Don't Smudge the Muppets - Rachael Harris and Joe Lo Truglio Talk the Puppet Episode

[00:00:00] Hi, this is Rachael Harris and Joe Lo Truglio and you're listening to Open Pike Night. Like and subscribe or we'll blow your hosts out of the airlock. I do what she says. Yeah, you should do it. Is this thing on? Hello, hello.

[00:00:25] Hello and welcome to Open Pike Night, the Strange New Worlds podcast where we get behind the makeup to find out how your favorite characters came to life. I'm your host, Cameron Harrison and with me is my co-host, the man who always does what the women in his life tell them, John T. Boldz.

[00:00:54] Hey, when their hands get lit on fire and they don't even flinch, I gotta respect it, man. Like, yeah. Now when our other host Jesse learned who we'd be talking to today, he ran around his room screaming and waving his arms, smashing into a wall and rendering himself unconscious. So it'll just be John and I talking here today, a couple of Orion pirates who won't let a good puppertunity go to waste.

[00:01:17] Amongst their lengthy acting achievements, they can now add stealing the Enterprise, torturing a puppet, shooting a red shirt, shooting Spock and cutting Carol Kane in half. It's Rachel Harris and Joe Lo Truglio. Yeah. Hello. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for having us. It is amazing to have you both. I'm very happy to be here because I've always wanted to be on a show like this.

[00:01:43] This is not something that I've done before and it's iconic and it was a thrill to really be part of such an incredible canon. Did you have a history with Star Trek? I was, you know, I'd seen the movies. You know, I wouldn't say I was a fan. I had seen the show, but I definitely wasn't a Trekkie. And I, when I was asked to do the show, I was thrilled because I, as I said, I always wanted to be part of an incredible iconic franchise.

[00:02:11] And then when I did the show, I immediately like binged all the episodes of Strange New World and absolutely loved it. And I am now a Trekkie because it's just such an, it's an incredible piece of history, television history to be part of. Yeah. And Rachel, you've been part of that history in the past, actually. I have.

[00:02:38] I was so excited that we got asked to do it. And because in the beginning they said they've offered this other role to Joe Lo Truglio. And I was like, oh, this is great because we've worked together before. So happy about that. But yes, I, in the beginning I didn't want to tell them that I had been on Voyager. Cause I was like, I need, I really want to do this job. It sounds amazing.

[00:03:03] And then I just said, but by the way, I need to tell you guys that I am Mardis's mom on Star Trek Voyager. And I gave baby out my back, uh, like carried the baby on my back, like a backpack. And then I used a birthing bar and I shit the baby up. Love Star Trek. But I didn't relate. But, but, but, um, but it was one of these great moments that even back then it was exciting

[00:03:28] cause I was in El Campo in that episode and I had like cool ears, but this one was, was next level. So it was, it was an honor and a privilege to get to come back. How, how did you get the gig? Was it on audition? Were you called for it? What are the steps to getting to play Orion pirates on strange new worlds? I was very surprised to have gotten an, uh, an, an offer for the role because I usually don't feel those.

[00:03:57] So I was not only excited to be on the show, but to reach another kind of, you know, a stepping stone in the career to have an offer, um, for the role. Um, it turns out, I think Henry was a fan of, um, a lot of the projects that I've been part of, including the state, which was a MTV show back in the nineties sketch comedy show for younger listeners out there. And so I was, uh, you know, I was super excited. I mean, I honestly kind of couldn't believe it.

[00:04:27] I was like, wait, what really? Like, yeah. And, and I had asked, do I get to wear some prosthetics or something? I, cause I was excited about, dude, I love stuff like that being, I'm a big horror fan. I love that stuff. And, um, they're like, well, not prosthetics, but you're not going to be, you're, you're going to be a different color. And I said, yeah. Um, so let's do it. So that's how, that's how it felt. That's how I came upon the role.

