Happy New Worlds - An OPN New Years Eve Celebration

[00:00:13] Is this thing on? Hello? Hello?

[00:00:17] To Open Pike Night, the Strange New Worlds podcast where your calls are the prime directive.

[00:00:36] I'm your host, John T. Boulds, here tonight to discuss the undiscovered country.

[00:00:41] No, not that undiscovered country, the other one, the future, but also the past.

[00:00:46] This is as confusing as any time travel episode of Star Trek.

[00:00:50] But first, let me introduce my co-hosts.

[00:00:53] The man who fully sides with the baby of the new year, Jesse Bailey.

[00:00:58] It's true. It's just a cute little baby. How could you not be on that little baby's side?

[00:01:03] And the man who will only speak to the old man of the old year, host of Green Shirt and Newbies Trek to the Next Generation, Cameron Harrison.

[00:01:11] Speaking of that, guys, remember when it was the 90s and we were worried about the Y2K virus and stuff,

[00:01:16] and now we are a quarter of the way through this century?

[00:01:20] The 2000s have like a mid-management job. They bought their house. They're getting their first divorce.

[00:01:25] Yeah, yeah. I mean, I was thinking about it the other day.

[00:01:28] It's not a phrase that gets used a lot nearly as much as it did when we were kids, but the phrase, the turn of the century,

[00:01:34] no longer means the advent of the automobile. It means the internet and cell phones and stuff like that.

[00:01:40] Yeah. Also, Cameron, how many people did you know getting their first divorce at 25?

[00:01:46] Actually, most of the people I know aren't even married yet in their 40s, so...

[00:01:50] Yeah. Okay.

[00:01:51] But the other people that I just know through Facebook feeds too. Yeah.

[00:01:56] Oh, Facebook people for sure. Yeah, yeah.

[00:01:59] I would like to make a disclaimer to all of our listeners that this is being recorded in that week between Christmas and New Year's,

[00:02:07] so we make no promises for anything making that much sense or anybody being that coherent.

[00:02:13] It's basically the mirror universe.

[00:02:15] It really is.

[00:02:16] I had to relearn how to podcast over the course of like five minutes just now.

[00:02:23] Well, we are here for our New Year's episode. Cam came up with this idea. Cam has been pushing for some holiday episodes,

[00:02:30] and man, I got to tell you, that Halloween episode was pretty fun.

[00:02:33] It was fun.

[00:02:34] So, yeah. Cam, thanks for pushing for this.

[00:02:37] For sure, yeah. I even went back and listened to our last year's Christmas episode, which was really good.

[00:02:41] One of my New Year's resolutions to jump ahead is to listen to more of our old episodes because they're not bad guys.

[00:02:46] Yeah.

[00:02:47] There's some good stuff there.

[00:02:48] I remember I was listening to our caller, Grayson, and I was like, oh man, whatever happened to Grayson?

[00:02:53] We haven't heard from him in a while.

[00:02:55] And spoiler alert, we're going to hear from Grayson this episode.

[00:02:57] When I saw his email come through, I was literally elated.

[00:03:01] I got to second that, Cameron, because I also went back to listen to the Christmas episode.

[00:03:07] Yeah.

[00:03:07] A big part of that was so that I could promote it because I was like, didn't we have like five or six very cool, famous guests on that episode?

[00:03:17] And I wanted to list them all in the promotion.

[00:03:19] And yes, we totally did.

[00:03:21] Like, we have been doing this for so long that like some of the biggest things we've ever done feel like they were forever ago.

[00:03:30] But we're coming up on what, three years of our show?

[00:03:33] Yeah.

[00:03:33] It's not that long.

[00:03:35] But you know, it has been an eventful couple of years.

[00:03:39] And I agree with you completely.

[00:03:42] Like some of our older episodes that I've gone back and listened to, I'm like, hey, this is why we're still doing this.

[00:03:47] We're not bad at this.

[00:03:50] No, it's really fun.

[00:03:51] It's been a, you know, a heck of a weird year, weird year to be a Star Trek podcaster, especially if you focus on just one show that didn't air in the year you're doing that.

[00:04:04] I mean, it's one thing when you're doing a show that's over, you know, when you're doing a TNG or a Voyager or a DS9, but like, when you're just sort of waiting for those next new episodes to come out for two years.

[00:04:18] Yeah, it was, it was certainly an experience coming from last Christmas to this Christmas.

[00:04:22] And here we are.

[00:04:23] So we do have some callers tonight, and we asked them to call in about their wishes for the next year.

[00:04:32] Mostly Trek related, but some folks put some personal ones in there too, resolutions, things like that.

[00:04:38] And we brought some of our own.

[00:04:40] So you guys want to hear from our first caller?

[00:04:42] For sure.

[00:04:43] I do.

[00:04:43] But I would be remiss if I did not mention that if folks have been through our entire back catalog, because I know some of the people listening have heard every episode we've ever made.

[00:04:53] They've probably listened more than once because they're good people.

[00:04:56] But hey, if you go sign up for our Patreon for as little as $2 a month, you can get some really, really good extra episodes.

[00:05:05] We've got Lower Decks in there.

[00:05:06] We've got Discovery in there.

[00:05:08] And there will be some very cool coverage of Section 31 in there pretty soon.

[00:05:15] So, you know, if you're listening to this as it drops, you're less than a month away from hearing brand new Open Pike Night patron bonus episodes.

[00:05:24] Apologies, John.

[00:05:25] Please continue.

[00:05:26] No, thank you.

[00:05:26] There are great things coming for patrons.

[00:05:29] There are great things coming for Star Trek.

[00:05:31] And of course, the greatest thing we have here on Open Pike Night is our callers.

[00:05:35] So let's hear from Platty.

[00:05:38] Hey, Open Pike Night.

[00:05:39] This is Platty M3 calling in with my, oh, well, not the normal stuff.

[00:05:45] I just have my wishes this year and New Year's resolutions.

[00:05:49] All right.

[00:05:49] Trek wish for 2025.

[00:05:51] I want more Trek than I know that is already coming.

[00:05:55] I already know we're getting Section 31 and I already know we're getting a new season of Strange New Worlds.

[00:06:03] I want something else in 2025.

[00:06:06] I want something else.

[00:06:08] Hopefully that's Academy debuting towards the end of the year.

[00:06:11] That'd be great.

[00:06:13] All right.

[00:06:13] And some New Year's resolutions.

[00:06:15] I really want to watch the animated series all the way through.

[00:06:20] I've seen four or five, maybe six episodes here, there.

[00:06:24] Targeted watch.

[00:06:25] But I really want to do a whole watch through of that.

[00:06:28] That would be my New Year's resolution.

[00:06:31] All right.

[00:06:31] Open Pike.

[00:06:32] Have a good new year.

[00:06:34] All right.

[00:06:35] Platty.

[00:06:35] Thank you for calling in.

[00:06:36] And I think that's a great wish and a great resolution.

[00:06:40] I was thinking about the same kind of thing myself of Trek.

[00:06:43] I have missed out on because it might shock some of our listeners and not shock some others.

[00:06:48] I have not seen all of the previous Star Treks.

[00:06:51] I've missed several previous Star Treks and I should catch up on some of them.

[00:06:57] John, if I were going to pick a series that I could like assign to you, it would definitely be TOS because I think as a student of film, as well as a lover of Star Trek, you're going to get a lot out of that.

[00:07:09] And, you know, the times that we have watched TOS episodes together, you've seen some of the whiplash that can take place.

[00:07:15] Like, this is one of the greatest episodes of television ever.

[00:07:18] And then the next episode is like, how did somebody sign off on this?

[00:07:22] But to Platty's point, the animated series, I think, is really underappreciated.

[00:07:28] Now, this is, you know, not a paid endorsement, but I got to say, if you need a way to get through the animated series, go download every animated series coverage episode from the guys at It's Got Star Trek.

[00:07:41] I promise you it will sustain you all the way through that show.

[00:07:45] That show has some of the same whiplash as the original series, except it is just off the wall bonkers.

[00:07:53] It is like episode to episode.

[00:07:55] There is no guessing what is going to happen.

[00:07:57] And it actually establishes some Star Trek lore.

[00:08:01] Like, the animated series is where the holodeck comes from.

[00:08:05] Now, it's possible that that idea was like part of a TOS thing and they just had no way to make that happen with the effects they had available.

[00:08:13] But there's a lot of stuff that happens in the animated series that actually ends up mattering.

[00:08:19] I mean, especially if you're a big fan of Lower Decks.

[00:08:22] Lower Decks is riffing on the animated series directly, fairly constantly.

[00:08:26] And I mean, how do you not love giant Spock?

[00:08:30] There's an episode where Kirk teams up with the actual devil to defeat some Puritans.

[00:08:36] Like, it is a wacky, wacky series.

[00:08:39] And I think without Star Trek the animated series, we may never actually end up at Lower Decks because that's the DNA of what that is.

[00:08:49] So, Platy, I really, really like that call.

[00:08:52] And one of my resolutions is actually fairly close or, you know, wishes rather is actually close to one of yours.

[00:09:00] My wish is for the Paramount stuff to be over.

[00:09:04] Like, I want the sale to go through or not go through or whatever is going to happen with that.

[00:09:10] I just want it to stop so that we can get some new series announcements.

[00:09:15] As far as I'm aware, there's currently a, like, moratorium on greenlighting new projects because of the sale.

[00:09:22] And it has, you know, completely honestly, it's created issues over on our end too.

[00:09:27] Because, like, the people that we talk to at Paramount to get screeners and things like that, some of them have been laid off.

[00:09:34] A lot of people have been laid off by Paramount as they restructure and get ready for a sale.

[00:09:39] And our heart goes out to those people because it always sucks to lose a job.

[00:09:44] But we as the fans are, like, sitting here on bated breath.

[00:09:48] Like, come on, give us an update.

[00:09:50] Give us something.

[00:09:50] And they're just not going to do it while all this business stuff is happening.

[00:09:55] And I really hope that that ends in 2025 expeditiously.

[00:10:02] Yep.

[00:10:03] Yep.

[00:10:07] It does feel a little, it's like the strike light, but also just more confusing and less investment from us.

[00:10:16] Because it's just like, all right, well, a mega corporation is now under some weird restructuring and sale thing.

[00:10:21] And we don't have a dog in this fight like we do with the strikes of the last year.

[00:10:27] Yes, definitely.

[00:10:28] Some of my resolutions interweave with that, which we'll get to.

[00:10:32] Yeah.

[00:10:33] Yeah.

[00:10:33] Yeah, you're right though, John.

[00:10:34] There's no, like, support the shareholders.

[00:10:37] You know, like, what are we supposed to root for here?

[00:10:41] Well, let's hear from another caller and then we'll talk a little bit about our reflections on the last year.

[00:10:47] Here is Mark.

[00:10:49] Hi there, Open Pike Knight.

[00:10:50] It's Engineer Mark here and it is end of the year time.

[00:10:55] So, for my one trick wish for 2025 is that there is more progress in leadership.

[00:11:01] That it firms up in the best way possible.

[00:11:04] So, there will be more renewals, shows greenlit, and everything that goes with that for all of us.

[00:11:11] Wouldn't that be fantastic, finally?

[00:11:13] On the New Year's resolutions, for me it's going to continue to be to keep moving forward from that worst of days

[00:11:23] to continue with all my friends and extended family in Star Trek, like you guys,

[00:11:29] and Irish communities, Disney communities that I am also a part of.

[00:11:34] I appreciate each and every person who has been in my life on this journey.

[00:11:39] And I look forward to the next times they'll be on the cruise and Star Trek Las Vegas this coming fall, for sure.

[00:11:48] Well, until then, I hope to see you somewhere.

[00:11:51] Live long and prosper.

[00:11:53] So, like you were talking about there, Jesse, Mark is echoing the same feelings about just being in limbo.

[00:12:00] Being in a very strange limbo year and couple years here with Paramount.

[00:12:05] But we do have, like you said, there's some cool stuff.

[00:12:09] Conventions are still happening.

[00:12:10] Cruises are still happening.

[00:12:13] Creation events.

[00:12:14] I mean, this next year, there are like seven new ST different cities.

[00:12:20] Not just Vegas.

[00:12:21] There's what?

[00:12:21] I know there's one in Charlotte.

[00:12:23] I know there's like all over the country, right?

[00:12:26] It seems like somebody went, hey, why are we only making this one chunk of money?

[00:12:32] It's an event that draws tons of people.

[00:12:35] So, I'm a little surprised it took this long for them to kind of ramp up the location scouting.

[00:12:41] But I am happy to hear it.

[00:12:44] To your point, Mark, my brother told me he was thinking about going to Las Vegas for, I don't know, some non-Trek related thing.

[00:12:51] Like, who does that?

[00:12:53] And I was like, well, why don't you just go to Star Trek Las Vegas?

[00:12:57] And he went, oh, great.

[00:12:58] When is that?

[00:12:59] I was like, it's in August.

[00:13:00] And he went, in Vegas?

[00:13:03] He said, yeah, you know, that's totally fair.

[00:13:06] It was triple digit heat the entire time we were there.

[00:13:09] But I get it.

[00:13:10] I totally get it.

[00:13:11] But you guys, I really am hoping to put together a Star Trek Las Vegas trip this year.

[00:13:16] I don't know that I've ever had more fun in a more specific way, right?

[00:13:23] Like, you go there for one thing and that's Star Trek.

[00:13:26] And like, it's so pervasive.

[00:13:27] And everybody there is kind of on the same page with like, you know, this is my pilgrimage to Star Trek.

[00:13:34] Like, I'm really excited for it this year.

[00:13:37] Especially because we would be able to talk to people who are in a currently airing Star Trek series.

[00:13:43] Like, that would be huge for us.

[00:13:44] I mean, we had a ton of fun last time.

[00:13:46] And we got to talk to some Star Trek stars.

[00:13:49] But not about Star Trek.

[00:13:51] It was still, like I said, lots and lots of fun.

[00:13:54] We got to watch episodes as they aired with fans of the show, with listeners to open Pike Night.

[00:13:59] We got to talk to freaking Anson Mount about his pottery dreams, et cetera.

[00:14:04] And like Cameron was saying, go check that backlog.

[00:14:07] It's really good.

[00:14:09] Yeah, we weren't able to make it to Vegas this last year.

[00:14:12] But we did make it to a convention, at least two-thirds of us, to Star Trek Long Island.

[00:14:16] That happened this last year.

[00:14:19] Rub it in.

[00:14:22] Trek Long Island was a really fun convention to go to for a smaller, again, as like Jesse was saying,

[00:14:27] very Trek dedicated, not just a general fan convention, but it was fun to go to a smaller, more streamlined.

[00:14:37] It felt very streamlined.

[00:14:38] Like Trek Long Island, I feel, ran extremely well.

[00:14:42] And it was just, it was a nice experience to see it in a different format,

[00:14:49] not run by a giant company, but an actual fan-run convention.

[00:14:53] So that was a good new experience for us to get to see.

[00:14:56] Yeah, and we got to do some live shows and moderate some stuff.

[00:14:59] It was a lot of great first force.

[00:15:01] We met some of our listeners who we had never met before.

[00:15:03] Michelle and Peter.

[00:15:05] The Duras sisters.

[00:15:07] Julian and that gang over there.

[00:15:09] Most of them anyway.

[00:15:10] Yeah, Strange New Pod, Sci-Fi Sisters.

[00:15:13] I mean, we met tons of people.

[00:15:14] Yeah, it was great to, a really good pod community where STLV does not have a really great pod community support.

[00:15:25] Trek Long Island was all about it, and it was really fun.

[00:15:28] Yeah, and I believe tickets for Trek Long Island 3 are already on sale.

[00:15:34] I'm not 100% on that, but I know they're already announcing guests,

[00:15:37] so definitely go check out their website.

[00:15:39] And I am very excited personally to receive my next Duras sisters friendship bracelet.

[00:15:45] I have my first one right here.

[00:15:47] It says Strange New World.

[00:15:48] It's very cool to get their holiday card.

[00:15:50] I think it's a great thing that they do,

[00:15:52] and it's an idea that we may steal at some point.

[00:15:56] Just a heads up, Duras sisters.

[00:15:57] We love what you do.

[00:15:58] Time heist.

[00:15:59] Go back in time and do it for this Christmas.

[00:16:00] Yeah, and you know, imitation is the sincerest form of theft.

[00:16:05] Well, Jesse, you weren't able to make it to Star Trek Long Island.

[00:16:08] How was your year otherwise?

[00:16:11] Wow.

[00:16:13] Starting on a downer there, Cam.

[00:16:15] No, it was an important date for my family outside of the Star Trek world,

[00:16:21] which isn't something we always talk about here, but it does exist.

[00:16:25] We understand that.

[00:16:26] And we do have a motto among the three of us.

[00:16:28] Real life always comes first.

[00:16:30] So if there's some reason that one of us can't be at an event or at a recording,

[00:16:35] we fully understand that.

[00:16:37] We try not to shame each other for it, you know, in more than just a playful sort of way.

[00:16:41] Um, this year has been very, uh, intense for me in a lot of ways.

[00:16:48] I have had so much fun doing this show.

[00:16:51] And I think that this show has been my main outlet.

[00:16:55] Like if I'm stressed, I work on something for the podcast.

[00:16:58] If I need something to look forward to, that's the podcast.

[00:17:03] And I am, I hope that we can do this show for another 10 years.

[00:17:08] I mean, we all want seven at least seasons of Strange New Worlds and then some movies,

[00:17:13] you know, but I, I'm very confident that if for whatever reason,

[00:17:19] we don't get 10 seasons of Strange New Worlds, I will find a way to keep talking about Star

[00:17:25] Trek on the internet because it really, really does my soul well.

[00:17:29] Um, work has been very, uh, busy for me this whole year, uh, kind of, kind of in a way that

[00:17:36] it hadn't been before.

[00:17:37] And that's just, I mean, it's a good sign, you know, business is good right now.

[00:17:42] So that has been very good, but it has also led to, you know, me being a little more tired

[00:17:50] in the rest of my life.

[00:17:52] But my daughter started elementary school.

[00:17:55] She's in first grade now.

[00:17:56] She is like writing words and things like that.

[00:18:00] And I, it's, it's so like rejuvenating to see that happen right before your eyes to watch

[00:18:06] somebody who is becoming an entire person.

[00:18:10] You know, she's got her own personality.

[00:18:11] She's got demands that need to be met.

[00:18:15] Um, but I, I am having so much fun just being a dad and you know, that creates another new

[00:18:23] dynamic within the family structure that I am really loving.

[00:18:26] Uh, my, my wife and I have been together for almost, uh, 13 years at this point.

[00:18:32] And every day we feel like this is totally a gift that we get to do this together.

[00:18:38] And we're, we're really, really loving this entire aspect of it.

[00:18:43] Um, but as anybody with family members knows, uh, family can, can bring the hurt sometimes

[00:18:50] as well.

[00:18:50] Uh, I recently lost my grandmother on my mother's side and that has been, uh, really intense

[00:18:57] for me.

[00:18:57] I, I have been incredibly lucky in my life in that I have not dealt with much death.

[00:19:03] Um, I would say this is kind of the first impactful loss of a relative that I've ever experienced.

[00:19:10] Um, and I, uh, I was not, I don't think I was emotionally prepared for just the weight

[00:19:19] of that.

[00:19:20] Um, I, I am, I count myself incredibly, uh, fortunate that we have had some guests and some callers,

[00:19:30] some listeners share their experiences with grief with us.

[00:19:34] Uh, Melissa Navia has done that.

[00:19:36] Our good friend Mark, who we just heard from has done that.

[00:19:38] And it really has helped me a lot because, you know, the first question that I came up with is

[00:19:44] like, how am I supposed to even wake up tomorrow?

[00:19:48] Like, what is, what is the next thing that I'm supposed to do?

[00:19:51] How do I process this while life continues to just, you know, go on in a way that feels

[00:19:56] kind of unfair.

[00:19:57] Um, so I want to thank Melissa Navia in particular and Mark in particular, you guys have really

[00:20:03] helped me move through the first part of this.

[00:20:07] Um, still, still very recent.

[00:20:09] So it's not, it definitely hasn't, is not a complete process for me.

[00:20:13] And I, I don't suspect that it will be complete anytime soon.

[00:20:16] Uh, but I, I feel like I said, very fortunate to have some role models in this particular part

[00:20:22] of my life.

[00:20:22] Um, but, you know, having something like that so close to say the holiday season, I think

[00:20:30] has actually helped me keep a positive outlook because, you know, we've got a new year coming

[00:20:36] up.

[00:20:36] Uh, we had a lot of reasons to be grateful this year.

[00:20:39] Christmas was a lot of fun for us.

[00:20:42] Uh, I, we had a very small Christmas, which is merciful.

[00:20:47] And, um, I, I was just really grateful for the time with family and, you know, the, the,

[00:20:53] the immediate family and grateful to have friends and family that I can just talk to or lean

[00:21:01] on or, you know, vent to because you guys know me.

[00:21:07] That's, that's something I need to do is talk.

[00:21:09] So I, I have, I found no shortage of support, uh, through this and I, I'm just so grateful

[00:21:14] to be in the spot that I'm in and, you know, to kind of bring it all back to the year as

[00:21:21] a whole.

[00:21:23] Platy was right.

[00:21:24] And Mark was right.

[00:21:25] It's so, it's been a weird year, like from start to finish, it has been funky for so many

[00:21:32] reasons, so many real life reasons, lots of Star Trek reasons.

[00:21:36] Uh, but I, uh, I, I'm just grateful to be in a place where I can take some time to talk

[00:21:43] about the things that I'm feeling and to really dive into my personal favorite hyper fixation,

[00:21:51] which is Star Trek.

[00:21:51] You know, it's, I don't know if it sounds corny or however it sounds, but Star Trek really

[00:21:58] matters and it's a, it's a healing salve for me.

