with Playmates Toys returning to the franchise, William Shatner’s endorsement of LeVar Burton as the permanent Jeopardy! host and Terry Farrell’s recent comment about being open to returning to Star Trek as Jadzia Dax. Then they dig into the BIG news: Director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) has been hired for the new J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie, with a script already in play from Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Lindsey Beer. They theorize about whether or not it will include the Kelvin cast, and Paramount’s strategy for the movie. Finally, they wrap things up with a claymation version of Kirk’s “Khaaaaan” moment from The Wrath of Khan and some hilarious Tilly cosplay from Mary Wiseman’s brother.
Tony and Laurie return after a 4th of July hiatus for the 47th episode of All Access Star Trek, and they catch up on all the news on the Star Trek Universe TV shows, including a preview of the Lower Decks and Prodigy panels at Comic-Con@Home, an update on Strange New Worlds from Anson Mount, clues in the latest Star Trek: Picard tie-in novel synopsis, and then even more Picard clues from John de Lancie. Also up for discussion is the status of Discovery production and whether or not the cast will be able to make it to the big Las Vegas Trek convention in August. They round out new Star Trek show news with the observation that Michelle Yeoh keeps picking up new jobs and not working on that Section 31 show. They’re also excited about the news that Robert Wise’s Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is finally being remastered into 4K HDR for Paramount+, along with the first four Star Trek movies getting a 4K HDR release on Blu-ray. And Star Trek IV is headed back to theaters in August for a special two-day event. But wait, there’s more! They dive into more news: Simon Pegg is working on a Galaxy Quest TV show, Marina Sirtis thinks Michael Dorn’s Captain Worf show should be the next Trek series, LeVar Burton laments that Geordi never got the girl on TNG, and Ethan Phillips still wishes a deleted Neelix/Kes breakup scene had made it into Voyager. The pod wraps up with Dave Bautista’s proclamation that he would make a great Klingon, plus we indulge in some nostalgia for the Star Trek: The New Voyages short story collections from the ’70s. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ And ‘Prodigy’ Cast And Producers Headed To Comic-Con@Home Anson Mount Sends Message To “Old School” Fans As ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Begins Finale Shoot 2022 ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Novel Could Bridge The Gap Between Seasons 1 And 2 ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’: Michelle Yeoh Cast As Scian In Netflix Prequel Series [DEADLINE] Marina Sirtis Endorses Michael Dorn’s Captain Worf Pitch As Next Star Trek Series Star Trek’s Simon Pegg Working On ‘Galaxy Quest’ TV Series ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ Director’s Edition To Be Restored In 4K/HDR For Paramount+ Paramount Releasing Star Trek: TOS Movies 4K/UHD Blu-ray Set ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’ Returns To Theaters In August For 2 Nights; Tickets Available Now LeVar Burton Wanted Geordi To Get The Girl On ‘Star Trek: TNG,’ And Really Wants That ‘Jeopardy!’ Gig Ethan Phillips Laments ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Breakup Scene With Neelix And Kes Was Never Shown Additional mentions: The number 47 in Star Trek John de Lancie on Cameo 55-Year Mission Tour Las Vegas Convention Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary Laurie’s interview with Una McCormack Tony’s interview with Michael Dorn LeVar Burton’s wedding photo with TNG cast Marina Sirtis on Gates McFadden’s podcast The Delta Flyers podcast Trekbits: Tony: Dave Bautista wants to be a Klingon in Star Trek Laurie: Star Trek: The New Voyages short story collection from 1976 Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at www.trekmovie.com, and please post your suggestions for topics we should cover in the future as well as guests you’d like us to have on.
