Tue, 8 October 2013
The Man Trap.After "The Cage" was rejected by NBC, Gene Roddenberry was given an unprecedented second chance to bring Star Trek to the screen. Three new pilot outlines were written and finally one was chosen. The public's first glimpse of Star Trek was to take place on planet M-113—a world left deserted by a civilization with an apparent salt and stacking fetish—and tell a story that the studio felt was a safer first impression with its straightforward plot, monster action, and not-too-exotic setting. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Mike Schindler and Drew Stewart to discuss "The Man Trap," why it was chosen as the first episode to air, how it stacks up to the other choices both as science fiction and as an introduction to Roddenberry's concept, and how the franchise might have differed had it followed this episode's format and approach to alien life. In news we learn about the next stop for Destination Star Trek—Frankfurt, Germany—how you can build your own NX class refit, look at the wide variety of 2014 Star Trek calendars, and discuss Bryan Fuller’s desire to bring Star Trek back to television—and what form that might take. Plus, we learn about Mike's get-rich-quick scheme involving his cat, an ink pad, and a Star Trek convention. |
Tue, 1 October 2013
Home.Following the successful destruction of the Xindi weapon, Archer and the Enterprise crew returned home just as Picard and his crew did after defeating the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds." Unlike Picard's crew, however, the men and women of the NX-01 returned to a world that was not entirely happy with what they represented. Hailed by many as heroes and by others as a threat to Earth's security, each had to come to terms with the events of the past year. For Archer it was the isolation at the top of the command chain while struggling to accept the change in his mission and what he was forced to do in The Expanse. For Phlox is was the sudden onset of xenophobia on Earth. And Trip? For him it was the realization that he was losing T'Pol. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Matthew Rushing and Kate Walsh to discuss how "Home" brings the Xindi Arc to a close and sets up many of the threads explored in the fourth season. Along the way we find out how much Vulcans love their statues and that Porthos is a good listener. In our news segment we look at the Enterprise Season Three Blu-ray trailer and cover art, get our pets ready for Starfleet duty, preview two tracks from Five Year Mission's upcoming album Year Three and tell you how you can help the band, and debate whether Spock or Data is the most human character in Star Trek. |
Tue, 24 September 2013
The Voyager Conspiracy.Alcoves have many uses. There's the obvious one—regeneration—but there are less common ones as well, like playing Matlock. When Seven decided she could analyse data better than the crew or the ship's computer, she found herself being pulled down a rabbit hole infested with photonic fleas. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Phillip Gilfus, and Daniel Proulx to discuss "The Voyager Conspiracy," why exactly Seven wanted to download 30 million teraquads of data into her brain in the first place, and just who exactly Naomi Wildman is working for. In our news segment we find out what Gates McFadden and Brent Spiner have brewing on stage, how Gates is using Vine as a promotional tool, debate which Trek series has the best theme music is, and look at Bruce E. Drushel's new anthology Fan Phenomena: Star Trek. |
Mon, 16 September 2013
Homefront / Paradise Lost.In the 24th century Earth is a paradise. At least that's what we've been led to believe. But paranoia can drive even the residents of paradise to begin burning down the house, and that's what happened at the heart of the Federation when the Changeling threat reached Earth. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Michael Fisher, Max Hegel, and Mike Schindler to discuss the mid-season two-parter that was originally planned as the third-season cliffhanger and fourth-season premiere, what it says about civil rights during times of danger, Gene Roddenberry's utopian vision versus reality, and how Worf's addition to the show changed the story's original concept. In our news segment we discuss some interesting comments about the Star Trek video game from J.J. Abrams, his decision on directing the next film, which Starfleet engineer would make the best handyman, and our first venture into interstellar space with Voyager 1. |
Mon, 9 September 2013
A Matter of Honor.One way that TNG showed us the passage of time was to bring together the Federation and Klingons as allies—at least uneasy ones. It was a great opportunity to delve into cross-cultural issues, and that's what they did when Riker became an exchange student aboard the Klingon vessel Pagh. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Phillip Gilfus, Daniel Proulx, and Darren Moser to find out why Picard envies Riker, how to roll up Klingon stereotypes and diversity into one episode, and why being lactose intolerant may not be a good condition to have when serving in the KDF. In our news segment we remember author A.C. Crispin, find out how Dayton Ward plans to use Paramount's Into Darkness Blu-ray scheme for his next novel, examine the "Unification" feature-length trailer, try to figure out what Star Trek: Terran is, and field more Questions from the Fleet—this time what we would create as the next TV series. And, of course, mark the 47th birthday of our beloved franchise. |
