The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast
147: Upsetting the Whole Percentage

The Communicator.

At the end of “A Piece of the Action,” Doctor McCoy reveals that he left his communicator behind in Oxmyx’s office. It’s essentially laughed off and the NCC-1701 continues on to its encounter with a giant space amoeba. Kirk says that, with that kind of technology, the Iotians might one day want a piece of the Federation’s action. But what might be the actual repercussions of such an accident? This is the question that Enterprise tries to answer in the second-season episode “The Communicator.” Like McCoy, Reed returns to the ship minus his gadget—only this time it isn’t brushed aside.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Mathieu Blondin and Sebastian Prooth to discuss Reed's little mistake, the consequences for him and Archer, the potential impact it had on an alien society, and whether or not Starfleet should be going undercover to mingle amongst the inhabitants of other worlds in the 22nd century (or at all). We also discuss "The Communicator" as an important episode on the road to the Prime Directive.

In our news segment we learn about the March 2015 release of TNG Season 8—in book form, discuss what we want to see in the next Star Trek film compared to a recent article on io9, and in Questions from the Fleet we delve into how best to grow the Star Trek franchise by looking at how marketing and merchandising has been handled over the years.

 

News

TNG Season 8 book coming in 2015 (2:55)

Star Trek 3 Wish List (11:19)

Sponsor: TrekFan (29:48) 

Questions from the Fleet: Marketing Star Trek (31:55)

Win Star Trek Blu-rays, Books, Ships, and more (41:33)

Sponsor: Audible (43:01)

 

Feature: The Communicator

Impressions of the Premise (48:28)

Rivas Jakara, Beta Edition (50:47)

Honey, I Cloaked My Hand (1:01:51)

Press-on Prosthetics (1:05:26)

Seeding the Prime Directive (1:07:00)

Taking Responsibility (1:18:20)

The Aftermath (1:22:56)

Final Thoughts (1:28:14)

Closing (1:34:00)

Direct download: trr-147.mp3
Category:Enterprise -- posted at: 7:57am MDT

146: We've All Done the Scarecrow

Death Wish.

When Voyager premiered, it seemed a given that the fan-favorite Q would turn up on the series. But the producers were cautious in using John de Lancie’s character yet again. As loved as Q was, he always ran the risk of being a one-verse song played over and over—a danger highlighted by his single appearance on Deep Space Nine. The door to Q’s return was finally opened by an unexpected hand, that of Michael Piller’s son, Shawn. Having overheard his dad pondering the problem, he began pitching the idea that became “Death Wish.” And from this idea grew one of the most poignant Q episodes in all of Star Trek.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Suzanne Abbott, and Scott Hertzog of The SciFi Diner to discuss how Q's character grew through this story that tackles some very difficult and divisive issues, including assisted suicide, treatment of prisoners, and the rights of individuals versus the good of society.

In our news segment we take a look at Cross Cult's new covers for Kirsten Beyer's Full Circle and Unworthy, discuss how Data may have gotten his Federation citizenship (as described by "The Measure of a Man" writer Melinda Snodgrass), and ponder a proposed perfect RetKHAN to Star Trek Into Darkness.

Direct download: trr-146.mp3
Category:Voyager -- posted at: 1:56am MDT

145: Visions from an Alien God

Rapture.

When we visited Deep Space 9 for the very first time, Picard made it clear to Sisko that his mission was to do everything, short of violating the Prime Directive, to prepare Bajor for admission into the Federation. It took five seasons, but finally Bajor's petition was approved and the ceremony was set to take place—at least until the Emissary began having visions. After becoming obsessed with ancient Bajoran symbols, Captain Sisko found the lengendary city of B'hala, lost for 20 millennia, in a matter of days. Along the way he saw past, present, and future as one, drew the ire of Starfleet, and stopped Bajor from signing on the dotted line.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by John Mills, Alice Baker, and Daniel Handlin to discuss the fifth-season episode "Rapture," Sisko's gradual acceptance of his role in the Bajoran religion, Starfleet's discomfort with having a captain walk amongst an alien society as a god, get a rare glimpse into a not (fully) evil Kai Winn, and ponder why admirals can't act.

