Showrunner Retrospective Season 2 - Henry and Akiva

This is Henry Alonso Myers and you are listening to Open Pike

This is Akiva Goldsman and you're listening to Open Pike Night.

Welcome to Open Pike Night, the Strange New Worlds podcast directive. I'm your host John T Bolds. here tonight with some amazing guests on New Worlds Season Two Showrunner retrospective. You've heard our thoughts the guys who know more about it than anyone with me tonight are my co hosts, runs away whenever an awkward conversation starts host of Sudden But

I gotta ask producer John, are you feeling like your job is threatened And now

I mean, if these guys will take over running the podcast I'm not his shuttle way too close to Starbase one just because it looks cool. Host of Cameron!

Yes, everything I know about life. I did learn from Top Gun. It's a

All right. Joining us tonight are two people who have some of the coolest jobs in making power the millions of fans talk about the worlds they helped create and something to say.

I just wanted to add my voice to what I'm sure are many callers thanking time to do this pod. But also of course for Strange New Worlds

First of all, thank you so much for all that you have

Thanks for the last two seasons of amazing entertainment.

Just thank you for an awesome season. There were so did with Una and the courtroom drama. The homages to TOS and TNG in that

And congratulations on a banger of the about the second season of strange new worlds is that there was so much

Henry, Akiva, calling you guys by your first names is weird and feels

I was very nervous when the show came out. But the way you've what has already existed in TOS, although fearful has been just really

a Trek fan my whole life pretty much and I love a lot of the franchise, And I think you're just doing a fantastic job honoring that old school franchise grow and go on these exciting new directions, which obviously is also

And the lower decks crossover. I don't know how phenomenal.

It was all very well done.

Thanks again for all the work. Thanks for everyone involved in the week. I really appreciate it and look forward to more

What you're doing particularly with Uhura and I grew up with it. So I hope to see more of that.

It is glorious, and join us and I hope it continues for much longer

May the strikes be resolved amicably. And we get 20 More.

And oh my goodness, the show runners. Thanks so much for being on the

All right, returning guests Henry Alonso Myers and first time Pike Night.

Thank you. Thank you. Very impressive that Henry did all those voices.

I was thinking the same thing I yeah, he's a talent. Never heard

your British be quite that convincing Henry's working on?

Thank you. I can tell this is gonna be a fun conversation.

Oh, no, I gotta go. But thank you.

All right. Well, yeah, let's just let's set the game board here, gentlemen. So you finish filming Season two is announced. Now, at that point when it was announced, like what did you You must have had some ideas of what you were saving up for season two, like what at that point.

It ended up coming very fast. So like we almost didn't from one to the next. I mean, the words that we came up with were essentially wanna do it bigger, and we want to do it better. And we want to try some things we didn't want to change the show. But we wanted to, you know, we were trying but in a contemporary way, and we wanted to do all that. And you know, season episodes, we probably tried to do a little more reduced, because we were to make the show. And then we were like, Alright, now that we've figured out how make the show but a little more complicated, and, and we pushed season two was about? Excellent.

You agree with that? Akiva? No, I was drunk.

But even when drunk is the writing on a on a on a piece of

very, as long as you only use three or four letters. write correct letters. That's yeah, I know, when Henry said, and, and said it well,

were there any episodes or plots that you're you were had kind of hit? Was the crossover the musical in your minds at that point or did those

Well, I, you know, I've been actually, I was agitating for a I had never actually done a musical. So it's incredibly easy to pitch a thing as it is. Henry, of course, had done many musicals before, I'd kept saying And we did, but no, typically short of that. The The sad truth is, you know, we in 10 episodes we started, it's the very first thing we do is we sort of put up like a, it's like the, it's like friends, the one where, you know, we're wished we could make episodes about, and The Wall fills up, and then we start there's always about 15 to 20. And then we play survivor. And it is just the most part, when we start again, the following year, it all begins again, and that didn't make it on? off? the island, whatever happens on the island in season. Or there's an interesting creative pile of detritus, where there top of Kirk's ghost

All right, we got some great callers and we're gonna start with

Hi, open pike night. It's Mariah, I really connect with and real portrayal of somebody dealing with trauma and trying to figure out how to world when it's like really hard, and scary. And I so I just really appreciate character and the fact that like, in some ways, she really led a lot of La'an and Uhura and Chapel gets such strong storylines this season. So thank

Thank you. You're a great radio voice.

She has a great excellent radio voice. Yeah. We've always said in, we're like, man, we should have her host this,

By the way, and she would be better at it than you guys. I'm

I'm pretty sure she is a radio host. So yeah, yeah.

Was there a conscious choice to have La'an be more center stage in this thing that happened throughout the process of writing the episodes?

You know, Henry is the good one.

