The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast

Discovery Season 3 preview.

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery is finally here after a pandemic-induced delay. At least we didn’t have to wait 930 years. That’s how much time has passed for most people when the crew of the USS Discovery arrives in the Beta Quadrant after their jump to put the sphere data permanently out of reach of Section 31’s Control AI. This temporal shift—along with a new logo—represents a reboot of sorts for the series going into its third season.

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek get ready for their trip to the 32nd century by discussing the premise of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, what the episode titles may reveal about the story, potential real world parallels, the addition of transgender and binary characters, and more. But first we discuss Kate Mulgrew’s return to the franchise as Kathryn Janeway.

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Direct download: trr-229.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 10:20pm MDT

Lower Decks midseason review.
 
After a long wait and much speculation on what an animated comedy take on Star Trek might mean, we’re now halfway through the first season of Mike McMahan’s Star Trek: Lower Decks. And in a short time, the adventures and banter of Beckett Mariner, Bradward Boimler, D’Vana Tendi, Sam Rutherford—and even Durango and Ron Emmanuel Docent, Jr. —have won over many fans, even some who were highly skeptical going in.
 
In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek pay a visit to the insignificant little USS Cerritos as its journey reaches midseason to share our thoughts on this animated rendition of Star Trek, the comedic elements, recreation of the 24th-century aesthetic, nods to Trek past, and much more.
 
Chapters
Intro 00:00:00  
Initial Thoughts 00:03:11  
Reference Density 00:10:03  
Promoting Mariner 00:18:14  
Character Pairings 00:23:39  
Sometimes a Bit Sitcomish 00:25:44  
Tendi and Rutherford … Sitting in a Tree 00:28:09  
The Upper Deckers 00:32:17  
Tropes 00:38:26  
Prodigy Young-Adult Sidebar 00:46:34  
Profane Break 00:49:09  
Alien Diversity 00:56:37  
Bland Names and Zany Lines 01:05:24  
Fan Reception 01:09:27  
Character Development 01:14:14  
Second Contact 01:22:34  
Envoys 01:35:59  
Moist Vessel 01:44:24  
Temporal Edict 01:50:30  
Cupid’s Errant Arrow 01:58:36  
Final Thoughts 02:04:49
 
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
 
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)
Direct download: trr-228.mp3
Category:Lower Decks -- posted at: 8:09am MDT

Expanding the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek content has been blossoming in recent years, and franchise showrunner Alex Kurtzman recently talked to Deadline and Variety about the rapid expansion. After years of no voyages on TV—and just a slow trickle on the big screen—the studio is showering fans with series after series, with more to come.

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek use Kurtzman’s interviews from the Star Trek Emmy promotion campaign as the basis for exploring Section 31, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and the overall expansion of the Star Trek universe—including risks and rewards. We also discuss what the decision to air the first season of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS proper could mean for the future of Trek on television.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Starfleet Intelligence Tangent (00:04:44)
Discovery Season 1 to Air on CBS (00:09:07)
Expanding the Star Trek Universe (00:21:31)
Lower Decks Sidebar (00:32:06)
Differentiating the Series (00:35:42)
Risks of Rapid Expansion (00:46:32)
Section 31 (00:54:23)
Rumor Mill from Another Dimension (01:07:00)
Strange New Worlds (01:14:07)
Room for Optimism in Storytelling (01:25:35)
Prodigy (01:38:27)
Final Thoughts (01:42:12)
Closing (01:50:17)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Direct download: trr-227.mp3
Category:Universe -- posted at: 6:37pm MDT

Lower Decks pre-launch thoughts and Star Trek Emmy nominations.

After almost five decades, Star Trek is returning to animation under the guidance of Mike McMahan, writer and producer of the Cartoon Network animated comedy series Rick and Morty and creator of the Hulu animated series Solar Opposites. What does he have in store for Star Trek fans?

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek explore the upcoming series and what it could mesan for the franchise, as well their expectations for this excursion to the Lower Decks. We also discuss the Star Trek franchise’s six Emmy nominations and how virtual cons are changing the nature of fan interaction in the age of coronavirus.

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Direct download: TRR-226.mp3
Category:Lower Decks -- posted at: 12:29pm MDT

Picard Recap and Strange New Worlds.

