Season 4 With Larry Nemecek. One of the biggest regrets of the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise was that it happened right at a time when digital cameras were making their way into the main stream. Behind the scenes photos were limited to Polaroid photos and how many pictures a roll of film could hold. Had it lasted a few more seasons, we would have had the most documented behind the scenes photos of any Trek series to date. However, we have the next best thing. Larry Nemecek has made a car...
May 04, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Uniform Patches, Starships Names, and Registry Numbers. Until Star Trek: The Motion Picture, each Starfleet vessel has its own unique insignia patch on its uniforms...or did it? In this episode of Standard Orbit, hosts Ken Tripp and Zach Moore are joined by Larry "Dr. Trek" Nemecek to discuss this hotly debated topic among fandom and how these seemingly incongruous and contradictory uniform patches can be reconciled within greater Star Trek continuity. From production memos in response to The Om...
Mar 25, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 212
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 sto...
Nov 03, 2017•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 216
In this third Saturday Morning Trek supplemental, host Aaron Harvey is joined by Dr. Trek himself, Larry Nemecek, to discuss the influences of The Animated Series on Star Trek: Discovery and how The Motion Picture wasn't the first time the subject of redesigning the Klingons was broached. So grab a bowl of Franken Berry cereal, a Tribble, and anything else pink and join us in the wood-paneled den! Originally published as Saturday Morning Trek S3: Carroll and Claws
Nov 03, 2017•45 min•Ep. 3
Setting Star Trek: Discovery ten years prior to The Original Series offers a unique opportunity to include characters from that era. The first two we know of are Harry Mudd—who has made three appearance in Star Trek—and Sarek, whose seven appearances only scratch the surface of his important in Trek lore. In this episode of The Edge, hosts Brandon-Shea Mutala and Aaron Harvey are joined by Larry Nemecek for a look at the history of Harry Mudd and Sarek of Vulcan, and discuss how the Discovery wr...
Jul 19, 2017•1 hr 5 min
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 a...
Jul 17, 2017•1 hr 43 min
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 employ...
May 26, 2017•2 hr 18 min
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 5...
May 03, 2017•2 hr 1 min
Longtime Star Trek writer, author, publisher, and historian; Larry Nemecek talks about his first documentary about the legendary 1982 Houston Star Trek convention that devolved into quite the fiasco. He interviews several of the cast and production crew who were involved including the last interview ever given by the late Harve Bennett. What would a new version Standard Orbit be without our famous tangents? We review the size and origins of Star Trek conventions right up to the current day. Prep...
Mar 13, 2017•1 hr 10 min
While Jonathan Frakes is best known for his portrayal of Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his influence on the franchise extends well beyond his acting. As a director, he worked on some of the best episodes of the franchise, including TNG's "Cause and Effect" and DS9's "Past Tense, Part II," not to mention two of the feature films, First Contact and Insurrection. In this episode of Stage Nine, John and Mike are joined by Star Trek expert Larry Nemecek to discuss Frakes' work as...
Feb 17, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Episode 47 of Meta Treks can mean only one thing: Larry Nemecek! As a renowned Trek authority, friend of the Trek.fm network, and creator of Trekland's Portal 47, Larry joins hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison for a discussion about the past and future of Star Trek. On the heels of the 50th anniversary of the premier of Star Trek, and with a new Star Trek television series, Star Trek: Discovery, a mere months away, Larry, Zachary, and Mike share their thoughts on Star Trek's universal appe...
Nov 08, 2016•1 hr 51 min
Larry Nemecek joins us to talk about the upcoming free online open house for Portal 47 featuring Robert Butler, director of the first TOS pilot "The Cage." Plus, Star Trek Beyond's commentary track, Patrick Stewart's latest projects, and J.J. Abram's affinity for lens flare. Originally published as Hyperchannel 164: Portal 47 ft. Larry Nemecek
Oct 10, 2016•15 min
Bit by bit we’ve been learning what Bryan Fuller and CBS have in store for us when the seventh Star Trek series launches in January 2017. The initial reveal of the name and hints about the time period got fans talking, and then the reveal of the ship and a teaser turned up the heat. Now a batch of details, revealed by Fuller at CBS’s All Access panel for the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles, has set a flurry of speculation in motion. In this special episode of The Ready Room, C Brya...
Aug 15, 2016•1 hr 34 min
Convention season is officially upon us. Among the gatherings that await fans are Comic-Con International in San Diego, Star Trek Las Vegas, the gaming convention Gen Con in Indianapolis, Atlanta's Dragon Con, New York Comic Con, Mission New York by ReedPOP and CBS … and the list goes on and on. Today, pop-culture conventions of all kinds are commonplace; but in the 1970s they were new and different. These conventions weren't sponsored by financial entertainment juggernauts. Instead, they were o...
Aug 07, 2016•1 hr 17 min
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 ...
May 24, 2016•2 hr 38 min
Finally the silence is broken and CBS has announced who will helm the new Star Trek television series … and it’s none other than Trek veteran Bryan Fuller. Having written 22 stories spanning DS9 and Voyager, and serving as executive story editor for Voyager’s sixth and seventh seasons as well as co-producer during the seventh, Fuller knows his Trek. Now that he has been named co-creator and executive producer of Star Trek 2017, what might be in the cards for this next incarnation of Gene Roddenb...
Feb 10, 2016•25 min
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 t...
Feb 06, 2016•1 hr 47 min
Nostalgia is perhaps one of the most powerful forces that influences our lives. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary’s second definition of Nostalgia describes it as being “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also: something that evokes Nostalgia.” In today’s world of recycled Hollywood content, reboots, refreshes and retellings - has the entertainment industry created a rift in Star Trek fandom, to the point where prese...
