Beyond the Final Frontier - A Star Trek Podcast

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Rich, Ian and Toby rank their favourite two-part Star Trek episodes — no season premieres, no finales, and a "part one and two" rule that gets stretched, bent, and openly mutinied against within minutes.

Engage(!) with us: Email – [email protected] | Instagram – @beyondffpod | Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

Expect Nazi holodecks, moral event horizons, a pirate ship, a legendary interrogation scene, and a genuinely heated three-way stand-off for the number one spot that ends with accusations of hindsight, nostalgia bias, and someone being politely called wrong on air. Plus: unexpected Hugo Award trivia and a fan-mail story that actually paid off.

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BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek-universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world. Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Rich, Ian and Toby turn to the dark side and count down their favourite villains from across the Star Trek TV-verse – small-screen baddies only, so the film-only foes (no Kruge, sorry) are sitting this one out.

Engage(!) with us: Email – [email protected] | Instagram – @beyondffpod | Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

Expect Jeffrey Combs' gloriously unctuous Weyoun, Voyager's Seska, a serial-killing TOS femme fatale with serious daddy issues, the baddest of all the "badmirals", Brad Dourif's chilling Lon Suder, the Borg Queen, Peter Weller going full xenophobe in Enterprise, and Brent Spiner's evil twin Lore – before the inevitable happens and Deep Space Nine swallows the top of the list whole (but with who?!). Toby imposes a brave one-villain-per-series rule (which still can't stop DS9 winning), and a certain infamous augment lands lower than you'd expect...

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek-universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world. Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier podcast: Rich, Ian and Toby get tuneful – and call in some actual musical backup – as they count down the greatest main title themes in all of Star Trek, the fanfares, marches and one deeply controversial power ballad that have been getting under our skin for sixty years. They're joined by Irish drummer and content creator Katie O'Shaughnessy of Lyterian, who brings a real musician's ear to a ranking the boys are otherwise prepared to conduct entirely by humming.

Expect a healthy debate about whether a vocal theme even counts as a theme (the jury says no, sorry Enterprise), the dawning realisation that the beloved Next Gen music is secretly Jerry Goldsmith's Motion Picture march wearing a trenchcoat – and that fans once accused him of stealing his own tune – plus Alexander Courage's eight little notes turning up in literally everything, the First Contact theme reborn in Picard Season 3, Cliff Eidelman going full Stravinsky, Nami Melumad making history, and Russell Watson, Rod Stewart and Patch Adams all somehow entering a Star Trek conversation. Plus a number one that everyone seems to agree is really two themes in one. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got right, or wrong, and what you'd like to see us cover next.

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

Engage(!) with us:
Email – [email protected]
Instagram – @beyondffpod
Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world.

Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier podcast: Rich, Ian and Toby brace for impact as they count down their Top 7 Shocks and Twists in all of Star Trek – the heel-turns, gut-punches and out-of-nowhere deaths and surprises that left them reeling.

Expect a debate over whether the films even count (Toby's only counting the series), a suspicious amount of overlap that suggests the boys share the same three traumas, and a parade of picks: Lorca's Mirror Universe reveal, Sisko deciding he can live with it, the slow violation of Picard into Locutus, the casual murder of Tuvix, a holodeck nightmare, Bashir unmasked as a changeling, and a beloved starship blown to bits. Plus the death of Spock, three different number ones nobody can agree on, a single Picard tear that Ian still refuses to buy (so he polls an AI to settle it mid-recording), and a lengthy detour through choir school, dropped testicles and the Enterprise theme – which Toby maintains is the biggest shock of all. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got right, or wrong, and what you'd like to see us cover next.

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

Engage(!) with us: 
Email – [email protected]
Instagram – @beyondffpod
Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world.

Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier podcast: Rich, Ian and Toby go cerebral as they count down their Top 7 Big Ideas in Star Trek — the lofty, philosophical, occasionally pretentious notions that separate Trek from its imitators.

Expect a healthy debate about what a "big idea" even is (Toby's still not sure), plenty of overlapping picks that may prove Star Trek has fewer big ideas than they thought, panspermia, the cost of war, the nature of God, free will, false memories, and a Blade Runner comparison or four. Plus a number one that everyone seems to have written the word "better" next to. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got right, or wrong, and what you'd like to see us cover next.

