Remembering James Horner.

When the producers of Star Trek II found they couldn't afford Jerry Goldsmith again, they found a young man by the name of James Horner to score their film. This launched Horner into becoming one of the most prolific film composers of the modern era. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew go through Horner's work in honor of his recent passing. We discuss the films he worked on, the themes he uses throughout his scores, and touch on such diverse topics as the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, Jim Lovell, and The Jennifer Connelly Standing On A Pier Trilogy.

Remembering Leonard Nimoy.

Recently Star Trek experienced a great loss with the passing of Leonard Nimoy. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew are joined by Marc Cushman, author of the "These Are The Voyages" book series, to talk about Nimoy's legacy.

Spock was such a unique character, and he needed a unique person to bring him to life. The part was written for Nimoy, and Nimoy took possession of it as only few could. In all things he did for the franchise, Nimoy was concerned not only for how Spock would be portrayed, but if his fellow actors were being treated fairly. He was a good friend to all. How do we deal with this loss? Marc helps us through this, and so much more.

Don't miss Marc's announcement of Books 4 and 5 of the "These Are The Voyages" series, revealed for the first time on Standard Orbit!

1999 TOS Homages.

It turns out that 1999 was a big year for science fiction franchises. Not only did people finally get a new Star Wars movie, but three homages to Star Trek saw wide release that year. In this episode of Standard Orbit, Mike and Drew look at three movies that came out 15 years ago: Trekkies, Free Enterprise, and Galaxy Quest. Join us as we open up this time capsule and explore the conventions of the mid-Nineties, Mark Altman/Robert Meyer Burnett's not-really-biopic about nerds finding love in L.A., and the best movie about actors being mistaken for their characters since The Three Amigos!