Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

This week on Episode 531 of Priority One: News is sparse as we gear up for the next season of Star Trek: Discovery, but there’s plenty to discuss in the world of Star Trek gaming! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Power Seating on Star Trek: Discovery By Rosco McQueen Sonequa Martin-Green is on the interview circuit in the lead up Season 4 of Discovery. She spoke with SFXMagazine about the feeling of finally sitting in the captain’s chair, and the answer isn’t as simple as “soft and comfortable, and could they install a cup holder?” "It feels very humbling. But it also feels very emboldening. I’m grateful for it because you feel like you earned this position with Burnham. You feel like you were able to learn and grow and make mistakes and mature from them with her." It’s a new direction with a new captain, and the new series is set to premiere next week! Don't everyone cheer at once. Image: ViacomCBS, via GamesRadar. Time Enough For Mudd By Rosco McQueen Harcourt Fenton Mudd only appeared in two live-action episodes of Star Trek, and once in animated form, but he left a lasting impression [and I guess Rainn Wilson didn’t?–Ed.]. So much so that a spin-off was in the works, as revealed in an article from Fansided.  The article delves into the Starlog Magazine interview archives to discover that the pitch never got past the desk of the Great Bird of the Galaxy.  Gene Roddenberry told the actor, Roger C. Carmel, that the artists didn’t have time to develop the project, which would have seen Mudd take the lead in the series as a space pirate/intergalactic con-man. Carmel was supposed to reprise his role in a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the actor died before filming began.     [No thank you, I've already seen what Hell is like.–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekCore. Quick News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you.  With only three episodes of its first season having aired, Star Trek: Prodigy has already been greenlit for a second season. Additionally, season one is going to be draaaaaawn out with two breaks. After Nov 18, the season won’t pick up again until Jan 6 with another 5 episodes. Then, another 10 episodes will air later in 2022. Captain Kirk's vintage original phaser rifle from The Original Series just sold at auction for $615,000. The phaser rifle was used in the second pilot episode, entitled "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and was created by Reuben Klamer. It’s with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Trek alumnus Dean Stockwell at the age of 85. Known best for his role as “Al,” opposite Scott Bakula, in the TV series Quantum Leap, Stockwell guest starred on the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, “Detained.” Also Broadway actress Camille Saviola, who played Kai Opaka on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, passed away at the age of 71. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Klingons Clash To Close Out 2021 By Rosco McQueen The shattered shards of Praxis float above the Klingon homeworld, as disruptor fire scorches the hull of allied ships.  The Battle for Qo’noS has begun...again...and with it comes the opportunity for honor. And new starships! The TFO "Battle for Qo'nos" returns to PC (and soon to console) as the final event in Event Campaign III: your last chance to progress towards a free Tier 6 Infinity Promotion or Infinity Lock Box ship.  Another Klingon civil war, or as the rest of the galaxy calls it, Tuesday. Image: Cryptic Studios. After playing the event for 14 days, you’ll receive the Aakaar’s Vengeance console event reward.  If you’re a fan of electrical damage, then you are in for a treat! The console launches an electrical burst that flies to the target and immediately deals shield-bypassing Electrical Damage. It shuts down non-shield systems one by one.  See what happens when you stick a fork in a power coupling? Image: Cryptic Studios. This is also the last opportunity, if you haven't already, to complete the Event Campaign III. Once complete you can redeem a free Tier 6 Infinity Promotion or Infinity Lock Box ship. The starships included are those only released before December 31st, 2020–but the starship will be bound to account, not bound to a character.   Doing $200 to Life(time) In Star Trek Online By Elio Lleo From now until December 9th lifetime subscriptions are on sale, for PC the sale price is $199.99, and console-specific prices are discounted by 33%. Some of the lifetime rewards include species unlocks like playable Talaxians or Joined Trill plus you get exclusive access to the Captain’s Table, a membership-required social zone. You also get automatic daily dilithium refining and a Zen monthly stipend.        The Token Will Set You(r Stuff) Free By Cat Hough In non-STO, but STO-adjacent news, Cryptic’s Dungeons & Dragons-licensed MMO Neverwinter has announced that certain in-game items can be unbound using an Unbind Token purchasable from the Zen Store. These items that were previously bound to a character can now be readily traded or sold in the Auction House. They are only starting with a limited number of items, but plan to expand the options. Also, some items won't be able to be unbound such as equipped mounts and companions due to how those items work. But we can still hear Cryptic saying that they'll never break the chain. Image: Cryptic Studios. Why bring this up on Priority One [don’t look at me, you wrote it–Ed.]? Well, we’ve discussed this type of item becoming available in STO, but it seems like it wouldn’t work for ships or possibly bridge officers. However this would be amazing for bind-on-pickup items from the Lobi store. STO Spinning Another Good Yar-n? By Rosco McQueen Denise Crosby has been a delight in Star Trek Online, adding just the right level of cloaked menace to the character of Sela. She also lent her voice to provide a conclusion to Tasha Yar’s temporal fate in the story mission “Survivor”.  But a tweet this week sparked our curiosity, with the prospect of more Yar in our future. Denise tweeted “ I know one of you will know this. What was the name of the Ep. where I’m running from the rape gangs on Turkana IV carrying my pet cat? I have a special surprise coming soon and need to rewatch the Ep. but can’t remember the title! Ah, age!“ https://twitter.com/TheDeniseCrosby/status/1455688486699159552 If you’re playing along at home, the answer is “Where No One Has Gone Before” from TNG [S1E6–Ed.].  But what could this mean?  Will we see Tasha turn up in Star Trek Online sometime soon?  Perhaps a mirror version to help expand the current “Reflections” story arc?  Only time will tell.  Gamemaster’s Log, Supplemental By Rosco McQueen Gamemasters and new players to Star Trek Adventures can now consult new books, when there are trying times at the gaming table. New editions of the Player’s Guide and the Gamemaster’s Guide, both now available for print preorder! The guides aren’t standalone, but complement your rulebook of choice for STA from Modiphius, (Starfleet Core Rulebook, Klingon Core Rulebook, or the Tricorder Collector’s box set). "The Prime Directive...is the guiding principle of Starfleet, up until the script says it isn't." Image: Modiphius Entertainment. Strangely enough, the play guide is for players, and the Gamemaster’s guide is for the gamemaster. In an article from STA Project Manager Jim Johnson, he explains that the guides are there to give tabletop players new and old the tools to play any type of character in the Star Trek universe.“The many optional rules provided in the Gamemaster’s Guide provide gamemasters with more ways to tweak the gameplay, enabling you to scale the rules you use at your table up or down, depending on your group’s preferred game style and desired level of ‘crunch’. Whether you run a rules-light, fast-paced game or a more detailed, tactical game (or even something in between), there should be enough interesting options in the book to help you create amazing Star Trek adventures with your friends.”

This week on Episode 529 of Priority One: New Jersey settles the age old question–which is better: Star Trek or Star Wars; Star Trek wins several awards; Star Trek Online gets some quality of life improvements; and we’re joined by Star Trek: Discovery’s Noah Averbach-Katz! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Great NJ Debate! By Elio Lleo, Local Correspondent As we record this episode of our show, it’s Election Night in the United States for several important political positions throughout the country. One contest, however, rises above the rest here in my home, the Garden State [my condolences–Ed.]. Which is better, Star Wars or Star Trek? A recent poll conducted by Rutgers-Eagleton attempted to give us an answer. Lead by Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, the school took to Twitter and Facebook to poll New Jersians on the issue. The results–well, they’re disappointing. According to the poll, Star Trek lost by double digits: 41% for Wars vs 16% for Trek among 18-34 year olds. Though the gap did begin to close, as ages started to rise. But that’s not where this ends…New Jersey website nj.com put together a debate featuring Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7) on Team Trek, and Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) and Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton poll, on Team Wars. The debate is a little over 24 minutes long, but it's a delightfully lighthearted discussion about how both franchises can be applicable to current political topics. https://youtu.be/eKAoQhUv-nI Another No Win Scenario for the Kelvin Timeline? By Elio Lleo Can Star Trek 4 compete and succeed? That’s the question that Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com posed in an opinion piece about the franchise. You see, Dune has already been green-lit for its second installment due to release in October of 2023. But, the announcement of a sequel before production has even begun isn’t a first. Mendelson points to the Kelvin Timeline series of Trek movies as an example. "Captain, it appears to be the timeloop anomaly known as Production Hell." Image: ViacomCBS, via Forbes. It’s been announced time and again that we’re going to get a fourth installment, but Mendelson argues that 2023 may end up hurting the franchise like it did in 2016. You see, back in 2016 Star Trek Beyond competed against the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Fast and the Furious. Come 2023, it’s another round of competition with films like Fast & Furious 10, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Mission Impossible, and Shazam. So, can Star Trek really take a foot-hold in the box office battles? Robbins Takes Nickelodeon To Warp By Cat Hough Speaking about Star Trek films, in a recent interview Alex Kurtzman and CEO of Paramount Brian Robbins spoke about Prodigy and the future of Trek, including the films. Robbins, who continues to serve as president of Nickelodeon, believes Prodigy is a perfect fit with the Paramount+’s current Nickelodeon content and Kurtzman’s other Star Trek content. He enjoyed Prodigy so much, he said he had wished they had released it in theaters as a full-length animated film.  Whatever you say, Beebop. Image: ViacomCBS/Yahoo. Robbins and Kurtzman say they are already developing projects that may include Prodigy merchandising and an animated feature film, as well as other live-action features. Robbins said, “We don’t know enough yet. We’re working on several fronts and obviously Alex is the key for the franchise [on Paramount+]. J.J. has been the keeper of the franchise on the film side. We hope that as a company that we do what’s right for the franchise altogether.” When pressed for more specific details on said live-action film, Robbins said, “There’s a lot going on and I’m just going to leave it at that.” But even with all that he and Kurtzman go on to say that they are planning out the next decade of the franchise.  Quick News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you.  According to industry trade paper Production Weekly, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already been renewed for a second season and will begin production in February of 2022. Star Trek: Discovery was shown some love at the 46th annual Saturn Awards- the show won Best Science Fiction Television Series and Doug Jones won for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series. And speaking of the merchandising future of Trek...Bandai UK has licensed toys and collectibles, from classic Trek and Prodigy, for Europe and Mexico. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds STO Certified Agile In 2411 By Rosco McQueen Star Trek Online is continuing to roll out Tier Six updates to starships, going back to refresh and upgrade some of the classics of the game. This week it was announced two starships are coming your way in a new Zen store bundle called the Agile Classics! The bundle contains the new Equinox and Da Vinci classes, which are tier six updates to the Nova and Sabre classes respectively. For 6000 Zen you’ll receive the two starships, as well as two Fleet Modules and two Experimental Ship Upgrades. Image: Cryptic Studios The Equinox Pilot Scout departs from the ship's origins, as it’s a science vessel in name only.  It sports 5 science console slots, a 4/2 weapon layout, a Commander Science/Pilot Specialist Bridge Officer seat, and can equip dual cannons. The Universal Console - Nucleogenic Ignition creates a radiation-like energy that is harmful to that ship's connected EPS conduits, damaging nearby foes and boosting hull and shields for nearby allies.  The Starship Trait–Synthetic Good Fortune boosts global Critical Hit Chance, along with increases to Starship Control Expertise. This Starship Trait also provides a passive boost to travel speed in Sector Space. The Da Vinci is a compact starship with a 4/3 weapon layout. Classed as an escort, it’s also a Miracle Worker starship sporting a Commander Tactical/Miracle Worker Specialist Bridge Officer seat. The experimental weapon on the Da Vinci is a gatling emitter which spins up continuous fire on a targeted enemy ship until it is destroyed or can no longer be targeted.  The ship may be one to consider if you’re a fan of Beam Overload, with the new Starship Trait–Energy Overdrive. Activating Beam Overload, Fire at Will or Exceed Rated Limits will increase Beam Weapon Damage, Speed and Turn Rate for 10 seconds. At close range, a 50% Beam Weapon Damage bonus can be achieved, but even at long range, this trait still gives a 10% bonus.  When the horseshoe crabs come for their revenge, this is what they'll roll up in. Image: Cryptic Studios. The universal console delves deep into beta-canon, drawing inspiration from the Star Trek: Destiny novels. In the novel Lost Souls, the USS Da Vinci, a Sabre-class starship crewed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, saves the planet Troyius from a Borg invasion by making the planet disappear. The Universal Console - Troyius Protocol, causes the starship to shunt additional power to weapons systems before activating a cloak-like effect, with a quick boost of hull and shield regeneration. Suited To The Purpose By Cat Hough Announced earlier today, players are getting a much appreciated quality of life upgrade! Your captains and bridge officers now have a new Environmental Suit slot in their inventory. This will be the only place EV suits can be equipped. So, if your character was wearing an EV suit as their main armor, it has been automatically unequipped and placed in your inventory. Just place the suit in the new spot to have access to it. You’ll be able to switch between your standard armor and the EV suit at any time, choosing which stats, passives, set bonuses, and other effects you use.  For the views that (literally) take your breath away. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekBBS. Also, your EV suit automatically equips itself when you enter a hostile environment. If you do not have an EV suit equipped, then a default one will activate. However, this default suit has no stats at all, so you will likely wish to equip a suit in the new slot. While you’re in a hazardous area, you will be unable to manually deactivate the EV suit. But now you will also be able to activate and deactivate the lights on your suit.

