Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

ELIO Well, here we are… at the end of another year. Despite a concerted effort to try and rush towards a return to some form of pre-pandemic life, the impact of this global catastrophe will ripple for years to come. In one way, shape, or form - all our lives have been changed. Now, many of us are looking ahead and thinking of what's to come in 2022. Cautiously optimistic and hopeful that things will gradually continue to improve and change for the better. On behalf of the entire team at Priority One: We wish you nothing but the best in this New Year and years to come – that you live long and prosperous lives. Narrowing our focus on our little corner, 2021 was a monumental year for Priority One. In March of 2021, our production celebrated its 500th episode and 10 years of weekly podcasting. That is no small endeavor. To celebrate the occasion, we were privileged to host several Trek Stars - new and veteran - and with donations from listeners like you, along with a matching gift by Rod Roddenberry - we raised over $4,000 for The Poor People's Campaign. I can think of no better way to celebrate such a milestone than to work towards finding ways of giving back. Now, here we are - having just wrapped our 535th episode. As I look back over the last 10 years, I find myself in complete awe over all the things we've accomplished. The conversations we've had with each other and special guests. The panels we've participated in. The events we've attended and hosted. The places we've been. The laughs we've shared. The friendships we've forged. But… as the saying goes… All good things must come to an end. You're listening to the final broadcast of Priority One Podcast! I realize this announcement may come as a surprise to most - if not all - of you. With so much going on in the Star Trek Multiverse, why would we stop covering the latest from our favorite franchise? I wish I could give you a simple and satisfying answer but, there isn't. Behind the scenes, we've had long conversations about the future of the show, our goals, our hopes. In the end, we came to the conclusion that now was the best time to jump on our horses and ride off quietly into the sunset – leaving behind an incredible legacy of passion and love for an I.P. that has touched so many of our lives. CAT It's been such a fantastic experience being part of the podcast for the past few years. I'm truly amazed at the talented group of people that work behind the scenes that edit and assemble the show. Also to Elio and the other co-hosts and guest hosts that we've had - thank you so much for putting up with my dogs and allowing me to join you each week. Getting to discuss Star Trek on these shows has been one of the most enjoyable experiences and during the pandemic - it's been a lifesaver.  With that said, we want to continue to support our Patrons since they have given so much to support us. We will be pausing all Patreon charges until further notice - but we are considering still continuing our after-hours show for you all. If you are a Patron - please reach out and let us know your thoughts.  So, even though the main podcast is ending, we still want to keep in touch via Patreon- or come and play Star Trek Online with the Priority One Armada - you know we are not going anywhere. We'll still host our livestream every Saturday - everyone is welcome!  ROSCO I was the most recent addition to the crew. I am one of the many people on this podcast who went from listener to being part of the team.  I think I said yes because I felt welcome, and that was just by listening to the podcast.   What I soon realized was that I had found my people. I had found like-minded people who were passionate about one of the things that has been a huge influence on my life. I got the chance to talk about Star Trek EVERY WEEK!!  What a dream job. And although it's coming to an end and we may not be producing any more episodes, you'll still find our entire back catalogue on our website and wherever you get your podcasts. I want to add my own personal thanks to my co-hosts for making me feel welcome, my respect and admiration to the team that works behind the scenes to put this show together, and to thank you for listening.  We're an amazing community to be a part of, it has been a privilege to share the news about it. ELIO Before we leave you, I need to thank the team that has made this possible. Over the last 10 years, we have had a remarkable group of people volunteering their time and talents to this production. Fans of Star Trek from all over the world who decided to come and play with us each and every week. From as far as Australia, the UK, from Germany, Canada, from Argentina, and the US, Priority One was brought to you by a global team of amazingly talented people. Whether it be our website and social platforms, our livestreams, the copy written for our weekly shows… to the weekly undertaking of editing our ramblings – no single person is responsible for this production. I encourage you to visit our website and look over our cast and crew page to learn more about these remarkable individuals… because without their incredible dedication over the years, this show would not have been made possible. I also want to thank some of our most influential collaborators and contributors. To folks like Al Rivera at Cryptic Studios who always supported and believed in the work we did to share in the joy that Star Trek Online has brought over the years. To John Champion and Rod Roddenberry, for recognizing our work and welcoming us into the Roddenberry Podcast Family. I will forever cherish the words John and Rod shared with me when I informed them of our decision. It has been an honor. But, most importantly, a big thanks to you. Our listeners – our friends — our extended family. Over these 10 years, you have been our driving force for producing this weekly show. The team and I are forever grateful for your dedicated and loyal support. For joining us and welcoming us into your weekly routine. It has been an honor to produce this show for you and I am grateful to each and every one of you. As sad as this may be, it's important for us to hang on to the best parts of our lives. With that in mind, let's remember some of those moments and share some laughs with you… Take care.

This week on Episode 535 of Priority One: Content deals continue at ViacomCBS, so you'll see what IP Bob can guarantee to be on TV.  A touching farewell to Tilly, with the character's far future plans on the tip of Mary Wiseman's tongue.  In gaming news, some fresh and refreshed games to add to your Trek catalog, and Mudd is back with a fresh Intel in a big ship bundle.  And before we review the most recent episode of Discovery, Dr. Robert Hurt tells us how we're looking for planets not just around distant stars, but in distant galaxies!  TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Not Every Loss Is Eternal By Jake Cobb If you haven't watched Star Trek: Discovery's season 4 episode 4 “All is Possible” our next story contains spoilers. You've been warned. Still here? Good! Let's get started! In the aforementioned “All is Possible”, Discovery said goodbye to one of its own: Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly. This week, TVInsider sat down with Tilly actor Mary Wiseman to talk about the episode, her departure, and the future of Tilly. Before going any further, let's get the big question out of the way: will Tilly be back, and in what capacity? Wiseman answered (unsatisfyingly) ”I can say that you'll see me later on in the season.” She continued (also unsatisfyingly) ”I'll say that her hair is slightly different and she's wearing a different outfit.” And she'll make new friends along the way! Image: ViacomCBS, via Tor. Being less vague, Wiseman recalled her on-screen goodbyes, telling TVInsiders Meredith Jacobs ”you tend to create a found family and that's very much the story of our show, both on and offscreen, that we are a found family. So it felt really important to honor those relationships…[i]t kind of feels like...she's going off to do this thing and all of these people show up for her to say, ‘we'll still be here for you when you come back and we love you and we'll miss you'.” It's true, we'll miss you–a lot. ViacomCBS: Deal With It By Cat Hough In some not very shocking news, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish confirmed that Paramount+ is moving towards exclusivity for its major IP franchises, by reducing the amount of third-party licenses...just like the recent buy-back deal for Star Trek: Discovery from Netflix. In a recent media conference, Bakish was asked about the third-party licensing deals and he said that while the company continues to bring in revenue for many deals cut before the launch of Paramount+, its priorities have definitely changed and that they are not likely to renew any prior third-party deals.   They are altering the deal. Pray they do not alter it further. Image: ViacomCBS/Trekmovie Bakish elaborated on this, saying, “as we increasingly transition to leveraging our particular franchises and original production for our owned and operated streaming assets, principally Paramount+…that, in turn, will create a decline in that third-party business over time as these deals roll off. I would note that as an example of that, we just took back Star Trek: Discovery internationally from Netflix. And so we now have that property globally. That's clearly a core franchise for us, and it's working.” It appears that these efforts are working for Bakish, as he stated that Paramount+ had its best week ever and best month ever in November. However, Discovery has yet to be confirmed for a fifth season. Historically, additional season pickups are announced around the time of the launch of a new season, which they did for Star Trek: Prodigy. Paramount+ Opens Revenue Channels By Cat Hough Speaking of Paramount+, it just announced the launch of 18 linear channels that let subscribers surf through dedicated-themed collections of shows called Live Channels. The content comes from all ViacomCBS properties including CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET and the Smithsonian Channel as well as from other sources. The themed “live” channels, streaming 24 hours per day, feature the service's most-streamed genres or specific franchises like Star Trek. Just think Star Trek Channel: all Trek, all the time.   Not like this. Not like this....Image: ViacomCBS, via Space.com Paramount+ Live Channels also will potentially provide a new bucket of advertising inventory for the streaming service to sell. At launch, there won't be ads in the channels for either the Paramount+ Premium ($9.99/month) or the ad-supported Essential ($4.99/month) tiers, but eventually ViacomCBS may introduce ads for customers with the Essential package. Through Dec. 31, new subscribers can try Paramount+ for 30 days free by using the promo code “PEAKSALE.” Quick News Roundup A Star Trek Adventures-based audio play, Star Trek: Europa, is now available as a podcast with 10 episodes online.  The series follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Europa, a Luna-class starship with a new prototype positronic-bioneural computer system and an advanced AI. The ship's mission is exploration following the Dominion War. It's available on all of your favorite podcast apps.   In other audio news comes a cryptic tweet with very few details. Coming soon fresh outta spacedock is a new STO series, “Ex Astris: The Ships of Star Trek Online.”  The tweet comes from Daniel Orrett, writer and creator of the science fiction audio drama Sojourn HQ.  Which could imply an audio drama telling the story of STO ships?  With no release date, we'll have to simply wait and see.   STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Mudd-Slinging Continues Unabated By Cat Hough Just in time for the holidays when you have all the extra money, a new bundle hits Mudd's Market on December 22nd! Mudd's Secret Intel Choice Pack will be available for 29,500 Zen, and you can choose any three of the following options:  Section 31 Intel Science Destroyer Son'a Intel Battlecruiser Elachi Sheshar Intel Dreadnought Cruiser Na'Qjej Intel Battlecruiser 50x Master Keys 1 Epic Phoenix Box Token 9x T6x Upgrade Tokens 10x Gold Tech Upgrades Image: Cryptic Studios. Or you can spend 60,000 Zen and get Mudd's MEGA Secret Intel Bundle: a one stop purchase to obtain all eight items in the pack at once! NOTE: Both packs are 50% off in the Zen store from December 22 through January 5.  Star Trek Faces A Resurgence By Ross McQueen Star Trek: Resurgence is a narrative adventure game featuring dialog choices, relationship building, and exploration. Alongside dialog-driven role playing and rich branching storylines, you will also engage with the Star Trek universe in a variety of other gameplay styles, including shuttle piloting, phaser fights, tricorder scanning, stealth, and micro-gameplay mechanics. https://youtu.be/XNer-6JEJk0 Star Trek: Resurgence follows two principal characters through a single epic story, with gameplay switching between the characters, similar to Telltale's Game of Thrones or Tales from the Borderlands. Star Trek: Resurgence is a single player experience without microtransactions, DLC or other additional monetization models.  The Armada Is Mobilized, Captains By Ross McQueen Grab yourself an energy drink or three, a bowl of your favourite snacks and let's LAN party like it's 1999!  Actually, the correct temporal coordinates are 2000 and 2001, with Star Trek: Armada and Armada II now available on the GOG store. Anyone else here a Ressikan flute playing? No? Just me? Image: Activision, via GOG. This comes after GOG and Activision teamed up to celebrate 55 years of Star Trek, rereleasing six games including Voyager Elite Force and  Star Trek: Bridge Commander updated to work on modern operating systems. In Star Trek Armada, war is raging in the Alpha Quadrant with four races to command. The story is then expanded in Armada II, with Species 8472 entering the fray in Federation Space. Both games are available to purchase on the GOG store. A Dual Trilogy In Fleet Command By Ross McQueen The latest update has dropped for Star Trek Fleet Command, with Patch 37 bringing with it Part 3 of the Duality Arc, with three notable additions to the game as well as the usual collection of new officers, missions and bug fixes. Officer presets are now available, meaning you can create, name, and save specific sets of bridge officers which may then be assigned to your preferred ship.  Also a third permanent research queue is now unlockable through the in-game store. Kermit gotta get paid, son. Image: Scopely. On top of this, the Syndicate has now arrived!  The morally green Orions bring with them tiers to unlock, daily goal multipliers and an exclusive officer, Ghrush.  You can earn Syndicate XP from select events, a daily claim within the Syndicate menu, or from the Offers tab. ASTROMETRICS REPORT For this week's Astrometics Report, we go way past the final frontier to hunt for exoplanets--not just around other stars, but in distant galaxies. And we aren't just talking the homeworld of the Andromedans from the TOS episode "By Any Other Name." They're just from the Andromeda Galaxy, a mere two million light-years away. No, this tantalizing new discovery was found in the Whirlpool Galaxy, or M51, at a whopping distance of 30 million light-years. And this potential planet was found in a particularly wild system. So how do you search for exoplanets in other distant galaxies, when we've only barely started finding them in the nearby reaches of our very own Milky Way galaxy? It's a classic example of the scientific method at work: thinking about what we know, coming up with a hypothetical way to do a different kind of search, and being rewarded with an exciting detection. Now if you've been following exoplanet discoveries, you may already have heard of a search strategy kjnown as the "transit method." In a nutshell, astronomers hunt for planets orbiting other stars by looking for a small tell-tale dip in the star's brightness, that would happen when a comparatively tiny planet passes in front of its star--blocking a little bit of its light. This only works with planetary systems that, by the roll of the dice, happen to be aligned perfectly edge-on with our vantage point, allowing us to see the transits. Statistically that's a pretty small fraction of al the star systems out there. But it's been incredibly productive so far, leading to the discovery of nearly five thousand planets around other stars in the Milky Way. Since planets are small compared to stars, these dips in brightness may be only a fraction of a percent of the star's overall brightness. It works best with stars that are nearby and can be measured precisely. So the obvious question is how could you hunt for transiting planets in other galaxies, where the light of the stars gets mushed into an unresolved haze? X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. DiStefano, et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/Grendler That very question prompted researcher Rosanne Di Stefano and her team to consider looking far past visible light to another part of the spectrum: namely, X-rays. Only the very hottest processes in the universes light up in this high-energy party of the spectrum, including an unusual kind of system called an X-ray binary. These are typically either a compact neutron star, or black hole, in a close orbit around another star. Gas spilling of the star gets swept up into a disc around the super-dense companion. the inner regions of the disc get heated to incredible temperatures. A large galaxy may gave at most a few dozen X-ray binaries that are so bright we can see them millions of light-ears away. but each one is a single compact source. So what if one of those has an orbiting planet that transits in front of the glowing disk? The team reasoned it would produce a transit signature that would briefly dim the X-ray light, so they went looking for one. And that's how they found the candidate planet in the Whirlpool Galaxy, using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. It turns out x-ray data sets are ideal for this kind of search. These telescopes typically have to sit and stare at a target for days, or even weeks, to collect enough x-ray photons to build up a picture. Those long staring observations are very similar to those used by exoplanet hunters searching in visible or infrared light. The transit they detected indicates a planet in an X-ray binary system called M51-ULS-1, where they saw the X-ray glow vanish for about three hours. They were able to rule out a variety of other factors that can cause X-ray variability, making a Saturn-sized planet the best explanation for what they saw. The signal was so strong because, in this case, the transiting planet would be much larger than the relatively compact part of the disc emitting the X-rays. So in X-ray binary systems, a planet would pretty much block all of the high energy light for a while. Image: NASA/CXC. Now I have to emphasize this is only considered to be a potential planet since confirmations require multiple transit detections. Unfortunately this planet likely has an orbital period of around 70 years or so, which means confirmation could take a very long time. However it points us towards a whole new way to search for other distant planets in the universe, and the awesome thing is that a lot of the data we need is already in hand. This research was carried out on archival data taken in other research programs--reminding us that our vast collections of research data in astronomy can be used to make new discoveries over time. You can bet scientists will continue searching data from Chandra and other X-ray telescopes for other possible planet transits. I should point out any planets in systems like this are not going to be at the top of the list for habitability searches. Such worlds are going to be flooded with deeply-destructive X-rays way past what you'd get in a doctors office. Our search may be restricted to stars a little closer to home. https://youtu.be/oR3Q7RBGmtc Finally I do have to comment on how excited the whole astronomical community is for the upcoming launch of NASA's Webb telescope on December 22. if you want to learn more about Webb, or the exogalactic exoplanet, make sure to check out Ask the Astronomers Live on universeunplugged.org. Every month our host Phil Lamar chats with a couple of astronomers about some of the coolest, or hottest, discoveries in the universe. You can even bring your own questions if you watch live on YouTube or Facebook.

