Commentary: Trek Stars 32: He's a Ballerino! /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 6: Company Business.

Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is an allegory about the end of the Cold War. When the prospect of peace between the Federation and the Klingons becomes a reality, Captain Kirk and General Chang are uncertain of their place in the galaxy. But The Undiscovered Country isn’t the first time that Meyer had dealt with this subject matter. Just three months prior to that film’s release, Company Business hit the sliver screen.

Company Business tells the story of two aging spies, played by Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who must team up in order to survive after a prisoner exchange between the Americans and the Russians goes wrong.

Both films deal with the Cold War in a very similar way. But where The Undiscovered Country is universally considered to be a success, Company Business is thought of by many, including Meyer himself, to be a failure.

This week, Max and Mike take a look at Meyer’s seventh directorial effort. We discuss the similarities between the two films, the compromises that Meyer was forced to make in order to get Company Business made, what makes this one of Meyer’s lesser works, and what the proper term for a male ballerina is.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 31: Frank Serpico and the Temple of Doom /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 5: The Deceivers.

Nicholas Meyer’s fifth film is the Merchant Ivory production The Deceivers. It stars Pierce Brosnan as a British officer in 19th century India who goes undercover to infiltrate the Thuggee cult, a band of thieves and murderers, in an effort to stop them. 

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Marcelo Pico of Framed Panda to discuss the film’s similarities to modern-day undercover cop movies, the portrayal of Thuggees throughout history and pop culture, Meyer’s fondness for the 19th century, his uncharacteristic use of a supernatural device, and whether or not a prequel could fit into Jurassic Park continuity.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 30: A Little Screwball Thingee /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 4: Volunteers.

After spending a year creating a nuclear apocalypse, Nicholas Meyer shifted into a completely different gear with his 1985 film Volunteers. 

Meyer’s comedy stars Tom Hanks as a rich kid who joins the Peace Corps and flies to Southeast Asia in order to dodge a gambling debt. There, along with Rita Wilson and John Candy, he helps to build a bridge which, unbeknownst to them, is highly coveted by rival outside factions.

This week, Max and Mike are joined by John Tenuto to discuss the reasons behind Meyer’s decision to make a comedy, the presence of Meyer trademarks in the film, the movie’s similarities to Star Trek, the work of other Trek collaborators in the movie, and Meyer’s inability to make a meaningless piece of entertainment.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 29: Larry Nemecek, TV Star /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 3: The Day After.

In 1983, Nicholas Meyer followed up Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with The Day After, a television movie depicting a nuclear war from the perspective of Lawrence, Kansas, a small town in middle America. The film is, and always shall be, the most watched television movie in history, and went so far as to influence the actions of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Star Trek expert Larry Nemecek, who worked as an extra on The Day After while in college. We discuss the political climate of the time, the social impact of the film, what it was like to live in Lawrence during the movie’s production, Larry’s experience as an extra, and Larry’s encounter with Nicholas Meyer.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 28: They Got Him... In Space! /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 2: Time After Time.

Following years as a successful author, Nicholas Meyer finally made the jump to film directing with Time After Time. The movie features Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells, who must use his time machine to chase Jack the Ripper, played by David Warner, into modern day San Francisco. 

This week, Max and Mike are joined again by Ripperologist Augie Aleksy of Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore in Forest Park, IL. We discuss who Jack the Ripper may have been, H.G. Wells’s views of the future, the similarities between Time After Time and The Voyage Home, and whether to use your time machine to go to the future or the past.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 27: What Would Meyer Do? /  by TFM

Meyer II Part 1: The View from the Bridge.

Last season, Mike and Max covered the career of Nicholas Meyer as a novelist. This week, we kick off our second season with a series focusing on his career as a director. 

In the first part of our series, we’re joined by Meyer expert John Tenuto to talk about Meyer’s memoir, The View from the Bridge, focusing primarily on his work in Trek. We discuss his contribution to the writing of The Wrath of Khan, the similarities between The Voyage Home and his first movie, Time After Time, how his vision of The Undiscovered Country conflicted with Gene Roddenberry’s, and what he would have done if given full control of Star Trek III.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 26: Brannon Braga, Philanthropist /  by TFM

Braga Part 3: Recap.

Max and Mike began the first season of Commentary: Trek Stars by looking at Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s other television creations. So it’s only fitting to end the season by looking at the work of the last Star Trek series creator, Brannon Braga.