This week on Episode 529 of Priority One: We power up for Star Trek: Prodigy, with the cast and crew promotion peaking as the premiere prepares to play–plus we get some more details on the explosive new additions to Star Trek Online! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Star Trek: Prodigy Promotion Peaks in Premiere Preparations By Rosco McQueen This week the Trek universe welcomes a brand new adventure to our screens, with Star Trek: Prodigy to make its debut on Paramount+ on October 28.  A few sneak peeks have been filtering through, with Prodigy teasers tempting new fans during NFL Sunday Football. In the first clip, Dal can be seen making his escape from the mining facility in dramatic fashion. In the second clip, we are treated to the Protostar powering up, with characters Dal and Rok-Tahk finally being able to converse thanks to the universal translator.  https://twitter.com/StarTrekOnPPlus/status/1452347822049677315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1452347822049677315%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstartrek%2Fnews%2Fstar-trek-prodigy-uss-protostar-sneak-peeks-nfl-sunday-football%2F Both scenes are fun and exciting, with the standout being the effort that has gone into the musical score which helps it feel very much at home in the Star Trek universe. The folks at Gizmodo felt that tiny moment highlighted something special about the Star Trek franchise—the ability of everyone to communicate freely, as well as not judging a book by its hulky rock-encrusted cover.   A Seat at the Grown-Up's Helm Station Prodigy executive producers/co-creators Kevin and Dan Hageman, and executive producer/director Ben Hibon, spoke with Trekmovie.com about the challenges around finding that entry point into the Star Trek multiverse, with Dan Hageman saying,   “We never really view it as a kid show. We view it as a show for people who don’t know Star Trek,  which could be young or old. And so we always had that perspective of the outsider and that freed us up. We wanted to keep the stakes real for an older audience. We never want to dumb things down for kids. Kids are really smart. They may have a learning curve in the show, but they’ll get there.” Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com The creators go on to talk about how there was never any other option for the training hologram: it was always Captain Janeway from the start. They also mention she may not be the only hologram we see, and hint at real characters (like Captain Chakotay) making an appearance but not as holograms. As for Captain Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew has also been on the interview circuit, explaining to cinemablend.com if the character was going to appear on-screen, then it was always going to be her who would play the role.   “Well, I certainly needed to come back to this character if threatened with an imitation. I think that only I can voice this character, and only I should, because I’m the only one who knows who she is. I think that the young people would recognize that very quickly. That might be arrogance on my part, but I don’t think so. I think they have a very discerning imagination.” Voyager: The Next Generation Mulgrew says she hasn't been approached about reprising her role as Kathryn Janeway in a live-action series (outside of Star Trek: Nemesis).  According to the actor, hologram Janeway won’t be as fiery as her living counterpart–as she’s helping a ship of children navigate the cosmos.  The caring side of Janeway was echoed by the cast and crew at New York Comic Con in an interview with Gizmodo. COVID-19 restrictions meant the cast was unable to record together, so for Brett Gray who plays the role of Dal, finally getting together with Mulgrew was something else. “I got to sit next to her today at Comic-Con—and it is, it’s palpable.  There’s a majesty that she has, and you can feel it when we announced she was coming out today. Just to walk on stage for the panel was like—the audience was deafening. She is an icon. And so, I feel very lucky that the first iteration of Star Trek we get to be a part of has someone like that we get to model and watch. People who are incredible fans of Janeway and all of that get to now have a way into our show, too, and see what it’s like for people who know nothing.” For the final word on the series, Kate Mulgrew spoke about now being the perfect time to bring in a brand new audience. “It is an important time for Voyager, it’s an important time for Star Trek. I think in terms of pop cultural history, now is the time to target this young demographic and introduce to them the wonderful mysteries of Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry’s splendid philosophy.” And sweet ships. Don't forget the sweet ships. Image: ViacomCBS, via io9. Soong Long, Farewell, Altman Will Go Goodbye By Thomas Reynolds We knew that Brent Spiner will be returning for Picard Season 2 for some time now. You may have thought it would be as Altan Inigo Sybok…er, Soong, who was apparently just out of frame in every TNG scene with Data’s “parents.” After all, Data was really, truly, 100%-for-sure dead when the curtain dropped on Season 1. Well that’s not the case, according to Inverse magazine...Spiner’s role as Altan, that is. Data’s still dead. "Nothing is stranger to man than his own image." [Karel Capek, R.U.R.] Image: ViacomCBS, via Inverse. According to interviewer Ryan Britt, Spiner “know[s] they haven’t revealed much about me being in the show. I can tell you I’m a member of the Soong family. And, that I’m not playing a character I’ve ever played before.” Given Season 2’s central temporal shenanigans, it seems likely that Spiner will play a 21st century Soong ancestor. However, if you consider Data and his siblings to be Soong family members, then Spiner might be a temporally-displaced android instead. It’s definitely not Data, at least. He’s…yep, still dead.  What Goes Around, Khans Around By Rosco McQueen The third season of The Movies That Made Us has dropped on Netflix. Its creator, Brian Volk-Weiss from The Nacelle Company, spoke with comicbook.com about the possibility of a superhero-focused future episode, as well as some tasty Trek nuggets.  You might be thinking the ideal movies to cover in this documentary style would be 1989’s Batman or Christopher Reeve's first Superman movie. According to Volk-Weiss, he actually would go a little more modern and cover 2008’s Iron Man:  “It would be Iron Man, because Iron Man is the most important[. B]ecause if Iron Man had failed, nothing else would have happened. And also, I like that story of not just seeing a movie come together, but a universe come together." As for those Trek nuggets, surely a film like Wrath of Khan would be on their sensors for a future episode? Volk-Weiss confirms there was discussion, but in the end it came down to covering all four quadrants–of storytelling. “But usually, we want four-quadrant movies. And what that means is, for anyone who doesn't know, it's young people, old people, men, women, everybody. And that's what we try to do. And also multi-generational. My generation grew up with Home Alone, and the two generations afterward–including my children–they like Home Alone as much as I do, if not more. So that's what we try to do." Quick Star Trek News Roundup Last week, we discussed the History Channel’s upcoming documentary “The Center Seat.” Unfortunately, we didn’t yet know the release date. Well, we’ve got it now, and it’s slated to premiere on November 5th, 2021. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Guardian of Sometime Later By Thomas Reynolds First introduced with 2018’s Pop Culture Hero Coalition bundle, the Mirror Guardian brought sinister flavor to an otherwise-unremarkable T6 cruiser. Other than replacing the Lieutenant Engineering/Intel with a Lieutenant Engineering/Command bridge chair, the Mirror Guardian looked to be the same as its Prime counterpart. Once the bundle sold out, that was it: the Mirror Guardian was never seen again...until now, that is. https://twitter.com/i/status/1451579395525812224 With STO taking a good hard look in the Mirror (Universe), it’s the perfect time for this one-and-done vessel to stage its comeback. But rather than setting course for the Phoenix Prize Pack or Mudd's Market, Cryptic was all set to sell the Mirror Guardian Cruiser for the standard 3000 Zen in the Zen Store instead. As part of the re-release, the Prime and Mirror Guardian models were remastered to the current level of fidelity, like we’ve seen for a good number of ships by now. Players who already own the Mirror Guardian will receive these updates for free: just ready your Cruiser, visit the ship Customization Interface, and apply a preset. Both Type 1 and Type 2 hull models will be available, along with the Legendary Federation starship materials. https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1452736912150515716?s=20 Now normally we’d remind you to Trek out the link in our shownotes at this point. But we won’t. Because you can’t! On October 25th, Cryptic tweeted that “the release of the Mirror Guardian in the Zen Store has been delayed until December on all platforms,” and they’re “taking down the blog and any past references to it.” We can only guess what kind of skullduggery and intrigue is behind the delay. Because...I mean, it’s the Mirror Universe. There’s gotta be intrigue. Splosion! By Elio Lleo Well, while we’re on the topic of ships, the 10 year old MMO is always striving to improve! Most recently, Ship Artist and FX Artist Ian Richards decided to make an explosive change. The animations that occur as your ship receives damage in the game has been updated–including the grand explosion that happens when yer ship just canna take it anymore! It might seem like a small improvement, but boy is it glorious! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-QVLE01MV4

This week on Episode 528 of Priority One: We delve into the whale-filled washup of the season finale of Lower Decks, Anson Mount discusses literally sitting in the captain’s chair, and is that a star on top of the Christmas tree or a Borg baby spray-painted gold? In gaming news, we take a closer look at Star Trek Online’s Halloween event, and roll for shield strength in a new release from Star Trek Adventures! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds What’s the Deal With All These Feels, McMahan? By Elio Lleo Mike McMahan, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, isn’t resting on his laurels! Nope! After a (generally) well-received Season 2 of the Star Trek animated adventure, McMahan is making the rounds talking about the season–which wrapped last week on October 14th. Sam Stone of Comic Book Resource jumped right in and asked about its unusual villain: the Pakleds. McMahan’s explanation: When we were writing the first season, we were in the thick of a pretty dark time across the world–the re-rise of fascism across multiple countries, obviously a lot of politics happening in this country and, not to put too fine a point to it, things that had seemed like a joke in the first place suddenly becoming much more dangerous because we weren't vigilant about it. The Pakleds seemed like a perfect opportunity for that… [This sight gag doesn't work in a podcast app but I stand by it nonetheless–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via Comic Book Resource. Really Be Careful What You Wish For, Mariner What about that incredible cliffhanger? Well according to McMahan, the goal of Season 2 was meant to show Mariner “grappling with themes of betrayal and being left.” Supposedly, Mariner’s got some past trauma that we haven’t been privy to yet. Nevertheless, McMahan explains that Mariner will start Season 3 struggling to deal with having her mother taken from her. [NOT JUST HER, MIKE–Ed.] When talking with StarTrek.com he explained, “...in the first season we were really creating a family, and in the second season we kind of tested them. And in the finale of the second season, we're dealing with the loss, the family breaking up.”  What about our other characters? Well, there seems to be something deeper going on with Rutherford. Something more than just a faulty cybernetic implant. MacMahan tells CBR.com, “... it's about Rutherford. There's stuff about Rutherford that he doesn't even realize and this is his second implant.” They go on to discuss some of the other character dynamics–like the “will they/won’t they” tension between Rutherford and Tendi–along with some takeaways McMahan learned from the first two seasons. Mainly that anyone you talk to could secretly be Jeffrey Combs. Anyone. Image: ViacomCBS, via Comic Book Resource. Center Chair, Hot Seat, Call It What You Will By Cat Hough If you have not had a chance to see the new trailer for the upcoming History Channel docu-series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, you should definitely trek it out. According to the press release, The Center Seat will be “the ultimate Star Trek documentary that everyone has always wanted, and now they’re getting.” Each episode of the series will focus on a different chapter in Star Trek history, starting with the inception of the original Star Trek series at Desilu. But even the trailer features some pretty saucy quotes from the cast and crew of the various shows and movies. https://youtu.be/J_IOHcPuN3Q For example, we hear more from Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran about their less than ideal working circumstances and for Cirroc Lofton–we hear about his extreme dislike for having to wear the “onesie” uniform while also going through puberty. Nicolas Meyer, writer of The Undiscovered Country, speaks about how much William Shatner hated the script for the movie and the effect that had on, well, pretty much everyone else involved [yeah and you thought Final Frontier was a good idea, now sit down–Ed.] Mmmm. Taste that grain. Image: ViacomCBS, via Deadline. The show doesn’t cover any of the new Trek series, but definitely appears to be a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the Star Trek universe over the first 55 years of the show. Created by the Nacelle Company, who also produced Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us and The Toys That Made Us, the series is narrated by Dr. Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden, and directed by Nacelle Company founder Brian Volk-Weiss. There’s not been an official release date given other than it should premiere sometime this fall. Festivities Will Now Commence By Rosco McQueen It’s the most wonderful time of year; when the nanoprobes gently come to rest on ornaments hanging from the boughs of a tree, and assimilation tubules shine in the festive glow of twinkling lights.  Christmas is soon upon us, and you can count down to festive assimilation with the 2021 Borg Cube advent calendar. The calendar features 24 Trek gifts behind alcoves (or windows if you prefer) and includes gifts of socks, coasters, and an espresso cup commemorating the first warp speed flight in 2063. It’s made by Eaglemoss, the same company who also made a TARDIS-shaped advent calendar for devout Whovians, and is available for purchase now. It could be just the thing to put you in the mood for Picard season 2, with the Borg Queen to feature as part of the time-travelling tale. And speaking of season 2… I hope one of those is an apology to Icheb and Hugh. Image: Eaglemoss. Soji’s Sojourn By Rosco McQueen In an interview with Trekmovie.com, Isa Briones spoke about where we find Soji in Picard season 2: a place where she can finally be herself, now that being an android is no longer outlawed.   “We’re definitely seeing a new kind of level of her evolution as she’s coming into her own. She’s finally allowed to be who she is and be accepted by the universe, the galaxy, whatever you want to call it. So yeah, we get to see her in this new, more certain place of who she is. And that’s very exciting.” The more certain place also has a pool? Jealous. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com The interview covered working under strict COVID conditions, as well as the broader strokes of season two and how it connects to the world we’re living in. “There’s a big emphasis, I think, on mental health, for sure. We’re seeing these characters going through some hard moments and really leaning on each other and prioritizing their own mental health in order to save everyone else. And I think that’s a very relatable storyline and a storyline that we need right now.” Your classic Good Cop/Borg Cop dynamic. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com We’re All Batty for Strange New Worlds By Rosco McQueen The hype train continues heading towards the station for Strange New Worlds–even Anson Mount starring as Batman in the new DC animated movie Injustice can’t stop interviewers from asking about the new series.   Either that, or they ask about his starship's extended warranty. Image:ViacomCBS, via SYFY. Mount will play the role of the Dark Knight in the animated adaptation of the video game Injustice, where a traumatized Superman turns evil.  In an interview with SYFY Wire, Mount talks about the recording process, and not being the first Christopher Pike to take a turn at Batman. (If you’re playing along at home, Bruce Greenwood has voiced Batman a couple of times, and was also the Kelvin Universe’s version of one of Starfleet’s greatest captains). But when the discussion turned to Strange New Worlds, Mount reinforced the episodic nature of the show, as well as a moment that would give every Trek fan goosebumps. “I was just there as Anson in my own clothes and I sat down in the chair and it was in that moment that I flashed back to playing Star Trek as my make-believe game when I was like eight years old. Something about it was just really strangely emotional for me, and I'm still doing that. I don't even know really how to articulate it, but it's surreal and it's weird... but it's something that I'm so grateful for.” STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Fanatical Devotion to the Many By Cat Hough Star Trek Online tweeted earlier today that the recent partnership with Fanatical offering in-game bundles to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of America raised more than $77,000. Well done, everyone who donated! Cat’s Tale of “Cat’s Tale” By Cat Hough Well, it’s been a week since the “Cat’s Tale” Halloween TFO was released, and while it took players a few days to get to know how to navigate the phases of the TFO, it seems that most people are enjoying the mission. As you and your team are first transported to the castle on Pyris VII (or is it Boreth?) the music and lighting definitely set the mood for battling skeletons, witches, skulls and Devidians. In a creepy surprise, you’re treated to some Bonnie-Kin voice-over as you make our way downstairs and through the hallways lighting candles–because it’s dark in this castle! In the first phase, you are attacked by skeletons, but you can only kill them when they are standing within the circles of candlelight. Some equipment that we highly recommend is the Universal Kit Module - Gravity Containment Unit Mk XII. You can get this kit module as a Tier IV reward from the Discovery reputation; if you use it while you’re standing in the circles, then you can just pull those skeletons over to you.  Oh don't worry. They'll find you either way. Image: Cryptic Studios/Bentus. Chores and Cleaning Up In the next phase, you enter a room to kill some witches who then transport you or you and a teammate to separate rooms. Now I’ve only ever been to the library, where you have to shelve books in the right place or you get attacked–but there’s also a cauldron room where you have to make potions and also a room with spiders–which I hope to avoid at all costs [(maniacal cackling)–Ed.]. Next, you go back and fight so

