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“Charlie X” 60th-anniversary reflections While investigating the planet Thasus, the crew of the Antares takes in a young crash survivor who had been stranded alone for 14 years. The boy, Charlie Evans, is then transferred to the Enterprise where his teenage angst becomes amplified as he tries to fit in with other humans. Attempts by Kirk, Rand, and others to help him acclimate are made far more difficult thanks to Charlie’s psychokinetic powers. Acting out whenever something doesn’t go his way, Charlie eventually takes over the Enterprise and the non-corporeal Thasians, who protected him during years of isolation and are responsible for his powers, are forced to step in and bring Charlie back “home.” In this episode of Standard Orbit, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 60th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of the original Star Trek, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 1 with the second aired episode, “Charlie X,” as we discuss its relevance in today’s world, the challenges of growing up, the importance of guidance, why you can’t always get what you want, and more. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Nature vs. Nurture (00:02:04) The Drive of Adolescence (00:09:17) Base Instincts (00:12:29) Kirk as Father Figure (00:18:08) Please Like Me! (00:21:17) You Can’t Always Get What You Want (00:29:51) Thasians Take Me Away (00:35:55) United Earth Space Probe Agency (00:38:12) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:34) Closing (00:45:35) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“Tomorrow’s Enterprise” As the Enterprise studies a white hole, the theoretical counterpart of a black hole, Uhura begins hearing strange music. Soon, an energy pulse strikes the ship and Uhura hears Scotty screaming for help. But no one else hears his cries, and she is left bleeding. Once cleared by Doctor M’Benga, Uhura sets out to investigate what happened … and ends up contacting her future self. With one year to work with, the two Uhuras must collaborate through time to solve the mystery of the anomaly and help birth a space baby to save Scotty and restore the timeline. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing wrap up our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with the finale, “Tomorrow’s Enterprise.” We discuss Uhura’s journey, hopping timelines, visiting Kirk’s Enterprise, how the story could have served as a series finale, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Temu Interstellar (00:03:18) Uhura’s Journey (00:06:42) Pike’s Influence (00:12:47) A Show on Its Own Terms (00:17:00) Timelines (00:19:54) Natural Interactions (00:24:09) Boyce Not So Noice (00:27:58) Full On Animated Series! (00:30:40) Space Baby! (00:39:41) The TOS Feel (00:47:12) Potential Series Finale? (00:49:30) Looking Ahead to Season 5 (00:54:17) Final Thoughts and Ratings (01:02:41) Closing (01:09:49) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Godzilla Minus One. The giant kaiju tormentor of Japan first burst on the big screen in 1954 and since that time has never been far from theaters either in Japan or in the USA. In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Ry Paulson talk about Godzilla Minus One. We discuss our Godzilla fandom, going back to the beginning, so many themes, the need of community, men need purpose, forgiveness, the production and our ratings. Chapters Godzilla Fandom (00:02:25) Going Back to the Beginning (00:08:35) So Many Themes (00:13:06) The Need of Community (00:23:13) Men Need Purpose (00:28:51) Forgiveness (00:33:56) The Production (00:40:30) Ratings (00:46:25) Host Matthew Rushing Co-Host Ry Paulson Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Social Twitter: @The602Club Instagram: @the602clubtfm Letterboxd: the602club

