The Unofficial Trek Podcast

Nichelle Nichols - Ep 24

This week we want to celebrate the life of a person whose impact was much bigger than just her role on Star Trek. We’re talking, of course, about Nichelle Nichols and her recent passing. She played Lt. Uhura. A female, African American officer who was stationed on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In the 1960s, African American characters did not have prominent positions of authority. So Lt. Uhura, a woman as well, was a special character.  Nichelle was not only a ground breaking, African American actor, though. She was also a ground breaking for all women. Lt. Uhura was a strong Starfleet officer on a TV show when most women were not encouraged to have careers. While her character was strong, she was also very feminin. Nichelle's take on the character was something TV audiences had never seen before.  In the end, Nichelle's work on Star Trek showed minorities that more was possible for their own lives. Nichelle's life after Star Trek was also notable. In the 1970s, she landed a job with NASA, helping to recruit women and minorities to the organization. Some 8,000 applied to NASA, including Sally Ride and Guion Bluford, the first African american astronaut. Co-hosts Kelly Casto and Bob Turner share their candid thoughts on the life of Nichelle Nichols.

Assignment Earth - Ep 23

It's nostalgic when contemporary Star Trek producers touch on characters and ideas first presented in The Original Series. And that’s what’s happening in Star Trek Picard Season Two. The character Tallin is an agent from an advanced civilization, the same group that placed Gary seven on Earth in 1968.  It’s a nice way to tie in The Original Series episode, Assignment Earth. This week, co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about that show and its various iterations. It was first presented back in 1968. *** In The Unofficial Trek Podcast, hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give their "Unofficial" take on the Star Trek universe.  From 2019 through 2019, Bob and Kelly hosted the show 70s Trek. It was a look at the events that brought a cancelled, 1960s TV show back from the dead to become a blockbuster movie in 1979. It was a decade that created a multi-million dollar franchise. Now Bob and Kelly will look at the minutia, the concepts, the people and the news pertaining to the Star Trek Universe. It's a fascinating time for Star Trek, with a flood of content about it on the internet. Bob and Kelly will give their "Unofficial" take. Why unofficial? Because their views are just that, they are theirs and are, therefore, "unofficial." It's a fresh look at Star Trek from two lifelong fans who have been talking Trek for over 35 years! We hope you'll join Bob and Kelly for their next venture, The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Visit us at these sites: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek [https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek] TuneIn:  https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/ [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/] Stitcher:  https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast [https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IrNzaWSzKyf1T7b4ngZX2 Website: https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/ [https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/]

Composer Jerry Goldsmith - Ep 22

With the recent release of Star Trek The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition on 4K Ultra HD, we thought it might be fun to take a look at one of the film's major contributors. that would be composer Jerry Goldsmith. His work on Star Trek The Motion Picture created the musical template for the franchise for the next 26 years. Goldsmith re-imagined what Star Trek music could be in 1979.  He created a score unlike anything that had come before. This week, co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto talk about this award-winning composer who made a lasting impact on the franchise. His legacy is secure. Goldsmith set the standard, and in deed the template, for what Star Trek music would be moving forward. Even if he didn’t work on it, every movie and TV show that followed through 2005 all had his influence. They were the same musically. And it’s all because of the work Jerry Goldsmith did for The Motion Picture. *** In The Unofficial Trek Podcast, hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give their "Unofficial" take on the Star Trek universe.  From 2019 through 2019, Bob and Kelly hosted the show 70s Trek. It was a look at the events that brought a cancelled, 1960s TV show back from the dead to become a blockbuster movie in 1979. It was a decade that created a multi-million dollar franchise. Now Bob and Kelly will look at the minutia, the concepts, the people and the news pertaining to the Star Trek Universe. It's a fascinating time for Star Trek, with a flood of content about it on the internet. Bob and Kelly will give their "Unofficial" take. Why unofficial? Because their views are just that, they are theirs and are, therefore, "unofficial." It's a fresh look at Star Trek from two lifelong fans who have been talking Trek for over 35 years! We hope you'll join Bob and Kelly for their next venture, The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Visit us at these sites: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek [https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek] TuneIn:  https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/ [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/] Stitcher:  https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast [https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IrNzaWSzKyf1T7b4ngZX2 Website: https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/ [https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/]