[00:22:02] So I'm, I'm just happy to be here on the mic with you guys.

[00:22:06] Yeah.

[00:22:08] Uh, yeah.

[00:22:08] I mean, a weird year for sure.

[00:22:10] And I'll just leave aside the catastrophic rollercoaster of American politics.

[00:22:14] Uh, but I mean, personal life has been a rollercoaster too.

[00:22:17] Uh, I'll also kind of leave aside the probably pretty boring epic of, of job searching.

[00:22:24] Uh, I, I entailed, I went through this year, but I do remember there was a point at like

[00:22:30] just before summer where it just, it felt like everything was coming up Cameron, like

[00:22:34] everything was coming together.

[00:22:35] The, the Riker statue had looked like it was going to happen any minute.

[00:22:40] Now, uh, the, the Franken Zed movie I've been working on with my buddy for 10 years

[00:22:45] felt like it was actually going to happen.

[00:22:47] We had a few, uh, exciting opportunities lined up with open pike night.

[00:22:52] And then by like three months later in August, like most of the head fallen apart or not

[00:22:57] falling apart, but stalled.

[00:22:59] Most of it is stalled.

[00:23:00] Some of it's fallen apart and it's just like, Oh, okay.

[00:23:02] Well, I guess we'll just keep up, pick up the pieces and keep trudging forward.

[00:23:07] So, uh, again, you might hear some of that show up in my resolutions because, uh, giving

[00:23:12] ups for suckers.

[00:23:14] Kirk would never give up.

[00:23:15] Pike would never give up.

[00:23:17] That's right.

[00:23:18] He would, he would do what he always does and turn death into a fighting chance.

[00:23:22] That's what they call a tease.

[00:23:24] That's right.

[00:23:26] Uh, yeah.

[00:23:27] It'd been a hell of a year.

[00:23:29] I mean, I have, I've gone through a lot of changes in my life.

[00:23:34] Honestly, one that has probably been more impactful than anything is a time zone change, which has

[00:23:41] been the biggest hurdle for me to overcome when podcasting.

[00:23:45] Uh, that may seem strange, but really it, it has made it, um, more of, it's just, it's

[00:23:52] just another, a different barrier than I expected it to be.

[00:23:55] Um, sometimes I am just too damn tired at the end of the day.

[00:23:59] That was before I even found a job where I work 12 hours a day sometimes.

[00:24:03] So, um, that one was kind of shocking and then, yeah, just lots of, lots of brand new

[00:24:10] aspects to my life.

[00:24:12] And, you know, a, it's been a transition or a year from old aspects of my life to newer

[00:24:17] aspects of my life.

[00:24:18] And then just redefining what my daily life looks like.

[00:24:23] And so, um, the, uh, podcast has felt like a challenge sometimes, but like Jesse said,

[00:24:32] it's also always fun.

[00:24:34] Even if I'm stressed out preparing for it or like, okay, how am I going to do this?

[00:24:37] Are we going to have time?

[00:24:38] It's like, it's always, always fun to get on the microphone with these guys and talk

[00:24:43] whatever Star Trek we've talked.

[00:24:45] And, uh, it has been fun to talk a lot more other Star Trek.

[00:24:50] You know, I don't know that I want open Pike night to become a 950 episode coverage, uh,

[00:24:56] podcast.

[00:24:57] There are lots of those out there already.

[00:24:58] Uh, but it has been fun to talk about discovery and it has been fun to talk about lower decks

[00:25:03] and it's, it's been, um, a good experience.

[00:25:06] And I really look forward to talking about section 31.

[00:25:09] Mm-hmm.

[00:25:11] John, when you say transitional time in your life, you're mostly talking about the beard,

[00:25:15] right?

[00:25:16] The beard, the beard was a big loss.

[00:25:18] Yeah.

[00:25:19] Uh, the beard, um, had possibly the, no, not possibly, definitely the worst injury I've

[00:25:25] ever had in my life.

[00:25:27] Oh yeah.

[00:25:27] Oh yeah.

[00:25:28] And, uh, yeah.

[00:25:30] Uh, moved quite far away, you know, just new job, um, all kinds of stuff.

[00:25:37] And so, yeah, been a, just been a big year.

[00:25:42] It's been a big year.

[00:25:43] Been a lot of a year.

[00:25:45] Yeah.

[00:25:46] Probably for you more than anyone.

[00:25:47] And I will echo that time zone thing.

[00:25:50] Like I spent a lot of time in our first couple of years being like, man, Pacific time.

[00:25:56] Like it seems so much easier.

[00:25:58] Like it's so much earlier in the day still, you got all this time and now John's in the

[00:26:03] Eastern time zone and I am in the middle of John and Cameron.

[00:26:07] And it's like, I, there are guests that when we tell them, yes, we're in three different

[00:26:10] cities all across the country, they're like blown away.

[00:26:13] Like putting a schedule together with people that are in the same time zone is hard enough.

[00:26:18] But I think for me, that kind of adds to what you were saying, John, like this is the,

[00:26:23] the, the thing that I look forward to partially because it does feel like a, an, a strong effort

[00:26:30] to make it happen.

[00:26:32] And I think that the thing that impresses me the most about it is that the quality of the

[00:26:38] show continues to be very high.

[00:26:41] Yeah.

[00:26:42] Because of her callers.

[00:26:43] Let's hear from another one.

[00:26:44] Yeah.

[00:26:44] Here we go.

[00:26:45] Uh, here is the aforementioned Grayson.

[00:26:48] Yo, open Pike night.

[00:26:49] It's so good to be back on your stage.

[00:26:53] 2024 was a freaking weird year for me, a huge up with a new job, but a gigantic down

[00:27:01] with some unexpected medical shenanigans.

[00:27:05] So my personal resolution is just really too much to get into on this fun, lighthearted

[00:27:11] show.

[00:27:12] So let's just say that.

[00:27:14] I hope that I and everyone in the sound of my voice, and frankly, I'm so happy just to

[00:27:19] have a voice at this point has a healthy, happy and successful new year.

[00:27:25] Now for my star Trek wish for 2025, bring back the Tarantino star Trek movie.

[00:27:32] I know he's serious about the 10 films only thing, but hear me out that script, uh, by the

[00:27:39] guy who wrote the Revenant.

[00:27:41] It's just sitting there collecting dust.

[00:27:43] And it's inspired by one of the most famous TOS episodes, a piece of the action that episode

[00:27:50] where Kirk and the enterprise crew find a planet that's modeled itself after a 1920s gangster

[00:27:56] book left behind by the crew of the missing starship horizon.

[00:28:01] Now imagine Tarantino directing that star fleet beams down and gets caught up in full on mobster

[00:28:12] drama.

[00:28:12] I need to see that.

[00:28:15] And if Tarantino won't do it, then hand it to the Wachowskis, the Daniels of everything,

[00:28:20] everywhere, all at once, or Edgar Wright, who held Shaun of the dead, someone who gets weird,

[00:28:26] but respects the classics.

[00:28:28] I know section 31 is going to bring some of that grit and I'm really looking forward

[00:28:34] to that, but come on gangster Trek with Tarantino vibes.

[00:28:39] That is the movie I am waiting for.

[00:28:43] That's my new year's resolution wish for Trek.

[00:28:46] And I'm sticking to it live long and make it so.

[00:28:50] Yeah.

[00:28:50] I'd forgotten about Tarantino and I for one would love to see that.

[00:28:54] So Grayson, I hope your wish comes true.

