Shuttle Pod - The TrekMovie.com Podcast

Brian, Kayla, Matt, and the co-host of TrekMovie’s ‘All Access Star Trek’ podcast, Laurie Ulster, talk about the life of Captain James T. Kirk and try to separate myth from reality. Was he an arrogant, rule-breaking womanizer who never looked before he leaped, as pop culture says? The answers we came up with may surprise you. We also look at the newest iteration of the character, played by Paul Wesley on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’, and our hopes for how Kirk will be portrayed in the show’s upcoming second season.

Brian, Kayla, and Matt reflect on the life and lasting influence of Nichelle Nichols. Then, the Shuttle Pod crew look forward to the festivities at the Creation 56 Year Mission convention in Las Vegas later this month. And lastly, the trio discuss some of the news out of San Diego Comic-Con, including: the look we got at the ‘Next Generation’ crew in ‘Picard’ season 3, and they ponder just how a ‘Strange New Worlds’ and ‘Lower Decks’ crossover will work.

This time on the Shuttle Pod, the crew discusses the known whereabouts of the classic characters from the original ‘Star Trek’ during the first season of ‘Strange New Worlds’ (set in 2259).  But first the crew share their general impressions of the first half of season one of ‘Strange New Worlds.’ NOTE: For international fans, be warned there’s some SNW spoiler talk in this episode.

The Shuttle Pod crew is back, and this time they’re discussing the 2022 ‘Director’s Edition’ of ‘The Motion Picture.’ Which is easily the biggest “Legacy Trek” project since the remastering of ‘Next Generation.’ Join them as the podcasters give an overview of the rushed release in 1979, and why legendary director Robert Wise didn’t really get his final cut until the 2001 release of The Director’s Edition on DVD which helped to refine the film with a more polished narrative. They delve into what exactly makes the DE different from other versions out there, with a brief overview of the changes, along with a specific discussion of the new 2022 version.

The crew talks about the breaking news on the day of recording, James T. Kirk is coming to ‘Strange New Worlds.’ Then Brian, Kayla, Jared, and Matt tackle the main topic for this installment of the podcast: their impressions of “The Star Gazer” and “Penance,” the first two episodes of ‘Star Trek: Picard’ season two.

The Shuttle Pod crew uses IMDb rankings of the seven seasons of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ as a jumping off point to discuss their own rankings of TNG. Seasons 3-6 are quite popular, but where do they rank for each podcaster? does a consistent season make it worthy to be higher on the list? or is it about the best episodes of a season? listen along and see if you agree with their rankings.

The full complement of the Shuttle Pod crew discuss their (potentially) unpopular opinions about Trek. The Star Trek: Discovery season one prologue (“The Vulcan Hello” and “Battle at the Binary Stars”) is actually a good introduction. Sulu’s orientation in Star Trek Beyond was not on screen, only in press interviews. The USS Cerritos is actually a cool looking ship. And perhaps most controversial, Next Generation season 2 is better than season 7. Listen along and see if you are persuaded.

The Shuttle Pod crew is back after a brief winter hiatus and ready to ring in 2022. It can’t be understated just how much Star Trek is happening this year. With 51 new episodes of Trek on TV, documentaries, video games, comics, and much more, it’s certainly a big time for Trekkies. The full TrekMovie gang already went over some of the most anticipated items for the year, and Brian, Jared, and Kayla use this as a springboard to take a bit of a deeper dive into what we are looking forward to and why.

This week, the Shuttle Pod feed has been taken over by the SyFy Sistas: Yvette, J.D., Subrina, Fran, and Tamia. The SyFy Sistas cover Sci-fi movies, books, comics, TV series, conventions, and podcasts from a black female point of view. It’s where science fiction meets Afrofuturism! You can read more content from the Sistas on their website or listen to their podcast on the Trek Geeks network. For this takeover episode, the SyFy Sistas ask: can any Star Trek movie pass the SyFy Sistas Inclusion Checklist test? Many listeners may be aware of the Bechdel test, in which a film or television show passes the test if two female characters have at least one conversation that is not about other male characters. The test became famous because, despite the extremely low bar for female representation in film, a surprisingly large number of movies and TV shows fail. The Sy-Fy Sistas have taken a similar look at the Star Trek movie universe, but with respect to characters of color. The Sy-Fy Sistas Inclusion Checklist consists of six key points that a Star Trek film must have to pass the test: At least two named characters of color Dialog of those characters must be more than merey supportive of the white characters Characters of color must have a skill that contributes to the survival of the group Characters of color don’t have a criminal record Characters of color must have a positive relationship with another character Characters of color are not magical stock characters The first run of this podcast episode is exclusively here on The Shuttle Pod, and will be published on the SyFy Sistas podcast on TrekGeeks.com later this week.

Kayla sat down with Howard Jackowitz and Craig Spurrier of Wines That Rock, makers of officially licensed Star Trek Wines. Their team is made up of real Star Trek fans who have worked with CBS, the Klingon Language Institute, and even some Star Trek writers to create top-quality products that feel like they are taken right out of the Star Trek universe. And they don’t skimp on what’s inside the bottle. Not only is the packaging cool, but the wine is also delicious and meant to be enjoyed. The trio discusses the wines, the bottles, and the history of how these products were made. We highlight the newest wines in the Star Trek Wines lineup, a Kanar red wine blend, and a United Federation of Planets Andorian Blue Chardonnay. In particular, the story behind the making of the Kanar bottle makes you realize just how much Wines That Rock cares about authenticity. One of only a handful of original bottles still in existence plus a metal stopper prop used in TNG’s “The Wounded” were used to create 3D models. Brand new Kanar bottles were produced at a glass forge in Italy, making these really unique. You can purchase all of the Star Trek Wines and the Chateau Picard wine crate at StarTrekWines.com. GIVEAWAY: Enter to win! TrekMovie and Wines That Rock have teamed up to give away some amazing Star Trek Wines prizes, including a Chateau Picard wine crate ($199), a Kanar bottle (empty) with topper and glass stopper ($45), a Federation metal medallion wine label ($20), and a $300 Star Trek Wines gift card! Learn more about the wines, the contest, and ENTER TO WIN here.