[00:04:57] Rachel, how about you? Yeah. My, my story is very similar, but, but this is the thing they didn't tell. They said you're green, but they couldn't divulge the Muppet aspects of it. They didn't tell me right away. Oh yeah. I don't think they told me either. And they said, there is, we can't give you a script. They're like, you can't have a script. And I was like, well, I'm green. How much am I green? Like how much of the script am I in? You know, like, I was like, it's a lot to like, I was like, is it just my face? It's great. No.

[00:05:26] And so to make a very, very long story short, once they came back and they said, you have to sign this NDA before we tell you this. And they said, it's the Jim Henson puppets. And I was like, okay, great. And then, but I didn't even realize that it was just going to be me, Joe and Ethan. Yeah. Acting. Yeah. Me neither. I didn't get it. And then I think Joe and I were like, holy shit together. Like, yeah.

[00:05:55] I mean, this is going to be amazing. Yeah. It's amazing. Truly. That's exactly right. In fact, when they finally did send the script, I guess it had a secret title. I think the title of the script that I got was called Lily and Isaac. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, what? Uh, did you guys send me the right? They're like, yep. I'm like, okay. Wink, wink. I got you. I see what we're doing here. This is exciting.

[00:06:21] Nobody knows all the signs are going to say Lily and Isaac, but we're going to be shooting Star Trek. Um, so, um, I found out about the Muppets and I was over the moon. I was lucky enough to have worked with the Muppets once before. And I did, uh, an episode of a Disney, um, show called Muppets mayhem, which was maybe a couple of years ago.

[00:06:47] And that was a very emotional experience because met the puppeteers, the puppeteers on Star Trek here were also amazing. The Muppets may have met, you know, Dr. T I think his name was John and, uh, Dr. T. And what's funny is like during rehearsal, you know, you know, he's doing his voice. Like, Hey Joe, glad you're on set. And I'm like, I'm suddenly eight years old and I'm, I'm looking at the puppet talking, even though John is right next to him.

[00:07:16] It's amazing how quickly you get sucked into the, the suspension of disbelief. And I found that to be the same case on set to Star Trek. Like as soon as we started working and started doing the blocking, uh, you know, talking to the puppets were just like, I was just another character. Um, it was really, really exciting. Yeah. So once you found out it was puppets, you probably had an idea of what to expect. Did the reality match that idea or were there any big surprises once you started getting into it?

[00:07:46] No, I don't think it was really, I think Joe would agree with this, that it's very, you kind of immediately respect the, the artists. Mm. They are incredible. And yeah, they really are a hundred percent committed. And what was crazy is that he knew the lines better than I did. I can't speak for Joe, but they like, they're handling 18 different things.

[00:08:11] It's like, they're juggling and, and just spitting out in the, the, in a lot of times they were acting the same, you know, if there's a, an actor that has a British accent that speaks with a British, they were doing that in rehearsal, like as they were doing the, even though they weren't voicing the puppets, like they had come in ADR all of their voices. Mm-hmm. But it was, it was really like, I think Jordan, it was our director and she, she had already

[00:08:40] worked with puppets before. I think she did Fraggle Rock. Yeah. She did. That whole thing was dreamy too. She was wonderful because she, um, firstly, if you so calm and created such a great environment where, you know, there was a lot to shoot and you're working with, with these Muppets and, you know, there's, there's a lot to absorb. And Jordan just was such a pro kept a really kind of light, but professional atmosphere

[00:09:10] on the set is just a funny person as well. Like she's terrific at comedy and it was really unique to have just Jordan, Rachel, Ethan and I to work together because I don't know, there, there, there was just a different energy to that. And it was really nice to, um, have Jordan be able to, to really, uh, shepherd us through, through this very unique situation. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

[00:09:36] Jordan talked a lot about just how technical the puppet side of things are like, right. They've, you've got to have the camera at a very specific spot. They can only move a certain amount on your end working with the puppets. Did you have to think in more technical terms or was it kind of the same process as working with a human and co-star? Well, yeah, no, I think working with those guys, it was fun to, to, to work out. We had a lot of physical beats with them.