After a look at the news—streaming business update on Paramount+, Alex Kurtzman offering his philosophy for the franchise, John de Lancie talking more Picard, Jason Isaacs still yearning for Prime Lorca, an update on the Voyager doc, and more—Tony and Laurie welcome guest Mark Altman to chat about his new documentary project 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!, his podcast Inglorious Tresperts, his books including the two-volume 50-Year Mission, and more of his always frank views on Star Trek, past and future. The podcasters wrap up with a look at Jonathan Frakes reprising an iconic (non-Star Trek) role for a video game, and Robert Picardo recreating Voyager moments on YouTube. For more on Mark’s new documentary project visit: tinyurl.com/Nineteen82
Lots of news this week! Tony and Laurie talk about Paramount + adding more Star Trek movies and Noah Hawley’s reveal of just how close to production his Trek movie was, then round up production updates from Strange New Worlds, Picard, and Discovery‘s Tig Notaro (Jett Reno). Then they spend the most time digging into the big news: the Star Trek: Prodigy voice cast, characters, and images that just came out, and the new Q-infused teaser trailer for Picard season 2. They wrap up with some Star Trek burlesque and Joe D’Agosta, the casting director on The Original Series, because why not? Links to news topics discussed in the pod: 11 Star Trek Movies Now Available On Paramount+ Noah Hawley Laments Paramount Halting His “Really Fun” Star Trek Movie Just Before Production Star Trek Cast And Crew Share Production Updates On ‘Strange New Worlds,’ ‘Picard,’ And ‘Discovery’ Leslie Hope (Kira Meru on DS9 and Strange New Worlds director) on Memory Alpha Tig Notaro Is Doing As Much ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ As She Can, Promises Reno Will Never Be Killed Off ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Character Details And Voice Cast Revealed Along With First Look Images ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Showrunners And Writers Nerd Out With Hype And Tidbits For New Series Check Out 4 New Preview Images From ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Showing Stunning Alien Worlds Watch Second ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Teaser With First Look At Q Correction: Mark Bernardin is not working on Star Trek: Picard season 3 ‘Star Trek Fleet Command’ Celebrates Captain Picard Day With TNG Update And Star-Studded Promo> Assimilate The Season With The Borg Cube Advent Calendar Full Of Star Trek Goodies Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe tweet about “A Call To Arms” Trekbits: Tony: Boldly Stripped Laurie: Inglorious Treksperts with Joe D’Agosta
Tony and Laurie start with the news about the new tier for Paramount+ and the movies coming on the streaming service, then dive into the latest on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & Prodigy distribution in Canada, Lower Decks’ production status, the tweet that revealed a TNG vet is writing for Star Trek: Picard, and details on the new documentary 1982: The Greatest Geek Year!. After that, they spend the main part of the podcast on a round-up of everything they learned from all the recent Discovery panels. They wrap it up with a look at fun facts about Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and bloopers from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Tony and Laurie have a lot to catch up on after a week off: They check in to see what new secrets John de Lancie’s been spilling on Cameo, Rebecca Romijn’s latest report from the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds set, and Mike McMahan and Jack Quaid’s musings on Lower Decks. They cover Denes House’s review of Una McCormack’s book Wonderlands about Michael Burnham’s gap year, the newest addition to Star Trek Online (with a bonus giveaway), what the future might hold for ViacomCBS and Paramount+, and Tony’s interview with Todd Thompson, the director of the Nichelle Nichols/NASA documentary Woman in Motion. They wrap up with a look at William Shatner’s new K-Pop connection, and a book by Star Trek writer Paul Robert Coyle. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: John de Lancie Indicates Data Is Back For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season Two Akiva Goldsman talks Data’s arc in Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard Rebecca Romijn Teases TOS Easter Eggs And Fun With Spock On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Mike McMahan On Exploring Ensigns And Unexpected Cameos In ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2… And 3 Jack Quaid On Boimler Freaking Out On The Titan In ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 2 Book Review: Feel The Burn With ‘Star Trek: Discovery: Wonderlands’ Star Trek Online releases ‘House United’ season Star Trek Online Giveaway: Win A Mini Bat’leth Tool And Klingon Cruiser ViacomCBS changes could mean changes for Paramount+ and Star Trek Interview: ‘Woman In Motion’ Director On Being Inspired By Nichelle Nichols From ‘Star Trek’ To NASA Recruiter Additional topics: The Shuttle Pod Crew Takes A Seat To Talk Star Trek Chairs Picard and Q in the white void / John Oliver’s white void Homer Simpson in the real world Trekbits: Tony: William Shatner endorses Jungkook from BTS’ “Live long and prosper” Laurie: Paul Robert Coyle’s Swords, Starships and Superheroes From Star Trek To Xena To Hercules: A TV Writer’s Life Scripting the Stories of Heroes
Tony and Laurie start analyzing the latest news including Kate Mulgrew revealing setup for Star Trek: Prodigy, writers wrapping work on season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, and Tig Notaro talking about being back on set as Jett Reno. We also have some merchandise updates on Star Trek books, comics, games, and home video. We then discuss science advisor Dr. Erin McDonald’s new official Star Trek podcast interview and how she mentions working on six Trek shows along with Shazad Latif talking about “rumblings” for the long-in-development Section 31 show as jumping-off points for some speculating on what to do with Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Georgiou. We consider Georgiou heading up her own series and other possible options including feature films, mini-series, and guest spots on other Trek shows. Beyond Section 31 we also ponder some other show premises for her Georgiou we might prefer to see her in.