[00:28:56] I'd love to see that for sure.

[00:28:58] I hope at least the script is revealed someday.

[00:29:01] I'm kind of on the other side of what Grayson was saying of like, yeah, give it, give it to

[00:29:05] another director.

[00:29:08] I, I have no problem with Quentin Tarantino really like a lot of his movies.

[00:29:12] I, you know, I don't know him personally, so that's a very specific statement.

[00:29:17] I'm, I'm not saying that everything he does as a person is great.

[00:29:20] Cause I don't know that.

[00:29:21] I don't know the guy personally, but I think if I'm not mistaken, isn't he technically already

[00:29:27] over 10 movies?

[00:29:28] It's just that he uses like some math to say like, oh no, that was one movie.

[00:29:33] And this is, I, anyway, what I'm saying is he'll do what he wants to do.

[00:29:38] Yeah.

[00:29:38] And, and like, why would you put a limit on your own trajectory?

[00:29:43] Like, I, I don't really understand that, especially from a creative standpoint, like

[00:29:48] do whatever you need to do to tell the stories you need to tell.

[00:29:51] You know, most people have more than 10 stories to tell, but I am a hundred percent here for

[00:29:58] Star Trek trying new things.

[00:30:00] And I really hope that section 31 is kind of a jumping off point for other directors and

[00:30:06] writers to come in and say, Hey, I've got, you know, a two hour idea.

[00:30:10] I don't need to run a whole show.

[00:30:12] You know, I don't need years and years and years worth of budget to do this.

[00:30:15] I would just like to put together one Star Trek story and it's told this way, or it's about

[00:30:19] these people in the, in that universe.

[00:30:21] I, I really hope that we do like Cameron was saying, I'd love to see the script for

[00:30:26] that.

[00:30:26] Like I need to know how many shots of feet there are in the script, et cetera.

[00:30:32] Um, so I, I'm interested in the idea, uh, but I, you know, I'd like to see maybe some

[00:30:38] of the other directors that Grayson mentioned, take a shot at it just because I don't know.

[00:30:44] Quentin Tarantino is such a specific personal brand, you know, like, but it's interesting that

[00:30:49] someone else helped him write it.

[00:30:51] I think he's a better director than he is a writer.

[00:30:53] So that's, that's why it interests me.

[00:30:54] I would agree with that.

[00:30:55] Yeah.

[00:30:56] Plus, you know, the guy wrote The Revenant.

[00:30:58] So Star Trek versus Bears, sign me up.

[00:31:01] Okay.

[00:31:01] That I'm here for.

[00:31:02] You got me back on board.

[00:31:03] I'm here.

[00:31:03] There we go.

[00:31:04] All right.

[00:31:05] Let's hear from Melanie.

[00:31:06] Hi guys.

[00:31:07] Here's Melanie.

[00:31:08] And first of all, I have to say this year was such a great year for me.

[00:31:12] Dreams came true and it all worked out so well.

[00:31:15] I got to make so many new friends.

[00:31:17] It's awesome.

[00:31:18] On the other hand, I know several dear friends who went through a bad time and I hope their

[00:31:22] next year will be so much better.

[00:31:24] So I have to say that this seems to be one of the easier call-ins.

[00:31:28] Why?

[00:31:29] Well, because I've had this trekfish for a while now.

[00:31:32] You know me a little by now, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

[00:31:35] I just want to see more of Pike.

[00:31:37] More ripped shirts of his.

[00:31:39] Maybe Mirror Pike?

[00:31:40] Some badass Pike with fight scenes?

[00:31:42] Well, basically just more scenes of Captain Christopher Pike played by the Great Anson Mount.

[00:31:47] Yes, and of course, as much trek as possible.

[00:31:50] My resolutions for the new year are simple.

[00:31:53] I want to stay in shape and get maybe four more kilos down.

[00:31:56] I also want to meet Anson again.

[00:31:58] I hope he travels to Europe.

[00:32:00] And I would also like to meet the other cast members of Strange New Worlds I haven't met before.

[00:32:04] Though I wouldn't mind meeting Melissa again.

[00:32:06] She was so great.

[00:32:07] And Ethan and Babs.

[00:32:09] And of course, as I said before, Anson.

[00:32:11] So yeah, those are my wishes and resolutions.

[00:32:13] What about you guys?

[00:32:14] Live long and prosper.

[00:32:15] Happy New Year.

[00:32:16] You're Melanie from Germany.

[00:32:18] Hey, we have a caller who actually talks about a Strange New Worlds cast characters.

[00:32:23] Yeah, we do have Strange New Worlds coming.

[00:32:25] And I think those are great resolutions to meet the rest of the cast and crew.

[00:32:30] Yeah, just like we hope to get the rest of the cast and crew on the show and interviewed.

[00:32:35] Yeah.

[00:32:36] Yeah.

[00:32:36] And I mean, Melanie has 100% earned the Chief Anson Mount Love Officer title.

[00:32:42] Like, when we're talking about Crossroads with Ben and Adam from Greatest Trek and Greatest Generation,

[00:32:49] I mentioned, like, I think this is the first movie he was ever in.

[00:32:52] And Melanie was like, what about these seven movies?

[00:32:54] And I'm like, I've never heard of any of these movies.

[00:32:57] But he, I mean, he is in them.

[00:32:59] He's had a wider career than I thought that he has had.

[00:33:02] And I am interested to check some of them out.

[00:33:06] Some of them sound very intense.

[00:33:07] So maybe not right now for me.

[00:33:09] But eventually I'd like to see them all.

[00:33:11] And I got to just say thank you one more time to Melanie for mentioning Open Pike Night when she's meeting these cast members in person.

[00:33:18] Like, that's never a requirement, but it's so cool.

[00:33:22] Like, the callers really do make Open Pike Night what it is.

[00:33:25] And that doesn't just mean with calls.

[00:33:27] I mean, Melanie is active in real life.

[00:33:29] She's active in the Discord server.

[00:33:31] Like, she's on our social media.

[00:33:32] Like, this is the kind of community that a lot of podcasts wish they could foster.

[00:33:37] And I'm just so grateful to be part of it.

[00:33:41] Well, speaking of that Crossroads episode with Ben and Adam, actually, our first episode with Ben and Adam was also in 2024, way back in January.

[00:33:49] You know, we had met them at Star Trek Las Vegas.

[00:33:51] But really, we formed and gelled our podcasting relationship with them this year in 2024.

[00:33:56] I definitely would recommend going back and checking out Filling Your Trek Hole.

[00:34:00] Still applies.

[00:34:01] We're still filling that hole while we wait for more Strange New Worlds.

[00:34:04] But that relationship will not end as we can announce that come January, something to look forward to next year, as we are participating in their pod crawl that they have going on.

[00:34:16] Do you want to tell them about that, John?

[00:34:17] Yeah, it's going to be called the Star Trek Pod Crawl.

[00:34:20] And what it is, is the ninth anniversary of The Greatest Generation, also hosted by Ben and Adam.

[00:34:25] It's just their show about older TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, those Trek episodes.

[00:34:31] And the whole idea is, as a birthday celebration, they're doing a fundraiser for the NCSE, which is the National Center for Science Education.

[00:34:41] And that is an organization that defends the integrity of science education against ideological interference, which I think all three of us can definitely get behind.

[00:34:52] And hopefully a lot of our listeners can get behind.

[00:34:54] So we have been chosen to cover Star Trek III, The Search for Spock.