Ronald D. Moore - Ep 21

This week, we take an “unofficial” look at one of the most prolific, and profound, writers in all of Star Trek, Ronald D. Moore. Co-hosts Kelly Casto and Bob Turner talk about the Star Trek writer and producer in this week;'s episode of The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Of course, Ronald D. Moore is not to be confused with Star Trek visual effects supervisor Ronald B. Moore. Ron had a unique journey to Star Trek. He was a fan who wanted to write for the show. He got his break by passing along a script to a tour guide during a Star Trek set tour. It finally reached Michael Piller who bought the script. From there, Ron was invited to write another and was soon hired as a staff writer for the show. He was part of the new team that reshaped The Next Generation on its third season. Ron had a great impact on not only that show, but the entire franchise during the Berman Era. From 1991 to 1999, Ronald D. Moore wrote or produced 207 episodes in three Star Trek shows. It's an impressive feat when you consider that this was Ron's first professional job and he was just 27 when he was hired in 1991! *** In The Unofficial Trek Podcast, hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give their "Unofficial" take on the Star Trek universe.  From 2019 through 2019, Bob and Kelly hosted the show 70s Trek. It was a look at the events that brought a cancelled, 1960s TV show back from the dead to become a blockbuster movie in 1979. It was a decade that created a multi-million dollar franchise. Now Bob and Kelly will look at the minutia, the concepts, the people and the news pertaining to the Star Trek Universe. It's a fascinating time for Star Trek, with a flood of content about it on the internet. Bob and Kelly will give their "Unofficial" take. Why unofficial? Because their views are just that, they are theirs and are, therefore, "unofficial." It's a fresh look at Star Trek from two lifelong fans who have been talking Trek for over 35 years! We hope you'll join Bob and Kelly for their next venture, The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Visit us at these sites: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek [https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek] TuneIn:  https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/ [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/] Stitcher:  https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast [https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IrNzaWSzKyf1T7b4ngZX2 Website: https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/ [https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/]

TMP in Ultra HD - Ep 20

The release of the 4K, Ultra HD version of Star Trek The Motion Picture, The Director’s Edition, is big news. Fianlly fans can see the film the way director Robert Wise intended. Star Trek The Motion Picture was originally released in theaters in 1979. It culminated ten years of hard work, false starts and frustrations. The movie ran 132 minutes and it brought live action Star Trek back. But because of problems during production, the film was little more that a rough-cut. The version we saw in theaters was never intended to be the final edit. But because of marketing commitments, director Robert Wise ran out of time. Flash forward to 2001. Paramount agreed to let Wise and his team re-edit the folm so it would be closer to his original vision. The result was Star Trek The Motion Picture, The Director's Edition. The team tightened the editing and inserted new, updated CGI special effects. However, this version of the film was only released in standard definition on DVD. Blu Ray had not yet been invented. So fans never got to see this verison of the film in high definition. Until now. Members of Wise's 2001 team have gotten access to the Paramount vaults and have gone back to the orignal camera negatives to restore The Director's Edition in 4K Ultra HD. Theyhave also updated the special effects, bringing them up to 4K, as well. The result is a stunning film with more color, detail and dynamic sound. *** In The Unofficial Trek Podcast, hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto give their "Unofficial" take on the Star Trek universe.  From 2019 through 2019, Bob and Kelly hosted the show 70s Trek. It was a look at the events that brought a cancelled, 1960s TV show back from the dead to become a blockbuster movie in 1979. It was a decade that created a multi-million dollar franchise. Now Bob and Kelly will look at the minutia, the concepts, the people and the news pertaining to the Star Trek Universe. It's a fascinating time for Star Trek, with a flood of content about it on the internet. Bob and Kelly will give their "Unofficial" take. Why unofficial? Because their views are just that, they are theirs and are, therefore, "unofficial." It's a fresh look at Star Trek from two lifelong fans who have been talking Trek for over 35 years! We hope you'll join Bob and Kelly for their next venture, The Unofficial Trek Podcast. Visit us at these sites: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek [https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialTrek] TuneIn:  https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/ [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Fantasy--Science-Fiction-Podcasts/The-Unofficial-Trek-Podcast-p1546279/] Stitcher:  https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast [https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-unofficial-trek-podcast] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IrNzaWSzKyf1T7b4ngZX2 Website: https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/ [https://theunofficialstartrekpodcast.libsyn.com/]