The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast

Patrick Stewart’s Return, Kelvin Trouble, and Discovery Changes.

Few characters in Star Trek history are as widely loved as Captain Jean Luc Picard. When the final credits of Nemesis rolled in December 2002, fans thought they had seen the last of the The Next Generation’s inspirational leader. So, when Patrick Stewart took the stage at this year’s Las Vegas convention—nearly 16 years after after he strolled down the corridor of the Enterprise one last time for viewers to see—no one imagined that he would reveal a return to the franchise. But that’s exactly what we’re getting. Set 20 years after Nemesis, a new Star Trek television series will feature none other than Jean Luc Picard.

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek share their thoughts on the announcement—including Larry’s firsthand impressions from the floor of STLV—and discuss some of the other big news, including production troubles with the next JJ Abrams Kelvin Timeline film as Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth walk away from the table over money, the release of Star Trek: Discovery season one on Blu-ray and DVD, and what we see as the maturation of CBS’s approach to Star Trek. We also dig into some of the big revelations about and changes coming to Discovery in season two, such as the return of Doctor Culber, appearances by Captain Pike and Spock, retconning uniforms, and, of course, another redesign of the Klingons.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Impressions from Star Trek Las Vegas (00:02:53)
Patrick Stewart Returns (00:20:55)
The Maturation of CBS (00:42:59)
The Picard Creative Team (00:49:48)
Chrises Cause Trouble for Star Trek 4 (00:56:53)
Discovery on Blu-ray and DVD (01:10:15)
Discovery Season 2: Culber Returns (01:19:32)
Discovery Season 2: Pike and Spock (01:23:08)
Discovery Season 2: Adjusting the Retcon (01:23:08)
Discovery Season 2: Redesigning Klingons, Yet Again (01:19:32)
Closing (01:51:33)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) David Shuford (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Direct download: trr-220.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 7:25am MDT

The Expansion of Star Trek.

When CBS announced in November 2015 that Star Trek would return to television, we all celebrated the light at the end of the tunnel. The fallow years were coming to an end and, soon, the voyages of our future selves would continue where they belong: on the small screen. But details were scarce, and it took some time before we knew what to expect. Almost three years later, we find ourselves in a similar position—only this time what may be coming our way is not just a new series or movie, but a tsunami of new content.

In this episode of The Ready Room, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
discuss some of the recent news surrounding the Star Trek franchise, including award nominations and wins for Discovery, the shake-up among that show’s producers and writers, the possible return of Patrick Stewart, and Alex Kurtzman’s new deal with CBS, what it could mean for the studio’s plans to greatly expand the franchise, and whether they should. But before all that, we take time to look back at Harlan Ellison and his contributions to Star Trek and the genre.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Remembering Harlan Ellison (00:03:44)
Discovery Awards and Nominations (00:19:18)
Producer Shake-up (00:33:47)
Kurtzman’s Five-Year Mission (00:45:48)
Expansion of the Star Trek Franchise (00:52:36)
The Star Wars Rethink? (00:59:48)
The Return of Patrick Stewart (01:09:48)
Closing (01:29:04)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) David Shuford (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Direct download: trr-219.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 3:38am MDT

Proto-TNG and the Pike Memo.

We’ve all heard the stories about how Star Trek: The Next Generation was created. Or have we? While rummaging through Gene Roddenberry’s drawers, Larry Nemecek, John Champion, and Rod Roddenberry uncovered a long-lost memo from 1986 that presents a TNG that is very different from the one we know. The document, prepared by Paramount Network Television President John S. Pike, Greg Strangis, Jeff Hayes, and Rick Berman, outlines a premise, crew, and pilot for Star Trek’s return to television that until now was unknown.

In this episode of The Ready Room, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek bring you an extended discussion about the document featured in episode four of Larry’s podcast, The Trek Files. We imagine what the adventures of Captain Rhon, Cadet Commander Brik, the painfully beautiful Helen Joyce, and the USS Odyssey might have been like—and why the security of the galaxy might depend on young Klingon officer Mynk and a simple piece of paper.

In our news segment, we look at Star Trek: Discovery’s nomination for Outstanding Drama Series in the GLADD Media Awards, given by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a new book filled with lost scenes from The Original Series, and Larry shares his thoughts on a subject he’s very passionate: Tellarites.

News
Intro (00:00:00)
A GLADD Media Awards Nomination for Discovery (00:06:19)
Those Discovery Tellarites (00:15:52)
Star Trek Lost Scenes (00:25:18)

Feature: Proto-TNG and the Pike Memo
Background (00:35:45)
The Purpose of the Memo (00:39:03)
The TNG Announcement (00:46:02)
Concept and Crew (00:49:36)
Let’s Remember 1986 (00:54:55)
Character Parallels with Other Trek (01:02:54)
Pilot Premise (01:12:41)
Final Thoughts (01:22:39)
Closing (01:35:08)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) David Shuford (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Direct download: trr-218.mp3
Category:The Next Generation -- posted at: 10:53pm MDT

DS9 at 25.

It’s been a quarter century since Benjamin Sisko arrived at one of the Federation’s most remote outposts—Deep Space 9—and began a journey of self discovery that would turn the Star Trek model on its head. Overshadowed by The Next Generation and then Voyager, Deep Space Nine quietly flew under the radar and developed into a series that would later emerge as what many consider the franchise’s crown jewel. It’s a show that fans are rediscovering—and some are discovering for the first time—in this age of streaming and binge-watching. And it has stood the test of time in a remarkable way.

In this episode of The Ready Room, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek look back at 25 years of Deep Space Nine, discussing its development, premiere, the roles of Rick Berman and Michael Piller, why the love fans have for the show continues to grow, and much more.

In our news segment, we consider the camaraderie of past Star Trek casts in light of Jonathan Frakes’s comments about the crew of Discovery, check out the 4-disc La-La Land Records Deep Space Nine Volume 2 Limited Edition music collection, and remember Jon Paul Steuer, the actor who played young Alexander on The Next Generation. Plus, Larry has a special announcement about activity detected in Trekland.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Remembering Jon Paul Steuer (00:04:16)
How Close Were the Casts of Each Series? (00:10:02)
La-La Land Records DS9 Volume 2 (00:18:53)
The Trek Files (00:26:38)
Feature: DS9 at 25 (00:41:06)
Developing Deep Space Nine (00:46:19)
Setting Up the Story (01:06:51)
The Roles of Rick Berman and Michael Piller (01:21:59)
TOS Nodes (01:30:35)
Surprising Ira (01:33:01)
Standing the Test of Time (01:35:47)
Final Thoughts (01:53:06)
Closing (01:48:32)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) David Shuford (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Direct download: trr-217.mp3
Category:Deep Space Nine -- posted at: 7:46am MDT

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