All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast

This week, we have a special supplemental podcast recorded live at Trek Long Island last weekend in Hauppauge, New York. TrekMovie’s All Access Star Trek co-host Laurie Ulster moderated the “Generations of Trek Women” panel on Saturday on the main stage to “revisit memories of Trek across different eras” and discuss “the evolution of the franchise and what it’s been like for women who performed in it.” The panel was packed with Star Trek guest stars, featuring Stephanie Czajkowski (Star Trek: Picard – T’Veen), Bonnie Gordon (Star Trek: Prodigy, USS Prodigy computer and other voices), Carolyn McCormick (Star Trek: The Next Generation – Minuet/Min) Musetta Vander (Star Trek: Voyager – Derran Tal), and Sachi Parker (Star Trek: The Next Generation – Dr. Tava). Tony and Laurie will be back together next week to catch up on all the Star Trek news and more.

[Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider interview starts at  28:24  / George Takei interview starts at  1:18:49] Anthony and Laurie start with a quick news round-up, focusing mostly on the games, merch, and events being planned around Star Trek’s 60th anniversary this year. They briefly discuss the latest auction in Toronto featuring items from the Strange New Worlds set and the new (in-progress) Doug Jones documentary, then get into this week’s main interview: a chat with the directors of the documentary Beam Me Up, Sulu, Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider to learn how they discovered Stan Woo’s fan film, how they made their way to George Takei to secure his involvement, and why Star Trek was progressive from its very beginnings. They wrap up by playing Tony’s interview with George, done when the documentary film was released.

It’s a crossover! Tony and Laurie join Bryan and Kristen of Trek Marry Kill for a deep dive into the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode “The Ultimate Computer.” TrekMovie dubbed Trek Marry Kill the best Star Trek podcast of 2024 for their unique, fun way of reviewing and analyzing episodes from across the franchise. TrekMovie’s Laurie Ulster, Brian Drew and Kayla Iacovino have previously been guests on TMK, but this is the first time the All Access Star Trek team has joined in together. The four podcasters have a lot of fun using the TMK categories to analyze this classic Trek episode that’s just as relevant today as it was back in 1968.

Anthony and Laurie are joined by  Gustavo Gobbi, a Star Trek journalist and editor for Trek Brasilis who covered CCXP Mexico for TrekMovie, attending the Strange New Worlds panels and interviewing the four cast members who attended: Rebecca Romijn, Celia Rose Gooding, Ethan Peck, and Paul Wesley. The trio discusses the brand-new teaser trailer for SNW season 4 and everything the actors talked about in their interviews, which you can also hear at the end of the pod. Everyone also talks about the announcement of a new Creation convention in Philadelphia in November and big-name guests who’ll be at Star Trek Las Vegas in August. Finally the trio talks about the latest business updates as Paramount’s CEO is talking Star Trek again, then plays the audio from Gustavo’s interviews with the Strange New Worlds cast.

Anthony and Laurie took a trip to Ticonderoga with Kayla, Brian, and Andy from the Shuttle Pod podcast to visit the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour, which exceeded all of their extremely high expectations. Listen as they talk about the immersive experience, the personal tour they got from owner James Cawley, the special events that happen there yearly, and the experience of the town itself.

Jonathan Frakes, Kitty Swink, and Armin Shimerman join Anthony and Laurie to talk about PanCAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and the Purple Stride walk to support it on April 25. They talk about the importance of identifying symptoms early and making sure you see a doctor who knows about pancreatic cancer, and the joy of doing the walk with friends and supporters. Everyone also talks some Trek, taking a look at where the franchise is now (in a post-Academy and Strange New Worlds world), the state of the fandom, and a bit of TNG and DS9 history. They also talk about changes in the industry, like mergers and using AI to replace actors. The wrap up with a reminder to walk, donate, or share all the info about PanCAN and Purple Stride.

Anthony and Laurie have a lot of news to catch up on. They start with the cancellation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, looking at statements from Paramount as well as reactions from both the cast and the show’s fans, and have a brief debate about whether or not that factored into the decision. Robert Picardo’s recent comments about Star Trek taking “a pause” sparked a broader discussion of what might happen next with the franchise both on TV and in movies. They also take a look at a new interview with Paul Giamatti about Academy‘s Nus Braka. They chat about Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir’s comments on this era of Trek, along with his subsequent apology to Alex Kurtzman, and Tony goes through the latest on new comics and games. They recap some of the Trek Talks panels, particularly the Deep Space Nine “Trials and Tribble-ations discussion where Ira talked about nervously calling Leonard Nimoy to get his approval and the Enterprise writers panel where they talked about their pitches for season 5. Laurie gives a full Trek Talks update and then urges everyone to go check out the footage and images from the Artemis mission.

This week, we have a special supplemental podcast recorded live at WonderCon last weekend in Anaheim (so forgive the suboptimal audio). Our friend TrekLand’s Larry Nemecek was hosting a panel with a variety of podcasters and Star Trek superfans as participants, including our own Anthony Pascale. The panel was originally going to cover  the online debates surrounding Starfleet Academy, but the show not getting picked up for a third season pivoted things. Here is the official description from the WonderCon schedule. Star Trek at 60: Starfleet Academy: Real Uniter or Faux Divider? Is it 2017 again? Star Trek turns 60 with a host of anniversary plans, but Starfleet Academy has bowed with more controversy than any recent series since Star Trek: Discovery’s heated first year. With SFA’s first season wrapped, “Dr. Trek” Larry Nemecek (The Trek Files, Portal 47) asks a host of Trek industry vets for their own takes on the series as well as the meta-reaction to it: Is that initial negative reaction by some critics and fans more about clickbait-chasing talkers and review-bombing than actual criticism and nuance? an we sense whether IRL armchair Trekkies feel as mainstream critics and activist fans do—in support? Panelists included Neal Hallford (DP, Con of Wrath), Matt Jennings (1701: A Blerd Story), Tony Kim (Hero Within), Giraffe (Strange New Pod), and Anthony Pascale (TrekMovie).

Anthony and Laurie and TrekMovie contributor Bobby Oler chat with John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox, to talk about Trek Talks 5, the all-day marathon of Star Trek panels on YouTube benefitting Hollywood Food Coalition that’s now in its fifth year. In their freewheeling discussion, they also dig deep into John’s experience on Enterprise and his work on other shows, his reasons for giving up social media, sitting on William Shatner’s lap, and why he’s not a fan of table reads, as well as the importance of the Hollywood Food Coalition and the way Star Trek fans and pros come together to do good in the world.

[Review starts at 22:37 / Interviews start at 59:27] Anthony and Laurie start with Anthony’s recap of his evening on the red carpet and in the press room at the Saturn Awards last weekend. After that, they dig into Alex Kurtzman’s comments about his ongoing discussions with Paramount Skydance, Henry Alonso Myers’ optimism for a Strange New Worlds spin-off (and news on the fate of its sets), Olatunde Osunsanmi’s optimism for more Starfleet Academy after season 2. Optimism! They also talk about the new Waze update that adds The Doctor’s voice to your driving directions. Then it’s time to get into the Starfleet Academy season 1 finale, “Rubincon,” which pulled together elements from across the season. They wrap up by playing the audio from Tony’s recent interviews with showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau.