Ceti Alpha 3: A Star Trek Podcast

Reconciling the Star Trek Past With Our HistoryAs "Star Trek: Picard" travels to our future of 2024 as their past in season two, it serves as an opportunity to look at what is recorded as history in Trek that doesn't exactly match our experiences in the past 50 years. Of course, as someone once said, "repeat yourself, it's just a show, I should really just relax." That said - the trio attempts to "prove" that all of Star Trek history, from 1980 to 2024, really happened. The Eugnenic Wars? Easily explained. The launch of an untold number of space probes? We go into how "dark NASA" works. How does London have a baseball team? We all know the answer. So join us in a fun exercise of forcing the Star Trek timeline to be true ... after all, Trek is just a documentary, right?

"Rios v. Commander Toby: The Stargazer." The new Sagan-class USS Stargazer was introduced in season two of "Star Trek: Picard," and it already has us wanting more. The trio pitch their idea for a "Star Trek: Stargazer" series, with Captain Rios leading his 25th C. crew throughout the Federation worlds on a mission of goodwill and rebuilding. In our idea for the series, we populate the Stargazer with a larger civilian crew, comprised of Federation specialists to help assist neglected Federation members. The events of the late 24th Century, from Romulan relief to the synth ban, have left the UFP in a weaker state. Rios and his crew are charged with the mission to visit familiar (or even just briefly mentioned) Federation worlds from previous series to learn more about their cultures, help them with their needs, and maybe find themselves in conflict with the missions of Starfleet v. the directives of the Federation. Join us in this imagined Star Trek series that sees the civilian branch of the Federation taking

Picard Season TwoStar Trek: Picard is back ... with a bang! And a Borg! And a Q! Season two began with a soft reboot, briefly introducing all the season one characters and their current places in the universe - but we still follow Jean-Luc Picard, his struggles on Earth, and a mysterious mission that places him on a U.S.S. Stargazer, for the second time in his life. So much happens, that the trio tries to catch up -- what were your favorite parts? What surprised you? What happened during "lost" year or so between seasons one and two? And where will we go from here?

Darren, Daniel and Phillip bring on Tristan Riddell and Mike Schindler to talk about how to prepare for Star Trek Mission Chicago. Listen along to hear their tips and plans.

252 - Thomas Riker Season 7 - Part 2 - ...and now the conclusion. The trio completes their Thomas trilogy covering the first appearance of transporter double Lieutenant Riker, and his subsequent adventures on the Enterprise-D (if he had replaced Commander Riker). We continue our journey into season seven with the Riker-focused episode, "Pegasus." How does a mid-career Riker deal with his former captain, Admiral Pressman, and his new captain, Jean-Luc Picard? Especially a Riker who has been stranded for years, reflecting on his life choices? We also follow Data in red, as he grows in the role of first officer through the rest of the season. How do the "Lower Decks" officers try to press a Commander Data? Who gives Deanna Troi her bridge officer test? And what are the potential futures for Thomas Riker and Data in "All Good Things..."? We also go through four TNG feature films, ending with saying goodbye to Data and Riker in a whole new way.

Thomas Riker, Season 7 - Part 1In the second part of our trilogy on the transporter-created character of Lieutenant Thomas Riker, we continue to explore how Thomas could have changed the course of The Next Generation. In the creation of the "Second Chances" story, some writers raised the possibility of killing off Commander William Riker, and - in essence - replacing him with Thomas Riker, allowing Data to become the new first officer of the Enterprise-D, and allowing new adventures to unfold. We examine the first half of season seven of TNG, exploring how the death of Cmdr Riker, the promotion of Data, and the integration of Thomas Riker would affect the rest of the episodes. How do Picard and Thomas relate to each other during the events of the two-parter "Gambit"? How does the surprise reappearance of Will Riker work in "Parallels"? Let us know if you prefer a Thomas or Will timeline during season seven.

"Second Chances" - There are a few guest characters in the Trek franchise who get a "sequel" in a later episode. One is Thomas Riker, a transporter double of Commander William T. Riker, who pops up later in the "Deep Space Nine" episode - "Defiant." The trio revisits his first appearance in "The Next Generation" - "Second Chances." Trek has done many "double" episodes; "The Enemy Within" (TOS), "Datalore" (TNG), "Deadlock" (VOY), and "Similitude" (ENT), to name a few. However, the incident of the two Rikers is different in many ways - the trio discusses how it's a "slower" episode that takes it time with characters, focuses on the oft-ignored Deanna Troi, and asks us whether we prefer Thomas or Will. If you haven't seen this episode recently, why not give it a "second chance" and join the discussion?

Pitches for Star Trek MerchandiseStar Trek fans love "merch." Whether it's uniforms, toys, comm badges, figures, and other "collectables," we all love it. But it's not a stretch to say that the franchise's merchandising has not been overwhelming in the 21st Century. The trio takes turn pitching ideas for new items for sale focused on the series of "Enterprise," "Discovery," "Prodigy," "Picard", as well as the Kelvin-verse films. What new collectable are you dreaming will show up on toy shelves?