This week on Episode 527 of Priority One: William Shatner returns to earth, NYCC returns and includes some amazing Star Trek announcements, Los Angeles has a new Star Trek destination, and things get spooky in Star Trek Online– Plus our review of the season 2 finale of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Jake Morgan and Thomas Reynolds Shatner Slips The Surly Bonds Of Earth By Elio Lleo Space. The Final Frontier. And our first captain, James T. Kirk went on an incredible journey. Well, it was William Shatner who did the journey. On Wednesday, October 13th, the 90 year old broke records by joining Blue Origin for their second human space trip! At 10:30AM ET, all systems were a go and the Blue Origin rocket took off. Thankfully, the entire adventure went off without a hitch and upon exiting the pod, Shatner was visibly moved by the entire experience.  Photo Via TVLine.com After-Action Report: NYCC 2021 Star Trek: Discovery New York Comic Con returned to in-person events this year with phenomenal panels, incredible cosplay, and–of course–sneak peeks into the future of Star Trek. Our focus this episode is on the Star Trek: Discovery and Prodigy panels that took place over this last weekend. First, Star Trek: Discovery and its upcoming fourth season: this was a riveting panel with a surprising in-depth, yet spoiler-free, look into what we can expect from our intrepid characters. When asked about the general “theme” of this next season, Wilson Cruz had this to say: “I feel like the stakes that we were living in reads in that trailer...the stakes in the story were really high, but the stakes in which we were making and telling the story were also high. And the theme of the entire season is about uncertainty, and about how we come together to deal with it and walk through uncertainty, to lean on each other as we find a way through it. And we were doing that in life as well, so I'm excited for you to see it.” Showrunner Michelle Paradise followed up by explaining that in this season, “The Federation isn’t quite back together again….it’s continuing in Season 4.” For our first non-binary and trans characters, much was left wanting in Season 3. So, will Grey finally be seen? Wilson Cruz had this to say, “we find a way to make sure Grey is seen as promised, and we get to see just how vital he becomes to the story and our mission. And I’m just excited about the fact that we have–finally–an official trans character on the show, in Star Trek, in the universe. And he does an amazing job.” Now, things got a little spicy in the auditorium when Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala were asked if we’d ever learn about what happened between their characters during that fateful year. Here’s what they had to say: DA: “I think it was just...a period of time where they were in the right place at the right time, to help each other, and to bring out the best in each other." SMG: "Mmmhmm." DA: "And it was...y'all need to behave yourselves. And...I think there was a lot of growth." [Someone saying what we're all thinking–Ed.]: "How much growth was there? And what was Grudge doing when all this 'growing' was happening?" DA: "Grudge was minding their own business. The timing was perfect for Michael Burnham to[...]rejoin Starfleet, but to really find her own identity independent [of] Starfleet. And it was also good for Cleveland Booker to be part of a 'family.' Again, these two people met each other at the right place at the right time, and I think Cleveland Booker is a better man for it. And Grudge too–and Grudge says 'wassup,' by the way." Speaking of characters, if you’ve already watched the trailer–and you should have by now!– you can probably assume this is going to be a high-octane, high-stakes kind of season. How will Tilly be affected? Mary Wiseman had this to say,"that in combination with all the events of the third season similar to the way this pandemic experience, really kind of forced her to reinvestigate herself and her motivations. It kind of spirals her off into this personal journey, actually, which was very fun to play with.” Sonequa Martin-Green followed with,“I think a lot of us on the ship...I don't think any of us were expecting to have a threat this big soon after jumping to this future. Because that was huge. and then I know for Burnham, it's a lot, it's like 'man, here we are again with a threat of great, of great magnitude." And so of course, these people in this story, being the honorable people they are, their true character comes out at that moment of greatest pressure. It's beautiful stuff that comes out, as hard as it may be.” But, filming Season 4 during a pandemic was no small feat. When asked about how COVID impacted production, Michelle Paradise had this to say: “Discovery was actually one of the first producitons to go back. WE started back in November, and we were certainly the first show of this size to do it. There aren't enough words to talk about the tremendous, tremendous effort that our entire crew, our entire cast did to make the show this season. I cannot overstate how challenging it was, every step of the way, making sure we could make a show like this while keeping people safe. That being our focus, and then also making a show...it was tremendously challenging, and everyone came together, and worked together, and collaborated, and it was really beautiful to see and very difficult at the same time. The fact that we have this, that we can show you guys, it's really amazing. Our team is just incredible.” Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premiers November 18th. Photo Via Heavy.com Star Trek: Prodigy Now, moving on to Star Trek Prodigy. Attendees of the panel were given an exclusive early screening of the first episode and an extended clip of HoloJaneway’s introduction to the crew is already online. But moderator Dawn Lewis–who plays Captain Freeman on Lower Decks–opened the panel with an important question: how will Prodigy stay true to the franchise? To which the Brothers Hageman replied, “they start way out in the Delta Quadrant...that was our way in: we wanted a bunch of new characters who knew nothing about Star Trek, just like our young audience. And then slowly (as you saw at the end of the pilot) they meet hologram Janeway, and then with every episode we get closer and closer into the Trekverse. We get to have so much fun taking our time, and introducing everything we love about Star Trek. For me, growing up, Trek was just so aspirational and I feel that, for kids today, not only they need that, I need that.” Now, what about the style of Prodigy? Why CGI animation? Well, Producer Ben Hibon explained, “we wanted the show to have great scope and this feeling of adventure to be immense and fantastical. But at the same time the characters and their stories are very intimate. So we wanted the freedom to shoot these characters as we would cinematic as possible–to be as engaging with all of us as possible, as we go on this adventure with them.” Not only did fans get a sneak peek but, we were also surprised to learn of new characters and actors being welcomed into the production. Daveed Diggs will voice Commander Tysess, an Andorian (Diggs is a Grammy and Tony-award winning member of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton). Jameela Jamil will voice Ensign Asencia, a Trill (Jamil is best known for her role in The Good Place), and Jason Alexander will voice Doctor Noum, a Tellarite (of course, we know George Costanza on Seinfeld, and Kurros in the VOY episode “Think Tank,”). And the big reveal…well, we’ll let the Hageman Brothers tell you,"oh wait, there's one other person. There's one small person named 'Captain Chakotay' [CAPTAIN?–Ed.] by Robert Beltran is coming on our show.” So will we see the Protostar traverse the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, as well as spending time in the Delta? Only time will tell–the series will premiere on October 28. Photo Via StarTrek.com I 🖖 LA By Cat Hough Well, you may not have been able to attend a Convention this year but, the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibit opened at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center on Oct.  7 and runs through Feb.  20, 2022. It features rare props and costumes from the past 55 years of Star Trek, including costumes worn by Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols. There’s also a phaser from the original series, just one of two known to exist; a model of a Borg cube; and the head of the Gorn that Captain Kirk fought in the 1967 episode “The Arena.” The exhibit combines new Trek and old Trek, featuring both the open-chest Khan tunic worn by Ricardo Montalban in The Wrath of Khan as well as the less-revealing costume Benedict Cumberbatch [aka "RetKhan"–Ed.] wore in Into Darkness. But the centerpiece of the exhibit is a navigation console operated by Lieutenant Sulu in the original series. The console was badly damaged and missing most of its buttons after 50 years in storage, so the team had the assistance of a group of fans to help restore it. Visitors at the exhibit will get the chance to act with prop phasers and tricorders in a re-creation of the transporter bay. So if you’re headed to LA between now and February–be sure to swing by and trek out this exhibit. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. Lost In Space’s third and final season airs on Netflix Dec 1, 2021! https://youtu.be/SwBJv5A-bA0 Season 1 of Strange New Worlds has wrapped filming. Anson Mount thanks the fans because, without them [stop me if you’ve heard this one before–Ed.], none of this would be possible! https://twitter.com/StarTrek/status/1447653234969956352 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Jake Morgan and Thomas Reynolds Kirk, To Boldly STO By Rosco McQueen It was a moment of pure joy and wonder in Season three of Star Trek: Discovery. The crew had finally made it to Starfleet Headquarters, and there was a fleet of fu

This week on Episode 526 of Priority One:  the Next Generation of tours is in full swing at Ticonderoga, set photos from Picard Season 3, Star Trek Online gets spoOoOoOoky in their first Halloween special, and we review the latest episode of Lower Decks: "wej Duj"! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Touring the Next Generation in Ticonderoga By Elio Lleo Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of attending some phenomenal Star Trek themed events and exhibits [or seething with jealousy at it–Ed.], but few are as spectacular as what you’ll find in the sleepy town of Ticonderoga, New York. You see, James Cawley–who grew to fame as an Elvis impersonator–is also a die-hard Trekkie. His passion was so great that he decided to rebuild the sets for The Original Series where an old retail store used to be. He didn’t just want to build the Enterprise…he wanted to recreate the old Desilu Set. Closest we'll probably come to having a religious experience. Image: Star Trek Set Tours. Now, after 4 years of being open to the public, Cawley is expanding! As they work to acquire an adjacent building, Cawley and his team have begun diligently recreating the sets from The Next Generation. Local news station WCAX got a sneak peak of their progress: when speaking to reporter Cat Viglienzoni, Cawley explains he has all the original blueprints as well as a direct line to Star Trek’s legendary creators Mike and Denise Okuda. Star Trek: Picard Producer’s Sweet Sneak Peek Pics By Cat Hough If you’ve been following Star Trek: Picard executive producer and co-showrunner, Terry Matalas on Twitter, then you’ve seen the images he’s been sharing from the set of the show. If you are not following him, then you may want to. Since Season 2 has wrapped filming, the images he posted are likely sneak peaks from season three–either way, they are definitely interesting.  https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1442660363573465090?s=20 The images are all from what appears to be a Starfleet vessel from the late 24th century: the first image features the helm console for the ship, with Matalas noting the LCARS interface introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Also of particular interest: the replicator display and table setting that includes a 24th-century Starfleet emblem and some new sci-fi cutlery. We still don’t know what the second season holds, but we have been told that the Q storyline will wrap up in Season 2. It’s also very likely that Jonathan Frakes will return to direct some episodes of Season 3.  https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1445033217875070977?s=20 Episodic Season Habit (It Becomes Automatic) By Cat Hough Anson Mount recently spoke about Strange New Worlds, echoing Akiva Goldsman’s description of the show: “we wanted our show to be more or less a throwback in every way we could... which meant more of an episodic structure. And so every episode is a distinct story...but the star of the show is the ship and the big idea of the week.” Bridge to Astrocartography, figure out why we keep getting lost in those eyes. Image: TrekMovie.com As we’ve also discussed on prior episodes, filming for Strange New Worlds was done using Augmented Reality and Mount also spoke about that experience, saying, “It’s wild, man. Imagine an entire soundstage where the walls are all high-definition screens and there’s a ceiling projection...it’s really interesting to be in these environments because it’s a whole other level of filmmaking than I’ve ever seen before.”  A release date for Strange New Worlds has not been announced, yet. A big thanks to TrekMovie for sharing this exclusive interview from their coverage of Star Trek Day. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. In book news, the first novel in the Star Trek: Coda series has been released. This trilogy continues the adventures of characters from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. The three books in the trilogy are Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward, The Ashes of Tomorrow by James Swallow, and Oblivion's Gate by David Mack. Moments Asunder is already available, with the two sequels following in October and November. The pre-order pages include synopses for the books, revealing a plot dealing in time travel. Plus, we got another glimpse at the upcoming Prodigy animated series. Nickelodeon recently tweeted a new trailer with the announcement that the show premieres on October 28. Finally, are you ready to take flight on a midlife crisis of cosmic proportions? Then you should definitely trek out the series idea from the creators of Saturday Night Live. This new show would be titled “Star Trek: Ego Quest,” following the voyages of the SS New Shepard and its crew of random weirdos. Its mission: to just...sort of fly around space goofing off in a ship that looks like a penis. https://youtu.be/XD66suMp3J4 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds By the Spiking of My DPS, Something Wicked This Way Leaps By Rosco McQueen Replicate yourself a pumpkin spice raktajino and prepare to carve out a new experience in Star Trek Online:  the MMO announced this week it will hold its first ever Halloween event!   “Captains will find themselves transported to an ancient castle on Pyris VII. The classic aliens from the Original Series episode ‘Catspaw’, the Old Ones, have returned once again to study humanity–but their plans have been disrupted by the Devidians!” Honestly the idea of redoing "Knowledge is Power" is scarier. Image: Cryptic Studios. The three week event will be a single activity, where playing the event TFO “Cat's Tale!” every 20 hours rewards you with the usual one daily progress token. After 14 days of progress you unlock the event rewards: the Transmuter Wand Universal Kit Module, the Old One Vanity Pet, with the first character receiving 25,000 Dilithium Ore, and 3 Featured Episode Reward Boxes. The Universal Kit Module - Transmuter Wand will transform your target into a sentient black cat, complete with Bad Luck Aura! The aura disables shields and most powers to nearby allies, who will flee in fear from the frightful feline.   What every kid wants this Halloween, a subspace bubble wand. Image: Cryptic Studios. The event will be available on all platforms on October 13. An interesting note is that this will become a regular annual event, similar to First Contact Day. The article notes it begins with the one TFO, with plans to grow the event year-on-year with more content.