Jan 18, 2016•1 hr 18 min
Voyager is known for telling stories that rely heavily on technobabble. Sometimes it supports the story, sometimes it doesn’t. Season Two’s “Deadlock” is one of those cases in which technobabble was inescapable, but also necessary. How else do you explain two Voyager’s, two disheveled buns of steel, and Harry Kim’s dopplegänger? In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Larry Nemecek, Charlynn Schmiedt, and Brandon-Shea Mutala to discuss the oddity that is “Deadlock,” parallel universes...
Dec 04, 2015•2 hr 16 min
It’s been more than a decade since Star Trek left the air, and at long last CBS has answered the cries of fans. In January 2017, Star Trek will return to TV with an all-new series. But what form will it take? In this special episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Larry Nemecek to take a closer look at the nuts and bolts of the CBS announcement, debate the setting—Prime Universe or Abramsverse—consider the format this Trek might take as a made-for-streaming show, explore Alex Kurtzman’s Star ...
Nov 03, 2015•1 hr 38 min
When fans think of Klingon episodes on TOS, they think of “Errand of Mercy,” “Day of the Dove,” and “The Trouble with Tribbles.” The second appearance of the classic villains was made in what is really a Bones story—they just happen to be there. “Friday's Child” gets overlooked by fans, yet it builds upon the Organian Peace Treaty and allows Dr. McCoy to step into the spotlight all at the same time. In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Larry Nemecek, Charlynn Schmiedt, and Zachary ...
Oct 25, 2015•1 hr 56 min
Enterprise Season Four on Blu-Ray continues the visual extravaganza from Seasons One through Three, with breathtaking 1080p high-definition picture and 5.1 sound. The special features and bonus materials that were recorded specifically for this Blu-Ray set are, most notably, the best we have seen for any of the collections. The four-part "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise" and the 90-minute "In Conversation: Writing Star Trek: Enterprise" offer fans a deeper understanding of the bitter...
Sep 30, 2015•1 hr 58 min
As Voyager entered its final season, fans had a lot of questions. Would the crew get home? Would it happen before the finale? Would Neelix and Seven make the trip to Earth? Would Janeway and Chakotay finally hook up? Would Harry die one more time? Lots of questions. We know what we ultimately got on screen, but what went on behind the scenes? In this special episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by someone who was there in the writers room, Mike Sussman. After successfully selling the story th...
Sep 26, 2015•2 hr 7 min
Few people have had a greater impact on the history of Star Trek than Michael Piller. In addition to turning The Next Generation around in Season 3, Piller also co-created both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike are joined by Larry Nemecek, author of The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, to begin a new series on Michael Piller which will look at each of his television pilots. In Part 1, we cover Piller's work in Trek. We discuss how he i...
Aug 27, 2015•1 hr 16 min
Along with the Andorians, the Tellarites are one of the most memorable races from Star Trek that got almost no love after The Original Series went off the air. Even the TOS films merely gave them blink-of-an-eye-cameo attention (in The Voyage Home and The Undiscovered Country). But never fear! As with their fellow, antennae-donning Federation-founders, Enterprise came to the rescue. Sort of. The first Tellarite the 22nd-century gave us didn’t look—nor act—much like those we met in “Journey to Ba...
Jul 29, 2015•1 hr 59 min
Of all the contributors to Star Trek: The Next Generation's creation, none are as overlooked as Maurice Hurley. The writer and co-executive producer served and showrunner for the first two seasons of the series, helping to shape it into the show we know and love. And along the way, he also created the Borg. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin a new series looking at Hurley's work as a screenwriter. For the first part of the series, they are joined by the author of The ...
Jul 03, 2015•1 hr 15 min
Larry Nemecek joins us to talk about plans for this year’s Geek Nation Tours one-day trek into the Valley of Fire, where fans can face relive the showdown between Picard and Soran along with special guest Michael Westmore. We also preview plans for the big 50th anniversary year tour in 2016, which expands upon the usual Geek Nation Tours adventure with the addition of a San Francisco leg. Originally published as Hyperchannel 76: Admiral, There Be Fans Here!
May 17, 2015•20 min
Leonard Nimoy is, of course, best known for his role as Spock. Not only was he there in the Original Series pilot episode “The Cage,” he was also there in the most recent film, Star Trek Into Darkness. No one epitomizes Star Trek more than Leonard Nimoy. But beyond the screen and stage—and he appeared in many productions beyond Star Trek—Leonard was also know for his photography. And from behind the camera, he moved people just as he did on film. In this episode of Matter Stream, Christopher Jon...
Mar 12, 2015•1 hr 13 min
He inspired generations. As Spock, Leonard Nimoy became one of the most recognizable figures in the world, changing the lives of countless fans, the nature of pop culture, and bringing a rare creative vision and kindness to the world. In his final public statement he said “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.” Just three days later, on February 27, 2015, he passed away. The collective reaction from around the world has shown just how muc...
Mar 02, 2015•1 hr 11 min
The third season of TOS is a divisive one for many Star Trek fans. The fight for survival behind the scenes led to shoestring budgets, sparse sets, unbalanced scripts, and—in eyes of many—questionable directions for Spock. But before this feeling really set in, Judy Burns and Chet Richards delivered a bottle show that put Spock in the command chair, at odds with Bones, and in search of Captain Kirk. What’s more, they delivered one of the franchise’s most intriguing attempts at a truly different ...
Feb 17, 2015•1 hr 47 min
