The Ready Room: A Star Trek Podcast

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3
When Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered as a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, many fans were over the moon with the return to episodic televisions with tie-ins to The Original Series. For a time, it felt as if Trek's golden age was back. But as the series evolved, the producers and writers began to see it as a playground for experimental storytelling within the Roddenberry framework.
In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek look back at Season 3 and ask how well the limited 10-episode canvas was used and how the writers' strike impacted the quality of the stories and continuity of the stories as we examine each episode one by one.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Initial Thoughts (00:01:16)
The Writers' Strike (00:10:42)
There Are Ten Slots (00:16:08)
Writing for a Wrap-up? (00:27:57)
"Hegemony, Part 2" (00:31:27)
"Wedding Bell Blues" (00:39:01)
"Shuttle to Kenfori" (00:52:42)
"A Space Adventure Hour" (00:57:58)
"Through the Lens of Time" (01:10:19)
"The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail" (01:23:11)
"What Is Starfleet?" (01:31:39)
"Four-and-a-Half Vulcans" (01:36:45)
"Terrarium" (01:48:06)
"New Life and New Civilizations" (01:54:46)
Final Thoughts (02:06:50)
Closing (02:19:21)  
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

The State of Star Trek 2022
We long called the 1990s the golden age of Star Trek. From 1993 to 1999, two series overlapped one another on the airwaves and, once The Next Generation left the small screen, we even got doses of three incarnations of Gene Roddenberry's vision from time to time. But it all came to an abrupt end in May 2005, with the final episode of Enterprise. J.J. Abrams would later step in and tease us through the fallow years until the battle among streaming services offered a financial incentive to dust off intellectual property and Discovery came along. And now, there is more Star Trek than ever. A new golden age is upon us.
In this episode of The Ready Room, recorded as we end an unprecedented 48 consecutive weeks of new Star Trek content, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek take a look at the state of the franchise in 2022. We discuss each of the "modern" series—Strange New Worlds, Picard, Prodigy, Lower Decks, and Discovery—dig into the fan split over old and new, and imagine what new series might be on the horizon. We also debate the pros and cons of the streaming model for storytelling and talk about how Star Trek and Star Wars are pushing each other forward.
Chapters
Intro (0:00:00)
The Mood at SDCC (00:05:13)
Resurgent Franchise(s) (00:14:17)
Pros and Cons of Streaming (00:20:34)
The Modern/Classic Trek Division (00:26:50)
Strange New Worlds (00:34:26)
Picard (00:59:37)
Potential Future Series (01:14:00)
Lower Decks (01:24:41)
Prodigy (01:34:19)
Discovery (01:50:37)
Closing (02:04:26)
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Star Trek: Lower Decks after two seasons.
When it was announced that a Star Trek comedy was being developed—and that it would be animated—the news was met with a bit more trepidation than usual. Could Star Trek and comedy really mix? Was Rick and Morty-style humor really appropriate for Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future?
In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek take a broad look back at the first two seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks and discuss how the series has connected with fans, why it has won over many early skeptics, and how it serves as a brilliant love letter to the franchise. Along the way we touch on many topics, including how the writing has matured, finding the perfect balance in storytelling, sprinkling in guest stars, selling commemorative plates, and adding texture to the universe. We also ask whether some moments are a rebuke of modern Star Trek.
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Marking our 10th anniversary.
Many people say that time flies. Doctor Tolian Soran said that time is the fire in which we burn. Whichever you subscribe to, time moves forward and people—as well as their views—change. On May 31, 2011, we aired the first episode of The Ready Room. What began as a singular podcast hosted by two hew-mons—C Bryan Jones and Greg Harbin—evolved into the Trek.fm network and more than 30 shows.
In this episode of The Ready Room, airing on the 10th anniversary of the premiere, C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek,—who first appeared on the show in episode 2 during a segment about his documentary The Con of Wrath and then made his first full-length appearance in episode 19 to discuss the Star Trek pendulum—mark a decade of discussion by returning to the key topics of those early podcasts from 2011. We deep-dive into Star Trek's return to television—and how the prospects and probable format seemed in 2011 vs. what we actually got—as well as which way the fan pendulum is swinging today. We also talk about screen vs. visual canon, whether Star Trek is an historical piece, dealing with toxic fandom, the status of The Con of Wrath, and more.
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)

Adil Hussain interview.
We've all lived through extraordinary times over the past year, and we're still trying to find our way back to the world we remember. The same can be said for Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery after their jump from the 23rd to the 32nd century. In both cases, catastrophe turned life upside down. But when Burnham finally came in contact with remnants of the Federation she had left behind, she met a man of extraordinary patience, Aditya Sahil, who embodied all the ideals of Starfleet and Gene Roddenberry's vision.
In this episode of The Ready Room, hosts C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek are joined by the man who portrayed Sahil—Adil Hussain—for a somewhat different episode as we take a look at a real-world crisis and how we can help those in need. Adil joins us from his home in New Delhi to talk about the Covid-19 situation in India, the art of acting and what inspired his portrayal of Sahil, as well as Star Trek and entertainment as a coping mechanism during difficult times. He also shares thoughts on how we might reach that more prosperous future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Covid Situation in India (00:03:34)
How You Can Help (00:16:28)
Patience (00:23:38)
Entertainment as Remedy (00:40:17)
Shooting the Discovery Scenes (00:47:38)
Creating Sahil's Backstory (01:02:13)
Finding Adil (01:09:17)
Closing (01:21:21)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Larry Nemecek

Guests
Adil Hussain

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer)