Commentary: Trek Stars: The Work of Star Trek Creators Outside of Star Trek

Hurley, Part 4: Recap.

Very few people have had a chance to talk to Maurice Hurley about his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of them is Ben Robinson, the project manager for Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John are joined by Ben to take a closer look at Hurley's work on Star Trek. We discuss How Hurley became the showrunner during Season One, what fell apart in Season Two, and his plans for the Borg were. We also recap our look at Hurley's last two movies, The Proposal and Groom Lake 

Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 30 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Guest

Ben Robinson

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Recap  (00:01:17)

Ben Robinson (00:07:15)

Season One (00:23:53)

Season Two (00:35:23)

The Borg (00:43:35)

Final Thoughts (00:58:56)

Wrap-Up (01:08:20)

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Hurley, Part 3: Groom Lake.

In 2002, Maurice Hurley teamed with director William Shatner to write the alien encounter movie, Groom Lake. The picture is about a dying woman, played by Amy Acker, who travels to an area famous for UFO sightings in an attempt to assure herself that there is more to the universe than life on Earth.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike discuss Hurley's final movie. We also touch on his television career, including Miami Vice. And in news, we take a look at the production team assembled by Justin Lin to make Star Trek Beyond.

Running Time: 1 hour 6 minutes 6 seconds

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

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Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Groom Lake (00:08:42)

Miami Vice (00:25:45)

Star Trek Beyond Production Team (00:49:00)

Wrap-up (00:55:34)

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Hurley, Part 2: The Proposal.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John look at our first Maurice Hurley film, The Proposal. Directed by Richard Gale, the film stars Nick Moran and Jennifer Esposito as two cops who must pose undercover as husband and wife. We discuss the budgetary restrictions, the quality of the other filmmaking elements, and how the script is representative of Hurley's other work. We also chat about the release of William Shatner's new documentary, Chaos on the Bridge, and the casting of Idris Elba in Star Trek Beyond.

Running Time: 56 minutes 40 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Chaos on the Bridge (00:01:06)

Voicemail (00:14:38)

The Proposal (00:20:07)

Star Trek Beyond (00:40:00)

Wrap-up (00:46:55)

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Hurley, Part 1: Trek.

Of all the contributors to Star Trek: The Next Generation's creation, none are as overlooked as Maurice Hurley. The writer and co-executive producer served and showrunner for the first two seasons of the series, helping to shape it into the show we know and love. And along the way, he also created the Borg.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin a new series looking at Hurley's work as a screenwriter. For the first part of the series, they are joined by the author of The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, to break down Hurley's work on Star Trek. We discuss the behind-the-scenes climate of Season One, Hurley's contributions to the mythology, and his unused treatment for the film that would become Star Trek Generations. We also wonder when William Shatner's documentary, Chaos on the Bridge, will finally be released (spoilers, it came out this week).

Running Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 13 seconds

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Guest

Larry Nemecek

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Maurice Hurley (00:01:56)

Season Two (00:12:25)

The Borg (00:32:19)

Hurley's Departure (00:41:52)

Star Trek VII Treatment (00:48:42)

Wrap-up (01:02:32)

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Lindelof, Part 7: Tomorrowland.

Some movies are based on books. Others, on comics. One or two (or twelve) draw their inspiration from television shows. And every so often, there's a movie adaption of a theme park.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John are joined by Darren of Earl Grey to discuss Tomorrowland, the new film co-written by Damon Lindelof. We discuss the movie on the whole, the writing in particular, and how the movie fits into Lindelof filmography. We also remember James Horner.

Running Time: 1 hour 2 minutes 48 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Guest

Darren Moser

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Tomorrowland (00:06:43)

The Writing (00:20:43)

Lindelof's Filmography (00:34:01)

James Horner (00:48:30)

Wrap-up (00:53:57)

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Bennett, Part 6: Recap.

Harve Bennett's career as a television series creator spanned 30 years, from 1968 to 1998. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike recap our look at five of Bennett's shows, including The Mod Squad, The Invisible Man, Time Trax, and Invasion America. We also discuss a George Takei movie we never knew existed.

Running Time: 53 minutes 37 seconds

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan  Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

The Mod Squad (00:01:30)

The Invisible Man (00:07:02)

Time Trax (00:15:11)

Invasion America (00:27:57)

The Young Divorcees (00:34:03)

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Bennett, Part 5: Invasion America.

Thirty years after the premiere of his first television series, Harve Bennett's last television series was released. Invasion America was a primetime animated series about a high school boy who finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic civil war.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Bennett's final series. We discuss his ability to adapt to the times, the bold nature of serialized cartoons, and his collaboration with TNG writer Michael Reaves. We also ponder the extent of Steven Spielberg's involvement with the show.

Running Time: 55 minutes 46 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Invasion America (00:00:51)

Thoughts on the Show (00:11:52)

Trek Collaborators (00:22:21)

Final Thoughts (00:39:21)

Wrap-up (00:44:55)

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Bennett, Part 4: Time Trax.

In the 1980s, Harve Bennett jumped to the big screen to write and produce Star Trek. After his run had ended, Bennett returned to television to create a new science fiction series, Time Trax. The show is about a police officer from the year 2193 who travels back in time to 1993 in an effort to catch future criminals hiding in the past.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike take a look at Bennett's fourth series. We discuss the television landscape at the time, the similarities to Quantum Leap, and the questionable use of CGI. We also learn who David McCallum is.

Running Time: 54 minutes 18 seconds

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

Time Trax (00:01:09)

Thoughts on the Show (00:16:29)

The Future World (00:29:47)

Listener Feedback (00:36:18)

Wrap-up (00:44:20)

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Bennett, Part 3: The Invisible Man.

In 1975, Harve Bennett teamed with another future television legend, Steven Bochco, to create his second television show, The Invisible Man. Based on the book by H.G. Wells, the series was a modern retelling of the sci-fi classic, about a scientist who accidentally turns himself invisible.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Bennett's second series. We discuss 

Running Time: 44 minutes 24 seconds

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Executive Producers

Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or higher! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Manager

Will Nguyen

Chapters

The Invisible Man (00:08:18)

Changes to the series (00:21:30)

Final Thoughts (00:31:44)

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Bennett, Part 2: The Mod Squad.

As Star Trek was entering its final season in 1968, another soon-to-be iconic series was just beginning. The Mod Squad, creator Harve Bennett's first television series, told the story of three young undercover police officers who were used to infiltrate criminal activity in an ever-changing world.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike take a look at The Mod Squad. We discuss the similarities and differences to other police shows at the time, how it reflected the changing television landscape, and the thematic parallels to Star Trek. We also try to figure out what's going on in the opening title sequence.

Running Time: 38 minutes 34 seconds

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Editor and Producer

Mike Schindler

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Coordinator

Will Nguyen

Associate Producer

Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm

Chapters

The Mod Squad (00:01:14)

Thoughts on the Show (00:12:53)

Social Themes (00:22:38)

Wrap-up (00:31:31)

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