Saturday Morning Trek: A Podcast About Star Trek in the 1970s

Kerry O'Quinn Interview.

To say that Kerry O'Quinn had an impact on sci-fi fans of the '70s and '80s is like saying Gene Roddenberry may have had some influence on television. Starting in another genre—soap operas—Kerry and his partner built a publishing powerhouse and expanded to magazines like Cinematic, Future Life, Starlog, and Fangoria, which is still being published today.

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, host Aaron Harvey is joined by O'Quinn to share how he was writing a blog before there was such a thing, how he brought Star Trek and Star Wars together, and why so many people told him he was going to hell. Maybe he will run into Lucien there! Friend, Kerry!

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) News (00:02:04) A Blog before Blogs (00:02:48) Future Life Magazine (00:04:39) Outsider Culture (00:06:12) Soap Opera Magazines (00:10:44) Not for Women Only Segment (00:11:57) Gene and George Star Trek Wars (00:15:52) Star Wars 10th Anniversary (00:17:34) Starlog Commercial (00:22:53) Creating Fangoria (00:25:05) Changing Fandom (00:32:32) Designing Starlog (00:37:21) Drag Worms (00:39:22) Closing (00:54:49)

Host Aaron Harvey

Guest Kerry O'Quinn

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Once Upon a Planet.

The Enterprise crew revisits the fondly remembered "amusement park" planet, hoping for some rest and relaxation—which of course turns into kidnapping and the near destruction of the ship.

Filmation has always had a bad reputation for sloppy animation and stilted storytelling. Unfortunately, we my have found one of the episodes where this is somewhat deserved.

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, hosts Aaron Harvey and Adam Drosin talk the pros and cons of this animated sequel to "Shore Leave," and take you on a Journey from Star Trek to Isis (no, not that one) to Baywatch Nights. Yes, Baywatch Nights! Kirk gets to talk down a computer, Uhura sings, and Sulu is in two places at once. Grab your two-headed dragon and join the fun!

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Welcome (00:01:03) Synopsis (00:03:13) Monster Cereal Commercial (00:05:37) Airdate, Writers and Voices (00:06:06) Baywatch Nights...no really! (00:11:43) Isis and Shazam! Intros (00:15:50) Reaction to "Once Upon a Planet" (00:17:56) Shore Leave Comic Book Series (00:25:10) Burger King Commercial (00:31:11) Production Values and Bloopers (00:32:11) Trek Tech (00:35:42) Closing (00:38:57)

Hosts Aaron Harvey and Adam Drosin

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Star Trek: The Classic UK Comics, Vol. 1.

When you think of Star Trek comics of the 1970s, the Gold Key comics, the comics that promoted Star Trek: The Motion Picture on the side of McDonald's Happy Meals, or the weekly newspaper strips may come to mind. But if you're from the UK, adventures from the pages of TV 21 and Joe 90 probably trump them all. Six months before the original Star Trek TV series premiered in England, British readers were introduced to the characters through an original comic book series. These stories were serialized, generally 2–3 pages in length, and appeared in 257 weekly magazines spanning five years and 37 storylines.

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, we're joined by Rich Handley to discuss the these psychedelic 1970s voyages. Rich is the man who undertook the Herculean task of compiling the 244-page tome. We explore the experience of delving into obscure cartoons and the nitty gritty of scanning 45-year-old newspapers to create a coffee table-quality book.

Take a peek at the book: http://trekfm.link/2btIa7b

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Welcome (00:01:08) History of the UK Comics (00:2:03) Writing Oddities (00:11:04) The Look and Layout (00:14:30) The Stories (00:21:34) Star Trek: The Motion Picture Klingon Happy Meal (00:27:51) The Production Process (00:33:45) Joe 90 and TV 21 (00:42:52) The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang Intro (00:48:21) Saturday Morning Cartoons (00:49:06) Rich Handley's Other Projects (00:53:36)

Host Aaron Harvey

Guest Rich Handley

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Conventions in the 1970s.

Convention season is officially upon us. Among the gatherings that await fans are Comic-Con International in San Diego, Star Trek Las Vegas, the gaming convention Gen Con in Indianapolis, Atlanta's Dragon Con, New York Comic Con, Mission New York by ReedPOP and CBS … and the list goes on and on.

Today, pop-culture conventions of all kinds are commonplace; but in the 1970s they were new and different. These conventions weren't sponsored by financial entertainment juggernauts. Instead, they were organized by superfans—and in the case of Star Trek they had a secondary agenda: to keep the series alive!

