Trek Untold: The Star Trek Podcast That Goes Beyond The Stars!

Stunt performers are some of the most fascinating people in Hollywood to listen to, and our guest on this episode is no exception to the rule. Tom Morga first appeared in 1979 as a double for Leonard Nimoy in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and worked in nearly all of the TOS movies. From there, he joined the crew of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as a stunt performer and double, as well as assistant stunt coordinator alongside Dennis Madalone.

Tom worked on TNG, DS9, VOY, Enterprise, and the Nemesis film. He is the "most seen stunt performer" in all of Star Trek, playing nearly every alien you can name, and has taken punches and done falls with the best of them! If you check his Memory Alpha page, it literally says "Too many to list"!

In addition to Trek, we also discuss some of his other work in stunts on a resume with over 100 productions, including his time as Harold Ramis' stunt double in "Ghostbusters," working with Jackie Chan in his first feature film in the US, Gene Lebell and Rita Egleston stories, being part of an award-winning fight scene in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and working on the Academy Award-winning film "The Artist" from 2011, and much more.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Check out Lycia Naff's charity, Drive-By Do-Gooders, at this link here - https://www.drivebydogooders.org/

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

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The Benzites are one of my favorite aliens in Star Trek, and on this episode of “Trek Untold,” we speak with the man behind the makeup of the very first one ever seen onscreen, John Putch.

Putch was in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” twice, first as Mordock in the first season episode “Coming of Age” and returned as Mendon in “A Matter of Honor” in season two. We learn about the makeup process and origins of this alien and what it was like working with Wil Wheaton, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and others from TNG.

John was also in the opening scenes of the “Star Trek: Generations” movie as a journalist with a video camera running on his head. He was there for when William Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig boarded the Enterprise-B with Alan Ruck, and he has A LOT of Shatner stories to tell you about!

Plus, stories of his mother Jean Stapleton AKA Edith Bunker from “All in The Family” and growing up around Norman Lear, Bea Arthur, Sherman Hemsley, Bill Macy, and others, being on the original “One Day At A Time,” “Jaws 3-D”, his work today as a director for many well-known films and television shows, including tips on how to be a micro-budget filmmaker.

• Check out some of John’s work on his official website - Putchfilms.com
• Learn more about the Route 30 series of films here - Route30trilogy.com
• Check out the award-winning “Father and The Bear” - Fatherandthebear.com

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

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Dey Young, Actress from Star Trek TNG, DS9 & Enterprise

Trek fans will remember Dey Young best from her roles as Hannah Bates in the TNG episode "Masterpiece Society," Arissa from the DS9 episode "A Simple Investigation," and Keyla from ENT in "Two Days and Two Nights."

Dey tells us stories about working with Levar Burton, Rene Auberjonois, and Scott Bakula, what it's like to not only kiss a changeling but be the first character to sleep with Odo, and why Arissa is one of the highlights of her acting career. We also discuss the art that Dey makes today, which is sculpting beautiful works in bronze and marble.

Plus, stories from "Rock & Roll High School" with The Ramones, acting with William Shatner in "TJ Hooker" and again decades later in "Boston Legal," her infamous moment in "Pretty Woman" with Julia Roberts, and more!

Learn more about Dey's artwork by visiting her official site - http://www.deyyoungart.com/

Order Walker Brandt's book "Awaken: Discovering Yourself Through the Light of Your Innocence" from Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/32WsiCJ

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntold
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Without today's guest, the universe of Star Trek would sound very different. Marc Okrand is the man behind Klingon, Vulcan, Kelpien, and languages for other shows & films. 

Before his time on Trek, Marc earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in indigenous languages of the west coast of America, and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Anthropology Department of the Smithsonian Institute.

We learn about how Marc became connected to the Star Trek universe thanks to his work on TV during the early days of closed captioning, and what he contributed to the Vulcan language in "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" and the creation of the Klingon language in "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock". There, Marc worked directly with star & director Leonard Nimoy and Christopher Lloyd on-set to make sure the lines were correct.

Marc continued to expand on the Klingon language through the years, contributing to other Star Trek films & TV shows, and later created the Kelpien language for "Star Trek: Discovery." His work also includes the Atlantean language for the Disney animated film "Atlantis" and discusses the rumor that he was the inspiration for the main character Milo's look. He's also written a few books on speaking Klingon and is always figuring out new words and phrases for fans and shows alike!

We have an in-depth discussion on how a language is created and how to make a fictional one sound real. No stone is left unturned on this episode of "Trek Untold," so get ready for a lesson on linguistics and Star Trek like you've never heard before!

Check out some of Marc's books, our Amazon Affiliate links, which help us out at no extra cost to you!

