Creative

Commentary: Trek Stars 76: The Berman Cube by Trek fm

Rick Berman.

It could be argued that, with the exception of Gene Roddenberry, no one has played a bigger role in shaping the Star Trek franchise than Rick Berman.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Max and Mike take a look at the choices Berman made on a conceptual level, and how they influenced the direction of the franchise. We discuss how he balanced Roddenberry's vision with Michael Piller's creativity on The Next Generation, the choice to set Deep Space Nine on a station, whether or not Voyager was designed to replicate TNG, and the reason why Enterprise was always destined to take place on a starship. We also look at how the fans' view of Berman's contribution has changed with distance.

Running Time: 44 minutes 28 seconds


Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

Rick Berman
The Next Generation
Deep Space Nine
The Movies
Voyager
Enterprise
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 71: Better Than a Public School Education by Trek fm

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


Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

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


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 70: Blue-Collar Directing by Trek fm

Bole, Part 1: Trek.

Last month, the world lost legendary Star Trek director Cliff Bole, who helmed 42 hours of Trek—including 25 episodes of The Next Generation—more than anyone else in the show's history. Among those 25 was "The Best of Both Worlds," commonly considered to be the best TNG episode, and one of the best television episodes, of all time.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max kick off a new series looking at the work that Bole did in another beloved franchise, The X-Files. But first, we are joined by TNG expert Larry Nemecek to discuss Bole's work in Trek, his industry origins, his hits and misses, and his blue-collar approach to filmmaking. Larry also gives us a taste of what Bole was like as a person.

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Running Time: 1 hour 5 minutes 14 seconds


Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Guest

Larry Nemecek

 

Show Notes

Read Bole's obituary and sign an online guest book.


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 26: Brannon Braga, Philanthropist by Trek fm

Braga Part 3: Recap.

Max and Mike began the first season of Commentary: Trek Stars by looking at Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s other television creations. So it’s only fitting to end the season by looking at the work of the last Star Trek series creator, Brannon Braga.

In our first season finale, we discuss the two shows that Braga has created, Enterprise and FlashForward, as well has his upcoming work, Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey and Malice. We also look at the other shows he has written for, including Threshold (no, still not that one), 24, and Terra Nova, as well as the two non-Trek movies he has contributed to, Mission: Impossible II and Freddy vs. Jason. And yes, we connect the dots to reveal how Brannon Braga is responsible for getting President Obama elected.

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Chapters

President Obama
Enterprise and Flashforward
Cosmos and Malice
Threshold, 24, and Terra Nova
M:i-2 and Freddy vs. Jason
Final Thoughts


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Roddenberry Part 8: Recap.

Gene Roddenberry is obviously best known as the creator of Star Trek. But over the course of his career, he created numerous other television series—most of which never made it past the pilot stage.

This week, Mike and Max conclude their look at Gene Roddenberry as a television creator with a recap of his career. We take a look back at all of his shows, including The Lieutenant, Star Trek: The Original Series, Assignment: Earth, Genesis II, Star Trek: The Animated Series, The Questor Tapes, Spectre, Star Trek: Phase II, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Earth: Final Conflict, and finally, Andromeda, in an attempt to draw some conclusions on his body of work overall.

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Hosts

Mike Shindler and Max Hegel

 

Chapters

The Lieutenant
Star Trek: The Original Series
Assignment: Earth
Genesis II
Star Trek: The Animated Series
The Questor Tapes
Spectre
Star Trek: Phase II
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Earth: Final Conflict
Andromeda


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Roddenberry Part 7: Andromeda.

With the relative success of Earth: Final Conflict, the Roddenberry estate, along with Tribune Entertainment, began production on a second series based on Gene Roddenberry’s unused concepts. Andromeda was developed by Deep Space Nine writer Robert Hewitt Wolf in 2000, and lasted five seasons in syndication. It starred Kevin Sorbo as Dylan Hunt, the Captain of the starship Andromeda, and featured many elements which had originally been tested by Roddenberry in Genesis II.

This week, Max and Mike are once again joined by Colin of Trek News and Views to cover the final series created by Gene Roddenberry. We discuss which elements originated from Roddenberry and which ones came from Wolfe, whether or not the budgetary limitations were a hindrance, the reasons for Wolfe’s departure from the show, the casting of Sorbo, the Jason X connection, Captain Hunt’s superpowers, the post-Wolfe era’s lack of direction, and whether or not Roddenberry would have created the show himself.

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Hosts

Mike Shindler and Max Hegel

 

Guest

Colin Higgins

 

Chapters

The Premise of Andromeda
The Quality of the Show
Production Values
Star Trek Faces Behind Andromeda
More Production Points


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Roddenberry Part 6: Earth: Final Conflict.

Six years after Gene Roddenberry’s death, the first of two shows based on his concepts was produced. Earth: Final Conflict dealt with a futuristic society in which aliens, seeking refuge on Earth, share their advanced technology with humanity.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Colin, the host of Trek News and Views, to cover the posthumous work of Gene Roddenberry as a television creator. We discuss the show’s ever-changing premise, its ever-changing cast, its unrealized potential, the proposed spinoff, the head writer’s other work, how much of the concept was Roddenberry’s, and whether or not he would have made the show himself.

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Hosts

Mike Shindler and Max Hegel

 

Guest

Colin Higgins

 

Chapters

The Premise of Earth: Final Conflict
The Quality of the Show
Star Trek Names on Earth: Final Conflict


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Roddenberry Part 5: The Questor Tapes.

Out of all of Gene Roddenberry’s failed pilots, The Questor Tapes is the one that came closest to getting picked up. It tells the story of an android who has been placed on Earth to oversee humanity’s progress.

This week, Max and Mike examine the pilot, which starred Robert Foxworth as Questor the android, and Mike Farrell as his trusty human sidekick, Jerry. We discuss how the show itself would have differed from the pilot, its similarities to “Assignment: Earth,” the main character’s similarities to Data, the recent attempt at resurrecting the series, how the director may or may not have been responsible for the failure of the Ferengi, and how the writer may or may not have been responsible for the success of Star Trek: The Original Series. We also touch briefly on the last of Roddenberry’s failed pilots, Spectre.

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Hosts

Mike Shindler and Max Hegel

 

Chapters

The Premise of The Questor Tapes
The Data Connection
Background on The Questor Tapes


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Roddenberry Part 4: Genesis II.

Throughout the 1970’s, Gene Roddenberry developed numerous pilots which never went to series. The first of these was Genesis II, starring Alex Cord, about a scientist who wakes up from suspended animation to find a post-apocalyptic future.

In this week’s episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max take a look at Genesis II as well as its revised pilot, “Planet Earth.” We discuss the show’s similarities to other science fiction of the time period, the portrayal of the main character, the other incarnations of the concept, and the awesomeness of Percy Rodriguez’s voice.

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Chapters

The Premise of Genesis II
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Roddenberry Part 3: Assignment: Earth.

After two seasons on the air, the cancellation of Star Trek seemed to be inevitable. In order to hedge his bets, Gene Roddenberry designed the probable series finale to be a backdoor pilot for a new show entitled Assignment: Earth.

This week, Max and Mike are joined by Trek.fm’s TOS editor Drew Stewart to discuss what “Assignment: Earth” is and what it would have been, how it differs from Trek’s portrayal of Roddenberry’s world view, how it worked as a self-contained pilot and as an episode of Star Trek, and whether or not season one of Assignment: Earth would have been preferable to season three of Star Trek.


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Hosts

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Introduction to Assignment: Earth
“Assignment: Earth” as the Pilot of a New Show
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“Assignment: Earth” as an episode of Star Trek
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