This week on Episode 525 of Priority One: Jeffrey Combs speaks in evil robot about his appearance on Lower Decks, Prodigy showrunners drop some details about the series a month out from the premiere, and it’s confirmed - the TNG cast really are one big happy family.  In gaming news, a new T6 remaster of a classic workhorse starship comes to Star Trek Online, and finally we enter the holo-pod and look at the latest episode of Lower Decks “I, Excretus”.   This week’s Community Question is:  “Would you still play Star Trek Online if it wasn’t Star Trek?” Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Jake Morgan Weyooops...Jeffery Combs With i09 By Jake Morgan A great actor makes you feel. Whether joy, anger, love, hate - a truly gifted thespian makes you ache for their presence - be it revered or reviled. We Star Trek fans are graced with many such actors and characters. Nimoy’s Spock. Whoopie’s Guinan. Comb’s Weyoun. Comb’s Brunt. Comb’s Penk. Comb’s Shran. Comb’s...well, you get the picture. This week, i09 sat down with the prolific Star Trek trouper Jeffery Combs to talk about our latest favorite Comb’s role - the devious supercomputer Agimus! Comb’s had glowing things to say about the writing staff of Star Trek: Lower Decks, explaining to James Whitbrook of i09 what drew him to the show. ”I liked the script a lot and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I find it—the show—just to be really... witty. Rapid-fire. The joke is past you before you go, “Wh-wh-wha?” A different tone from any other Star Trek I’ve ever done. And I kind of like that. It’s refreshing. It doesn’t take itself quite so seriously as some of the other iterations.” While Combs was complimentary of Lower Decks, he wasn’t shy about his feelings towards the entertainment industry. When asked whether he’d return to a LIVE-Action version of the franchise, Comb’s said ”You have to be asked to dance. You have to be invited. It’s really not up to me. But I kind of feel I still have some gas in the tank. But you know, when it comes to commerce and entertainment it’s just like cereal: “New and improved!” [...]. So, I don’t really know what goes through decision-makers’ minds, but there always seems to be some sort of a disconnect between what the fans would enjoy and what they wind up doing. Not always. Not always.” To find out how Comb’s felt about playing an antagonist, his thoughts on Voice Acting, and much more, be sure to follow the link in our show notes at priorityonepodcast.com! One big happy TNG family By Rosco McQueen Some news that as Star Trek fans we’ve all known for a while, but is heartwarming to see it confirmed.  Yes, the cast of The Next Generation really do all like each other.  In fact, they’re all incredibly close. In an interview with The Express in the UK, Marina Sirtis confirmed that the cast do indeed see themselves as a family.  They’ve been friends since the early days of the series… and the producers hated it. "They hate when the cast like each other because they talk. Producers don't want you talking. They want us all hating each other and being competitive with each other, so that they can lie to you." Sirtis explains how after the death of her husband, it was the crew who were there for her soon after. Lavar Burton, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn all immediately visited with Sirtis on the day her husband, Michael Lamper, died. She also spoke about the support she received from Gates McFadden. Akiva gets his Wish By Cat Hough Akiva Goldsman has been extremely busy of late, acting as executive producer and co-showrunner for both Star Trek: Picard and the upcoming series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. If those two roles weren’t busy enough he also wrote and directed the pilot episode of Strange New Worlds. Goldsman told Trekmovie.com that it was really important to him to set the tone and style of the show, saying “I really wanted to make a show that would have appealed to the 12-year old me that went to that Star Trek convention in 1974. And it felt like the best way to do that would be to kind of help set the tone visually, and really more in storytelling.”  He also notes that the audience will notice some changes in the uniforms and sets from how they appeared in Discovery, since he wanted it to look more in line with the Original Series. As we have mentioned in previous episodes, Strange New Worlds will be episodic, and Goldsman expounds on that, saying “Our characters will carry with them what they suffer from, or what they learned, from episode to episode. But the stories are episodic.”  In addition to the show being episodic, Goldsman says that the show is meant to be an ensemble piece - so it won’t just be ‘The Pike Show’ and while it won’t go into every character’s backstory each episode, there will be a “focus” on different characters as the show goes on.  Starfleet snippets from Prodigy showrunners By Rosco McQueen Star Trek: Prodigy is a month away from its debut, and the showrunners are dropping some tiny trek nuggets in interviews.  In a chat with TrekMovie, Prodigy executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman and co-executive producer/director Ben Hibon reinforced the idea that this new series, specifically for kids, is an entry point to the franchise.   Kevin Hagemen said “While these are kids in our show, they’re in the adult world of Trek. And they’re gonna slowly discover it, and have their falls, and their victories and stuff. It really is a show for people who have not experienced Trek before.” The journey of the Prodigy crew starts in the Delta Quadrant, with many familiar races that Voyager came across. In the interview the producers mention there are very well thought out reasons why we will see so many Alpha species in the Delta Quadrant, but that no one has really got it yet. They also mention that the USS Protostar was launched after Voyager returned home, but then quickly halt the conversation around the prototype’s secret origins.  The show takes place in 2383, five years after Voyager returned home. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. If you’ve been on the fence about adding a new streaming subscription plan, perhaps ViacomCBS’s latest promotion might incentivise you. For $9.99 with commercials or $12.99 without, you can have Paramount+ AND Showtime! This is a permanent price for you so long as you take advantage of it before the October 20th deadline. Also, be sure to use our affiliate links in our shownotes! The Orville Returns March 10, 2022 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Jake Morgan Spoooooky teaser… By Cat Hough Well, it appears something spppoooooky is going to happen in Star Trek Online on October 13….we don’t know what - but there was a cryptic tweet made earlier this week telling us to ‘Remember the curse!’ In the video we see some type of coat rack or a hat stand, a black cat, inserted images of a possible raven with a creepy clock ticking in the background. What does it all mean??   https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1442519570271584260?s=20 Steamrunner Bundle...because we must have more bundles… By Cat Hough The next installment of the ships of the line remastering and repackaging adventures: the Blockade Runner Bundle hits the Zen store on Friday, October 1 on PC. The price is 5,000 Zen, but you can get it for 35% off until  October 8! The bundle also includes: 1 Ship Upgrade Token (T5-U) 2 Experimental Ship Upgrade Tokens T1 Blockade Runner Escort T5 Blockade Runner Escort Retrofit **NEW** T6 Appalachia Blockade Runner Escort But in what we hope is a new move for Zen store releases, the T6 Appalachia will also be available as a separate purchase in the Zen Store. This ship features 4/3 weapons layout and a Lt. Commander Tactical / Command Bridge Officer specialist seat, and a Lieutenant Universal / Intel Bridge Officer specialist seat plus it can load dual cannons.  And it comes equipped with Universal Console, the Tricobalt Tear Launcher plus an Experimental Weapon Slot, equipped with Hull Spike Battery. The Mastery trait is Piercing Projectiles, so when you activate a Torpedo or Mine firing mode Bridge Officer ability will grant a large Shield Penetration and Hull Penetration bonus for a short time. https://youtu.be/myFX7I4CU-g Combat Alert! Defense screens up! Arm the lasers! By Shane Hoover Prompted by a recent STO Reddit thread, website Massively OP dedicated their “Massively Overthinking” column on September 23rd to one question. “Would you play your favorite MMO without its IP?” Many MMO’s were on the table for discussion, but there were some interesting opinions on Star Trek Online.  Writer Andy McAdams pointed out “I started binging on Star Trek Discovery again and it made me want to play the game, so I downloaded it. But I know I don’t particularly enjoy the game and I’m only playing it for the IP. For me, I don’t think it would stand on its own.”Another writer, Tyler Edwards, says “I don’t think I’d ever have spent any significant amount of time on this game without the IP”.  But he hits an important note pointing out that “What makes the game work is the massive amount of love the people behind it clearly have for the Star Trek universe.”

This week on Episode 524 of Priority One: New York Comic Con is ready to Trek Out; the community rallies behind Wilson Cruz; Star Trek Online updates its minimum system requirements; mobile games cross to desktop; and we review Lower Decks’ “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie”–but not before we chat with Cryptic Studios’s Content Creator Ryon and Environment Artist Gianna! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Trekking Out the Big Apple By Elio Lleo Convention season is in full swing and New York Comic Con is next. Starting October 7th and ending October 10th, this four day event usually has stuff for everyone! Unique to this year’s presentation is hybrid participation: not only are organizers reducing the total number of attendees, you can also purchase a virtual ticket that will give you access to some of the panels right from the comfort of your own home. But what’s so special about NYCC? As of right now, Paramount+ is slated to present at least two panels: on Saturday, October 9th at 12:45pm the cast and producers of Star Trek: Discovery take the Empire Stage. Then on Sunday, October 10, Star Trek: Prodigy will premiere its first episode along with a panel. Image: ViacomCBS/Nickelodeon, via TrekCore. But that’s not all–join the Roddenberry Podcast Network as we present a panel titled “Star Trek’s Guide to Community.” I’ll be there along with Kennedy and Sue from Women at Warp! That’s happening Saturday, Oct 9th at 2:15pm. There’s also a Hallmark presentation with new Trek ornaments, a virtual only panel with the folks behind the new Star Trek Magazine, and even Bill Shatner will be there on Thurs, October 7th.  Wilson Cruz Harassed During Star Trek Day By Elio Lleo When it comes to communities, even Star Trek’s can be incredibly divisive. The majority of the time, it’s about NuTrek vs older Trek, who the better first officer is, or which ship is cooler. However, there are times when things can get dark and people start to show their true colors–like one fan who was offered the privilege of attending the Star Trek Day celebrations in person. Long story short, at one point during the event, while Wilson Cruz was on stage, someone in the audience yield out a homophobic slur. According to reports, no one did anything about it. The guest was not removed nor have they been identified (yet). With incredible grace and patience, Wilson continued on and later took to Twitter to address the matter. https://twitter.com/wcruz73/status/1436333680880934927 Although he may not have wanted to draw so much attention to the matter, we want to take a moment to remind you–our listeners–that tolerance for the bigoted has its limits. When you see something, say something. Learn ways on how to be the best ally you can be for people who are marginalized on a daily basis. If you’re on social media and someone goes on a hate-filled rant, step up. It’s the inaction of those with the means to stand up to injustices that empower those who want to watch the world burn. [If you don't think this belongs in Trek, then there's the airlock. Help yourself.–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via StarTrek.com IP Theft, the Sincerest Form of Flattery By Cat Hough On Monday, we were treated to the big uniform reveal by General Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations for Space Force who tweeted, "Every winning team needs a uniform!.I’m excited to share the new look with you today." And to no one’s surprise, the Twitterverse immediately noticed some striking similarities to some other uniforms that we are quite familiar with. They were described by one person as "a blend of the Star Trek Enterprise dress uniform, but with the Mirror Universe diagonal."  https://twitter.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/1440323962697752590 [I am voluntarily putting this into my own shownotes for your edification, dear listener. You owe me.–Ed.] Josh Weinstein, a veteran writer for The Simpsons and Futurama, said the uniform reminded him of the ridiculously tight outfits worn by Zapp Brannigan; Movies in Focus hopped on the satirical bandwagon with the image of an Imperial Star Destroyer officer from the original Star Wars trilogy. "These new Space Force uniforms are looking great," jokes the caption. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. Reuben Klamer, the designer of the original Starfleet phaser rifle for the original series of Star Trek, passed away at the age of 99, according to the Toy Association. Klamer also designed props for other shows, including a gun for the hit 1960s series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  https://youtu.be/oWGNDoXG9R8 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds PSA: She Canna Take Any More, Cap’ns! By Thomas Reynolds To every thing there is a season–and in Cryptic’s opinion, the season for Windows 7 is long past. Starting February 15, 2022, anyone still using the 10-year-old OS (seriously, not even Microsoft supports it anymore) won’t be able to patch or log into STO and Neverwinter. Only Windows 8 and 10 (with the superior 64-bit intellect) will have a home on the final frontier. DirectX 10 support is also getting ejected like a spent warp core on February 15th, with both games requiring Feature Level 11 or higher. That means your computer needs to have one of the following video card chipsets to play: NVidia GeForce GTX 400 or better ATI/AMD Radeon HD 5000 or better Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better Given all the fun and excitement of buying graphics cards these days, if your current card isn’t up to the task...well, godspeed. [Pictured: my rig next February.–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via KVNF Public Radio. Aux2Bat Gets Boimed Out By Thomas Reynolds The aqueduct, the magnetic compass, the Aux2Bat. All of these simple technologies have withstood the test of time, but the last may be the most miraculous. Needing only three Technician doffs and one boff ability at minimum, the Aux2Bat ship build is easy to assemble, trivial to fly, and still keeps your bridge officers ready for whatever space wizardry you demand of them. Sure, it hasn’t been the meta in a sehlat’s age, but you know what? Aux2Bat does the job, it does it pretty well, and that’s pretty much all we ask...until now. Ever drop a Gravity Well, and notice your Tyken’s Rift is now off-limits for 15 seconds? That’s the Shared Category Cooldown kicking in, forcing you to pace yourself rather than let everything rip at once. When Cryptic first released the Boimler Effect trait, it provided a 2.5% percent chance of resetting every bridge officer ability to its Shared Category Cooldown, whenever you used a non-specialist boff ability. Great in theory, but one-in-forty odds just aren’t worth a 200 Lobi investment. Yeah, that's was also our reaction. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekZone.de So Cryptic did a little tweaking, like you do, and made it a 17.5% percent proc chance instead. As STO streamer @AugmentedDG declared on Twitter, “Boimler Effect is now as good as Aux2Bat...for cooldown reduction.” Bold words, to be sure, but there’s also a fairly convincing clip of him keeping eight of his escort’s twelve boff abilities concurrently running like an overambitious plate spinner. Trek out the tweet, scrape together that Lobi, and give your boffs more buffer time than they can handle. https://twitter.com/AugmentedDG/status/1438707179268284425 Is there in Screen Accuracy No Beauty? By Thomas Reynolds One of Trek cosplay’s hallmarks is its hair-splitting fidelity to what’s seen on screen, even when the creators themselves don’t quite pull it off. Combine that tendency with STO’s promise of personal immersion, and it’s no surprise that some players want their captain’s threads to look “correct.” To help make that a little easier, Cryptic released official in-game color guides for both the newly-available Lower Decks Starfleet jacket, and their original Khitomer uniform creation. However, rapturous Space Barbie enthusiasts should make sure they’re using the second released Khitomer guide, as the first one had incorrect pant color codes. https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1439020385572245509 The Sally Ride, the Ross, and You By Shane Hoover If you were a fan of the Star Trek Adventures web series “Shield of Tomorrow” or “Clear Skies”, you’re already familiar with the dangers and wonders of the Shackleton Expanse. If you weren’t, then be prepared for deadly spatial phenomena, ancient alien technologies, first contact with new species and lots of boldly going. It’s all there in Modiphius Entertainment’s newest STA sourcebook, the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide. The new sourcebook is available for preorder at $60 now and is expected to ship in December 2021. This is your tabletop gaming crew’s chance to follow in the warp trails of the U.S.S. Sally Ride and the U.S.S. Ross. Adventure into a nearly uncharted region of space beyond Federation, Klingon and Romulan borders.  Image: Modiphius Entertainment. The new material includes five new playable alien species for STA including Orions. It also includes NPCs from Starbase 364 and around the Expanse, as well as stats for “hero” and NPC vessels. This sourcebook does require a copy of the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook, which is provided in PDF form with your order. The Ar-mod-a Returns By Thomas Reynolds Maybe 2000 feels like a long time ago to you, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, the Star Trek: Armada and Armada II RTS games that came out then still hold a place in certain PC players’ hearts. So much, in fact, that the Stellar Parallax modding group has finally released what Activision would not: Star Trek: Armada III. Starting as a one-person passion project back in 2012, Armada III is a full-conversion mod for 2012’s Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. Stellar Parallax’s devoted faithful can now command the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Borg, or Cardassian Union at the beginning of the