[00:34:59] That's right. They've got seven podcasts covering seven original cast Star Trek movies, including Generations.

[00:35:05] They've counted that.

[00:35:06] And yeah, I'm super excited to talk Search for Spock.

[00:35:09] Keep an ear out. I think that's January 25th.

[00:35:11] I believe so. I believe January 25th that episode should drop.

[00:35:15] As a bonus episode.

[00:35:16] Yeah, we'll be joined by some great other podcasts like The Greatest Generation, Seventh Rule, Sci-Fi Sisters, Mission Log, Women at Warp, and Star Trek The Next Conversation.

[00:35:27] I am excited.

[00:35:28] And I just got to say, like, if you're out there and you have a small creative business and you're really looking to take it to the next level, host a karaoke night and invite anybody you want to work with.

[00:35:41] Because that is absolutely the genesis of our relationship with Greatest Trek and Greatest Generation.

[00:35:47] It was a ton of fun and it's not too shabby for open pike night.

[00:35:51] Yeah. All right. Well, that brings us to some of our resolutions for the new year.

[00:35:57] Jesse, you want to start with that again?

[00:35:59] Yeah. So as I've mentioned a couple of times, mostly in tones that don't necessarily suggest great dedication.

[00:36:09] I've been playing a lot of Pokemon lately.

[00:36:12] Jumped into the competitive battling scene.

[00:36:15] I found a little bit of success.

[00:36:17] I'm doing well in the ranked ladder on the game.

[00:36:21] I participated in what's called a Grand Challenge, which is like this huge online event that anybody can jump into.

[00:36:27] And, you know, you play for ranking and positioning.

[00:36:31] Did not do very well at all in that.

[00:36:34] But I learned a lot.

[00:36:36] And there's a new set of rules coming up for the competitive game.

[00:36:41] And I have already started building a team.

[00:36:44] I'm devouring YouTube videos.

[00:36:46] I'm really trying to up my education in this arena.

[00:36:50] Because I think, for me, it really helps to have something that I can set concrete goals in.

[00:36:56] Like with open pike night, the goal is to always get the next Star Trek guest and talk about the next Star Trek episode.

[00:37:01] And I love that.

[00:37:03] And it is incredibly nourishing for me.

[00:37:05] But this is something that I can do regardless of schedule, right?

[00:37:10] No matter how busy work is.

[00:37:11] No matter how busy the open pike night grind is.

[00:37:14] That kind of a thing.

[00:37:15] It's just something that I can do.

[00:37:16] So I'm setting a small goal for myself to make it into what is called the ultra ball tier in the ranked competitive ladder.

[00:37:25] Right now I'm sitting very close to that.

[00:37:28] I'm in the great ball section of that.

[00:37:30] But I need to take that next step.

[00:37:32] And I think if I give myself a year to do that, I'll feel like I've gotten something done in a fun, very low stakes competitive environment.

[00:37:40] So it's a good thing for me that I can focus on something that doesn't actually matter and doesn't really...

[00:37:45] You're nestled between the balls.

[00:37:47] Yeah.

[00:37:47] And it doesn't really affect anybody else.

[00:37:49] So however it goes, it's fine.

[00:37:52] And then on a personal note, this is something I've been thinking about this year in general with the new stress of the year and things like that.

[00:38:01] But I do need to lose a little bit of weight.

[00:38:05] Not a ton of weight, but like 25, maybe 30 pounds.

[00:38:09] I've done it before.

[00:38:10] I know I can do it.

[00:38:11] I just kind of got into the routine this year of like, you know what?

[00:38:16] I'm hungry.

[00:38:17] I'm going to go buy something that's not good for me.

[00:38:19] I'm going to eat it.

[00:38:19] I'm going to call it a day.

[00:38:21] And I'm getting away from that.

[00:38:23] I haven't been eating a lot of fast food recently.

[00:38:25] And, you know, with the family stuff going on, it's like I realize it's kind of on me to do everything I can to make sure that I am here and available for my family for a long time yet to come.

[00:38:37] So I'm going to really focus on 25 to 30 pounds by the end of 2025.

[00:38:45] Now, remember, we are going to revisit these next year in a New Year's episode and we'll see how we've done.

[00:38:51] So we're going to play that clip.

[00:38:52] Yeah.

[00:38:52] That's why I'm putting it out there.

[00:38:54] I need some accountability and I trust that you guys will provide that and make fun of me if it does not happen.

[00:39:02] Balls and pounds.

[00:39:03] That's Jesse's resolution.

[00:39:04] Okay.

[00:39:05] Mm-hmm.

[00:39:07] I think my resolutions, similar to Jesse, I would always I would definitely like to drop a little weight, but I have been a lot more active and actually not just active, but exercising more this last year.

[00:39:21] And I really have enjoyed that.

[00:39:22] So I want to carry on with that.

[00:39:26] And just, man, I would say as far as Open Pike Night goes, as far as podcasting goes, I really want to, as much as I can, I want to make sure I put a concerted effort more into content or interaction with our patrons, folks who go the extra mile to support Open Pike Night.

[00:39:49] Right.

[00:39:50] It's something I feel I really dropped the ball on.

[00:39:52] And I'm like, you know what?

[00:39:53] I want to make 2025 a good year for Open Pike Night patrons.

[00:39:57] I want to make sure they really know that we appreciate everything they do for us and the way they support us.

[00:40:04] Second it.

[00:40:05] I like that a lot.

[00:40:06] Mm-hmm.

[00:40:08] All right.

[00:40:08] Well, yeah, I kind of mentioned, you know, so not giving up.

[00:40:12] I want to see Franken-Z over the finish line.

[00:40:15] I want to help my Betty, Jesse Blanchard, finish this movie finally.

[00:40:18] It is being looked at by a studio or a distributor, a studio.

[00:40:23] I'm not really even sure what they're doing.

[00:40:25] But there's a Hollywood organization that likes Franken-Z and wants us to distribute it.

[00:40:30] But Jesse is a bit of a perfectionist and can really kind of get lost down these rabbit holes.

[00:40:35] And so I am here to help guide him over the finish line.

[00:40:38] I hope we can do that.

[00:40:39] That's a resolution.

[00:40:40] You can do it, Cam.

[00:40:40] I know you can do it.

[00:40:41] I want to get this G.D. Riker statue finally going.

[00:40:44] I mean, it probably wouldn't be erected this next year.

[00:40:47] But if we can get the fundraiser going and at least the statue beginning being built, I would be very excited for that.

[00:40:55] And yeah, I want to meet more fans here.

[00:40:59] And as for personal resolutions, I think I'm going to go back to one I made last year.

[00:41:03] Last year, I had resolved, resoluted to read more.

[00:41:10] I had set a goal for myself of one book a month because I used to be a voracious reader and it just dropped off.

[00:41:17] And I didn't quite make one a month.

[00:41:19] I think I've read about five or six, depending if you count the one I had started before the new year.

[00:41:24] So this year, I'm going to try to up it to 12 books read in 2025.

[00:41:29] That's my goal.

[00:41:31] How full do you guys think the previously voracious reader to now podcaster pipeline is?

[00:41:37] I mean, it's got to be most of us, right?

[00:41:41] Well, there's three of them right here, right?

[00:41:43] I mean, yeah, our sample size is 100%.

[00:41:47] Yeah.

[00:41:48] My God.

[00:41:49] No, that's a good one.

[00:41:50] I definitely made a concerted effort to read more in this last year and I really felt good about it.