I'm the bad one, right? Like, Henry will give you light and love pain. Which is why we're starting to get that word. It's why we're good mom and

One thing we agree on is the is the Romance.

Like the Romance. That's true, we do because that's both light so bringing a traumatized character into Star Trek as part of the palette was built into the pilot, we sort of saw her as, you know, a new lens on life in the thing that we have talked about a bunch when we talked about the Gorn, which is, world where aspirationally there's a tremendous amount of empathy being the show and its messaging but also within the construct of the Federation. there being real evil in the galaxy. And, and really evil has real traumatic beings and healing is required, not just today, but at least as far as Henry and

With the beginning of season two, it was noted by pretty much there wasn't a lot of Captain Pike actually on screen the captain of the mainly due to the fact that Anson had just had a brand new child and was of sleep every now and then? Or was it some of it pre planned?

I mean, it was entirely about scheduling. It wasn't, it mean, in general, we always want to make a show about as many of our characters went lite for him at the beginning was just because we wanted to make sure that he wasn't sleeping a lot, and was doing all the hard work of being a dad. And we to affect his work. So we were trying to cut him a little bit of slack. It was We wanted probably wanted more. We tried.

It was because he had a baby. And it was pre planned.

Yeah. I know it works out really nicely. I mean, we get our first car and go on a joyride" episode like a great way to start a season.

In the scenes. He does have in episode two are Glorious. Oh, yeah.

All right. Let's hear from our next caller. Here is alpha talking.

Hello, this is alpha talking. Once again, your TOS canon professional ice skater that's skating on a frozen lake and enjoying it every forward to and enjoy and watch of Strange New Worlds. Yet I am fearful and as I skate across wind in my hair, and enjoy every moment of this show. So my much of the writers room discusses TOS canon before creating each and every just simply story over canon? Canon matters a little? Or no, we're going to everything. With TOS canon trust us. But Wonderful job. best Star Trek. It's out spectacular. I loved every minute of it. Thank you all again. And thank you for

All right. So I'm sure you guys have never been asked this question Strange New Worlds meet.

Starting to feel like cannons Yeah, sure. aimed right at you.

This this is actually a this is a thing that Akiva or with and through on multiple shows. So I'm sort of I want to say I'm scheme of things, but I love I love canon and so does Akiva. And we talked

I personally am a TOS fan, right? I'm old. So that's my Star smart canon people in our staff. We do apply a lot of time travel logic, though, to explain why things move and I know it well, then then there are people around me know it far better. probably win, you know, any bar trivia game with civvies and you know, maybe a It matters. It matters less a lot. But it doesn't matter so much that we will very useful for our show, we will body English around it. We will try to bat through it. On occasion, all the new shows right up run up against it or, or one thing that we changed, and I don't consider it canon, but I'm happy to have dates of the Eugenics War and World War 3. And this is because I believe aspirational. I don't think it happens in another Earth's future. I think it And when the show was made, those dates were the future. They're now the past. continue to do that. As long as we get to make it uh in order to let the imagine ourselves into as what happens to our earth one day when we get our we're not saying that we were getting rid of what happened. We're saying that

If Terminator can do it, Star Trek can do it

Exactly. It's like this. This isn't the first time we've seen

yeah.

So Akiva, we did hear that you are a big TOS guy from Henry the last if you could pick like one or two episodes that have TOS that you think

I think it's always City on the Edge of Forever, right? I mean, I be? get to sort of have an episode that works profoundly for both people who don't, you know, I think it it's, it does all the things that Star Trek does comment on our suppositions about good and evil, right and wrong. It's really deeply emotional, it's really smart. And it's cool, you know, so I love city for because my first Star Trek convention was 1976, which really dates me, and we days of WpX, channel 11, every evening at six in syndication, and

which is, which is where I actually watched it.

and it was the first time I ever saw it projected, and the on that Panasonic sort of color TV in my living room. So that was, you know, it's and then I love "The Menagerie", both parts, because we didn't have "The later for my generation. But you know, and I'm partial to "Where No Man Has these interesting promises in it, some of which are fulfilled, some of which imagination for such a long time. So that's probably I know, that wasn't, two there you have it.

Did you know that we, the fans would see it when we saw the trailer, and everyone just assumed they were so smart that it was the guardian of

You know what I think Discovery, you know, and long after I pull? to do some other things with the guardian. So we sort of like that we let here's a more traditional guardian in when Soniqua is going sort of, she's the galaxy at the end of context is for kings, there's actually a more otherwise, the Guardian has sort of, I think, at least currently been handed we haven't taken it back. I guess we could.

We just needed to give it a little space. It was less were already merging two shows we didn't want to add a third to try. It seemed

complicated. Yeah, that's a season three technique. Yeah.

