The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast
13: It's Kind of Like that Iron Curtain Thing

Romulans.

They're an offshoot of the Vulcans who chose conflict over logic. As one of the two original enemy empires from The Original Series, the Romulans have remained almost as mysterious to us as they were to Kirk and Spock. Despite their increased use on TNG and DS9, the Romulans were never fleshed out enough to realize their potential. In this episode of The Ready Room we take a look at this scheming race to uncover what we do know about them, from their first appearance in "Balance of Terror" to their use in the first J.J. Abrams film.

In our news segment we cover Will Decker and The Office, a fan edit of The Motion Picture that creates what would have been the pilot for Star Trek Phase II, “In Thy Image,” the appearance of Star Trek on Amazon Prime, get a preview of IDW’s November 2011 comics, play a round of Klingon and Ferengi Monopoly, check in on the possibility of Vulcan coming back in the next movie, learn about a proposed David Foster Star Trek Series, debate Trek's toughest villains, choose our favourite Enterprise design, and wish a happy birthday to the late great Gene’s birthday. 

Direct download: trr-013.mp3
Category:Special Features -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

12: Patrick, Brent, Worf ... and Laverne

Nemesis.

The final Star Trek movie set in the prime timeline saw the TNG era fizzle out with surprising rapidity. After the excitement of First Contact, many felt that Insurrection was just the natural lull of the odd-numbered films. With the long-than-usual gap between releases, fans were expected Nemesis to be incredible. Instead Paramount delivered a film that didn't feel quite right and that stumbled at the box office. After just four outings, Picard and his crew sailed off into the box theatrical sunset. In this episode of The Ready Room hosts Christopher Jones and Greg Harbin take a close look at Nemesis to find out if it is really as bad as many fans claim and try to come to terms with the early end of Star Trek's most successful era.

In our news segment we're joined by TrekNews.Net's Brian Wilkins for a recap of Star Trek Las Vegas 2011. Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer talk Enterprise, a new world record is set for Star Trek costumes, and Leonard Nimoy says goodbye to Vegas.

Direct download: trr-012.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

11: Sisko's Blue Beard

The Captains.

Kirk. Picard. Sisko. Janeway. Archer. Every Star Trek fans has their favourite, and each captain has their own unique command style. Sometimes it's hard to put one ahead of the other when ranking Starfleet's leaders, but in this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Brian Finifter of Down In Front to discuss each of these captains, their pros and cons, and reveal under whom we'd prefer to serve.

In our news segment we look at some new Mego-style retro action figures from Diamond Select Toys and Art Asylum, StarTrek.com’s interviews with Terry Ferrell and Connor Trinneer, a Technorati interview with Alice Krige, a possible animated series from Roberto Orci, and Five Year Mission’s “Year Two.”

Direct download: trr-011.mp3
Category:Special Features -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

10: Chakotay's Stockholm Syndrome

Year of Hell.

When Voyager wandered into Krenim space, the events foreshadowed in "Before and After" came to pass with devastating consequences for Janeway and her crew. It's a plotline that should have lasted an entire season, but it still presented some interesting challenges and provided one of the more meaningful looks into the mind of Chakotay. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Anthony Davis and Down In Front's Brian Finifter to discuss the two-parter, where it succeeds and where it fails, what we would have handled differently, and why those devastating consequences were ultimately meaningless thanks to the classic Voyager reset button.

In our news segment we look at the first IDW Comic based on the Abramsverse, the IDW Star Trek-Legion of Super-Heroes crossover, the Star Trek VI sequel novel "Cast No Shadows," Star Trek.com’s interview with Jeffrey Combs, Wil Wheaton and Jeri Ryan on Eureka, Netflix's expansion into Latin America and Canada, and the humorous TNG review podcast Dork Trek. 

Direct download: trr-010.mp3
Category:Voyager -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

9: Wesley and the Amazing Technicolor Sweater

Generations.

The first film to feature the TNG cast also served as a vehicle for passing the franchise torch once and for all from Kirk to Picard. The result was a story that felt part movie, part TV show, and part barrel roll. Yes, Geordi's greatest escape from engineering comes in this film. But more importantly Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore shook up the Star Trek universe with the death of the Enterprise-D and the death of James T. Kirk. In this episode of The Ready Room hosts Christopher Jones and Greg Harbin discuss the seventh Star Trek film, how the death of Kirk was handled, and how some things could have been written differently to deliver a more satisfying transition for the greater fandom.

In our news segment we look at the $5,000 QMx 1701-A replica, the final three convention appearances for Leonard Nimoy, Marina Sirtis bid to land a spot on Dancing with the Stars, preview Star Trek Las Vegas, learn about George Takei's induction into the California Hall of Fame, explain just what The Delphies are (listen up Enterprise fans!), find out when Trek Nation is coming to the Science Channel, get some details about TNG on Blu-ray, watch a new Five Year Mission video, hear what Roberto Orci has to say about possible changes to the Enterprise, take a peek at the new canon Enterprise 1701-F, and find the Voyager theme song closing out the shuttle era. 

Direct download: trr-009.mp3
Category:Movies -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

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