Episode 54: The Human Adventure Continues: Star Trek The Motion Picture

That's right listeners, it's time to go where no one has gone before -to the big screen, for the first voyage of the Enterprise in theaters! Today the Planet 8 crew is talking Star Trek: The Motion Picture!

The Motion Picture (or ST:TMP) has gained a bad reputation over the years, often derisively called 'The Motionless Picture,' but it actually was a hit at the box office, if not with the critics. Without ST:TMP, we wouldn't have gotten Wrath of Khan, or any of the films to follow, and perhaps no Next Generation and beyond. So whatever your opinion of the film -and we know opinions vary, because even within our Planet 8 crew, they do - one must acknowledge its role in keeping the franchise alive.

We'll discuss the troubled history of the production, how it swung back and forth between plans to be a new Star Trek TV series (Star Trek Phase II), a movie, a TV show, and a film again. By the time the studio decided to go with a theatrical film, they went into production in a rush, without a firm script, and with a set release date (December 7, 1979) which put the pressure on, especially with the complicated special effects that were required. They were lucky to have an experienced director in Robert Wise at the helm. They also kicked out the original effects group and brought in master effects artists Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra, who managed to finish the special effects just in time for the release.

Going to see Star Trek on the big screen was a real experience for all of us. There was, of course, huge anticipation. We hadn't seen our Enterprise crew in a new adventure in years! What would they look like? What would the story be like? Of course we had seen photos in magazines but to see them on the big screen would be a special thrill! For some though, the movie was not what they expected. After the excitement of Star Wars, ST:TMP might have seemed too slow, too talky. For others, it was too reminiscent of the Star Trek episode, The Changeling, where an ancient Earth space probe, modified by an alien probe, mistakes Kirk for its creator. But in some ways, ST:TMP is the Trek movie most like the original episodes. It may have been their attempt at Trek's '2001,' but it maintains Trek's hopeful concept for mankind's development as a species.

Regardless of one's thoughts about the plot of the film, the special effects are still beautiful to behold (and if you haven't seen the director's edition, run out now and get it!), and Jerry Goldsmith's score is perhaps the best Star Trek score of all. His main theme went on to become the theme of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it originated here, with this film, and it's absolutely beautiful to hear in conjunction with the visual of the streamlined Enterprise.

In any case, it's worth a revisit if you haven't seen it in a while. Check it out and let us know your thoughts!

For our Sensor Sweep this episode, to go with our theme, Karen shares a book that goes into great depth on ST:TMP: Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Preston Neal Jones. In this hefty tome, Jones has put together an oral history of the film, which includes interviews with the cast and crew of The Motion Picture. Honestly, anything you would ever want to know about how the movie was made is included in this book. You can find it from sellers on Amazon, and at the time of this writing, they now have an ebook version too.

We also want to give a plug to our first ever video-only episode on our YouTube channel! We decided to do a quick little video Sensor Sweep for you guys, sharing some of our collectibles, and a funny story about a near-miss the guys had with a collectible. So we hope you'll check it out at our YouTube channel. Let us know if you'd like to see more video episodes!

All right, that's it for this time around. But if you want to contact us, hailing frequencies are open!

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Live long and prosper!

Episode 51: Well, Isn't that Special - Effects

our guest Webster Colcord with "friends" at Tippett Studios

All of the amazing fantasy and science fiction films that we love, with their spaceships and ray guns, monsters and aliens, couldn't exist without the talents and hard work of special effects artists. For this episode, the Planet 8 crew is joined by special effects artist and animator Webster Colcord! Webster is an industry veteran, getting his start at the Vinton Studios, doing claymation on the California Raisins. He has gone on to work on a wide range of projects, including James and the Giant Peach, Deadpool, Ted, Superman Returns, The Host, and many other genre films. Webster currently works with legendary effects artist Phil Tippett at Tippett Studios. 

via Gfycat

We'll talk with Webster about his career, and learn about what it was like to do claymation, hear about the early days of CG effects, the beginnings of Pixar, and more! We had a lot of fun just talking with Webster and getting a lot of behind the scenes stories about different films and how some amazing effects were done -and what went wrong with a few movies! (We're looking at you Scorpion King...)

If you've ever wondered about how some of the special effects you've seen in films were made, or what it's like working in the special effects field, this is the episode for you!

For this episode, Recon Officer Karen has the Sensor Sweep and looks at a new book from author Marc Cushman. It's a continuation of his excellent These are The Voyages series, the first three volumes of which covered the first three seasons of the original Star Trek. This volume, entitled These are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s  Volume 1 (1970 -1975). Cushman covers the years between the end of the original series up through the animated series (but prior to the first film). It includes info on the sci-fi TV films Roddenberry made, like Questor Tapes and Genesis II as well. One big surprise -Roddenberry was working on the script for a Tarzan film which never materialized! If you're a Star Trek buff, you'll want this book.

That's all for this go-round. We hope you enjoyed our look at special effects with our friend Webster. As always, we want to hear your thoughts. Leave them below in the comments, or hit us up in our social media spots:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for listening!

Episode 46: Those Creepy TV Movies!

via GIPHY

How many of you remember the movie of the week? Back before streaming or even cable, the network channels had their own special made for TV movies. During the 70s, it seemed like an awful lot of these were horror or monster focused. They varied in quality, but there were a number of really exciting and memorable ones, and that's what we're talking about in this episode! 

We have already covered two of the most famous - The Night Stalker and the Night Strangler, featuring our beloved Carl Kolchak - in episode 22 (check it out here, Night Stalker fans). But we'll look at some awesome...and maybe not so awesome!....made for TV productions.

