This week the Admiral’s friend Keith returns to chat about all things Tolkien.

This week the crew are joined by Jakob and Mandi of the Nerd Hurdles podcast to discuss, amongst many a tangent, author Robert J. Sawyer’s contention that Star Wars ruined Science Fiction movies.

Show notes:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas ruined the science fiction genre.

At least that’s the argument put forth by Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer in a lecture he gave in February 2008 (you can listen to this lecture in its entirety here).

Hyperbolic posturing aside, does Sawyer have a point? Has Lucas weakened the foundation of our beloved science fiction genre through his hackneyed attempts at telling the same story over and over and over again? Or are there darker forces driving Sawyer’s animosity toward The Bearded One and his fractured intergalactic fairytales?

This week. the Admiral and Ro are joined by that Nerd Hurdlelicious duo, Jakob and Mandi, to tackle this Death Star-sized topic. First, however, all involved parties take a moment to praise the generosity of musical maestro Steven Cogswell, both for the listening pleasure and awesome (and sometimes strangely random) gifts he bestows upon us.

The Admiral then confronts Ro about her recent dalliance with another podcast! Seems that those smexy Starbase men simply weren’t scratching the Bajoran’s “ancient Greek mythology in leather and brass” itch…so she found a place where she was more than welcome to “battle on” in high warrior princess style. if you’re dying to hear even more of the belligerent Bajoran, head on over to Episode 14 of The Televerse. And if you’d like to listen to more delicious discourse on what’s hot and what’s not in the television world, join Kate and Simon as they take their listeners on a weekly tour of the Televerse!

Of course, as punishment for her straying from the Starbase, Ro must then listen as the Admiral goes through a litany of recently announced casting choices for the sequel to that Trek abomination from a few years ago. Oh, and hey guyz!! It’s gonna be in teh 3-Dz!!!111!!!! You know, just in case you wondered what the Cloverfield monster looked like in 3-D. Because you know it’s going to be in this movie. Somewhere. It is, after all, a movie brought to us by J.J. Abrams, MMD. Just try not to look directly at the screen through all the bajillion lens flares.

However, with names like Peter Weller and Benedict Cummerbund on the roster, Ro has envisioned a possibility that might even entice her to see this sequel…

Kennedy and the Admiral discuss their very favorite, and not so favorite episodes of their very favorite Science Fiction TV series.

Show notes:

Seal the airlocks and post guards at all the shuttle bay doors, listeners! The Admiral finally found where the Bajoran disposed of Kennedy Kennedy’s away mission location and has brought him back to the Starbase, safe and sound. Well, mostly sound. And safe as long as the Bajoran is still on her covert operation anger management retreat.

Strikethrough text. Could there be a more amusing yet utterly pointless font trick?

For this episode, our Sexy Studs of the Starbase embrace their inner TOSers and take us on a journey through what they consider to be the best and the worst of the original voyages of the Starship Enterprise (and her apparently “sweet ass” [honestly, you'd think the Admiral was part Bajoran with comments like that!]).

What did they love? What did they hate? What was the Trek-esque name the Starbaby would have received had she been a boy? Which episode should have featured a cameo by Pedo-Bear? Which episode used a hobby model? Which maligned episode is actually one of the best of the series? How does Drew Barrymore’s family tie in with Captain Kirk and his crew? Why is it that excessive eyeliner is both a sign of Kirk being evil and of Kirk being a woman? And why did neither the Admiral nor Kennedy make the obvious “Turnabout Intruder” joke about the true “turnabout” being a woman inside Kirk?

Typical. Even as a captain, all a woman's good for is filing...

Wow, another year is behind us, so here is this year’s pile of screw-ups, misspeaks, and rambles that were swept up off the cutting room floor. See y’all in 2012!!

This week Ro Karen and the Admiral welcome Noelle Hannibal, Star Trek and Buffy actress and musician, back to the show.

Show notes:

The Admiral welcomes back to the Starbase actress/musician/demon/Vulcan/possessor of infinite grooviness, Noelle Hannibal. Listen in as Noelle shares stories about her appearances on genre fiction favorites, including her turn as a denizen of darkness on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “The Zeppo” and as the first female Vulcan to visit Earth in First Contact.

"What part of 'no autographs' don't you understand?"

Not even Vulcans can resist the charms of James Cromwell.

She also talks about “copyrighted ears,” fan mail, her convention circuit adventures, James Marsters, and the “intimate apparel” story she shares with Stan Lee. It’s a story you won’t want to miss, True Believers!

The Starbase crew encourages you to listen to Noelle’s return to the Starbase and then check out her album, Somewhere In Between, available for purchase through Amazon.com, AmazonUK, iTunes, and her Web site, NoelleHannibal.com.

Noelle continues to support the efforts of Montreal’s T3: Triple Threat.

Geek Correction for This Episode: The Starbase crew does know that it was Andrew Robinson and not Anthony Robinson who played plain and simple Garak. Sometimes, however, the hamster that runs our Trek Trivia nodule gets sleepy and simply cannot match speeds with our speech processors.

This week Kennedy and the Admiral ponder what future geekery lies in store for their children.

Show notes:

The Prodigal Kanadian finally returns from space exile, to find his quarters converted to extra rum storage, his action figure collection posed in impressively questionable positions, and a completely new rotation of redshirts since his last visit. This would also explain why the Bajoran is back in anger management therapy…

In celebration of the Starbase’s Command Center being 100-percent breederlicious on this episode, the Admiral and Kennedy delve into a topic near and dear to their fertile hearts: the future of potential geekery that lies in wait for their progeny. What dorky delights await the Star Baby and the Weather Baby? Will these geeky dads get their way and be allowed to indoctrinate these newest additions to the Starbase crew into the realm of genre fiction adoration? Will their offspring share their affection for sites like the Mego Museum or Plaid Stallions? Will they become the future spokespeople for ThinkGeek?

