Past Tense.

Star Trek has often been prophetic, but few episodes have been more prophetic of today’s world than the DS9 two-parter “Past Tense.” Many parallels between the Occupy movement and the Sanctuary Districts of 2024 can be drawn, though it’s not necessarily a clear-cut comparison. Still this episode can come across as being “ripped from the headlines” today, despite that fact that it first aired in 1995 years ago. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss “Past Tense” and how it shows where we may be headed as the rift between the rich and poor in our society grows.

In news we cover new movie developments, more confirmed guests for Star Trek Las Vegas 2012, the second TNG HD trailer that shows some side-by-side comparison, Star Trek’s ten least-threatening villains, upcoming IDW Star Trek Ongoing comics, and we preview two more tracks from Five Year Mission’s “Year Two.”

These Are the Voyages…

Enterprise was a series that was often misunderstood and was cancelled before its time. Under the guidance of Manny Coto, the fourth season saw the series finding solid footing as a TOS prequel. Bit by bit we were building toward the founding of the Federation and setting up Kirk’s era. Sadly they ran out of time and hastily ended the series with a very misguided finale titled “These Are the Voyages…” also known as the 177th episode of TNG. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss the Enterprise finale, which has been explained as an intended “valentine” to Star Trek.

In news we look at the upcoming HeroClix Star Trek edition, Star Trek Online Free-to-Play details and changes to the game’s economy, the possible cancellation of Star Trek Infinite Space, Carrie Fisher’s response to William Shatner on Star Trek vs. Star Wars, Google+, and we preview two tracks from Five Year Mission’s upcoming album Year Two.

Scorpion.

As with TNG and DS9, Voyager reached a turning point at the end of its third season. The episode “Scorpion” brought several changes and new elements to the show that shaped the future direction of the journey through the Delta Quadrant. The Borg, Seven of Nine, and even internal conflict that had been missing from the show, all come together to help Voyager grow up a bit. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss “Scorpion” as well as the nature of Voyager before and after this turning point. In news we look at the possibility of Benicio Del Toro being cast as Star Trek’s next villain, tractor beams, The Captains on Netflix streaming, Star Trek potato heads, IDW’s Redshirt contest, Star Trek Ongoing #2, and we preview two tracks from Five Year Mission’s upcoming album Year Two. 

TNG Season Two.

After completing a successful first season The Next Generation continued to find its identity in season two despite a number of potential setbacks. The departure of Gates McFadden as Dr. Crusher, a writers strike in Hollywood, and continuing struggles to emerge from the shadow of TOS put this new Star Trek series to the test. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss the good and the bad of TNG’s second season, and how it set up the greatness to come. In news we look at the Comikaze Expo, new names added to the roster for Star Trek Las Vegas 2012, Star Trek: The Exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center, Star Trek’s spookiest moments, and the state of Star Trek fiction and the Enterprise novels about the Romulan War. 

The Way of the Warrior.

DS9 promised a new kind of Star Trek from the very start, yet the early seasons had more in common with the TNG method of storytelling than the rich and intricate Deep Space Nine we came to love. Just as TNG grew the beard with “The Best of Both Worlds,” so did DS9 with “The Way of the Warrior.” Shaving the head set DS9 on a course for greatness and its place as the most unique series in the Star Trek franchise. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss “The Way of the Warrior” and how it changed Deep Space Nine. In news we look at the official music video for William Shatner’s cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Five Year Missions “Errand of Mercy,” a comparison of Star Trek technology to real-world progress, Microsoft’s progress in holodeck technology, John de Lancie reading “The Raven,” and the Roddenberry Foundation’s $5 million dollar gift to the Gladstone Institutes for stem cell research. 

The Star Trek Pendulum.

With the reboot of Star Trek in 2009 the TOS time period came back into style. But is TNG poised for a comeback? Is the Star Trek Pendulum about to swing back toward the Enterprise-D? In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Larry Nemecek to discuss how fandom moves back and forth between the series. We also talk about how each series was a reaction to the one before it, and about the future of Star Trek on television.

In our news segment we look at what it might be like if Seth MacFarlane were to reboot Trek on TV, play with the Star Trek Deck Builder Card Game, William Shatner’s new album Seeking Major Tom, Apple’s Siri, how Quinto may be prepping for the next Star Trek movie, and we cast the next Starfleet engineer. 

Insurrection.

In 1998 Paramount followed up the great success of First Contact with a film called Insurrection. This third outing of the TNG cast on the big screen received mixed reviews from critics and a lukewarm reception from fans. It’s a movie that’s not as great as fans had hoped and not as bad as many make it out to be. In this episode of The Ready Room we discuss Insurrection and look at where it succeeds and where it falls short. In news we cover Leonard Nimoy’s final convention appearance, Creation’s 2012 convention plans, the experience of watching Star Trek in IMAX, the new Star Trek: Expeditions expansion set, Trek.fm games, Star Trek: Phase II “Mind-Sifter,” and the surge in popularity for TNG.

Star Trek Ongoing.

Leading up to the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, IDW released a series of comics that told the backstory of the movie. Now the publisher has launched a monthly series that is set in the alternate timeline of the Abramsverse. Titled Star Trek Ongoing, this new series re-imagines episodes of The Original Series under the creative direction of Star Trek 2009 writer Roberto Orci. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Five Year Mission's Mike Rittenhouse to discuss the first issue, where this series may be headed, and how it may tie in to the next J.J. Abrams movie.

In our news segment we cover the details that have finally emerged about TNG HD on Blu-ray, the Star Trek.com poll that named First Contact the most underrated TNG movie, upcoming IDW titles for autumn, hear Ethan Phillips talking about Neelix, get our chocolate fix with M&M’s Star Trek figurines, and discuss Brannon Braga saying that he takes responsibility for decisions that some believe hurt the Star Trek franchise. 

The Temporal Cold War.

It's one of the most puzzling aspects of Enterprise, both in terms of story and purpose. It's the Temporal Cold War. What started off as a central element in the pilot episode “Broken Bow” became a strand that was difficult to tie together with the missions of the NX-01. In this episode of The Ready Room hosts Christopher Jones and Greg Harbin discuss the exploits of Future Guy and the many other players in this conflict that quietly spanned the centuries.

In our news segment we take a look at the DVD release of William Shatner's documentary "The Captains," the upcoming Science Channel premier of Trek Nation, hear Shatner's thoughts on geekdom's favourite battlefield—Star Trek vs. Star Wars—plus find out that Kate Mulgrew wants a Voyager movie. Plus, Greg has fun creating his own video: Jonathan Coulton's Star Trek Nemeses.

The Best of Both Worlds.

It was the turning point for The Next Generation and perhaps for all of modern Star Trek. The season-three finale left fans wondering for the entire summer of 1990 whether Picard was returning or whether Riker was the show’s new lead. It also brought us one of the greatest villains ever—the Borg. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Brian Finifter of Down In Front to discuss “The Best of Both Worlds” and how it changed the course of the franchise.

In our news segment we discuss new developments surrounding the remastering of TNG on Blu-ray, Marina Sirtis's new role as the Wicked Queen, play with Diamond Select's retro Picard and Borg figures, find out about Star Trek Online's plans to go free-to-play, step inside a real-life sickbay, explore the possibility of silicon-based life, hear from the remaining TOS cast on Star Trek’s 45th anniversary, and reveal the results of our poll “Which villain’s name do you most want to shout in battle?”