Let's hear from our next caller. Here is Josh Reeve on the Open

Hello, Open Pike. Hello, Henry and Akiva, when you have new worlds, like La'an and Ortegas, who have no previous story in Star Trek, and that do and we know where their circle kind of ends and who's going, Spock, the about why it's equally important to develop those legacy stories now, even going just as it is to develop the new character stories. And what kind of focus on what we don't know. And then kind of just meander through what we do. name may or may not rhyme with "smoshua shmeve" may have started a rumor that up with enterprise bingo. Would you confirm, deny or possibly give your

Over to you Henry.

I feel like I have a pretty boring and normal answer to this, we have the fun of coming up with new, like, unknown stories about the people the fun of trying to tell stories about people who you know, their future, but future, we really think about the present as they think about the present, the present, which is to say, I don't know what I'm doing tonight. You know, I or we're supposed to meet a friend or whatever. But like, I don't genuinely how you have to approach these characters, you can't approach them 7, 20 years, like, it's just not how you live your life. With the rare exception surprise future knowledge. So I mean, that's how we approach it. Like, I think our actors so that they can play it. Like, that's really the thing, because is we try to accomplish something that we think is cool. And then we try to it great. But in order for us to make a great they have to we have to give them the experience usually means they don't know the feeling they're going to go is going to happen to them. They are not yet the person who they will be later. way. That's I mean, that's usually the approach that we bring. What about Who's Who's our ruler who's

in the universe? That's

It predates Pike. Yeah. Yeah.

I think it's a Yeah, it's an it's an old classic one, and no who will take credit for it. But, you know, there's a lot of people who think No, no, it came from her. No, no, it came from that.

I'm gonna go with Trip, Trip.

Well, speaking of future knowledge, we kind of realized that opportunity to lay some clues and easter eggs and seeds because these characters history, both what we know the audience, but also what we don't know. Did you up for these characters in Episode Seven? And for our people, for the Like, for example, we were theorizing maybe when he says our take us as a war War, maybe there's another war she's gonna be a part of.

Well, in that one sheet, we were specifically talking diving into in the next episode, which isn't to say that we're not going to be that. There's a ton of references in that episode. That was the intent. You a, when we initially started talking about that episode, the thought was, Trek fan in the world landed on the Enterprise? That was part of what we bit for everybody.

So no seeds for what might happen in season three is what you're

reveal anything about season?

There's a season three?

We'll get to that. Yeah.

Henry, the last time you were here, you spoke with us about how your characters and the stories that they need to tell. Was there anything writing Season Two that surprised you?

I was surprised that so many people were able to sing. That don't want to say it's a surprise, surprise, but it was a delightful mean, they, we all we I mean, the thing that we usually do when we approach is direction that we did the previous season. You know, going into this season this stuff with La'an, we already did this stuff with Uhura. We already did we gonna do differently this season? How are we going to send them in another to just play the same note. And that really is about working with the actors. actors? What's the story that we can give them that allows them to do a thing their story, or has them try something again, I mean, there's a the La'an we didn't get to do season one with her.

Did you know how powerful her performance would be when she broke down

That's Acting, she is a very good actor.

Yes, I know. I know. I'm just saying like, we were all gobsmacked. didn't

even know that. When the concept of that story came up we kill him. It just came out of the storytelling. It suddenly seemed like, then it suddenly we had a story that meant something to her. And it was me.

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And we and there were people who were, like, It's like, join the club.

I mean, I'm my partner. And I love things that make you

this season was great at that. Yeah. Yeah. Our next caller is episode this season of Open Pike Night. Here we go.

Hey, Open Pike Night, Akiva. And, Henry, this is plattym3 calling in season two hits. I have a question for you. What scenes or characters did you reaction that you were going for? shits? Conversely, anything that seemed like maybe didn't either through filming, or fan reaction? And misses with Season Two there anything that you didn't get to put in that, in retrospect, you'd have reaction to Season One? Wish maybe you had a little tweak for season two, Akiva the show. It's been my favorite live action Trek in decades. So keep up the what you do with season three.

Yeah, so are there any standout moments where you're like, yes, react to this.

Well, I think of the"I am Ortegas and I fly the ship" is one in the season. Frankly, we just wanted to write more for her. And we don't everyone as we want. And so that was a delight,

Absolutely a hit. How about things you created that just didn't get the reception you were hoping for.

I am going to say something, I don't want to speak for my feeling about this. And I really don't mean this to be rude is I actually care how people react. That's their reaction, they are entitled to have it, making a show that we liked. We were focusing a show on things that we would coming into. Everything was already decided long before things got on the show, we thought it was cool.