Actually, never mind the babies…Dear Timmy, can the current Starbase crew become the spokespeople for ThinkGeek? That would be teh awesome. OKTHXBAI.

Interspersed throughout this episode, the Admiral and Kennedy share aspects of their own journey to geekdom while revealing themselves to be secret Luddites by lamenting how easy technology makes everything for the young whippersnappers these days. The Bajoran blogger is willing to bet that somewhere on the digital cutting room floor is one of her crewmates uttering the phrases, “Back in my day” and/or “uphill both ways in the snow.”

Finally, the Bajoran would like this to be her contribution to this particular discussion: Combining Total Recall and baby products has already occurred. It’s called the “Peekaru” or “Baby Snuggie.” You have been warned.

While Cmdr. Kennedy languishes somewhere in the Phantom Zone, Ro and the Admiral wonder if ST:TNG would have survived its first season if it premiered today.

Show notes:

Would the intrepid crew of the NCC-1701-D have survived their inaugural season if they’d started their continuing voyages in today’s high stakes, instant returns television culture? Or would they have ended up as nothing more than a 2-disc DVD release, nestled in the Walmart bargain bin between The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Bionic Woman reboot, relegated to cancelled cult status and known only to über geeks?

The Admiral and Ro tackle this very question through an episode-by-episode rundown of TNG’s first season episodes. What had promise? What was jarringly awful? How did some of these scripts ever make it to the screen? Who knew Metamucil and printer’s ink was a deadly combination? And who thought life-sized hairless Troll dolls in furry togas and mukluks would be scary?

Travel back to the future to find the answers to these questions and more! And don’t miss…

You know…never mind.

All that being said, we here at the Starbase still love TNG. For all the bumpiness of its maiden voyage, it remains dear to our hearts. So dear, in fact, that the prospect of the show’s Bluray release might actually inspire the resident Bajoran to finally break down and buy a Bluray player. But not until at least the release of Season Three…

Commander Ro and the Admiral are joined by some very special guests to ruminate on reaching the 100th show, and on the 100th episodes of some other wonderful…well, mostly wonderful…shows.

Show notes:

This is it, listeners! The Starbase breaks through Q’s pesky force field grid (complete with 1987 CGI goodness!) to finally hit 100!

How could they do it up right, you might ask? Why, by inviting some friends aboard for the party, of course! Smexiness reigns supreme on this episode, as the Admiral and Ro welcome aboard Boz and Casey from Here Goes Nothing fame to coordinate refreshments, and musical maestro Steven Cogswell to spin the tracks and keep the Starbase crew dancing well into the wee hours of night.

(No, it didn’t look like the rave scene from that Matrix movie. Although the Starbase crew would not protest if Gina Torres ever felt like coming on board and teaching us how to dance like that.)

In what might go down in history as the lewdest, most suggestive, one-handed-typingest episode of the Starbase, our intrepid crew try to tackle a topic of Centennial Celebration by discussing some of their favorite genre fiction television shows that also reached the 100-episode mark. Admittedly, not all the shows discussed are actually genre shows…but we guess you’re just going to have to listen to make that call for yourselves, aren’t you?

Along the way, we hear some fantastic audio comments, the Admiral brags about his Cogswell Box, we touch on Klingon Kleavage, someone please go back and CGI Commander Sela’s hair black before Ro blows a fuse!, why is Scully English now? (oh, wait, she’s not), purple-haired moon chicks, Maria Bello in leather pants, what was he about to say about Jorja?!?, Christina Hendricks and her spectacular contributions to the genre, and that infamous Lucy Lawless wardrobe malfunction…which is no longer available on YouTube, so enjoy this instead.

The Admiral and his crew would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us this far into the journey. We’ve got light years yet to go!

Ro still thinks this is funny...

Hi, Folks,
I just wanted to let all of you know that even though the arrival of the Starbaby has thrown our recording, and my editing schedules into turmoil, the show is not going anywhere. Things here in the Admiral’s quarters are starting to settle into a routine, and hopefully before too much longer I’ll start cranking out the shows like nobody’s business, starting with our kick-ass 100th episode! So from all of us to all of you, thank you for your patience, and your incredible support. Live long, and podcast.

Rick

ps
Ain’t she adorable? (take that, Hawk!)

This week Karen, Kennedy, and the Admiral talk about actors whose very presence in a bad movie elevate the film to cult status.

Show notes:

What’s that? Levitated actors? Well…it is the month of All Hallow’s Eve, and lots of people do like to experiment with the darker arts during this time of the year. It’s not all that difficult to imagine the Starbase crew gathering around the conference room table for a quick session of “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” before heading off for the…wait, what? Oh. Elevated actors. Right. Perhaps the Bajoran shouldn’t try to listen to the episode while still wearing ear plugs. It’s just…Dave does snore a bit loudly.

Anyway. As we were saying, the Starbase crew join together to summon the spirit of io9′s list of the 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Actors Who Make Everything Better. The resident Kanadian even makes a rare public appearance for this episode (we swear, he’s gone so Hollywood ever since that three-picture deal on the life and loves of Big Dawg).

First on the list, the crew spend a little time (and by a little, we really mean practically half of the episode) catching up with each other, traveling down tangential paths such as happenings at the September Toronto Meet-Up in which much is revealed, including secrets about the special guest, Jonathan Bloody Wilkinson, from The Greatest Events in Sporting History podcast and possible crimes committed on foreign soil by some from the American contingent.

(The Bajoran gives her word that she was on her best behavior while under the watchful eye of the Canadians. She cannot, however, vouch for her Beloved. But that’s a story for another podcast to tell.)

From there, Kennedy takes us on a tour of the genre movies that he’s seen recently and the one that gets his vote as best movie of the year and what gets his vote as meh movie of the year. He’s also been reading a lot of the comics from the recent DC Universe reboot. Which ones are worthy? Which ones are worthless? And which one does the Admiral want to check out without pants? (And, no, we’re not specifying which kind of pants…or who might be without them.)

The Bajoran then pulls a bit of a time-traveling trick by discussing her “recent” purchase of a book that she’s somehow already reviewed here at the Starbase blog. Rather than gushing discussing it even more, let’s simply enjoy this…random screen capture of Worf and a security detail:

Yep. Totally random. Just like this link to a random Twitter feed that we think you all should follow.

At this point, the Admiral goes all professor on listeners and actually gives a homework assignment. Of course, it’s fun homework in which he asks for horror movie recommendations (yes, we were shocked as well). The two most recommended movies will be chosen, viewed by all Starbase personnel, and then discussed for this year’s Halloween episode. So start your recommending, listeners!

Discussion switches to NASA’s announcement about how they’re going to get our asses to Mars. Maybe. By the 2030s. Possibly. If they don’t liquefy us first.

The Admiral and Kennedy then babble about some kind of Tribble-shitterific shared hallucination they’ve been having. The Bajoran missed this portion of the show due to unexpected lens flare-induced blindness. All was fine, however, by the time the conversation shifted to the Trek tease for the 2012 Bluray release of TNG in time for the imminent year-long 25th anniversary celebration.

We then launch into the heart of our topic, which the Admiral introduces in a rather…inimitable way. Who’s on the list? Who isn’t and should be? Could one of them be “a cock in a frock on a rock”? Or perhaps the sexily mustachioed man below?

You’ll just have to listen to find out.

Meanwhile, take a gander at this random and completely unrelated photo of the two Daxes trying their hardest to break the space-time continuum:

No, it really has nothing to do with this episode. This is just what happens when the Bajoran tries to write show notes at 1 in the morning. Enjoy.

It’s quite befitting and not the least bit serendipitous that Patricia Tallman’s book, Pleasure Thresholds, begins with an introduction by J. Michael Straczynski, in which he explains how he first fell in love with Tallman through her performance in the 1990 remake of the Romero classic Night of the Living Dead. Why, you might ask? Because that’s precisely when I fell in love with Tallman, too.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating here: I love stuntwomen. Love them. They are fearless. They are tough as nails. They get out there and do stunts that are just as difficult if not more so than the ones the guys are doing…and they do them oftentimes in the bare minimum amount of clothing, which means bare minimum amount of padding and protection.

Tough. As. Nails.

And who started this obsession of mine? Patricia Tallman. Long before I knew the name Zoë Bell or Jeannie Epper, I knew Tallman. Not only was she this amazingly bad ass and ultimately unsettling character from a horror movie that I loved, she was also popping up on the biggest geek love of my adolescence: Star Trek.

Seriously, it was like my own strange version of “Where’s Waldo?” as I tried to spot Tallman’s random appearances, first on TNG and then on DS9. Every time I spotted her, I adored her that much more. When I later learned that she was the stunt double for three of my favorite characters from TNG and DS9, her awesomeness was pretty much set for life in my eyes. No surprise, then, that I jumped at the chance to buy her book as soon as I learned about it.

First things first: Yes, Pleasure Thresholds is a bit pricey. However, I believe there are acceptable reasons for this. In addition to getting this amazing 350+ page book (autographed by both Tallman and Straczynski) that’s packed with never-before-published photos from Tallman’s personal collection, you also get a CD-ROM of videos and MP3s made especially for this “multimedia memoir.” The MP3s feature Tallman and Straczynski dishing on Babylon 5 in unedited, uncensored ways. The videos are short but very enjoyable and may or may not feature props, lingerie, and chickens. But that’s all that I’m saying. Finally, this is being printed/produced through Café Press, which means it’s being printed in small batches as orders come in. Specialized print runs like this notoriously cost more (I’ve experienced this particular phenomenon many times in my Mirror Universe work life).

So there you go. Yes, Pleasure Thresholds is a bit costly. Is it worth its higher price? I give you an undeniable, unequivocal hells yes.

This book is the printed equivalent of getting a personal audience with Tallman as she shares her photos and stories with you, while at the same time revealing parts of herself in honest, hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking ways. She is both an engaging (and delightfully bawdy) storyteller and a passionate shutterbug. There are so many amazing photographs throughout this book—page after page of images spanning the impressive length of her career as both stuntwoman and actress. I have several favorites, including one of an airborne Tallman dressed in period costume and wielding a rapier. The expression on her face is one of such pure, unfettered joy that I can’t help but fall that much more in love with her every time I look at this photo.

Then there are the photos and stories from her time as the telepath Lyta Alexander on Babylon 5. This is the heart of the book, which makes sense. The title is from a B5 quote, and the subtitle is “Patricia Tallman’s Babylon 5 Memoir.”

(Okay, here’s the point where I reveal a dark secret regarding my standing as a geek: I’ve never watched Babylon 5. I know, I know! I was all set to watch after learning that Tallman was finally getting a shot at her own role on a sci-fi show, and then something happened and the first season started and…no Tallman. WTF? In protest, I never tuned in. And then, when she did finally reappear, I was off doing the college thing and not really even spending all that much time with my beloved Trek shows, so B5 never got the chance to resurface on my radar. After reading this book, I now understand what happened and why Tallman wasn’t there for the first season. I am properly appeased and B5 is now loaded up toward the top of my Netflix queue. See? Another reason why this book is awesome: It may yet convert me to a B5 fan.)