In our news segment we take a look a NASA's warp ship design concept, the IXS Enterprise, visit the Mirror Universe with Star Trek Continues, and explore the Enterprise-D 8 bits at a time.

Direct download: trr-145.mp3
Category:Deep Space Nine -- posted at: 4:11am MDT

144: Livingston, You Will Be Assimilated

I, Borg.

When you think about how long-lived Star Trek is, it’s incredible to think that the storytelling moment that has been nearly impossible to top came 24 years ago. “The Best of Both Worlds” was so big, so bold, so impactful that the writers shied away from returning to the story's villain, the Borg, because, well, where do you go from there? Two seasons later they finally hit on an approach that could bring back the Borg in a unique way that did not require trying to top the famous cliffhanger.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Daniel Proulx, and Tyler Johnson to discuss the story that was born during a writers' retreat in 1991. The concept became “I, Borg,” and for such a quiet story it had lasting repercussions on the future of Star Trek. We discuss the dilemma faced by the Enterprise crew, whether or not the story defangs the Borg, Beverly's seeming naivity, Geordi's way with machines, whether or not it and "The Best of Both Worlds" violate canon, and how First Contact Picard can be seen in this episode.

In our new segment we find out what kind of parade Shatner will be leading in Canada, how he and Kate Mulgrew love to jab each other at conventions, and what happens on a starship bridge when you stabilize it.

Direct download: trr-144.mp3
Category:The Next Generation -- posted at: 3:57am MDT

143: Hand-Rolled Sushi Furnace

The Doomsday Machine.

If you ask fans of The Original Series to name their favorite episodes, invariably “The Doomsday Machine” comes up. Even James Doohan named the episode his favorite of the series. In 1968, “The Doomsday Machine” received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation; but not all are in love with the story. D.C. Fontana named the episode her least favorite of the series, and the story's author, Norman Spinrad, has expressed disappointment with its translation to screen. Neverthless, "The Doomsday Machine" remains one of the essential hours of TOS.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Daniel Handlin, Drew Stewart, and Suzanne Abbott to find out where we stand on this story of a captain (well… a commodore) destroyed by the loss of his crew, the Moby-Dick allegory, the social message that H-Bombs are bad, the origins of the planet killer itself, and our thoughts on the remastered version of the episode.

In our news segment we learn about Five Year Mission's Las Vegas adventure, get technical with some advancements in the field of tractor beams and their possible applications, and look back at Star Trek III: The Search for Spock on the film's 30th anniversary.

Direct download: trr-143.mp3
Category:The Original Series -- posted at: 1:25am MDT

142: Always Practice Safe Docking

Vox Sola.

Star Trek has presented us with more aliens that we can count. But most of these have been humanoid. Even the exceptions—Tholians, Excalbians, even Species 8472—are still easy for us to imagine being real… somewhere out there. In the first-season Enterprise episode “Vox Sola,” the writers and creative team attempted to give us, as Brannon Braga put it, “a wildly alien alien.” The title of this episode is Latin for “lone voice,” and is one of just seven episodes with Latin names—and possibly the best.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Phillip Gilfus, Tommy Kraft, and Suzanne Abbott to discuss just how unique this story is within Star Trek, how difficult it is to present truly alien life, the production challenges of turning plastic wrap into a villain, as well as the technology sneak peeks and ethically building blocks of this early mission of the NX-01.

In our news segment we reflect on the 20th anniversary of the TNG finale, "All Good Things…", some unique ships coming to The Official Starships Collection—including the 22nd-century Romulan Bird-of-Prey and the Krenim timeship from Voyager's "Year of Hell," and the big plans that are afoot over at Star Trek: Phase II.

Direct download: trr-142.mp3
Category:Enterprise -- posted at: 8:24am MDT

141: As Green-Blooded As You Can Get

The Romulan War.