The first season of Star Trek: Picard is behind us, and Jean-Luc Picard has a new body to carry him through Season 2. But before we speculate on what that might mean and where the La Sirena crew are headed, we must consider the broader impact of Patrick Stewart’s return on the health of the franchise.

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek look back at the full season of Star Trek: Picard and share our feelings on the story and creative work. We also take a first look at the recently announced Captain Pike series, Strange New Worlds.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Thoughts on the Full Season (00:05:04)
Commodore Oh Tangent (00:13:13)
Back to Those Thoughts (00:16:23)
Necessary Flashbacks (00:18:55)
Pilot of the Past? (00:22:13)
Manny Coto Tangent (00:26:55)
Thoughts on the Conclusion (00:30:01)
Pining over Data (00:40:11)
Picard’s Artificial Adventure (00:49:07)
End of a Journey for Picard? (00:56:12)
Casting Surprises (01:03:26)
All That Romulan Hissing (01:06:15)
What It Means for the Franchise (01:14:39)
Strange New Worlds (01:21:43)
Final Thoughts (01:36:16)
Closing (01:42:03)

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)

Direct download: trr-225.mp3
Category:Star Trek: Picard -- posted at: 6:57am MDT

Midseason Picard.

Seeing Patrick Stewart on screen once again in the role of Jean-Luc Picard has been a dream come true for fans—particularly those who grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation. But while the opening scene brought us two familiar faces aboard a familiar ship, this new series is far from a return to TNG. Nearly twenty years after the film Nemesis, Picard finds himself in the midst of a mystery involving old enemies and Starfleet that is unlike the one in which he served. While some elements may be familiar, this is a modern take on Star Trek of old.

In this episode of The Ready Room, host C Bryan Jones is joined by Matthew Rushing, his co-host from The Orb, to discuss the first half of Star Trek: Picard Season 1. We share our thoughts on the tone and direction of the new show, characters old and new, what happened in the first five episodes, what we feel has and has not worked in the writing and pacing, and where we would like things to go from here.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Change of Heart (00:05:30)
The Premise (00:12:26)
Federation Gone Bad (00:15:40)
Do You Need to Read The Last Best Hope? (00:19:35)
Every Universe Has Its Own Rules (00:31:22)
Romulan–Borg Disconnect (00:32:46)
Laris and Zhaban (00:41:02)
Dahj and Soji (00:47:39)
Narek and Rizzo (00:51:07)
Jurati (00:57:31)
Raffi (01:05:12)
Rios (01:11:53)
Seven of Nine (01:15:40)
For Mature Audiences Only (01:20:17)
Episode Rundown (01:28:43)
Where Is the Story Headed? (01:34:02)
Are 10 Episodes Enough? (01:39:47)
Final Thoughts (01:42:00)
Closing (01:44:31)

Host
C Bryan Jones

Guest
Matthew Rushing

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)

Direct download: trr-224.mp3
Category:Star Trek: Picard -- posted at: 8:28am MDT

Star Trek’s second golden age.

The mid-1990s were a glorious time for Star Trek fans. With The Next Generation transitioning from the small screen to big, Deep Space Nine paving the way for serialized storytelling on television, and Voyager taking us to the other side of the galaxy, fans were spoiled for choice. But such riches don’t always last, and when Enterprise was cancelled in 2005, it seemed that Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future might well become part of TV’s past. As we enter a new decade, however, almost 20 years after the final big-screen voyage of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew, a second golden age of Star Trek is upon us—and it looks to be even richer than the first.

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek look ahead to the flood of Star Trek new content headed to our screens in 2020. We discuss Picard, Discovery Season 3, the animated Short Treks, and more. But first, we take time to remember three members of the family who left us in recent months: Aron Eisenberg, Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, and René Auberjonois.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
First Thoughts on New Star Trek (00:02:06)
Remembering Aron Eisenberg (00:10:47)
Remembering Dorothy Fontana (00:20:35)
Remembering René Auberjonois (00:39:13)
Getting Ready for the New Series (00:53:43)
Too Much Content? (00:57:27)
Flexible Format (01:09:55)
Star Trek: Picard (01:14:46)
Star Trek: Discovery, Season 3 (01:31:57)
Animated Short Treks (01:52:57)
Closing (02:05:48)

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-223.mp3
Category:Star Trek: Picard -- posted at: 8:43am MDT

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