Podcast Links:

Welcome Aboard!

Hailing Frequencies Open is Mike’s geeky little blog dedicated to the past and future of Star Trek.

Make sure to also check out the Hailing Frequencies Open Podcast- hosted by Mike, Erin & Damian.

Getting Ready For Star Trek Picard

Are you excited about the return of Captain Picard?!?!  We are!!  Do you have a friend/spouse/pet who might need a little refresher course on who this Picard guy is and what the heck is going on with these Borg people?  Well, we put together a list of episodes to watch while you’re waiting.  Think of it as a little Star Trek Picard primer based on what we know so far about the show. You have a few months to get ready but if you don’t want to marathon all of TNG & Voyager, this watch list should help. 🙂

First– the basics. You’ll be introduced to Captain Picard, Data, and the Borg.
– Star Trek TNG – S1. E13. Datalore
– Star Trek TNG – S2. E9. Measure of a Man.
– Star Trek TNG – S3. E26. & S4. E1. Best of Both Worlds (parts 1 & 2)
– Star Trek TNG – S4. E2. Family
– Star Trek TNG – S4. E3. Brothers
– Star Trek TNG – S5. E23. I Borg
– Star Trek TNG – S5. E25. The Inner Light
– Star Trek TNG – S6. E15. Tapestry
– Star Trek TNG – S6. E26. & S7. E1. Descent (parts 1 & 2)
– Star Trek TNG- S7. E25 & 26. All Good Things (parts 1 & 2)
– Star Trek: Generations
– Star Trek: First Contact

Then you’ll want to know who Seven on Nine is!
– Star Trek VOY – S3. E26. & S4. E1. Scorpion (parts 1 & 2)
– Star Trek VOY – S4. E2. The Gift
– Star Trek VOY – S6. E16. Collective
– Star Trek VOY – S7. E18 Human Error
– Star Trek VOY – S7. E 25 & 26. Endgame (pats 1 & 2)

Then wrap up the Picard & Data story
– Star Trek: Nemesis

Finally, I think the 24th-century events in this film will matter a lot– specifically what happens to the planet Romulus.
– Star Trek (2009)

Check out this episode!

Discovering Discovery

Hello everyone!  Mike here.  Just in case you’ve been living in a cave: STAR TREK DISCOVERY HAS PREMIERED!!! I watched both episodes of the series “pilot” and I LOVED IT!  Here are some random thoughts:

**SPOILERS**

It’s A Small Galaxy After All…

Hello!  Your friendly neighbourhood trekker, Mike here.  I just had to write a quick blog entry about what a crazy small world it is.  So, when I’m not watching or podcasting about Star Trek I’m at my “day job” as a theatre stage manager.  Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing actors in academic and professional settings.  A handful of those actors have gone on to have successful careers both on and off the stage.  That brings us back to Star Trek– a franchise that has a history of hiring actors with a strong theatre– and more specifically a strong Shakespeare background.  Patrick Stewart is was best known as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before he put on his Starfleet uniform.

All those years of sitting on thrones in England with the Royal Shakespeare Company was nothing but preparation to sit in the captain’s chair on the Enterprise. – Patrick Stewart

Likewise, William Shatner trained at the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa before working with Tyone Guthrie at the Stratford Festival.  Avery Brooks’s gained praise for his performance as Othello under director Michael Kahn at the Shakeapeare Theatre Company in DC.  A side note- I did an internship there but our time didn’t overlap. Kate Mulgrew trained with Stella Adler before playing roles like Desdamona and Hedda Gabler– as well as Captain Janeway. Mulgrew pointed out that classical theatre training is a huge asset to any actor who’s taking on the heightened language and themes presented in Star Trek.

That casting tradition is continuing in Star Trek Discovery and as luck would have it, I’ve worked with 3 of the new cast members.  Sonequa Martin Green earned her BFA in Acting from the University of Alabama.  I was there at the same time working on my MFA in Stage Management and I got work with Sonequa!  She played Mercutio the university’s production of Romeo & Juliet.  Our director, Seth Panich, cast Sonequa in the traditionally male role because he knew she had the chops to tackle the famous Queen Mab speech.  She blew me away on stage!  She’s a super talented artist and just a really great person.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Mercutio at UA. 2006

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in Star Trek Discovery

A few years later I was hired to be a Stage Manager at The Juilliard School for their Drama Division’s third year Shakespeare Project.  The students in group 44 were preparing  Richard III & As You Like It in rep.   Among them were soon to be Star Trek alums Mary Chieffo and Mary Wiseman.  Richard III was directed by veteran actor Harris Yulin, who Trekkies know as Aamin Marritza in the DS9 episode “Duet”.