This week on Episode 523 of Priority One: the Roddenberry Foundation continues to promote a positive future, while Star Trek already wins some Emmys this year; in gaming, Star Trek Online takes us through a mirror darkly with “Reflections” and On Screen: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 6! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Star Trek Wins at the Emmys By Elio Lleo On the heels of the Star Trek Day event, the franchise had cause for more celebration. During the two-day Creative Arts Emmy Event this last week, Star Trek walked away with two wins. First up, an Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single episode for Star Trek: Discovery’s Season 3, “Su’kal.” Then, Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series for the Discovery episode, “If Memory Serves.” Now, Star Trek has been nominated for a total of 10 Emmys and the 75th Annual Awards show is set to air on Sunday, September 19th on CBS. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed that Star Trek takes home several more!  The 2321 Emmys will use photon torpedoes in place of play-off music. Image: Television Academy. Praise the Word of Rod By Elio Lleo As Gene Roddenberry’s centennial celebrations continue, his son and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, Rod Roddenberry, spoke with Forbes’s Simon Thompson about the last 55 years and the future of Star Trek. With the first four original movies being remastered in 4K UHD, Rod remarks about how great it is to see how there’s still a hunger for the original incarnations of Trek, saying: I think it makes Star Trek new again, especially for our new audiences. You’ve got the TV series now that has brought in a newer, younger demographic, and I think some people are resistant to look at older stuff. When it comes out in 4K, it looks fresh and new. I’m excited by them being introduced to Star Trek through the original movies. ...oh, UNITY, that's what the shirt says. Image: Paramount Pictures, via Forbes. What about NuTrek? Well, for Rod, it’s all about ensuring that any of the recent incarnations stay true to the core of what his father’s vision was all about saying: He wants people like J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman and others to come along and do that. He also wanted to make sure that it remains Star Trek… [a]s long as they are continuing the tradition and the idea of it making you think. Having it entertain is extremely important, absolutely, but let’s be considering different points of view on this as well. Rod goes on to discuss his own personal history with the franchise and how it was he grew to be so invested in his father’s legacy. What Escapes In Vegas...Stays In...Hmmm… By Cat Hough If you’re headed to Vegas anytime soon, you should definitely trek out the new Star Trek: Discovery-themed escape room launched by Escapology. The game is set during the third season of Discovery and has opened just in time to coincide with the 4th season premiere on Paramount+.  https://player.vimeo.com/video/599794944/ Your role in the game is acting as a civilian engineer tasked with inspecting the U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031 as it undergoes the refit and upgrade to the 1031-A. However, sci-fi things happen during your inspection and Discovery collides with a quantum filament, causing major hull damage. The filaments' quantum resonance has also caused a polarity shift in the antimatter containment system, leading to a progressive degeneration in the containment field. If field strength falls below 15%, it will collapse, destroying the vessel and everyone aboard. Because sci-fi stuff happened, the main computer has closed emergency bulkheads across the ship and the turbolift control system has been disabled, leaving the bulk of the crew trapped and unable to begin repairs. In a convenient turn of events, your turbolift stopped near the Auxiliary Control section, so all you have to do is override its systems. At this point, you’re the best option for helping Discovery and its crew avoid this disaster. Another reason to hate this design. Image: ViacomCBS, via CBR. Then, you, and your team, must escape the turbolift and communicate with a senior officer. You can save everyone if you can just re-establish communications and work together to repair the antimatter containment field before the strength falls below 15% which is projected to be in precisely 60 minutes time. Or that’s how long you can book the room for: packages can be reserved at the Las Vegas Town Square location via the Escapology website and they currently show the price for 6 people is a little under $250.  Festivity Will Now Commence By Thomas Reynolds and Rosco McQueen It’s practically cliché at this point: the commercial Christmas season starts earlier every year, with candy canes and carols drowning out the trick-or-treaters and turkey dinners. But...what if December isn’t merely encroaching on the other months? Isn’t Christmas adding their celebrational distinctiveness to its own? Are they not being adapted to service Saint Nick? Yes, Christmas is assimilating the calendar–and your holidays, as they have been, are over. The Elf on the Shelf was the first to fall to the Collective; the angel tree topper is next. Image: Eaglemoss. Festivity may be irrelevant, but that hasn’t stopped Eaglemoss from creating a grim messenger of holiday cheer.  Invading Sector 001 on September 30th, the Borg Cube Advent Calendar brings 24 Trek accessories and gifts to all good little Trekkies. Socks, coasters, coffee mugs: each item included in the box also includes a short note with trivia and stories behind it. The Calendar sells for a considerable $149.95, so your bank account might look like New Providence if there’s more than one Trekkie on your gift list. However, if you’re after something a bit less “Sovereign-class”, then the California line of starships may be more your style.  Eaglemoss has revealed the new XL model of the USS Cerritos.  The model is 9.75” long and faithfully reproduces the Cerritos as it appeared in the first season. It’s due in January 2022, so not quite in time for Christmas, but it will soon be joined by a model of the U.S.S. Titan. Both models were made using the actual VFX files used in Lower Decks, with both ships looking a little more animated than the usual line of starships–like they could have leapt from the screen to your living room. Ejectable warp core not included. Image: StarTrek.com Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. For her efforts to help eradicate sexual harassment from the entertainment industry, Michelle Hurd was awarded the SAG-AFTRA President’s Award. Hurd (Raffi on Star Trek: Picard) is an actor, activist and National Board member who’s worked to provide resources to SAG-AFTRA members who experienced sexual harassment and assault. She also assisted in developing updated guidelines and policies to eliminate harassment and assault from the industry.  You can color your favorite Lower Deckers. The Star Trek.com website is still celebrating Star Trek Day and you can download and print pages to a new coloring book from season two of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  We want to remind you that you can participate in the Roddenberry Foundation’s “Boldly Go” campaign by submitting a video, photo, letter, poem, or even a simple selfie. The theme or question to answer, “describe your hopes for the next 100 years!” Visit BoldlyGo.com to learn more! STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds A Fanatical Devotion to Charity By Shane Hoover It’s policy here at Priority One that we love charity bundles (and if it isn’t, it should be). The latest effort from STO and Fanatical.com is no exception. Following the familiar format, players can select one of two reward tiers based on their donated amount: Tier 1 - $1 ($15 value) 32c Vanity Shield Overlay Rainbow Risian Caracal  ‘Charitable’ title Tier 2 - $7.99     ($82 value) All items from Tier 1 Narendra-class Support Cruiser (T6) Vor'ral Support Battlecruiser (T6) 1 Fleet Ship Module 1 Gold Tech Upgrade 30 Lobi Crystals Rarely is it this easy to support the needs of the many. Image: Fanatical. But the benefits don’t stay in-game: each purchase of any tier in the bundle earns you a chance to win the Grand Prize! Tier 1 purchases earn a single Grand prize entry, while Tier 2 purchases net you five entries. The winner gets a place on Star Trek: The Cruise V, a ticket worth over $5000. I don’t know if God needs a cruise ship, but I sure wouldn’t mind getting on this one. The winner also receives a digital copy of every expansion pack available for Star Trek Online. That’s Legacy of Romulus, Delta Operations, Temporal Agent, Gamma Vanguard and Discovery Operations. All told, that’s over $720 worth of STO goodies. You can also get one free entry into the Grand Prize drawing by visiting a link which requires you to sign up for the Fanatical newsletter. Nearly 90% of the sales price on these charity bundle items will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, providing children with safe and fun places to grow and thrive, and offering mentoring life-enhancing programs. STO Takes Another Hard Look In the Mirror By Rosco McQueen With the conclusion of the Klingon Civil War, you would think Starfleet and members of the Alliance would have time for a little bit of exploration in Star Trek Online. Think again!!  As a mirror universe admiral once said, “You haven’t seen the last of me!” https://youtu.be/krG7YUY9JNw This newfound peace is short lived, as a new danger emerges from the Mirror Universe. A former enemy, Admiral Leeta (voiced by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Chase Masterson) is being hunted by the Mirror Universe’s Kuumarke, a Terran Empire special agent. Players will team up with Admiral Leeta to stop Kuumarke and her Terran forces from using stolen information to bring destruction to the Prime Universe. Captains can investigate this loom