In our first season finale, we discuss the two shows that Braga has created, Enterprise and FlashForward, as well has his upcoming work, Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey and Malice. We also look at the other shows he has written for, including Threshold (no, still not that one), 24, and Terra Nova, as well as the two non-Trek movies he has contributed to, Mission: Impossible II and Freddy vs. Jason. And yes, we connect the dots to reveal how Brannon Braga is responsible for getting President Obama elected.

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel

 

Chapters

President Obama
Enterprise and Flashforward
Cosmos and Malice
Threshold, 24, and Terra Nova
M:i-2 and Freddy vs. Jason
Final Thoughts

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There

Series Finale. Mike and John reflect the past three and a half years of podcasting.

Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts
Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts

Lin, Part 8: Recap. Mike and John recap their series on Justin Lin.

Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense
Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense

Lin, Part 7: Furious 6. John and Mike are joined by Megan from Educating Geeks to discuss Justin Lin's Furious 6.

Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness
Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness

Lin, Part 6: Fast Five. Mike and John discuss Justin Lin's sixth film, Fast Five.
 

Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes
Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes

Lin, Part 5: Fast & Furious. John and Mike are joined by Zach Moore to discuss Justin Lin's fifth movie, Fast & Furious.

Commentary: Trek Stars 25: "The" or "A"? /  by TFM

Braga Part 2: FlashForward.

Four years after the cancellation of Enterprise, Brannon Braga teamed with David S. Goyer, his producing partner on Threshold (no, not that one), to create a television series based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel, FlashForward. The series begins with a worldwide blackout, in which everyone on Earth sees two minutes of the future. The show was an obvious attempt by ABC to fill the gap created by the end of Lost. But unlike Damon Lindelof's hit, Braga's series lasted only one season.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Mike's wife, Melissa, to disect Brannon Braga's non-Trek show. We discuss the calculated attempt to make FlashForward the "next big thing," the differences between the series and the book, the cliffhanger ending, Braga's use of time travel, and how easy it would be to determine if what the characters saw was "the" future or "a" future.

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Hosts

Mike Schindler and Max Hegel 

Guest

Melissa Schindler

Chapters

FlashForward
The Lost Connection
The End
Adapting the Book
Time Travel
Final Thoughts

More recent episodes of Commentary: Trek Stars…

Commentary: Trek Stars
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There
Commentary: Trek Stars 182: Let's See What's Out There

Series Finale. Mike and John reflect the past three and a half years of podcasting.

Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts
Commentary: Trek Stars 181: Deep Cuts

Lin, Part 8: Recap. Mike and John recap their series on Justin Lin.

Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense
Commentary: Trek Stars 180: Faster, More Intense

Lin, Part 7: Furious 6. John and Mike are joined by Megan from Educating Geeks to discuss Justin Lin's Furious 6.

Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness
Commentary: Trek Stars 179: The Avengers of Fast & Furiousness

Lin, Part 6: Fast Five. Mike and John discuss Justin Lin's sixth film, Fast Five.
 

Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes
Commentary: Trek Stars 178: Getting Rid of the Thes

Lin, Part 5: Fast & Furious. John and Mike are joined by Zach Moore to discuss Justin Lin's fifth movie, Fast & Furious.

Commentary: Trek Stars 24: Get Off My Threshold! /  by TFM

Braga Part 1: Trek.

Brannon Braga has written more hours of Star Trek than anyone else in history. But despite being responsible for some of the best work the franchise has to offer, many fans tend to focus on his lesser works.

This week, Max and Mike begin a new series which looks at the work of Braga as a television creator. In Part 1, we’re joined by Josh Bradley of the Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy to talk about Braga’s work in Star Trek. We cover the Next Generation finale, “All Good Things…”, his two movies, Generations and First Contact, his work as  showrunner on Seasons Five and Six of Voyager, and his creation of the last Star Trek series, Enterprise. We also try to figure out why people hate “Threshold” so much.

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Commentary: Trek Stars 23: More Like LindelON! /  by TFM

Lindelof Part 4: Recap.

Since the end of Lost, Damon Lindelof has written two movies, with another two coming out this summer. After one more movie next year, he will return to the small screen for a new series on HBO.

This week, Mike and Max look back at Lindelof’s first two movies, Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens, and Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. We also look ahead at his next three, J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek Into Darkness, Marc Forster’s World War Z, and Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland, as well as his upcoming television series, The Leftovers, based on the novel by Tom Perrotta. 

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