After talking through the news—a Strange New Worlds update from Anson Mount, John de Lancie’s return to sharing Picard news on Cameo,, the latest on cons in Europe and the U.S., the death of actor Norman Lloyd at 106, a “Live Long and Prosper” vaccination campaign, Gates McFadden’s podcast launch, and the Discovery season 3 DVD offerings—Tony and Laurie get to the main part of their podcast: Tony’s brief but packed interview with Lower Decks creator/showrunner Mike McMahan. Mike talks about Easter eggs, Riker’s personality traits, and the way all the Star Trek showrunners touch base to maintain “a cohesive understanding of the timeline.” They wrap things up by recommending an Inglorious Treksperts episode featuring a staged, live reading of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the results of some Emmy sleuthing around TNG’s “Nemesis.” Links to topics discussed in the pod: Anson Mount Says ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Is Off To A Smooth Start, Despite Protocols John de Lancie on Cameo Destination Star Trek Germany Moved To 2022, London Event Re-Confirmed For November 2021 Norman Lloyd, Star of ‘Saboteur’ and ‘St. Elsewhere,’ Dies at 106 in The Hollywood Reporter Norman Lloyd interview from April 2020 in The Hollywood Reporter Los Angeles Healthcare Group Launches “Live Long & Prosper” Vaccination Campaign InvestiGates on Apple Details Revealed For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 Blu-Ray, DVD And Steelbook; Arriving In July Additional mentions: Interview: Mike McMahan Talks ‘Lower Decks’ Season 2, Star Trek Easter Eggs, And Coordinating With ‘Prodigy’ All Access Star Trek Explores The New Extended Literary Universe With Author James Swallow Trekbits: Tony: Inglorious Treksperts podcast: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home live with Mary Stuart Masterson, Terry Farrell, Ethan Phillips, and more. Laurie: The 1994 Emmys program book page featuring nominations in Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup For a Series Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments at TrekMovie.com, and please post your suggestions for topics we should cover in the future as well as guests you’d like us to have on.
After a look at the news—new John de Lancie updates via Cameo, Discovery’s costume awards win, the new Fleet Command ads featuring Sonequa Martin-Green and Karl Urban, and the latest business news from Paramount+ and ViacomCBS—Tony and Laurie eagerly welcome guest Gates McFadden to chat about her new podcast InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are? and her work on the upcoming History Channel documentary The Center Seat: 55 Years Of Star Trek. She also talks about TNG’s “Sub Rosa” (!), directing the episode “Genesis,” and Beverly Crusher’s past as well as her future. The podcasters wrap up with a look at a Q&A session from the very first Star Trek convention and William Shatner’s guest appearance on Mork & Mindy. Links to topics discussed in the pod: John de Lancie Reveals He Is Shooting Two Seasons’ Worth Of A “Very Different Q” For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ The Shuttle Pod Crew Visits The Continuum To Contemplate The Future Of Q ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Wins 3 Costume Guild Awards Watch: Karl Urban And Sonequa Martin-Green Spar In ‘Star Trek Fleet Command’ Game Promos Paramount Plus Leads Quarterly Gain Of 6M Streaming Subscribers As ViacomCBS Beats Wall Street Estimates (from Deadline) Additional mentions: Exclusive: New Gates McFadden Podcast ‘InvestiGates’ To Feature Conversations With Her Star Trek Friends History Channel Launching ‘The Center Seat’ Docuseries All About Star Trek TNG’s “Genesis” Treksperts Briefing Room podcast with Brannon Braga Interview: Gates McFadden On Cons, COVID, Crusher, And “Code of Honor” From ‘Star Trek: TNG’ Trekbits: Laurie: Dorothy Fontana & Majel Barrett talk to fans at the first Star Trek convention (from Fact Trek, via Neil Shurley’s Star Trekking newsletter) Tony: William Shatner on Mork & Mindy
Tony and Laurie start with the latest Star Trek news including John de Lancie revealing more about Picard season 2, LeVar Burton confirming he won’t be in season 2 (but maybe season 3), a COVID contact temporary production shutdown of Discovery season 4, and Michelle Yeoh talking about the possible return of Emperor Georgiou. We also get an update on the In Search of Tomorrow documentary all about 1980s sci-fi cinema, including a clip from Walter Koenig. The main focus of the podcast turns to our interview with Star Trek composer Jeff Russo. We talk about the new Star Trek: Discovery season 3 soundtrack and how he changed things up for the show’s big jump into the future. He also takes us behind the scenes on recording during a pandemic, as well as some talk about early plans for Discovery season 4 (and Picard season 2). Russo also gives us some insight into the (currently paused) Noah Hawley Star Trek movie which he had started writing music for last year.
After going over this week’s news—Anson Mount’s thoughts on Strange New Worlds’ episodic nature, Michael Dorn’s return as Worf for a new game, LeVar Burton’s upcoming Jeopardy! gig, John de Lancie’s Picard update (which includes Whoopi Goldberg)—Tony and Laurie are joined by guests Mary Wiseman (Tilly) and Noah Averbach-Katz (Ryn) of Star Trek: Discovery, who talk about sharing scenes, lives, and cats together.
This week Tony is joined by Shuttle Pod’s Matt Wright stepping in for a busy Laurie. The podcasters talk about the news of the Star Trek week including Discovery’s GLAAD Award and Season 3 Soundtrack and Blu-ray releases. We also cover Gates McFadden’s new podcast and how LeVar Burton really wants to be the new Jeopardy! host. The rest of the pod focuses on all the latest Star Trek Universe TV news including Star Trek: Prodigy and how it is apparently a big deal with ViacomCBS, how Q fits in with season two of Star Trek: Picard, and how Strange New Worlds is shaping up to be a TOS nostalgia machine. We finish with a dive into what we know (and think is true) about the new Star Trek movie Paramount has scheduled for June 2023. And we try to all of this together with a little help from Alex Kurtzman’s latest comments about the state of things.