Mon, 2 September 2013
KHAN.He is arguably the most iconic villain in Star Trek history—if not cinema history itself. A character with superior abilities, superior intellect, but who easily grows fatigued. Of course he is Khan Noonien Singh. Instead of going for something completely new for the second installment of his Star Trek reboot, J.J. Abrams chose to use the villain who the fan base considers sacred—a move that has generated cries of outrage from many. But to understand Khan and his role in Into Darkness requires more than just a glance at The Wrath of Khan. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by the world's foremost expert on Khan, John Tenuto, to discuss the origins of the character, how he was used in "Space Seed," The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek Into Darkness, and why there are more connections to the purest form of Khan's character in J.J.'s film than you may realize. In our news segment we rejoice in Bye Bye Robot's choice to produce lithographs of Matt Ferguson's beautiful posters for the six Original Series films, get ready to listen to William Shatner's upcoming album Ponder the Mystery, and unleash our own wrath directed at Paramount and Bad Robot over the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray fiasco. Plus, we field our first Questions from the Fleet. |
Mon, 26 August 2013
The Devil in the Dark.The mission of the Enterprise is to seek out new life and new civilizations. And that’s exactly what Kirk and his crew did when they visited Janus VI. But sometimes our heroes don’t react to truly alien life in the way they perhaps should. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Daniel Proulx, Drew Stewart, and Charlynn Schmiedt to discuss the realities of seeking out new life, the way TOS explores racial issues, and why we have more in common with the Horta than you might think. We also jump into The Great Phaser Debate, feel sorry for the nine unluckiest guys on the ship, and marvel at the magical properties of the Vulcan mindmeld. In our news segment we break down the Into Darkness Honest Trailer, discuss the "Unification” Blu-ray and the possibility of such releases for DS9 and Voyager, get an update on the WeLoveFine Star Trek t-shirt design contest, and pull up a table for Michael Dorn’s Swallow Your Bliss Indiegogo campaign. Plus, we introduce a new segment, Messages from the Fleet. |
Mon, 19 August 2013
Kir’Shara.Ask anyone—fan or not—to name one race from Star Trek and chances are they’ll say Vulcan. Thanks to Spock, few things are more associated with Trek than those green-blooded, pointy-eared aliens. Despite this the Vulcans are the most prominent race in Star Trek about whom we’ve learned very little over the years. It was left to Enterprise to fill in the blanks, something the series did beautifully, yet a majority of the fan base missed it because they had tuned the show out. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Michael Fisher, Colin Higgins, and James Moorhouse to continue our discussion of the Syrrannite Trilogy with the culmination, “Kir’Shara.” In our news segment we review the happenings at Star Trek Las Vegas 2013, look at a new fan-curated collection of TOS episodes from CBS, hear directly from 1/8th Beverly about her relationship with Gates McFadden, and find out where Star Trek fans get their Trek fix most often. |
Mon, 5 August 2013
The Q and the Grey.Q was a constant thorn in Picard’s side. He put the Enterprise crew on trial for the crimes of humanity, introduced humans to the Borg, kidnapped Vash, and sent the Captain spiralling through time. Through it all, one thing he never did with Jean Luc was try to procreate. But that’s exactly what he tried to do with Janeway in “The Q and the Grey.” In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Darren Moser, and Mike Rittenhouse to discuss a Q’s guide to romance, how John de Lancie’s character fits into Voyager compared to TNG, how the episode rewrites the very nature of the Q, and the battle for the future of the Continuum. In our news segment we preview the festivities slated for Star Trek Las Vegas, fill you in on a special convention panel for Larry Nemecek’s Stellar Cartography, and we say goodbye to Michael Ansara, who played Kang—one of Star Trek’s original Klingons. Plus, we unveil our plan for solving the world economic crisis using custom Star Trek email accounts. |
Mon, 29 July 2013
Explorers.During the second season, DS9 focused its stories more and more on characters. But as Jake grew up it became harder to figure out how to handle the father-son relationship with Sisko. Then, in the third season, the perfect story came along, pitched by show intern Hilary Bader. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Matthew Rushing, Drew Stewart, and Ben McCormick to discuss “Explorers” and how inspiration from Heyerdahl’s 1947 voyage aboard the Kon-Tiki was the perfect vehicle for bringing the two Siskos together. We also explore the budding bromance between O’Brien and Bashir, and whether we’re losing something special in our lives as the digital age takes over from the analog. In our news segment we find Creation Entertainment encouraging another run at the costume record at Star Trek Las Vegas, take a peek at what DS9’s logo could have been, cook breakfast with the Enterprise spatula, take QMx’s NX-01 artisan replica for a flight, and discuss John Eaves’s account of designing Star Trek Into Darkness. Plus, we reveal a cosplay loophole that could help fans shatter that world record set at Destination Star Trek London. |