[00:10:01] You know, when I like, for example, when I cut Carol Kane in half and the sword play, it was technical, but it was also really fun. And everything did have to be much more choreographed, simple things that you wouldn't have to choreograph when it was a live action person. Right. But, but even that was hilarious and fun. And again, to just, you know, uh, basically agreeing so much with, uh, Joe, as far as Jordan goes,

[00:10:29] she was like a ninja, you know, just as far as how to set it up. Yeah. What angle it should be, but also very connected to making it make sense for us as actors, like knowing that we don't, we're not used to working with puppets. So yeah. One of the challenges I had was that you couldn't get any green makeup on the Muppets.

[00:10:56] Um, it was very, very important to now the makeup department was amazing. I think I worked with Kyle. Kyle. They had kind of a spray that really prevented that, but there was like a cognitive disconnect between my brain and actually taking my green hand and grabbing the puppet, the Muppet, not believing that it wouldn't come off. It just didn't make, but it, but it didn't.

[00:11:21] And in, in one of the scenes I'm, I'm actually kind of like shoving a Muppet up, like throw her into the bar area. And I'm really kind of manhandling the Muppet. And I, you know, wanted to get that, that vibe that I was, but trying to be delicate at the same time. So that was probably the biggest challenge in that scene was, was just making sure I didn't tear or ruin or smudge the puppet. Don't smudge the puppet. That was the Muppet.

[00:11:52] The Muppet. I keep saying that. Yeah. Yeah. I was just going to say that there's a scene where Pike comes right at my face. And I think you guys may have seen this where he comes right at my face and I have to grab him and then throw him. And yes, I had to be aware of the makeup getting on him, but then also Jordan, who is also a Muppet artist. I'm just going to say that because I don't, I don't know what the term is, but he. Let's use that. Okay. He's a Muppet artist.

[00:12:20] And he was, he was very kind with Joe and I, but they were filming stuff too, for their archives, you know, just for them to remember. And they sent me the worst picture in my life. And since we can swear, I think I can share this picture with you. I catch Pike right here. His legs are between, and I'm holding him right here. And they freeze straight. They just, that's gone all toward that, that whole community.

[00:12:49] And they think it's hilarious. And I'm like, my mouth is wide open. And it's, his, his D is right, it's no puppet D, it's right in my mouth. That's in the deleted scenes. It's genius. That phone is Blu-ray material. Yeah, that's in the deleted scenes. There we go. So they did make a porno episode this season. Okay. Yeah. It shows you how mischievous those guys are. Like how funny they, I mean, I can only imagine what they've done with those puppets.

[00:13:18] I mean, you can only work with your hand up someone's body. Yeah. For so long. For so long. And we can cut this out if it's gonna cancel me. So, yeah. So have they already been filming by the time you got there? Did, was Ethan able to give you guys some tips on shooting on the Enterprise with Muppets? Or did you all start at about the same time? They had been shooting. I think they had been shooting, from my memory of it.

[00:13:46] And I met Ethan at the, I met the whole cast at the table read. Okay. It was really wonderful because you got an immediate sense of how, why the show was so good. And the chemistry at the, at the table read was, was terrific. And, and to me reminiscent of Brooklyn in that the ensemble was already so, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, in that the, the ensemble was already so tight and they had kind of a shorthand and you can, and the vibe was very healthy.

[00:14:15] And, um, you just had a really, um, a feeling like they were there to do a show and be professional, but, but really enjoy the work. And, and that was the, the vibe that I got on set with Ethan as well, who I'll just say is, is a terrific person and a great, great actor and was a pleasure to work with all around and be on set for a long time with.

[00:14:39] And he was so sweet because he told Rachel and I several times, he's like, you guys are really funny, but I can't react. Cause I have to just be logical. And he was just so thoughtful to let us know that because, you know, as guest actors, you come into a show that the machines working, the gears are rolling.

[00:15:04] People know each other very well, crew and cast, and it can be off, not off putting, but just a little isolating. And he was terrific and really made Rachel and I feel very, very welcome. Um, as did, as is Jordan, as is Henry, you know, Woody, the AD, the every, the whole crew was really welcoming. And that was very helpful. Yeah. You were talking about the makeup, Joe. I did notice you were eating in one scene and like the film nerd part of my brain is like, that's a lot of makeup on his hand. Is he actually eating nuts right then?