With so much news coming out of Star Trek First Contact Day, it was only logical for the Shuttle Pod crew to team up with All Access Star Trek—our first crossover event—to debrief! Kayla, Jared, Matt, Tony, and Laurie discuss the new teasers, trailers, and intel on Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Lower Decks, the panels about the Nichelle Nichols documentary Woman in Motion and Star Trek: First Contact’s 25th anniversary, and the announcement of a new (and official) yearly Star Trek convention.
Tony and Laurie cover the latest news: To The Journey (the Voyager doc) breaks a fundraising record, Paramount+ plans a panel-packed First Contact Day, science advisor Dr. Erin Macdonald joins the writing team, and awards and honors are given to John Eaves, William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy. Then they jump into this week’s topic: Star Trek: Short Treks. They look at why it was created, what it evolved into, what they hope for the future, and do a quick take on each episode. The podcasters wrap up with a look at recent invocations of Star Trek in American politics and a huge repository of behind-the-scenes photos. Links to news topics discussed in the pod: ‘To The Journey’ Wraps Up Campaign As Most Successful Crowdfunded Documentary In History Celebrate First Contact Day 2021 With Paramount+ Star Trek Celebrity Panels, Marathon, And More WonderCon CBS panel on “Science of Smart TV” with Star Trek science advisor Dr. Erin McDonald Veteran Star Trek Illustrator John Eaves Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award By Art Directors Guild William Shatner Slams His Way Into WWE Hall Of Fame; Suggests He Should Have Wrestled As Captain Kirk Vulcan Salute Monument Honoring Leonard Nimoy Being Developed For Boston’s Museum Of Science Additional mentions: SDCC18: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Mini-Episodes, Spock and Number One Confirmed for Season 2 Showrunners Promise ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Will Fit Together With “Calypso” Canon The USS Discovery Refit And Two ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Theories To Resolve A Canon Conundrum Are The Planets Aligning For Captain Proton From ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ To Rematerialize In ‘Short Treks’? Interview: Jonathan Frakes On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’; Hopes To Helm ‘Short Treks’ Musical ‘Star Trek: Short Treks’ With Ethan Peck And Rebecca Romijn Coming The All Access Star Trek Podcast Ponders A ‘Strange New Worlds’/’Lower Decks’ Crossover Trekbits: Laurie: Star Trek behind-the-scenes picspam Tony: Star Trek and politics: Iowa House approves bills to facilitate broadband, cryptocurrency and State Senator Proposes “Star Trek” Rule to Protect Florida’s Economy from Restrictions
Tony and Laurie cover the latest news: Colm Meaney’s newest comments on returning to Star Trek, Jackie Cox as Number One and her interview with Anthony Rapp, Hanelle Culpepper’s NAACP Image Award win, Lower Decks on Blu-ray, and all the celebrations around William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy’s birthdays. Then they bring in producer and co-director David Zappone to talk about his new documentary To The Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager. He fills them in on who he’ll be interviewing next, secret stretch goals, what’s already been filmed, and what’s on the to-do list. The podcasters wrap up with a look at old-school Star Trek audiobooks (narrated by stars like James Doohan, George Takei, and Jonathan Frakes) and dueling John Billingsley podcasts.
Tony and Laurie start with the latest news: The Voyager Doc is going HD, Grudge is getting her own book, and Star Trek is coming to WonderCon@Home. There is also a bit more from our recent interview with Nicholas Meyer. The podcasters then turn to the main topic which was the big Star Trek: Strange New Worlds announcement, with the official start of production and introduction to five new members of the regular cast. They discuss each new actor as well as speculate as to what roles they could be playing.
Tony and Laurie start with the latest news: the new Star Trek documentary miniseries coming to the History Channel, Kate Mulgrew talks Star Trek: Prodigy, Colm Meaney on if he would play O’Brien again, Michael Chabon’s deep dive into Romulan culture, the final award season nominations for Star Trek Universe shows, and the latest on the Voyager documentary. Then the devote the rest of the podcast to Tony’s new interview with writer/director/producer Nicholas Meyer, playing excerpts from it and discussing Meyer’s revelation that he pitched a new Trek movie to Paramount, the status of his Khan mini-series, and tales from his work on Star Trek II, IV, and VI.
Tony and Laurie start off with breaking news about Kalinda Vazquez being hired to write a new Star Trek movie—which happened AFTER the podcast was done, so they jumped back on the mics to add it. They also cover the latest on the Voyager documentary, Robert Duncan McNeill’s lobby for a Captain Proton show, the upcoming Lower Decks Blu-ray/DVD set, Jonathan Frakes’ latest hint-not-a-hint about Star Trek: Picard, and the not-so-new-looking launch of Paramount+. Then they dive into today’s main topic: the state of Star Trek movies, looking at the big options that had all been on the table last year, and what might come next. They wrap up with a look at Star Trek stars speaking out about the current rise in violence against Asian-Americans, and a walk through Jonathan Frakes’ early acting career in the 1970s.