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

Engage(!) with us:
Email – [email protected]
Instagram – @beyondffpod
Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world.

Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier podcast: Rich, Ian and Toby roll out the red carpet for two very special guests, as Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink beam aboard to talk careers, Quark's lobes, and a cause close to their hearts.

From the Rules of Acquisition to the rigours of Shakespeare, the pair pull back the prosthetic on decades in the Trek-verse – the makeup-chair marathons, the craft of playing a Ferengi with actual heart, and how the Bard turns out to be surprisingly good training for life under all that latex. The conversation then turns to something far more personal: Kitty and Armin's advocacy for pancreatic cancer awareness, and the remarkable ways Star Trek fandom rallies behind real-world causes.

Expect laughs, a Top Five Ferengi Episodes rundown, an unexpected run-in with Stephen Hawking, a healthy dose of mutual admiration between two actors who clearly adore each other, and a heartfelt reminder that – sometimes – the fans really are the heroes. Let us know your thoughts: which Ferengi episode should have topped the list, and who you'd like us to have on next.

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

Engage(!) with us:
Email: [email protected]
Insta: @beyondffpod
Facebook: BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

We talk about pancreatic cancer in this episode. If you, or someone you love, has been affected, support is available — free and confidential:

United States — Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan) Website: https://pancan.org/ Patient Services: 877-272-6226 (toll-free, Mon–Fri) Email: [email protected]

United Kingdom — Pancreatic Cancer UK Website: https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/ Support Line (free, staffed by specialist nurses): 0808 801 0707 Email: [email protected]

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world. Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

This week on Beyond the Final Frontier podcast: Rich, Ian and Toby bring the pew pews as they rank their Top 7 Star Trek Space Battles, from photon torpedo skirmishes to fleet-shaking showdowns.

Expect a few predictable picks, a couple of surprises, plenty of nebula-set chess games, and a number one that may or may not have been unanimously agreed before a single phaser was fired. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got right, or wrong, and what you'd like to see us cover next.

Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe!

Engage(!) with us:
Email – [email protected]
Instagram – @beyondffpod
Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier

BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world.

Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

Lock in coordinates and engage! BFF welcomes a special guest as Rich, Ian and Toby are joined by Trekker extraordinaire Sean Ferrick of Trek Culture (youtube.com/@TrekCulture) (open.spotify.com/show/1wrqDG8mOTlshuZCYanhUV) (whatculture.com/topic/trekculture) – to pitch their very own brand-new Star Trek TV series. Four hosts, four shows, one increasingly thinly veiled audition reel for Skydance. Let us know which pitch you'd greenlight, what you think we got wrong, and what you'd like us to cover next in the comments, email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and Facebook. And while you're at it, please rate and review the pod to help us grow our Star Trek community.

Before the pitching commences, Sean takes the trio through his earliest Trek memory – a father-son trip to see Star Trek: Generations in 1995 Ireland – before everyone rolls up their sleeves and unveils their titles, hooks, settings, casts, threats and USPs. Expect ragtag crews, stolen starships, interdimensional rifts, a procedural with proper bite, an Academy reset built almost entirely from alien teachers and students, and at least one Lancelot-class ship with an unmistakably Arthurian streak. No spoilers on whose is whose, but there's a strong showing for Jeffrey Combs, Doug Jones, Colman Domingo, Emma Mackey and Ella Purnell – plus a Horta named after Ian's wife (!).

Expect surprises, sniggers and a fair bit of mutual brown-nosing as Rich champions "competence porn" and true Trek disguised as new Trek, Toby leans Blake's 7 dark while quietly setting out to "fix Voyager", Ian nakedly stumps for a do-over of you-know-which-recently-cancelled-show, and Sean cheerfully games his interdimensional rift to drop in any era, character or cameo he fancies. Along the way the gang debate whether the Kelvin universe needs sunglasses to watch, why the Discovery bridge could use a good shrinking, Trek's lingering genetic-engineering bugbear, whether Andor should really have been its own separate science fiction property, and what unites all four pitches: a deep, unembarrassed love of Deep Space Nine. Plus, Ian reveals the going rate for a Voyager background extra (spoiler: less than a decent meal out).