[00:15:34] Or like, Oh yeah, no, I was, I, I, I, I asked a prop person. I'm like, is there any type of food I can eat? And preferably I want to pop, I want to pop some nuts. So that was your idea. Like, like, like when you shape the kind of nuts in your hand and you're popping them as you talk. And like, those guys are always kind of douchey, those guys.

[00:15:57] And I'm like, and I think a jachi in this moment is kind of a bit of a, uh, you know, I won't say the word again, but like just like kind of an annoying kind of cocky joke. And so they did. And so luckily again, testament to the makeup department, there, there was no green makeup on, on, on, on the peanuts. And, and I'm assuming the makeup's non-toxic anyway. So we were okay. Yeah. Now, how long did each of your makeup's take and follow up?

[00:16:25] I know you're both professional comedians and have a high bar for humor, but let's be honest here. How many, it's not easy being green references were made on set. Oh, I think a lot. Actually. Oh, you were going to say not a lot. I was going to say like, I, I was going to say, no, I don't remember hearing that, but like, I also have a goldfish memory. So it's quite possible that that did happen.

[00:16:48] The, the makeup was like a, uh, at first, I think it took about, uh, an hour to, to, to put on. Yeah. Um, but, but, um, they had kind of sprayed this stuff on our skin before they put on the green makeup. Okay. That at the end of the day with a wipe, it would come off. So the end of the day, we were out of that makeup in like 15 minutes. Oh, wow.

[00:17:16] Like it was super, I couldn't believe it. Yeah. It was like a commercial, like one of those, like fantastic four Oh nine where like, they do like the wipe across the screen, the crime. And it's just like, that's how it was. Like, uh, they just like across the forehead and there's my skin again. And it was like super, I was very impressed. That's cool. Yeah, it was. Yeah. Did you have that same experience, Rachel? Yeah. But it was very easy to get on and it did take like an hour, hour and a half.

[00:17:41] But also I, the fun thing that I had that Joe sadly did not get was that I had to have my nails painted like a dingy gray, dark color, which actually was really pretty cool. But so. No, they painted my nails. Oh, that's right. They did. Yeah, they did. Yeah. Oh, that's right. Oh, that's right. We had to be completely matching. But go ahead. So that was fun for you that you got that.

[00:18:03] But, um, what was super fun too, that I don't want to forget is, uh, the wardrobe department getting into our wardrobe Joe. That was trans. That was the greatest. It was the greatest because they, they told me that I was going to be wearing boots and I was like amazing. And it was just like, I was wearing like a leotard, you know what I mean? That just zipped up and was so comfortable.

[00:18:28] Like that was like one of the greatest wardrobe things that I've ever gotten to wear. And it felt so cool because I got to have like, you know, carry a gun and a sword. And it was fun to play a badass. I was like, yeah, I should be a superhero. Yeah. Uh, I, I totally agree. Like what I think Bernadette. Bernadette Croft. Yeah. Well, is that our name? Right. Um, she's amazing.

[00:18:55] That fitting was for all the reasons Rachel just said super exciting one. Again, the type of projects Rachel and I are normally asked to do, do not require, uh, and, and give us the opportunity to wear these fantastical, amazing outfits. Yeah. Like I looked like the, I looked like a bird and like the pedal, like, I need to know everything about your costume, Joe. Yeah. Yes.

[00:19:21] I mean, it w it was the way, just the kind of the feather, the, the pedals that I was wearing, which were made of leather. So it wasn't super heavy. Um, the, the kind of, um, big collar that they, that they had, then they were kind enough. I'm like, can we get kind of a hand solo thigh holster? Because like, I, I want, I want you to not mess up the kind of featherness here.

[00:19:47] So I could just, and they were just so accommodating to really creating the perfect costume for a Jachi and Crowell. Like I, I, it was so, so exciting. And we took about a million pictures. I remember because it's so cool to be in that, that outfit. So cool. Yeah. I can't wait till the episode airs and then we can share all of the backs backstage stuff behind the scenes. Absolutely. We hear about all these pictures and then like the day of we get to see them all appear on social media.