Tony and Laurie discuss the latest in Star Trek books, Brent Spiner’s prediction for a recast Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, and what inspires the showrunners of the Section 31 show in development. Then they jump into the main topic: the impending launch of Paramount+ and what it means for the Star Trek Universe.
Tony and Laurie give the latest updates on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard season 2 going into production and talk about the return of Billy Campbell to the Trek franchise as the unnecessarily outrageous Okona. They also play an excerpt from Tony’s new interview with Ron Moore about the challenges of making Star Trek movies. After the news, they dive into the week’s main topic: Star Trek: Picard. They cover what worked and what didn’t about season 1 plus everything known so far about season 2, along with some of their hopes for the show’s future. Links to topics discussed in the pod: Billy Campbell Talks Reprising (And Redeeming) His “Okona” Character On ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards nomination for Star Trek: Picard Interview: Ron Moore On How ‘For All Mankind’ Is Building The Road To Star Trek Interview: Ron Moore On Why Star Trek Is An Uncomfortable Fit For The Big Screen Production On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Appears To Be Imminent Production Has Begun On ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Other mentions: US Naval Academy Professor Argues For Single Ship Design Seen In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Battle Of Coppelius Book Review: ‘Star Trek: Picard – The Last Best Hope’ By Una McCormack All Access Star Trek Explores The New Extended Literary Universe With Author James Swallow Trekbits: Tony: Engage! A brief history of ‘TNG’ memes Laurie: Star Trek Beyond Pitch Meeting
Tony and Laurie look at the latest Star Trek news: more Paramount+ Trek-themed promos, quotes from Discovery showrunners on how they plan to tie into the Short Treks episode “Calypso,” a new book on the way about Michael Burnham’s gap year in season 3, and the death of legendary actor Christopher Plummer, who played General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. After the news, they talk to Star Trek: Discovery’s Mary Chieffo about reprising L’Rell for Star Trek Online, her time on Discovery, and her thoughts on L’Rell’s future in the franchise as well as her appreciation for the Klingon characters who came before her.
Tony and Laurie give a production update on season two of Star Trek: Picard, discuss why Jeri Ryan prefers playing Seven on the new show, ponder Alex Kurtzman’s latest cryptic hints about Discovery season 4, catch up on how the new shows are doing this award season, and take a look at the growing Paramount+ promotional campaign. After the news of the week, they talk to author James Swallow about the extended universe of Star Trek books and comics, how they tie into current Star Trek shows, and his latest tie-in novel, Star Trek: Picard: The Dark Veil.
Tony and Laurie discuss the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery season 4, the GLAAD Media Awards, Trek stars getting their Covid vaccines, Michael Dorn’s pitch for his Captain Worf series, and the new promo video for Paramount +. Then they take a deep dive into the upcoming series Strange New Worlds, summarizing everything that’s already known about the show, and sharing their hopes for what it will—and won’t—include.
Tony and Laurie chat with Star Trek science consultant and biology professor Mohamed Noor and Discovery actress Jayne Brook (Admiral Cornwell) about their new web series, BioTrekkie with the Admiral, talking about The Burn, Cornwell’s death scene in season 2, tranceworms, and technobabble, among other topics. Before the interview we do the usual news of the week roundup, including playing part of Tony’s interview with Michael Dorn about Star Trek: Picard and cover the latest on Lower Decks, Star Trek: Discovery season 4, and Paramount+. The pod then wraps things up with a Trekkified Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and a fun story about Tim Russ and Garrett Wang.