As three entertainment journalists who have written about Star Trek for decades, Rich, Ian and Toby are bringing their extensive geek universe experience, longtime camaraderie and in-depth behind-the-scenes knowledge to the podcast world. Each BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER mission will see our trio explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal favourite stories, characters and themes to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom. Expect deep-dives into beloved moments in Star Trek history, extensive breakdowns of developments in the modern era and occasional special guests from the Star Trek cast and crew to provide even greater insight.

Engage! Rich, Ian and Toby tackle one of Star Trek's most enduring obsessions in a tech-heavy episode, ranking their top seven pieces of Trek tech from across the entire franchise – plus beaming over to the London Science Museum's 60th anniversary Star Trek exhibition for a debrief. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got wrong, and what you'd like us to cover next in the comments, email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and Facebook. And while you're at it, please rate and review the pod to help us grow our Star Trek community.

From PADDs to phasers, communicators to cloaking devices, the trio debate which Star Trek inventions they'd actually want in the real world – and which are better left on the holodeck. Cue impassioned tangents on the philosophical horror of the transporter (are you really you on the other side?), the elegance of the Heisenberg compensator as the platonic ideal of Trek techno-babble, real-world tricorders, and the Federation's apparently miraculous solution to obesity.

Expect surprises, sniggering and a fair bit of hijinks as Rich champions warp drive as the ultimate expression of Roddenberry's humanism, Ian unapologetically picks the replicator because he refuses to watch anyone make a f***ing meal, and Toby goes deeply personal at number one with the hypospray. Along the way the boys debate the aesthetics of the original series communicator, whether Counsellor Troi had a built-in fat-burning chip (!?), what they'd actually do on a fully-realised holodeck (Ian wants to flatline and quiz Jimmy Hoffa; Toby just wants to roam the TOS Enterprise), and Rich's enduring, deeply suspicious love affair with starship nacelles. The episode rounds out with a glowing review of the Science Museum's exhibition and a sold-out IMAX screening of The Wrath of Khan — plus the not-entirely-flippant revelation that the Motion Picture's Bob Peak poster is, on reflection, basically a pride poster.

As three entertainment journalists who have written about Star Trek for decades, Rich, Ian and Toby are bringing their extensive geek universe experience, longtime camaraderie and in-depth behind-the-scenes knowledge to the podcast world. Each BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER mission will see our trio explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal favourite stories, characters and themes to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom. Expect deep-dives into beloved moments in Star Trek history, extensive breakdowns of developments in the modern era and occasional special guests from the Star Trek cast and crew to provide even greater insight.

We're back, baby! Rich, Ian and Toby launch season two of Beyond the Final Frontier with a double-header: a candid post-mortem on the cancellation of Starfleet Academy, and a full ranking of every season-two opener across the entire Star Trek franchise. Let us know your thoughts on our rankings, what you think we got wrong, and what you'd like us to cover next in the comments, email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram and Facebook. And while you're at it, please rate and review the pod to help us grow our Star Trek community.

The trio kick things off with the elephant in the room – Paramount pulling the plug on Starfleet Academy with season two already in the can – before debating whether the franchise is quietly pivoting back to theatrical under Skydance and David Ellison, what a post-Kurtzman Trek might look like, and the perennial fantasy of a Tarantino Trek movie. Then it's down to business: ranking all 11 season-two openers from "Amok Time" to "The Broken Circle."

Expect surprises, controversies and a fair bit of shouting (just ask Ian's wife) as Rich champions Enterprise's "Shockwave, Part II", Toby goes to bat for "The Stargazer" against the weight of the Picard season-two baggage, and Ian makes the case for "The Child" as a wildly underrated reset for early TNG. Along the way the boys debate Pulaski's bedside manner, Spock's emotional journey across "Amok Time" and "The Broken Circle," whether modern Trek dialogue is really any more anachronistic today than 60 years ago, and the lasting magic of Sharon Lawrence's Amelia Earhart. 

As three entertainment journalists who have written about Star Trek for decades, Rich, Ian and Toby are bringing their extensive geek universe experience, longtime camaraderie and in-depth behind-the-scenes knowledge to the podcast world. Each BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER mission will see our trio explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal favourite stories, characters and themes to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom. Expect deep-dives into beloved moments in Star Trek history, extensive breakdowns of developments in the modern era and occasional special guests from the Star Trek cast and crew to provide even greater insight.