[00:41:57] Like personally, from my experience, when you get back into reading, it's difficult.

[00:42:03] When you're trying to read every day at first, like it is hard to sit still for 10 to 15 to 20 to an hour.

[00:42:12] You get fidgety at first, but it doesn't take long.

[00:42:15] It takes like, I don't know, it took me like a week or two and I was like, oh, hey, I just read for half an hour straight.

[00:42:20] Awesome.

[00:42:21] I can do the old days.

[00:42:23] I can do the just sit and disappear into a book for a while.

[00:42:27] And yeah, it's a good feeling.

[00:42:29] I think that's an excellent resolution.

[00:42:30] Thank you.

[00:42:31] As for the podcast, I do just really hope to meet more of our listeners.

[00:42:36] Like I said, we met a lot last year.

[00:42:37] I look forward to meeting some new ones this upcoming year.

[00:42:40] Yeah.

[00:42:41] Yeah.

[00:42:41] And that's kind of what I was going to bring up is like, to know that we're still finding new listeners, new callers this far into what we're doing is just, like I said, everything about this is rejuvenating and nourishing.

[00:42:53] And I'm so grateful for it.

[00:42:55] And, you know, tell your Star Trek friends.

[00:42:59] We're happy to be your Star Trek friends because I know that those can be hard to find in real life.

[00:43:04] But if you have real life Star Trek friends, send them our way.

[00:43:07] We'd love to have them.

[00:43:08] Speaking of Star Trek friends, here's a caller who joined us recently for the first time talking about the lack of Star Trek friends and being glad to find us.

[00:43:17] Here is Katie.

[00:43:19] Hi, it's Katie.

[00:43:20] So, okay.

[00:43:21] New Year's resolutions and wishes.

[00:43:23] Just a quick personal one.

[00:43:25] I need to get my CBT.

[00:43:27] That's my certification as a vet tech this year.

[00:43:30] I've been putting it off.

[00:43:31] And I'm just hoping that if I say that I'm doing it enough times and in enough places that I'll finally follow through.

[00:43:38] But more importantly, okay.

[00:43:39] Strange New Worlds wishes.

[00:43:40] I just want happy things for the crew.

[00:43:42] I want La'an making friends.

[00:43:45] Scotty and Uhura getting to know each other.

[00:43:47] Christine and Ortega's having a blast together.

[00:43:50] I need girls nights that include Spock.

[00:43:53] Those moments between Chris and Una that inevitably develop when you've just known someone and worked with them for most of your life.

[00:44:01] Hey, everyone should go fishing with Mabenga.

[00:44:03] I just, I'd really like to see sides of the crew that aren't, you know, professional adult or tragedy.

[00:44:11] Everyone just, they deserve happy things.

[00:44:12] And I really hope and would like to see them get them.

[00:44:17] Anyways, happy New Year to you all.

[00:44:19] And thank you for welcoming me into this wonderful community.

[00:44:22] Live long and prosper.

[00:44:24] Katie, you need to be in the writer's room because I want to see all those things too.

[00:44:27] Fishing episode, right?

[00:44:29] And don't worry.

[00:44:31] We promise to check in at the end of next year to make sure you got that Vet Tech certification.

[00:44:36] There are animals out there who need people like you, people that care, people that are willing to make that effort.

[00:44:42] So don't worry.

[00:44:43] We'll hold you to it.

[00:44:44] And hopefully that comes across as helpful and not as threatening.

[00:44:51] You will be a Vet Tech by the end of this year.

[00:44:54] But, you know, if I had to guess, I'd say at least some of your wishes there for Strange New Worlds are probably going to come true.

[00:45:00] It sounds like the cast and crew have had a ton of fun shooting this third season.

[00:45:06] And I mean, we've heard from multiple folks that they've done things they've never done before as actors and with Star Trek.

[00:45:13] So I think your outlook is positive, according to my magic eight ball here.

[00:45:20] I mean, I know we have seen what is obviously the very first scene of the very first episode of season three.

[00:45:28] But I'm going to imagine that was just a smokescreen.

[00:45:31] And what we're going to get is them sitting in the ready room, just fully reenacting the post fight breakdown from the Anger Man movie.

[00:45:41] I want to see Sam Kirk saying, I killed a guy.

[00:45:45] I killed a Gorn, you know.

[00:45:47] Yeah, Sam, you might want to lay low for a while.

[00:45:50] That escalated quickly.

[00:45:53] Where did you get a disruptor?

[00:45:55] Yeah.

[00:45:58] Now I'm going to be disappointed when that doesn't happen.

[00:46:01] Right?

[00:46:01] I know.

[00:46:02] I know.

[00:46:02] Why do we do this to ourselves?

[00:46:06] And we do have...

[00:46:08] Well, Cam, jokes.

[00:46:10] Let's go ahead and hear from our final caller.

[00:46:13] Here is Abby.

[00:46:15] Hey, hey, Open Pike.

[00:46:16] It's Abby Summer from the First Flight Podcast.

[00:46:18] Happy, merry, everything to you and yours, first off.

[00:46:21] I hope that it is and continues to be a wonderful time for you and your families and all those that you care about.

[00:46:29] So my wish for 2025 Trek, and I've said this multiple places, but I'm going to keep amplifying it,

[00:46:35] is I'm one of those people who loves Star Trek music.

[00:46:38] And we have not gotten a lot of it.

[00:46:41] We have yet to see Strange New World Season 2.

[00:46:44] We have yet to see any of the last few seasons of Lower Decks.

[00:46:47] There's no Prodigy Season 2.

[00:46:49] We got Discovery Season 5.

[00:46:51] It was wonderful.

[00:46:52] We got Picard Season 3.

[00:46:53] Wonderful.

[00:46:54] On high rotation in my ears all the time.

[00:46:57] But I want the rest of it.

[00:46:58] It's going to be a light year on new content for our eyes.

[00:47:03] So let's do a heavy year of content for our ears.

[00:47:07] So that's my wish.

[00:47:09] I'm putting it out there once again.

[00:47:10] Come on, music gods of Star Trek.

[00:47:12] Make me happy in 2025.

[00:47:14] We will talk soon.

[00:47:15] Have a great rest of this year.

[00:47:17] Abby, I completely agree with you.

[00:47:19] And I have to wonder, like, what is the deal with Star Trek soundtracks?

[00:47:24] Why does it take so long to get them released?

[00:47:27] I mean, really?

[00:47:28] Like, I think we got the first season of Strange New World soundtrack, like, as Season 2 was premiering.

[00:47:34] Like, is this not all in-house at Paramount?

[00:47:38] Like, do they contract this out?

[00:47:40] Like, why?

[00:47:41] What is the delay?

[00:47:43] Like, I know that when these albums drop, they sell out.

[00:47:47] They make a lot of money.

[00:47:48] So I just, I really wonder what is going on with this.

[00:47:52] Is it a licensing thing?

[00:47:53] How can it be a licensing thing if you own the property?

[00:47:56] I don't understand.

[00:47:57] But I completely agree with you.

[00:47:59] And, I mean, you know, at least, at the very least, we do have that complete series steelbook for Lower Decks coming out on physical media.

[00:48:09] That is a show that I want to physically own for the rest of my life.

[00:48:14] I'm very excited for that.

[00:48:15] But I completely agree.

[00:48:17] Give us vinyl.

[00:48:17] Give us CDs.

[00:48:18] Give us something in the music department.

