Supplemental – Live From WonderCon: ‘Star Trek at 60: Starfleet Academy: Real Uniter or Faux Divider?’ Hosted By Larry Nemecek
All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com PodcastShow Notes
This week, we have a special supplemental podcast recorded live at WonderCon last weekend in Anaheim (so forgive the suboptimal audio). Our friend TrekLand’s Larry Nemecek was hosting a panel with a variety of podcasters and Star Trek superfans as participants, including our own Anthony Pascale. The panel was originally going to cover the online debates surrounding Starfleet Academy, but the show not getting picked up for a third season pivoted things. Here is the official description from the WonderCon schedule. Star Trek at 60: Starfleet Academy: Real Uniter or Faux Divider? Is it 2017 again? Star Trek turns 60 with a host of anniversary plans, but Starfleet Academy has bowed with more controversy than any recent series since Star Trek: Discovery’s heated first year. With SFA’s first season wrapped, “Dr. Trek” Larry Nemecek (The Trek Files, Portal 47) asks a host of Trek industry vets for their own takes on the series as well as the meta-reaction to it: Is that initial negative reaction by some critics and fans more about clickbait-chasing talkers and review-bombing than actual criticism and nuance? an we sense whether IRL armchair Trekkies feel as mainstream critics and activist fans do—in support? Panelists included Neal Hallford (DP, Con of Wrath), Matt Jennings (1701: A Blerd Story), Tony Kim (Hero Within), Giraffe (Strange New Pod), and Anthony Pascale (TrekMovie).
More from All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast
Anthony and Laurie round up the latest news from New York Comic Con and beyond. This week’s topics include a new detective show from Scott Bakula and Mike Sussman, details on the scrapped Doctor Who crossover with Strange New Worlds, insights from Terry Matalas on Picard and Legacy, plus the fresh news from New York Comic Con about Starfleet Academy. They also talk about seeing Ben Stiller interview William Shatner after the Academy panel, and round up all the fun tidbits from their latest round of interviews at The 60-Year Misson documentary premiere.
Anthony and Laurie are joined by the Shuttle Pod‘s Brian Drew in a lively discussion about all the latest Trek news, starting with the interview Tony did with Terry Matalas about Star Trek’s future. They discuss the latest comments from the guys writing the next (possible) Star Trek movie, Star Trek getting the very first Franchise of the Year award from the Broadcast+Cable Hall of Fame, Strange New Worlds season 4 ratings, and the new Con of Wrath doc coming from Larry Nemecek and The Nacelle Company. They do a preview of New York Comic Con and talk about The 60-Year Mission documentary, which opens this week. Then they dig into their main topic: the recent merger of Paramount and Warner Bros, now officially called Skydance, looking at it from all angles: business, creative, and to some degree, political.
Anthony and Laurie talk to Strange New Worlds‘ producing director Chris Fisher about his work directing the show’s season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” as well as his work on other episodes, his thoughts about Star Trek’s future, and his experience in virtual production (and not AI), where he’s become an expert. The Producer’s Guide to Virtual Production by Chris Fisher
Anthony and Laurie sort through the latest on the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger after hearing that the antitrust suit has been settled and talk about what that could mean for Star Trek, as well as the unfulfilled plan of SNW producers to get William Shatner on the show. Then it’s time to talk about Strange New Worlds‘ season 4 finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise,” with heaps of praise for Celia Rose Gooding’s performance as two different Uhuras. They wrap up with William Shatner going metal in a Billboard interview and some fascinating facts about late TOS guest star Leslie Parrish. Keep an eye (ear) out this weekend for our in-depth interview with “Tomorrow’s Enterprise” director (and SNW producing director) Chris Fisher.
[Review starts at 9:45] Bob Cesca of the Trek Politics podcast joins Anthony and Laurie this week to review Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ season 4 penultimate episode, “Once La’An a Time.”