This week on Episode 534 of Priority One: Kurtzman talks crossovers and Nichelle Nichols dances the night away; in gaming, two new starships are available to add to your Star Trek Online collection! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Kurtzman's Crossover Qualifications By Rosco McQueen Considering the amount of new Star Trek series either on screen or in development, you may be thinking it's more than likely there will be a crossover event of some kind.  Turns out Alex Kurtzman is thinking along the same lines.  Kurtzman and Sonequa Martin-Green were guests on the new episode of Deadline's Hero Nation podcast speaking about Burham's journey into the captain's chair.  And its many, many detours. Image: ViacomCBS, via Deadline. But the conversation came around to the idea of crossovers, and if that is a real possibility.  Kurtzman says yes, but it's got to be good. “Here's the thing about crossovers; I think crossovers can be really, really exciting. But they have to exist for a reason. There has to be a great story reason to do it.” Kutman said he is yet to come up with the right idea for the crossover, as the volume of productions as well as each program's individual identity are distinct, making it a challenge. “Because the flip side to doing a crossover wrong is that people are really disappointed and it impacts both shows. So it's just not a gamble that I would want to take randomly. that being said, it's certainly exciting to think about certain pairings that you're like ‘Wow, what would it be like if those two characters were together or those two crews were together?' But I want to be careful about it.” The same podcast episode asked about the status of the Section 31 series, which has been in development for some time.  The only answer Kurtzman would give was brief, saying “We're in a very exciting place. I can't tell you anything yet. But it's still very much alive.” Go ahead. You tell her the show's not happening. Image: ViacomCBS, via Superhero Hype. Nichelle Concludes Her Mission To Earth By Cat Hough If you were watching updates on Twitter from L.A. Comic-Con this past weekend, you undoubtedly saw that Nichelle Nichols made her last-ever public appearance (this was also confirmed on her website).  NASA has released a touching Thank You video to Nichols recognizing her impact on the space program through recruiting women and people of color to NASA in the 1970s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wPMlKG16QY Quick News Roundup The story of William Shatner's sojourn into space will be told in a one hour documentary special, aptly titled “Shatner in Space”. The documentary will screen on Amazon Prime as you might expect, seeing as Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon funded Bill's flight.  It premieres on Wednesday, Dec. 13, in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. According to Prime Video, additional territories will launch in 2022. If you haven't been keeping up with The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton on StarTrek.com, you really should. Last week featured the new uniform designs for Discovery Season 4 and an in-depth interview with David Ajala, who plays Cleveland Booker. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Great River Provides Us…with Nog! By Cat Hough Finally, the ship we've been waiting for…mostly because it's not coming via lockbox and it's free! The Eisenberg Star Cruiser [T6] was  announced as the Grand Prize award for this year's Q's Winter Wonderland Event. All you have to do is complete various activities available and gain enough Daily Progress to fulfill the Event's overall quota. You can earn Daily Progress once per day, per account. https://youtu.be/8Yofx883hTc This ship features a 4/4 weapons layout and an Ensign Engineering / Command Specialist Bridge Officer Seat, and a Lt. Commander Universal/Miracle Worker Specialist Bridge Officer Seat. It also comes with the Great Material Continuum Universal Console.  This console uses a massive network of tight-beam transporter beams to strip away enemy hull at a molecular scale, briefly buffers that matter, then converts it into energy and project into a protective barrier that can be applied to allied starships even at a great distance. This console also provides a passive bonus to Starship Drain Expertise and All Subsystem Energy Levels. Also leveling up this ship will give you access to the Ingenious Tenacity Starship Trait. Using this trait and activating any Specialist Bridge Officer Ability (Intel, Command, Pilot, Temp Op, Miracle Worker) will briefly grant your starship the ability to redirect incoming damage from Energy Weapons into Shield Restoration. A portion of all Energy Damage received during this time (pre-Resistances) will be translated into Shield Restoration for the shield facing which the enemy weapon impacted. Just think of all the yamok sauce that thing could pack. Image: Cryptic Studios. Saturn Rings In The Holiday Season By Thomas Reynolds By the Prophets, has it been a full week since we got a new Infinity Lockbox ship? Never fear, Cryptic has us covered with another dip into the 32nd century Fed fleet registry. Now available on PC, the Saturn Intel Science Spearhead [T6] will run rings around–and through–your enemies. Assuming RNGsus hears your prayers, that is. Like most 32nd century vessels, the Saturn's aesthetics are…challenging, to put it mildly. Consisting of just a flat ring-shaped “saucer” with trailing nacelles, it looks rather like the souvenir bottle openers in the Federation HQ's gift shop. On the other hand, at least everything is attached with no floaty bits to be found. Dr. Hurt ought to be pleased [HA!–Ed]. Yes. I know what everyone else says it looks like. Image: Cryptic Studios. As a Science Spearhead with Intel specialization, the Saturn splits its focus between analyzing opponents and blasting the █████ out of them. Commander Science/Intel, Ensign Universal/Pilot, and Lt. Commander Universal Boff seats lend great flexibility in approaching challenges. The Enhanced Battle Cloak and Dual Cannon compatibility quickly turns those challenges into past tense–no temporal shenanigans required.  Come in Peace, Leave ‘Em in Pieces The Saturn's Chakram Projector universal console leans into the circular theme even further, creating a spinning toroid of plot matter–excuse me, programmable matter to sandblast enemies in your vicinity. Ships caught within the death doughnut take kinetic damage with an additional kinetic resistance debuff. You, meanwhile, receive a passive buff to hull and shield penetration with all starship weaponry. Finally, the “Automated Triage” Tier 5 Mastery Trait kicks in a combined instant heal/heal-over-time to you or an ally within 5km whenever the subject dips below 50% hull health. Automated Triage immediately restores 10% of max hull, followed by another 20% of max hull over the next 10 seconds. The trait has a 60-second cooldown, but activating Science Team or an Intel Boff ability shortens it by 10 seconds. https://youtu.be/NeSc1s3fWQA Note that, although it literally says “Science” in the name, you really shouldn't treat it as a science vessel. Everything about the Saturn may make it a hole-in-one for weapons builds. However only one of the mastery package traits improves your Exotic Damage, and neither the Chakram Projector nor Automatic Triage affect it at all. Expect to go cannons hot and leave the Gravity Wells at home. Quick Gaming News Roundup The United Earth Defense Force Vessel is now available in console Infinity Lockboxes. Now XBox and Playstation captains don't have to avoid talking about the Elephant in the room–or not in the room, as the case may be. I bet you forgot about the Elephant. But the Elephant never forgets. And it never forgives. Image: Cryptic Studios.