Mary Chieffo as a Klingon in Star Trek Discovery

Mary Wiseman as Cadet Tilly in Star Trek Discovery

Mary Chieffo played Queen Elizabeth in Yulin’s production of Richard III.  Meanwhile, Mary Wiseman stole the show in As You Like It.  I didn’t get the chance to really become close to either of these ladies.  They were very busy Juilliard students and I was just a staff member (not faculty).  But I do remember them both being very nice to me as I wrangled the rep schedule, costume fittings, and their class schedules.  🙂

I’m so happy that the creative minds behind Star Trek Discovery are hiring theatre people!  It really is a small business and I guess I’ve worked in it long enough that I’m now 6 degrees of separation (or less) to a lot of Trek actors.  I can’t begin to express how happy that makes me!!

Anyway, those are my random ramblings of the day. 🙂  – Mike Jones

Gender Swapping Star Trek TOS

The Women at Warp Podcast recently tackled a fascinating topic that got me thinking.  In Episode 49: “Would Kirk Wear a Mini Skirt?”  they re-cast the roles of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc with actresses from the 60’s.  Likewise with the roles of Uhura, Chapel, & Rand as men.  I thought I’d tackle this topic myself!

Kirk : Honor Blackman

Maybe best known for the role of Pussy Galore in the James Bond film Goldfinger, Honor Blackman is a brilliant English actress who carries herself with gravitas and command.  She would be the perfect female Kirk, in my opinion.

Spock : Majel Barret 

This one is a bit of a cheat.  Majel Barret’s “Number One” character was in many ways a precursor to the emotionless Vulcan that Spock became.   Clearly, she could handle this role with ease.

McCoy : Barbara Feldman

Best known as Agent 99 in the tv series Get Smart, Feldman’s comedic skills lend themselves to our favorite country doctor in space.  I’d also love to hear her say “He’s dead, Jane”.

Scotty : Judy Dench

Though not Scottish, I’m sure Dame Judy could handle the role of Scotty.  She has great comedic skills and her Shakespeare background would allow her to handle the elevated language of technobable.

Uhura : Brock Peters

I mean, RIGHT?  Peters was years away from being a Star Trek actor in 1966, but he would fit right in on the bridge of the Enterprise.  For his audition tape I would direct you to Star Trek VI.

Sulu : Nancy Kwan

She’s best known for her portrayal of the title character in The World of Suzie Wong, but I know her from the film version of Flower Drum Song.  I have to admit, she MIGHT be the only Asian actress I really know from the 60’s.

Chekov : Yvonne Craig

Another Star Trek alum (Marta in “Whom Gods Destroy”), Craig is best known as TV’s Batgirl.  She’s cute, quirky and I bet she could do a fun Russian (though not accurate) Russian accent.  🙂

Nurse Chapel : Alan Alda

This one I stole from the Women at Warp.  Nurse Chapel was the hardest role to cast for me.  I think Alan Alda could handle it though.  Perhaps he’d pine after Majel Barret’s Spock.

Yeoman Rand : Burt Ward

Best known as Robin on the tv series Batman, Ward could be a great Yeoman Rand– heating up coffee with a phaser, bringing Honor Blackman her salad, etc.  His youthful innocence is perfect.

Best Star Trek Crew Ever

EDITOR’S NOTE: This entry was originally published in November of 2015.  But I was recently inspired to re-visit this topic.  Here we go:

---

Three of my favorite Podcasts recently tackled the hypothetical undertaking of creating the perfect Star Trek crew out of all the characters in the franchise.  You can check out the crews Jason & Ashley came up with over at Geek History Lesson, the crews that Tristan & Char came up with over at To The Journey and most recently, the crew that Bill & Dan came up with over at the Trek Geeks Podcast .    But here is my Star Trek supercrew!

Captain:  Admiral Kathryn Janeway

I have to go with my favorite Captain.  I think Janeway has the drive & determination that a good leader needs.  And she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and be a part of the team– as well as lead it.  She also comes with a great deal of experience.  This isn’t the “just took command of the Voyager” version of Janeway.  Rather  Admiral Janeway survived the year of hell, beat the Borg, and she found coffee in that nebula!

First Officer: Commander Data 

You can’t go wrong with everyone’s favorite android!  Data can easily manage all the duties of the running a starship as the XO and problem solve any situation in nanoseconds.  I think he pairs well with Janeway’s scientific style.  Also, he looks great in red.

 

Chief Medical Officer: The Doctor

Much like Data, the Doctor is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.  No other doctor can compare to him- period.  Not to mention he was the most interesting character on Voyager.