This is real, it's important. And I agree with Henry people like the show, it keeps us going. And we are grateful to the fans, and we response. that would that would be counterintuitive, and not particularly real Star Trek fans ourselves, right. And we just happen to be the Star Trek make Star Trek. And there are a bunch of other Star Trek fans who get to make Hopefully there will be many other Star Trek fans who get to make Star Trek. And moment is make Star Trek for the fan that's inside of you. You know, again, I know that Star Trek convention and I wanted to play Star Trek, I wanted to find some solace in watching that show in a way that I couldn't find in the isn't the real world of course. And so now I get to in concert with a bunch of make a show that we want to see. And that excites us and that welcomes us and that's a great job. If it doesn't welcome enough people over time. You are a lot of different Star Treks inside Star Trek. So what we're doing is

Well yeah, let's just talk about one or two fans then on a personal you wish you could have maybe spent more time on or anything like that on you

My only disappointments were I think about not gonna go into specifics, but there were a couple of characters who I wish we just couldn't organize it. That was hard. You know, it's, I think the want to this is not a slight because it's very hard to do 10 episodes, it so. But we probably could have done 13 And filled more, we probably could have are a lot of there's always a there's always a Trek show that we wanted to

Yeah, we're we leave a lot of stuff on the table. And that's I that's, that's a bummer. I mean, I'd definitely like there to be 13 or 20 I opportunity to do like that musical for me, which is just endlessly delightful. know, could have been a full honest two hour movie. you know, we don't have that we don't have that latitude. But that's less regret and more a pie in the sky

Yeah, I mean, around here. I think our kind of only consistent more. Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, obviously we probably share that with you. You but wait, give us just give us four more hours. And we could really be a little

interesting. Any chance that might happen in the future? speculating?

We've certainly asked each time and each time we'd been told bridge

keep asking for us for the fans. And for yourselves.

Yeah, let us know what weird thing we can mail to the studio to

seems like a dangerous line of questioning.

I think the fact that all of you are watching the show is

We can keep doing that. Oh, yeah.

We do keep doing that. Our next caller is actually a write in mouth. It's Captain Pike's hair writing in we haven't heard from them in a to the creators Akiva and Henry thank you for raising the bar on our series by growing popularity is a cut above the rest as my fans are all abuzz about me to the series. It is truly the highlight of each week for me. I've looked forward Starfleet root camp with my captain. We are a match pomade in heaven. Quick who takes no shortcuts to me at peak perfection. Every visit is sheer"hairoes", not heroes. And I'll always be here for you.

Well delivered, John. Thank you.

That's literally the worst thing that's ever happened. I

Are we out? Oh,

you're on Open Pike Night? Yeah.

I was not prepared. I should have been... fair point.

All right. Well, speaking of iconic hair, you've touched on this a podcast. So we have to ask, you know, I haven't timed her screen presence or to say she's the only main character who hasn't had a multi episode arc. So why us a blank canvas? Or is that just kind of the way the story is and, and the

I mean, it was always easy to write for her because she the main storylines, and she's right there. There's always great lines for easy. You know, we made an effort to try to give her a bit more in season two, I bring we want to do more of her. It's, you know, but we feel that way about... the people on the show, and we want everyone to get time. So you know, all I will be more for everybody.

Okay, well we'll take it I mean, it's probably also fair to say because she is a bit of a mystery. So

yeah, and that's it

we both love and we also I mean some of it is some of them don't Yeah,

cagey is always Henry

Yeah, exactly. You're so good at and and, man. We finally got a Melissa person in Vegas, and we stood in line for three hours. So us being the shared sentiment. She is extremely popular. Didn't wait that long for

She's fantastic. I just went went picketing with her in New Yeah.

All right, so she's surviving the Gorn ship as what you're saying

what would you do you want me to do what you don't want to

I just want to make you laugh uncomfortably.

If she does survive, there will be some great storyline out

All right. Here's our next caller. Tessa returning to be open mic

All right, here's the deal. I'm sick right now. So you're going to see(coughing) Without without having too intense of a coughing fit. I enjoyed and unusual to end Season Two with a major cliffhanger involving the characters. (coughing more) Jesus I was really looking forward to the Erica and between the "you're not the only one who's going to miss her". The "she does Christine scenes in both Subspace Rhapsody and Those Old Scientists. I praying for something explicitly romantic between them. Because that's my have. Shockingly. godspeed soldiers. My name is Tessa and I'm going to go cough even know what that call was.

No, it was good. And you please Tea, chicken soup? Something. rest. It's it's all Henry's fault, the two parter. I was like "Henry don't do I'm cruel, but he turned out to be cruel. And to your other point, but you subtitle of our show is 'love stories in space'. So your your thoughts will be mixing of two phrases. But mostly get better. So you can watch season three.

Oh, boy. I mean, just that prospect of like, yep, that's how Peaks did it like when it's been happening to us our whole lives and

too soon, John

Yeah, exactly. Star Trek is pretty notorious for season just as much of a cliffhanger to the writers when they wrote part one. Did Two would go when you were deciding to make it a two parter? Or is it? Is it a day?

