The Return of the Archons.

We’re up for the Red Hour as we take on the classic TOS episode “The Return of the Archons.” In addition to the original story, the Star Trek universe has put a new twist on Landru and the mysteries of Beta III through IDW’s Star Trek Ongoing comic series. As part of the development of the Abramsverse, this series—overseen by Robert Orci and Bad Robot—has been re-imagining classic episodes; and the most recent two-part release sheds new light on Landru. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by David Taylor and Drew Stewart to discuss both the original TV episode and the IDW comic version.

In news we cover Patrick Stewart and the Olympic torch, the Star Trek Las Vegas event schedule, Star Trek Night at Dodger Stadium, and Greg recounts his night at the TNG theatrical event. Plus, we get into the spirit of summer competition with an event known to few humans—the Edo Olympics.

In a Mirror, Darkly.

When it launched, there was great promise that Enterprise would build a bridge between our own time and the world of TOS. And while that never really happened, the fourth season brought us the most extensive look at the 23rd century since the original crew left the big screen. With the two-part “In a Mirror, Darkly,” Manny Coto, Mike Sussman, and the Enterprise creative team poured all of their love for The Original Series into a sequel to “The Tholian Web.” The results were visually amazing, but the story itself didn’t quite reach the same heights. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Michael Fisher and Brian Finifter to discuss the good and the bad of “In a Mirror, Darkly.”

In news we cover Neil deGrasse Tyson and whether the orginal 1701 is the best starship ever created, the TNG Season One Blu-ray price drop and the preview of Season Two, the launch of Star Trek Online Season 6: Under Siege, Hallmark’s 2012 and 2013 Star Trek ornaments, and we delve into the Star Trek 2013 title debate and try to figure out just what “reservation” J.J. is keeping the cast and crew on.

Non Sequitur.

If one thing was clear by Voyager’s second season it was that Harry Kim needed to get more action. Of course, we mean he needed more to do on the show than just stand at Ops and press buttons, turn down girls, or die in alien burial rituals. What he needed was to get away from it all and stand on his own. The writers gave Harry just that chance when he was fell into an alternate reality, waking to find himself in San Francisco. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined Trek.fm Voyager Editor Charlynn Schmiedt and DorkTrek’s Ben McCormick to discuss the “Non Sequitur” that is Harry Kim as a Starfleet warp theorist, Harry Kim as a man on the verge of promotion, Harry Kim in bed with a girl.    

In news we cover Trek Nation’s digital download release, William Shatner’s “Get a Life!”, Virgin Media and CBS bringing Star Trek: The Original Series and The Animated Series to TiVo in the UK, TNG Remastered and the CGI Enterprise, plus the latest batch of movie news and rumors—including what happens to Karl Urban after a 22-hour flight. Plus, we explain the real reason why tech gadgets are so bulky in the Star Trek universe.

The Circle Trilogy.

When Deep Space Nine kicked off its second season, it did so with a Star Trek first: a three-part story. It was essentially a proof of concept for what DS9 would become. It added some much-needed depth to the series and explored the underlying issues facing Sisko as he carried out his mission of preparing Bajor for admission into the Federation. With a mix of religion, government infighting, corruption, and isolationism, the Circle Trilogy—comprised of “The Homecoming,” “The Circle,” and “The Siege”—is an early preview of the greatness to come for Deep Space Nine. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Tristan Riddell to discuss this three-parter and its place within the Star Trek universe.

In news we cover new Star Trek artwork from Bye Bye Robot and Jeff Foster, a joint KRE-O stop-motion animation project between Hasbro and Bad Robot, an extra-special featurette on the TNG Season One Blu-ray, the sale of the original Shuttle Galileo, and your chance to buy—yes buy—Armin Shimmerman. Plus we examine Greg’s iMessage stream of consciousness while watching Star Trek Generations.  

Tapestry.

“I told you. You’re dead. This is the afterlife. And I’m God.” Every day we make decisions that change the direction of our lives. It’s easy to look back and question the choices we’ve made, thinking that a different turn may have led to a better path. In the case of Captain Picard, an ill-advised bar fight with Nausicaans on Starbase Earhart left him without his natural heart. Despite this, his career moved forward and it was nothing more than a youthful mistake—until some diplomats got their Lenarians in a wad. At that moment, thirty years later, Picard dies thanks to his artificial heart. After that, compliments of Q, we get to see young Picard relive his days as an ensign—acting recklessly and unsuccessfully chasing skirts. Poor Dumb Picard. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Down In Front’s Brian Finifter and Trek.fm Voyager editor Charlynn Schmiedt to discuss this trip down memory lane in the sixth-season TNG episode “Tapestry.” 

In news we cover the addition of international theatrical screenings for the TNG Season One Blu-ray release and a new line of women’s Star Trek apparel from Ashley Eckstein and Her Universe. We also give our first impressions of IDW’s latest Star Trek Ongoing story “Return of the Archons” and add a few more adjectives to our Star Trek 2013 Villain White Board in movie news and rumors.

The Corbomite Maneuver.

