The Random Redshirt

We've been talking about discussing the Alien Franchise for quite some time and we're finally bringing the Xenomorphs to the podcast! Alien is an American science fiction horror and action media franchise created by screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, which began as the 1979 film Alien. We discuss the franchise as a whole, our favorite Alien movies and what struggles the franchise has had. Is this the greatest science fiction / horror franchise of all time? Let us know!

We were thrilled to welcome the insanely talented musical composer Nami Melumad to the show. Nami’s work includes some things you may have heard of….including Thor Love & Thunder, Dream Productions (part of the Inside Out Franchise), Star Trek Prodigy, One Fast Move, and so much more. We certainly recognize her creative genius in the amazing music she has given us in Star Trek Strange New Worlds. This year she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of their 2025 class. In 2023 she was nominated for and won The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL)’s David Raskin Award for Emerging Talent for her score on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds! We are huge fans of hers and we hope you enjoy our sit down with her as we learn more about her career, the music composition process and much more!

We wrap up our 2025 Sci-Fi Halloween special with our annual recommendations of what Science Fiction you can watch to get you in the mood for Halloween and give you some alternatives to the usual gory monster/thrasher movies this time of year. From Star Trek to Dr. Who, The Alien Franchise to lesser known movies like Disney's Black hole, this list is sure to give you lots of options to have a fun and enjoyable Science Fiction filled Fall/Halloween season! Be sure to check out this year's Halloween Series episode deep dives (Star Trek TNG's "Genesis" & Battlestar Galactica's "Valley of Darkness) on our YouTube channel and your favorite podcast platforms!

The second episode of season 2 of BSG brings us a terrifying episode with dark hallways, dead bodies, blood, a boarding party of Cylon Centurions human remains and an underlying feeling of unease. If this episode isn't meant to watch on Halloween, we don't know what is! With Adama in critical condition, Col Tigh must lead the Galactica through one of its scariest moments yet as he sends the Marines and other members of the Colonial fleet to cut off and destroy the Centurions before they reach critical areas of the ship that could lead to the entire crew being vented into space. This episode is sure to keep your heart racing from start to finish!

We're kicking off this year's Halloween Sci-Fi Series with a very spooky and creepy episode....Star Trek The Next Generation's "Genesis". When Picard and Data return to the ship after disarming a torpedo, they discover the is Enterprise adrift, without main power, and something has happened to the crew...something truly frightening. The crew has begun to de-evolve. Dark hallways, animal noises, jump scares and incredibly scary creatures makes this episode a true must watch sci-fi/Star Trek episode to watch on or near Halloween!

Our Section 31 Spotlight Series comes to an end as we finally discuss the controversial Section 31 movie. We discuss the movie as a whole, give you some of our expectations of what we think SHOULD be in the movie and break down our thoughts including things we liked and didn't like. This movie certainly has had fans in an uproar. Is that uproar warranted or not? Join us as we find out!

Our last Section 31 Spotlight Series episode before we review the Section 31 movie continues where Enterprise's "Demons" leaves off. Paxton, the self-proclaimed leader of Terra Prime, forces Trip to help fix the array in order to shoot it at Earth. He gives all aliens 24 hours to leave Earth as Archer and the Enterprise race to Mars to stop him from completing his objective. T'Pol and Trip face the fact that their daughter, Elizabeth, doesn't make it in an incredibly emotional ending scene.

Well we've reached the end of season 3 of Strange New Worlds. The season finale brings back the evil Vezda, who still inhabits Gamble's body. This time, however, the creature has now transported itself down to Skygowan to control the alien species that inhabits the world.....oh ya he makes them gouge out their eyes. We see Spock and Kirk mind meld in order to "sync" close enough to fire phasers to open the door back to Vadia IX. We also get an "Inner Light" type sequence between Batel and Pike, amongst other memorable or forgettable moments (depending on how you look at it). We certainly had some very strong thoughts on how the season ended.

Episode 9 of season 3 gives us a Lt Erica Ortegas forward episode as we see her volunteer for a solo mission in a striped down shuttle to fly around and study the affects of the strange phenomenon in the region....because that makes complete sense, right? Good thing Erica is mechanically inclined because she will need those skills after she is pulled into a wormhole that appears out of nowhere and sucks her close to gas giant somewhere else in space, stranding her on a small lifeless moon.....or is it lifeless? She runs into an unexpected fellow crashed pilot and what ensues is both funny and dramatic. Certainly a wonderfully written episode that has us loving Erica Ortegas even more!

Episode 8 of Strange New Worlds brings us back to another light hearted episode with four of the crew (Pike, Uhura, Chapel and La'an) turning into full fledged Vulcans. Oh ya and the half Vulcan....Spock! There's just one problem...Pike, Uhura, Chapel and La'an don't want to turn back to themselves. What ensues is oddity, hilarity, and any many eyebrow raising moments that will make you go...."Fascinating".