Aside from the pictures and anecdotes, Tallman provides a first-person peek behind the scenes of what it’s like to play the Hollywood game. There are certain assumptions that we all make regarding the life of an actor, and most of the time those assumptions are based on the lives led by the likes of the Clooneys, the Pitts, the Jolies. This is not the life led by all in the acting profession. Tallman shares aspects of her own personal journey, which I found both intriguing and enlightening (not to mention frustrating; it definitely takes a spirit of a particularly resilient fortitude to enter the acting arena).

So, there you go: My admittedly not completely objective but honest review of Pleasure Thresholds. If you are a fan of the genres from which Tallman has rightfully earned both ubiquity and respect, then this collection will undoubtedly have something to offer you. If anything, the story of “Lyta’s Lingerie” is worth the price of admission all on its own. But, again, that’s all I’m saying about that.

One final thing: Even if you don’t decide to buy your own copy of Pleasure Thresholds, why not swing over to Penny Lane, a California-based organization that provides an array of support services for abused children, and make a donation. Tallman has supported the efforts of this organization for years. It wouldn’t hurt to do the same; the karma points alone will make it worth it.

While Kennedy swings through The City in his Spidey underoos, Ro Karen and the somewhat brain damaged Admiral go over some news and some emails.

Show notes:

No, the Starbase hasn’t been invaded by Lilliputian zombies. That’s just the Admiral, suffering from a massive case of “We had a Starbaby!” syndrome. We suspect it’s a long-term condition. And with Kennedy off “web-slinging” in the wilds of Kanadia yet again (we’ve learned not to ask when such euphemisms are used), it’s up to the Bajoran to keep things on track.

Which explains a lot about the random nature of this week’s episode. A lot.

Then again, any episode that begins with the Admiral giggling is bound to be enjoyable! We kick this flea throw…er, free throw into gear with a “Grew Review” of Ro’s birthday present from her Beloved: an Amazon Kindle. Lots of free books available, smexy futuristic design, but can e-Readers do to real books what digital music and movies are doing to CDs and DVDs?

And why, oh why, isn’t there a TARDIS Kindle cover? Oh, wait.

Then somehow, Bones comes up. No, not Dr. McCoy. Bones Deschanel. Dressed as Wonder Woman.

We’d buy that for a dollar.

The Admiral then lays down the edict that Ro must track down Lynda Carter before the restraining order kicks in (we’re kidding, of course. That restraining order went into effect YEARS ago), before launching into a bit more gushing over the remastered version of the Original Series.

And finally, we begin with e-mails! Featured submissions from this episode came to us from Colin, Karl (Valdora), Steven (Kazon Nystrøm), Deepa (DesiLady), and Shane (tokenbg).

Colin thanks the crew for taking the Roddenberry pilots bullet for listeners (we’re still healing from the dink damage) and asks a question that somehow brings up pigs in kilts, Karl shares Ro and Kennedy’s uncanny love for the X-Men, while Steven mourns the loss of Superman’s red skivvies, which launches a tangent about the new Superman movie costume:

Sorry. Wrong file. That’s from Kennedy’s fantasy folder. We meant this new Superman movie costume:

Ooh. Bulgy. Actually, that might be from Kennedy’s fantasy folder, too.

At some point during this part of the discussion, the Admiral reveals a fetish that he may or may not share with Ro pertaining to footwear, right before that tricksy Bajoran sneaks in a mention of Anne Hathaway’s recent rap dalliance, just so she could post this video:

We here at the Starbase applaud all forms of creative outlets that end with Ms. Hathaway uttering the line “I know you love to feel my pop.”

Deepa dips back to the crew’s vivid Voyager vivisection episode and joins the fanbase for the GeeksOn Garrett Wang interview that we love so much. Mention is made of that Tim Russ Trek movie, Of Gods and Men (not Gods and Monsters, which is a completely different movie, Admiral), which is once again online for viewing (if you dare), and a Mulgrewian apology for her reaction to teh sexy drone on her ship. Kind of. Okay, maybe not.

Finally, we round things out with Shane’s response to Karen Hears a Who and the withholding of British scorn. For now.

This week Greg from the Inappropriate Conversations podcast returns to aid Ro Karen and the Admiral in a discussion of the diabolic one himself as he…or she…appears in movies/TV shows/ books, and even music.

Show notes:

As some listeners may know, it was about as hot as the Devil’s jockstrap in many parts of the Alpha Quadrant this summer, and that heat got to many of us…including the intrepid crew of the Starbase. So while Kennedy high-tailed it to Hoth to cover their annual Rebel Alliance “Yavin a Laugh” comedy festival and wampa roast (Copyright HGN), the Admiral and Ro clicked the central cooling up to 11, popped open some cold ones, and summoned the sweltering sauna of sinfulness with some Satanic synergy. And lots of sibilance.

To help them along, the Starbase crew welcome back Greg, GAB on the Simply Syndicated forum and host of the Inappropriate Conversations podcast.

(Some might think that Greg was the perfect choice for this particular topic because of his impressive religious knowledge. Ro knows that it’s because of his infliction of the Roddenberry Pilots on the Starbase. That was just EVIL.)

First, though, the Borg want us to know that our moon might have been lying to us all this time about its age (we always suspected that was a fake ID). Also, the Starbase crew is extremely honored to have been nominated by one our Swedish listeners for “Bästa utländska kanal” (which we hope means “Best Foreign Podcast”) in the 2011 Svenska Podradiopriset. It really is an honor just to be nominated. However, the crew would not be averse to winning. Especially if the award is a shipment of Swedish fish. Or meatballs.