• The Klingon Dictionary - https://amzn.to/33DLwh0

• Klingon for the Galactic Traveler - https://amzn.to/3oleQkn

Check out Lycia Naff's charity, Drive-By Do-Gooders, at this link here - https://www.drivebydogooders.org/

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntold
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/trekuntold
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Check Out Some of the Other Shows on the RAGE Works Network

• Call Me When It's Over: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/cmwio/
• Cheese! A Photography Podcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/capp/
• Black is the New Black: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/bitnb/
• The Variant Issue: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tvi/
• Turnbuckle Tabloid: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tbt/
• Toys & Tech of the Trade: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/ttott/
• The Eat 4 Life Podcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/eat4life/
• The Funkohub POPcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/funkohub-popcast/

Susan Diol's acting career spans dozens of TV shows and theatrical works, but Trekkies know her best as the Vidiian hematologist, Dr. Danara Pel, from two episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager" titled "Lifesigns" and "Resolutions." Before her time on Voyager, she appeared as a scientist named Carmen Davila on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in "Silicon Avatar." However, her character didn't make it past the opening act for reasons you'll understand when you watch the episode.

Susan was also one of the actresses initially considered for the role of Captain Janeway.

Throughout her career, Susan has worked with Andy griffin, Dick van Dyke, Megan Mullaly, John Larroquette, Candace Bergan, Jerry Seinfeld, and Mark Harmon, to name a few. She has performed on Broadway and in LA and worked with some legends in the theater.

We discuss her time on TNG and VOY, including her memories of Robert Picardo, wearing the heavy makeup and prosthetics to become a Vidiian with the Phage, and how some of her memorable scenes came together.

Sci-fi fans may also remember her on Quantum Leap, as she was part of an alternate ending for the series finale, which we spend some time reminiscing about, too, along with other roles.

Plus, acting onstage with Uta Hagen, Victor Garber, and John Cullum, stories of character actor Roy Brocksmith who Trekkies may remember from the TNG episode "Peak Performance," time with Chuck Norris while filming "Walker, Texas Ranger," her two-parter on "Night Court" where she almost married Richard Moll, and her date with Brent Spiner! Yes, we are spilling the tea!

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

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Trekkies may remember Tim as Lt. Daniel Kwan from the season 7 episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" titled "Eye of the Beholder," but he was also Vin Asunder in the "Star Trek Away Team" video game and has one more surprising Star Trek role that you have to hear about. We discuss the makeup process to become a Napien, behind the scenes stories of Jonathan Frakes and Gates McFadden, and other fond memories from filming the episode, and the reaction after.

Tim also tells us what it was like for an Asian-American actor trying to break into Hollywood in the early '90s, his time on the Hollywood Squares set while filming an episode of "The Nanny," memories of sharing the stage with Michael Forest AKA Apollo from the Star Trek TOS episode "Who Mourns Adonis?", working on "Bosch," "Saved By The Bell: The New Class" and "All-American Girl" with Margaret Cho - a story that involves Garrett Wang from "Star Trek: Voyager."

Plus, he explains why he left Hollywood for seven years and what made him decide to return and come back better than ever!

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the passing of Dustin Diamond, and we send our condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

Order Walker Brandt's book "Awaken: Discovering Yourself Through the Light of Your Innocence" from Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/32WsiCJ

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

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Trekkies will remember Billy Van Zandt from one memorable appearance in the Star Trek franchise, but you may know him better for his acclaimed work as a writer and producer for TV & theater, alongside his writing partner Jane Milmore.

Born in New Jersey, Billy headed to Hollywood to pursue an acting career inspired by Lucille Ball. Logically, his first stop was Lucille's home, and he has a story about that, as well as working with her and Gale Gordon on "Life with Lucy" and later producing an Emmy award-winning CBS TV special about her. He is also known for his roles in "Jaws 2" with Rob Scheider and "TAPS" with Tom Cruise, Sean Pen, and George C. Scott, which we spend some time chatting about today.

Billy stepped into the world of Trek in 1979 as the Rhaadarite in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and talks about being cast in the film, his thoughts on the new look of Trek and their uniforms, memories of the principal cast, and his extensive makeup process with Ve Neill to become this new type of alien.

We also discuss his TV writing career with Jane, which includes "Newhart," "Martin," "The Wayans Bros," "The Hughleys," "Daddy Dearest," "Suddenly Susan," and others. Billy has great stories of working with Martin Lawrence, Bob Newhart, Shawn & Marlon Wayans, Richard Lewis, and Don Rickles! Plus, his stage career with some of his notable plays like "You've Got Hate Mail!", "The Property Known as Garland" and "High School Reunion: The Musical."

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Jane Milmore, who passed away one year ago on this date.

Order Billy's autobiography "Get In The Car, Jane!" using our Amazon Affiliate link, which helps us at no extra cost to you - https://amzn.to/37wOHrI

Check out Billy's website - https://vanzandtmilmore.com/

Order Walker Brandt's book "Awaken: Discovering Yourself Through the Light of Your Innocence" from Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/32WsiCJ

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntold
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/trekuntold
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trekuntold

Check Out Some of the Other Shows on the RAGE Works Network

• Call Me When It's Over: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/cmwio/
• Cheese! A Photography Podcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/capp/
• Black is the New Black: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/bitnb/
• The Variant Issue: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tvi/
• Turnbuckle Tabloid: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tbt/
• Toys & Tech of the Trade: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/ttott/

Today, we're speaking with Steve Neill, who is known for his special effects work on "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," specifically making Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan ears and the makeup for the Rhaandarites. He also worked on some of the other Trek films, along with the pilot for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" titled "Encounter at Farpoint" for a scene that was ultimately unused.

