Tue, 24 May 2016
Reflecting on The Ready Room and Star Trek. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since the first episode of The Ready Room. Born of disaster, this show has evolved into a gathering place for the hosts of the network that grew up around it. The Trek.fm network has become an important part of the daily routine for many Star Trek fans, but there was a time when there was no network. There was just this show. So as we reach another milestone—200 episodes—we take a break from our usual format to quietly mark the occasion with a good friend who has been part of The Ready Room almost since the beginning: Larry Nemecek. But first, we start with a bit of the history behind both The Ready Room and the network … Chapters Host Guest Production |
Thu, 5 May 2016
Silent Enemy. Most aliens in Star Trek are presented in terms that the human mind can understand. The Klingons, the Romulans, even the Borg. We can make sense of their actions and motives. But in reality, new life that we meet out in space will have a lot less in common with us. Enterprise attempted to address this truth midway through its first season in “Silent Enemy,” which pitted our crew against beings that only CGI could create—and who never spoke a word. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Zachary Fruhling, Brandon-Shea Mutala, and Dennis Castello to discuss this episode that includes not an alien mystery, but also a culinary one. Join us as we talk about the true nature of Malcolm Reed, Captain Archer’s decision to tuck tail and run, the real reason the Enterprise needed phase cannons to be installed, and, of course, the infamous B-story: the search for Malcolm’s favorite food. In our news segment, we discuss a new collection of the classic James Blish TOS novelizations, the results of the Strange New Worlds short story contest, and Simon Pegg’s thoughts on the foundation of Star Trek. News Feature: Silent Enemy Hosts Guests Production |
Wed, 30 March 2016
Someone to Watch Over Me. When you live on a starship, you get to know your neighbors. Sometimes you get to know them well. Especially if you’re Seven of Nine and you’re taking an interest in interpersonal relations. Armed with Borg implants and 24th-century Starfleet technology, gathering data is easy. The only problem is that some of your subjects may not want to be part of the study. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Charlynn Schmiedt, Zachary Fruhling, and Phillip Gilfus to discuss “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Join us for the Dance of Conception as the Doctor teaches Seven how to land a date, sweep him off his feet … and break his arm … all while mastering the art of small talk. We also delve into the potential of a Doctor-Seven relationship, what happens when you leave Neelix in charge of caring for diplomats, and the exploits of Leisure Suit Kadi. In our news segment, we discuss Star Trek: The Animated Series coming to Blu-ray, supposed pre-production photos from the new series, and we debate the StarTrek.com poll that asked which was the best Star Trek relationship. News Feature: Someone to Watch Over Me Hosts Guests Production |
Wed, 16 March 2016
It’s Only a Paper Moon. Events in Star Trek—even tragic ones—rarely have lasting consequences. Deep Space Nine changed that with arcs that took place during the Dominion War. In particular, in the final season, Nog’s injuries in battle led to a deep exploration of the lasting impact of a single moment in time—and they did it with the usual DS9 mix of serious commentary and humor. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Zachary Fruhling and Matthew Rushing to discuss Nog’s retreat to the holosuite, his struggle to come to terms with the physical and emotional damage of his experiences in “The Siege of AR-558,” and the counseling tag-team of Ezri Dax and Vic Fontaine who brought him back to reality. In our news segment, we discuss additional shooting (reported as reshoots by most media) for Star Trek Beyond, a special agreement between CBS and Paramount that dictated a six-month post-film waiting period for Star Trek’s return to TV, and Rod Roddenberry joining the new series as Executive Producer. News Feature: It’s Only a Paper Moon Hosts Guest Production |
Mon, 22 February 2016
Captain’s Holiday. Everyone gets a bit too stressed sometimes. And when that happens, it can be difficult to enjoy anything—even the negotiation of a successful trade agreement. When this happened to Captain Picard, the crew had to pull together to force him to take a vacation. But of course, a Picard vacation isn't quite like the ones you and I take. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Aaron Harvey, Matthew Rushing, and Mike Schindler to discuss “Captain’s Holiday,” Jean-Luc and Vash, the prolific Max Grodenchek (he’s everywhere!), Riker’s counseling skills, and why you should be careful where you put your Horga'hn. In our news segment, we consider whether William Shatner’s return as Captain Kirk would be a good idea or a bad one, debate the StarTrek.com poll that asked Star Trek pet you would want to have, and discuss the choice of Bryan Fuller as show-runner for the new Star Trek series premiering in 2017. News Feature: Captain’s Holiday Hosts Guests Production |
Sat, 6 February 2016
The Lights of Zetar. You probably already know that it’s not a good idea to stare into a bright light. When there are many lights—and they’re multi-colored—doing so becomes an even worse idea. You could damage your eyesight, or perhaps have you brainwave replaced by that of a group of alien minds searching for a body to call home. That’s what happened to Lt. Mira Romaine in “The Lights of Zetar,” the third-season TOS episode that plays with character personalities, limited financial resources, and has a connection to a beloved children’s show. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Larry Nemecek and Brandon-Shea Mutala to discuss Memory Alpha, Scotty in love, how you can blame anything on space, and why horses might not make the best engineers. We also delve into some Season Three trivia, production shortcuts, and remastered TOS elements. In our news segment, Chris and Larry discuss whether the ascension of Les Moonves to Chair of CBS Corp. will have an impact on Star Trek, when we’ll hear first details about the Star Trek 2017 series, and the future of Star Trek on streaming services not called CBS All Access. Plus, Larry fills us in on the latest happenings in Portal 47. News Feature Hosts Guest Production |