Think Kirk and the first thing that comes to mind just might be fisticuffs. While this may have been his first course of action in many cases, Kirk was also a thinking man. This important characteristic of leadership—and the one that came to define him in the long term—was on display from the very start of The Original Series in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” Sure, Kirk could have beamed over and pounded Balok into submission, but instead he outmaneuvered the threat to his ship intellectually. By changing the game from chess to poker, Kirk gained the upper hand—and he didn’t even have to resort to “phaser weapons.” As an added bonus, he got a glass of tranya for his efforts. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Charlynn Schmiedt and Drew Stewart to discuss “The Corbomite Maneuver” and the quick start out of the gates by TOS. 

In news we cover the latest Star Trek London developments, Leonard Nimoy discussing The Wrath of Khan at the LA Film Festival, Jonathan Frakes on the evolution of Riker, the updated Communicator iPhone app from CBS, cast changes on Star Trek: Phase II, new uses from Star Trek drinkware from GiftTrek.Net,and some movie news and rumors. Plus Greg pulls out his guitar and performs his new song “Balok’s Ballad.”

Soong’s Augments.

The Eugenics Wars are one of those elements from Star Trek history that we’ve learned very little about despite their extreme importance. This great conflict from the 1990s, triggered by genetic engineering, exerted great influence on the development of human society and the Federation. It brought us Khan, World War III, and the controversy behind Dr. Bashir’s enhancement.

During its fourth season, Enterprise revisited the Eugenics Wars and their aftermath in a three-part arc comprised of “Borderland,” “Cold Station 12,” and “The Augments.” Spanning the years from Khan’s rule over Asia and the Middle East to Dr. Arik Soong’s continuation of the genetic engineering experiment, this story fills in much of the unknown story. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Michael Fisher and Dork Trek’s Ben McCormick to discuss the arc’s connection to TOS and The Wrath of Khan, along with Brent Spiner’s guest appearance and the evolution of Enterprise’s approach to storytelling. 

In news we cover Malcolm McDowell’s Star Trek rant, Captain Picard Day celebrations, IDW’s September releases, Brannon Braga’s new Borg comic series “Hive,” Star Trek Online’s No-Win Scenario event, and lots of movie news and rumors. Plus Greg and Chris get new unexpected hybrid-animal nicknames. 

Prophecy.

It took Voyager seven seasons to make her way across the Delta Quadrant, and during that time we were teased with Klingons on occasion. There were holographic Klingons, Klingon Borg, a vivid dream about Klingons, and even a photograph of a Klingon. But for the real thing we had to wait until near the end of the seven-year journey. Finally, Janeway and her crew crossed paths with real warriors—three generations removed—and a little old-school pre-Khitomer action was served up. Oh… and Neelix got lucky, too.

In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Larry Nemecek, who penned the original story, to talk about “Prophecy” and the long and winding road that finally led to the story of B’Elanna and Tom’s magical baby. 

In news we cover Levar Burton and J.J. Abrams at Apple’s WWDC 2012, Television Critics Association Awards nominations for William Shatner and Star Trek: The Original Series, a Gorn appearance in the upcoming Star Trek console game, Mary Czerwinski and Brandi Clark’s Glue Guns and Phasers, and lots of news and rumors about the next Star Trek film. Plus we grow enormous mustaches, redesign Starfleet uniforms (for the better), and Greg gets really serious.

First Contact.

The first big screen outing for Picard and crew was more a bridge between generations than an outright TNG film. But in 1996 the spotlight shown entirely on the men and women of the 24th century, bringing us a new ship and the return of a legendary villain. The scope of the threat couldn’t have been larger. All of Earth had been assimilated by the Borg—in the past—and it was up to Mr. Jean-Luc to save the future. Under the direction of Jonathan Frakes, First Contact brought The Next Generation to what many consider the top of its game. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Brian Finifter of Down In Front, Drew Stewart of Cinetropolis, and Mike Rittenhouse of Five Year Mission to discuss First Contact, how it changed the Borg, and how the film has stood the test of time.

In news we cover the TNG Remastered theatrical schedule, some changes to TNG Blu-ray pricing, Star Trek attractions at a Paramount park in Spain, Star Trek.com’s poll about Trek’s best doctor, Spock Days 2012 in the City of Vulcan, plus we go all fashion diva with our discussion about hats. 

Emissary.

Deep Space Nine set itself apart right out of spacedock with a unique take on the Star Trek universe. Building upon a foundation that was perfectly crafted for conflict and deep exploration of humanity, DS9 brought us richly written characters and a willingness to dive into areas previously shied away from by Trek. In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Matt Hansen of The Delta Quadrant and Ben McCormick of Dork Trek to discuss the DS9 pilot episode “Emissary,” the story that is perhaps that best setup in all of Star Trek history. 

In news we cover the journey of James Doohan’s ashes into space, a Klingon invasion of Star Trek London, a chance to purchase the original Galileo 7 shuttlecraft, TNG Season One Blu-ray pricing, Michael Dorn’s Worf movie idea, Cupcake in the next J.J. film, Quinto losing his hair, and some news about the largest gathering of captains on one stage ever conceived.