Dr. Erin Macdonald is living any Star Trek fan’s dream, going from working on her doctorate in astrophysics while watching Star Trek: Voyager in the background to serving as a science consultant for the whole franchise. This week, the doctor joins Paul and Tawny to talk Iggy Pop, “Threshold,” Trek Tech, and everything in between.

The hosts of Newcomers, Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer, have turned their fandom curiosities to Star Trek in this podcast crossover. Watch the Deep Space Nine episode “In the Cards” and join us for a hilarious conversation that asks important questions like: Why have an auction if there’s no money? Is it cool for a child to sneak into a grown woman’s bedroom to steal a teddy bear? Why is baseball the chosen sport of the 24th Century? And, apropos to nothing, why does Data look like that?!

We’re celebrating Mother’s Day with Tawny’s moms: Her TV mom, Dawnn Lewis (Captain Freeman, Star Trek: Lower Decks), and her real life mom, Stephanie! We’re talking all things Lower Decks, Enterprise, and Tawny Newsome (much to her dismay and Paul’s delight) on this week’s episode of Star Trek: The Pod Directive!

Phil Yu has set out on his own five year mission. In 2020, the Star Trek fan -- who blogs under the name Angry Asian Man -- started his own podcast All the Asians on Star Trek where he, as the title says, plans to interview every Asian actor who has appeared on Star Trek. It’s a lofty goal, but Phil’s already made big strides, and this week he’s sitting down with Paul and Tawny to talk about his podcast, some of his favorite interviews, and the Next Generation episode that hits him in the feels every time.

Michelle Yeoh! Tawny Newsome! Paul F. Tompkins! Need we say more? Join us for a wide ranging conversation with Phillipa Georgiou herself, spanning the world from Malaysia, to Toronto, to Paris, and of course talking about everything Star Trek: Discovery, but also so much more. Star Trek fan or not, this is an interview you don’t want to miss!

This week we're welcoming John Hodgman (The Daily Show, Judge John Hodgman, and more) to the show! John joins Paul and Tawny to talk about classic 1990s Trek and to make a very important request of our listeners -- can someone please find John some Judge Q robes?! All of this and more in this week's installment of The Pod Directive!

Anson Mount (Discovery and Strange New Worlds) and Dr. Doug Vakoch make first contact with Paul and Tawny in their first appearance on The Pod Directive! Together, our guests walk listeners through METI's mission and what we Earthlings can and should expect from the First Contacts that might just happen in our own lifetimes! Celebrate First Contact Day with this chat that presents the perfect mix of science and science-fiction that us Star Trek fans are known to love.

Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson (co-hosts of Earwolf's Unspooled podcast) kick off season two with all things "Space Seed," Ricardo Montalban, and Qanon in space?!, as they discuss the cinematic classic, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan with our favorite hosts Tawny Newsome and Paul F. Tompkins.

Tawny Newsome and Paul F. Tompkins are back for Season 2 of Star Trek: The Pod Directive. This season, journey even further behind-the-scenes through discussions about Star Trek's influence on culture and space exploration. Guests include Trek icons and superfans like Paul Scheer, Amy Nicholson, Michelle Yeoh, John Hodgman, and more. Hear brand new episodes of The Pod Directive every Monday wherever you get your podcasts.

We couldn’t have asked for a better guest for the final episode of Star Trek: The Pod Directive! Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard composer Jeff Russo joins Tawny and Paul in the studio. A former member of the rock band Tonic, Russo walks us through his transition from studio albums to film and television composition, and the trio discusses what makes Star Trek’s music so iconic. 

Stay subscribed! Star Trek: The Pod Directive will return to this feed soon for season 2, featuring all new episodes, out of this world guests, and your favorite hosts: Tawny Newsome and Paul F. Tompkins!