This week on Episode 533 of Priority One: ViacomCBS tries to make amends to the world; First Contact celebrates 25 years; Badgey finally makes it into Star Trek Online; and we continue our S4 review of Star Trek: Discovery! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds How World War III Really Starts By Elio Lleo Before we left you for our Thanksgiving break, we reported that ViacomCBS had pulled Star Trek: Discovery from Netflix, leaving our friends outside of the US and Canada without a way to watch the latest season until sometime in 2022. Well, ViacomCBS has performed a massive international course correction. The fact that DSC was the fourth-most pirated series during Thanksgiving? Completely unrelated. Image: MUSO, via Deadline. Perhaps it was the international uproar. Perhaps it was because their poor planning was so misguided that it made headlines on news outlets like the BBC. Whatever the case may be, Paramount+ announced that Star Trek: Discovery will now be available internationally via Paramount+ or Pluto TV. You can find a detailed list of which platform in which country Discovery will be made available here.  Turbulence On Star Trek's Magic Carpet Ride By Elio Lleo It's been 25 years since Star Trek: First Contact premiered in movie theaters. Widely regarded as one of the best films of the franchise, its production wasn't entirely a walk in the park. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer Ronald D. Moore shares some behind the scenes stories about the film–including a clash with Sir Patrick Stewart.  According to Moore, Stewart wasn't too thrilled about some of the writing so he convinced Rick Berman to replace Moore and his co-writer Brannon Braga with some of his own writers. However, those new writers didn't quite work out…so Braga and Moore were brought back. Awkward. Even more awkward than this, apparently. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekNews. Moore shares the story: "I remember Patrick at the outset just said something like: ‘It's good to see you. I hope that we can all move on from the things that have happened, and now let's just concentrate on the work.' And I took that in the spirit it was given: [He] wants to move on from this, he's not going to apologize outright, but he kind of is apologizing. And it was never spoken of again. So we just moved on." The Moore You Know Moore also spoke with SyFy about his work on the film. In this interview, there's more discussion about the actual development of the script and it's production. For instance, did you know that one of the original drafts had Riker as the action star–facing off against the Borg aboard the Enterprise. But Sir Patrick wanted in on the action–recalling the episode “Starship Mine.” They even toyed with the idea of setting the film in medieval times! Another version had Picard trying to find affordable rent in San Francisco. Image: ViacomCBS, via American Cinematographer. When asked about scenes for stories that he wished hadn't been cut, Moore explains: "There were just expanded sequences. There was just more action in general, more fighting the Borg in the corridors, and going into different places on the ship. And I think there was more humor. A lot of the jokes got cut down. I think we had more fun with Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Cochrane's relationship on Earth, where he gets her drunk. We had more to that sequence scripted and that was fun to write, too. Rick might have made us cut it because he was always a little too–he was always kind of worried that maybe the humor would be too corny or something." The Other Kind of Star Trek Royalty One aspect of the film that Trekkies like to debate is the introduction of the Borg Queen. Well, Trekkies aren't the only ones that debated her introduction. According to Moore: "...it was a choice that was also antithetical to the idea of the Borg. The whole concept of these villains was that they were a collection, and that there were no individuals. And that's what made them the faceless, implacable 'resistance is futile' enemy. But it also limited how to deal with them dramatically…[s]o we really went back and forth about it internally…[w]e decided that the story would be better if we had some individual to deal with." Comparing thee to a summer's day, you're making everyone overly sweaty. Image: ViacomCBS, via American Cinematographer. "To craft scenes around, to do an intimate kind of dialogue back and forth and help get inside characters' heads–like Data in particular, and Picard. So what we came up with...a Borg Queen that controlled at least this collective of that particular ship, not necessarily that she was the queen of the whole Borg…" For more insight about the film and its production process, be sure to Trek Out both interviews. Whoopi Brings Trek Full Circle By Cat Hough Well, while we're talking about Picard: the next season is premiering in February, and we're getting bits of information about the upcoming season, including Michelle Hurd's view on working with Whoopi Goldberg.  Michelle Hurd told a fan via Cameo what filming Picard Season 2 was like, saying “I pinch myself. I am a fan too, I literally pinch myself when on set or get to work with these amazing iconic creatures.” She was referring to both John de Lancie's return as Q and Goldberg's return as Guinan. Hurd went on to say that working with Goldberg was, “the bomb. She is SO cool. She is just cool, she is just Whoopi. That's all you can say.” Of course, not everyone's working relationship was as cordial. Image: ViacomCBS, via Agony Booth. Not much is known about how Guinan may fit into Season 2 of Picard. We know that her character has demonstrated a special ability to sense changes in timelines, which could factor into the time travel and alternate timelines featured in the upcoming season.  Speaking of Whoopi, she interviewed Sonequa Martin-Green on The View recently, and if you haven't had a chance to watch it, you really should. Martin-Green includes a very touching acknowledgement to Goldberg's history on Star Trek and how she and Nichelle Nicols paved the way for her to take on the Captain role on Discovery. Martin-Green told Goldberg, “I am your accomplishment, and I thank you.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X25gVG34L-0 Quick News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you.  If you haven't signed up for Paramount+ but have been eager to share Star Trek: Prodigy with your kids, then set your set-top-boxes and TiVos to record the Nickelodeon premiere happening Friday, December 17th at 8pm ET/7pm CT. Speaking of Prodigy, if you're eager to continue the adventure, you'll have to wait until January 6, 2022 for episode 6.  IDW Publishing announced it would release Star Trek: Klingons in February 2022. This comic book series will chronicle the legendary life of Kahless, the Unforgettable [wait, who?--Ed.]. This release will be the first installment in a series of extra-long one-shots spotlighting the Star Trek franchise's most iconic alien species. It's written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and features artist Timothy Green II. In an excellent in-depth interview, featured as a part of Rolling Stone's Last Word series, LeVar Burton reflects on his Jeopardy! experience, the magic of Star Trek conventions, the lasting importance of Roots, and the advice he got from his friend Fred Rogers–so make sure to trek out the link in our show notes. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Has Q Found Some Chill At Last? (No.) By Cat Hough https://youtu.be/cJMGnx7_ZKA It's that time of year again, again. Time to get those scarves and sweaters and head to Q's Winter Wonderland, where you can participate in your choice of Winter Wonderland Activities and get a new Tier 6 Starship…that had yet to be announced at the time of this recording [It was announced as the cross-faction Eisenberg-class Star Cruiser on Cryptic's Ten Forward Weekly stream the following day, December 1st–Ed.] This means that, just like last year, Daily Progress toward earning your new starship can be obtained by participating in any of the following activities: Fastest Game on Ice Klingon Ice Fishing Tides of Ice The Fast and the Flurrious Cones of Conduct The Kramp'Ihri  That's not a mistaken date; 2020 will simply never end. Image: Cryptic Studios. Once you run one of those events to earn your Daily Progress, you will also get various Holiday Ornaments, used in different combinations to purchase things in the Winter Event store. New this year: Glacial Nanopulse Bat'leth, because revenge is a dish…well, you get it. The Warnog Rescue Targ and the Barrel of Warnog. Exactly what it sounds like: it's a barrel, full of warnog. Lower Decks-themed sweaters, including ones from the Chu Chu Dance, The Dog, Badgey, and everyone's favorite evil Jeffrey Combs computer, Agimus. This year's epohh variant, the Glacial Epohh, is the same glorious glacial blue as the Bat'leth. Mmm. Minty. Image: Cryptic Studios. Well Someone's Going To Have A Blast A more surprising addition for this year's event is a new Breen Ground Set. The set centers on cold damage, specifically a new Polar Blast ability: a cold damage AOE  centered on a single target. Breen Cryoshaper Armor [HP] [Mob] [ResEn] ∞ [Active] Ablative Ice Shield generates a shield of ablative ice, providing temporary Health] that grows each time the wielder deals Cold damage, with the extra Health based on Cold damage dealt. [Passive] Massive Control Resist grants very high fire and cold resist, moderate energy resist, and light physical/kinetic resist Breen Cryoshaper Personal Shield [Reg]x3 ∞ When the shield is broken, deals a Polar Blast to whatever broke it.  Breen Cryoshaper Universal Kit Frame +Kit Performance +Cold Damage Using a Cold Kit Module deals a Polar Blast to the primary target. Breen Cryoshaper Thermal Depletion Pistol [CrtH] [Dmg]x2 ∞ Deals Cold Damage Secondary fire: a Polar Blast to three targets in a cone Set Bonuses 2 Pieces +50% Temp Health gained from Cryobarrier Polar Blasts slow Foes and gain a 10% chance per Foe hit to spawn another Polar Blast 3 Pieces Dealing Cold Damage to an enemy debuffs its Cold Damage Resistance Rating 4 Pieces Cryoshaper Weapon primary attack gains 100% weapon firing cycle speed Plot twist: all four of these models are also Jeffrey Combs. Image: Cryptic Studios. Q's Winter Wonderland will be available from December 7th, 2021 to January 6th, 2022. This event will run simultaneously across all platforms (PC and console).  STO Looks Into The Crystal Ball Sphere By Cat Hough In a recent interview with StarTrek.com, Design Director Al Rivera and Staff Writer Paul Reed discuss what it was like to incorporate Star Trek: Discovery into Star Trek Online. The two discussed their initial reactions to hearing about the new show and how having new content to draw from and how that has helped add more content to the game.  Because Captains in the game have gone to all four quadrants, made peace with the Founders, saved time itself, and even won, barely, a war against the ancient Iconians, having new Star Trek shows like Discovery gives the team that extra bit of inspiration. Reed already has an interesting idea for how to tie the lore into the far future setting of Discovery's third and fourth seasons. “Say for example, are the Iconians still around in that time era? And if so, what are they doing? Have they evolved? Have they changed? Are they still mad? It's been a long time, but I'd like to go into some pockets of our lore in that far future and then tie in with the Discovery team in some way. So, seeing how the Iconians handled the Burn for example would be pretty cool.”  Then again, how can you possibly top this? Image: Cryptic Studios, via StarTrek.com Rivera had some of his own ideas for stories to tap into. “And they got all the Sphere data, what was that about? That's a perfect example of a story where we can jump off of and talk about what that was, or what's a gormagander? Let's talk about that. So there are opportunities there.” Well, we're excited to play all of these stories in-game. Anytime now. Cheers to Club 47! By Elio Lleo In a recent tweet, Environment Artist Nick Duigid reminisced about the launch of Club 47 on ESD seven years ago! Nick says it doesn't get much traffic these days–but the launch party looked like a really good time.  https://twitter.com/Tumerboy/status/1462211110514266112?s=20

This week, on Episode 532 of Priority One: ViacomCBS upsets most of the world; Star Trek Explorer Magazine debuts; Star Trek Online introduces a new 32nd century starship–plus, we start our S4 review of Star Trek: Discovery. TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Sheer ****ing Hubris, ViacomCBS By Cat Hough Well, the news broke early on Tuesday the 16th that international fans of Star Trek: Discovery will have to wait until 2022 to be able to watch Season 4–and then only watch it on Paramount+. Under the terms of an agreement finalized today between Netflix and ViacomCBS, Netflix will no longer be streaming the show. ViacomCBS was most likely pleased with the agreement since, under the 2017 deal that Les Moonves had set up with Netflix, CBS had agreed to pay the bulk of the show's costly budget for the overseas rights.  All images: ViacomCBS, via Imgur user SaysThePenguin. This should not be a huge surprise, though, given ViacomCBS's efforts to incentive subscribers to Paramount+. Back at the end of September The Original Series, Voyager, and Enterprise all left Netflix–Paramount+ is the only platform to watch these series.  All images: ViacomCBS, via Imgur user SaysThePenguin. But now that Netflix is out of the picture, the UK, Germany, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland will be the first international markets to stream Discovery on Paramount+. ViacomCBS has said that as part of an accelerated expansion they anticipate being in around 45 markets within the next year or so. No news on the release date for our Australian friends, though.  Star Trek 4 Hopes For Holiday Magic By Elio Lleo While we're on the topic of disappointing news, the 4th installment of Star Trek set in the Kelvin Timeline is being delayed again. Now, the new release date is slated for a holiday release on December 22, 2023 (originally, it was scheduled for June 9th, 2022). Perhaps the marketing folks at ViacomCBS listened to our episode where we discussed the uphill battle Star Trek faces when released beside other (more popular) franchises. Or they just read the same industry articles that we do. https://priorityonepodcast.com/530-treks-better-than-wars-thats-debatable-priority-one-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast/ Either way Star Trek, along with other tiles like Transformers, are being pushed. Now, this could be a rarely well executed smart move on behalf of the suits in charge of these things. According to Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com, Paramount+ is betting that Star Wars: Rogue Squadron won't be able to stick to their holiday 2023 release date–especially when there's been little movement on that Star Wars installment. That leaves Trek to reap the benefits of the season. Mendelson writes, “the optimistic scenario is that Star Trek 4 positions itself as the Christmas event movie of 2023 and proves to be crowd pleasing enough to allow holiday legs to give the struggling franchise a kick in the butt after a disappointing third installment. That's what happened with Paramount's own Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol in December 2011 after J.J. Abrams' underwhelming Mission: Impossible III 5.5 years earlier.” Either way, it's still two years away and a lot can change. However the film still has WandaVision director Matt Shakman at the helm. Del Barrio And Cronenberg Take Explorer To The Future By Rosco McQueen On November 17th, Blu Del Barrio will return in Discovery Season 4 as the human host of a Trill symbiote, Adira Tal.  In an interview with new publication Star Trek Explorer, Del Barrio spoke about the positive reactions from fans in being the first nonbinary actor in the franchise, and bringing a non-binary character to the screen. Unfortunately for the actor, it meant they were also subject to some outdated attitudes, but they were few when compared to the overall welcome from the Star Trek community. “There are always people who are going to set out to be hateful, and set out to be transphobic. There's not a lot of Star Trek fans who are like that, thank God. It's not a universe where that fits. But there is also a lot of love, even from people who maybe don't know anyone who is trans. There are people who are asking questions, talking about things online, having actual conversations about it, which is really wonderful.” Image: ViacomCBS, via CBR. Also featured in the first issue of the relaunched Star Trek Explorer is an interview with director David Cronenberg who plays the role of Federation agent Kovich, who is returning for Discovery Season 4.  The interview covers his relief as an actor as opposed to a director, growing up watching the Original Series, and the specific role of Kovich in season three as the Terran-interrogator.  But Cronenberg was tight lipped on what's in store for Season 4: “I can only tell you I've been invited to be part of Season 4, and I was delighted with that. That's about all I can tell you, and it's not because I'm trying to be coy. It's because I don't know any more.” For the full interview, as well as feature interviews from Ian Alexander (Gray Tal from Discovery), be sure to trek out the first issue of Star Trek Explorer. Quick News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you.  Start applying for those passports and get your luggage ready, because we're going to China! Why? Because an $8 billion theme park resort is being built with a Paramount theme along the shores of Dianchi Lake in the Yunnan capital city of Kunming!  The complex will include six themed areas–one of which is a “Final Frontier–Star Trek” themed section! Fans of ‘Levar Burton hosting a quiz show' rejoice!  The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the actor will host a gameshow based on ‘Trivial Pursuit', produced by Hasbro and Entertainment One. No network is attached at the time of the announcement, with no information on when the program will debut.   Congrats to Star Trek alum Tracee Lee Cocco! She just announced that she'll be featured in an upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation book by Ian Spelling, due to release in the fall of 2022. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds That's What Phoenixes Do, Generally By Cat Hough The free Phoenix Prize Pack returns! From now until November 23rd, you can pick up a free Phoenix Prize Pack from Grym on Drozana Station or Onna on Deep Space Nine, once per day. If you are not aware, the Phoenix Prize Pack is a special pack, you can purchase with Dilithium or during this event you get one for free. Once you open it, you're granted a token of one of five rarities, and then you can redeem that token for a list of prizes on that specific rarity tier. Image: Cryptic Studios But wait, there's more! The Experimental Starship Upgrade tokens are also returning to the Phoenix Prize Pack during this event! If you've been hanging onto some Ultra Rare tokens, now is the time to redeem them for an Experimental Upgrade Token. Also on sale right now until the 22nd–Keys and Keyring Bundles are 15% off!  YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TOOTH By Cat Hough Hey, surprise! Another new ship is available via the Infinity Lock Box. The United Earth Defense Force Vessel [T6] was designed as a large, sturdy vessel built for planetary defense and doesn't at all look like a giant tooth–or an elephant. Even the four blind men think it's an elephant. Image: Cryptic Studios. This ship features a Commander Tactical/Command Bridge Officer specialist seat, and a Lt. Commander Engineering / Command Bridge Officer specialist seat. With a 4/4 weapons layout and 5 tactical, 3 engineering and 3 science consoles.  It features the Mobile Defense Net Universal Console. With this technology equipped, your ship will be capable of generating a large area of protection for you and your allies, centered a short distance behind your vessel. This area moves with your ship, though you sacrifice maneuverability–but you are able to deactivate the field if you need to. This console also provides a passive bonus to Max and Current Shield Subsystem Power, and Maximum Shield Capacity. Image: Cryptic Studios. And once the ship is leveled up, you gain access to the Interlaced Emitters Starship Trait. While this Trait is slotted, activating any Bridge Officer abilities that restore shields to yourself or an ally will also briefly apply an effect that automatically redistributes the target's shields, provides shield hardness, and renders shields immune to drain effects. This effect may not be reapplied to a target until it has worn off. The “Duality” of Terror By Rosco McQueen More effective surprise attacks are coming your way in Star Trek Fleet Command, with the second part of the Duality arc coming to the game from Scopely bringing enhanced cloaking effectiveness. “The Klingons and Romulans have ramped up their war machines in an effort to resolve their conflict over the mysterious hybrid, Roj. Time is running out, and the outcome rests in your hands. Part Two of the Duality arc expands on Ship Cloaking technology and its impact in battle. The Federation have found a way to acquire the highly controversial device, and are now prepared to run their own stealth operations..[n]ew research opportunities have been developed to further increase the effectiveness of Cloaking, allowing for ever more devious plots and schemes to be hatched.” Image: Scopely. Patch 36 includes a new Second Repair queue, four new Ship Cloaking Refits, twenty new missions, and three new officers, including two Epic ones. [Epic] Sela, with the Captain Maneuver: Hit Them Where it Hurts–Increase critical hit damage by X% when cloaked. [Epic] Eleven Of Eleven, with the Captain Maneuver: Efficient Crystal Acquisition–Increases Crystal mining speed by 60%. [Rare] Tomalak, with the Captain Maneuver: Patient Tactician–which increases all penetration stats by X% while cloaked. The update also contains a number of bug fixes, as well as improvements to the web store.

