Episode 50 is up, “T’Pring goes Spock’s heart”

| July 3, 2012

Our 50th episode!

News:
The shuttlecraft was auctioned off for $70,150.
Our friend Rob Blatt is watching and blogging about Every Star Trek Ever.

Ten Forward:
David Livingston on TNG

Star Trek in pop culture:
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Episode Insight: “Amok Time” from TOS S2E1

Character Insight: James T. Kirk

Subspace Communications

Collectables: Barbies and Enterprise-D

—–

Greetings ThisWeekinTrek,

With much pomp and fanfare, ThisWeekinTrek has made it to the big 50th episode! And seeing as I’ve written in for the past two shows, it’s only fitting that I cap it off with a third subspace message in a row, concluding in your 50th show, right? Of course, it’s only obligatory that I’d send in something to you in celebration for 50 episodes of my favorite Star Trek podcast, anyway.
Equal to the length of my last subspace message, I could go on talking about This Week in Trek for nineteen paragraphs if you wanted. But I don’t want to leave Mike panting with every last breath taken from him. Nor do I want him to punch me!

I first jumped onboard with the podcast around when Episode 24 was released, in winter of 2011. I’d found you guys by simply googling the keywords, “star trek podcast”. Magically, I was led to your home-page, which I can no longer find linked when searching for the same keywords on Google. It was the will of the force, that I found you, I suppose. (Oops, wrong universe…) During a season, I went through all of your shows, listening to episodes, daily, until I reached the current episode and later found myself frequently in the chatroom on occasion, which has made it all the more fun for me, personally.

It turns out that I’ve been going back and re-listening to old shows of yours, after a few months of being away from the podcast, and they’ve become just as famous, memorable, and classic as Star Trek, itself, in my own world. I’d like to reminisce here, and give more new listeners a fun glimpse at what was, and to give the old-school listeners and our honorable hosts, themselves, a kick back in time for old time’s sake.

Remember back in Episode 1, when they didn’t have a real theme yet, and it was a boring-as-Encounter-at-Farpoint Garage Band track? Remember how in the olden days, Darrell’s volume would be much louder than Mike’s? Back in the day, when Darrell’s Twitter ID was Bearbutt? The animal, not the nakedness, as you’ll recall? Back when they didn’t have the segment bumpers? And the utter shock and horror fellow listeners went through in the show’s most bold transition. There was a day, kids, when Darrell Skeels, was known as, “Darrell the Trek Nerd”, which he will always remain to us purists. And back when Identity4 was the only human being in the chatroom. Remember before there even was a chatroom to supply canned laughter! Back when Darrell wasn’t interrupted by a bad joke from the chatroom, every week!

I enjoy the differences between the old shows, and the new ones you dedicatedly roll out every week. From the unique conversations, the stories from “years ago…”, the interview with Rod Roddenberry, and all of what you’ve produced so consistently. Before anyone tries giving you guys less than three stars on iTunes, let ’em try and put together 50 weekly episodes as good as yours. Mainly, I appreciate the positivity and optimism that listening to ThisWeekinTrek gives me, in the context of a universe I love.

Anyway, I decided to have some fun, and give you guys a few presents! It seems you two have been begging for Mp3’s for all fifty episodes, with mostly no reward for your red-highlighted request. Well? I have 130 seconds of audio for you. But the two Mp3’s aren’t exactly what you’d expect, and are quite unique, as you’ll find. Perhaps, they’re my debt of gratitude for your giving the acknowledgment that you did of my “tome”, last week, this week, and for all your dedication to the production of this podcast, overall.

Taking audio from your previous forty-nine shows, I put together a goofy bit of audio: The This Week in Trek Clipsong. I guess you’ll just have to listen to, laugh at, or loath it, and then play it for everybody to either bop their head to, or to shake their head, to, in a cold Vulcan manner. I also did a 50th Episode Countdown, piecing together all of Mike’s introducing episode numbers leading up to today’s show. I made the music using the simple crudity of Garage Band loops, and it’s all Royalty free. I also did a third present for ya, oddly finding myself drawing it up. I did all this just for kicks over the weekend, and I hope it’s enjoyed.

Also, I hate to squeeze this in here, or bring it up, but I just wanted to clarify this. In my “tome”, last week, Mike, skipping over portions of my letter, took a whole paragraph out of context, and didn’t give notice to the fact that it was a quote from Ronald D. Moore. The paragraph was falsely interpreted from my point of view, as I highlighted specific things that I had disagreed with; particularly with his saying that Next Generation was a “riff on the original”. The paragraph had also been marked with quotation marks, but oh, well.

Movin’ on, and wrappin’ ‘er up:

Before shutting up, I’d like to share this with you all. I do indeed have the title for the next 2013 Star Trek. Turns out, it does not feature Star Trek, in its title. The movie will be titled, J.J. Strikes Back.
If you may have gathered, I’m a fanatic of you guys and the show, and will be there for the next fifty of ’em. And dang it, I wrote a bit of another whopper, didn’t I? Well, just read whatever the heck of it you will on air, dang it, and then I’ll leave ya the heck alone for awhile.

As goofy as this may be, I feel like this is a holiday! In closing, This Week in Trek has been a very positive thing in my life sine I discovered it. As Darrell once said, “We are a tool for good.”

Happy 50th episode,

Phazerfire

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  1. phazerfire says:

    50 more to go… 🙄

  2. black hole thumper says:

    Loved the show, as always, and wanted to tell you that I really enjoy listening to you guys. I hope for AT LEAST another year. Thanks! 😀