[00:48:22] You know, I'm glad that there are people like Abby out there pushing for things like that.

[00:48:27] I love soundtracks.

[00:48:29] I love scores.

[00:48:30] I have such score blindness for Star Trek specifically.

[00:48:34] Like, once you get beyond the theme song for me, like, I can't think of a single, like, piece of Star Trek music that has affected me.

[00:48:43] I don't know if it's just I love the visuals so much.

[00:48:46] I don't know what it is.

[00:48:47] But, like, I mean, I'm glad there are people out there who do appreciate it because it is very good music in all of the Star Trek series.

[00:48:54] And it is, I think it's a good goal to get, you know, let everybody listen to it.

[00:49:01] Let everybody hear it when they're not watching the episodes.

[00:49:03] John, what about the theme from First Contact?

[00:49:06] I mean, it arguably saved all of Picard.

[00:49:09] Oh, okay, gotcha.

[00:49:10] Theme, theme, theme, theme, yeah.

[00:49:11] But once you get beyond the themes, like, the, there's almost like, oh, action scenes.

[00:49:17] Like, I've never thought of great music in that.

[00:49:19] You know, I couldn't tell you any of the Strange New Worlds music beyond the Strange New Worlds musical episode.

[00:49:26] We didn't get that.

[00:49:27] Yeah, I mean, I'd love all the albums and everything.

[00:49:30] But I know, like, I would have a stack of Star Trek scores and I would just listen to the Klingon music over and over again.

[00:49:36] So it would probably be a waste for me.

[00:49:38] Yes.

[00:49:39] All right, let's sing it right here.

[00:49:45] I guess I know that one.

[00:49:48] Seriously, though, like.

[00:49:49] Give me ear boners right now, guys.

[00:49:50] A great place for you to really jump into the Star Trek music is, as Platty mentioned, the animated series.

[00:49:58] There is so much wacky, like, just out of place, what is happening music in that series that, like, personally, I would take the animated series soundtrack.

[00:50:11] In fact, I might go see if that already exists because it is bananas, but it is somehow also Star Trek.

[00:50:18] I mean, it's 70s Star Trek.

[00:50:20] Okay.

[00:50:21] Like, how does that not sell you on it?

[00:50:24] Yeah.

[00:50:24] No, I'm not opposed to it at all.

[00:50:26] That said, you bring up one good last point for a look back at 2024 and into 2025.

[00:50:31] Um, this last year brought us a short that nobody expected and then brought us some very shorts that nobody really expected at first and were very controversial.

[00:50:45] But I really like that for all the weird choices Paramount makes, they are like, sure, make six five-minute animated episodes that are of moderate quality and the same joke again and again because that's all that director knows what to do.

[00:51:01] Or make this, you know, wrap up of a movie that's 41 years old.

[00:51:05] Like, at least they're doing that.

[00:51:08] That's pretty dang cool.

[00:51:09] How, like, Firefly fans, how long have you waited for something like that?

[00:51:14] Like, don't.

[00:51:15] All the different fandoms, how long have you waited for something like that?

[00:51:18] So.

[00:51:18] I think Firefly is best left as it is.

[00:51:23] Okay?

[00:51:23] Yes.

[00:51:24] Yes.

[00:51:24] No, I agree.

[00:51:25] I'm just saying, you know.

[00:51:27] But yes, you're right.

[00:51:27] I mean, it's interesting that they have made all the choices they've made, but I'm glad they've made some of those, hey, let's let people play in this sandbox a little more kind of choice.

[00:51:38] Yeah.

[00:51:38] And I mean, it has got to be where Paramount's bread is buttered.

[00:51:43] Like, no, I don't care about the next Taylor Sheridan, Tyler Sheridan, whatever the guy's name is.

[00:51:49] I don't want to watch the next 1883.

[00:51:51] I don't want to watch Billy Bob Thornton work for an oil company.

[00:51:54] Like, I do not care.

[00:51:56] I could not care less about the whole Western thing.

[00:51:58] I would watch Taylor Sheridan Star Trek, though.

[00:52:00] I would absolutely watch Taylor Sheridan Star Trek.

[00:52:03] I will literally watch anybody's Star Trek, up to and including him and Quentin Tarantino, as I mentioned.

[00:52:08] But, like, Paramount, just, just come on.

[00:52:12] Just give me it.

[00:52:13] Just give me it.

[00:52:14] Please.

[00:52:15] Straight into his veins, Paramount.

[00:52:16] Please.

[00:52:17] Give it.

[00:52:17] Give it.

[00:52:17] Suffering over here.

[00:52:20] All right.

[00:52:21] Well, I look forward to seeing you all in the next year, either through your ears or in person at the conventions.

[00:52:28] Hope to be at Star Trek Las Vegas.

[00:52:30] I know some of you out there might also be at the 50th anniversary.

[00:52:34] Jaws, a celebration in Martha's Vineyard.

[00:52:37] I certainly plan to be there.

[00:52:39] Fingers crossed.

[00:52:41] So, yeah, 2025 should be a good year.

[00:52:43] I think it's going to be a great year.

[00:52:45] Jaws is the movie with the shark, right?

[00:52:48] I've seen Jaws.

[00:52:49] Speaking of great music and playing in the sand.

[00:52:52] Right?

[00:52:53] There you go.

[00:52:55] All right.

[00:52:56] Well, it's been a long year.

[00:52:59] And Open Pike Night has to do this all again next year.

[00:53:02] So we're going to go get some sleep in this week between holidays and try and remember what day it is, what time it is, whether we need to be at work, whether, you know, there are other people counting on us.

[00:53:13] All that good stuff in this wrap-up of 2024.

[00:53:16] So, Jesse, we had a lot of great callers tonight.

[00:53:19] And if any of our listeners want to make a resolution to call into Open Pike Night, how can they do that?

[00:53:24] The easiest way to do that is to just go to openpike.com.

[00:53:27] We've got links to everything there.

[00:53:29] You can record your calls directly from our website.

[00:53:31] All you need is a phone.

[00:53:34] And just hit record and it will send it directly to us.

[00:53:37] You can also find links to our merch, to our Patreon.

[00:53:39] Everything you need for Open Pike Night is all in one place.

[00:53:43] And, of course, if you want to share memes, you can follow us on BlueSky at OpenPike.

[00:53:48] Or you can join the Discord and chat with other like-minded Star Trek fans.

[00:53:52] And Cameron, how are you going to be spending the first part of your new year?

[00:53:57] Guys, I mean, I don't know if it's a resolution or, like, just what I'm looking forward to.

[00:54:01] Guys, 2025 is the year I will finally watch all of TNG.

[00:54:04] And Green Shirt, as you know it, will come to an end.

[00:54:08] We will probably finish up Picard in that calendar year.

[00:54:12] Don't worry, we'll still be doing DS9 Minute and probably voyaging on and over to the 7 or 9 Minute after that.

[00:54:20] Or during that.

[00:54:21] Season 3, I think, of DS9 is when we start that?

[00:54:24] Yeah, season 3 or 4.

[00:54:26] Might be 4.

[00:54:27] So plenty of stuff to hear over on Green Shirt about 90s Era Trek.

[00:54:31] Tune in at GreenShirt87 on Twitter or GreenShirt on BlueSky or Threads.

[00:54:37] But for now, be sure to clean up after yourselves.

[00:54:41] Be sure to tip your servers.

[00:54:42] Be sure to have a very happy new year.

[00:54:44] You can go anywhere you want, but you can't stay here.