The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast

Discovery Post-Premiere.

After nearly two years of waiting—and much speculation—we’re now well into the Star Trek: Discovery story. How does what we’ve seen compare to our expectations? What do we think of the writing and creative decisions so far?

In this episode of The Ready Room, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek revisit some the topics from their last discussion—including an ancient Klingon secret, a unique Vulcan story, and the business side of Discovery—and explore new topics such as the storytelling format, technology, Section 31, how Discovery is connecting with past Star Trek, and whether these connections might change the fan conversation over whether The Animated Series and the literary universe are canon.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
The Business Side of Discovery (00:05:39)
Fall Season Extended (00:17:29)
Ancient Klingon Secret Revisited (00:22:46)
Sarek and Burnham’s Vulcan Adventure Revisited (00:45:12)
A Fourth Approach to Vulcans (00:55:47)
Future Debate About Canon (01:08:11)
Is Discovery a Section 31 Ship? (01:24:37)
Spore Drive and Iconian Gateways (01:32:21)
A Different Way of Telling a Story (01:39:40)
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-216.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 10:02pm MDT

Star Trek: Discovery Latest Details and Summer Con Preview.

We’re just two months away from the launch of Star Trek’s seventh venture onto the small screen: Discovery. As summer heats up and convention season kicks into gear, news about the series, images from the set, and interviews with creators are bringing us new details and stirring the pot of speculation more feverishly than ever.

In this episode of The Ready Room, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek get together to discuss some of the latest tidbits, including an ancient Klingon secret, a unique (or as Alex Kurtzman calls it a very, very unique) Vulcan story, Riker on the set, the business side of Discovery, and much more. Plus, we make an exciting announcement about the Trek.fm podcast network.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Star Trek: Discovery Premiere Schedule (00:05:12)
The Business Side of Discovery (00:13:27)
Ancient Klingon Secret (00:16:36)
Sarek and Burnham’s Vulcan Adventure (00:24:56)
Jonathan Frakes Directs Discovery (00:00:00)
Alex Kurtzman on Discovery’s Story (00:34:55)
Connecting to the Original Star Trek (00:39:11)
How Discovery Respects Canon (00:50:24)
Why We Still Need Roddenberry’s Vision (00:57:17)
Star Trek: Discovery and San Diego Comic-Con (01:02:21)
Star Trek Las Vegas 2017 (01:10:14)
A Network Announcement (01:23:39)

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-215.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

The Cloud Minders.

Kirk has a history of getting involved in the domestic disputes of other worlds and trying to set the locals straight. That’s why the little Federation clean-up ship is always trailing the Enterprise. Of course, when the planet in question is a member of the Federation, is refusing to do its part to help another member world, and is torturing its own people, it’s a lot easier to justify stepping in. That’s what happened in the third-season episode “The Cloud Minders.”

In this episode of The Ready Room, host C Bryan Jones is joined by Zachary Fruhling, Amy Nelson, and Justin Oser to discuss this story of a city in the sky, cave dwellers, the stratification of society, and deadly gas. Along the way we debate what it means to be part of the United Federation of Planets, how laws might apply to such a vast political organization, and why Spock is so flirty when his head is in the clouds.

In our news segment, we examine Mike Okuda’s new design for NASA’s flight operations emblem, talk about the winners of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and explore what it will take to make a Star Trek-style medical tricorder a reality.

News
Intro (00:00:00)
Mike Okuda Designs New NASA Flight Operations Emblem (00:03:05)
How Close Are We to a Real Star Trek-Style Medical Tricorder? (00:12:39)

Feature
Initial Thoughts (00:23:33)
Science Fiction Parallels (00:25:41)
Federation Law and Member Worlds (00:32:34)
Caste System (00:41:17)
Flirty Spock (00:48:47)
David Gerrold’s Original Story (00:58:53)
Manny Coto’s Magic Bag of Hindsight (01:09:53)
Caste Systems Revisited (01:16:38)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (01:26:00)
Closing (01:33:42)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Zachary Fruhling

Guests
Amy Nelson and Justin Oser

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-214.mp3
Category:The Original Series -- posted at: 9:28am MDT

Vanishing Point.