This week on Episode 522 of Priority One: Happy Star Trek Day! New trailers for Picard, Prodigy and Lower Decks, and a formal introduction to the Enterprise crew voyaging to Strange New Worlds. In gaming news, the Mirror Universe inspires a new TFO in “Operation: Wolf,” new gear on the way inspired by Lower Decks, and some good old Trek games get a PC refresh.   TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds 55 Years Of Trekking Across The Universe By Cat Hough This week marks the 55th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of Star Trek and, according to all the memes going around, the world has never been the same. But when you think about it...that’s a pretty accurate statement. Without the vision of Gene Roddenberry and the production of the original series, we would not even have this podcast. So let’s just take this opportunity to appreciate the reason we are even here today.  Fresh New Faces For Strange New Worlds By Rosco McQueen There’s no trailer yet, but we were treated to an introduction to the crew of the Enterprise under Captain Pike, with some new faces and some familiar ones as well. We are reintroduced to Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn who reprise their roles as Captain Pike, Mr Spock and Number One.  From there we meet the new actors taking on classic characters, with: Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, And Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga. New characters then come our way: Bruce Horak as Hemmer,  Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, And Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc7ZWdJY6ZY Shadows Of Things That Will Be By Cat Hough Let’s break down the Picard Season Two trailer. We see Q snap his fingers and send everyone into an alternate reality where Earth has descended into a totalitarian state. But only Jean-Luc Picard and his new crew (maybe with Guinan’s help?) know that time has been altered. Then they decide to travel back to modern day Los Angeles in order to get things sorted. To get there, however, they need the assistance of the Borg Queen, played by Annie Wersching--who, in this alternate reality, appears to be a captive on Earth. What else is in store for Picard? We don’t know yet, but we do know he’ll be back in February 2022; it was also confirmed that Picard was renewed for Season 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUhBOmtFYr8 But Will We Learn The Janeway Maneuver? By Cat Hough We also got a first real look at Prodigy as the first official trailer was introduced by Kate Mulgrew. This panel also included a pleasant surprise: the show will premiere on October 28 and the first episode is an hour long. The trailer shows us the crew of young aliens who happen to find an experimental Federation starship named the U.S.S. Protostar, but they’ve never heard of Starfleet or the Federation. So it’s up to Janeway’s hologram to teach them how to use the ship to navigate the cosmos, while the Diviner (John Noble) and Drednok (Jimmi Simpson) pursue the crew to get ahold of the ship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBE7d8sH5Rg Lower Decks Hits The Halfway Mark By Cat Hough After a hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable first half of the season, Lower Decks continues it’s second season with more adventure, more exploration, and lots more sci-fi stuff. The second-season trailer (that series creator Mike McMahon says he edited to remove spoilers) gives us glimpses of Rutherford vs "fricking radiation," Tendi as a giant bug, and Mariner and Boimler on an away mission that goes sideways [...so like every other away mission, then---Ed.]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vkzjGBAcTM Looking Four-ward To Discovery By Cat Hough The fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery premieres Thursday, Nov. 18, on Paramount+. The first image from the upcoming season was released during Star Trek Day. We also got to watch a panel featuring season four cast members Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), Blu del Barrio (Adira), Ian Alexander (Gray), and showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise. The panel of mutual love and discussion of found family was moderated by Wil Wheaton. Most advanced ship in the fleet, and they couldn't even spring for seat warmers? Image: ViacomCBS. Taking Trek Back To School By Thomas Reynolds and Rosco McQueen With Labor Day on rearview sensors, the American student body is headed back to school–and so is the Trek franchise, if Kurtzman has his way. Back in Episode 519, we mentioned that a Starfleet Academy-situated series “aimed at younger audiences” was in the works. Since then, Eric Pesola at Heavy suggested that the new series concept is far older than it appears. Don't worry, it's safe for them to wear red shirts because they're named characters. Image: IDW Comics, via Heavy.com. Pesola draws parallels between JJ’s franchise “revival” in 2009, and Harve Bennett turning it around after The Motion Picture almost torpedoed it thirty years prior. Bennett helmed the next three series entries and more-or-less put Trek’s fortunes on the up-and-up. That said, after his Final Frontier almost finished it for good, Bennett pitched one more idea: a prequel film set at Starfleet Academy, with Ethan Hawke as Kirk and John Cusack as Spock. The studio went with a thinly-veiled Cold War analogy instead but, twenty years later, class might finally be in session. During the Star Trek Day celebrations, Wil Wheaton asked Kurtzman about the future of Trek on TV, Kurtzman said that with five ongoing series, he’s “not in a hurry” to launch any more. But he did bring up the fan enthusiasm for a series set at Starfleet Academy. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Legends Of Yesterday By Rosco McQueen Fire up the phase inducers, it’s time to start a new ‘toon in Star Trek Online. The Agents of Yesterday recruitment event is active: new characters set in the TOS era playing through the entire Agents of Yesterday mission arc, and becoming Temporal Agents with updated rewards.  As we covered previously, if you haven't created a Temporal Agent character, it’s a great opportunity with lots of bonuses for your whole account. You wish your family portrait looked this good. Image: Cryptic Studios. But if the idea of leveling up a new character from scratch isn’t bringing you joy, then the Legendary TOS Federation Captain's Bundle has dropped to immediately boost your new character to level 65.  The pack comes with equipment, services, and other resources to allow this newly-boosted character to be ready to enter the high-level content of Star Trek Online. Plus, you’ll get account-wide access to the Legendary Miranda Multi-Mission Cruiser [T6]. It includes all of the consoles, starship traits, and costumes from the entire line of Miranda and Malachowski starship families. The bundle is available for the price of 12,000 Zen, with 50% OFF from September 8th at 8am PT to September 20th at 10am PT! Parliament Is Now In Session By Rosco McQueen The next story arc is fast approaching, if this news item is anything to go by. STO announced this week that Lower Decks themed gear is making its way into the game. “Starting with the next story update which arrives on PC very soon, a brand new Tier-6 Starship will be added to the existing ship choices, and a series of exciting new Lower Decks-themed items will be added to the Lobi Crystal Store.” The items include:   Lower Decks uniforms, Portable Phaser Cannon  Multibarrel Phaser  Phaser Split-Beam Rifle  Phaser Sniper Rifle  T-88 Diagnostic Tool Kit frame - complete with purple stripe Lower Decks Personal Traits, two space and two ground,  And a new starship, the Parliament Miracle Worker Surveyor Cruiser [T6]. Oof. Not looking forward to the environmental impact statement on this one. Image: Cryptic Studios. The Parliament has a four front and four aft weapon layout, with a Controlled Gravimetric Demolition universal console, which deals “tremendous” kinetic damage. The console also provides a passive bonus to Kinetic and Physical Damage Resistance Rating, as well as Exotic Particle Generation and Structural Integrity. The items will be available for purchase upon the release of the next story update (no date confirmed as yet). Operation: Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing by Shane Hoover A brand new blog from Cryptic has announced a forthcoming Mirror Universe TFO for Star Trek Online. The new bit of fiction finds Admiral Quinn providing feedback to Admiral Leeta on a new Starfleet training simulation to test special operations into the Mirror Universe. It seems despite her cooperation, Quinn finds her bloodlust a bit much even for a simulation. I mean honestly, if a Captain can’t use Exocomps as cannon fodder anymore what are you supposed to do? And just forget about bumping off your Terran counterpart, I guess! So much for Plan A, am I right?  What I've always loved about the Terran Empire: its understated subtlety. Image: Cryptic Studios. Anyway, while details are obviously thin in this little teaser, it looks like Captains will get to beam their away team into a brand new Mirror Universe version of Earth Space Dock for some covert operations. So beef up those biceps, tone up those abs, and sharpen your daggers. We’re going Terran on the holodeck for “Operation: Wolf”! They Belong In A Museum! By Shane Hoover It’s also worth noting that in celebration of Star Trek Day, from September 8 to 22, on all platforms, there will be a special Starfleet Museum in orbit above Deep Space Nine and Earth Space Dock. The museum contains the starring ships from Star Trek movies, television, and more. Hailing each ship will give you words from their crew, and both in universe and behind the scenes facts about the ship and show. Hailing all ten of the ships will grant you a special title: Historical Documents Expert. "Ugh, people really use holodecks for that?" "Oh yeah

This week on Episode 521 of Priority One: Star Trek: Prodigy drops several news items just as Star Trek Day nears, Star Trek Online tries to entice new players and existing players to start a brand new character, and we throw a unicorn horn on a white gorilla suit in On Screen, with Season 2 Episode 4 of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Prodigy Pulls Some Great Cast Gets By Elio Lleo The newest iteration of Star Trek, Nickelodeon’s animated series Prodigy, is making news this week with a couple of big announcements. First up: casting!  Two new actors have been added to the cast announcement with Jimi Simpson and John Noble both playing antagonist characters. According to Deadline’s Alexandra Del Rosario, Noble (The Lord of the Rings, FRINGE) will voice the character known as The Diviner: “a ruthless tyrant who controls the asteroids of Tars Lampora…and will stop at nothing in his hunt for the Protostar ship, no matter the cost.” Simpson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Westworld, Breakout Kings) voices Drednok, “the Diviner’s deadly robotic enforcer…heartless and cold.” ...yeah, checks out. Image: CBS, via Deadline. Now, if talent isn’t enough, then be sure to watch the main title sequence for the show–available now on YouTube and other Star Trek social media channels.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm9Zv8D70hA Lining Up The Milestones By Rosco McQueen Panels, panels and more panels are coming your way for the Trek franchise's 55th anniversary.  On September 8, the Star Trek Day celebrations will be hosted by The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton and actress and host Mica Burton. It will feature back-to-back in person conversations with cast and crew members, with a focus at looking at what is ahead for the franchise.   https://youtu.be/mdknOoG6K4c One panel in particular features Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck from Strange New Worlds, with the trailer for the event casually showing off the logo of the series. Composer Jeff Russo will lead a live orchestra performance throughout the event, with Paramount+ saying to expect some surprise announcements and reveals throughout the program.   Another notch in the milestone belt of history comes after the airing of the Lower Decks episode “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris”, marking the 800th episode of Star Trek television.  Now that commemorative plate makes even more sense! Now do you shorten it to Cer or Tos? Image: Paramount+, via ComicBook.com All The Star Trek News Fit To Print By Cat Hough If watching all the new Trek offerings and playing all the Trek games is still not enough Star Trek content in your life, well you are in luck! This November, Titan Publishing is re-launching the official Star Trek magazine and renaming it Star Trek Explorer. Titan describes this magazine as "the no. #1 destination for everything Star Trek–filled with in-depth interviews and features taking you behind-the-scenes of all your favorite shows and movies." The first issue showcases a fresh new design and features two exclusive Star Trek short stories. Plus, they plan on adding a 16-page themed "featurette" in each issue, with the inaugural issue featuring a guide to Captain James. T. Kirk.  There are two covers available for the first issue: one features a shot of Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery, while the second uses Tim Anderson's Star Trek: The Original Series tribute artwork. Image: Titan Publishing, via ComicBook.com Yearly subscriptions cost $29.99 for four issues and, as an added subscription bonus, you get an exclusive digital magazine that includes extra Trek nuggets. You can buy each issue separately for $9.99. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. The documentary Woman In Motion has been uploaded to the International Space Station, commemorating Women’s Equality Day in the U.S. If you have not seen it already, the film shows how Nichelle Nichols spent 1977 campaigning across America to bring diversity to NASA. Woman in Motion is also available on demand and digital and is streaming on Paramount+. Voyager actor Tim Russ recently helped with the detection of Patroclus, an asteroid orbiting Jupiter. An avid amateur astronomer, Russ is part of a network of citizen astronomers who regularly contribute space observations. He says that contributing to NASA's mission is important because understanding where we come from, what our origins are and the fact that we are a few intelligent species in this galaxy is special. He reflec, he protec, but most importantly, he detec. Image: Tim Russ, via USA Today. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Time Is On Our Side By Cat Hough Well, the time has come at last [again–Ed.]! Star Trek Online announced the Temporal Recruitment Event returns on all platforms, just in time to celebrate Star Trek Day on September 8th. Since we’re playing through the Original Series-era content for this event, the devs have gone through and made some visual updates and updated cutscenes as well as improving the missions themselves. Plus, Temporal Agent goals have been updated to include some new ones, and removed some goals from missions that are no longer in the game, so you don’t have to worry about finding Temporal Probes in places that you can no longer reach. You’ll be able to earn bonuses for reaching level 60, marks for all of the reputations that have been added to the game, and rewards for engaging in R&D and specializations. Existing Temporal Agents will be able to complete these new goals as well, and if you’ve already finished them, you can claim the rewards immediately. Tell me they changed the prefix code, at least. Image: Cryptic Studios. Remember, to become a Temporal Agent and gain access to the rewards, you must make a new TOS Starfleet character, during the event, then you must play the tutorial until you receive your special Temporal Agent transceiver device. Once you receive the device, your character is a Temporal Agent and you can complete the goals any time and claim the rewards, even after the event ends. Good Old (Star Trek) Games Coming To Good Old Games (Galaxy) By Rosco McQueen Do you pine for the days when Star Trek games weren’t vast, expansive, massively multiplayer worlds?  Maybe you’re more of a LAN party player (as long as some else brings the snacks)? A number of classic Trek games, including Star Trek Armada 1 & Armada 2, Star Trek Bridge Commander, and Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force and Elite Force 2 could be due for re-release on GOG Galaxy. Gamefront reports the game cards for titles on the platform recently being updated with new CBS copyright watermarks. Start a Star Trek Game Night for your retirement home today! Image: ViacomCBS/GOG Galaxy, via GameFront. Dancing Data in Fleet Command By Rosco McQueen Star Trek Fleet Command just dropped a new teaser featuring Brent Spiner loosening up for co-star LeVar Burton after playing “an emotionless android for years.” [same–Ed.] This continues Fleet Command’s ongoing efforts to bring in Trek celebrities for their promotions: earlier this year they had Sonequa Martin-Green and Karl Urban. Recent promos have leaned into TNG to showcase the latest updates to the game; in addition to Spiner and Burton, Jonathan Frakes also shows up in the promo. 