Then it’s on to the tainted topic of terror as this week’s trio discuss some of the greatest depictions of the Devil in movies, television, and Clay-mation, starting with smelly Klingons and giving the lissome Devil her Lycra-d due, down through the Doctor’s Satan Pit, horny Tim Curry, Alan Cumming, implied Devil, epicene evil, Dio’s devilish logo, don’t dial 976-EVIL on the Admiral’s dime, Damien Thorn and birth control advertisements, Tilda Swinton brings sexyback to androgyny, “Christian picketing” is really Hollywood’s best-kept marketing secret, and listening to “Stairway to Heaven” backward will Jack. You. Up.

Finally, the crew of the Starbase would like to formally introduce you all to our newest member and the Admiral’s pride and joy…’tis the Starbaby herself! Congratulations, Admiral!

One Friday when Rich and Allison needed some not so super or happy or fun time, Boz, from Here Goes Nothing, and the Admiral did a live show to at least fill the void. This is that show.

While Kennedy runs around the city in his underwear with a towel tied around his neck, Karen and the Admiral talk about Karen’s recent journeys in the TARDIS and her opinions of the first two new Doctors.

Show notes:

Our resident Bajoran has been called many things, but it’s only now that she has earned the distinction of another honorific to boost her geek cred: Wholigan.

That’s right, listeners, we here at the Starbase do pay attention to what you ask for (even if it sometimes takes us a little while to get to where you want us to be!). Ro heard the growing rumbles of frustration from our international outposts and, not wanting to be the victim of that infamous “British Scorn,” she finally fired up the TARDIS and began her journey through New Who.

Prior to bouncing along in that smexy blue police box, the Admiral vents over SyFy stupidity, Ro breaks the logic framastat by bringing up a Quinn-tessentially non-scifi show, the Admiral is no longer “animated” over a certain series, ball of hormones and a Dink Flashback, and look for Emergence of the Starbaby, coming soon to your local bookstore!

And then we’re off! Strange worlds await, and even stranger aliens (even the bobble-headed gaseous variety that caused eye-roll-induced sprains) as the Admiral and Ro hop through the first three seasons of new Doctor Who. What was liked? What was mocked? What was with the Mary Sue angle? How do you pronounce Agyeman? Why is there no action figure for Lady Christina de Souza?

Okay, no one probably cares about that last question but Ro, so we’ll let it go. For now.

And once you’ve listened, let us know what you think! What did we say that you agreed with? What did we say that caused you to shatter a molar or two? Should Ro go back to the beginning? Or is it best to keep full-steam ahead to the Matt Smith era? Are we asking too many questions? We do apologize. Here. Enjoy some music:

Not into metal? How about a dubstep version?

No? Trance then?

Seriously, there’s a bajillion of these things out there.

How about Doctor Who, the Springfield Remix?

This graphic is from Springfield Punx, a delightfully geeky site run by an artist who likes to draw various genre characters in the style of Simpsons characters.

This week Ro Karen nearly sighs herself into unconsciousness as the boys talk toys, science, and bad jokes. Oh, and there is some discussion of the mashing up of Westerns and Sci Fi.

Show notes:

This ain’t no show for intergalactic greenhorns, pardners! So, sidle on up to the bar and order up a round for the crew, because we’re settlin’ in to talk about Space Westerns!

First, though, the Admiral and Kennedy have a “toy-off” as they rejoice in nearing the ends of their simultaneous unpacking efforts from their recent moves; Nimoy is packing in his convention appearances (allegedly) after the recently finished Las Vegas Creation mega-party and the upcoming Chicago convention this September 30; the Admiral has time-warped back to his youth with Star Trek: The Animated Series on Netflix streaming; Kennedy tries to surprise Ro with a sci-fi movie recommendation but underestimates the Bionic extremes to which she has already gone in pursuit of certain actresses; The Nerdist podcast interviewed Wil Wheaton, Matt Smith, and Karen Gillan and the Admiral says it’s good; Kennedy dips into his archive of geekery to plug the Garrett Wang GeeksOn interview and episode 10 of …Do You Think That’s Just Bollocks?; and more space news, now with private docking and Uranus humor!

Then it’s time to head ‘em up and move ‘em out to that big rodeo in the sky as the crew discuss Cowboys and Aliens, The Adventures of Chin-co County, Jr. MacGuyver and Q in the Old West (?), Will Smith is NOT James West, Back to the Future III and the branchless McFly family tree, Andie MacDowell as H.G. Wells? (Ro! Put the rum down and pay attention!), Michael Knight versus Jack the Ripper, Westworld, Wagon Train to the stars?, The Valley of Gwangi, Cowboy Bebop, and only one mention to the greatest space western of them all…”A Fistful of Datas.”

And we’re back!! In this somewhat unfocused, tangent-riddled show the crew try out a new catch phrase, welcome each other back, talk movies and TV, then contemplate the results of playing the shell game with famous SciFi crew members.

Show notes:

No, the Admiral hasn’t decided to implement that “Starfleet Swingers” program that Kennedy recommended a few months ago. This is instead a forum topic suggested by listener Steven Nystrum (Kazon Nystrøm on the forum). Steven posed the question, How well would some of our favorite genre characters do if they found themselves faced with stepping into the roles held by other sci-fi scions?

Could Captain Picard have handled running DS9 and being a Bajoran religious icon? Or would the constant offerings of spring wine and hasperat have driven him mad? Would Mal and Riker have gotten along as two roguish cads leading the Enterprise into non-stop adventure? Or would they have challenged each other to a duel to the death for the love and attention of Counselor Inara? Er, Companion Troi? Would Inara have crashed the Enterprise?

Let’s tangent off into this video clip of Marina Sirtis discussing Troi’s infamous go at the helm of the NCC-1701-D, shall we?

Good times.

