Commentary: Trek Stars: The Work Of Star Trek Creators Outside Of Star Trek

Hurley, Part 4: Recap.   Very few people have had a chance to talk to Maurice Hurley about his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of them is Ben Robinson, the project manager for Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John are joined by Ben to take a closer look at Hurley's work on Star Trek. We discuss How Hurley became the showrunner during Season One, what fell apart in Season Two, and his plans for the Borg were. We also recap our look at Hurley's last two movies, The Proposal and Groom Lake    Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 30 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Guest Ben Robinson   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapte

Hurley, Part 3: Groom Lake.   In 2002, Maurice Hurley teamed with director William Shatner to write the alien encounter movie, Groom Lake. The picture is about a dying woman, played by Amy Acker, who travels to an area famous for UFO sightings in an attempt to assure herself that there is more to the universe than life on Earth. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike discuss Hurley's final movie. We also touch on his television career, including Miami Vice. And in news, we take a look at the production team assembled by Justin Lin to make Star Trek Beyond.   Running Time: 1 hour 6 minutes 6 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapters Groom Lak

Hurley, Part 2: The Proposal.   In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John look at our first Maurice Hurley film, The Proposal. Directed by Richard Gale, the film stars Nick Moran and Jennifer Esposito as two cops who must pose undercover as husband and wife. We discuss the budgetary restrictions, the quality of the other filmmaking elements, and how the script is representative of Hurley's other work. We also chat about the release of William Shatner's new documentary, Chaos on the Bridge, and the casting of Idris Elba in Star Trek Beyond.   Running Time: 56 minutes 40 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapters Chaos on the Bridge (00:01:06) Voicemail (00:14:38) The Prop

Hurley, Part 1: Trek.   Of all the contributors to Star Trek: The Next Generation's creation, none are as overlooked as Maurice Hurley. The writer and co-executive producer served and showrunner for the first two seasons of the series, helping to shape it into the show we know and love. And along the way, he also created the Borg. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin a new series looking at Hurley's work as a screenwriter. For the first part of the series, they are joined by the author of The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, to break down Hurley's work on Star Trek. We discuss the behind-the-scenes climate of Season One, Hurley's contributions to the mythology, and his unused treatment for the film that would become Star Trek Generations. We also wonder when William Shatner's documentary, Chaos on the Bridge, will finally be released (spoilers, it came out this week).   Running Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 13 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Guest La

Lindelof, Part 7: Tomorrowland.   Some movies are based on books. Others, on comics. One or two (or twelve) draw their inspiration from television shows. And every so often, there's a movie adaption of a theme park. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John are joined by Darren of Earl Grey to discuss Tomorrowland, the new film co-written by Damon Lindelof. We discuss the movie on the whole, the writing in particular, and how the movie fits into Lindelof filmography. We also remember James Horner.   Running Time: 1 hour 2 minutes 48 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Guest Darren Moser   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapters Tomorrowland (00:06:43) The Writing (00:20:43) Lindelof's Filmography (00:34

Bennett, Part 6: Recap.   Harve Bennett's career as a television series creator spanned 30 years, from 1968 to 1998. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike recap our look at five of Bennett's shows, including The Mod Squad, The Invisible Man, Time Trax, and Invasion America. We also discuss a George Takei movie we never knew existed.   Running Time: 53 minutes 37 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan  Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapters The Mod Squad (00:01:30) The Invisible Man (00:07:02) Time Trax (00:15:11) Invasion America (00:27:57) The Young Divorcees (00:34:03)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm  Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm  Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm  Contact

Bennett, Part 5: Invasion America.   Thirty years after the premiere of his first television series, Harve Bennett's last television series was released. Invasion America was a primetime animated series about a high school boy who finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic civil war. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Bennett's final series. We discuss his ability to adapt to the times, the bold nature of serialized cartoons, and his collaboration with TNG writer Michael Reaves. We also ponder the extent of Steven Spielberg's involvement with the show.   Running Time: 55 minutes 46 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Cha