This week on Episode 531 of Priority One: News is sparse as we gear up for the next season of Star Trek: Discovery, but there's plenty to discuss in the world of Star Trek gaming! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Power Seating on Star Trek: Discovery By Rosco McQueen Sonequa Martin-Green is on the interview circuit in the lead up Season 4 of Discovery. She spoke with SFXMagazine about the feeling of finally sitting in the captain's chair, and the answer isn't as simple as “soft and comfortable, and could they install a cup holder?” "It feels very humbling. But it also feels very emboldening. I'm grateful for it because you feel like you earned this position with Burnham. You feel like you were able to learn and grow and make mistakes and mature from them with her." It's a new direction with a new captain, and the new series is set to premiere next week! Don't everyone cheer at once. Image: ViacomCBS, via GamesRadar. Time Enough For Mudd By Rosco McQueen Harcourt Fenton Mudd only appeared in two live-action episodes of Star Trek, and once in animated form, but he left a lasting impression [and I guess Rainn Wilson didn't?–Ed.]. So much so that a spin-off was in the works, as revealed in an article from Fansided.  The article delves into the Starlog Magazine interview archives to discover that the pitch never got past the desk of the Great Bird of the Galaxy.  Gene Roddenberry told the actor, Roger C. Carmel, that the artists didn't have time to develop the project, which would have seen Mudd take the lead in the series as a space pirate/intergalactic con-man. Carmel was supposed to reprise his role in a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the actor died before filming began.    

This week on Episode 529 of Priority One: New Jersey settles the age old question–which is better: Star Trek or Star Wars; Star Trek wins several awards; Star Trek Online gets some quality of life improvements; and we're joined by Star Trek: Discovery's Noah Averbach-Katz! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Great NJ Debate! By Elio Lleo, Local Correspondent As we record this episode of our show, it's Election Night in the United States for several important political positions throughout the country. One contest, however, rises above the rest here in my home, the Garden State [my condolences–Ed.]. Which is better, Star Wars or Star Trek? A recent poll conducted by Rutgers-Eagleton attempted to give us an answer. Lead by Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, the school took to Twitter and Facebook to poll New Jersians on the issue. The results–well, they're disappointing. According to the poll, Star Trek lost by double digits: 41% for Wars vs 16% for Trek among 18-34 year olds. Though the gap did begin to close, as ages started to rise. But that's not where this ends…New Jersey website nj.com put together a debate featuring Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7) on Team Trek, and Rep. Andy Kim (D-3) and Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton poll, on Team Wars. The debate is a little over 24 minutes long, but it's a delightfully lighthearted discussion about how both franchises can be applicable to current political topics. https://youtu.be/eKAoQhUv-nI Another No Win Scenario for the Kelvin Timeline? By Elio Lleo Can Star Trek 4 compete and succeed? That's the question that Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com posed in an opinion piece about the franchise. You see, Dune has already been green-lit for its second installment due to release in October of 2023. But, the announcement of a sequel before production has even begun isn't a first. Mendelson points to the Kelvin Timeline series of Trek movies as an example. "Captain, it appears to be the timeloop anomaly known as Production Hell." Image: ViacomCBS, via Forbes. It's been announced time and again that we're going to get a fourth installment, but Mendelson argues that 2023 may end up hurting the franchise like it did in 2016. You see, back in 2016 Star Trek Beyond competed against the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Fast and the Furious. Come 2023, it's another round of competition with films like Fast & Furious 10, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Mission Impossible, and Shazam. So, can Star Trek really take a foot-hold in the box office battles? Robbins Takes Nickelodeon To Warp By Cat Hough Speaking about Star Trek films, in a recent interview Alex Kurtzman and CEO of Paramount Brian Robbins spoke about Prodigy and the future of Trek, including the films. Robbins, who continues to serve as president of Nickelodeon, believes Prodigy is a perfect fit with the Paramount+'s current Nickelodeon content and Kurtzman's other Star Trek content. He enjoyed Prodigy so much, he said he had wished they had released it in theaters as a full-length animated film. 

This week on Episode 529 of Priority One: We power up for Star Trek: Prodigy, with the cast and crew promotion peaking as the premiere prepares to play–plus we get some more details on the explosive new additions to Star Trek Online! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Star Trek: Prodigy Promotion Peaks in Premiere Preparations By Rosco McQueen This week the Trek universe welcomes a brand new adventure to our screens, with Star Trek: Prodigy to make its debut on Paramount+ on October 28.  A few sneak peeks have been filtering through, with Prodigy teasers tempting new fans during NFL Sunday Football. In the first clip, Dal can be seen making his escape from the mining facility in dramatic fashion. In the second clip, we are treated to the Protostar powering up, with characters Dal and Rok-Tahk finally being able to converse thanks to the universal translator.  https://twitter.com/StarTrekOnPPlus/status/1452347822049677315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1452347822049677315%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstartrek%2Fnews%2Fstar-trek-prodigy-uss-protostar-sneak-peeks-nfl-sunday-football%2F Both scenes are fun and exciting, with the standout being the effort that has gone into the musical score which helps it feel very much at home in the Star Trek universe. The folks at Gizmodo felt that tiny moment highlighted something special about the Star Trek franchise—the ability of everyone to communicate freely, as well as not judging a book by its hulky rock-encrusted cover.   A Seat at the Grown-Up's Helm Station Prodigy executive producers/co-creators Kevin and Dan Hageman, and executive producer/director Ben Hibon, spoke with Trekmovie.com about the challenges around finding that entry point into the Star Trek multiverse, with Dan Hageman saying,   “We never really view it as a kid show. We view it as a show for people who don't know Star Trek,  which could be young or old. And so we always had that perspective of the outsider and that freed us up. We wanted to keep the stakes real for an older audience. We never want to dumb things down for kids. Kids are really smart. They may have a learning curve in the show, but they'll get there.” Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com The creators go on to talk about how there was never any other option for the training hologram: it was always Captain Janeway from the start. They also mention she may not be the only hologram we see, and hint at real characters (like Captain Chakotay) making an appearance but not as holograms. As for Captain Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew has also been on the interview circuit, explaining to cinemablend.com if the character was going to appear on-screen, then it was always going to be her who would play the role.   “Well, I certainly needed to come back to this character if threatened with an imitation. I think that only I can voice this character, and only I should, because I'm the only one who knows who she is. I think that the young people would recognize that very quickly. That might be arrogance on my part, but I don't think so. I think they have a very discerning imagination.” Voyager: The Next Generation Mulgrew says she hasn't been approached about reprising her role as Kathryn Janeway in a live-action series (outside of Star Trek: Nemesis).  According to the actor, hologram Janeway won't be as fiery as her living counterpart–as she's helping a ship of children navigate the cosmos.  The caring side of Janeway was echoed by the cast and crew at New York Comic Con in an interview with Gizmodo. COVID-19 restrictions meant the cast was unable to record together, so for Brett Gray who plays the role of Dal, finally getting together with Mulgrew was something else. “I got to sit next to her today at Comic-Con—and it is, it's palpable.  There's a majesty that she has, and you can feel it when we announced she was coming out today. Just to walk on stage for the panel was like—the audience was deafening. She is an icon. And so, I feel very lucky that the first iteration of Star Trek we get to be a part of has someone like that we get to model and watch. People who are incredible fans of Janeway and all of that get to now have a way into our show, too, and see what it's like for people who know nothing.” For the final word on the series, Kate Mulgrew spoke about now being the perfect time to bring in a brand new audience. “It is an important time for Voyager, it's an important time for Star Trek. I think in terms of pop cultural history, now is the time to target this young demographic and introduce to them the wonderful mysteries of Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry's splendid philosophy.” And sweet ships. Don't forget the sweet ships. Image: ViacomCBS, via io9. Soong Long, Farewell, Altman Will Go Goodbye By Thomas Reynolds We knew that Brent Spiner will be returning for Picard Season 2 for some time now. You may have thought it would be as Altan Inigo Sybok…er, Soong, who was apparently just out of frame in every TNG scene with Data's “parents.” After all, Data was really, truly, 100%-for-sure dead when the curtain dropped on Season 1. Well that's not the case, according to Inverse magazine...Spiner's role as Altan, that is. Data's still dead. "Nothing is stranger to man than his own image." [Karel Capek, R.U.R.] Image: ViacomCBS, via Inverse. According to interviewer Ryan Britt, Spiner “know[s] they haven't revealed much about me being in the show. I can tell you I'm a member of the Soong family. And, that I'm not playing a character I've ever played before.” Given Season 2's central temporal shenanigans, it seems likely that Spiner will play a 21st century Soong ancestor. However, if you consider Data and his siblings to be Soong family members, then Spiner might be a temporally-displaced android instead. It's definitely not Data, at least. He's…yep, still dead.  What Goes Around, Khans Around By Rosco McQueen The third season of The Movies That Made Us has dropped on Netflix. Its creator, Brian Volk-Weiss from The Nacelle Company, spoke with comicbook.com about the possibility of a superhero-focused future episode, as well as some tasty Trek nuggets.  You might be thinking the ideal movies to cover in this documentary style would be 1989's Batman or Christopher Reeve's first Superman movie. According to Volk-Weiss, he actually would go a little more modern and cover 2008's Iron Man:  “It would be Iron Man, because Iron Man is the most important[. B]ecause if Iron Man had failed, nothing else would have happened. And also, I like that story of not just seeing a movie come together, but a universe come together." As for those Trek nuggets, surely a film like Wrath of Khan would be on their sensors for a future episode? Volk-Weiss confirms there was discussion, but in the end it came down to covering all four quadrants–of storytelling. “But usually, we want four-quadrant movies. And what that means is, for anyone who doesn't know, it's young people, old people, men, women, everybody. And that's what we try to do. And also multi-generational. My generation grew up with Home Alone, and the two generations afterward–including my children–they like Home Alone as much as I do, if not more. So that's what we try to do." Quick Star Trek News Roundup Last week, we discussed the History Channel's upcoming documentary “The Center Seat.” Unfortunately, we didn't yet know the release date. Well, we've got it now, and it's slated to premiere on November 5th, 2021. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Guardian of Sometime Later By Thomas Reynolds First introduced with 2018's Pop Culture Hero Coalition bundle, the Mirror Guardian brought sinister flavor to an otherwise-unremarkable T6 cruiser. Other than replacing the Lieutenant Engineering/Intel with a Lieutenant Engineering/Command bridge chair, the Mirror Guardian looked to be the same as its Prime counterpart. Once the bundle sold out, that was it: the Mirror Guardian was never seen again...until now, that is. https://twitter.com/i/status/1451579395525812224 With STO taking a good hard look in the Mirror (Universe), it's the perfect time for this one-and-done vessel to stage its comeback. But rather than setting course for the Phoenix Prize Pack or Mudd's Market, Cryptic was all set to sell the Mirror Guardian Cruiser for the standard 3000 Zen in the Zen Store instead. As part of the re-release, the Prime and Mirror Guardian models were remastered to the current level of fidelity, like we've seen for a good number of ships by now. Players who already own the Mirror Guardian will receive these updates for free: just ready your Cruiser, visit the ship Customization Interface, and apply a preset. Both Type 1 and Type 2 hull models will be available, along with the Legendary Federation starship materials. https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1452736912150515716?s=20 Now normally we'd remind you to Trek out the link in our shownotes at this point. But we won't. Because you can't! On October 25th, Cryptic tweeted that “the release of the Mirror Guardian in the Zen Store has been delayed until December on all platforms,” and they're “taking down the blog and any past references to it.” We can only guess what kind of skullduggery and intrigue is behind the delay. Because...I mean, it's the Mirror Universe. There's gotta be intrigue. Splosion! By Elio Lleo Well, while we're on the topic of ships, the 10 year old MMO is always striving to improve! Most recently, Ship Artist and FX Artist Ian Richards decided to make an explosive change. The animations that occur as your ship receives damage in the game has been updated–including the grand explosion that happens when yer ship just canna take it anymore! It might seem like a small improvement, but boy is it glorious! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-QVLE01MV4