What other bizarre swaps can our intrepid crew devise? Wookie engineers? Psychotic Razors and Voyaging Captains? Cruise Director Starbuck?! And who the hell is Rocket Robin Hood?

Oh. Wow. Canada.

Plus, enjoy the front-loaded gab fest at the beginning of this episode, in which our heroes play a little catch-up with each other and discuss: the shuttle program (ONE MORE TIME!); the recent confirmation that the Russians will crash the ISS into the ocean in 2020 (we knew they never should have renamed it the ISS Sirtis!); Ro’s disappointment in the Admiral for not “liberating” Dr. Crusher’s lab coat from the Star Trek Exhibit he toured with UNKK!!^TM at Cape Canaveral; lots of super hero movie talk; PEOPLE EYES!!; Captain Janeway in an eye patch; Twitter Talk; Jeri Ryan as a Marine; the Admiral loves The Bloggess, Treknologic, and Star Talk with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson; rainbow-shitting Pop Tart cat that Ro refuses to acknowledge with a link…only silent judging of the Admiral’s Brokeback Mountain-like obsession (“I wish I knew how to quit you!”); Toronto Meet-Up!; and Ro’s Beloved now blogs!

Whew. That’s a lot. And that’s not even the half of it. Welcome back to the Starbase, listeners. It’s ON.

Back in October the Admiral was invited by Unkk to an unprecedented open house tour of the Kennedy Space Center facilities. He recorded this audio while there, and then thought it lost when the Starbase computer core died. What was lost has been found, and though not everyone will find this geek’s ear view of the Space Center entertaining, hopefully many of you will. If you’d like to see the photos the Admiral took, they can be found here

On this not-so-happy Admiral’s Table, Daniel and Rick talk about the final mission of the shuttle Atlantis, and the ending of the US manned space program.

Show notes:

The Admiral travels to Cape Canaveral, home of the Kennedy Space Center, (no, not that Kennedy) to witness the historic landing of the final shuttle to be launched by NASA. The Shuttle Atlantis touched ground safe and sound that morning, bringing with it an end to the 30-year shuttle program.

Some say it was a bittersweet ending. Others say it was simply bitter. We here at the Starbase are inclined to agree with the latter sentiment, so deftly expressed by our resident NASA guru, Daniel, AKA UNKK!!^TM Regardless, the United States now finds itself no longer the lead dog in the great global Space Race.

The Admiral and UNK!!^TM revisit some of the highlights of the plethora of scientific, medical, and overall positive products that have been brought to us thanks to the research conducted throughout the life of the shuttle program. We learn that the future is set, actually, at least when it comes to where the remaining shuttles will be sent once they have been de-loused of all their space toxins.

As an added bonus, while you listen to this episode of The Admiral’s Table, head on over to the Admiral’s blog, where he has posted many photos from his recent journey, including his perambulation through the Star Trek exhibit (which is, simply put, 10 shades of awesome, including some shades not known to register to Human eyes) and quite possibly the most awesome flag* to ever be fabricated. But you’ll just have to see it and judge for yourself…

*The resident Bajoran cannot be held responsible for any drunken forays that may or may not end with her tying said flag around her neck like a cape and running through the promenade, loudly humming the Superman theme song.

Emma Lou, Mary, and Shane join the Admiral to discuss the latest amazing season of everyone’s favorite gallivanting Gallifrean.

Show notes:

Ramp it up, Wholigans! All the way from Raxacoricofallapatorius, it’s another Admiral’s Table discussion about Doctor Who!

Unfortunately, the Bajoran in charge of show notes is just now starting her tenure with the Tennant Doctor, so she’s making the logical decision not to listen to this episode. No spoilers, please!

So what does this mean, dear listeners? Well, it means that you’re going to have dive in to this Admiral’s Table without your friendly Bajoran life preserver to save you from the depths of this latest Who roundtable. That’s all right though. You’re in good hands, as the Admiral has welcomed the Starbase’s favorite experts on the subject: the always lovely Mistress Mary, Listener Extraordinaire^TM Emma, and Sir Shane, the Gallifreyan Game Lord from the Greatest Events in Sporting History podcast.

So turn on, tune in, and Who out! Meanwhile, the Bajoran will continue to make her way through the galaxy, dramamine and rum in hand (one for all that TARDIS spinning, the other for…well, days that end in “Y”).

Oh, and here’s a lovely mash-up T-shirt for all you Star Wars Wholigans:

This week, Karen and Kennedy go in-depth into the genesis of one of the most successfull comic franchises ever. The Admiral just kibitzes from the background.

Show notes:
Snap on your yellow spandex, seal the doors to the SR-71 Blackbird, and strap in, listeners! It’s time to dive in to the wild, wonderful world of our favorite band of mutants, the X-Men!

In preparation for the release of X-Men: First Class, the Admiral sits back with a raktajino and listens as Kennedy and Ro roll out their knowledge of Marvel Comics’ Mutant Hero Royalty. First, however, Ro gets her brag-on with the mention of a superhero-sized deal she found online at the U.S. Amazon.com: $5.99 for a four-disc special edition of Superman: The Movie!

The price was so right for the first movie, Ro couldn't resist buying the sequel, too!

[Price Update, June 20, 2011: While the super-low price that Ro found for her special edition of Superman is no longer available, Amazon.com's U.S. store is currently selling the set for $7.82. Get in, listeners!]

While Ro squees in anticipation of her impending Superman Supermarathon, Kennedy laments the fact that The Greatest American Hero…well, isn’t really all that great anymore. This television show has not aged well, and not even his kids want anything to do with the complete series set he recently purchased.