[00:20:17] Yeah. And I, and I was going to, now that my phone situation is like the wifi and everything's fine. I feel like I can think, I wanted to also say something about Ethan and what happened. And I touched on this briefly in another podcast, but to make a very long story short, the first day I show up to work, I prepared the wrong scene. And it was the opening scene where we take Ethan hostage. And I, there's so much Trek speak in it.

[00:20:45] And I flipped out and I thought I'm going to try to fake it. And then I was like, there's no way I can fake this. And, um, ended up telling Jordan to her credit and our first AD, of course, I can't remember his name right now. I believe menopause and Woody. I think Woody. Woody. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. Woody. Amazing. Jordan and Woody immediately were so kind and said, we'll just flip the schedule around.

[00:21:08] And then Joe sat there and just ran the scene with me while we were getting into the hour, you know, hour and hour half of, um, makeup. And, and then the same thing happened with Ethan. He has to be stoic the whole time. And I'm like getting, you know, Albert Brooks flop sweat when we started shooting a little bit.

[00:21:29] And I'm trying not to get too nervous about it, but the more I try and, and then Ethan looks at me and goes and says, basically, that was the first time I'd heard him say, he goes, look, I have to be Spock. I can't even be off camera for you kind of, and like giving you like hard eyes, like, oh, I'm sorry, this is happening. And he's like, but you're doing a great job. And it could have been so awful.

[00:21:52] But knowing that the worst was that first thing that they were just such pros and Jordan just was not an alarmist. And I was so grateful to know Joe, the little that I knew him. Thank God someone's here that can look at me and go, that's, you know, this sucks. We're in the trenches together. Yeah, absolutely. And then he wasn't like, he didn't ever give me once a moment like, I can't fucking believe you did that, you know, or. No, of course not. Oh my gosh.

[00:22:21] I mean, like, can you imagine, can you imagine if like another actor, like as actors, you already know we're super sensitive people. And I guess some actors are jerks, maybe quite a few, but. Yes. Not very many. You know, it's just, it serves no one to kind of be that harsh. So yeah, I was happy. I was happy to help. And, and it did help that we had some, some history in terms of working together. That's, that's always great.

[00:22:47] It was, I was very, very relieved when, when you were, when I saw that you were working on the show. You did great. You did great kid. Thank you. Under duress, you did great. But I do have to say that Joe and I, they were, they were so nice to us because they allowed us to improvise too. When it was just like bits between Joe and I, like the, the scene where we literally first see Pike as a puppet. Right. We, I think we, we were allowed to improvise in that a lot.

[00:23:15] And, and it was really fun to play with that dynamic where the women, you know, the men serve the women. And that, if you're on a horizon and to really take advantage of that and just treat Hijachi like shit. You know what I mean? Like it was. Yes. I asked, I asked Rachel. I'm like, I got, I have an idea. What if, you know, a, a, a, a Josh and Krul have this kind of almost dominatrix submissive kind of thing.

[00:23:43] And let's like really lean into that. Like treat me like garbage. Like, and I love it. And I, you know, and I, that's, that's, that's where I want to live, you know? And, and Rachel was going to be like, yeah, that's great. Let's go for it. And Jordan was very open. Everyone was down with it. So we had a lot of fun really leaning into that. We heard there's a super cut of these scenes. And I really hope it makes it on the TV because it sounds like, yeah.

[00:24:09] Oh, I heard, especially you, I guess they just let the camera run on you reacting to the chaos on the bridge. And she said, there's an amazing super cut of you just improvising stuff to all that. Oh, I'm so excited. That's so exciting. My high school drama teacher would be so happy because she's always like 99% of acting is reacting. So she's like just listening and reacting. You're welcome. That's very cool.

[00:24:36] Do you remember any of those, uh, improvs of, of reacting to the fights? Yeah. I think a lot of it for a troll was just loving it. Like just absolutely like, yes girl. Destruction. You know? And she's like, I don't know. Yeah. And I, and I really, I really, really, really loved getting to shoot at Ethan.