Tony and Laurie talk about Patrick Stewart and Sonequa Martin-Green at the Critics Choice Awards and cover the latest news on the upcoming seasons of both Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery. They review Discovery season 3 as a whole—what they liked, what they didn’t, and what they hope to see next season—and wrap up the podcast with a Data deepfake and some very nerdy donuts. Links to topics discussed in the pod Patrick Stewart Wins Best Actor At Critics Choice Super Awards For ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Watch the Critics Choice Super Awards on the CW Book Review: ‘Star Trek: Picard – The Dark Veil’ Delivers An Action-Mystery With Riker And Troi ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Producers And Stars On What’s Next For Captain Burnham And Season Four Listen: Saru And Michael’s Final ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 Logs Hint At What’s To Come In Season 4 Other mentions: Captain Janeway talks about the “different time” of Captain Sulu, Captain Kirk, and Dr. McCoy An Ursula K. Le Guin Short Story Inspired The Big Mystery For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 3 BioTrekkie and The Admiral with Mohamed Noor & Jayne Brook: Episode 1 – Analyzing Alien Life: Biology in Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Episode 1 Trekbits: Tony: Data Gets A Deepfake Upgrade In ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Laurie: Dave Rothstein’s Sci-Fi Minis (from Neil Shurley’s Star Trekking newsletter) Buy your own talking Captain Picard action figure
Tony and Laurie talk about Dr. Mohamed Noor and Jayne Brook’s new web series, upcoming Voyager and Nichelle Nichols documentaries, and Whoopi Goldberg’s excitement about being on Star Trek: Picard. They review the Star Trek: Discovery season 3 finale “That Hope is You, Part 2,” then wrap up with a New Year’s Eve cameo by a Star Trek phone case and a piece of Star Trek casting history that surprised them both. Links to topics discussed in the pod Whoopi Goldberg Talks About Joining ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Patrick Stewart Invites Whoopi Goldberg To Join ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Mohamed Noor And Jayne Brook To Explore ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Science With YouTube Miniseries ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Documentary To Start Crowdfunding Pre-Orders In March The Shuttle Pod Crew Talks Making Star Trek Documentaries With David Zappone And Joe Kornbrodt ‘Woman In Motion’ Doc About Nichelle Nichols And NASA Coming To Theaters For One-Night February Event The Ready Room Other mentions: The Trill “rejoined” the Federation Deanna Troi takes the Bridge Officer’s Test in “Thine Own Self” The gormagander Trekbits: Tony: Kelly Osbourne with Laurie’s Juan Ortiz phone case Laurie: Rex Holman as Morgan Earp (TOS) and J’onn (Star Trek V) For more visit TrekMovie.com
Tony and Laurie talk about how COVID is impacting production on Star Trek Picard and Star Trek: Discovery, including the news that Tig Notaro is limiting her time as Jett Reno. They also talk about Michael Chabon’s newly revealed backstory for Riker and Troi and their son’s middle name: Worf. The podcasters then crawl through the Jeffries Tubes to review Star Trek’s latest homage to Die Hard, Discovery‘s “There Is A Tide…” featuring the return of Ken Mitchell. Links to topics discussed in the pod Jeri Ryan Confirms New ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Production Start Date Tig Notaro Returning As Reno For ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4, But Limiting Time Due To COVID Concerns Michael Chabon Reveals Riker-Troi Family Backstory On USS Titan, Including Son’s Middle Name Was Worf Other mentions: Tom Cruise yells at M:I 7 crew for not following COVID protocols Shakespeare in Star Trek Die Hard (and yes, it is a Christmas movie) Transparent displays is a dumb sci-fi trope Ken Mitchell’s various Star Trek roles Zora from “Calypso” Trekbits: Tony: THR: How James Bond Inspired This Underrated ‘Star Trek’ Episode Laurie: Picture Book: Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments, and post your suggestions for topics we should cover when Discovery‘s third season ends. (We particularly appreciated last week’s discussions!)
Tony and Laurie hypothesize about John de Lancie’s “You are going to be seeing more of me” comment, discuss Mary Wiseman and the ridiculousness of body-shaming, and Tony asks Doug Jones directly about shipping Saru and T’Rina. Then they dig into their review of Star Trek: Discovery‘s “Su’Kal,” which they both liked a great deal.
Tony and Laurie talk about Lower Decks’ international release, Chris Pine’s interest in another Star Trek movie, Alexander Siddig’s musings on Bashir’s future, Strange New Worlds starting preproduction, and David Cronenberg in Star Trek: Discovery’s season 4. After that, they review Discovery’s “Terra Firma, Part 2,” which they don’t quite agree on.
Tony and Laurie talk through the latest news on Star Trek: Lower Decks, Paramount+, and Creation conventions, then play an excerpt of Tony’s upcoming interview with Alexander Siddig where the Deep Space Nine actor weighs in on the concept behind Section 31. Next, they review “Terra Firma, Part 1,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, talking about the crazy turn of events in the first half of this two-parter as well as what—or more specifically, who—isn’t there at all.
Tony and Laurie are joined this week by Neil, who previews the new book The Art of Star Trek: Discovery. They also talk about the status of Star Trek movies (with an update about Noah Hawley’s version) and the new Voyager documentary currently in production. Then the trio reviews “The Sanctuary,” the latest Discovery episode: Thumbs down for Osyraa, but thumbs up for the pairings of Detmer & Rhys and Culber & Georgiou.
Tony and Laurie talk about Star Trek’s nominations in the new Critics Choice Super Awards, production plans for Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, ViacomCBS’s sale of Simon & Schuster, and the late great Herb Solow. In their review of Star Trek: Discovery‘s “Unification III,” they appreciate the nods to Star Trek’s legacy and speculate about what it means to be an “acting” first officer. Tony also recommends a video that proves Burnham isn’t the only Starfleet officer who has a problem with the chain of command.
Tony and Laurie talk about Anson Mount joining METI, Simon Pegg patching things up with Quentin Tarantino, and Kovich theories. Then they get into the nitty gritty of Star Trek: Discovery’s “Scavengers,” which strikes them both as a mixed bag, and head down a few nerdy rabbit holes along the way.