“Initiations” 30th-anniversary reflections While on a solo shuttle trip to perform a quiet ritual for his late father, Chakotay wanders into Kazon-Ogla space and finds himself face-to-face with his would-be executioner: a teenager named Kar. Overcoming the boy is not a problem, but Chakotay’s refusal to kill him is—at least among the Kazon. Death would give Kar’s life meaning (don’t think about that for too long). Back on the Kazon ship, they both get chastised by First Maje Razik as total failures for not doing their killing duty properly. After escaping the ship and becoming stranded together on a Kazon training moon, Chakotay and Kar continue their standoff until Chakotay finally stages his own death so that Kar can both live and earn his name. In this episode of To The Journey, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Voyager, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Initiations,” another attempt to make the Kazon work, a chance to explore Chakotay’s background, Aron Eisenberg on Voyager, and more. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Neelix Does Way More Than Cook (00:02:30) Fleshing Out Chakotay (00:06:23) Based on Gang Research (00:12:17) Aron’s Performance (00:21:12) Indoctrination (00:25:16) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:26:44) Closing (00:30:45) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“Once La’an a Time” When the Enterprise comes across what appears to be a flat planet, it’s just the beginning of things that probably shouldn’t exist. The entity that swept away M’Benga’s daughter in Season 1 has apparently expanded on the original storybook for a sequel: The Elysian Kingdom II: Swords and Dragons. As the landing party becomes tangled in a fantasy web, La’an must fight herself and her inner demons—literally—to get two new companions aboard the Enterprise: Runa the dog and Jim the Kirk. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Once La’an a time.” We discuss the return to the Elysian Kingdom, resolving La’an’s inner conflict, narrative hijinks in Star Trek, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) The Elysian Kingdom, Part II (00:01:47) The Most Clichéd Solution (00:09:04) Griffin Confusion (00:16:33) Jim’s Back Again! (00:19:29) A Sword Fight Is All You Need (00:22:57) Bye, Bye Pelia (00:28:00) Narrative Hijinks (00:33:09) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:42:13) Closing (00:49:09) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Star Trek and “The Man Trap” 60th-anniversary reflections Six decades ago, Gene Roddenberry invited the world on a wagon trail to the stars with a salty start that would lead to one of the greatest storytelling adventures of all time. As the Star Trek franchise marks its 60th anniversary, Standard Orbit returns with hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing as we reflect on the series that started it all. In this installment, we discuss the first aired episode, “The Man Trap,” and how it works as a pilot and immediately pulls viewers into the story and the world of Star Trek. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) 60 Years of Influence (00:02:25) What Keeps You Watching? (00:10:39) Can Star Trek Remain Relevant? (00:19:48) It Just Throws You In (00:26:08) The Mystery of Nancy Crater (00:36:02) Does “The Man Trap” Still Hold Up? (00:40:22) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:46:36) Closing (00:49:24) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“Whispers” 30th-anniversary reflections When Chief O’Brien returns from a security briefing on Parada, he finds everyone on the station acting strangely toward him. Keiko and Molly pull away, Bashir insists on an unscheduled physical, and his own repair assignments seem designed to keep him out of the loop. The more he investigates, the more it looks like a conspiracy has taken over Deep Space 9—until he flees the station and uncovers a truth he never suspected. In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Whispers,” the effective simplicity of the story, and how it all hinges on nuanced acting and consistent character-building. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Bad Luck O’Brien (00:02:28) Replicating Miles (00:07:57) Rewatch Value (00:12:27) Consistent Character (00:16:53) Missing Pieces? (00:20:55) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:24:25) Closing (00:27:09) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

“Azati Prime” 20th-anniversary reflections It’s been a long road, but the Enterprise finally arrives at Azati Prime, home to the Xindi weapon construction site. While Trip and Travis go deep-diving for the Xindi weapon, Hoshi learns the ins-and-outs of a bug’s life as she prepares Archer for some insectoid discourse. Meanwhile, a celebration of sorts is happening among the Xindi as they mark the completion of their weapon. But not everyone is happy. Dolim the reptile certainly isn’t, and he takes out his impatience and anger on Archer and the Enterprise itself, which is moments away from destruction when the credits roll. In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we continue Season 3 with “Azati Prime” as we discuss the turning point in the Xindi arc, Archer’s trip to the future, how the conflict comes into focus, T’Pol under pressure, and more. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Building the Story (00:02:34) Deep Diving (00:08:31) Daniels and the Enterprise-J (00:12:46) The Conflict Comes into Focus (00:21:08) Degra’s Struggles (00:27:39) Archer’s Choice (00:32:04) T’Pol’s Stress (00:36:35) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:40:26) Closing (00:42:19) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

The Uprising. One of the most popular and longest running genres in film as been the historical epic because dramatizing important parts of our history can be a powerful way of experiencing the past. In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Ry Paulson talk about The Uprising. We discuss title confusion, the written word, mob justice, using God, the cast, production and our ratings. Chapters Title Confusion (00:02:19) The Written Word (00:10:50) Mob Justice (00:17:17) Using God (00:22:50) The Cast (00:26:13) The Production (00:30:50) Ratings (00:35:58) Host Matthew Rushing Co-Host Ry Paulson Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Social Twitter: @The602Club Instagram: @the602clubtfm Letterboxd: the602club