Well, I mean, I wrote part one with an absolute idea of

Good, man, Henry,

I really wanted to I as as a as a as a as a young man, I the and the the jump from one of the when, when we go off of when we go off just like, that's the That to me is the that was the feeling we wanted to give god, we're gonna like things have gotten bigger and crazier. And we have to find was all I really wanted to recreate. Which I to me is is that's a Star Trek were not intentional.

Yeah. Well, that episode was the first and only episode we watched And I can say it absolutely was effective for all three of us. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Just that slowly dawning realization like, "Man, how long Because it seems like there's a lot that needs to wrap up".

And it's so masterfully done, because there's a moment you're like, And then you get to like a wide shot and there's like, 10 more seconds of stuff are gonna resolve it. And then you come back to like his face, you're like, Oh,

the thing that I loved is, is that one ends up to be tradition, the next one should be the conclusion of our story. And that's, now the conclusion.

Our next couple callers we went ahead and edited together because question. So here is Captain idle and Trev on the Open Pike Night stage.

Hello Captain idol from trek time here. Hey, it's

Trev beaming in from failure to franchise the podcast devoted to failed

Season two saw massive swings with the lower decks crossover

After giving us a fantasy episode, you know, comedic farce, a musical. genres you're eager to possibly tackle in later seasons?

Do you see more creative and experimental episodes going forward?

And I'll personally I'd love to see a Western episode with Pike going

Will that be a puppet episode?

And I'm also hoping the zombie discussion we heard in the finale was at some point. Oh,

how about the crew are forced by Trelane to do a stand up pregnant Gorn. Okay, that last one is a bit ridiculous. No one can match Billy

I'm sure you don't want to spoil anything that's already set in stone for tease some of the types of episodes you'd like to eventually try. Even if Oh, CAGE-y, see what I did there. Alright, thanks, guys. And again, just

Thank you very much, guys, we all appreciate you.

That was pretty great. We love strange new genres. So we, we do But not "No" why but do it as trickery, right? We try to sort of use genre and character and story to you know, trying to generate one of the sort of core values that we like to know, that's typically empathy or compassion or unexpected emotional right? There's sort of these values that are human connection, connection between sort of the core values of Star Trek, we think. And we use genre as a way of different lens and thereby enhancing them. genres. I often said a carnival a particular aspect. The human condition, so. So the answer is yes, for not never. Weirdly, because we have ever been asked this question recently. I and literally my brain has been spinning on a couple of things that I'm so desperate

you about how you can use this platform to just what I was

thinking was, oh, no, I can't. We we definitely have looked in you just listed and more. And we are eager to try different things and use that we can we can hop genre. And in so doing, we can refine our storytelling. still use the word neat, apparently. And, and so yeah, for sure. More, more

Was there a moment where you were like "we've done a musical and a now?" Or did you always know you had those up your sleeve? Yeah. You've been

Well, I don't know if we always knew but we didn't definitely so now what we should do is

and here's a decently related question from Joe Dove calling

Hey, what's up, it's Joe Dove of the captain's quadrant, one of the and Texas Jason will reminisce about some of the great work that you've done. and the revitalization of Star Trek now, one of our very quick questions will be could be the new big bad? Once we go past the Gorn?

Well, I can't tell you. Because we have already sort of crafted be a season three?" season three. You know, that's where we would find that so

Can you answer this? Do you enjoy creating your own new species or that you maybe grew up with?

Both. both equally. But with intent, so you know, again, not not be vaguely inexplicable and and to have at least when in relation to one. So a something that, you know, I will always advocate having as part of the palette are real

And can't hack a computer apparently.

They can. They can type though. That's

The Cayuga had a really good IT department.

Really good. I mean, amazing.

Why do you assume that they couldn't hack?

Well, maybe they just couldn't find a sticky note somewhere.

The passwords written on it.

Yeah. All the stuff they've found before. Yeah, it was. That right, now we get to see the next step after the vicious little guys".

So Akiva, you've had a lot of experience adapting written works to the winning work on A Beautiful Mind. Do you think that your previous experience with established universe like Star Trek?

Oh, yeah, I think so. I mean, I, you know, I mean, it's a weird right? The more you do, the more it helps you do more. That was my favorite

That's a t-shirt, right there. Yeah. Well, good. Yeah.

Yeah, because part of what you're trying to do when you adapt

You should be a writer. Yeah.

I know, right? That's what I keep telling Henry! He won't give emotion that has been kind of generated already on the part of the source really adapting, you're adapting an emotion, you're adapting the feeling of pieces of the narrative that you think, help convey that feeling best, because and transcribe it, because it would be boring and long. So I think that, you again, because we love Star Trek, we're just trying to sort of replicate the with the pieces that we think are crucial. And that seemed to be audience. So it's its collaboration with an object, its sensitivity and awareness then work with it to create in someone else the feeling that you had when you words. Sorry.