Bennett, Part 4: Time Trax.   In the 1980s, Harve Bennett jumped to the big screen to write and produce Star Trek. After his run had ended, Bennett returned to television to create a new science fiction series, Time Trax. The show is about a police officer from the year 2193 who travels back in time to 1993 in an effort to catch future criminals hiding in the past. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike take a look at Bennett's fourth series. We discuss the television landscape at the time, the similarities to Quantum Leap, and the questionable use of CGI. We also learn who David McCallum is.   Running Time: 54 minutes 18 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager

Bennett, Part 3: The Invisible Man.   In 1975, Harve Bennett teamed with another future television legend, Steven Bochco, to create his second television show, The Invisible Man. Based on the book by H.G. Wells, the series was a modern retelling of the sci-fi classic, about a scientist who accidentally turns himself invisible. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Bennett's second series. We discuss    Running Time: 44 minutes 24 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Executive Producers Norman C. Lao, Matthew Rushing, and C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or higher! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Manager Will Nguyen   Chapters The Invisible Man (00:08:18) Changes to the series (00:21:30) Final Thoughts (00:31:44)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm  Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm  Voicemail: h

Bennett, Part 2: The Mod Squad.   As Star Trek was entering its final season in 1968, another soon-to-be iconic series was just beginning. The Mod Squad, creator Harve Bennett's first television series, told the story of three young undercover police officers who were used to infiltrate criminal activity in an ever-changing world. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike take a look at The Mod Squad. We discuss the similarities and differences to other police shows at the time, how it reflected the changing television landscape, and the thematic parallels to Star Trek. We also try to figure out what's going on in the opening title sequence.   Running Time: 38 minutes 34 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapter

Bennett, Part 1: Trek.   On February 25th, 2015, the Star Trek family lost one of its most significant members, Harve Bennett. Bennett is largely responsible for revitalizing the Star Trek film franchise after the creative and financial missteps of The Motion Picture. It is impossible to imagine what Star Trek would look like today, had it not been for the work of Harve Bennett. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John begin a new series on Bennett, looking the television shows he created over a career spanning three decades. In the first part of our series, we examine his work on Star Trek, looking at all of the movies he produced and wrote, including The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, and The Final Frontier. We also remember Grace Lee Whitney.   Running Time: 49 minutes 28 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills     Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Tr

James Kahn.   In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike are joined by their very special guest, Star Trek: Voyager writer/producer James Kahn. We discuss Kahn's work on Voyager episodes such as "Critical Care" and "Lineage", as well as his Next Generation episode, "The Masterpiece Society". We also discuss Kahn's non-Trek work, including books such as The New World Trilogy, novelizations of films like Poltergeist and Return of the Jedi, and television shows, including Melrose Place and All My Children. We also find out about his upcoming film, Wrongside Bob.   Running Time: 55 minutes 54 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Guest James Kahn   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Breaking In (00:01:48) The New World Trilogy (00:07:13) Noveliza

Nimoy, Part 5: Recap.   Leonard Nimoy had an extremely diverse career. He was photographer, a writer, a director, a producer, and even a singer. But of course, he was best known as an actor. Specifically, a television star. In the fifth season finale of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John recap their series on Nimoy's work as a television actor. We look at each of the shows he starred in, including Star Trek (TOS), Mission: Impossible, Star Trek (TAS), In Search of…, and Ancient Mysteries. We also remember the writer of "Court Martial," Don Mankiewicz   Running Time: 36 minutes 58 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Fiction (00:01:12) Non-Fiction (00:14:25) Wrap-up (00:23:35)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm 

Nimoy, Part 4: Ancient Mysteries.   More than a decade after the end of In Search of…, Leonard Nimoy returned to the world of television show hosting with a very similar series, Ancient Mysteries. This show also focused on topics such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Atlantis, but with a modern-day 1990s slant. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Max, John and Mike take a look at Leonard Nimoy's fifth television series. We discuss the similarities to In Search of…, the subtle differences in Nimoy's performance, and some of the reasons why Nimoy may have agreed to do such a show once again. We also read some listener mail and contemplate the supposed title of the new Star Trek movie   Running Time: 1 hour 56 seconds   Hosts Max Hegel, John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.