This week on Episode 528 of Priority One: We delve into the whale-filled washup of the season finale of Lower Decks, Anson Mount discusses literally sitting in the captain's chair, and is that a star on top of the Christmas tree or a Borg baby spray-painted gold? In gaming news, we take a closer look at Star Trek Online's Halloween event, and roll for shield strength in a new release from Star Trek Adventures! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds What's the Deal With All These Feels, McMahan? By Elio Lleo Mike McMahan, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, isn't resting on his laurels! Nope! After a (generally) well-received Season 2 of the Star Trek animated adventure, McMahan is making the rounds talking about the season–which wrapped last week on October 14th. Sam Stone of Comic Book Resource jumped right in and asked about its unusual villain: the Pakleds. McMahan's explanation: When we were writing the first season, we were in the thick of a pretty dark time across the world–the re-rise of fascism across multiple countries, obviously a lot of politics happening in this country and, not to put too fine a point to it, things that had seemed like a joke in the first place suddenly becoming much more dangerous because we weren't vigilant about it. The Pakleds seemed like a perfect opportunity for that… [This sight gag doesn't work in a podcast app but I stand by it nonetheless–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via Comic Book Resource. Really Be Careful What You Wish For, Mariner What about that incredible cliffhanger? Well according to McMahan, the goal of Season 2 was meant to show Mariner “grappling with themes of betrayal and being left.” Supposedly, Mariner's got some past trauma that we haven't been privy to yet. Nevertheless, McMahan explains that Mariner will start Season 3 struggling to deal with having her mother taken from her. [NOT JUST HER, MIKE–Ed.] When talking with StarTrek.com he explained, “...in the first season we were really creating a family, and in the second season we kind of tested them. And in the finale of the second season, we're dealing with the loss, the family breaking up.”  What about our other characters? Well, there seems to be something deeper going on with Rutherford. Something more than just a faulty cybernetic implant. MacMahan tells CBR.com, “... it's about Rutherford. There's stuff about Rutherford that he doesn't even realize and this is his second implant.” They go on to discuss some of the other character dynamics–like the “will they/won't they” tension between Rutherford and Tendi–along with some takeaways McMahan learned from the first two seasons. Mainly that anyone you talk to could secretly be Jeffrey Combs. Anyone. Image: ViacomCBS, via Comic Book Resource. Center Chair, Hot Seat, Call It What You Will By Cat Hough If you have not had a chance to see the new trailer for the upcoming History Channel docu-series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, you should definitely trek it out. According to the press release, The Center Seat will be “the ultimate Star Trek documentary that everyone has always wanted, and now they're getting.” Each episode of the series will focus on a different chapter in Star Trek history, starting with the inception of the original Star Trek series at Desilu. But even the trailer features some pretty saucy quotes from the cast and crew of the various shows and movies. https://youtu.be/J_IOHcPuN3Q For example, we hear more from Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran about their less than ideal working circumstances and for Cirroc Lofton–we hear about his extreme dislike for having to wear the “onesie” uniform while also going through puberty. Nicolas Meyer, writer of The Undiscovered Country, speaks about how much William Shatner hated the script for the movie and the effect that had on, well, pretty much everyone else involved [yeah and you thought Final Frontier was a good idea, now sit down–Ed.] Mmmm. Taste that grain. Image: ViacomCBS, via Deadline. The show doesn't cover any of the new Trek series, but definitely appears to be a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the Star Trek universe over the first 55 years of the show. Created by the Nacelle Company, who also produced Netflix's The Movies That Made Us and The Toys That Made Us, the series is narrated by Dr. Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden, and directed by Nacelle Company founder Brian Volk-Weiss. There's not been an official release date given other than it should premiere sometime this fall. Festivities Will Now Commence By Rosco McQueen It's the most wonderful time of year; when the nanoprobes gently come to rest on ornaments hanging from the boughs of a tree, and assimilation tubules shine in the festive glow of twinkling lights.  Christmas is soon upon us, and you can count down to festive assimilation with the 2021 Borg Cube advent calendar. The calendar features 24 Trek gifts behind alcoves (or windows if you prefer) and includes gifts of socks, coasters, and an espresso cup commemorating the first warp speed flight in 2063. It's made by Eaglemoss, the same company who also made a TARDIS-shaped advent calendar for devout Whovians, and is available for purchase now. It could be just the thing to put you in the mood for Picard season 2, with the Borg Queen to feature as part of the time-travelling tale. And speaking of season 2… I hope one of those is an apology to Icheb and Hugh. Image: Eaglemoss. Soji's Sojourn By Rosco McQueen In an interview with Trekmovie.com, Isa Briones spoke about where we find Soji in Picard season 2: a place where she can finally be herself, now that being an android is no longer outlawed.   “We're definitely seeing a new kind of level of her evolution as she's coming into her own. She's finally allowed to be who she is and be accepted by the universe, the galaxy, whatever you want to call it. So yeah, we get to see her in this new, more certain place of who she is. And that's very exciting.” The more certain place also has a pool? Jealous. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com The interview covered working under strict COVID conditions, as well as the broader strokes of season two and how it connects to the world we're living in. “There's a big emphasis, I think, on mental health, for sure. We're seeing these characters going through some hard moments and really leaning on each other and prioritizing their own mental health in order to save everyone else. And I think that's a very relatable storyline and a storyline that we need right now.” Your classic Good Cop/Borg Cop dynamic. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekMovie.com We're All Batty for Strange New Worlds By Rosco McQueen The hype train continues heading towards the station for Strange New Worlds–even Anson Mount starring as Batman in the new DC animated movie Injustice can't stop interviewers from asking about the new series.   Either that, or they ask about his starship's extended warranty. Image:ViacomCBS, via SYFY. Mount will play the role of the Dark Knight in the animated adaptation of the video game Injustice, where a traumatized Superman turns evil.  In an interview with SYFY Wire, Mount talks about the recording process, and not being the first Christopher Pike to take a turn at Batman. (If you're playing along at home, Bruce Greenwood has voiced Batman a couple of times, and was also the Kelvin Universe's version of one of Starfleet's greatest captains). But when the discussion turned to Strange New Worlds, Mount reinforced the episodic nature of the show, as well as a moment that would give every Trek fan goosebumps. “I was just there as Anson in my own clothes and I sat down in the chair and it was in that moment that I flashed back to playing Star Trek as my make-believe game when I was like eight years old. Something about it was just really strangely emotional for me, and I'm still doing that. I don't even know really how to articulate it, but it's surreal and it's weird... but it's something that I'm so grateful for.” STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Fanatical Devotion to the Many By Cat Hough Star Trek Online tweeted earlier today that the recent partnership with Fanatical offering in-game bundles to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of America raised more than $77,000. Well done, everyone who donated! Cat's Tale of “Cat's Tale” By Cat Hough Well, it's been a week since the “Cat's Tale” Halloween TFO was released, and while it took players a few days to get to know how to navigate the phases of the TFO, it seems that most people are enjoying the mission. As you and your team are first transported to the castle on Pyris VII (or is it Boreth?) the music and lighting definitely set the mood for battling skeletons, witches, skulls and Devidians. In a creepy surprise, you're treated to some Bonnie-Kin voice-over as you make our way downstairs and through the hallways lighting candles–because it's dark in this castle! In the first phase, you are attacked by skeletons, but you can only kill them when they are standing within the circles of candlelight. Some equipment that we highly recommend is the Universal Kit Module - Gravity Containment Unit Mk XII. You can get this kit module as a Tier IV reward from the Discovery reputation; if you use it while you're standing in the circles, then you can just pull those skeletons over to you. 

This week on Episode 527 of Priority One: William Shatner returns to earth, NYCC returns and includes some amazing Star Trek announcements, Los Angeles has a new Star Trek destination, and things get spooky in Star Trek Online– Plus our review of the season 2 finale of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Jake Morgan and Thomas Reynolds Shatner Slips The Surly Bonds Of Earth By Elio Lleo Space. The Final Frontier. And our first captain, James T. Kirk went on an incredible journey. Well, it was William Shatner who did the journey. On Wednesday, October 13th, the 90 year old broke records by joining Blue Origin for their second human space trip! At 10:30AM ET, all systems were a go and the Blue Origin rocket took off. Thankfully, the entire adventure went off without a hitch and upon exiting the pod, Shatner was visibly moved by the entire experience.  Photo Via TVLine.com After-Action Report: NYCC 2021 Star Trek: Discovery New York Comic Con returned to in-person events this year with phenomenal panels, incredible cosplay, and–of course–sneak peeks into the future of Star Trek. Our focus this episode is on the Star Trek: Discovery and Prodigy panels that took place over this last weekend. First, Star Trek: Discovery and its upcoming fourth season: this was a riveting panel with a surprising in-depth, yet spoiler-free, look into what we can expect from our intrepid characters. When asked about the general “theme” of this next season, Wilson Cruz had this to say: “I feel like the stakes that we were living in reads in that trailer...the stakes in the story were really high, but the stakes in which we were making and telling the story were also high. And the theme of the entire season is about uncertainty, and about how we come together to deal with it and walk through uncertainty, to lean on each other as we find a way through it. And we were doing that in life as well, so I'm excited for you to see it.” Showrunner Michelle Paradise followed up by explaining that in this season, “The Federation isn't quite back together again….it's continuing in Season 4.” For our first non-binary and trans characters, much was left wanting in Season 3. So, will Grey finally be seen? Wilson Cruz had this to say, “we find a way to make sure Grey is seen as promised, and we get to see just how vital he becomes to the story and our mission. And I'm just excited about the fact that we have–finally–an official trans character on the show, in Star Trek, in the universe. And he does an amazing job.” Now, things got a little spicy in the auditorium when Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala were asked if we'd ever learn about what happened between their characters during that fateful year. Here's what they had to say: DA: “I think it was just...a period of time where they were in the right place at the right time, to help each other, and to bring out the best in each other." SMG: "Mmmhmm." DA: "And it was...y'all need to behave yourselves. And...I think there was a lot of growth." [Someone saying what we're all thinking–Ed.]: "How much growth was there? And what was Grudge doing when all this 'growing' was happening?" DA: "Grudge was minding their own business. The timing was perfect for Michael Burnham to[...]rejoin Starfleet, but to really find her own identity independent [of] Starfleet. And it was also good for Cleveland Booker to be part of a 'family.' Again, these two people met each other at the right place at the right time, and I think Cleveland Booker is a better man for it. And Grudge too–and Grudge says 'wassup,' by the way." Speaking of characters, if you've already watched the trailer–and you should have by now!– you can probably assume this is going to be a high-octane, high-stakes kind of season. How will Tilly be affected? Mary Wiseman had this to say,"that in combination with all the events of the third season similar to the way this pandemic experience, really kind of forced her to reinvestigate herself and her motivations. It kind of spirals her off into this personal journey, actually, which was very fun to play with.” Sonequa Martin-Green followed with,“I think a lot of us on the ship...I don't think any of us were expecting to have a threat this big soon after jumping to this future. Because that was huge. and then I know for Burnham, it's a lot, it's like 'man, here we are again with a threat of great, of great magnitude." And so of course, these people in this story, being the honorable people they are, their true character comes out at that moment of greatest pressure. It's beautiful stuff that comes out, as hard as it may be.” But, filming Season 4 during a pandemic was no small feat. When asked about how COVID impacted production, Michelle Paradise had this to say: “Discovery was actually one of the first producitons to go back. WE started back in November, and we were certainly the first show of this size to do it. There aren't enough words to talk about the tremendous, tremendous effort that our entire crew, our entire cast did to make the show this season. I cannot overstate how challenging it was, every step of the way, making sure we could make a show like this while keeping people safe. That being our focus, and then also making a show...it was tremendously challenging, and everyone came together, and worked together, and collaborated, and it was really beautiful to see and very difficult at the same time. The fact that we have this, that we can show you guys, it's really amazing. Our team is just incredible.” Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premiers November 18th. Photo Via Heavy.com Star Trek: Prodigy Now, moving on to Star Trek Prodigy. Attendees of the panel were given an exclusive early screening of the first episode and an extended clip of HoloJaneway's introduction to the crew is already online. But moderator Dawn Lewis–who plays Captain Freeman on Lower Decks–opened the panel with an important question: how will Prodigy stay true to the franchise? To which the Brothers Hageman replied, “they start way out in the Delta Quadrant...that was our way in: we wanted a bunch of new characters who knew nothing about Star Trek, just like our young audience. And then slowly (as you saw at the end of the pilot) they meet hologram Janeway, and then with every episode we get closer and closer into the Trekverse. We get to have so much fun taking our time, and introducing everything we love about Star Trek. For me, growing up, Trek was just so aspirational and I feel that, for kids today, not only they need that, I need that.” Now, what about the style of Prodigy? Why CGI animation? Well, Producer Ben Hibon explained, “we wanted the show to have great scope and this feeling of adventure to be immense and fantastical. But at the same time the characters and their stories are very intimate. So we wanted the freedom to shoot these characters as we would cinematic as possible–to be as engaging with all of us as possible, as we go on this adventure with them.” Not only did fans get a sneak peek but, we were also surprised to learn of new characters and actors being welcomed into the production. Daveed Diggs will voice Commander Tysess, an Andorian (Diggs is a Grammy and Tony-award winning member of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton). Jameela Jamil will voice Ensign Asencia, a Trill (Jamil is best known for her role in The Good Place), and Jason Alexander will voice Doctor Noum, a Tellarite (of course, we know George Costanza on Seinfeld, and Kurros in the VOY episode “Think Tank,”). And the big reveal…well, we'll let the Hageman Brothers tell you,"oh wait, there's one other person. There's one small person named 'Captain Chakotay' [CAPTAIN?–Ed.] by Robert Beltran is coming on our show.” So will we see the Protostar traverse the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, as well as spending time in the Delta? Only time will tell–the series will premiere on October 28. Photo Via StarTrek.com I