[00:25:04] And I really, I really wanted it to be cool. Like I talked to like this, we would, I would like sidebar with the stunt guys that were, I wish that I had the entire crew list in front of me right now because they were amazing. And they were with us all the time and constantly looking at our form and, and work so hard. And they were so fun. But they, I remember saying, I want to shoot. Remember Joe? When we were like, I was like, do I bring it up?

[00:25:33] And then how do I make it look cool? Like that completely. Right. My total ego. I was just like, I just want to look cool. Yeah. I want to be a badass. Yeah. Yeah. And I want this to, oh, oh, and get, okay, good. I'm so glad that my brain is finally working. Joe, how fun was it when my, okay. So I had people that were like, Akiva's not going to be there. Like, I was like so excited. I was like, oh my God, we could get to, I could get to work with Akiva.

[00:26:00] And, and this person was like, calm down. I'm sure Akiva's got better things to do. He was with us almost the whole time and was taking pictures and sitting there. And I was like, I know. I, yeah, it's, you're around a legend like that. It was super, super exciting. And I know that I probably, I wasn't, yeah, I kind of fanned out because I would go up to him.

[00:26:28] When we first went and saw the bridge, I was overwhelmed, even not having, you know, being a gigantic Star Trek fan. Yes. Whether or not you are, if you walk onto that bridge, you're going to feel something. It's impossible not to. Yeah. It's iconic. And, and I did. And so I walk on and Akiva happened to be standing next to me. And I was just like, this is just incredible, right? Like I'm asking him if he knows how incredible it is. Yes, he does. Joe, he knows how incredible it is.

[00:26:58] That's why he's doing the show. And so I, I was just very, I was very humble to be with someone of his stature that is able to bring this franchise back in such an incredible way. And, and just sitting in the captain's chair, I did that between scenes. And that was, that was super exciting. Yeah. Yeah. So it was, it was, it was really, truly fun to be involved with him in that respect. Yeah. I was so nervous. I didn't talk to him.

[00:27:27] Like, I, I just wanted to focus on what I was doing. I think because of the first scene was whatever that was wrong. I just wanted to make sure I was ready to go. And then we're walking and walking by him in the hallway with his assistant. And he makes, he does make a comment to me, like something like, it isn't easy being green, is it? And I remember I had no, he did say something like that. And I had no witty comment back to him except to go.

[00:27:59] Like, I just was so, um, yeah, like it was, I think, you know, it was a big deal for us to get to work on something. And he was just as excited about getting to work with the Muppets as we were excited to get to be in this episode of Star Trek plus work with these Muppets and the artists that, that, you know, control them and give them voice. And, and that was, that was really, really thrilling. Yeah.

[00:28:27] You could tell that he really still in love doing what he does and is such a fancy. I mean, I don't know him well at all, but I, I would imagine he's a fan, like all these people that are very successful at what they do. They're fans of the work they do. And so you can, that energy was definitely in around Akiva and around everyone on that set. And, um, you know, like I was saying, Rachel and I, we don't do shows like this.

[00:28:54] And when you walk on, you know, you walk on not only bridge, but in the corridors and you're noticing just the set design. And then you're imagining what it looks like. And you're like, oh, I'm rarely in movies like this. I'm in, you know, I'm in, I'm in a project that has that incredible, just looks different than the kind of flatter lighting that, that our comedies that we're normally in is in.

[00:29:19] And, and I don't say that to disparage, you know, the camera work in, in the big studio of comedies, but they look different. They don't look like what you grew up with. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that were, and it, it makes the world, it's just a different world. And you're really, you realize how different you come off your performances comes off when you're in a world like that. And, uh, getting back, I'll wrap this back to like the stunt work and shooting the guns.

[00:29:45] Like they're like, you don't just, just do that. Don't do that. You're not, you're not like, there's no kickback. There's no kickback on the laser. Just hold it up and fire. And that was something getting used to. Uh, yeah. Rachel and I, after a take would be like, yeah, did the gun, did the gun? Look good. Did we hold the gun? Did we not move our hands? They're like, yeah.