All right. Let's hear from our next, we just got a couple callers

Hey, guys, it's Izaac from Unplaaaaaaaned Trek. And can the high caliber of guests you have on your show. And you guys must be really week. That's fantastic. Thanks for having me. Guys. Look, I do have a behind the scenes. One is, has there been any talk about getting Prime Lorca my other question is, has there been given any thought to revealing any more that famous Vulcan saying, "Amanda, I've got some news". Alright guys, keep well, the news and stuff that happens in the offseason, as we build up to an eventual during season two. It's been a blast of you guys all the way from Tasmania,

I'm gonna answer the first half and I'm gonna give it to has his son's name. So. So it's a really interesting question, because that is in the detritus pile one of the years, you know, I'm a fan of Jason Isaacs, we Discovery and a show we just did together and so I like him very much. to work with. And, you know, and I'm sort of like, "Prime Lorca is out there know, and it's one of those things where they get it kind of stirred up in the we did. And then finally what happens is some amazing things don't make the cut. guys were asking what, that's the kind of thing that unfortunately, goes the more time.

I think that's the most definitive answer anyone's ever had on

That was a much more specific answer than I was expecting. Yeah, like, yeah, the what didn't make it type stories. What would have the Eric Stoltz

like? Exactly.

Interesting. Different? Yeah.

So, Henry. Any additional secret Sarek children?

Well, I mean, that was a I mean, that there is one that we little bit of that we tried to find a space in season two and could not. So up. And it wasn't because we disliked it. It was we liked it very much.

Alright. would have been it would have been in a 13 episode season.

Yeah, we had more time on the screen, we would have, we time around that. But we didn't. So I can't speak to the future. That's the

Something came up, which is worth saying, because I think it's sort of whimsical? Hey, what about Prime Lorca? And what about more Sarek's obviously we're the problem with this because we're so sort of Dr. Calligari's But I bet you would find that if we sat around and you sort of listed off, the fun episodes. The Venn diagram of how many of those we have discussed would we're all kind of have the same communal imagining here. You know, we're all sort if?" And there are a bunch of them that are such low hanging fruit, and then get that, or well, we could afford it like, but so I bet you and again, now asshole, like, but I bet you would find that we're all kind of thinking the same surprising. But the directions that we take things, although our execution may of the things we sort of want to see that we that you kind of want to see, like, "Huh, Scotty?" they're like, "Ooh, Scotty!" right. You know? I mean, and imagining the same stuff. And we're just trying to figure out how it appears.

I like it, because of the conversation go with an actor. :You're characters of television of all time, can't talk about it for a year."

I mean, it's a that's a, we try to be as nice as we

That's nice.

You know, they understand what the deal is. We're, one knows quite how long these things take. And they sometimes take a little than they maybe should.

Speaking of something like that, Henry. Jordan Canning, we talked"Charades". She told us that your tone meeting for the episode was like a three is never seen for a town meeting and loved it. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She end of that meeting. Is that the level of detail your typical, you typically Worlds a little extra love for your tone meetings?

No, that's about I mean, they vary, I mean, I co-wrote that was that one was so specific as it was it was the kinds of comedy and and, and incredible director. I feel. I mean, it was more about "let's talk about what we what you want to be funny. And let's talk about it." I mean, like, she really there are other shows I've been on where not not my doing they will go you know, have been on where they'll go one hour, I usually go for two, that's usually to go in a tone meeting is to walk through the intent of the script with hoping what happen, this is what we want, but also to hear what they are it. And and you know, my favorite part is going to be the part that is the best is yours, like, have fun with it, make it your movie, like, go do it!" and try that, it's all gone. The agenda is really just to tell us, tell them what and if they have a different idea to have a discussion about it. And, and there'll be a rewrite thing that we were like, "Oh, you're gonna do that. That's And so that's really what it was. I think that one was complicated, because details that had to happen in the show. And she really like. I mean, that was a just nailed it. And I was grateful. So

and I would add to that, that, you know, typically, the show really ours, because it's genre jumping, right? All the things that are directors with the tone of the particular episode. But then there are me with Valerie Weiss in episode two, where you kind of just like getting with the director, in order to sort of say, this could be this or that, right, that Henry is doing right now, or that's a full on legal thriller that we're with that thing back from the Grisham days, Henry's got some experience with were like, if you look at that, you could do it a bunch of different ways. the writer was thinking this or it, or you know, in episode two, Dana wrote it, there helping guide the director and as is Dana sort of, so we can start to five Co-wrote five, so easier for him also right to be in there, guiding the we imagined fits into the tones of the season. Because there's still some there's variations that typically in another show, you would just looked at that's what they mean, when Joey says, Whatever Joey says to leave the could say it differently in different episodes. Joey right. That was the Matt I mean, yeah, that sums it up. Excellent. Joey said, Did he say?