Tony and Laurie give updates on The Orville going back into production, Brent Spiner’s strange and hilarious short film, ViacomCBS’ faith in Star Trek, and Star Trek: Discovery‘s plans for Adira and Gray. Then they review “Die Trying,” the fifth episode of Discovery season 3, and both podcasters are very surprised to find the latest Georgiou twist intriguing, thanks to David Cronenberg.
Tony and Laurie talk about the latest Star Trek: Discovery production updates and then dive into the Trill pools and other topics) in Discovery episode #304, “Forget Me Not.” Tony spots Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kate Mulgrew talking “Tuvix” on Twitter and Laurie recommends the best William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy interview ever.
Shuttle Pod’s Kayla joins Tony and Laurie to talk about the new Captain Janeway statue in Bloomington, Kate Mulgrew’s new role in Star Trek: Prodigy, and the recently announced Star Trek: Picard prequel novel about Riker and Troi. They share an excerpt from Laurie’s interview with author Una McCormack, and review “People of Earth,” the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery‘s season 3, taking special note of its new characters and the sizzling hot chemistry between Michael Burnham and Book.
Anthony and Laurie discuss the latest Star Trek news: the official announcement of Discovery season 4, new visual effects tech, what’s coming in season 2 of Lower Decks, STLV’s transformation into the 55-Year Mission Tour, and the shake-up at Viacom/CBS. Then they review “Far From Home,” the second episode of season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery.
Anthony and Laurie are happily surprised by “That Hope Is You,” the Star Trek: Discovery season 3 premiere (and Laurie is extra happy about David Ajala and his sexy wink). They cover the latest news about Lower Decks, Alex Kurtzman’s plans for Star Trek’s future (including movies), and share their “Trekbits” of the week, which include some butt talk courtesy of The Delta Flyers.
On an epic, jam-packed episode, the Shuttle Pod’s Matt joins Tony and Laurie to talk about the Trek news from New York Comic Con (Janeway! Janeway!), check out interview clips from Kate Mulgrew and Brannon Braga, and review the season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks. For more details and show notes visit TrekMovie Podcast Network at TrekMovie.com.
This week, Tony and Laurie celebrate #Frakesweek by talking about some of the highlights of Tony’s interview with Jonathan Frakes, and share an excerpt. They also discuss the new COVID guidelines and how they might affect upcoming Star Trek series. They then dig deep into the psychology (and the jokes and Star Trek references!) in the 9th episode of Lower Decks, “Crisis Point.” The podcasters wrap things up with their weekly Trek finds and mention the new Trek The Vote initiative. For more details and show notes visit TrekMovie Podcast Network at TrekMovie.com.
Tony and Laurie chat about Star Trek’s presence at the Emmys and Picard’s win, theorize on how a familiar Star Trek legacy character could turn up in Discovery season 3, and address some pervasive rumors with a mass debunking. They then review “Veritas,” the eighth episode of Lower Decks, and agree that everything is better with Kurtwood Smith in it. For more details and show notes visit TrekMovie Podcast Network at TrekMovie.com.
This week, Anthony and Laurie talk about Tony’s recent interview with Wil Wheaton (and share an audio clip), preview the panels at NY Comic Con, and chat about the new official Star Trek podcast, the latest update on the not-happening-yet Star Trek movie, and CBS AA’s upcoming rebrand as Paramount+. Then they review the newest Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “Much Ado About Boimler.” Links to topics discussed in the pod News: New York Comic Con – Star Trek panels and schedule The official Star Trek podcast: episode 1 with Ben Stiller Wil Wheaton interview Star Trek movie update: Noah Hawley CBS AA rebranding as Paramount+ ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ S3 Theory: An Episode Of ‘Voyager’ Is The Origin Of “The Burn” Other mentions: The Zabrak Star Trek: Enterprise‘s “Vox Sola” Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Most Toys” Melllvar from Futurama Maurice LaMarche Metaverse Lower Decks panel with Mike McMahan, Barry J. Kelly, M. Willis, and Marisa Livingston Paula M. Block on Twitter Trekbits: Laurie: She-Ra: Progressive of Power podcast interview with Lower Decks writer M. Willis Tony: Photo of Star Trek: TOS and TNG casts with Gene Roddenberry
This week on the podcast, Tony and Laurie recap all the Star Trek Day news, offering up their theories on Discovery‘s “cataclysmic event” and the possibilities for a Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover. They also look at clues that Jason Isaacs might be returning to the franchise, and review “Terminal Provocations,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. As they wrap things up with their Trekbits suggestions, Tony talks about interviewing Bob Justman back in the earliest days of TrekMovie. Links to topics discussed in the pod News: Star Trek Day legacy panels roundup Star Trek: Discovery season 3 trailer Star Trek Day Discovery panel with Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, and David Ajala Star Trek Day Strange New Worlds panel with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Davy Perez, Akela Cooper, Henry Alonso Myers, and Akiva Goldsman Jason Isaacs “Takes The Fifth” On Lorca’s Possible Return Star Trek Day Lower Decks panel with Mike McMahan, Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero, plus mid-season trailer Other mentions: Clippy Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Nth Degree” Star Trek: Voyager‘s “Day of Honor” Star Trek: The Animated Series‘ “The Practical Joker” Perd Hapley Trekbits: Tony: All The Asians on Star Trek podcast Laurie: Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman Tony’s interview 2007with Bob Justman: Part 1 and Part 2