[00:30:09] And then also Jordan, I don't know if you remember this Joe, but I remember she looks at me and she just very dryly goes, yeah. And we don't, we don't need you to make a sound when you shoot the gun. She just without even she, it was like, she had so much to talk, like do. And she just was like, okay, move that. Let's move camera right over a little bit to the left and don't make a sound when you shoot the gun. And do this. And I was just, I remember it leveled me. Don't go, don't go. And I was like. That's what I was saying. Yeah.

[00:30:40] I think, you know, if you said, what word would you guys use to describe your experience on Star Trek Strange New Worlds? No. I would say like just joy. Like we're in awe and so much joy. Yeah. No, I would, I, yeah, I second that.

[00:31:02] It's hard to get the magnitude of the canon of what Star Trek is until you are on that set and you, and all these symbols are staring right back at you. And the whole world, it's just right there. I remember in the, in the, in the wardrobe, there was like a timeline, a chronological time of all the series and where they fall in and how Strange New Worlds right before the original series.

[00:31:30] And I just kind of stared at that for about 20 minutes and just looked at it all because my very, my very first memory of Star Trek is the, is Star Trek II is the movie. And, and that was the first, I think, Star Trek that I ever saw even. And maybe I saw this series when I was eight or nine. I don't remember. My first thing that I really remember was Star Trek II. And in particular, when the worm goes in the ear and, and that's where my Star Trek world began.

[00:31:57] And, um, just seeing where that fell in the timeline of, of, of this chart that I was looking on the wall was exciting. Yeah. Well, so Hachashi gives Spock some relationship advice in this episode. And I'm just wondering, have either of you ever gotten really good advice from a surprising source? Oh, wow. Um, you know, other than like an astrology column in the paper. I mean, if it was good advice, did they actually have the right lotto numbers once?

[00:32:27] Uh, I was going to say, I've gotten surprisingly good advice. This may be too like precious or whatever, but, um, from my 10 year old son who Joe's met him and he has difficulty regulating. And he's, he's, um, he's a good guy. He's a good guy. Aw, you're so sweet.

[00:32:49] He, he just recently found out that he, like, we just hadn't, we hadn't shared with him that he has autism and ADHD. Mm-hmm. And until he was ready. And the way that everybody on, on his team presented it to him was so amazing. And he said, wow, all the things that I didn't like about me that I have difficulty with, like being impulsive and stuff like that also are what make me awesome.

[00:33:17] And that I have smart things about me that, that make me, you know, that all of that together makes me, me. And I understand now that I have a, a, a specific way of thinking and that I'm learning to cope with that. And just the way that he said it, I was like, I literally looked at him and I was like, yeah, I know me too.

[00:33:43] I was like, and it was so, I mean, do you know, like the way that he was explaining it was very profound. And I don't think he even, he didn't realize, you know, what he was saying that we can all be that inclusive to each other. So you just asked who was the unlikely source. He didn't exactly ask what he said. No, please. No, I think that's sweet.

[00:34:10] I mean, nothing's immediately coming to mind, but Rachel and you telling that story, like I discovered it's a got some relationship advice or behavior advice from my son, who's who said to me, he's 10. And he's like, Dad, you want to want me to do an impression of you? I'm like, yeah. And so he walks out of the room. It's a loaded question. Oh my gosh. Oh my God.

[00:34:33] He walks out of the room and he comes back in and he comes back and just goes, and he just sighs. And I started cracking up. I'm like, oh my God, you're right. I do do that. I come in and I take a deep breath and I'm just like, oh, as if the life is, the world is wearing me down.

[00:35:04] I got, I was like, you know what? I'm going to, I'm going to be a little bit, I'm going to be aware of that more. I'm going to come in with a smile and I'm going to bounce around a little bit. No more, no more big hemming and hawing and sighing. Kids are an amazing mirror. Sometimes a fun house mirror sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. And then my other son, yeah, calls me a dumb parent, but that's only when he's really, really mad. And he's got ADHD too. Yeah.