This week on Episode 520 of Priority One: the week belonged to Gene Roddenberry in celebration of his 100th birthday, the Star Trek Online community gets stirred up by some recent changes, and we look On Screen to Season 2 Episode 3 of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds One Hundred Years Of Gene By Elio Lleo This week, the Star Trek community celebrated what would have been Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday. If you’ve been following the Roddenberry social channels, you will have seen daily quotes from celebrities, writers, influencers, and more–each reading a different quote from Gene Roddenberry. We also reported on the development of a full digital archive of his works. This week, it’s been announced that a biopic is in the works with Adam Mazer penning the script. Also at the helm of the film’s development are Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. Image: Roddenberry Entertainment, via Deadline. While we’re on the topic of celebrating Gene’s centennial, be sure to catch Rod Roddenberry on an interview with Fox11 Los Angeles. During the interview, Rod explains the point of the “ThinkTREK” initiative that has been going throughout the summer along with some personal anecdotes about his father. And if that wasn’t enough, even NASA got in on the celebration by hosting a conversation with scientists, engineers, and special guest George Takei, moderated by Rod Roddenberry. They even sent one of Gene’s quotes into space by beaming the recording out towards the final frontier via their Deep Space Network. The panel is a little over 40 minutes long and spotlights the importance of infinite diversity in infinite combinations for the betterment of human-kind. https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1428010802443923467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1428010802443923467%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2021%2F08%2Fstar-trek-gene-roddenberry-birthday-movie-biopic-adam-mazer-writing-you-dont-know-jack-1234817916%2F Vintages Of Future Past By Cat Hough If there’s one thing we all enjoy around here, it’s drinks [drink!–Ed.]. So when Star Trek Wines announced the addition of Andorian and Cardassian wines to its now six-bottle lineup, we could not be more excited to try them...unless the Cardassian one tastes like hot fish juice.  Please drink responsibly. Ushaaning everyone in sight is not "responsibly." Image: Star Trek Wines. Even if you’re just a collector of really cool bottles, the Andorian Chardonnay is a lovely shade of blue and comes in a bottom-heavy clear bottle that is also festooned with a United Federation of Planets metal medallion. The Cardassian kanar bottle has a bit more pizazz [certainly one way to put it–Ed.]. Star Trek Wines states "the team conducted a rigorous multi-year search for an original Cardassian Kanar bottle, a unique, serpent-shaped vessel, originally utilized in the 1950s through the 1970s in Europe.” They then rendered those bottles in 3D for accuracy, resulting in one of the “most fascinating bottles in the Galaxy.” Of course Cardassians would make a bottle you feel uncomfortable just looking at. Image: Star Trek Wines As for the wine itself, the Andorian Chardonnay, priced at $50, is listed as premium Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands "aged 12 months prior to bottling" and has “delicious notes of citrus, peach and apricots." The Cardassian Kanar Red Wine Blend, priced at $60, is described as a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Petite Verdot. They say these combine into "a dark, rich wine with notes of ripe blackberries and juicy blueberries, velvety tannins, and a long, delightful finish.” Both of these new wines are available for presale at StarTrekWines.com and expect to ship sometime in November. Or, if you want to buy the whole six-bottle collection–what they call "The Full Armada," it's currently available for $299.  Logic And Honor: Collect The Whole Set! By Rosco McQueen The team from Topps and Mego toys, known for their scale figures have teamed up in the most logical way as part of their ongoing collaboration, with the release of the new Mr Spock 8 inch action figure.  Spock is outfitted in his screen accurate Starfleet Command uniform and accessories as seen in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The figure comes complete with phaser pistol, tricorder and an emotionless, logical facial expression (Vulcan nerve pinch not included.)   The 90-100 day shipping lead time is almost as long as the spacedock scene. Image: TOPPS. But if your display shelf is looking a little too Federation vanilla, time to spice up the Breget lung with some grapok sauce!  The legendary Dahar Master himself, Kor, son of Rynar can now be added to your collection, in 8 inch figure form.  Also in a screen accurate uniform and accessories, the Kor figure is as seen in the 1967 episode of Star Trek, "Errand of Mercy". Both are individually available for $19.99 US. Lamé is a good way to die. Image: TOPPS. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. Via her Twitter account on August 23rd, Michelle Paradise announces that S4 of Discovery has wrapped!  George Takei will lend his vocals to a Star Wars project in Visions. He had previously voiced Separatist General Lok Durd in The Clone Wars. Takei joins an already impressive English-speaking voice cast, which includes David Harbour, Karen Fukuhara–and Boba Fett himself, Temuera Morrison. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Mars, The Slip’N Slider Of War By Cat Hough The Infinity Lock Box returns and contains an all-new Tier 6 Starship, the Mars Pilot Escort [T6]. This ship features a 5/2 weapon layout and, since it is a Pilot Escort, a Commander Tactical/Pilot Specialist Bridge Officer seat, and a Lieutenant Universal/Intel Specialist Bridge Officer seat. The U.S.S. Le Guin, NCC-325060. Image: Cryptic Studios. It also comes equipped with a Universal Subspace Cavitation Matrix Console, which creates a subspace shockwave in normal space that will damage foes out to 5km from the impact point. This console also provides a passive bonus to Current and Maximum Engine Subsystem Power, as well as an increase to all weapon damage to foes within 5km. This ship also introduces a new Experimental Weapon, the Subspace Pocket Projector, capable of forming localized distortions in subspace that are then propelled toward a nearby foe. This distorts hull and shields, and slows their ship's ability to maneuver in normal space. Getting a piece of the action: three pieces, to be precise. Image: Cryptic Studios. Finally, leveling your Mars Pilot Escort will unlock the Improved Lock Trajectory Space Trait. While this trait is slotted, the recharge time of Lock Trajectory is reduced to zero, allowing the ability to be immediately re-engaged after it is turned off. [If they're not attached, does it matter which way it's pointing?–Ed.] Plus, you will be able to gain a reduction to the recharge times on Pilot Abilities, Cannon: Rapid Fire, and Cannon: Scatter Volley, whenever you deal Energy Weapon damage to a foe that is within your forward 90' firing arc (max once per 5 sec). Dilithium Sinks Keep (Re)Rolling Along By Rosco McQueen In an effort from Cryptic to provide players with options for their stockpiles of dilithium, a new permanent way to spend dilithium has been added to the game. STO Staff Systems Director Jeremy “BorticusCryptic” Randall explained that starting on August 24, Personal Endeavor Reroll Tokens and Admiralty Assignment Pass Tokens are purchasable for 2,500 Dilithium apiece. This change will appear on console platforms on September 8. One simple button couldn't be too controversial, right? Image: Cryptic Studios. Previously players could earn the tokens through the respective systems as random rewards.  That method has now been disabled.  The hope is to balance the game’s Zen exchange to a more sustainable level.

This episode of Priority One is brought to you by Eaglemoss Hero Collector’s annual SUMMER OF TREK Sweepstakes. Score the year’s best deals on the world’s widest range of Star Trek collectibles and enter for a chance to win one of more than 250 incredible prizes – including the Grand Prize of an Ocean View Voyage for 2 aboard the SOLD OUT Star Trek: The Cruise V.  For details and to enter, go to www.GetYourTrekOn.com This week on Episode 519 of Priority One: Kurtzman and Trek, Gene Roddenberry’s archive goes into an NFT digital world, and plenty of new Star Trek related products to add to your wishlist. In Gaming: rock out with your targ out when Mary Chieffo goes metal for Star Trek Online, and Modiphius has new goodies to add to your tabletop Star Trek Adventures! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Kurtzman’s Next 5-Year Mission By Elio Lleo Since we’ve been gone, quite a lot has happened. Although we’d love to cover it all, we’ll have to narrow it down to the news that we think matters most—starting Alex Kurtzman’s new 5-year/$160 million contract with Paramount+ to develop not only Star Trek, but other projects as well. The New York Times’s Nicole Sperling published an article on August 1, 2021, featuring interviews with Kurtzman and other major players involved. The article explores Kurtzman’s past, present, and future projects for the studio and the hopes he has for the franchise. Something particularly interesting though, was the announcement that a “Starfleet Academy” series is in the works which “will be aimed at a younger audience.” Also, according to Sperling: Mr. Kurtzman, who wants to get much weirder with the franchise… points to a pitch from Graham Wagner (Portlandia, Silicon Valley), centered on the character Worf, that he calls “incredibly funny, poignant and touching. If it were up to me only, I would be pushing the boundaries much further than I think most people would want,” he said. “I think we might get there. Marvel has actually proven that you can. But you have to build a certain foundation in order to get there and we’re still building our foundation.” Becoming Props of Pure Energy By Cat Hough Announced at Las Vegas, Gene Roddenberry’s personal archives are being comprehensively digitized on an unprecedented scale, with plans to do some fancy sci-fi things with the material. The joint effort between the Roddenberry estate, OTOY, and Light Field Lab, hopes to preserve thousands of photos, documents, and physical assets like starship models in extreme digital detail, preserving it for future study and recreation. https://youtu.be/0bDuT-4cFyg The Roddenberry Archives will use OTOY’s blockchain-based computer rendering network to extensively digitize the Roddenberry estate’s collection from the producer’s work on the Star Trek franchise. Long time Trek writers Denise and Michael Okuda, artist Mike “Beeple” Winklemann, and comics legend Alex Ross are also contributing to the project.  Beyond the historical importance of maintaining the extensive archives, OTOY intends to leverage the assets for fan experiences. The company will work with display startup Light Field Lab to recreate a 1:1 scale holographic replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise as seen in the original series. It claims to be able to use the original models seen in filming the series to create a projected replica “indistinguishable from reality” for “one of the world’s first fully immersive holographic installation experiences.” What is this, a starship for ants??? Image: OTOY. Rod Roddenberry had this to say: “I cannot think of a more capable and innovative company to trust with these materials. OTOY’s work will allow generations to experience my father’s contribution to humanity with the greatest historical accuracy possible. This project will protect an optimistic vision of the future that has inspired so many and remains so important today.”  Play(mobil)ing Into The Enemy's Hands By Rosco McQueen Speaking of bringing Star Trek to life, the classic Enterprise [no bloody A, B, C, or D--Ed.] is warping into your living room. Playmobil's newly-announced model starship comes complete with seven crewmembers (Kirk’s two-handed punch and kung-fu grip not confirmed). The model itself is over a meter long with lights, sound, its own dedicated mounting and augmented reality app. Of course it's for my niece, that's totally who I'm buying it for. Image: Playmobil. It's impressive in size and, according to the release, there are more technical details yet to be announced.  I can’t wait to hear more about what this toy collector's item has hidden away in the shuttle bay. But from the photos there is a lot to like, with light-up Bussard collectors and exceptional attention to detail. Plus, in a Playmobil first: Mr. Spock is the first figure in the company’s history to have (Vulcan) ears!. But if you’re more into relaxing with a good book, then Titan Books has just the thing.  Their latest release takes an inside look at the franchise's bad guys with Star Trek: Villains, the Federation’s deadliest foes collected in one terrifying volume. The book features interviews with the actors behind the baddies such as Alice Krige (the Borg Queen), Christopher Plummer (General Chang), and Ricardo Montalbahn (KHAAAAAAAAN!) and profiles of alien foes such as the Romulans, the Gorn, the Dominion, and the Klingons. The book is available for pre-order now through Amazon in the US and Canada, and Forbidden Planet in the UK and Europe.   Boy bands in the future are going to be wild. Image: Titan Books, via Red Shirts Always Die. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly about his involvement with the horror series Slasher, David Cronenberg also hinted that we may see his Star Trek: Discovery character in three episodes in Season 4. A couple of interesting conversations were had in Las Vegas this year; although we weren’t there to report on the events ourselves, be sure to visit TrekMovie.com for highlights like Rainn Wilson wanting to bring back Harry Mudd, and Kenneth Mitchell teasing a return to the franchise. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Today Is A Good Day to ROCK By Elio Lleo Captains, while we were away, the most epic thing hit the internet. Something so awesome, that we feel as though we should add a faux cautionary disclaimer before talking about it: Priority One is not responsible for side-effects caused by the sheer awesomeness of the following story. The Mother of All Klingons—Mary Chieffo—joined forces with Star Trek Online and singer/songwriter Jason Charles Miller to produce a song for the ages: Steel and Flame!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOirKrzSVgI In celebration of this year’s Klingon story arc in Star Trek Online, Mary Chieffo goes all out in an original heavy metal song—entirely in Klingon. In an interview with ScreenRant.com Mary spoke about collaborating with The Klingon Language institute to “come up with lyrics that fit rhythmically as well as translation-wise.” This video deserves millions of views—so go! Watch it and share the targ out of it!!! 🖖🤘 Charting A New Path(finder) Forward By Rosco McQueen Thomas Marrone has been refreshing Star Trek Online starship models for some time now, and he has finally come full circle.  On August 13 the lead artist for starship and UI teams shared some images of the refurbished model of the Pathfinder, the 25th century variant of the Intrepid class. It’s a favourite of many players and  the new model looks stunning. It’s especially fitting for Thomas to bring the refresh to fruition, since the Pathfinder was the first starship he designed for Star Trek Online [Warning: clicking that link will make you feel incredibly old.--Ed.] https://twitter.com/Cryptic_TtC/status/1425939393710227457?s=20 The Legendary Legacies of Romulus By Cat Hough While we’re on the topic of ships: released to PC last week, the Legendary Romulan Warbird Bundle is now available in-game with the price of 12,000 Zen (roughly $120 USD). The bundle contains: [T6] Legendary Scimitar Intel Dreadnought Warbird [T6] Legendary D'deridex Miracle Worker Warbird Battlecruiser 1 Free C-store T6 Ship Coupon 2 Experimental Ship Upgrade Tokens  2 Ship Slots 3 Infinity Promo Romulan Survivor Duty Officer Packs TOS Era Romulan Uniform TNG Era Romulan Uniform Reman Uniform Reman Species No one tell Tom Hardy. Image: Cryptic Studios. Breaking The Boundaries Of Boxed Sets By Elio Lleo If you’re looking to upgrade your tabletop Star Trek Adventures, well, now, you can wear it too!  Modiphius’ Tricorder Collector’s Edition is a boxed set in the style of those old scientists' an Original Series tricorder. Inside you’ll find division-themed dice, gamemaster and player guides, and a complete campaign scenario. So, if you’d love to cosplay and be ready to game at a moment’s notice, be sure to visit Modiphius to find out more! You can also use it as an improvised weapon, but I'd recommend against that. Image: Modiphius.