How you doin'? That's what he'd always say. He's always

All right. Here's our next caller, Patrick from the It's got Star

Hi Open Pike this is Patrick calling in. First, I wanted to thank you Strange New Worlds. I can't wait for the show and can't wait for your coverage of comes through. But in the meantime, I do have a question for your eminent guests. being among those people, that the pacing of strange new worlds is somewhat it's nominally episodic, but then it has these sort of more lengthy arcs that can a lot of character building, and honestly, even some directorial and to Deep Space Nine, I wanted to know was that on purpose, or is that sort of a trying to make a modern, but more episode episodic show? Thanks so much.

I definitely not on purpose. I remember I was in high school science fiction writer. He knew the teacher of our journalism course, at Samuel R. Delaney came in. And I had found these two passages, but in two of like, "and they're the same", it's like,"whatever kid". (Laughter) No, I mean, episodic but with serialized character arcs because we had done both in our probably the sweet spot for Star Trek, like Jim Kirk probably really didn't horse after Edith Keeler died. He probably would have liked a minute or they weren't afforded that. And you know what we learned from Pike and Disco serialized object, the first three episodes or so are act one and in act that's how you make an object that is serialized and long, right? Everything's end, or else there's no story. And people are like, "your show is really wait it gets light!". But so that wasn't worried. So this became sort of like a any resemblances to Deep Space Nine are flattering, but not intention.

I mean, TNG is also would do this, there was a classic Trek series, and, to a certain extent, the original series where they would bleed Data today, you know what I mean? And like, that was the story. And so we want to say, intentionally borrowed and tried to use. I mean, I love Deep Space middle of the pandemic, and I was working out of my office at home. And world do anything. And I just sat and rewatched, all of Deep Space Nine with was just helpful to kind of go back to it because like, was sort of like, what really well, that we liked, I think there is some crossover, it wasn't, we hoping to borrow and respect.

And to Henry's point, one thing that we do do, which is disco, where they'll try to service all the characters in every episode we that we push to the fore. You know, in order to serve. So far notion is less relationship we're building with the characters, which is not better or worse sort of more of the ensemble model. We're less on an ensemble show and an ensemble show when you look at us over the course of the overseas.

Yeah, we got 10 movies, but we don't know what the what

Like it. We do have one more caller. And it's our good friend

Hey, Open Pike and Akiva and Henry. So I know you're questions. But I always wonder about creative people some other things as each tell us three books that you have read that you think everybody should literacy teacher. So kids books, 100% fine, but what do you remember reading? it would help the world if more people read it? So great work all of you. Hope soon.

Yeah, I have so many books that I'm like "What Books". Is it life

in your life. That she's definitely asking in your life? Yeah.

Well, I'm gonna say Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a young man, that was huge. I don't know if it holds up as well. But boy, is it by NK Jemisin. This really, really brilliant retake on science fiction in a I hadn't seen before. And it's beautifully written,

I have that book on my nightstand because Onitra suggested it

She suggested some good stuff to me as well. So I won't do Yeah, that books great, really, really, really, really, really worth reading. younger, that really made my I read a lot of science fiction and a lot of ends up going. I mean, I was gonna say Foundation, because that's an easy one. say that because it's, I mean, you know,

I always say Lord of the Rings, which is also true.

I read them with my kids. This is here. This is the like, that I read you know, I can't believe I still have it, but that's you know, I looked at the world

And mine are all science fiction also interestingly enough, you read to me when I was quite wee. It meant a lot to me. A Ray Bradbury's probably Stranger in a Strange Land and probably wildly dated now, almost the ideas were, were really compelling. Which also i Another Heinlein book wrote sort of for young readers. And weirdly, I read that and the Andromeda helps them feel like I was reading them young and I'm a field fiction writer. by books until I realized I was not talented enough to write them. And then because I could get away with those

are those are great choices. Yeah,

they say it's a good way to fail. Yeah. failed your way right to an

So I do have one more Star Trek question, Henry. The last time you were and Akiva have a lot of say, if not all the say in the music in the show. And so goes as the song that Uhura sends into the subspace rift.

Oh, that I mean that those were our those were our writers. I was more about what can we clear? That's actually good. A good version and they of a we found a good one was about cost. But that was that was they they chose

I'll have to ask them. I chose the Temple of Doom reference, then.

That's another one that really affected my youth and in terms of

Yeah, but I still love it. It's, but that's one of those movies you

sequence is so great. Oh, yeah.

fantastic way to start a film.

Yeah. My wife learned that song in Mandarin, as a Valentine's present to Akiva and Henry. I mean, I know there's a lot of variables. But best guess not. Season three look like knowing what the production schedule is like?

