The Essential Top TOS.

In this episode of Standard Orbit, we conclude our epic journey with what we believe to be the Top 15 TOS episodes for essential viewing. Over the course of Standard Orbit episodes 119, 120, and 121, we were able to academically and passionately deliberate and discover what we believe are the top five episodes for each individual season. And thank you to the members of The Babel Conference who voted to help create what can be considered as one of the most comprehensive "essential viewing" lists for any fan of The Original Series.

Our goal for this episode, and for all of the TOS "Essentials" podcasts, is to offer new perspectives to both new and veteran fans of The Original Series. Hopefully, our recommendations will be used as a TOS starter kit with episodes chosen from each season and not heavily influenced by any one in particular. We believe our listeners will truly enjoy these comprehensive recommendations compiled by their very own Refit Crew; podcasters and friends they have come to know and trust.

Feature
Welcome to Standard Orbit! (00:01:05)
A Recap of The Essentials (00:02:16)
A Balance of Season One (00:03:35)
The Season Two Machine (00:10:05)
The Unanimous Incident (00:19:45)
The Babel Conference Has Spoken! (00:24:10)
The Final, Fantastic, Fab ... Four (00:42:05)
Reflecting on the Retrospective (00:58:27)
A Message from the Chief (01:00:13)
Thank You for Listening to Standard Orbit (01:03:52)

Hosts
Norman C. Lao, Jeffrey Harlan, and Ken Tripp

Production
C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer), Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer), Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer), Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer), Ken Tripp (Editor and Associate Producer), Renee Roberts (Associate Producer), Richard Rutledge (Associate Producer), Richard Marquez (Production Manager), Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

How The Enemy Below Influenced Balance of Terror.

The Enemy Below tells the story of the epic "cat and mouse" game between an American Destroyer Escort Captain and the commander of a German U-boat. This 1957 World War Two classic film directly influenced Star Trek writer Paul Schneider as he crafted the narrative for what would become one of Star Trek's greatest episodes. Balance of Terror was a ground-breaking episode for Star Trek, as it brought a "military" essence to Starfleet and allowed the audience to grasp the political tapestry of The United Federation of Planets in the 23rd Century.

Balance of Terror is a fan favorite for many reasons: the introduction of the Romulans, the humanizing of the enemy, and the application of sound naval tactics to help drive the narrative tensions. It was also famous for its bold decision to break yet another convention of the time: Women serving in combat. Almost 30 years later after this episode was produced, women were finally allowed to serve on warships. In addition, the military does not normally allow married couples on the same vessel for fear of that couple being killed outright in combat as almost seen with Robert Tomlinson and Angela Martine.

Hosts
Norman C. Lao and Jeffrey Harlan

Guest
Ken Tripp

Production
C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer), Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer), Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer), Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer), Ken Tripp (Editor and Associate Producer), Renee Roberts (Associate Producer), Richard Rutledge (Associate Producer), Richard Marquez (Production Manager), Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

Chapters
Welcome to Standard Orbit (00:01:05)
Spock’s Brain Part Deux … Just Kidding! (00:02:48)
Ken’s Inspiration Behind Balance of Terror (00:03:45)
We Still Love Submarine Movies (00:08:55)
The Why of the Warrior (00:13:01)
Stiles of Bigotry in the 23rd Century (00:19:18)
Equal Opportunities in Peace and Wartime (00:28:06)
The Politics of Warriors (00:37:42)
Hailing Frequencies Open (00:47:28)
The NX-01 Trivia Challenge Winner! (00:52:45)
Did We Stump Mr. AtoZ? (00:54:36)
Our Final Thoughts and Thank You (00:57:48)

Send us your feedback!
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Dissecting Spock's Brain.

On this episode of Standard Orbit, we prep for surgery and perform a deep dissection and examination of what Star Trek fans have labeled as the "worst" episode ever in the history of The Original Series, and was even parodied as a stage production in 2004 for a limited run in Irvine, California at the Irvine Improv! William Shatner, in his autobiography Up Till Now, and in his memoirs Star Trek: Memories, called this one of the series' worst episodes; a "tribute" to NBC executives who slashed the show's budget and placed it in a bad time slot.

There was a great deal of unrest happening behind the scenes at the beginning of Star Trek's third season. Gene Coon was trying to complete his writing contract and director Marc Daniels felt marginalized by executive producer Fred Freiberger. The show budget was always under pressure which in turn forced co-producer Robert Justman and Fred Freiberger to constantly redirect creative to fit production, increasing tensions between them and the NBC front offices. Did these underlying forces ultimately affect the return The Original Series on September 20th, 1968?

Hosts
Norman C. Lao and Jeffrey Harlan

Guest
Ken Tripp

Production
C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer), Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer), Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer), Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer), Ken Tripp (Editor and Associate Producer), Renee Roberts (Associate Producer), Richard Rutledge (Associate Producer), Richard Marquez (Production Manager), Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

Chapters
Welcome to Standard Orbit (00:01:10)
The Most Hated Episode Ever? (00:02:37)
A Changing of the Guard (00:04:45)
The Remasters Show Production Stresses (00:08:21)
The Two Halves of Spock’s Brain (00:14:50)
A Tour DeForest Perfomance (00:23:30)
The WORST Episode Ever? (00:30:03)
Hailing Frequencies Open (00:46:29)
Our Final Thoughts and Thank You (00:50:19)

Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm
Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm/
Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm

Support the Network!
Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep our shows coming to you every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm

The Next Generation: “Relics” with Earl Grey.

Creating The Standard Orbit Canon: Season Two.

It's time again to help us pare down The Original Series into something even more manageable. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew continue our exercise going through Season Two of The Original Series and deciding what really needs to be there to create the “Standard Orbit Canon.” No episode is automatically safe, each one must stand our test of continuity, play an important role in the future of Star Trek, and eventually lead to the finale of The Original Series, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and perhaps beyond!

Season One Top Five.

Sometimes you just have to choose your favorite children. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew pick their top five episodes from Season 1 of The Original Series. What choices do they have in common? Are there any surprises? And could TOS Season One be the best Season One in Trekdom? Find out in this Gorn-tastic episode!

Send us your feedback!

Twitter: @trekfm

Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm

Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm

Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact

Chapters

Intro (1:37)

Mike’s #5 / Drew’s #5: “Balance of Terror” (3:32)

Mike’s #4: “Space Seed” (5:29)

Drew’s #3: “The Corbomite Maneuver” (7:11)

Mike’s #3: “The Cage” (8:54)

Drew’s #2: “The Devil In The Dark” (10:46)

Mike’s #2: Drew’s #1 - “The City On The Edge Of Forever” (14:47)

Mike’s #1: Drew’s #4 - “Arena” (18:29)

Comics & Star Wars Sidebar (21:14)

TOS Season One vs Other Seasons Ones (25:11)

Closing (30:33)

Season One with @FirstTimeTrek.

Believe it or not, there are some people out there who have yet to see Star Trek. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew talk to Andi—a.k.a. "FirstTimeTrek"— who has been live tweeting her experience of watching Star Trek for the first time. We talk to her immediately after she finished Season One of The Original Series, so don't miss this unique point of view on TOS having seen only the first 29 episodes! We talk about her favorite stories and characters, and how she manages to make her tweets stand out.

Pitching a Piece of the Action Movie.

Ready or not, another Star Trek movie is coming. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are once again joined by Max from Commentary: Trek Stars as we set up a writer's room to discuss how "A Piece Of The Action" might make for a great movie. Hear ridiculous crossover suggestions, then settle in as we break down how the third Abramsverse movie might redeem the whole thing.