 

Chief Engineer: Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott

He was flying Starships when your grandfather was in diapers!  He wrote the book and then threw it out the window!  Scotty is the one and only miracle worker.

 

Ship’s Counselor: Commander Deanna Troi

I just love her and her obsession with chocolate.  Plus her empathic abilities come in handy more often than not.  I want to clarify, however, that is Troi AFTER she puts on a real uniform!

 

Operations Officer: Commander Nyota Uhura

Uhura is highly intelligent, speaks multiple languages and is a skilled technician.   24th century starships may no longer have Communication officers on the bridge but Uhura’s muli-tasking abilities will make her a great Operations officer.

 

Science Officer: Commander Spock

No one is more dedicated to science than Mr. Spock.  He has a innate curiosity for anything he finds “fascinating” and I think would be a great asset to any scientific mission. Plus he’s just a great character.

 

Chief of Security: Constable Odo

Odo is Star Trek’s greatest detective.  He will not only keep the crew safe but has the kind of  “street smarts” that will keep any away team a step ahead of the game.

 

Tactical Officer: Lt. Commander Worf

I like the idea of separating Tactical from Security.  They are really two different departments.  I think our ship has a much better chance of survival with Worf manning the weapons console.

Conn Officer: Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu

Sulu is an amazing helmsman.  And As Kirk said in TWOK: “I for one am glad to have you at the helm… I don’t think these kids can steer.”  Specifically I’ve selected the Kelvin Timeline version of Sulu.  As much as I love George Takei, as a gay Trekker I have to go with the version of Sulu who we know is out & proud.  #Hero

Rookie/Kid: Ensign Jean Luc Picard (via a temporal anomaly)

This isn’t the mature wise diplomat version of Picard.  This is the young head strong Ensign who took matters into his own hands when his friends were being cheated.  He won the Starfleet marathon as a freshman and is an accomplished wrestler.

Wild Card: Wesley Crusher (as a Traveler) 

As a traveler he won’t be on the ship full time but will pop in and out.  A little Wesley goes a long way, but he was one my favorite characters when I was a kid. I related to him and even envied him. And hey, he can phase out of our dimension and make the ship go really fast.  That’ll come in handy some day!

Ship: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Bottom line: the best ship in the fleet!  I love Andy Probert’s design and the Sternbach blueprints.  This ship is so well thought out and is the most impressive vessel in Star Trek imho.

 

 

Update on Mike

Hello everyone!

You may be wondering about the radio silence here on the blog over the past few months.  I’ve been dealing with some medical issues and am currently recovering from spine surgery.  But not to fear- the blog will be back soon along with the launch of our new podcast!  Stay tuned!  – Mike Jones

“Star Trek Discovery” coming to CBS All Access in 2017!

Bryan Fuller has announced some details about the new Star Trek show coming in 2017 to CBS All Access.  The title of the new show will be Star Trek Discovery and the ship will be the USS Discovery NCC-1031.  The design is heavily based on the Star Trek Planet of the Titans Enterprise that Ralph McQuarrie designed back in the 70’s.  Check out the official tweet & preview video below!  Fuller also said that Star Trek Discovery will not be not episodic. Instead the writers are telling stories like a novel, chapter by chapter.  He also confirmed that it’s set in the prime universe (not the Kelvin timeline)! 

I think the name is a wonderful tribute to the Discovery Space Shuttle, currently on display in the Smithsonian.  But it also speaks to the best of Star Trek– the sense of adventure and exploration!

Witness the test flight of #StarTrekDiscovery, coming to #CBSAllAccess & CBS in January 2017 https://t.co/qLYrEF4ed7https://t.co/sROKlnAyXl

— Star Trek Discovery (@startrekcbs) July 23, 2016

Of course now I have many many more questions.

1. When is the show set?  This doesn’t look like a TNG era ship.
2. Who is in the crew? I can’t wait to hear about casting!
3. Fuller also said that Janeway is his favorite captain!  Here’s hoping for a female captain in Star Trek Discovery!

 

Star Trek Beyond : In Theaters NOW!

Hello!  This is Mike reporting.  Ben and I went to see Star Trek Beyond this weekend.  I hope to do a full review post later, but I just want to say I LOVED IT!!   It really focused on the character relationships– characters that we’ve known for 50 years so clearly we have strong feelings about these people.  As hardcore fans, this crew is like part of our family.  Star Trek Beyond respects these family members.  Let’s just say, I teared up a couple of times.

The moment when Sulu’s family greats him at the spacedock… I’m still overwhelmed.  It was a simple scene that means A LOT for gay Trekkie.

Bottom line– GO SEE STAR TREK BEYOND TODAY!!