Here's what you need to know. We're in a righteous strike. business, will get back to business.

Once it's over. Do you have an idea of how long it might take?

I think those are hard questions.

I know

they're not based on things that we actually have control

I mean, Henry does, but he won't.

So much control!,

We'll send the Gorn over the house.

We will continue to include links to the entertainment community fund in stood in solidarity with both the striking writers and the striking actors that's something that we can proudly say that we haven't wavered on. We support love. And we know that without you guys, it's not going to happen.

You know?

So, anyway, Henry and Akiva. Open Pike Night is an open mic asked all of our guests to tell us a joke. Do you guys have jokes prepared

I don't have a good one right now.

We didn't say a good joke. Yeah, we

didn't say a good joke. We didn't say the best joke.

Let me look back at what someone sent me. No can't repeat will just repeat the one that from my son which was "why could the pilot not said "why?" And he said "because he's a bear". I was delighted by that.

It's still funny. It's still it's still

trying to figure out how jokes worked.

I made one up before the today I made it up today because I felt job. Oh. Why did Captain Kirk say when the grain storage opened on his head no

I have an idea but

"I'm in Tribble!"

loving I was just gonna say silo

see Henry, you got it because Tribbles are in the

works on all your writing sessions go.

Every next Can I do a comedy? Isn't you say this like you're

It was a delight. Both of you. Thank you so much.

Thank you guys seriously,

we really appreciate your time. And we appreciate how tough a spot going on and everybody hoping and hopefully it's just A great sign to you waiting for season three whenever it comes.

We do appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you once again to Henry Alonzo Meyers and Akiva Goldsman Worlds for hanging out with us. That was a great conversation, dude. Oh, man.

Yeah, like, one of the few words I can form right now is, dude. And I callers, you guys elicited some seriously good responses, and some all. So thank you for continuing to stick by us through this very long pretty confident that season three is going to happen. So keep calling the entertainment community fund because as Akiva said, this is a righteous strike

So again, you are amazing callers helped make our show even out when they need to call in and what they need to call in about? Well,

you can just go to openpike.com to get everything there is to get about specifically to know when we have new guests coming on and what we'd like to open pike.substack.com for our free newsletter. It's called the Open Pike for free into the email inbox of your choice and you will know before anyone coming up next.

Speaking of which will give you a tease on who's coming up next costume designer extraordinaire.

Bernadette Croft

God dammit.

I'm leaving that in.

Now I paused I paused so you can correct me if I'm wrong. Bernadette excited patrons will be able patrons at a $10 level or up. So keep that in mind, watchalong of a film or show that inspired Davey Perez's under the cloak exactly what film yet we're deciding on it, it's going to be a good one. options he gave us. So patrons, we're going to be able to join that and ask the film while watching it. And then we're going to release that as an you also watch the film.

Yes, anyone will be able to play the podcast version of that episode. We because we just don't believe in it.

Yep, yep. And so be sure to follow Open Pike Night, be sure to go hear more. If you've liked what we've done with writers and the extra in depth new worlds, go ahead and sign up on Patreon and support us you get a chance Yeah, the List of films and shows that he sent us that influenced under the great list and I can't wait to choose what we're we're gonna watch along with at Open Pike on almost every social media platform there is the content is information about Open Pike and go check out any back interviews or episodes you are going to keep making content in this indeterminate amount of time. We have be here for you.

And we just hit 50 episodes. So there's some substantial time for you to let me just be the first to say rip Prime Lorca.

Seriously. I mean, I was hoping he'd come back and he wouldn't or something. He's like, Wait, what happened? Well, I was just saying doesn't mean they put that pile in the garbage can if we get seven or eight

They did say they put that in the garbage can but we know that they're careful with

what they say so and they're gonna keep asking for more episodes.

Hope springs.

Let's get a hashtag. Oh, that was great. Yeah, tag. More Strange New

Yeah. More. Yeah. What hashtag?

I mean. I was saying I want 13 And like he was saying he wants

You don't tell those guys No, really,

are just apparently,

and two hour episodes. So you can do that too. Still counts. All Pike Night stage, where can folks find you?

You can find me on my other podcast where John and I along with our The Next Generation. I'm watching it for the very first time. And we've even watching GS nine for the very first time so I'm excited As be into those and come through the next generation and at greenshirt87 on Twitter,

and Jesse, where can folks find you and you're not hanging out

If I'm not hanging out here, I'm probably on those social media that you whatever reason you need a little bit more of me in your ears just stay in but inevitable. The name has probably tipped you off that that started out as show where I just share single season television shows that were canceled never seen them before. So if you like to hear people get forced to like stuff

All right, it's been a long night and the open pike dank crew three. I don't know. Couldn't couldn't quite get Akiva the to confirm it. But season three. So be sure to clean up after yourselves. Be sure to taper But you can't stay here