Ceti Alpha 3: A Star Trek Podcast

Spooky Trek EpisodesIt's October! Let the "spooky season" begin!The Star Trek franchise has its share of "bone-chilling, scream-inducing" stories. Well, some more than others. The trio goes through all the series to pick their Halloween recommendations. From "terrorising" TOS and TNG, to the horrors of DS9, VOY, and ENT, to the darkness of "into Darkness" and other 21st Century Trek, you'll be sure to fill up a list of Trek episodes for October 31st. Let us know any of your picks that didn't make our list!

Picard Character Review: Geordi La ForgeSeason three of "Star Trek: Picard" will return our favorite TNG-characters to the small screen. When did we first see them? How did they change in seven seasons of Next Gen? What about the movies and beyond? The trio will be examining the character arcs of each Enterprise-D crew member - starting with Geordi La Forge. How did this young lieutenant junior grade turn into the man we'll see again in season three of "Picard"?

Pitching Star Trek ToysThe Playmates line of Star Trek action figures and other playsets/ships/fan stuff was the height of Trek toys in the 1990s. This year Playmates has revived an initial small offering of Trek action figures, leading the trio to ask, "What Trek toys should be made for the current series?" Join us in the proverbial board room as we pitch what would work to capitalize, er, enhance fan enjoyment of "Discovery," "Prodigy," "Picard," "Lower Decks," and "Strange New Worlds." What did and didn't work with toys in the past? What does a new generation of fans (and old fans/collectors) want to see in the virtual toy aisle? Let us know what you would buy from our newly created selection.

Deep Space Nine's version of "Star Trek: Lower Decks"As the animated series "Lower Decks" continues its third season, the trio asks: What would be the Deep Space Nine version of a "Lower Decks"-type crew? We've seen examples of the other series in (titled appropriately enough) "Lower Decks" (TNG) and "Good Shepherd" (VOY), but what about everyone's favorite space station? We examine life on the "lower pylons" and what crew would populate the bottom rung of the Starfleet/Bajoran militia-led crew. From errant Ferengi to annoyed ensigns to inter-pylon rivalries, we populate a new DS9 animated series. What hijinx will our crew get up to? Tune into "Lower Pylons"!

A New Star Trek: The ExperienceFor Trek fans in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was a chance to experience our favorite franchise in person. From 1998 to 2008, "Star Trek: The Experience" lived at the Las Vegas Hilton, allowing visitors to walk through a Trek "museum", visit shops, and have drinks in a recreation of Deep Space Nine's promenade, including chatting with Ferengi, Borg, and other characters. The two main "rides" were "Klingon Encounter" and "Borg Invasion 4-D", where you could visit the bridge of the Enterprise-D or avoid Borg assimilation near the Delta Quadrant. In the 2020s, no such place exists, outside of the recreation of the TOS sets in Ticonderoga, NY. What would a "Star Trek: The Experience" look like today? How would we include the 21st Century Trek series? How do you balance 20th Century "legacy" Trek attractions with current/new series? How many sets do you build? What's realistic with a venue's budget? The trio pitches their new attraction for Trek fans - let us know what you wou

Creating a Trek "After Show"The concept of an "after show," a panel discussion following a specific episode, became popular during "The Walking Dead" with "The Talking Dead." The concept would continue in various genre shows, eventually culminating in the current era of Star Trek with first "After Trek" and then the "The Ready Room" on Paramount+. Does that format work? And how are they different from podcast episode reviews? The trio pitch separate formats for "after shows" for the current Trek shows "Discovery," "Lower Decks," "Picard," "Prodigy," and "Strange New Worlds." Do you enjoy after shows? What would you like to see for this type of behind the scenes discussion for Star Trek?

The Continuing Character of Nyota UhuraNichelle Nichols died in July 2022, leaving a legacy in both Star Trek and in the real world of space exploration. The documentary, "Woman in Motion," captures Nichols' legacy - which the trio explored previously in Ceti Alpha 3 - 222. In this episode, the trio examine the character of Uhura, from The Original Series, The Animated Series, the TOS-era movies, the Kelvin-verse movies, and the continuing adventures in "Strange New Worlds". How has this character evolved? What makes her so captivating? What does she stand for? How did her Starfleet career span? Join our discussion on the past and current role of the character of Uhura.

Best in Star Trek - Tournament Bracket, Part 2For the second time, the trio decides (for good!) who's the best character in Star Trek! This time, we debate and choose "the best" in two categories: Best first officer and best conn officer. Once again, the trio uses tournament brackets (aka March Madness) to winnow down the "best" characters by their jobs. We begin with an "elite eight" from across the entire Trek franchise - leading so some lopsided match-ups, some surprising upsets, and some real 50/50 decisions.​Let us know if you agree with our determinations - and find out who's the "best"!

Comic Con - Star Trek News The 2022 San Diego Comic Con brought us two Star Trek series trailers, as well as the announcement of the boldest crossover to ever take place in the franchise. The trio talks about what is coming up for Trek in 2022-23. "Star Trek: Lower Decks" launches its third season in August, with the promise of more comedy and adventure. The news of a "Lower Decks"/"Strange New Worlds" crossover allows us lots of speculation about how animation will get married into a live-action universe. And these three TNG fans examine how the first pictures of the ol' Enterprise-D crew in the third season of "Star Trek: Picard" opens up all sorts of stories. They also look at Paramount Plus marketing and the Trek universe. If you're excited about all the new Trek, join us in this discussion of all that awaits us in the coming months.