This week on Episode 518 of Priority One: Comic-Con@home brings us new trailers for Star Trek: Prodigy and Lower Decks, and Saru and Stamets look ahead to season four of Discovery.  In gaming news, we go back and forth on the Courage-class coming to Star Trek Online, and some new shiny textures for your favourite Romulan Captain. TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Comic-Con@home - Lower Decks By Cat Hough As we anxiously await the premiere of Season 2 of Lower Decks, we were treated to a brand new trailer last week during Comic-Con@home. Based on the trailer, Season 2  has all the things we loved in Season 1 plus so much more. How much more? The best villains! Including Cardassians, Pakleds, Ferengi, Nauciscans, some giant slime monster and the incomparable Jeffrey Combs makes an appearance as an evil computer. We also see a new Tamarian crew member who had this to say when welcomed to the bridge: “Rapungee - when he joined the Seven.” https://youtu.be/IxdKo0eXUKY Tom Paris also shows up in Season 2...in commemorative plate form, though. Also, an interesting side note in the news: Robert Duncan McNeill was invited to reprise Tom Paris for Season 1 of Picard but, due to scheduling conflicts. he was not able to make it work. So maybe we’ll see more Tom Paris at some point. Season 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks starts August 12 on Paramount+. Comic-Con@home - Prodigy By Jake Morgan But Lower Decks wasn’t the only Star Trek series to get some Comic-Con attention. We were also treated to our first look at Star Trek: Prodigy! In the 52 second trailer for Prodigy’s inaugural season, we’re introduced to the main cast: Dal, Gwyn, Zero, Rok-Tahk, Murf, and Jankom Pog, The main cast also features the stunning new-to-crew U.S.S. Protostar (which looks like a cross of the Intrepid- and Rhode Island-class) and the timeless Captain Katherine Janeway–who reminds us that ”we’ve only just begun.” https://youtu.be/987jSJZQxTs During the Comic-con@home panel, the creators, director, and cast–including Star Trek royalty Kate Mulgrew–joined the ever-entertaining Jerry O'Connell to discuss the newest Star Trek series. EP Kevin Hageman pointed out that this would be the first Star Trek series ”that’s actually going to be seen through the eyes of characters who are outside of Starfleet.” In discussing Prodigy’s place in Star Trek mythos, the Hageman brothers recognized that this would be the “Little Brother or Little Sister” member of the franchise, but wanted to “punch up.” Kate Mulgrew reiterated the sentiment, saying “Children are very astute. You’ve grasped an essential component of the childlike imagination, which is extraordinary perception. They need to be grounded while taking flight at the same time. And this–you have achieved.” The trailer is a must watch, and the panel is super-entertaining and informative. Stamets And Saru In Season 4 By Rosco McQueen Everyone’s favorite Kelpien [the other white meat–Ed.] has been on the interview circuit in the past couple of weeks, with Doug Jones talking about the release of Discovery Season 3 on DVD.  In an interview with SYFY Wire, Jones spoke about Saru’s heartbreak at the revelation that a fellow Kelpien was responsible for the Burn. He also confirmed that filming on Season 4 continues in Toronto and, even though Saru’s left the command chair, he still has plenty to do. "Damn, Starbase 80?!?" Image: Michael Gibson/CBS, via SYFY. “After we got home to LA during hiatus last year, I called Michelle Paradise myself and said, 'Should I expect to go back for Season 4? Because, they left me on-camera teaching Su'Kal the ways of the Kelpians.’ She said, ‘Oh, no, you're back. You're back.’ But the question will remain that Starfleet does not strip you of your rank, so I am still a captain. Where do they plug me in? That's the question.” In an interview with Screen Rant, Discovery actor Anthony Rapp spoke about the cast and their Dungeons & Dragons sessions, and rejected claims he'll become the series villain. You may suspect that’s where the relationship is going–at the end of Season 3 we saw Paul Stamets not being particularly friendly with the newly-minted Captain Michael Burnham. When you find out you have to be the party healbot. Image: ViacomCBS, via ScreenRant Rapp was quick to shut down the villain rumors. “No, no. He's like a consummate professional. He hated [Captain] Lorca but he still did his job. And he doesn't hate Michael. He was just hurt. It was a different situation. Ultimately, he's a smart person and understands [why Michael became Captain] but it still stung, the way that it happened.” Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. What is it like to host Jeopardy!? According to LeVar Burton, it’s scary.  But he said once he focused on making the most of his hosting chances and stopped trying to “be as smooth as Alex” that he was able to relax more and be his wonderful self. We hope you all have had a chance to Trek out his episodes.  Marina Sirtis spoke about the on-again off-again idea of a Captain Worf series, throwing her support behind it. She explained she would love to be a small part of it, and the potential of having a series focused on the Klingons. And at the recent Comic-Con@home event, the Stargate Atlantis reunion panel had some small Trek nuggets for aspiring sci-fi actors. Robert Picardo spoke about the fan crossover between Star Trek and Stargate, and how his previous acting roles meant he was better prepared for science fiction roles. His advice: get your feet wet in some other acting jobs before delving into the world of sci-fi. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Courage Of Your Promotions By Cat Hough https://youtu.be/-hUBGqt1f5g Star Trek Online continues to look to the future–or at least continues to look to Discovery when picking new promo ships. This week, the 32nd century Courage-class Command Science Destroyer joins the list of ships available as a R&D and Duty Officer pack reward choice. This ship switches from Science Mode to Tactical Mode by reversing direction. In Tactical Mode, you get access to a Commander Tactical station, the Coherent Integrity Projector Experimental Weapon is enabled and you get a boost to hull capacity. It’s a Science ship–but it's also a Destroyer so it’s equipped with 4 front and 3 aft weapons [or is it 3 front and 4 aft?–Ed.]. The starship trait, Directional Bias, provides bonus Exotic Damage or Healing when using bridge officer abilities based on where you are attacked. Overall, this ship looks to provide a lot of build options for those lucky enough to win one. Now does that make it any easier to parallel park, though. Image: Cryptic Studios. Let Freedom BLAST By Cat Hough Starting today through August 2nd, the Freedom-class Exploration Frigate, otherwise known as the U.S.S. Franklin from Star Trek: Beyond will be available in the Lobi Store. Plus! Everything in the Lobi Store is 20% off. The ship’s unique console is the interesting VHF Disruptive Transmission. When activated, it will blast high frequency radio waves towards nearby foes, dealing significant electrical damage and boosts your turning radius while it’s active. And it can be equipped in any console slot, on any ship.  D’deridex? Don’t Mind If I Do By Cat Hough Some breaking news for Romulan ship fans [we know you’re out there–Ed.]:  the D’deridex and Scimitar classes are freshly remastered starting today. Just when you were getting bored with those ships’ looks, they go and make them all shiny. Thanks to Donny "Viper" Versiga, a ship artist at Cryptic for posting some excellent before and after images–it’s so nice to see those ships get some love.  https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1420100137716621315?s=20 It’s Canon: Donny Loves Connie By Rosco McQueen Speaking of Donny, he recently spoke with the folks at MassivelyOP about ship design. They covered off his favourite captain (Kirk) and his favorite starship (Connie refit) in short order, then went on to talk about the design process for Star Trek Online. Donny explains that fresh designs are from the incredibly talented Hector Ortiz, with as many as 20 designs put together as the team refines the looks of a particular ship. 3-D models are created, then once the final ship design is selected, that model is sent to the Ship Team to build.   so i herd u liek starships. Image: Cryptic Studios, via MassivelyOP. He also spoke about the updates to older Starship models, which has become a large part of the game. Donny explains that as PC/console hardware power has increased over the years, the amount of detail STO can provide per ship has increased, sometimes three times as much detail as was previously seen on starship models.  It’s a great look behind the scenes at the process.

This week on Episode 517 of Priority One: The virtual becomes reality on the set of Discovery Season 4, meanwhile the Disco captains reflect on their past and future in the center seat on the bridge.  In gaming news, Pahvo is under attack on the ground and orbit in the third Event Eampaign installment in Star Trek Online, and Dr. Robert Hurt shares the importance of the Hubble Telescope’s return! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Is This The Real Life? Is this Discovery? By Elio Lleo When that other “Star” franchise debuted their own serialized, live-action TV series on Disney+, critics not only raved about its story, but also about its cinematography. The Mandalorian, which started streaming in 2019, showcased a new style of filmmaking that was absolutely breathtaking. You see, instead of having to find locations where to shoot, the production used a 360-degree LED wall to project–in real time–all the landscapes and effects needed for the scene. The end result: a creative and astonishing backdrop that really helped build that world. Now, everyone wants in! Not only does this technology save the time and resources it takes to shoot on location but, combined with the Unreal Engine, actors can actually see and react to visual effect environments in real time. Now we can visit Strange New Worlds with much more ease, as Noah Kadner explains in his article for American Cinematographer. According to Kadner, Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 and the first season of Strange New Worlds have been filming with a 270-degree horseshoe-shaped LED wall by a company called Pixomondo–which can be fed real-time animations using Unreal Engine. Gul Madred's cruelest torture to date: do the virtual lights count? Image: Michael Gibson/Paramount Plus, via American Cinematographer. Star Trek’s Lead Visual Effects Supervisor Jason Zimmerman told Kadner “getting something in-camera on the day is so much better than greenscreen in many ways. One major difference [in terms of workflow] is that the production-design and art departments are a lot more involved much earlier in the process, because they have to get assets ready to be photographed instead of waiting until after the shoot.” But the away teams from Strange New Worlds will be beaming down to realistic landscapes–the New Mexico Film Office announced this week that the television series is using New Mexico landscapes for the show’s visual effects.  Jamming With Captain Burnham By Rosco McQueen Michael Burnam meets Bugs Bunny–is this a crossover episode? No, Sonequa Martin-Green plays Lebron James' wife in the Space Jam sequel, and right now Martin-Green is on the promo circuit talking about the animated adventure.  But the good folks at Collider and Gizmodo couldn't help but ask some questions about Discovery Season 4 and what the future holds for Captain Burnham.   Kamiyah, When LeBron Dunked. Image: Warner Brothers, via Collider. According to Martin-Green, filming for Season 4 is almost complete with only a little bit left to shoot.  She emphasized the importance of cementing her new position as Captain, particularly the importance of having a black woman in the role. But she was tight lipped on what’s to come, telling Gizmodo it’s going to be about finding out who she is as Captain Michael Burnham, “[b]ecause there’s always been this question of who am I in this moment? Who am I in this role? And now I’m going to have to answer those questions for myself as Captain because everything is different now. And we’ve got a huge threat coming our way.” The Rubber Meets The Wormhole By Rosco McQueen Meanwhile, Doug Jones reflected on Captain Saru and his journey through Season 3 of Discovery.  Jones sat in the Captain’s chair for almost its entirety, something Jones believes was a dream of the character but not necessarily the actor–it meant a lot more time in the makeup chair.   “I was on more days on Season 3 than ever before. But the honor and the gravity of it was not lost on me that put me in a very small handful of actors who have played Captains in Star Trek. And even a bigger honor that I was the first non-human alien creature to take a Captaincy of a title ship. That was a really a big deal for me, especially as a geeky boy who has played a lot of rubber animals and creatures over these years.” Just keep working on that tagline. Image: ViacomCBS, via Decider. Jones goes on to talk about adding new cast members to the series, particularly his joy at working with Bill Irwin who played Su’Kal, as each actor has been a fan of the other for a long time.  Season 4 of discovery was filmed under COVID restrictions, and thanks to a few stops and starts has taken a few extra months to film than previous seasons. However Jones doesn’t see the measures as restrictive. “I think that’s what Star Trek helps us realize, that the situation can be different if you perceive it differently. So you can look at it as restrictions, or you can look at it as enablement. I’m going to look at this as it’s enabling us to get the job done, and to stay employed, and to keep the production running.”  Would You Just Give LeVar The Host Position Already By Cat Hough We will finally get to see LeVar Burton take his turn in the guest host role on Jeopardy! next week. And, many of his friends, including Brent Spiner and Gates McFadden have continued lobbying efforts to get him that full-time gig. McFadden told showbizjunkies.com, “I think he would be superb. I think he is born to do it. He’s perfect.” Spiner added, “I can’t think of anyone more qualified than he is. LeVar has proven himself as a host, an educator, a personality, and this and that. He’s a very smart guy with a really great personality, which I think is key for the job. He’s got all of the qualities.”  You definitely should Trek out the full article because it recaps both of their careers. They tell us their favorite TNG director and give us an update on their latest ventures. As we previously reported on this very podcast, McFadden is currently hosting the podcast Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?, while Spiner, who we will see in the second season of Picard–has written a novel called Fan-Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events. Don’t forget to watch Jeopardy! next week! Kenneth Mitchell: To Boldly Go By Elio Lleo Image: StarTrek.com Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 is coming to Blu-Ray with several special features and StarTrek.com showcased one last week. Dedicated to Kenneth Mitchell, the featurette showcases Mitchell’s various roles on these latest iterations of Trek and of course, addresses his ALS diagnosis. It is an incredibly moving segment with commentary from his fellow actors and crewmates.  STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Pahvo Pops Off By Cat Hough Just earlier today, Star Trek Online released details on the third installment of the Event Campaign, where players can participate in a series of campaigns to earn the grand prize. The Defense of Pahvo Event starts July 27th on PC and will run for 3 weeks before concluding. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players will be able to participate starting in September. Once the Campaign starts, players will be able to earn their Daily Progress once every 20 hours by completing either the ground TFO “Pahvo Dissension,” or its space-based counterpart, “Peril Over Pahvo." As with previous Events, players can still use their old Event tokens to apply toward this Event. Brutal, savage, unprincipled, uncivilized, treacherous, but snazzy dressers. Image: Cryptic Studios. A few minor adjustments have been made to each TFO: Each completion will reward a Choice of All Marks (replacing the usual Mark rewards) Both TFOs have had their Cooldown Timers temporarily disabled Both TFOs have been temporarily removed from Random TFO eligibility For this specific event, once you earn a total of 14 days’ worth of Daily Progress, you can claim the Crystal Prism Universal Console for your entire account. This unique console features  a charge-driven design, allowing for rapid creation of multiple energy-conductive prisms in space. This console emulates the popular Kit Module of the same name, allowing players to build networks of damage-dealing crystal prisms in formations of their own choosing. Everyone thought Skynet would turn against us, when it was really Starlink. Image: Cryptic Studios. Each Prism that is placed in space will automatically attack nearby enemy starships, inflicting Psychic damage upon their crews, and tearing apart their hulls with telekinetic energies. The damage inflicted by each Prism in a connected group is increased based on the number of other networked Prisms, allowing for an incredibly high ceiling on such a cluster’s overall potential for rending into their foes. Other rewards include  the now-standard 25,000 dilithium ore and three Featured TFO Reward Boxes (choice of 1x Specialization Point or an Enhanced Universal Tech Upgrade) for a single character. ASTROMETRICS REPORT By Dr. Robert Hurt For this week's Astrometrics Report, we will stare into the heart of a swirling beam of energy generated by a supermassive hole in the nearby galaxy. But first, I had to mention the good news---that NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been successfully resuscitated, after a system failure back on June 13th. The issues arose due to a connection fault between its power control unit and payload computer. Finding a way to bypass the malfunctioning system was not trivial. While on Star Trek, that usually takes about two strained metaphors and three minutes of typing, for NASA that required over four weeks of painstakingly careful labor (but fortunately no problematic metaphors). Hubble jumped back into its science program on July 17th, and released some of its post-recovery data this week of some beautifully-twisted galaxies. High fives all around! Deployed in 1990 by Discov