Sometimes it would be nice to have a transporter. What Star Trek fans hasn’t had that thought? But would we really want to be disassembled atom by atom and put back together somewhere far away? Hoshi certainly didn’t in the second-season Enterprise episode “Vanishing Point,” but it was her only way out of a deadly situation.

In this episode of The Ready Room, host C Bryan Jones is joined by Justin Oser, Aaron Harvey, and Luke Weir to discuss Hoshi’s eight-second mental adventure, her father’s confusion, early transporter technology, the repetition of story concepts in Star Trek and, of course, the legend of Cyrus Ramsey.

In our news segment, we explore the new video vault component of the Deep Space Nine documentary and take a trip through the Cosmos as LeVar Burton brings Carl Sagan’s classic to life.

News
Intro (00:00:00)
DS9 Documentary Update and Video Vault (00:02:38)
LeVar Burton Reads Cosmos (00:17:02)

Feature
Initial Thoughts (00:25:01)
ETP: Early Transporter Phobia (00:32:44)
Only in Her Head (00:45:11)
Overcoming Fears (00:54:05)
I am Hoshi’s Dad. I am Smart. (00:59:59)
The Aliens that Weren’t (01:10:46)
Third Verse, Same As the First (01:20:51)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (01:27:34)
Closing (01:33:56)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Justin Oser

Guests
Aaron Harvey and Luke Weir

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-213.mp3
Category:Enterprise -- posted at: 9:48am MDT

Workforce.

We all want to escape from our lives sometimes. What if you could really do it? What if you couldn’t remember the life you left behind? And what if it was all against your will? That’s what happens to the crew of the Starship Voyager in the seventh-season episode “Workforce.”

In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek are joined by Kay Elizabeth Shaw of To The Journey and Bruce Gibson of Literary Treks to discuss this story of the Voyager crew’s other life as employees of a power facility on the planet Quarra.

In our extended news segment, Chris and Larry share their thoughts on the Star Trek: Discovery trailer presented at CBS upfronts, the international Netflix version of the trailer, the new look of the Klingons, and more.

News
Intro (00:00:00)
The Star Trek: Discovery Trailer (00:01:48)
Made for Upfronts (00:06:04)
The Kelvin Look (00:13:43)
Characters: Michael Burnham, Lt. Saru, and More (00:22:00)
The Klingons (00:34:02)
The Most Ambitious Star Trek Ever? (00:42:24)

Feature
Initial Thoughts (00:50:45)
Personality Parallels (00:58:08)
Backstories? (01:13:04)
Janeway and Jaffen (01:18:20)
A Meat By-product Tangent (01:24:18)
Emergency Command Hologram (01:28:07)
A Meandering Story? (01:30:55)
Final Thoughts (01:49:45)
Closing (02:08:28)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Guests
Kay Elizabeth Shaw and Bruce Gibson

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-212.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:03am MDT

Star Trek: Discovery and a Look Back at 50.

The premiere of the next Star Trek series may be delayed, but there’s still plenty to talk about. In this episode of The Ready Room, host C Bryan Jones returns from medical leave and hops on mic with Larry Nemecek to discuss some of the news from the past eight months. Looking at Star Trek: Discovery, we delve into the time period, ships, stories, writers, characters, casting, production, delays … and imagine the return of a classic alien. We also recap some of the key moments from Star Trek’s 50th anniversary year and how we’re carrying the excitement into the 51st.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
About Chris’s Absence (00:00:59)
Star Trek: Discovery (00:08:39)
Star Trek: Discovery - Time Period (00:10:38)
Star Trek: Discovery - The Ships (00:12:28)
Star Trek: Discovery - Stories and Writers (00:21:40)
Star Trek: Discovery - Characters and Casting (00:25:00)
Star Trek: Discovery - Production and Delays (01:02:10)
Star Trek 50 - Conventions (01:17:46)
Star Trek 50 - Star Trek Beyond (01:20:36)
Star Trek 50 - Geek Nation Tours (01:24:12)
Star Trek 50 - From There to Here (01:28:14)
Star Trek 50 - The Roddenberry Vault (01:30:42)
Star Trek 50 - Portal 47 (01:38:07)
Star Trek 50 - Series Set Repackaging (01:42:40)
Closing (01:49:41)

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-211.mp3
Category:Discovery -- posted at: 8:37am MDT

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