Nimoy, Part 3: In Search of....   In addition to his work as an actor, Leonard Nimoy has also hosted two television shows. The first of which was In Search of…. The pseudo-documentary series looked at unexplained phenomena throughout history, touching on everything from UFO cover-ups and the Loch Ness Monster to Marilyn Monroe and Lee Harvey Oswald. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike take a look Nimoy's fourth television series. We discuss our nostalgic fondness for the show, the influence that it had on the television of the 80s and 90s, and speculate on why Nimoy chose to work on it. We also look at the recent additions to the crew of STAR TR3K.   Running Time: 45 minutes 28 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/tre

Nimoy, Part 2: Mission: Impossible.   When Star Trek was cancelled in 1969, Leonard Nimoy wasted no time jumping onto another television series. The very next season, he joined the cast of another Desilu production, Mission: Impossible as Paris, a master of disguise.  In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John look at Nimoy's second starring television role. We discuss Mission: Impossible as a series, why it was a perfect fit Nimoy after Star Trek, how the movies stack up to the show, and the series' life-long connection to Star Trek. We also explain why Ant-Man should be the more anticipated than The Avengers: Age of Ultron.    Running Time: 1 hour 6 minutes 16 seconds   Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Mission:

Nimoy, Part 1: Trek. Few people have contributed more to Star Trek than Leonard Nimoy. As an actor, he co-created the character of Spock as we know him. And as a director, he made the first Star Trek film which crossed over into the main stream. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin a new series which examines Nimoy's career as a television star, in which we will look at his work on  Mission: Impossible, In Search of... and Ancient Mysteries. In the first part of the series, we look at Nimoy's work on Star Trek, looking at his contribution to the series as both an actor and a director. We also piece together the 50 Cent Cinematic Universe.   Running Time: 45 minutes 37 seconds   Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm  

Shatner, Part 7: Recap. Many people have played themselves in movies. Cecil B. DeMille in Sunset Blvd. Will Smith in Jersey Girl. 65 different people in The Player. But no one has built a fictional mythology for their on-screen alter ego quite like William Shatner. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Max, John and Mike recap their series on William Shatner, looking at each film in which he plays himself, including Free Enterprise, Festival in Cannes, Showtime, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Fanboys. We also listen to some voicemail.   Running Time: 53 minutes 32 seconds   Hosts Max Hegel, John Mills and Mike Schindler   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Free Enterprise (00:01:31) Festival in Cannes (00:08:00) Showtime (00:13:21) Dodgeball (00:16:49) F

Shatner, Part 6: Fanboys.   Many Trek.fm listeners may not know this, but there is another science fiction franchise which has gained a decent amount of popularity over the years. It's known as "Star Wars." The plot is insignificant. Basically, think Star Trek with magic.  Regardless, from 1977 to 1983, three films were made as part of something which is now referred to as the "Original Trilogy." Then, the franchise disappeared for 16 years, before finally returning in 1999 with the first film in the "Prequel Trilogy." During those 16 years, a small but devoted group of fans eagerly anticipated the return of their beloved space opera. These fans are the subject of this episode's movie, Fanboys. In the film, four lifelong Star Wars fans travel across country to break into Skywalker Ranch and steal a print of Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace before it's released. Along the way, they are helped by many people, including William Shatner. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max take a look

Shatner, Part 5: Dodgeball.   In 2004, William Shatner returned to the big screen for the fourth as himself in Rawson Marshall Thurber's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The film stars Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller as competing gym owners who face off in the Dodgeball World Championship. In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John, Mike and Max look at Shatner's portrayal of himself as the Dodgeball Chancellor. We discuss the merits of the film's comedy, Shatner's performance, and whether or not this technically counts as an entry into the Shatner Cinematic Universe. We also remember Star Trek movie producer Harve Bennett.   Running Time: 53 minutes 31 seconds   Hosts John Mills, Mike Schindler and Max Hegel   Editor and Producer Mike Schindler   Production Manager Richard Marquez   Content Coordinator Will Nguyen   Associate Producer Become one! Support Trek.fm and Commentary: Trek Stars at the $25/month level or plus! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Dodgeball (00:01: