Non-Trek

Commentary: Trek Stars 77: Who Let Adam Simon on the Lot? /  by Trek fm

Braga, Part 4: Salem.

Brannon Braga is one of only five individuals in history who can claim to have created a Star Trek series. In the past, we have discussed that creation, Enterprise, as well as his other television series, Flashforward. Last Sunday saw the debut of Braga's third series, Salem, which he co-created with Adam Simon.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max return to their Brannon Braga series to discuss his work on Salem. We look at the political message of the film, the similar style of Game of Thrones, and how it compares to the other show that Braga runs, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. We also look back fondly on Adam Simon's portrayal of himself in The Player.

Commentary: Trek Stars 77: Who Let Adam Simon on the Lot?
Trek.fm

Running Time: 30 minutes

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

Salem
The Style
Salem vs. Cosmos

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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 75: A Really Cool Stamp /  by Trek fm

Bole, Part 6: Recap.

The Next Generation era of Star Trek is not exactly known for its breakthrough directorial choices. Rick Berman operated a very well-oiled machine which was manned by expert craftsmen who knew exactly what was expected of them, and delivered high-quality product week after week. Such is the nature of episodic television. Very few shows allow the director to stretch their legs creatively in such a way as to demonstrate their own personal style. One such show was The X-Files.

Cliff Bole is one of a very few directors to have worked on both franchises, and he is credited with creating some of the very best episodes of each.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max recap our look at Bole's work on The X-Files. We discuss all four of his episodes, including "Small Potatoes," "Bad Blood," "Chimera," and "Jump the Shark." We also discuss the talents of Vince Gilligan, and ponder how the producers knew that Bole would be the perfect choice to handle such iconic episodes.

Commentary: Trek Stars 75: A Really Cool Stamp
Trek.fm

Running Time: 38 minutes 49 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

Cliff Bole
Small Potatoes
Bad Blood
Chimera
Jump the Shark
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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars 74: Mulder Times Ten /  by Trek fm

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.

Commentary: Trek Stars 74: Mulder Times Ten
Trek.fm

Running Time: 46 minutes 40 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

The Lone Gunmen
The Spinoff
Jump the Shark
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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars 73: Scully and the Hookers /  by Trek fm

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.

Commentary: Trek Stars 73: Scully and the Hookers
Trek.fm

Running Time: 39 minutes 21 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

Chimera
The B-Story
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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

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

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. 

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

Running Time: 50 minutes 47 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

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

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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

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.

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

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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars 69: Werewolves Can't Walk Backwards /  by Trek fm

Wolfe, Part 6: Recap.

Robert Hewitt Wolfe was a key component of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's writing team. He has since gone on to develop or write for a number of genre properties, including Futuresport, Andromeda, The Dresden Files, and Riverworld.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max recap their series on Wolfe, and also touch on his other works, including his two current shows, Star-Crossed and Elementary.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 69: Werewolves Can't Walk Backwards
Trek.fm
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Running Time: 35 minutes 17 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Topics

Futuresport
Andromeda
The Dresden Files
Riverworld
Other Work
Final Thoughts

Sponsor

Audible-720x150.png

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!

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

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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Commentary: Trek Stars 26: Brannon Braga, Philanthropist
Trek.fm
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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

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There

Series Finale. Mike and John reflect the past three and a half years of podcasting.

Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts
Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts

Lin, Part 8: Recap. Mike and John recap their series on Justin Lin.

Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense
Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense

Lin, Part 7: Furious 6. John and Mike are joined by Megan from Educating Geeks to discuss Justin Lin's Furious 6.

Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness
Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness

Lin, Part 6: Fast Five. Mike and John discuss Justin Lin's sixth film, Fast Five.
 

Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes
Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes

Lin, Part 5: Fast & Furious. John and Mike are joined by Zach Moore to discuss Justin Lin's fifth movie, Fast & Furious.

Commentary: Trek Stars 25: "The" or "A"? /  by Trek fm

Braga Part 2: FlashForward.

Four years after the cancellation of Enterprise, Brannon Braga teamed with David S. Goyer, his producing partner on Threshold (no, not that one), to create a television series based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel, FlashForward. The series begins with a worldwide blackout, in which everyone on Earth sees two minutes of the future. The show was an obvious attempt by ABC to fill the gap created by the end of Lost. But unlike Damon Lindelof's hit, Braga's series lasted only one season.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Mike's wife, Melissa, to disect Brannon Braga's non-Trek show. We discuss the calculated attempt to make FlashForward the "next big thing," the differences between the series and the book, the cliffhanger ending, Braga's use of time travel, and how easy it would be to determine if what the characters saw was "the" future or "a" future.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 25: "The" or "A"?
Trek.fm
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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel 

Guest

Melissa Schindler

Chapters

FlashForward
The Lost Connection
The End
Adapting the Book
Time Travel
Final Thoughts

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There

Series Finale. Mike and John reflect the past three and a half years of podcasting.

Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts
Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts

Lin, Part 8: Recap. Mike and John recap their series on Justin Lin.

Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense
Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense

Lin, Part 7: Furious 6. John and Mike are joined by Megan from Educating Geeks to discuss Justin Lin's Furious 6.

Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness
Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness

Lin, Part 6: Fast Five. Mike and John discuss Justin Lin's sixth film, Fast Five.
 

Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes
Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes

Lin, Part 5: Fast & Furious. John and Mike are joined by Zach Moore to discuss Justin Lin's fifth movie, Fast & Furious.

Commentary: Trek Stars 3: Proto-Roddenberry /  by Trek fm

Roddenberry Part 2: The Lieutenant.

Star Trek is not the only show to be created by Gene Roddenberry. Three years prior, Gary Lockwood (aka Gary Mitchell) starred as The Lieutenant in Gene Roddenberry’s debut series about a U.S. Marine Corps officer serving during peace time.

This week, Mike and Max examine an episode which features numerous Trek cast and crew members (including Leonard Nimoy) in an attempt to determine what the series on the whole was like. We discuss what makes The Lieutenant different from other military shows, how those differences reflect Roddenberry’s world view, how the Vietnam War killed the show, what the similarities are between The Lieutenant and Star Trek, and how the failure of The Lieutenant may have shaped Star Trek into the show it would eventually become. We also examine the landscape of television in the early ’60s and debate whether or not “Mitchell” is the best episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 3: Proto-Roddenberry
Trek.fm
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Hosts

Mike Shindler and Max Hegel

 

Chapters

Introduction to The Lieutenant
Star Trek Directors and The Lieutenant
Roddenberry and TV of the Era
Did The Lieutenant Lead to Star Trek?

More Recent Episodes Of Commentary: Trek Stars

Commentary: Trek Stars
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There

Series Finale. Mike and John reflect the past three and a half years of podcasting.

Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts
Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts

Lin, Part 8: Recap. Mike and John recap their series on Justin Lin.

Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense
Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense

Lin, Part 7: Furious 6. John and Mike are joined by Megan from Educating Geeks to discuss Justin Lin's Furious 6.

Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness
Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness

Lin, Part 6: Fast Five. Mike and John discuss Justin Lin's sixth film, Fast Five.
 

Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes
Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes

Lin, Part 5: Fast & Furious. John and Mike are joined by Zach Moore to discuss Justin Lin's fifth movie, Fast & Furious.

View the full Commentary: Trek Stars episode directory >