Picard Predictions. Fans got a new teaser trailer for the second season of "Star Trek: Picard" - what do we think is next for the La Sirena crew? From time travel, alternate timelines, Q, Guinan, and more, there were flashes and hints but Picard's journey remains unclear. Join the trio as we look into our crystal ball and, with the Borg Queen's help, see what the future holds for this Trek series.

Star Trek: Prodigy Catch-upThe trio take stock of the second quarter of season one of "Star Trek: Prodigy." This new series has broken barriers in a few ways - including teasing the return of Voyager's former first officer. Which characters are starting to ease into their positions? Which characters are maybe misplaced? What lingering questions do we have? What predictions do we have for the rest of the season? Let us know your animated thought about the newest series in the Trek franchise.

Darren, Daniel and Phillip discuss what they would like in a Star Trek: Enterprise video game. Developing a civilizations like strategy game where you form the Federation with your choices.

Ships of the Line You Want in a MuseumThere have been fascinating and captivating space-faring vessels in the Star Trek franchise. The trio creates a dream "space-sonian" museum where they can choose any ship to add to their collection to walk around in and have schools trips learn from. Which starships would you choose? We go through the years of ships to explore which would be the best to feature in the best space exhibit.

Trek - Past, Present, and Yet to Come: The end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 is a great time to take stock of the Star Trek franchise. It's healthier and thriving than it has ever been. With the arrival of "Star Trek: Discovery" seasons 3 and 4, "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 2, and the introduction of "Star Trek: Prodigy", there's a lot to look back on. Next year promises more of Discovery and Prodigy, and season two of "Star Trek: Picard." Will we also see "Star Trek: Strange, New Worlds"? And even more seasons of our beloved Trek shows? And what about a potential movie? Or more?? Join us as we talk about what's come in 2021, and what we look forward to in 2022.

Trek TriviaIt's the holiday season - so it's time to settle down for a round of Trek trivia. Grab a pen and paper, and get ready to answer 8 rounds of Star Trek quiz questions, along with a special "pre-" and "post-" round to rack up extra points. Can you beat Daniel and Darren? Were the questions too easy or too hard? Let us know your score as you play along with Trek trivia.

Star Trek: First ContactIt's hard to believe (for some of us) that it's been a generation since "Star Trek: First Contact" hit the big screen. The first TNG-only cast feature film with new uniforms and a new Enterprise (along with an old enemy) ranks high on many fans' list of best Trek films. Was it the story? The guest characters? The design? The Jonathan Frakes direction? Let us know what makes this film so great after all these years.

Star Trek: Discovery Updates. New Star Trek continues with season four of "Star Trek: Discovery." The trio looks at the scale (both story-wise and astronomically) of the current threat facing Captain Burnham and her crew. One of the co-hosts has missed the latest episodes - so join as the other two "pitch" the newest stories and offer a multiple-choice test about the latest story developments - can he guess right about what's happened? Let us know what you're looking forward to in season four.

Discovery/Prodigy PredictionsThere's been a taste of both season one of "Star Trek: Prodigy" and season four of "Star Trek: Discovery" so far. Is it enough to guess how both series will unfold in their entirety? Probably not - but the trio tries to speculate anyway! Join us as we try to lay out the stories for our Delta Quadrant and 33rd Century-based crews. What further adventures await the intrepide crew of the Protostar? What will Captain Burnham and her crew encounter? What does the Star Trek franchise offer in 2022? Let us know if we are on the right or wrong track, and what your predictions are.

Title Card Game. The trio takes a break from "new Trek episodes reviews" to play a game. Can Phillip and Daniel guess the title of a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" story merely be looking at the episode's first image? Darren blurs the title cards from several episodes as his co-hosts try to name the right episode -- will they get it right? Will they guess every episode from an entire season? How many shots of the Enterprise-D at warp exist? All these questions and more are answered in this game.

"Star Trek: Prodigy" - Episodes 1-3Welcome to the franchise! The newest Trek series began this month, introducing new characters, new ships, new villains, and a familiar looking hologram. The trio joins in the kid adventure with the accidental crew of the starship Protostar. This prototype vessel with a middle school crew offers comedy, adventure, and an unexpected dark beginning. Let us know what "lessons" you learned, what characters you're excited to see more of, and what you think will happen to this non-Starfleet crew of masquerading cadets.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season Two Wrap-Up. With a flash of “To Be Continued…” on the screen, the sophomore season of “Lower Decks” comes to an end. The trio take a look back at the animated journey of the Cerritos this year. From new characters, new pairings, new stories, and new running gags, it seems like this Star Trek show just keeps improving. Join the discussion of what we liked, what we grumbled about, and what we look forward to in season three.