[00:35:33] My daughter switches between like, you're the best dad ever to like, I hate you. I want to be adopted. I'm like, well, pick a lane girlfriend. Girlfriend. Well, is there anything else about this episode you can think of that we haven't touched on that's worth bringing up as we wrap up? Well, I'll just say that, you know, we talked a lot about the makeup and the costume. And I just want to say that I also loved my hair in this episode. Oh, yes.

[00:36:00] The hair is why it took me a while to recognize you. I was like, oh, that's who he is. Daniel was amazing. And we really worked at it. We're like, what's right? And we had, we had three different wigs working. And soon as the one that I wear in the episode went on, we're like, that's the one. Because again, it was like this kind of like, again, I want to see like this kind of douchey LA rocker looking with the, you know, with the hair down. And I'm like, this is the guy.

[00:36:30] I think Daniel, I think we got him. And I love that hair so much that I started to grow my hair longer and did for a while until it never looked as good as that. But I'm like, I'm just going to have it. I love like the whip curl going on. I'm just going to not work it. I'm just going to let it grow. And I did. And I loved it. And people were into it. But I just had to mention the hair because it was phenomenal. And I love putting the wig on every day. Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah.

[00:36:59] And I loved working with Daniel as well. I love that. I'm like, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm going to run up you. No. No. But what I wanted to say was that the writers, of course, because I don't have anybody's name. I've came really well prepared. But the female writer, she. Dana. Dana, thank you. Dana had a dream of doing a Muppet episode for years.

[00:37:25] Like, and she said, finally, it happened. And she wore like a Muppet t-shirt almost every day. Yeah. And it was emotional. That's also, I think when we started talking to her about her dream of making this episode and getting the other writers on board to do it and then actually seeing it become actualized,

[00:37:50] came out of her childhood love of the Muppets and that humor. And I did want to just mention that because, you know, it's when you see that it's so important. It's the same thing that everyone is at the top of their game, like those writers and Akiva and Jordan and everybody. Yeah. And Henry. Yes. Everybody just rose to, you know, they're just working at the top of their game. And so it's very inspiring.

[00:38:19] I mean, I know Joe and I both have very strong ethics, but it's really great when the show that you get to guest on, they're running at such a high level. Yeah. And it just feels like such an honor and a privilege to get to get to be a part of that, especially this specific episode, too. For sure.

[00:38:40] And I'll just add one more plug and I, Rachel, I don't know if you're going, but I, I'm going to be at a, the Rose City convention in Portland, a Comic Con. And I think, and I believe, and I believe, are you going to be there? But I think I live in Portland. Oh, I think Anson and Ethan were going to be there. And I was planning to jump by and say, hello. I don't know. Are you going to be there? When do you know the date on that? September 12th and 13th. Okay, well, I'm going to Tampa Bay. Oh.

[00:39:08] And Ethan and Christina are going. Oh, lovely. To Tampa Bay Comic Con, September 4th through the 6th. And you should go there. Oh, I, I will look into it. I will look into that and try to get there. It would be great if you went because Ethan's going and the three of us could then. Oh, that would be super cool. I will look into it. And that's September 4th through the 6th. I love it. And I'll look into yours. I love it. This has been really, really wonderful. But it's so fun. Thank you. Yeah.

[00:39:38] Thank you for having us. And it was such a pleasure to be part of the show and part of this show and just be able to give feedback to such an iconic franchise. Absolute honor to be here and on there for sure. Yeah. Thank you both very much. We were very excited to see you appear in Star Trek. Yes. Two of my, my loves coming together. And many of the people in our community have spotted you guys in the previews and been like are so excited to see both of you appear. Awesome. I would do anything with Joe. Same.

[00:40:07] I would like to open a food court. I see a spinoff. A ribbon cutting ceremony. I could do the food court. Let's talk to Akiva about a spinoff. Pro and Nitachi. No, let's talk to Akiva about a spinoff. No, no, no. It's a spinoff. Like a total spinoff. Let's do it. Let's just put it out there. Let's make it happen. Let's do it. That's cool.