One of the most momentous conflicts in Federation history is also one of the most mysterious ones—at least for fandom. Of course Starfleet itself knows what happened, but the writers didn't give us a lot to work with over the years. First introduced in the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror," the Earth-Romulan War is the basis for centuries of animosity between these two powers. The details remained elusive and over the years bits and pieces came out through the various spinoff series, books, comics, and fan projects.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Larry Nemecek, Alec Peters, and Tommy Kraft to discuss this legendary war, its origins, the conflict, the aftermath, and how it has been retconned over time.

In our news segment we learn about Star Trek: The Exhibition's arrival at Mall of America, the fan art that became an actual book series in Star Trek Seekers, how you can share some Romulan Ale with Larry, Roberto Orci's bid to direct the next film, and Teras Cassidy pops in for a Geek Nation Tours update. 

Direct download: trr-141.mp3
Category:Romulans -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

140: Death Monkey Space Daddy

Coda.

Jeri Taylor wrote the book on Janeway. Literally. Two of them in fact! So it was no surprise that a third-season story about Janeway's death came from her pen. "Coda" pulls together a number of familiar Star Trek themes to explore issues of death, how it affects both the survivors and the deceased, and even throws in a Dying Swan for good measure. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Tristan Riddell, and Suzanne Abbott to discuss Janeway's brush with death, Chakotay's outpouring of emotion, what Jeri Taylor brings to Janeway that other writers can't, and whether or not this mishmash of ideas comes together to create a satisfying whole.

In our news segments we find out where the next Destination Star Trek with land, take a peek at Patrick Stewart's new TV series, learn about the latest honor for William Shatner—this time from NASA—and find out what decision almost made in 1966 could have changed the course of Star Trek.  

Direct download: trr-140.mp3
Category:Voyager -- posted at: 2:44am MDT

139: Quiet Before the Storm

The Sound of Her Voice.

War changes people. And that’s no different whether you're in the 21st century or the 24th. Just before DS9 kicked into high gear for its final season, our crew took a quiet moment to reflect in “The Sound of Her Voice,” the penultimate episode of Season Six. It's a unique take on a bottle show that reveals a great deal about the station's crew. In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Matthew Rushing, Michael Fisher, and Von Glitshka to discuss the hours spent by the Defiant crew talking to Captain Lisa Cusack, what the conversations tell us about how life changes and the struggle to move on, and the twist of time that allows our heroes to step back—at least for a moment— to a place where the Dominion War had yet to shatter the peace.

In our news segment we look at the pros and cons of Roberto Orci's bid to direct Star Trek 2016, head into fluidic space or Star Trek Online's ninth season, wrap up Enterprise's Blu-ray release, and find out about the independent film Star Trek: Horizon, which is set in the Enterprise time period and tells the story of the Romulan War.

Direct download: trr-139.mp3
Category:Deep Space Nine -- posted at: 8:51am MDT

138: The Raid Reference

Starship Mine.

Life and death situations and small talk go together like Picard and Earl Grey, Troi and chocolate, or Geordi and PowerPoint presentations. Right? Well, they do in “Starship Mine,” a sixth season TNG episode that features a never-before-heard-of particle, a horse saddle, and possibly the most annoying commander in Starfleet. But "Starship Mine" is much more than a bad party with The Hutch. It's also Die Hard in Space.

In this episode of The Ready Room we're joined by Darren Moser, Mike Schindler, and Max Hegel to discuss Morgan Gendel's second TNG outing, how it uses the Die Hard framework without imitating it, the difference between trilithium and trilithium resin (hint: there may not be any), and why it may be a better episode than Gendel's more famous episode "The Inner Light."

In our news segment, we read a letter from one Captain James T. Kirk to a Captain James Kirk in the US Navy, find out what award the Boston chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has for Leonard Nimoy, Oculus Rift's virtual trip to the USS Voyager bridge, and colliding timelines that combine Q and Guinan with the Abramsverse.

Direct download: trr-138.mp3
Category:The Next Generation -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT