Troubadours on Trek

Grace Pettis

Award-winning songwriter and recording artist Grace Pettis interviews and reviews episodes of Star Trek with fellow musicians and music industry professionals (starting with the Original Series), with the goal of sharing great music and turning a few friends into Star Trek fans. read less
TV & FilmTV & Film

Episodes

TOS 01:21 "Return of the Archons," with Dave Madden
Dec 6 2022
TOS 01:21 "Return of the Archons," with Dave Madden
- Dave Madden has a Pop Rock/Yacht-Rock side project called Mr. Linen, with Andre Cantave and David Messier. Their album, Stay Cool, includes 9 original songs. Find out more and purchase one of a kind merch items at https://mrlinenmusic.com/.- Dave’s song pairing for this episode: “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai- Grace’s song pairing for this episode: “Take the Power Back” by Rage Against the Machine.- Dave's featured song is “Space Kung Fu” by Mr. Linen.- Download the sheet music and mp3 for "O Landru: A Festival Hymn of the Body" by Dave Madden here. Corrections:"Return of the Archons" was written by Boris Sobelman, but based on a story by Gene Roddenberry.The Western town was built on a backlot in Culver City, California. The set was called "Town of Atlanta" and included an 1800s era city street, town square, and residential area. It was originally built for Gone With the Wind in 1939. It remained there for 20 years and was used for various projects before being dismantled.Celia Rose Gooding plays Cadet Uhura on the new Star Trek series, Strange New Worlds. Gooding is not only a TV actress but also an award-winning Broadway star. She played Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill, which won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Gooding was also nominated for the 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical at the age of 20, which made her one of the youngest nominees in that categoryNichelle Nichols started singing and dancing in her native Chicago. She toured the world as a singer in the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands. Her first LP, Down to Earth, was released in 1967, piggybacking off the success of Star Trek. In 1991, she released Out of This World. She sings in two Original Series episodes, "Charlie X," and "The Conscience of the King."
TOS 1:20, "Court Martial" with Ben Bethea
Sep 20 2022
TOS 1:20, "Court Martial" with Ben Bethea
*NOTE: Troubadours on Trek is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and on the official website:  https://www.troubadoursontrek.com/But every new episode debuts on Patreon FIRST- a month before its available anywhere else. ✨🤘🖖✨-Since the pandemic, the Sun Radio Foundation has given out over $130,000 back to local musicians and members of the community through the Sun Radio Recharge program, helping to pay musicians power bills and during Snowpacalypse helped members of the community with financial assistance. The Sun Radio Recharge program will help local area musicians in the month of August with gas cards.-Find out more about Sun Radio, the Sun Radio Foundation, and the Sun Radio Recharge program at sunradio.comHere's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Ben's song pairing for this episode: “Chimes Of Freedom" by The Byrds (written by Bob Dylan).-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “My Attorney Bernie" by Dave Frishberg.Corrections:Bruce Maddox was played by Brian Brophy in Next Generation and by John Ales in Picard.I mistakenly said that the soft lighting treatment that Kirk's love interests receive in The Original Series is due to "gel lighting" (I meant to say, "gel lights.") This is incorrect. Gel lights provided the striking and colorful lighting used in The Original Series. But the soft focus that female love interests get was achieved with "thin layers of plastic, or diffusion filters,"  "placed before the lens for those shots." "No, as far as we know, Vaseline was not smeared on the lens. The technique came to be known as "The Gaussian Girl," named for the Gaussian blur." (Learn more here: https://www.metv.com/stories/ever-wonder-why-the-women-on-star-trek-appear-out-of-focus)The episode I mentioned where Scotty is on trial for murder is called "Wolf in the Fold" (TOS 2:14).The episode Ben mentioned, where the Doctor's holonovel is published without his permission is called "Author, Author" (VOY 7:20).Vulcans were referred to as Vulcanians as well in the first season of Star Trek. The terms were used interchangeably, until the simpler "Vulcan" won out. "Vulcanian" was heard in five episodes of The Original Series: "Mudd's Women," "Court Martial," "A Taste of Armageddon," "This Side of Paradise," and "Errand of Mercy."Leonard Nimoy was the only actor to star in all 80 episodes of The Original Series, including the first, unaired pilot, “The Cage.” William Shatner starred in all 79 episodes of the original series that aired on TV. “The Cage,” the first Star Trek pilot made, starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike and had a different bridge crew, with the exception of Spock.
TOS 01:19, "Tomorrow is Yesterday," with Jason Weems
Aug 15 2022
TOS 01:19, "Tomorrow is Yesterday," with Jason Weems
*NOTE: Troubadours on Trek is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and on the official website:  https://www.troubadoursontrek.com/But every new episode debuts on Patreon FIRST- a month before its available anywhere else. ✨🤘🖖✨-Access to Jason's books, free music, and more is all at jasonweems.com.-Pre-sales for Jason's forthcoming book, The Texas Barbecue Adventure Guide: A Road Trip Through the History and How-To of Lone Star 'Cue, will be available this fall. Copies will ship in time for the holidays.-Jason's favorite current project is power naps and creative rejuvenation.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Jason's song pairing for this episode: “I’m Comin’ Home” by Robert Earl Keen (and not, as we both thought, by Pat Green).-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Let’s Do the Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.-Jason's featured song is “Star Crossed Lovers.”Corrections:The Enterprise visits Earth (albeit in the past) in exactly two episodes of the Original Series: "Tomorrow is Yesterday" and "Assignment: Earth."Some real world slingshotting: Apollo 13, which launched in 1970, three years after this episode of Star Trek aired, failed in the sense that the crew was unable to land on the moon. It was successful in the sense that the crew made it back to Earth, by "slingshotting" around the moon to then crash-land in the Pacific Ocean.The first woman in space was Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian astronaut who successfully completed her mission in 1963. The USSR did not send another woman until 1982. The first American woman in space was Sally Ride, in 1983. Ride is also the first out, queer astronaut to go to space.  The "Mercury 13" were a group of thirteen female American pilots. In 1959, they chose to undergo the same tests as male astronauts, under the supervision of NASA staff. In spite of performing as well or better than male pilots, the women were never actually afforded the opportunity to become astronauts. The program was privately funded and the idea of female astronauts was not accepted by either NASA or the general public at the time. Some studies have suggested that female bodies are better suited to long term space travel than male bodies but discrimination toward female astronauts persists in the global community. Nichelle Nichols is directly responsible for recruiting the first astronauts of color and female astronauts into the US space program, including Sally Ride. In 1992, Mae Jemison, inspired by Nichelle Nichols and her Star Trek character, Uhura, became the first woman of color in space."I'm Comin' Home," Jason's song pick, is by Robert Earl Keen, not Pat Green. What can we say? Their names rhyme and we got mixed up. :-)
TOS 01:18, "Arena," with Sarah McQuaid
Aug 15 2022
TOS 01:18, "Arena," with Sarah McQuaid
-Sarah’s website is the one-stop shop for tour dates, news, merch, and music, including The St. Buryan Sessions, a full-length live concert in the beautiful medieval church of St Buryan, just up the road from the rural cottage where she and her family live: sarahmcquaid.com.-Each of the songs from The St. Buryan Sessions can be found on Sarah’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/sarahmcquaid-Sarah is on Patreon! Become a patron for exclusive Sarah McQuaid content: patreon.com/sarahmcquaid-Sarah is touring this summer! Sign up for her mailing list and never miss a show in your area.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Sarah’s song pairing for this episode: “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Big Lizard” by The Dead Milkmen-Sarah’s featured song is “The Tug of the Moon,” from The St. Buryan SessionsCorrections:The book Sarah mentions, in the context of folk music traveling back and forth and both ways between the United States and the UK/Ireland is called Wayfaring Stranger, written by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr“Ebb and Flow” is the name of the “pretty love song” on my second album, Two Birds, that was written in DADGAD.The origins of the “Riker Maneuver” (Riker chair maneuver): Jonathan Frakes had a back injury from moving furniture that made it hard to bend and get into chairs the normal way. So he started swinging his leg over the tops of chairs to sit down. Look this up on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. There’s a hilarious viral compilation video. Frakes’ back injury is also the reason for the famous “Riker Lean.” Frakes also thought it would be a hilarious and cocky thing for his character to do, and when no one called him out on it, he continued to do it. In his words: "That started in Ten Forward because the backs of the chairs were so low, it was easy. And then I thought, this is really a hotdog, @$$hole thing to do. Nobody's going to let me do this. And then nobody stopped me! It's such a cocky, unattractive, kind of bad cowboy move… Whoever did the YouTube compilation of Riker sits down, it went viral and was even more embarrassing, and made me strangely even more proud."Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount Plus on May 5th!!The redshirts in this episode have indeed been featured in a well-circulated meme but Sarah is correct when she points out that several of the “red shirts” in this episode are wearing yellow. Here’s a link to the meme: https://ifunny.co/meme/kirk-spock-mccoy-and-ensign-ricky-are-beaming-down-to-x6x7hHnu5According to Memory Alpha, a fairly comprehensive online Star Trek wiki, the Metron at the end of the episode was played by Carole Shelyne and voiced by Vic Perrin. I couldn’t confirm that the Metron on the ship intercom’s is also voiced by Perrin so that remains an unanswered question.From Wikipedia’s entry on the Prime Directive: “The first filmed reference to the Prime Directive occurs in the first season TOS episode "The Return of the Archons" (1966), when Spock begins to caution Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise when he proposes to destroy a computer controlling an entire civilization.”The aliens I couldn’t think of, who brokered peace between humans and Klingons were the Organians. The treaty is called the Treaty of Organia or the Organian Peace Treaty. The episode is TOS 1:27, “Errand of Mercy.”The book Grace recommends is The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
TOS 1:17, "The Squire of Gothos," with Slaid Cleaves
May 1 2022
TOS 1:17, "The Squire of Gothos," with Slaid Cleaves
-You can find tour dates, news, merch, and music, including Slaid's latest album, Ghost on the Car Radio, at Slaid's website: slaid.com or slaidcleaves.com (there's a new website coming soon- stay tuned for that).-Slaid is back in the studio, making his first album in five years with producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb. This will be Slaid's third album with Newcomb.-Slaid is back on tour! Tour dates start on the west coast in March and new dates are added all the time on his website. Sign up for the mailing list to stay in the know. He's not on social media much, but you can reach him through the website.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Slaid's song pairing for this episode: "Is It Like Today?" by Eliza Gilkyson and the original version of "Is It Like Today?" by World Party (Karl Wallinger of The Waterboys)-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “War” by The Temptations-Slaid's featured song is "If I Had a Heart," from his latest album, Ghost on the Car Radio.Corrections:The two factions in "The Omega Glory" (TOS 2:23) are the "Kohms" and the "Yangs" (I said "Kahns" in this recording instead of "Kohms")."Balance of Terror" (TOS 1:14) gets its name from the expression that refers to the nuclear arms race of the Cold War. But this episode is not about mutually assured destruction, per se. If I'm missing any other Star Trek episodes that tackle the subject, let me know!It's "The Man in the High Castle," not "Man in the High Tower," and it is indeed based on the novel of the same name, written by Philip K. Dick.Slaid is entirely correct about Star Trek's Nielson ratings in the 60's. When Star Trek aired on NBC, its ratings were low, and the network cancelled it in its third season. It's useful to keep in mind, however, that at the time the vast majority of TV viewers were watching only three broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, or NBC. So even a show with "low ratings" in the 60's would have commanded a much larger audience than a show with "low ratings" today. So it's kind of hard to make comparisons today. But its true that Star Trek didn't really become the hit show that it is today with its cult following and influence on popular culture until the 70's, when it was in syndication.Is Q, and the coinciding Q Continuum, immortal? The much loved character Q, from Star Trek: Next Generation is an omnipotent being with the ability to control time and space at will. Q is part of a collective, the Q Continuum, which exists in another dimension not accessible or understandable to humans. Q is not a benevolent being. He is better described as bored than benevolent. Although he has a fascination with Picard and with humanity and its historical outcomes, he is at times antagonistic and arbitrarily cruel. Trelane, the antagonist of this episode, "The Squire of Gothos," is a precursor to Q. The question of whether or not Q can decline or die has been recently raised as a possible plot line in the newest season of Star Trek: Picard, currently airing on Paramount Plus.
TOS 1:16, "The Galileo Seven," with Ruby Dice
Mar 18 2022
TOS 1:16, "The Galileo Seven," with Ruby Dice
-Ruby Dice’s latest EP, Denim Disco, produced by Andrew Troubadour (of the Greyhounds) and recorded in Austin, is available on her website and everywhere fine digital music is sold and streamed. Another EP, Wild Ones is also available now. Her upcoming single, “Can’t Behave,” written about women’s rights in Texas, will be released March 31st. Come celebrate that release at a big party at Sagebrush in Austin, Texas, March 31st. Ruby’s on the bill and all the proceeds from that event will go to sending women out of state to get medical care, in partnership with Fund Texas Choice.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-(Ruby forgot to choose a song pairing. If she sends me one later, I'll add it here!)-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Galileo” by the Indigo Girls.-Ruby Dice's featured songs are "Think Free" and "Yellow T-Shirt," from her 2021 Denim Disco EP and 2020 Wild Ones EP, respectively.Corrections:The Galileo (registration NCC-1701/7) was a class F shuttlecraft. The complement on a Constitution class starship like the Enterprise would have been typically four total shuttlecraft. So the “/7” designation is not in reference to the total number of shuttlecraft aboard, as I thought.The Janeway/Chakotay get stranded on a planet together episode is called “Resolutions” (VOY 2:25).The Janeway/Paris lizard babies episode is “Threshold” (VOY 2:15).
TOS 1:15, "Shore Leave," with Fabian Perez
Feb 15 2022
TOS 1:15, "Shore Leave," with Fabian Perez
-David Ramirez has a new live EP coming out the first quarter of 2022, called Rules and Regulations. Try Hard Coffee has created a custom coffee flavor that pairs with David's music. Pre-order your copy of David's new EP on vinyl (super limited edition) and get a free bag of coffee and other goodies to enjoy it with. Join David's mailing list for more information.-Delta Spirit and Wild Child have been in the studio and full length albums are coming soon for both. Join their mailing lists to stay in the loop.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Fabian's song pairing for this episode: “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” by The Beatles.-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane-Fabian's featured songs are "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Pure Imagination" by The Wild Reeds, from their 2020 Covers EP.Corrections:Pon farr, as established in "Amok Time," is the once-every-seven-years event in an adult Vulcan's life when they experience such extreme biological and psychological sexual desires that their normally rational minds are overcome and they are compelled to either mate with another Vulcan they are mentally bonded to, or engage in a ritualized battle. If they fail to do one of these two things, they will enter "Plak Tow," or the "blood fever," become violent and potentially die. Star Trek canon has established that Vulcans can have sex (and I guess, masturbate too) any time they want; not just during pon farr. But masturbating can't kill their crazy sex urges during pon farr. Only mating with a Vulcan they're bonded to can do that (or, alternatively, ritualized battle, or the "kal-il-fee").“Africa U.S.A” was a 100-acre wild animal preserve in Soledad Canyon, California (in Santa Clarita, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles). It only existed from 1965-1969 before it was tragically destroyed by a flood. “Shore Leave” was in fact the only Star Trek episode filmed there.Angela reappears at the end, after Kirk and the Caretaker have had a conversation about the planet. We don’t see her coming out from underground, but at the end, when everybody is paired up we see her standing next to Rodriguez, apparently healed and/or resurrected. At no point does anyone mention her or the fact that she was injured/dead.Androids, or robots made to look like humans, are a science fiction staple. The term originates in the 1700’s, as a descriptor for an automaton. (Automatons are human-like or animal-like mechanical dolls that move and perform functions when wound up or switched on. There are lots of creepy historical examples. See for yourself on YouTube.) Androids began showing up in science fiction around the turn of the century and have been heavily featured in lots of science fiction short stories, books, film, and television.Some famous and early examples are found in Metropolis, the 1927 German film by Fritz Lang, I, Robot by Issac Asimov, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (which was the inspiration for Blade Runner), Westward , which, before it was the popular HBO series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, was another television series from the 1970’s, written and directed by Michael Crichton, and of course, Star Trek. Episodes of the Original Series that feature androids include “What Are Little Girls Made Of?", "I, Mudd", "Return to Tomorrow", and "Requiem for Methuselah.” One of the most beloved main characters of Star Trek: Next Generation is Data, an android created by Dr. Noonien Soong.Many stories about androids are not really about androids as much as they are about humans; android stories tell us about the human condition and human nature. Depictions of female androids, like the androids in The Stepford Wives or Westworld, tell us something about the ways that humans (read: men) understand, idealize, and seek to control women.
TOS 1:14, "Balance of Terror," with Natalie Price
Jan 12 2022
TOS 1:14, "Balance of Terror," with Natalie Price
Check out natpricemusic.com for the latest happenings in Natalie Land, tour dates, and fangirl merchandise, such as the new, limited edition pressing of Natalie's Through the Fog EP, rumored to be available on vinyl very soon. You can watch Natalie's talk show, "20 @ 10" on YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, or Instagram Live. Follow @natpricemusic on the Grams to stay in the loop. Natalie was recently selected for the Austin Music Foundation's Artist Development Program. The Foundation chooses 4 to 6 artists every year for specialized consultation. As one of those artists for 2021, Natalie is contributing two new, unreleased songs to a forthcoming compilation album.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Natalie's song pairing for this episode: “Wreck of the Day” by Anna Nalick.-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits-Natalie's featured song is "Dreamwalker," from her Through the Fog EP.Corrections:As promised, here’s an excellently researched piece about the prevailing and incorrect belief that Ship’s Captains get to officiate for weddings: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/fashion/weddings/a-marriage-at-sea-get-me-rewrite.htmlThe treaty between Earth and the Romulan Star Empire was not officially named in any episode of Star Trek.Tor.com’s review of “Balance of Terror,” which is mentioned in this podcast: https://www.tor.com/2009/05/21/lemgstar-treklemg-re-watch-balance-of-terror/How close is close enough to fire a space torpedo at a Romulan ship? Does anyone have the answer? I don't.As far as I can tell, the first appearance of the streaky star effect (where all the stars blur into lines streaking past the Enterprise when it goes into warp) was in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, the second Star Trek movie. Wrath of Khan came out in 1982, five years after Star Wars debuted in 1977. Which means Star Wars did it first, as far as I can tell (someone correct me if I’m wrong). In the opening credits for the Original Series, we definitely get a whooshing noise as the Enterprise zooms through space, but no streaky star effect.
TOS 01:12, "The Menagerie, Part II," with Ryan Madora (and Ellen Angelico)
Nov 8 2021
TOS 01:12, "The Menagerie, Part II," with Ryan Madora (and Ellen Angelico)
Ryan Madora exists on the internet at https://ryanmadora.com/.  There you can find links to her full discography, tour dates, and how to start taking bass lessons with Ryan. Yes, Ryan teaches the bass! "With years of experience as an educator, Ryan would love to help you on your musical journey. Whether you need motivation and accountability, a practice regime to help you stay focused, or tips for breaking bad habits, lessons are a great way to take your playing to the next level." You can find Ryan's book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From the Greats, on her website, on Amazon, and in other places where books can be purchased. You can become a Ryan Madora patron at https://www.patreon.com/ryanmadora. Ryan is on all the social media things as @ryanmadora.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Ryan's song pairing for this episode: “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “Tir na Nog” by Van Morrison-Ryan's featured song is “I’m Still Here” by Craig Haller (produced by Ryan Madora & Craig Haller).-Ryan's retroactive song pairing for "The Menagerie, Part I":  “Sure Don’t Feel Like Love” Paul Simon-Ryan's retroactive featured song for "The Menagerie, Part I": “Seven Point Two” by the Interludes (Ryan's  instrumental trio, currently on hiatus. Album produced by Ryan).Corrections:The "guy who sells everybody out in the Matrix" was Cypher, played by Joe Pantoliano.In the context of talking about the Irish fairyland Tír na nÓg, Grace said it was like “Rumpelstiltskin.” She meant Rip van Winkle, a character in a Washington Irving story who famously slept for 20 years, while the world went on without him. Rumpelstiltskin is the Brothers Grimm fairytale where a creature named Rumpelstiltskin turns straw to gold in exchange for a maiden’s firstborn child.
TOS 01:11, "The Menagerie, Part I," with Ellen Angelico (and Ryan Madora)
Oct 1 2021
TOS 01:11, "The Menagerie, Part I," with Ellen Angelico (and Ryan Madora)
Find an occasional list of updated shows Ellen is playing, including with Cam, the country megastar, at ellenangelico.com. Ellen is occasionally hilarious on Twitter, tweeting things their partner says. Check out Fanny School of Music at fannyschoolofmusic.org. If you have a million dollars, you can donate it to Fanny School of Music and help some kids learn how to music.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Ellen's song pairing for this episode: "Your Head's Too Big" by the Ditty Bops-Grace's song pairings for this episode: “No” by Meghan Trainer-Ellen's featured song is “Yurt” from the album Haven't Changed Much by Uncle Ellen.Corrections:Spock actually nerve pinched two separate crewmen on Starbase 11. The first was Chief Humbolt, in the blue uniform (“bathrobe”). The second was a random redrobe, Starbase 11’s version of the redshirt, I guess.How many luaos happened in Star Trek? The only one I know about is in Voyager (VOY 03:14). Neelix hosts it and everybody wears Hawaiian shirts.The actor Malachi Throne appeared in three episodes of The Original Series (TOS) and two episodes of Next Generation (TNG): “The Cage” (TOS), “The Menagerie, Part I” (TOS), “The Menagerie, Part II (TOS), “Unification I” (TNG), and “Unification II” (TNG). He had numerous other television appearances, including in Babylon 5, in the episode “The Coming of Shadows.”The episode I refer to that features crewman with godlike ESP powers is TOS 01:03, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”Mark Hamill was in a bad car accident, not a boating accident before filming The Empire Strikes Back. The Bigfoot-like creature that attacks and injures him on Hoth is called a wampa.
TOS 01:09, "Dagger of the Mind," with BettySoo
May 8 2021
TOS 01:09, "Dagger of the Mind," with BettySoo
BettySoo is debuting original songs and covers, plus other great content on her Patreon page. You can become a patron for $3 a month.Every Tuesday night, BettySoo shares the virtual stage with amazing musician guests for her "Nobody's Happy House" series (on Zoom). Guest musicians must face BettySoo's famous wheel, which prompts spontaneous (and often hilarious) acts of creative daring. To find out just what that means, head to bettysoo.com/shows to get your ticket for the next show.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-BettySoo's song pairing for this episode: “Remember The Tin Man,” by Tracy Chapman.-Grace's song pairing for this episode: “I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones.-We forgot to talk about BettySoo's featured song, and to compensate for that oversight (and with BettySoo's blessing), I'm including two great BettySoo songs in our playlist, "The Things She Left Town With," and "Love is Real," both from the album, When We're Gone.Corrections:One possible Star Trek episode I could have referenced to supplement our conversation about Houston behaving like a giant amoeba is “The Immunity Syndrome” (Season 2, Episode 18), where the crew of the Enterprise takes out a giant, cosmic, pregnant amoeba-like organism with “antibodies.”The organization that my grandmother loved was the National Federation of the Blind. You can learn more about their work and the services they offer here: https://nfb.org/programs-servicesAs I mentioned in this episode, I am planning to find a way to transcribe this podcast, to make Troubadours on Trek accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community. When I started this podcast, I foolishly did not take this kind of accessibility into consideration. I'd like to rectify that, and I'm currently exploring affordable options for accurate transcription that don't add to my own current workload (I give about as much time as I'm able to already to this podcast). If you have any suggestions or advice on the subject, I'd love to hear it. Hopefully, as this Patreon page grows and/or as my audience grows for the podcast, I can outsource this and add transcription in the near future."Truth Be Told is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit service organization providing transformational tools of community building, communication skills, creativity and self-care for women behind and beyond prison walls. The Truth Be Told headquarters is located in Austin, Texas." Learn more about the organization and their work, continuing even in the face of the challenges and hardships presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, on their website.
TOS 1-8, "Miri" with Rebecca Loebe
Apr 9 2021
TOS 1-8, "Miri" with Rebecca Loebe
Rebecca's latest album, Give Up Your Ghosts, is available on her website, and on all major listening platforms. Her new video series, featuring singer-songwriters talking about what it's like to be working musicians, is available on her YouTube channel. You can join "Team Loebe" on Patreon for as little as $1/month.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Rebecca's song pairing for this episode: “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” by Urge Overkill.-Grace's song pairings for this episode: “Changes” by David Bowie-Rebecca's featured song is "Growing Up," from her new album, Give Up Your Ghosts.Corrections:Yes, Star Trek IV (the one with the whales) is “The Voyage Home.”Many accept "Plato's Stepchildren" (TOS 03:10) as the "first interracial kiss on television" (there's debate on this point but it was certainly the first televised kiss between dark skinned and light skinned actors on American television). But that's only if we're talking about American television. Great Britain was ahead of the United States in this department by almost a decade. Rebecca asks when the "first consensualinterracial kiss" (kiss between dark skinned and light skinned actors) aired on American TV, since the Uhura/Kirk kiss was technically coerced by way of alien mind control in this particular episode. That's a harder question to answer. With these qualifiers, I couldn't find documentation of the "second interracial kiss" or the "first consensual interracial kiss." (If anyone out there has more on this, I'd be very interested to know the answer). Wikipedia has a fascinating entry on televised interracial kisses, documenting earlier examples (than the Uhura/Kirk kiss) of kisses between Asian and white actors and Hispanic and white actors (all light skinned actors) and examples on British television of kisses between actors with dark and light skin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_interracial_kiss_on_televisionTribe of Creepy Children: It’s interesting to note that the actor who plays Jahn, Michael J. Pollard, was 27 at the time. He was pretty short, so he was able to play a teenager throughout his 20s. He played a lot of memorable side characters, including CW Moss in Bonnie and Clyde (which came out in 1967). He was in lots of other movies and shows, like Dick Tracey and Scrooged and Roxanne, the Steve Martin movie. You can google him.  The other kids are mainly the children of actors in Star Trek: William Shatner's daughters Lisabeth and Melanie, Grace Lee Whitney's son Scott, Vincent McEveety's son Steven, and Gene Roddenberry's daughters, Darleen and Dawn. Two other children, Phil and Iona Morris, were the children of Mission Impossible actor Greg Morris, and they later appeared in other Star Trek shows. Phil Morris was in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in a bit part and then was a guest star on Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. Iona Morris was in a 2 part episode of Voyager but is mainly known as a voice actor. She was the voice for Storm in the animated X-Men series and in Spider Man: the Animated Series.
TOS 1-7, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" with Barbara Nesbitt
Feb 28 2021
TOS 1-7, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" with Barbara Nesbitt
You can get your copy of Barbara's new album, Someday, Maybe Sooner, which she made during the coronavirus pandemic, through her website.  The album is also available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and through other fine purveyors of records that don't suck.Barbara plays livestreams on Facebook and also has lots of new songs and “thoughtlets” available to enjoy on Patreon. Help support her there for as little as $2/month to get it all.Barbara also does “Coronagram” commissions.  Order one for someone you love- Barbara will send them a virtual song.   More info is available on her website.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):-Barbara's song pairing for this episode: "Paranoid Android,” by Radiohead.-Grace's song pairings for this episode: "Mr. Roboto," by Styx and "Robots," by Flight of the Conchords.-Barbara's featured song is "Frostbite," from her new album, Someday, Maybe Sooner.Corrections:Ted Cassidy died of complications following open heart surgery in 1979 (aged 46).  André René Roussimoff (André the Giant) died of congestive heart failure in 1993 (also aged 46).I suspect that the episode with the “child android” that Barbara is thinking of is “Hero Worship” (TNG 05:11). In this episode, there's a child, Timothy, but he is not actually an android.  He pretends to be an android, to cope with the trauma of being the only survivor of a tragic event.  But eventually, with help from the Enterprise crew, reverts to healthy human little boy behavior.  The only other example of a child or offspring android (before we get to the new Picard series- won’t mention details here for the sake of avoiding spoilers) in Trek that I can think of is Lal, Data’s “daughter” (TNG 03:16).The three episodes of the Original Series that do NOT feature Leonard McCoy are (this episode) “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” (TOS 01:07), “The Menagerie, Part II” (TOS 01:16), and “Errand of Mercy” (TOS 01:27).
TOS 1-5, "The Enemy Within," with Calloway Ritch
Dec 30 2020
TOS 1-5, "The Enemy Within," with Calloway Ritch
Keep up with Ruby Dice on the official website for upcoming shows and new music. And follow Calloway on Facebook and Instagram.Here's a link to the official Troubadours on Trek Spotify Playlist, where you can hear all the featured songs from every episode in one playlist (songs will be added as episodes air on Patreon):Calloway's song pairing for this episode: "Satan and Saint Paul," by  John Fullbright.Grace's song pairing for this episode: "Evil Twin," by Buddy Guy.Calloway's featured song is a Ruby Dice tune: "Don't Call Me Baby."Corrections/Further Insights:For more on the “Toledo War” see wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_WarWho did the unicorn dog belong to?? I was not able to answer this question. If you are able to find our more about its breed, owner, and name, please let us know! The technical name for the "creature" is the Alfa 177 canine.More background on Spock's "last name":In "This Side of Paradise" (TOS 01:24), Spock establishes that has a named that's unpronounceable to humans (thanks, Jerry Gilio for that info).Vulcan culture is seemingly both patrilineal and matriarchal, which is interesting. On the one hand, Vulcans name themselves using their paternal lineage (“Spock, Son of Sarek.”) On the other hand, many (most) of their leaders seem to be female (examples include T’Pau in the Original Series, T'Lar in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, T’Pan in Next Generation, Oh in Picard and T'Rina in Discovery). But Vulcan society is not a feminist paradise. In “Amok Time” (TOS 02:01), we see that Vulcan females can be betrothed in childhood and only released from that betrothal by combat between their betrothed and a second male of their choosing. Whoever wins in combat earns the right to marry the female. She becomes the “property of the victor.”The episode I mention that features lots of Riker’s chest hair and women running things is “Angel One” (TNG 01:13).I could not find a definitive answer to the question of which Star Trek series includes the most incidents of shirtless-ness. I'm sticking to my original guess that the Original Series probably wins this trophy, thanks to Captain Kirk.