This week on Episode 526 of Priority One:  the Next Generation of tours is in full swing at Ticonderoga, set photos from Picard Season 3, Star Trek Online gets spoOoOoOoky in their first Halloween special, and we review the latest episode of Lower Decks: "wej Duj"! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Touring the Next Generation in Ticonderoga By Elio Lleo Over the years, we've had the privilege of attending some phenomenal Star Trek themed events and exhibits [or seething with jealousy at it–Ed.], but few are as spectacular as what you'll find in the sleepy town of Ticonderoga, New York. You see, James Cawley–who grew to fame as an Elvis impersonator–is also a die-hard Trekkie. His passion was so great that he decided to rebuild the sets for The Original Series where an old retail store used to be. He didn't just want to build the Enterprise…he wanted to recreate the old Desilu Set. Closest we'll probably come to having a religious experience. Image: Star Trek Set Tours. Now, after 4 years of being open to the public, Cawley is expanding! As they work to acquire an adjacent building, Cawley and his team have begun diligently recreating the sets from The Next Generation. Local news station WCAX got a sneak peak of their progress: when speaking to reporter Cat Viglienzoni, Cawley explains he has all the original blueprints as well as a direct line to Star Trek's legendary creators Mike and Denise Okuda. Star Trek: Picard Producer's Sweet Sneak Peek Pics By Cat Hough If you've been following Star Trek: Picard executive producer and co-showrunner, Terry Matalas on Twitter, then you've seen the images he's been sharing from the set of the show. If you are not following him, then you may want to. Since Season 2 has wrapped filming, the images he posted are likely sneak peaks from season three–either way, they are definitely interesting.  https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1442660363573465090?s=20 The images are all from what appears to be a Starfleet vessel from the late 24th century: the first image features the helm console for the ship, with Matalas noting the LCARS interface introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Also of particular interest: the replicator display and table setting that includes a 24th-century Starfleet emblem and some new sci-fi cutlery. We still don't know what the second season holds, but we have been told that the Q storyline will wrap up in Season 2. It's also very likely that Jonathan Frakes will return to direct some episodes of Season 3.  https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1445033217875070977?s=20 Episodic Season Habit (It Becomes Automatic) By Cat Hough Anson Mount recently spoke about Strange New Worlds, echoing Akiva Goldsman's description of the show: “we wanted our show to be more or less a throwback in every way we could... which meant more of an episodic structure. And so every episode is a distinct story...but the star of the show is the ship and the big idea of the week.” Bridge to Astrocartography, figure out why we keep getting lost in those eyes. Image: TrekMovie.com As we've also discussed on prior episodes, filming for Strange New Worlds was done using Augmented Reality and Mount also spoke about that experience, saying, “It's wild, man. Imagine an entire soundstage where the walls are all high-definition screens and there's a ceiling projection...it's really interesting to be in these environments because it's a whole other level of filmmaking than I've ever seen before.”  A release date for Strange New Worlds has not been announced, yet. A big thanks to TrekMovie for sharing this exclusive interview from their coverage of Star Trek Day. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. In book news, the first novel in the Star Trek: Coda series has been released. This trilogy continues the adventures of characters from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. The three books in the trilogy are Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward, The Ashes of Tomorrow by James Swallow, and Oblivion's Gate by David Mack. Moments Asunder is already available, with the two sequels following in October and November. The pre-order pages include synopses for the books, revealing a plot dealing in time travel. Plus, we got another glimpse at the upcoming Prodigy animated series. Nickelodeon recently tweeted a new trailer with the announcement that the show premieres on October 28. Finally, are you ready to take flight on a midlife crisis of cosmic proportions? Then you should definitely trek out the series idea from the creators of Saturday Night Live. This new show would be titled “Star Trek: Ego Quest,” following the voyages of the SS New Shepard and its crew of random weirdos. Its mission: to just...sort of fly around space goofing off in a ship that looks like a penis. https://youtu.be/XD66suMp3J4 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds By the Spiking of My DPS, Something Wicked This Way Leaps By Rosco McQueen Replicate yourself a pumpkin spice raktajino and prepare to carve out a new experience in Star Trek Online:  the MMO announced this week it will hold its first ever Halloween event!   “Captains will find themselves transported to an ancient castle on Pyris VII. The classic aliens from the Original Series episode ‘Catspaw', the Old Ones, have returned once again to study humanity–but their plans have been disrupted by the Devidians!” Honestly the idea of redoing "Knowledge is Power" is scarier. Image: Cryptic Studios. The three week event will be a single activity, where playing the event TFO “Cat's Tale!” every 20 hours rewards you with the usual one daily progress token. After 14 days of progress you unlock the event rewards: the Transmuter Wand Universal Kit Module, the Old One Vanity Pet, with the first character receiving 25,000 Dilithium Ore, and 3 Featured Episode Reward Boxes. The Universal Kit Module - Transmuter Wand will transform your target into a sentient black cat, complete with Bad Luck Aura! The aura disables shields and most powers to nearby allies, who will flee in fear from the frightful feline.   What every kid wants this Halloween, a subspace bubble wand. Image: Cryptic Studios. The event will be available on all platforms on October 13. An interesting note is that this will become a regular annual event, similar to First Contact Day. The article notes it begins with the one TFO, with plans to grow the event year-on-year with more content.

This week on Episode 525 of Priority One: Jeffrey Combs speaks in evil robot about his appearance on Lower Decks, Prodigy showrunners drop some details about the series a month out from the premiere, and it's confirmed - the TNG cast really are one big happy family.  In gaming news, a new T6 remaster of a classic workhorse starship comes to Star Trek Online, and finally we enter the holo-pod and look at the latest episode of Lower Decks “I, Excretus”.   This week's Community Question is:  “Would you still play Star Trek Online if it wasn't Star Trek?” Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Jake Morgan Weyooops...Jeffery Combs With i09 By Jake Morgan A great actor makes you feel. Whether joy, anger, love, hate - a truly gifted thespian makes you ache for their presence - be it revered or reviled. We Star Trek fans are graced with many such actors and characters. Nimoy's Spock. Whoopie's Guinan. Comb's Weyoun. Comb's Brunt. Comb's Penk. Comb's Shran. Comb's...well, you get the picture. This week, i09 sat down with the prolific Star Trek trouper Jeffery Combs to talk about our latest favorite Comb's role - the devious supercomputer Agimus! Comb's had glowing things to say about the writing staff of Star Trek: Lower Decks, explaining to James Whitbrook of i09 what drew him to the show. ”I liked the script a lot and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I find it—the show—just to be really... witty. Rapid-fire. The joke is past you before you go, “Wh-wh-wha?” A different tone from any other Star Trek I've ever done. And I kind of like that. It's refreshing. It doesn't take itself quite so seriously as some of the other iterations.” While Combs was complimentary of Lower Decks, he wasn't shy about his feelings towards the entertainment industry. When asked whether he'd return to a LIVE-Action version of the franchise, Comb's said ”You have to be asked to dance. You have to be invited. It's really not up to me. But I kind of feel I still have some gas in the tank. But you know, when it comes to commerce and entertainment it's just like cereal: “New and improved!” [...]. So, I don't really know what goes through decision-makers' minds, but there always seems to be some sort of a disconnect between what the fans would enjoy and what they wind up doing. Not always. Not always.” To find out how Comb's felt about playing an antagonist, his thoughts on Voice Acting, and much more, be sure to follow the link in our show notes at priorityonepodcast.com! One big happy TNG family By Rosco McQueen Some news that as Star Trek fans we've all known for a while, but is heartwarming to see it confirmed.  Yes, the cast of The Next Generation really do all like each other.  In fact, they're all incredibly close. In an interview with The Express in the UK, Marina Sirtis confirmed that the cast do indeed see themselves as a family.  They've been friends since the early days of the series… and the producers hated it. "They hate when the cast like each other because they talk. Producers don't want you talking. They want us all hating each other and being competitive with each other, so that they can lie to you." Sirtis explains how after the death of her husband, it was the crew who were there for her soon after. Lavar Burton, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn all immediately visited with Sirtis on the day her husband, Michael Lamper, died. She also spoke about the support she received from Gates McFadden. Akiva gets his Wish By Cat Hough Akiva Goldsman has been extremely busy of late, acting as executive producer and co-showrunner for both Star Trek: Picard and the upcoming series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. If those two roles weren't busy enough he also wrote and directed the pilot episode of Strange New Worlds. Goldsman told Trekmovie.com that it was really important to him to set the tone and style of the show, saying “I really wanted to make a show that would have appealed to the 12-year old me that went to that Star Trek convention in 1974. And it felt like the best way to do that would be to kind of help set the tone visually, and really more in storytelling.”  He also notes that the audience will notice some changes in the uniforms and sets from how they appeared in Discovery, since he wanted it to look more in line with the Original Series. As we have mentioned in previous episodes, Strange New Worlds will be episodic, and Goldsman expounds on that, saying “Our characters will carry with them what they suffer from, or what they learned, from episode to episode. But the stories are episodic.”  In addition to the show being episodic, Goldsman says that the show is meant to be an ensemble piece - so it won't just be ‘The Pike Show' and while it won't go into every character's backstory each episode, there will be a “focus” on different characters as the show goes on.  Starfleet snippets from Prodigy showrunners By Rosco McQueen Star Trek: Prodigy is a month away from its debut, and the showrunners are dropping some tiny trek nuggets in interviews.  In a chat with TrekMovie, Prodigy executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman and co-executive producer/director Ben Hibon reinforced the idea that this new series, specifically for kids, is an entry point to the franchise.   Kevin Hagemen said “While these are kids in our show, they're in the adult world of Trek. And they're gonna slowly discover it, and have their falls, and their victories and stuff. It really is a show for people who have not experienced Trek before.” The journey of the Prodigy crew starts in the Delta Quadrant, with many familiar races that Voyager came across. In the interview the producers mention there are very well thought out reasons why we will see so many Alpha species in the Delta Quadrant, but that no one has really got it yet. They also mention that the USS Protostar was launched after Voyager returned home, but then quickly halt the conversation around the prototype's secret origins.  The show takes place in 2383, five years after Voyager returned home. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. If you've been on the fence about adding a new streaming subscription plan, perhaps ViacomCBS's latest promotion might incentivise you. For $9.99 with commercials or $12.99 without, you can have Paramount+ AND Showtime! This is a permanent price for you so long as you take advantage of it before the October 20th deadline. Also, be sure to use our affiliate links in our shownotes! The Orville Returns March 10, 2022 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Jake Morgan Spoooooky teaser… By Cat Hough Well, it appears something spppoooooky is going to happen in Star Trek Online on October 13….we don't know what - but there was a cryptic tweet made earlier this week telling us to ‘Remember the curse!' In the video we see some type of coat rack or a hat stand, a black cat, inserted images of a possible raven with a creepy clock ticking in the background. What does it all mean??   https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1442519570271584260?s=20 Steamrunner Bundle...because we must have more bundles… By Cat Hough The next installment of the ships of the line remastering and repackaging adventures: the Blockade Runner Bundle hits the Zen store on Friday, October 1 on PC. The price is 5,000 Zen, but you can get it for 35% off until  October 8! The bundle also includes: 1 Ship Upgrade Token (T5-U) 2 Experimental Ship Upgrade Tokens T1 Blockade Runner Escort T5 Blockade Runner Escort Retrofit **NEW** T6 Appalachia Blockade Runner Escort But in what we hope is a new move for Zen store releases, the T6 Appalachia will also be available as a separate purchase in the Zen Store. This ship features 4/3 weapons layout and a Lt. Commander Tactical / Command Bridge Officer specialist seat, and a Lieutenant Universal / Intel Bridge Officer specialist seat plus it can load dual cannons.  And it comes equipped with Universal Console, the Tricobalt Tear Launcher plus an Experimental Weapon Slot, equipped with Hull Spike Battery. The Mastery trait is Piercing Projectiles, so when you activate a Torpedo or Mine firing mode Bridge Officer ability will grant a large Shield Penetration and Hull Penetration bonus for a short time. https://youtu.be/myFX7I4CU-g Combat Alert! Defense screens up! Arm the lasers! By Shane Hoover Prompted by a recent STO Reddit thread, website Massively OP dedicated their “Massively Overthinking” column on September 23rd to one question. “Would you play your favorite MMO without its IP?” Many MMO's were on the table for discussion, but there were some interesting opinions on Star Trek Online.  Writer Andy McAdams pointed out “I started binging on Star Trek Discovery again and it made me want to play the game, so I downloaded it. But I know I don't particularly enjoy the game and I'm only playing it for the IP. For me, I don't think it would stand on its own.”Another writer, Tyler Edwards, says “I don't think I'd ever have spent any significant amount of time on this game without the IP”.  But he hits an important note pointing out that “What makes the game work is the massive amount of love the people behind it clearly have for the Star Trek universe.”

