Commentary: Trek Stars 74: Mulder Times Ten

Bole, Part 5: Jump the Shark.

From the beginning, The Lone Gunmen were fan favorites on The X-Files. The trio of characters, Byers, Langley, and Frohike, were conspiracy theorists who published a newspaper aimed at revealing the truth. In 2001, they received their own spinoff series. Also in 2001, that spinoff was cancelled.

Left on a cliffhanger, the story remained unresolved until midway through the following season, when the creators of the series gave it a proper resolution in an episode of The X-Files entitled "Jump the Shark". This was also the final X-File for Cliff Bole. 

This week, Max and Mike discuss The Lone Gunmen's role on The X-Files, how that roll changed on their own show, and how "Jump the Shark" acts as an episode of two series simultaneously.

Running Time: 46 minutes 40 seconds

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

Topics

The Lone Gunmen
The Spinoff
Jump the Shark
Final Thoughts

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As a Trek.fm listener you can get a free audiobook of your choice along with a 30-day trial to see just how great Audible is. So give it a try today, catch up on all those classic Star Trek books you’ve yet to read or that latest novel from you favorite author and support the network and our programming at the same time!

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Commentary: Trek Stars 73: Scully and the Hookers

Bole, Part 4: Chimera.

Not every episode of your favorite television show can be a winner. After two outstanding efforts, Cliff Bole returned to The X-Files during its seventh season to direct "Chimera," a story about a mysterious creature that is killing people in a small community.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max take a look at Bole's third X-File. We discuss its "monster of the week" nature, Scully's promising B-story, and why Bole's contribution is not readily apparent. We also explain The Muppet Babies Syndrome.

Running Time: 39 minutes 21 seconds

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

Topics

Chimera
The B-Story
Bole's Contribution
Final Thoughts

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Sponsor

Audible is the premiere source for audiobooks with more than 150,000 titles to choose from, and new titles coming every week. From classics to current bestsellers, and even some of the most famous Star Trek books like Prime Directive, Federation, and Spock’s World, Audible has something for everyone.

As a Trek.fm listener you can get a free audiobook of your choice along with a 30-day trial to see just how great Audible is. So give it a try today, catch up on all those classic Star Trek books you’ve yet to read or that latest novel from you favorite author and support the network and our programming at the same time!

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Commentary: Trek Stars 72: The Best of Both Worlds of The X-Files

Bole, Part 3: Bad Blood.

After the success of his first X-Files episode, Cliff Bole returned to the series the following year to direct another comedic script by Vince Gilligan, "Bad Blood." This episode pushed the boundaries of the show even further than "Small Potatoes," and the end result may be the most critically-acclaimed hour in the show's history.  

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Max and Mike take a look at Bole's second X-File. We discuss how the episode gets better with each viewing, how it departs from the tone of the series while still staying inside the basic formula, and how Bole's sense of comic timing is the key to the episode's success. We also take a look at the new Brannon Braga series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. 

Running Time: 50 minutes 47 seconds

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

Topics

Bad Blood 
Slapstick Comedy 
Bole's Direction 
Final Thoughts 
Cosmos 
Braga's Direction 

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Sponsor

Audible is the premiere source for audiobooks with more than 150,000 titles to choose from, and new titles coming every week. From classics to current bestsellers, and even some of the most famous Star Trek books like Prime Directive, Federation, and Spock’s World, Audible has something for everyone.

As a Trek.fm listener you can get a free audiobook of your choice along with a 30-day trial to see just how great Audible is. So give it a try today, catch up on all those classic Star Trek books you’ve yet to read or that latest novel from you favorite author and support the network and our programming at the same time!

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Commentary: Trek Stars 71: Better Than a Public School Education

Bole, Part 2: Small Potatoes.

Cliff Bole will always be known first and foremost for his contribution to Star Trek, but he also had a huge impact on another sci-fi series, The X-Files. Four episodes of the '90s cult classic were directed by Bole, including some of the very best. 

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max take a look at Bole's first X-Files episode, "Small Potatoes." We discuss the series as a whole, the difficulty of balancing grotesque crimes with humor, and the apparent freedom Bole was given in this series which may have been absent on Trek. We also examine the merits of The X-Files as an educational tool.

Running Time: 42 minutes 49 seconds

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

Topics

The X-Files
Small Potatoes
Bole's Contribution
Final Thoughts

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Sponsor

Audible is the premiere source for audiobooks with more than 150,000 titles to choose from, and new titles coming every week. From classics to current bestsellers, and even some of the most famous Star Trek books like Prime Directive, Federation, and Spock’s World, Audible has something for everyone.

As a Trek.fm listener you can get a free audiobook of your choice along with a 30-day trial to see just how great Audible is. So give it a try today, catch up on all those classic Star Trek books you’ve yet to read or that latest novel from you favorite author and support the network and our programming at the same time!

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More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…