“Hegemony” A Gorn attack on the Federation colony on Parnassus Beta threatens to turn mounting tensions into a full-blown war. When Captain Pike’s partner, Captain Batel, gets caught in the attack, he defies Admiral April’s orders and mounts a rescue mission. With Chapel also missing, Spock is happy to help, but to do so will require suiting up and flying through space. With the help of another familiar face, Pike and Spock return to the Enterprise with their lovers, but others—not all wearing red shirts—aren’t so lucky. With part of his crew abducted in cold blood, what will Pike do? A big lizard now truly is in the Federation’s backyard as the second season of Strange New Worlds wraps up with a dramatic finish manufactured just for the occasion. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with the season finale, “Hegemony.” We discuss the challenges of creating drama in a prequel, elements of diplomacy in Star Trek, parallels (and not) with “Arena,” and try to make sense of the Gorn. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Getting to Know the Gorn (00:03:16) Jumping the Gorn (00:09:06) Internal Consistency Matters (00:16:04) Manufacturing Drama (00:21:16) Crate 32 (00:26:24) Right Place, Right Time (00:29:06) Series Identity (00:36:15) Diplomatic Connections (00:40:46) Bye Bye Batel? (00:49:10) Spock and Chapel (00:54:03) Montgomery Scott at Your Service (00:57:29) Final Thoughts and Ratings (01:00:15) Closing (01:04:13) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
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1:08:49
20: Fundamental Harmonics
“Subspace Rhapsody” The discovery of a naturally occurring subspace field leads Spock to speculate that the speed of communications could be tripled. And he was sort of right, at least on a personal level, when his quantum probability field experiment goes wrong and the crew breaks out into song. Again and again. As the improbability field expands, people on other ships also begin singing. And if the Enterprise crew cannot pull off a grand finale, the phenomenon could spread across the entire subspace communications network. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with “Subspace Rhapsody.” We discuss the concept, how they pulled it off, using the musical format to boost communications, advance storylines and clear the deck for the finale, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Breaking Down Walls … and into Song (00:02:56) Say What You Need to Say (00:11:23) La'an and Kirk (00:17:02) Spock and Chapel (00:21:23) Pike and Batel (00:33:46) To Live Alone or Together (00:38:10) The Songs (00:40:28) The Source of Our Great Dishonor (00:46:07) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:47:31) Closing (00:52:24) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
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56:47
19: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
“Under the Cloak of War” For Doctor M’Benga and nurse Christine Chapel, the horrors of war come rushing back when Dak’Rah, a former Klingon general who defected to the Federation, comes aboard the Enterprise. Now an ambassador for the Federation, trying to bridge the two sides in the aftermath of the 2256–57 war, Dak’Rah came to be known as the Butcher of J’Gal for his brutal tactics. But for M’Benga, the actions that earned Rah that moniker hit closer to home than anyone knew. And the end game plays out in the Enterprise’s sickbay. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with “Under the Cloak of War.” We discuss the impact of war, atonement, responsibility for one’s actions, the DS9 feel of the episode, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Inappropriately Spaced Mixtape (00:02:21) A DS9 State of Mind (00:06:44) The Impact of War (00:12:08) The Conscience of the King (00:22:07) Does the Truth Matter? (00:27:43) The Needs of the Many (00:33:15) Clint Howard Treks Again (00:42:41) Boatswain! (00:45:02) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:47:08) Closing (00:52:17) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
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55:47
18: This Historical Saddle
“Those Old Scientists” When the USS Cerritos visits Krulmuth-B to investigate Bradward Boimler’s all-time favorite portal, to make sure the portal area is free of any portal problems, the ensign gets sucked into the portal … which is a problem. On the other side he finds himself at the feet of Una Chin-Riley, La’an Noonien-Singh, and Mr. Spock. Stardate: the past. Captain Pike (AKA funny captain) must find a way to return Boimler to his animated future before he can change history—a task that becomes more complicated when Beckett Mariner comes flying through the portal just as Boimler is saying goodbye. With the last bit of known horonium gone, can the crew of the Enterprise find a way to get the two reference-dropping misfits back home? It’s down to a coin toss. Do you feel lucky? In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with “Those Old Scientists.” We discuss blending live action and animation, bringing animated characters to life, poignant moments in the midst of silliness, and how the casts of Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks work together. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Bringing the Crews Together (00:03:08) Setting Up Humor (00:07:04) Boimler and Mariner Fitting In (00:15:21) Bajorans and Cardassians, Oh My! (00:22:33) Poignant Moments (00:33:01) Frakes Behind Camera (00:37:28) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:51) Closing (00:45:56) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
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50:26
17: Schrödinger’s Mixed Bag of Story Elements
“Lost in Translation” When the Enterprise arrives at Bannon’s Nebula to help get Starfleet’s newest gas station up and running. Uhura receives a mysterious signal that no one else can hear. She begins having hallucinations that include scenes of death and her old friend and mentor Hemmer. Systems failures lead to the discovery of a saboteur who is experiencing the same brain-rattling noises and unreal scenarios. As Uhura slowly loses her mind, she unravels the mystery, saving the ship and discovering an unknown life-form in the process. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with “Lost in Translation.” We discuss character building for Uhura, how the story could have gone from good to great, dangling threads piling up, softly pushing us towards The Original Series, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Relationships Matter (00:03:22) Dangling Threads (00:14:13) An Uhura Story (00:20:13) Finding Focus (00:27:53) Forgetting the Mission (00:39:47) Piling Up (00:50:16) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:53:03) Closing (00:56:50) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
À propos de Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
For the first captain to be filmed leading the USS Enterprise, Christopher Pike has gotten precious little screen time over the years. That's about to change. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will bring us the stories of the Enterprise under Pike's command, together with Number One, Spock, and a host of familiar faces. Saddle Up! explores the characters and stories that Strange New Worlds brings us each week as we celebrate Star Trek and try to have a little fun along the way.