Beyond Trek, Steve's worked on "Laser Blast," "Ghostbusters," "Fright Night," "The Stuff," "Return of Swamp Thing," "Puppet Master," and more. This includes a McDonald's commercial with a unique Star Trek connection, as Doug Jones was Mac Tonight, and Steve made the mask for him!

These days, Steve continues to make models and masks for himself and for fans to purchase, including a series of Star Trek TOS characters. He's gained recognition for his custom builds of enormous versions of the original Enterprise and a 1:1 scale replica of the original captain's chair. Learn all about this interesting SFX artist whose decades of knowledge and experience go hand in hand with his love of the craft.

You can check out Steve's pages below:

•  https://steveneills.art.blog/
•  https://vimeo.com/sngstudio
• https://shortstoriesbysteveneill.home.blog/
• https://sngaero.wordpress.com/
•  https://marycacciapaglia.wordpress.com

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a patron at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Pick up Armin Shimerman's new book "Illyria: Betrayal of Angels" from Amazon.com- https://buff.ly/35OYAAp

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntold
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/trekuntold
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Check Out Some of the Other Shows on the RAGE Works Network

• Call Me When It's Over: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/cmwio/
• Cheese! A Photography Podcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/capp/
• Black is the New Black: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/bitnb/
• The Variant Issue: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tvi/
• Turnbuckle Tabloid: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tbt/
• Toys & Tech of the Trade: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/ttott/

Jeff Russo has gone from rock bands in NYC to composing scores for Hollywood, and Trek fans will know him best for creating the music for "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard."

Before he started scoring soundtracks, Jeff was part of the Grammy-nominated band TONIC, whose music you can hear in "Scream 2" and "American Pie," and their music videos have millions of views on Youtube. His journey in music led him to score TV shows like "Fargo," "Lucifer," and "The Umbrella Academy," where he got to work with Gerard Way from "My Chemical Romance," as well as the world of Star Trek.

We talk about his experiences working on these shows, his philosophy on making music, creating the sounds of the Star Trek universe, working with Isa Briones on "Blue Skies," his fandom for Star Trek, and his reaction to what happens in "Star Trek: Picard," and how the COVID-19 Pandemic changed how TV shows were scored, especially during season 3 of Discovery.

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Check out some of Jeff's soundtracks using our Amazon Affiliate links, which help us out at no extra cost to you!

"Star Trek: Picard" season 1 soundtrack - https://amzn.to/2JxoZeK

"Star Trek: Discovery" season 1 soundtrack - https://amzn.to/3oixR6M

Star Trek: Discovery" season 2 soundtrack - https://amzn.to/3lxvYS3

"The Umbrella Academy" season 1 soundtrack - https://amzn.to/3lyzmfw

Check out Lycia Naff's charity, Drive-By Do-Gooders, at this link here - https://www.drivebydogooders.org/

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a patron at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntold
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/trekuntold
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trekuntold

Check Out Some of the Other Shows on the RAGE Works Network

• Call Me When It's Over: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/cmwio/
• Cheese! A Photography Podcast: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/capp/
• Black is the New Black: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/bitnb/
• The Variant Issue: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tvi/
• Turnbuckle Tabloid: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/tbt/
• Toys & Tech of the Trade: https://www.rageworksnetwork.com/show/ttott/

Stunts make the show, and on this episode, we dive deep into the world of action for Star Trek. We are joined by Dennis Madalone, the stunt coordinator for "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager."

Dennis first appeared in Star Trek 6 as a Klingon and eventually got a chance to work on TNG, leading him to become a stunt coordinator on the show, and eventually, most of the series during the '90s. We talk about how stunts and action scenes get put together, doubling for actors, the most dangerous stunt he ever did on Trek, the worst day on the job as a Jem'Hadar, who was the best at doing their own stunts, and more from his time in Trek.

Beyond star trek, Dennis has fallen off tall buildings or been hit by cars for shows and films like "The Greatest American Hero," where he doubled for William Katt, "Darkman," "The Guyver," "Army of Darkness," "Pulp Fiction," "The X-Files," and over a hundred other credited projects. We talk about a few of those today, as well as the time he launched Johnny Carson 20 feet in the air with explosions, and of course, we chat about that.

Plus, Dennis became mainstream for a bit thanks to a certain music video he made called "America, We Stand As One," but we will get to that a little later in our conversation, so make sure to listen all the way to the end.

Check out Lycia Naff's charity, Drive-By Do-Gooders, at this link here - https://www.drivebydogooders.org/

Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a patron at Patreon.com/TrekUntold.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!

Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.

The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.

Follow Trek Untold on Social Media

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