This week on Episode 524 of Priority One: New York Comic Con is ready to Trek Out; the community rallies behind Wilson Cruz; Star Trek Online updates its minimum system requirements; mobile games cross to desktop; and we review Lower Decks' “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie”–but not before we chat with Cryptic Studios's Content Creator Ryon and Environment Artist Gianna! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Trekking Out the Big Apple By Elio Lleo Convention season is in full swing and New York Comic Con is next. Starting October 7th and ending October 10th, this four day event usually has stuff for everyone! Unique to this year's presentation is hybrid participation: not only are organizers reducing the total number of attendees, you can also purchase a virtual ticket that will give you access to some of the panels right from the comfort of your own home. But what's so special about NYCC? As of right now, Paramount+ is slated to present at least two panels: on Saturday, October 9th at 12:45pm the cast and producers of Star Trek: Discovery take the Empire Stage. Then on Sunday, October 10, Star Trek: Prodigy will premiere its first episode along with a panel. Image: ViacomCBS/Nickelodeon, via TrekCore. But that's not all–join the Roddenberry Podcast Network as we present a panel titled “Star Trek's Guide to Community.” I'll be there along with Kennedy and Sue from Women at Warp! That's happening Saturday, Oct 9th at 2:15pm. There's also a Hallmark presentation with new Trek ornaments, a virtual only panel with the folks behind the new Star Trek Magazine, and even Bill Shatner will be there on Thurs, October 7th.  Wilson Cruz Harassed During Star Trek Day By Elio Lleo When it comes to communities, even Star Trek's can be incredibly divisive. The majority of the time, it's about NuTrek vs older Trek, who the better first officer is, or which ship is cooler. However, there are times when things can get dark and people start to show their true colors–like one fan who was offered the privilege of attending the Star Trek Day celebrations in person. Long story short, at one point during the event, while Wilson Cruz was on stage, someone in the audience yield out a homophobic slur. According to reports, no one did anything about it. The guest was not removed nor have they been identified (yet). With incredible grace and patience, Wilson continued on and later took to Twitter to address the matter. https://twitter.com/wcruz73/status/1436333680880934927 Although he may not have wanted to draw so much attention to the matter, we want to take a moment to remind you–our listeners–that tolerance for the bigoted has its limits. When you see something, say something. Learn ways on how to be the best ally you can be for people who are marginalized on a daily basis. If you're on social media and someone goes on a hate-filled rant, step up. It's the inaction of those with the means to stand up to injustices that empower those who want to watch the world burn. [If you don't think this belongs in Trek, then there's the airlock. Help yourself.–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via StarTrek.com IP Theft, the Sincerest Form of Flattery By Cat Hough On Monday, we were treated to the big uniform reveal by General Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations for Space Force who tweeted, "Every winning team needs a uniform!.I'm excited to share the new look with you today." And to no one's surprise, the Twitterverse immediately noticed some striking similarities to some other uniforms that we are quite familiar with. They were described by one person as "a blend of the Star Trek Enterprise dress uniform, but with the Mirror Universe diagonal."  https://twitter.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/1440323962697752590 [I am voluntarily putting this into my own shownotes for your edification, dear listener. You owe me.–Ed.] Josh Weinstein, a veteran writer for The Simpsons and Futurama, said the uniform reminded him of the ridiculously tight outfits worn by Zapp Brannigan; Movies in Focus hopped on the satirical bandwagon with the image of an Imperial Star Destroyer officer from the original Star Wars trilogy. "These new Space Force uniforms are looking great," jokes the caption. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. Reuben Klamer, the designer of the original Starfleet phaser rifle for the original series of Star Trek, passed away at the age of 99, according to the Toy Association. Klamer also designed props for other shows, including a gun for the hit 1960s series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  https://youtu.be/oWGNDoXG9R8 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds PSA: She Canna Take Any More, Cap'ns! By Thomas Reynolds To every thing there is a season–and in Cryptic's opinion, the season for Windows 7 is long past. Starting February 15, 2022, anyone still using the 10-year-old OS (seriously, not even Microsoft supports it anymore) won't be able to patch or log into STO and Neverwinter. Only Windows 8 and 10 (with the superior 64-bit intellect) will have a home on the final frontier. DirectX 10 support is also getting ejected like a spent warp core on February 15th, with both games requiring Feature Level 11 or higher. That means your computer needs to have one of the following video card chipsets to play: NVidia GeForce GTX 400 or better ATI/AMD Radeon HD 5000 or better Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better Given all the fun and excitement of buying graphics cards these days, if your current card isn't up to the task...well, godspeed. [Pictured: my rig next February.–Ed.] Image: ViacomCBS, via KVNF Public Radio. Aux2Bat Gets Boimed Out By Thomas Reynolds The aqueduct, the magnetic compass, the Aux2Bat. All of these simple technologies have withstood the test of time, but the last may be the most miraculous. Needing only three Technician doffs and one boff ability at minimum, the Aux2Bat ship build is easy to assemble, trivial to fly, and still keeps your bridge officers ready for whatever space wizardry you demand of them. Sure, it hasn't been the meta in a sehlat's age, but you know what? Aux2Bat does the job, it does it pretty well, and that's pretty much all we ask...until now. Ever drop a Gravity Well, and notice your Tyken's Rift is now off-limits for 15 seconds? That's the Shared Category Cooldown kicking in, forcing you to pace yourself rather than let everything rip at once. When Cryptic first released the Boimler Effect trait, it provided a 2.5% percent chance of resetting every bridge officer ability to its Shared Category Cooldown, whenever you used a non-specialist boff ability. Great in theory, but one-in-forty odds just aren't worth a 200 Lobi investment. Yeah, that's was also our reaction. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekZone.de So Cryptic did a little tweaking, like you do, and made it a 17.5% percent proc chance instead. As STO streamer @AugmentedDG declared on Twitter, “Boimler Effect is now as good as Aux2Bat...for cooldown reduction.” Bold words, to be sure, but there's also a fairly convincing clip of him keeping eight of his escort's twelve boff abilities concurrently running like an overambitious plate spinner. Trek out the tweet, scrape together that Lobi, and give your boffs more buffer time than they can handle. https://twitter.com/AugmentedDG/status/1438707179268284425 Is there in Screen Accuracy No Beauty? By Thomas Reynolds One of Trek cosplay's hallmarks is its hair-splitting fidelity to what's seen on screen, even when the creators themselves don't quite pull it off. Combine that tendency with STO's promise of personal immersion, and it's no surprise that some players want their captain's threads to look “correct.” To help make that a little easier, Cryptic released official in-game color guides for both the newly-available Lower Decks Starfleet jacket, and their original Khitomer uniform creation. However, rapturous Space Barbie enthusiasts should make sure they're using the second released Khitomer guide, as the first one had incorrect pant color codes. https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1439020385572245509 The Sally Ride, the Ross, and You By Shane Hoover If you were a fan of the Star Trek Adventures web series “Shield of Tomorrow” or “Clear Skies”, you're already familiar with the dangers and wonders of the Shackleton Expanse. If you weren't, then be prepared for deadly spatial phenomena, ancient alien technologies, first contact with new species and lots of boldly going. It's all there in Modiphius Entertainment's newest STA sourcebook, the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide. The new sourcebook is available for preorder at $60 now and is expected to ship in December 2021. This is your tabletop gaming crew's chance to follow in the warp trails of the U.S.S. Sally Ride and the U.S.S. Ross. Adventure into a nearly uncharted region of space beyond Federation, Klingon and Romulan borders.  Image: Modiphius Entertainment. The new material includes five new playable alien species for STA including Orions. It also includes NPCs from Starbase 364 and around the Expanse, as well as stats for “hero” and NPC vessels. This sourcebook does require a copy of the Star Trek Adventures core rulebook, which is provided in PDF form with your order. The Ar-mod-a Returns By Thomas Reynolds Maybe 2000 feels like a long time ago to you, maybe it doesn't. Either way, the Star Trek: Armada and Armada II RTS games that came out then still hold a place in certain PC players' hearts. So much, in fact, that the Stellar Parallax modding group has finally released what Activision would not: Star Trek: Armada III. Starting as a one-person passion project back in 2012, Armada III is a full-conversion mod for 2012's Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. Stellar Parallax's devoted faithful can now command the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Borg, or Cardassian Union at the beginning of the Dominion War. See, Kurtzman? You can have more than one kind of ship in a fleet. Image: Stellar Parallax. But really, how much demand is there for a nine-year-old game mod, following up on a twenty-year-old series? After its September 10th release, Armada III is the 51st most-popular mod on the ModDB site, out of over 46,000 entries across hundreds of games–so we'd say “a lot.” [Update: #21 as of publication. Damn.–Ed.] Quick Star Trek Gaming News Roundup A few weeks back we mentioned that the mobile game Star Trek Fleet Command was beta testing a desktop client for Windows. Well, they're out of beta and it's now available for download, with special perks being offered when you log in via desktop! Game maker WizKids announced a new combo-building game titled “Star Trek Missions” –according to their announcement, “your goal is to assemble the highest-scoring combos possible by drawing cards from the Galaxy deck, the Mission deck, or the discard area.” It'll be available February 2022, but you can pre-order now.