The phrase "Star Trek Lives!" was used on flyers advertising the first big Trek convention, held in New York City in 1972. It was also part of the Star Trek revival campaign undertaken by fans in the early 1970s.

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, host Aaron Harvey explores the early Star Trek conventions and see how they became the template for today's cons.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Early Fandom (00:05:24) 1973 Convention Clip (00:07:31) The First Star Trek Convention (00:14:46) The Actual First Convention (00:19:33) Saturday Night Live Skit (00:23:47) Next Generation Fandom (00:35:57) Palmolive Commercial (00:51:48) Fandom Outside the US (00:52:26) Larry Nemecek's Con Story (01:01:51) Star Trek: The Motion Picture Teaser (01:06:49) Closing (01:11:31)

Host Aaron Harvey

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Star Trek: Planet of the Titans.

When Bryan Fuller revealed the ship for the new television series, Star Trek: Discovery, it looked familiar; but not in the way you'd think. Only seven months after The Animated Series was canceled, Gene Roddenberry was back at Paramount working on something new: a Star Trek movie. The project died in development, but a year later he was piecing together another concept.

For a big-screen adventure, you need a big-screen Enterprise. So he recruited Ken Adam, who designed the classic villains' lair in Goldfinger and Thunderball—as well as the war room in Dr. Strangelove, and illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, who was fresh off the soon-to-be-released Star Wars. What they created was a unique design that never got to be the hero it was meant to be. But now this design gets a second chance at life in Star Trek: Discovery.

In this special bite-sized Saturday Morning Trek, join host Aaron Harvey on a quick journey down the road not taken … to a movie never made … Star Trek: Planet of the Titans.

Chapters Intro (00:00:50) Take 1: The God Thing (00:02:15) Take 2: Planet of the Titans (00:03:36) Redesigning the Enterprise (00:04:29) The Titan Enterprise in Later Trek (00:5:42) Take 3: Star Trek II? Phase II? (00:06:09) Closing (00:06:34)

Host Aaron Harvey

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

The Magicks of Megas-Tu.

The Enterprise takes a jaunt to the center of the galaxy to see what might still be happening at the point of the Big Bang. Soon after, the crew apparently parts ways with science. They find an energy–matter whirlwind and a fireworks display that rivals those of the US Bicentennial celebrations. Spock draws a pentagram on the floor, Sulu conjures up a woman, Kirk shoots magic lightning beams out of his hands, and a guy that's not Q puts humanity on trial. Oh, and did we mention Lucifer is there?

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek—the first to feature new co-host Adam Drosin—we dive into "The Magicks of Megas-Tu," one of the strangest, most transgressive bits of Star Trek ever committed to film. We discuss everything from Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless movie about confusion in the age of technology to English occultist author and ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley, as well as TV broadcast standards and the obsession with red, white and blue in the 1970s. So grab a stein of ale and settle into the wood-paneled den. It's going to be a trip!

Chapters Intro and Welcome to Adam Drosin (00:01:24) How Adam Came to The Animated Series (00:05:00) Synopsis (00:09:42) Airdate, Writers, and Voices (00:12:27) Transgressive TAS (00:16:05) Bicentennial Fever! (00:27:58) "Yes We Can!" Commercial (00:30:40) Broadcasting to Kids (00:31:39) Mind Bleep (00:35:09) "The Night Gallery" Intro (00:40:17) Perfect Moments (00:40:56) "Mission Magic" Intro (00:49:03) Alister Crawley (00:52:45) Closing (00:56:33)

Hosts Aaron Harvey and Adam Drosin

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

Interview with Dorothy Fontana.

A television writer since the early 1960s, Dorothy "D.C." Fontana was the personal assistant to Gene Roddenberry. It was through this role that she became a prominent creative force behind Star Trek. Dorothy had a large part in developing the character of Spock and his family in her story "Journey to Babel," and is also responsible for many other classic episode of The Original Series. She continued her ties to Star Trek when she signed on to Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973, for which she became story editor and associate producer. And along the way, she deepened Spock's backstory in her script for the most famous TAS episode of all: "Yesteryear."

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, none other than Dorothy herself drops by the Trek.fm wood-paneled den. We discuss the fan reaction to the announcement of an animated series, how a writers strike actually improved the quality of the scripts, and how she brought a strong female voice to other '70s shows like The Six Million Dollar Man and Land of Lost.

