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?”

The Final Frontier.

Yes, that’s right. Star Trek V. It’s a movie many fans pretend doesn’t exist. But if you look closely you can find some good moments in this mess of a film, especially in the relationships between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. In this episode of The Ready Room we take a look at Shatner’s masterpiece and call it out where needed, praise it in those spots where it deserves it, and admire the beautiful menace that is Captain KLAA!!!!!

In our news segment we discuss the most underrated series, the most underrated TOS movie, the J.J. sequel and possible TV series, Star Trek: The Exhibition at Kennedy Space Center, hear David Warner recount his Trek adventures, look at the science of tractor beams, and check in on Patrick Stewart's panel at Chicago Comic Con.

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. 

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.

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.”

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.