Star Trek Podcast | Standard Orbit - The Original Series | Trek.fm

Hal Sutherland and The Animated Series. Classic Trek lost another creator recently, this time Animated Series director Hal Sutherland. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew discuss Mr. Sutherland and his contribution to Star Trek, while trying to unravel the twisty time of the best episode of The Animated Series, “Yesteryear.” Plus, find out why the McCoy in the movies may be a completely different person than the one in TOS!

Khan-mentary 1: Space Seed Commentary. Of all of the villains in the Star Trek universe, none is more well-known than Khan. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are joined by Khan expert John Tenuto for the first in a series of commentaries we're calling “Khan-mentaries.” The series focuses on Khan's appearances, starting with the classic episode "Space Seed.” Find out all about how Khan came to be, how he changed in drafts, and how he shaped up to be the villain we all know and love to hate.

Marc Cushman on Season Two. A lot happened behind the scenes of the second season of The Original Series. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are joined by Marc Cushman, author of These Are The Voyages, to discuss some of the topics that are going to be covered in Marc's second book in his Star Trek series. Find out how Lucille Ball lost her studio, why NBC tried to kill the show, and who really wrote all your favorite episodes.

Pitching a Piece of the Action Movie. Ready or not, another Star Trek movie is coming. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are once again joined by Max from Commentary: Trek Stars as we set up a writer's room to discuss how "A Piece Of The Action" might make for a great movie. Hear ridiculous crossover suggestions, then settle in as we break down how the third Abramsverse movie might redeem the whole thing.

A Piece of the Action Commentary. Everyone loves a good gangster story. What better way to show your love than to have your television characters find a planet full of them?! In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are joined by Mike's partner in commentary-crime, Max, for a commentary of “A Piece Of The Action.” They discuss Chicago, how a planet comprised of nothing but gangsters would work, and what might have happened had the Horizon left behind a copy of the original Star Wars trilogy instead. In the closing, they read some correspondence and a joke contributed by a listener!

Janice Rand. From the very beginning, there were big plans for Kirk's yeoman. Unfortunately, few of them came to be. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew discuss Janice Rand, why she was awesome, how she could have been more awesome, and how she continued to be awesome even after she left the show. Also, find out how Janice was a physical manifestation of the crew and how that affected her relationship with Kirk.

Romulans in TOS. What happens when you put Romans in space? They become Romulans! In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew uncloak what the Romulans were up to in and before The Original Series, and how racism is apparently still a problem in the 23rd century. Plus, don't miss the listener mail during the closing, in which Kirk faces The Borg and jokes are attempted by the crew!

Star Trek Generations with Earl Grey. The producers of the first Next Generation movie were told they needed some Original Series to help out, so the crews of Earl Grey and Standard Orbit decided they needed to do the same. In Part I, the combined crews take a look at Star Trek Generations from a TOS point of view, discussing champagne bottles, Kirk's real dreams, and why TNG didn't really need Kirk to pass the torch. Part II will be installed on Tuesday on Earl Grey!

The Unmade Starfleet Academy Movie. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a great movie, however it wasn't the only option for the 25th anniversary film. One of the options considered would have been a prequel to The Original Series that took place while the characters were together in the Academy. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew discuss the outline of the Starfleet Academy movie, compare it to Star Trek (2009), and wonder if it might have been better than the existing Star Trek VI.

Rewriting Season One with Marc Cushman. The first season of The Original Series is a great piece of television history. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew talk with Marc Cushman, author of the new book These Are The Voyages, about which episode of Season One the producers were most proud of and a couple of episodes that fell apart in rewrites. Find out what you missed from the first drafts of some of your less favorite episodes.

The Trouble with Tribbles Commentary. Everyone loves tribbles. We love tribbles. You love tribbles. Uhura and Chekov love tribbles. Bones loves tribbles. Spock loves tribbles (even if he won't admit it). Kirk loves tribbles (but not too much). Sulu would've loved tribbles (if he had been in this week's episode). And Scotty loves tribbles (even if he is responsible for all of their deaths). In this episode of Standard Orbit, Drew and Mike provide and audio commentary for “The Trouble with Tribbles.” So grab your copy of the episode, sit back, relax, and strap it down!

Talking Spock with Dave Rossi. Mr. Spock may be one of the most intriguing characters in Star Trek. Two natures always battling. Logic vs emotion. What is that makes this character so special that pretty much all of the franchise is based on him? Mike and Drew are joined again by Dave Rossi (Visual Effects Producer for Star Trek Remastered) to talk Spock. Would the franchise have survived without Spock? Would Kirk? Was Spock's presence necessary in the latest movies? Plus, find out what Mike has engraved on his wedding band!

Dave Rossi on Star Trek Remastered. How do you spice up a 40-year-old TV show for the 21st century while still being respectful of the originals? In this double-length episode of Standard Orbit, Mike & Drew talk to Dave Rossi, visual effects producer for Star Trek Remastered, about how he got involved in the project, the challenges, the fears, and the rules they tried to follow.

Gene Roddenberry. There would be no Star Trek without its creator, Gene Roddenberry. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Drew and Mike take a look at the Great Bird of the Galaxy. We look at his work on The Original Series, how his vision of the future changed with The Next Generation, and what he would have thought of the Trek created after his death.

Kirk vs. Computers. One of Captain Kirk's many talents is his ability to talk computers into self-destructing. In this episode of Standard Orbit Mike and Drew take a look at three such instances. We discuss how he got a little help from Spock in “The Return of the Archons,” how he mastered the skill in “The Changeling,” and how he just got lucky in “The Ultimate Computer.” We also ponder whether or not Clint Eastwood is a Trekkie.