Best in Star Trek - Tournament Bracket, Part 1Who's the best character in Star Trek? Any fan forum can debate endlessly about it - but the trio has decided to use tournament brackets (aka March Madness) to winnow down the "best" characters by their jobs. In this first entry, we look at who is the "Best Engineer" and who is the best "Tactical/Security" person? We begin with an "elite eight" from across the entire Trek franchise - leading so some lopsided match-ups, some surprising upsets, and some real 50/50 decisions. Let us know if you agree with our determinations - and find out who's the "best"!

Earth in the Future. The Star Trek franchise presents, if not a utopian future, a better future for humanity. Earth of the 24th Century is supposed to have conquered war, poverty, and disease. We catch a few glimpses of our home planet, particularly in "Deep Space Nine." The trio talks about how our home planet will work in the Star Trek future, from Phlox's treatment in "Enterprise," to the two-parter "Homefront"/"Paradise Lost" to season three of "Discovery." Do we wish we could see more of future Earth? Or is it better to simply imagine a peaceful, unified Earth?

Fatherhood in TrekIn recognition of the recent Father's Day holiday, the trio examine the dads in Trek - both the characters who were actual dads and the ones who had parental (or grandparental) qualities. Which Trek dad would you like to have taken you to a ballgame? Or have an adventure with? Which Trek dads would take part in the local Starfleet branch of a dad's group, and what would they talk about? And does Captain Jellico being a loving granddad make up for his being an ornery captain? Let us know your favorite Trek dad!

Short Treks Pitches. Short Treks lasted for two "seasons" and presented a variety of ways to tell Trek stories in a condensed format. From small tales from "Star Trek: Discovery" to prequels to "Star Trek: Picard" to smaller slices of life from Pike's Enterprise. In 2022, what could be other stories told from the current series? The trio pitches their ideas for Short Treks episodes that come from "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Star Trek: Prodigy," "Star Trek: Picard," and others. What 8 to 15 minute stories would you like to see?

Prequel Madness. The success of "Strange New Worlds" begs the question - what other prequel possibilities are there in the Star Trek franchise? The trio has some fun pitching ideas for other prequel series set 10 years or so before the other Trek series. How would a pre-Voyager Maquis series fair? What about Terek Nor, the Occupation-based show set on the Bajoran space station? How many prequels can be made?! Let us know any ideas you have in establishing the various worlds and characters we see in Trek.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It's here! The Trek franchise continues to expand with its newest entry - a series focused on the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike and his crew, exploring and having adventures preceding the events of The Original Series. The trio talks about the first episode, what it establishes for the familiar characters of Pike and Spock, what this means for the rest of the series, how it differs to what has come before, and our favorite moments. Bring your coolest haircut to our discussion of the newest Trek show, SNW.

Selling Trek, old and new. It's easy to critique Star Trek - whether from the dated sets and attitudes of The Original Series to the convoluted storylines of the recent series. But we are Trek fans, so it's time to celebrate what we love about this franchise. The trio takes turns "selling" each series of Trek to a hypothetical new viewer: Why should you begin with TOS? Or the Animated Series? Where should you start if you're just beginning to watch Deep Space Nine or Enterprise? We also examine all the good things the 21st Century Trek shows have brought to the franchise, from the cast of Discovery to the ideals in Picard. But just to satisfy our need to still critique things, we end the show with each person nominating one series of Star Trek to erase from franchise history.

Picard Season Three: Hopes and WishesAs "Star Trek: Picard" closes its second season, fans are already clamoring for season three which promises to reunite the main actors/characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The trio looks at where season two has taken us and where we can go from there. What do we want to see from Worf, La Forge, and Crusher? Where will Riker and Troi go from where we saw them last? What character will Brent Spiner play? How should Picard's story end? Join us as we look into the crystal ball and see where we go from here.

Crossover with old episodes. During '90s Trek, there was the occasional use of crossovers - the Enterprise-D goes to Deep Space Nine, Riker shows up on Voyager, Riker (Thomas) shows up on Deep Space Nine, Riker shows up on the NX-01 ... and some other non-Riker examples. Then a crossover happened that blew fans' minds - the crew of DS9 visits station K-9 and the NCC-1701 in "Trials and Tribble-ations." Now in the 21st Century, what crossovers with older episodes do we wish other series' crews could visit? Should we give the "Star Trek: Enterprise" crew their revenge, and allow them to take over another show's episode? Could the crew of the USS Discovery visit their future or past, depending on which season we use? Let us know what Trek episode should be visited by another show's characters to make it even better.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition (2022/4K)When it comes to feature films, the 1979 "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" keeps getting revisited and re-released. Paramount Plus released the newest update to the first ever Trek film this year, so Drew Stewart (@StarTrekVisComp) joins the trio to share the history of the troubled film and its history (and need) for updating. What's changed along the years? How many editions are there? Is it finally "fixed"? Will previous critics of the film find something new in this release? We try to answer these questions and more - let us know if you spotted all the differences in the 2022 release.Drew can also be found on @StarWarsVisComp, and you can find his interview with Wired here: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/star-wars-disney-plusAnd his own article in Wired here: https://www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus/

The Many Timelines of Trek. Time travel can be confusing. Okay, very confusing. And it's not just the "mirror" universes, parallel timelines, alternate futures - it's also the "regular" timeline that Star Trek series revisit on occasion which then changes and ... look, we need a corkboard and lots of yarn to keep track of it all. The trio looks at the recent episode of "Star Trek: Picard," its implications, and how other Trek series which seem to tangle up the so-called "Prime" timeline. We are not responsible for any headaches this discussion may cause. (if you haven't made cover art, might I suggest a screenshot from Agent Daniels taking Archer into the "time room" with all the dizzying events surrounding him)