“Orders of Magnitude” The Enterprise crew are thrilled to meet a living legend, Admiral Simon Reeger, but excitement soon turns to tension when he commandeers the Enterprise for his own purposes. Stranding Pike, Una, Uhura, and A’Sha, who are on an away mission and out of communications range, Reeger sets off in pursuit of a ship that he claims is responsible for the deaths of five million. His XO for the mission is none other than James T. Kirk, who conveniently happens to be visiting the Enterprise once again. Ultimately, that turns out to be a good thing, as it is Kirk who uncovers the admiral’s true motives and stops him for executing General Order 24 and destroying all life on a planet where the alleged mercenary ship attempts to hide. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Orders of Magnitude.” We discuss the Star Trek feel, a classic badmiral, the untold (and unknown) history of the Kirk family, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) A Breath of Fresh Air (00:02:56) I Was in the Neighborhood (00:07:04) Badmirals Are Back! (00:10:08) A Drug Too Many? (00:17:24) No Objections (00:28:09) Kirk Family History Hour (00:35:15) Angry Andorians (00:42:44) Uhura and A’Sha (00:45:33) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:52:36) Closing (00:57:26) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“Like Chronitons through the Hourglass” When the Enterprise again encounters the “cosmic entity” who once staged a wedding for Spock and Chapel, the crew find themselves trapped in a soap opera filled with classic tropes, melodrama, camera work, and music. There’s even an evil twin brother. In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Like Chronitons through the Hourglass.” We discuss the format, the potential, the execution, and … Sybok. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) Nailed the Sybok (00:01:34) What the Hell Is a Soap Opera? (00:03:14) Lost Pain (00:09:13) Inept Writing (00:12:46) The Story that Could Have Been (00:17:05) Counselors Are Back! (00:20:39) Q Connection (00:25:43) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:32:04) Closing (00:36:12) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. There are some animated shows that transcend their genre and become something that defines an entire generation as well as those that come after it which happened on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008. In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Ry Paulson talk about Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. We discuss our Avatar story, should it have been in the theater, rebuilding the world, forging a new family, expanding the lore and our ratings. Chapters Our Avatar Story (00:02:15) Should It Have Been in the Theater (00:07:17) Rebuilding the World (00:13:06) Forging a New Family (00:24:25) Expanding the Lore (00:29:21) Ratings (00:35:53) Host Matthew Rushing Co-Host Ry Paulson Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Social Twitter: @The602Club Instagram: @the602clubtfm Letterboxd: the602club

Invasion! Time's Enemy. With the first two books setting up an epic new enemy, maybe it’s time for a side quest with the crew of Deep Space Nine. Something that’s Fury-adjacent and chock-full of technobabble. In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan discuss the book, Time’s Enemy, book three and DS9’s entry in the Invasion! saga. They discuss the connections to the other books in the series, the mystery that kicks off the novel, hard sci-fi vs political sci-fi, a new alien threat, and much more! And most importantly, they ponder on where the Furies are. Feature: Time's Enemy Connections to the Other Books (4:05) Technobabble (9:41) Character Voices (13:19) Writing Team (17:40) The Mystery, the Symbiont, and the Science (19:04) Kira and the Hard Suit (24:10) Hard Sci-Fi vs Political Sci-Fi (26:32) The Vulcan Captain (31:49) A New Alien Threat (33:58) Back in Time (38:28) Spin-Off Novel (42:58) Final Thoughts (44:41) Closing (47:29) Hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan Production Matthew Rushing (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Editor and Associate Producer)

“Off-Hour” TGIF is in the air as the Enterprise alpha shift crew gets set for its weekend break. But all hell breaks loose when the ship is pulled into a slipstream wormhole. With the phenomenon knocking out power and accelerating them to greater and greater speeds, they must beat the clock to break free before the Enterprise passes the warp threshold and is torn apart. But first, a concert! In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Off-Hour.” We discuss the latest genre swing, the character development, the technobabble, crawling on the ship, surprise faces, and more. Chapters Intro (0:00:00) A Storytelling Revelation (00:02:16) A Genre That Fits (00:07:16) Classic Technobabble (00:15:37) Crawling on the Ship (00:19:56) Chapel and M'Benga (00:24:25) Scotty's One True Love (00:29:07) Boyce Boyce Baby (00:35:25) Making Genre Work (00:40:08) A Grotesque Obsession (42:42) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:46:53) Closing (00:51:57) Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

Coyote vs. Acme. In 2022 Warner Bro. Discovery shelved its next DC film, to cut costs and then in 2023 it did the same thing with a Looney Tunes film to obtain a tax write-off. In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Ry Paulson talk about the finally released Coyote vs. Acme. We discuss a crazy ride, was it worth it, surprising depth, using others, the cast, the comedy, Looney World and our ratings. Chapters A Crazy Ride (00:01:57) Was It Worth It? (00:07:14) Surprising Depth for 2D (00:12:44) Using Others (00:26:25) The Cast (00:33:36) The Comedy (00:39:38) Looney World (00:43:50) Ratings (00:47:31) Host Matthew Rushing Co-Host Ry Paulson Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Social Twitter: @The602Club Instagram: @the602clubtfm Letterboxd: the602club