The crew then touch upon one of their more popular “heavy rotation” topics, Wonder Woman, with mention of recent picture postings to the Amazon princess’s ongoing Simply Syndicated forum thread and briefly mention the impending DC Comics tabula rasa moment coming for all their superheroes.

Then it’s on to the Mutant Masquerade! Kennedy and Ro delve into the origins, characters, and some of the most popular (and not so popular) storylines to come from the nearly 50 years of the reign of the X-Men, with mention of the famous Byrne/Claremont years, the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix saga, the shockingly awful The Pryde of the X-Men cartoon (and the shittiest Aussie accent this side of anywhere!) and the redemptive powers of the superior 90s Saturday morning cartoon…

Wait. Let us all pause to listen to the “metal” version of that cartoon’s theme, shall we?

What went wrong with the comics that almost led to the death of Marvel itself in the 90s? What went wrong with the movies? Can X-Men: First Class undo the damage done by the atrocious Singer-less third X-Men movie? Will our fearless crew discuss your favorite Merry Mutant? And will Ro ever get her wish to see Angela Bassett as Storm?

*This* should have been your Weather Witch, Mr. Singer...

Once again chaos reigns on the Starbase as the crew open the mailbag.

Show notes:
Written to the Starbase lately? And by “lately,” we mean since…oh, around February of this year? Then this might be your lucky week!

That’s right, the Starbase crew finally receive all those subspace communications that our listeners have been sending us. Seems that Chuck in the Mailroom (second cousin once removed of Dave in the Brig) was accidentally rerouting communiques to the wrong place! So if you’ve received a response from us recently, ignore it. Turns out, someone named “Kiki Velour” was getting our messages and responding to them. Don’t worry, though. The Admiral sent the Bajoran militia after Kiki and all is well again. Chuck, however, might appreciate being brought back in from his…accidental spacing.

Pre-topic tangential musings this week include news on Star Trek 2: The Tribble Shit Strikes Back and that fabled 50 hours of filming for the Star Wars television show. Kennedy mentions Kevin Smith’s Bionic Man comic is now available and Ro mentions that the second season of the Lindsey Wagner Bionic Woman show is now on DVD. Then, somehow, this comes up:

And, yes, I do believe Sandra Bullock’s character calls Wagner’s character “Julie” toward the end of this scene.

Believe it or not, the crew are then able to segue perfectly from Bionic Bullock to Nana Visitor’s upcoming appearance on Torchwood, then to more Game of Thrones talk, followed up by Kennedy and the Admiral discussing a potential future Superman book club discussion (Ro missed this portion of the show while she was mixing up a fresh Dark and Stormy). She, did, however, return in time to hear about this:

All she can say is…Wonder Woman isn’t blond. Jeri Ryan, however, is. And her show, Body of Proof, has been picked up for a second season. To celebrate, here’s a random Seven of Nine photo. Obviously, the Borg never had to take phaser training.

This photo courtesy of TrekCore.

Smallville is over, Darren Aronofsky really should do that Batman movie of his, the Admiral reviewed Pirates 4 for Simply Read, Kennedy still isn’t convinced that The Green Lantern isn’t going to suck but he and Ro are totally digging the chatter about X-Men: First Class…and finally! Finally, they dive into the mailbag.

But you’re just going to have to listen to hear about that part of the show…

This week Greg from the Inappropriate Conversations podcast joins the crew to discuss Gene Roddenberry’s three post Star Trek pilots, Genesis II, Planet Earth, and Strange New World.

Read on for the show notes

Show notes:
Yet again, the Kanadian is called away on assignment, so this week the Admiral and Ro welcome Greg to the Starbase! Better known on the SimSyn forum as GAB, Greg hosts the Inappropriate Conversations podcast, where each week he tackles topics that are too often deemed “inappropriate” in honest, open, and humorous ways.

Before getting to the core of this week’s discussion, Ro mentions the passing of William Campbell, best known to Trek fans as Trelane from “The Squire of Gothos” and as Koloth from TOS‘s “The Trouble With Tribbles” and DS9‘s “Blood Oath.”

Ro then shows off her Collector Cred by hyping the fact that new collectibles are on their way in celebration of big anniversary dates for both TNG and the entire Star Trek franchise. Traumatic feelings over the possibility of Crusher PEZ tracheotomies and mention of Red Letter Media’s review of First Contact come up (WARNING: Do not watch if you don’t want to taint your opinion of First Contact forever), and then the Admiral breaks the space-time continuum by mentioning this photograph:

What the frak?

Greg and the Admiral discuss their recent trips to see The Adjustment Bureau and Thor, and Ro suddenly and rather disturbingly begins to channel a mystery character from another SimSyn podcast before pulling the Starbase off-course for a tangent on Darren Aronofsky. The Admiral finally watches (and subsequently loves) To Kill a Mockingbird, which has been covered both in movie form and book form by Simply Syndicated.

Last but not least, the Admiral brings Ro the SQUEE-inducing news that her life-long transformation into Dr. Crusher may soon be able to include a working medical tricorder.

On to the topic! After discovering through Warner Archives the existence of three Gene Roddenberry pilots on DVD—Planet Earth, Genesis II, and Strange New World—Greg decides that misery does enjoy company. So he sends copies to the Starbase crew to watch.

Ro at first interprets this as a declaration of war, but in the end is left questioning the sadomasochistic quality of Greg’s friendship with the Starbase. It’s decided that Gene Roddenberry was, indeed, a very libidinous individual with his own sadomasochistic qualities as well as a strange obsession with Roman Empire cosplay; Majel Barrett definitely loved him, though, to willingly appear in two of these pilots; Ted Cassidy is disconcerting out of his Lurch persona; Diana Muldaur on a horse is still not enough to make Ro forgive Dr. Pulaski; Burt Reynolds would make a terrible Captain Kirk; and Roddenberry was horribly out of touch with feminism by the 70s and really just wanted the chance to get his own personal fantasy fanfic committed to film.