This week, Anthony and Laurie talk about the newest additions to the Star Trek: Discovery cast, discuss the possibilities of a Short Treks/Captain Proton team-up, and preview the online festivities happening on Star Trek Day (September 8th). They also dig into “Cupid’s Errant Arrow,” the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, to figure out why it’s so much better on its second viewing. Before they wrap up, they reveal a fun connection that almost happened between Star Trek and Parks and Recreation. Links to topics discussed in the pod News: Non-binary and transgender characters added to Star Trek: Discovery From NYCC; Star Trek: Discovery will be visiting Trill in season 3 DS9’s “Invasive Procedures” DS9’s “Playing God” Captain Proton and Short Treks Star Trek Day festivities Other mentions: The airport scene from Airplane! Planet of the Apes scene (but don’t watch it if you’ve never seen the movie before) The Planet of the Apes musical from The Simpsons, which we don’t talk about on the podcast at all (but it amuses us, so here it is) Trekbits: Laurie: Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast episode with Nick Offerman
This week, Anthony and Laurie delve into the latest Alex Kurtzman interview for info on the Section 31 show and new creative hires in the Star Trek Universe, and discuss the news that Star Trek: Discovery is hitting CBS proper—the broadcast network, not the streaming service. Then they review “Moist Vessel,” episode 4 of Star Trek: Lower Decks (repeating the title as often as they can). Links to topics discussed in the pod News: Alex Kurtzman talks Section 31 show and composer Nami Melumad Nami Melumad on Twitter CBS Network broadcasting Star Trek: Discovery Other mentions: Sloan This Is the End Trekbits: Anthony: William Shatner on the “Storybook Squares” version of Hollywood Squares (and William Shatner and Henry Winkler’s Better Late Than Never GalaxyCon panel on Aug. 29.) Laurie: Episode of The Delta Flyers podcast where they talk about Neelix’s crush
This week on the podcast, Tony and Laurie look at Alex Kurtzman’s latest comments on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and CBS All Access’ plans for world streaming domination. Then they dig into the third episode of Lower Decks, asking if the premise relies too heavily on one bad, very un-Starfleet decision by Captain Freeman, and picking out their favorite jokes and references. Links to topics discussed in the pod News: Alex Kurtzman interview about Strange New Worlds Dr. M’Benga slapping Spock CBS’ Rebranding plans Metaverse interview with Lower Decks creatives Wesley Crusher in Star Trek Nemesis (and the deleted scene that explains a little more) Other mentions: “Conundrum,” the TNG episode where Riker and Ro cavort Groundskeeper Willie baring his chest Battle for the Planet of the Apes clip Chief O’Brien at Work TrekMovie’s interview with Mike McMahon about how Lower Decks characters should all belong in Starfleet Trekbits Anthony: Typeset in the Future Laurie: Follow Olivia on Twitter
This week, Anthony and Laurie cover the Star Trek Universe news: Alex Kurtzman’s latest updates on Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Short Treks, and Section 31; the movies and how they do (or don’t) relate to TV; and upcoming virtual Trek events. After that, we review “Envoys,” the second episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks. We talk drunken Klingons, Starfleet enthusiasm, and favorite jokes, but disagree on the show’s pacing. News: Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek Universe updates Star Trek: Prodigy new producer director Virtual NYCC/Metaverse Star Trek movie news Random mentions during the review of “Envoys”: Laurie and Neil’s roundup of unsung Star Trek friendships TNG’s “The Child” TNG’s “Half a Life” (regarding Kaelons) TAS’ “The Survivor” Trekbits: Tony: Trek-inspired COVID suit (Google Translate will come in handy if you don’t speak Spanish.) Laurie: Ralph Senensky’s website (More on Ralph here. )
TrekMovie founder Anthony Pascale sits down for a phone interview with Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan. The two discuss legacy character and actor cameos, the Star Trek inspiration for the Lower Decks characters, Mike’s philosophy on Trek easter eggs, how to find humor in Starfleet, and more. Take a listen! The interview was recorded on August 5th and is available, in part, as a transcription at TrekMovie.com.
Anthony and Laurie have high praise for the first episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and get some insights directly from show producer Mike McMahan (via Anthony’s recent interview) about deep cuts and Easter eggs. They also dig into the latest Trek news, talking about the future of ViacomCBS’s streaming service and production plans for the live-action shows like Picard, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds.
In our first episode, Anthony and Laurie recap the Star Trek Universe panel at Comic-Con@Home, talk through the latest updates on Star Trek: Discovery and Lower Decks, and discuss the Emmy nominations (as they pertain to Star Trek, of course).