Chapters Intro (00:01:30) Getting involved with The Animated Series (00:02:11) Fan Reception and Fan Base (00:4:05) ABC Cartoon Promo (00:11:02) "Yesteryear" (00:11:44) Creating the Sehlat (00:14:30) "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" (00:18:26) Working with Filmation (00:21:30) The Writer's Strike (00: 27:55) The Stories, Writers, and Actors (00:30:05) The Third Season and New Show Possibilities (00:33:29) Other 1970s Shows (00:40:44) The Six Million Dollar Man Clip (00:46:40) Current Projects (00:54:07) Closing (00:57:02)

Host Aaron Harvey

Guest Dorothy "D.C." Fontana

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

The Infinite Vulcan.

On the planet Phylos, the Enterprise crew encounters a geneticist from the Eugenics Wars in the form of a clone. A giant clone. And he wants to duplicate Spock in his own image as part of a plan to create a galactic peacekeeping force. What could possibly go wrong? On this planet of sentient foliage, Kirk and crew must dodge purple plants that look like tribbles on stilts, flying dragon plants with springs instead of legs, and shields that nearly drain the dilithium crystals—all in an effort to save Spock!

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, we're joined by Andi VanderKolk as we try and weed through this giggle-worthy episode to find the katra at the center: What happens to a warrior who becomes obsolete in an age of peace? We also ponder how can we bring The Animated Series back into the fold in this new age of Star Trek.

Saturday Morning Trek would also like to welcome aboard Mike Bovia, our second associate producer! Want to become a patron of the network yourself? Just go to www.patreon.com/trekfm and become part of the team!

Chapters Intro (00:01:30) Walter Koenig Reprise (00:02:59) Synopsis (00:04:53) Airdate, Writer, and Voices (00:05:38) Initial Thoughts (00:07:54) Bringing Back the Eugenics Wars (00:15:59) Mind-Touch Your Cousin (00:28:06) Mego Superman and Wonder Woman Commercial (00:30:28) Bloopers and Chronology (00:30:57) Bringing TAS Back into the Fold (00:33:08) Closing (00:47:30) Giant Spock Police Force—Dance Remix (00:49:35)

Host Aaron Harvey

Guest Andi VanderKolk

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Mike Bovia (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

The Survivor.

When the Enterprise rescues a one-man ship on the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone, the crew is shocked to discover that the ship is registered to Carter Winston, a famous philanthropist who has been missing for five years. Even more shocked is his fianceé, Anne, a security officer aboard the Enterprise.

How would you react if your long lost fiancé returned to you … and then said he can't marry you? Ever. Oh yeah, and he's an alien. And the human he is impersonating is rich—rich in a culture with no money. Those are just some of the issues tackled in "The Survivor."

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, the wood-paneled den gets a visit from Andi VanderKolk of Women at Warp as we tackle this installment of The Animated Series.

Chapters Intro and Beyond! (00:01:53) Synopsis (00:08:00) Air Date and Writer (00:9:53) Voices (00:10:12) Blame It on Lt. Kyle (00:14:31) Vendorians, Romulans, and Bad Command Decisions (00:16:00) Rewriting Legends (00:34:51) The Flash Cartoon with Ted Knight (00:36:15) Continuity and Technology (00:36:47) Who Is Carter Winston Now? (00:39:52) Leisure Suit Carter (00:43:32) Final Thoughts (00:49:12)

Host Aaron Harvey

Guest Andi VanderKolk

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Eric Extreme (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

More Tribbles, More Troubles. What happens when you feed a Tribble? If you said you get lots of little Tribbles, this time you'd be wrong! Revisit the world of prodigiously multiplying furry creatures in animated sequel to "The Trouble with Tribbles."

In this episode of Saturday Morning Trek, Aaron Harvey and Darren Moser remember a time when you couldn't find the episode you wanted with just a click of a button, making "More Tribbles, More Troubles" less of a beat-for-beat rehash and more of a fun revisit of newly classic Trek. Cyrano Jones returns, Koloth faces Kirk in battle—despite Jadzia's claims otherwise—and we see the evolution of Klingon weapons. We also discuss the merits of … green shirts? That's right, Anovos has announced TAS-inspired retro Starfleet uniform shirts—that even come in green!

Chapters Intro (00:02:46) I Knew You Were Tribble When You Walked In (00:5:19) Synopsis (00:07:25) Airdate and Writer (00:10:18) Kids are Tribble (00:10:31) Tribble Seeing Color (00:13:31) Voices (00:14:08) Mego's "Star Trek Super Phaser 2 Target Game" Commercial (00:17:33) Trek Tech (00:24:53) Continuity (00:29:56) Bloopers and Final Thoughts (00:34:37)

Hosts Aaron Harvey and Darren Moser

Production Aaron Harvey (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)