Should listeners watch these pilots? We can only take you so far. You need to choose the red or the blue pill on this one…

This week Kennedy returns and joins the discussion about that unfortunate sub-set of fans, the rabid, douchey fan who just has to make life difficult for the rest of us. Beware, there be tangents galore in this one.

Show Notes:
The Prodigal Kanadian returns! (Although, thanks to a glitch in the space-time continuum [more than likely caused by Riker and Geordi taking that joy ride with Zefram Cochrane], the Kanadian returned before his return in last week’s SuziePalooza…crazy space-time continuum.)

In celebration of Kennedy’s reemergence from covering the craziness of Kanadian politiks, the crew fire up the Starbase’s Tangent Hyper Drive ^TM for a marathon tour through a cornucopia of geekery, including another shout out to the fabulous Emma for her episode guide (which Ro is still coding; it’s hard to find time in between all those random spacings!), the mysterious request for “Episode 10,” Kennedy’s discovery of the crappy Trek action figures from the crappy Abrams Trek movie at the local dollar store, “May the 4th” mockery and speculation about how an unnamed government official might like to Chekov in the bathtub, Star Wars on Blu-Ray!, Ro-scarring talk of how the Admiral and Kennedy like to spoon while watching Game of Thrones, X-Men: First Class and that groovy fan-made 60s-era poster that Ro wasn’t imagining, Geeky Girls Love Sci-Fi, that ridonculous Juggernaut meme, the Green Lantern trailers are getting better but Kennedy’s still not totally on board, Kennedy has an unmemorable Dick experience while Ro admits to liking Cox more, creepy human eyes and a giant “NO” feeling from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, prosthetics versus CGI, and Stargate 2: The Return of Kurt Russell.

Believe it or not, the crew are able to trip the light fantastic through all this and still make it back around to the topic on tap for this episode: rabid fans. In light of the recent cancellation of Make It So: A Star Trek Podcast and Rich’s subsequent explanation for said cancellation, the Admiral, Kennedy, and Ro do a critical analysis of those fans who unfortunately give a bad name to the rest of us normal geeks by taking their love of fandoms one gigantic leap too far in the douchy direction. Why can’t they channel all their energy into fun geekery…like this?

*Not* the X-Men: First Class poster Ro was talking about...

The Admiral has a chat with his friend Erin who is a professional television gaffer, belly dancer, and aquatic performer about what it’s like to be both on stage, and behind the scenes.

Unfortunately the dance to Pink Floyd we talk about is now blocked on YouTube, but even better here is a solo dance by Erin.

This week the gang revel in the effervescence that is Suzie Plakson. Suzie returns to discuss her new music video, and tell us some tales of her life amongst the Star Trek faniverse.

This week the Admiral and Ro Karen discuss, amongst many a tangential sidetrack, the love/hate relationship we have with sequels.

Oh, and look what friend of the show Suzie Plakson just did wanna do:

This week Richard Smith joins the Admiral and Ro Karen in a discussion of what books should, or should not, be made into movies.

This week Bella Fox, of the Nerd Girl Pinups web site, joins Ro Karen in trying to squeeze a word in edgewise as the Admiral pontificates on the pros and cons of physical objectification in Sci Fi and Fantasy.

Here it is in all its uncut glory. The Admiral and Daniel from NASA have another chat about the US space program, this time in front of a live, not exactly studio audience. And they take a call.

Saturday, April 23, at 11:40am Eastern, 4:40 Greenwich, The Admiral will be joined by Daniel from NASA for a live talk about what’s going on at the Kennedy Space Center, and they’ll also take your calls. Keep an eye on twitter and Facebook for the details.

Due to a suddenly impossible three-way work schedule collision we have had to dig into the pre-Simply Syndicated archives to bring your our fifth ever episode about our cinematic guilty pleasures.

Last week we talked about the bad guys, this week we give the good guys the once over…and Kennedy tells us about a very scary web site.

You will never find a more wretched podcast of scum and villainy.

Craig(The Scream Man on the forums) joins the Admiral to plead the case of the Star Wars prequels and books.

This week, thanks to an audio comment from Ecuador, we talk about the state of speculative fiction on television.

This week Camille, from the Camille Reads blog, joins us to talk about the top black Sci Fi characters.

Just how important is being original these days? The Admiral and Kennedy puzzle over this while Ro Karen gets a much needed break.(and the station’s red shirts get to relax for a week)

Here is the second part of our preview of 2011 genre movies courtesy io9.com’s list. Plus we get a surprise visitor to the Starbase.

We take a gander at io9.com’s list of upcoming genre movies, plus the Admiral has a wee announcement or two.

The Admiral, Kumar, and Alice explore the Whedonverse.

Weeeee’re baaaaack! In our last recorded show of 2010 Richard Smith joins us to help celebrate our second birthday.

It’s Christmas, and here is our annual gift to you, our wonderful listeners. Have a wonderful holiday season, y’all.

This week we celebrate the legacies of Leslie Nielsen and the director of The Empire Strikes Back, Irvin Kirschner.

This week the gang discuss what, if any, was the golden age of speculative fiction.

Weee’re back! This week after some housekeeping we discuss actors from Star Trek who also appeared in Horror movies.

This time the Admiral is joined by Mary(Mekka) and Emma Lou from the forums to talk about their favorite obsession, Doctor Who.

This week we have the great pleasure of welcoming Daniel from the Kennedy Space Center onto the Starbase for a frank talk about the present, and future of the US manned space program.

This week, after much rambling and whiny hating, we talk about the Alien franchise.

More of your mail and comments, and general silliness as well.