Chief Engineer Bob uncovers a hidden Rankin-Bass and Tsubarya Japanese film connection, with a trio of films, The Last Dinosaur, The Bermuda Depths, and The Ivory Ape. Yep, we said Rankin-Bass, the company that gave you Rudolph! It's a fascinating story!

Then Karen tells us about Gene Roddenberry's post-Star Trek shift to a dystopian future, first with a movie called Genesis II, then a redo of this film called Planet Earth, and finally yet another version called Strange New World! Certainly not his best work, but interesting to behold.

But on the plus side, we have all time favorites, like Gargoyles, a 1972 film that caused some of us to have nightmares. This film is best remembered for the fantastic make-up on the gargoyles, which was some of the great Stan Winston's earliest work. It certainly scared your Planet 8 hosts as youngsters!

via GIPHY

We all were absolutely petrified by the two-part presentation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, with David Soul. It scared us to death as kids and really holds up today. And it even has a Star Trek connection!

But our piece de resistance, the film that really gets to everyone who has ever seen it, is Trilogy of Terror (1975), but really we're just talking about one segment, "Amelia," featuring Karen Black and a very frightening Zuni fetish doll. You may never look at your collectible figures the same way again.

 Speaking of collectible figures...Bob handles our Sensor Sweep for this episode. There are a couple of amazing robot toys available only at Walmart right now - walking, talking Iron Giant and Robby the Robot 12" figures for just $19.95! These are made by a company called Goldlok, and Bob's very impressed with the quality. But they are flying off the shelves! So hurry out and get yourself one. Bob also recommends the Funko Pops Speed Racer "Nightmare Speed" figure.

And before we go...we want to thank you listeners again for nominating Planet 8 for "Best Multimedia Site"  for the Rondo Awards. Also, Bob's other website, SciFi Japan, is nominated for "Best Website." We'd really appreciate it if you could vote for us before the March 29th deadline. You can find the ballot here. All you have to do is send an email to Taraco@aol.com.  We're so surprised and grateful to have been nominated. We hope that means we're doing something right!

And if you're in the San Francisco  Bay Area, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting an anime weekend -Animezing! -  at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco on March 14th and 15th. For more information go to http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/animezing.

So let us know how we're doing, and be sure to tell us what your favorite made for TV movies were. You can leave a comment here, or hit us up at our other spots: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

And watch out for possessed action figures!

Episode 44: Make It So! Musings on Jean-Luc Picard

With the return of Jean-Luc Picard to the small screen, the Planet 8 crew decided it would be a good time to reminisce about the former starfleet legend and the great actor who plays him, Sir Patrick Stewart. We'll go over the casting process that brought Stewart to Star Trek, and our initial impressions of Captain Picard. And here's a hint - we weren't exactly in love with him at the start!

But with time, the good captain won us over. We'll offer up some of our favorite episodes and moments featuring the captain of the Enterprise-D. What made Picard so special as a character? What were the qualities of the Captain that we admired? And how did he differ from the only other starfleet captain we knew at the time, Captain Kirk?

We recorded this episode  just before the Star Trek Picard show premiered, so we'll also share thoughts about what we hope to see from this new show too.

For the Sensor Sweep this time, Karen shares two excellent Star Trek books: The Fifty Year Mission:  The First Twenty Five Years:The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized, Oral History of Star Trek, and its sequel, The Fifty Year Mission: The Next Twenty-Five Years, by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. You might be thinking, "More Star Trek books? I know everything about Star Trek!" But believe us, these books peel away so many layers to uncover hidden stories that will surprise even long-time fans. You can find them in major book stores or, of course, on Amazon. And Altman also hosts a terrific Star Trek podcast called Inglorious Treksperts -check it out.

Listeners, we also want to say a big "Thank you" to all of you who got out and nominated  Planet 8 for Best Multimedia Site for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (https://rondoaward.com/). It is such an honor and a thrill to get on the Rondo ballot! We really appreciate you getting out there and pushing Planet 8. Now we want to ask if you will go one more step and vote for us on the actual ballot! The link above will take you to the Rondo ballot. It's been a blast putting the show together for you every other week, and we always enjoy your feedback. We hope we can continue to entertain you in the many years ahead!

That's it for us, but you know our hailing frequencies are always open! Send us a message here, or at our other communication points:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 15: Thankful for Star Trek

To our listeners in the United States: Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the holiday, your Planet 8 crew is giving thanks of their own, for something that has had a major impact on the three of us (and we suspect, a lot of you, too): Star Trek!

Each of selected an episode of classic Trek to discuss. We hope you enjoy the episodes we chose. It was hard choosing just three since we have so many favorites! But we're already talking about doing another show on Star Trek. There are just too many great episodes left to discuss! Here are our choices:

Bob - Arena;
Karen - Amok Time;
and Larry, All Our Yesterdays

This episode's Sensor Sweep looks at (appropriately) a fantastic tome from Titan Books called Star Trek Lost Scenes. This mammoth, 270 page treasure-trove was produced by David Tilotta and Curt McAloney, and is a joy to any Trekkie or Trekker's eyes. The authors have assembled a wonderful collection of  behind the scenes clips, deleted scenes, and bloopers. They've used modern technology to digitally scan and color-correct these old film clips, vastly improving the image quality. The truly exciting thing is that they've gathered pictures most fans  have never seen before, from scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor. It's truly worthy of being in any Star Trek fan's collection.

Gorn anatomy 101

Deleted scene, 'Elaan of Troyius'

Besides Star Trek, we're thankful for all of you who listen to the podcast and leave comments, either here, or at Twitter or the Facebook page. We really enjoy hearing what you thought of each episode and what you'd like to hear us talk about in future ones. If you haven't found us in those other places yet, here's how:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening! And...live long and prosper!

Our closing song this episode is "Surf Trek" by the Rubinoos. Other clips are copyright CBS.