This week on Episode 523 of Priority One: the Roddenberry Foundation continues to promote a positive future, while Star Trek already wins some Emmys this year; in gaming, Star Trek Online takes us through a mirror darkly with “Reflections” and On Screen: Lower Decks Season 2 Episode 6! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Star Trek Wins at the Emmys By Elio Lleo On the heels of the Star Trek Day event, the franchise had cause for more celebration. During the two-day Creative Arts Emmy Event this last week, Star Trek walked away with two wins. First up, an Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single episode for Star Trek: Discovery's Season 3, “Su'kal.” Then, Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series for the Discovery episode, “If Memory Serves.” Now, Star Trek has been nominated for a total of 10 Emmys and the 75th Annual Awards show is set to air on Sunday, September 19th on CBS. So, let's keep our fingers crossed that Star Trek takes home several more!  The 2321 Emmys will use photon torpedoes in place of play-off music. Image: Television Academy. Praise the Word of Rod By Elio Lleo As Gene Roddenberry's centennial celebrations continue, his son and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, Rod Roddenberry, spoke with Forbes's Simon Thompson about the last 55 years and the future of Star Trek. With the first four original movies being remastered in 4K UHD, Rod remarks about how great it is to see how there's still a hunger for the original incarnations of Trek, saying: I think it makes Star Trek new again, especially for our new audiences. You've got the TV series now that has brought in a newer, younger demographic, and I think some people are resistant to look at older stuff. When it comes out in 4K, it looks fresh and new. I'm excited by them being introduced to Star Trek through the original movies. ...oh, UNITY, that's what the shirt says. Image: Paramount Pictures, via Forbes. What about NuTrek? Well, for Rod, it's all about ensuring that any of the recent incarnations stay true to the core of what his father's vision was all about saying: He wants people like J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman and others to come along and do that. He also wanted to make sure that it remains Star Trek… [a]s long as they are continuing the tradition and the idea of it making you think. Having it entertain is extremely important, absolutely, but let's be considering different points of view on this as well. Rod goes on to discuss his own personal history with the franchise and how it was he grew to be so invested in his father's legacy. What Escapes In Vegas...Stays In...Hmmm… By Cat Hough If you're headed to Vegas anytime soon, you should definitely trek out the new Star Trek: Discovery-themed escape room launched by Escapology. The game is set during the third season of Discovery and has opened just in time to coincide with the 4th season premiere on Paramount+.  https://player.vimeo.com/video/599794944/ Your role in the game is acting as a civilian engineer tasked with inspecting the U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031 as it undergoes the refit and upgrade to the 1031-A. However, sci-fi things happen during your inspection and Discovery collides with a quantum filament, causing major hull damage. The filaments' quantum resonance has also caused a polarity shift in the antimatter containment system, leading to a progressive degeneration in the containment field. If field strength falls below 15%, it will collapse, destroying the vessel and everyone aboard. Because sci-fi stuff happened, the main computer has closed emergency bulkheads across the ship and the turbolift control system has been disabled, leaving the bulk of the crew trapped and unable to begin repairs. In a convenient turn of events, your turbolift stopped near the Auxiliary Control section, so all you have to do is override its systems. At this point, you're the best option for helping Discovery and its crew avoid this disaster. Another reason to hate this design. Image: ViacomCBS, via CBR. Then, you, and your team, must escape the turbolift and communicate with a senior officer. You can save everyone if you can just re-establish communications and work together to repair the antimatter containment field before the strength falls below 15% which is projected to be in precisely 60 minutes time. Or that's how long you can book the room for: packages can be reserved at the Las Vegas Town Square location via the Escapology website and they currently show the price for 6 people is a little under $250.  Festivity Will Now Commence By Thomas Reynolds and Rosco McQueen It's practically cliché at this point: the commercial Christmas season starts earlier every year, with candy canes and carols drowning out the trick-or-treaters and turkey dinners. But...what if December isn't merely encroaching on the other months? Isn't Christmas adding their celebrational distinctiveness to its own? Are they not being adapted to service Saint Nick? Yes, Christmas is assimilating the calendar–and your holidays, as they have been, are over. The Elf on the Shelf was the first to fall to the Collective; the angel tree topper is next. Image: Eaglemoss. Festivity may be irrelevant, but that hasn't stopped Eaglemoss from creating a grim messenger of holiday cheer.  Invading Sector 001 on September 30th, the Borg Cube Advent Calendar brings 24 Trek accessories and gifts to all good little Trekkies. Socks, coasters, coffee mugs: each item included in the box also includes a short note with trivia and stories behind it. The Calendar sells for a considerable $149.95, so your bank account might look like New Providence if there's more than one Trekkie on your gift list. However, if you're after something a bit less “Sovereign-class”, then the California line of starships may be more your style.  Eaglemoss has revealed the new XL model of the USS Cerritos.  The model is 9.75” long and faithfully reproduces the Cerritos as it appeared in the first season. It's due in January 2022, so not quite in time for Christmas, but it will soon be joined by a model of the U.S.S. Titan. Both models were made using the actual VFX files used in Lower Decks, with both ships looking a little more animated than the usual line of starships–like they could have leapt from the screen to your living room. Ejectable warp core not included. Image: StarTrek.com Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. For her efforts to help eradicate sexual harassment from the entertainment industry, Michelle Hurd was awarded the SAG-AFTRA President's Award. Hurd (Raffi on Star Trek: Picard) is an actor, activist and National Board member who's worked to provide resources to SAG-AFTRA members who experienced sexual harassment and assault. She also assisted in developing updated guidelines and policies to eliminate harassment and assault from the industry.  You can color your favorite Lower Deckers. The Star Trek.com website is still celebrating Star Trek Day and you can download and print pages to a new coloring book from season two of Star Trek: Lower Decks.  We want to remind you that you can participate in the Roddenberry Foundation's “Boldly Go” campaign by submitting a video, photo, letter, poem, or even a simple selfie. The theme or question to answer, “describe your hopes for the next 100 years!” Visit BoldlyGo.com to learn more! STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds A Fanatical Devotion to Charity By Shane Hoover It's policy here at Priority One that we love charity bundles (and if it isn't, it should be). The latest effort from STO and Fanatical.com is no exception. Following the familiar format, players can select one of two reward tiers based on their donated amount: Tier 1 - $1 ($15 value) 32c Vanity Shield Overlay Rainbow Risian Caracal  ‘Charitable' title Tier 2 - $7.99     ($82 value) All items from Tier 1 Narendra-class Support Cruiser (T6) Vor'ral Support Battlecruiser (T6) 1 Fleet Ship Module 1 Gold Tech Upgrade 30 Lobi Crystals Rarely is it this easy to support the needs of the many. Image: Fanatical. But the benefits don't stay in-game: each purchase of any tier in the bundle earns you a chance to win the Grand Prize! Tier 1 purchases earn a single Grand prize entry, while Tier 2 purchases net you five entries. The winner gets a place on Star Trek: The Cruise V, a ticket worth over $5000. I don't know if God needs a cruise ship, but I sure wouldn't mind getting on this one. The winner also receives a digital copy of every expansion pack available for Star Trek Online. That's Legacy of Romulus, Delta Operations, Temporal Agent, Gamma Vanguard and Discovery Operations. All told, that's over $720 worth of STO goodies. You can also get one free entry into the Grand Prize drawing by visiting a link which requires you to sign up for the Fanatical newsletter. Nearly 90% of the sales price on these charity bundle items will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, providing children with safe and fun places to grow and thrive, and offering mentoring life-enhancing programs. STO Takes Another Hard Look In the Mirror By Rosco McQueen With the conclusion of the Klingon Civil War, you would think Starfleet and members of the Alliance would have time for a little bit of exploration in Star Trek Online. Think again!!  As a mirror universe admiral once said, “You haven't seen the last of me!” https://youtu.be/krG7YUY9JNw This newfound peace is short lived, as a new danger emerges from the Mirror Universe. A former enemy, Admiral Leeta (voiced by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Chase Masterson) is being hunted by the Mirror Universe's Kuumarke, a Terran Empire special agent. Players will team up with Admiral Leeta to stop Kuumarke and her Terran forces from using stolen information to bring destruction to the Prime Universe. Captains can investigate this looming threat in a new featured episode, Firewall, as well as participate in a new ground TFO, “Operation: Wolf.” Captains can also earn daily progress by playing the “Counterpoint” TFO and the episode “Jabberwocky” to work towards claiming the brand new T6 Mirror Gagarin-class Miracle Worker Battlecruiser.  It's worth noting the first Captain on your account to claim the ship also receives 8x Terran Empire Agony Phaser Weapon Packs which each contain your choice of starship weapon type, and 3x Ultimate Tech Upgrade - Beam/Cannon/Projectile Tech which may be used to upgrade any starship weaponry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlkM4MrvSR0&feature=emb_title The new Terran ship has a 4 forward, and 4 aft weapon layout, compared to the regular 5/3 layout of the Prime Gagarin. It features a Lieutenant Commander Command Specialist Bridge Officer seat, and a universal console - the Destructive Protomatter Wave Projector.  The wave projector targets multiple vessels, ripping apart their hulls. If they are destroyed then they send out a secondary shockwave, which may infect other targets in a chain reaction.   Carriers With Crossover Appeal By Thomas Reynolds For years, STO was a preeminent source for new Trek stories–and what's a new Trek story without a ship? Cryptic's designs helped progress the post-Nemesis state of shipbuilding art, establishing distinct aesthetics for a modern 25th century. Now 2021's a different scene, with five different television series and other MMOs generating new ships of their own. That said, STO's contributions aren't going unnoticed. Yes. It's a cat carrier. Good job. Image: Cryptic Studios. The Continuing Mission blog for Star Trek Adventures recently posted fan-made guidelines for bringing Cryptic's Atrox- and Aspero-class carriers into the tabletop world. The unofficial STO-to-STA ship conversion assigns stats and traits based on their online counterparts, so you can drag-and-drop them into your campaign. It's an interesting look at RPG mechanic design, if that's your thing (and if you're listening to this podcast, that's a pretty safe guess). But it also reflects Cryptic's success in creating ships that become Trek characters in their own right. Quick Gaming News Roundup With Reflections taking us back into the Mirror Universe, STO's original ships are getting some fresh new looks--looks that could kill, that is. Ten of Cryptic's 25th century Federation designs, including the fan-favorite Pathfinder, have been touched up for the new arc, ranging from new materials to full-blown remasters. The Terran Empire is also getting their own versions of four ships–the Shran, Reliant, Andromeda, and Pathfinder–dressed to impress and distress. For fans of STO's story blog posts, this was all related in a private communique from Vice Admiral Hemphill of Starfleet. Or is it Lord Baron Vice Admiral of Starfleet? The answer: yes. If you launch STO through the Epic Games launcher - or if you want to get a free Terran Incursion Pack that includes a Terran Empire Sonic Phaser Stun Pistol, an Elite Services Starter Pack and a Small XP Boost, then you'd need to download the game and launch through Epic Games. The pack can be claimed once per account, all items are bound to account and you must complete the tutorial in order to claim it.  The red tells you they're Evil ships, because they can't grow goatees. Image: Cryptic Studios.

This week on Episode 522 of Priority One: Happy Star Trek Day! New trailers for Picard, Prodigy and Lower Decks, and a formal introduction to the Enterprise crew voyaging to Strange New Worlds. In gaming news, the Mirror Universe inspires a new TFO in “Operation: Wolf,” new gear on the way inspired by Lower Decks, and some good old Trek games get a PC refresh.   TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds 55 Years Of Trekking Across The Universe By Cat Hough This week marks the 55th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of Star Trek and, according to all the memes going around, the world has never been the same. But when you think about it...that's a pretty accurate statement. Without the vision of Gene Roddenberry and the production of the original series, we would not even have this podcast. So let's just take this opportunity to appreciate the reason we are even here today.  Fresh New Faces For Strange New Worlds By Rosco McQueen There's no trailer yet, but we were treated to an introduction to the crew of the Enterprise under Captain Pike, with some new faces and some familiar ones as well. We are reintroduced to Anson Mount, Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn who reprise their roles as Captain Pike, Mr Spock and Number One.  From there we meet the new actors taking on classic characters, with: Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, And Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga. New characters then come our way: Bruce Horak as Hemmer,  Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh, And Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc7ZWdJY6ZY Shadows Of Things That Will Be By Cat Hough Let's break down the Picard Season Two trailer. We see Q snap his fingers and send everyone into an alternate reality where Earth has descended into a totalitarian state. But only Jean-Luc Picard and his new crew (maybe with Guinan's help?) know that time has been altered. Then they decide to travel back to modern day Los Angeles in order to get things sorted. To get there, however, they need the assistance of the Borg Queen, played by Annie Wersching--who, in this alternate reality, appears to be a captive on Earth. What else is in store for Picard? We don't know yet, but we do know he'll be back in February 2022; it was also confirmed that Picard was renewed for Season 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUhBOmtFYr8 But Will We Learn The Janeway Maneuver? By Cat Hough We also got a first real look at Prodigy as the first official trailer was introduced by Kate Mulgrew. This panel also included a pleasant surprise: the show will premiere on October 28 and the first episode is an hour long. The trailer shows us the crew of young aliens who happen to find an experimental Federation starship named the U.S.S. Protostar, but they've never heard of Starfleet or the Federation. So it's up to Janeway's hologram to teach them how to use the ship to navigate the cosmos, while the Diviner (John Noble) and Drednok (Jimmi Simpson) pursue the crew to get ahold of the ship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBE7d8sH5Rg Lower Decks Hits The Halfway Mark By Cat Hough After a hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable first half of the season, Lower Decks continues it's second season with more adventure, more exploration, and lots more sci-fi stuff. The second-season trailer (that series creator Mike McMahon says he edited to remove spoilers) gives us glimpses of Rutherford vs "fricking radiation," Tendi as a giant bug, and Mariner and Boimler on an away mission that goes sideways [...so like every other away mission, then---Ed.]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vkzjGBAcTM Looking Four-ward To Discovery By Cat Hough The fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery premieres Thursday, Nov. 18, on Paramount+. The first image from the upcoming season was released during Star Trek Day. We also got to watch a panel featuring season four cast members Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), Blu del Barrio (Adira), Ian Alexander (Gray), and showrunner and executive producer Michelle Paradise. The panel of mutual love and discussion of found family was moderated by Wil Wheaton. Most advanced ship in the fleet, and they couldn't even spring for seat warmers? Image: ViacomCBS. Taking Trek Back To School By Thomas Reynolds and Rosco McQueen With Labor Day on rearview sensors, the American student body is headed back to school–and so is the Trek franchise, if Kurtzman has his way. Back in Episode 519, we mentioned that a Starfleet Academy-situated series “aimed at younger audiences” was in the works. Since then, Eric Pesola at Heavy suggested that the new series concept is far older than it appears. Don't worry, it's safe for them to wear red shirts because they're named characters. Image: IDW Comics, via Heavy.com. Pesola draws parallels between JJ's franchise “revival” in 2009, and Harve Bennett turning it around after The Motion Picture almost torpedoed it thirty years prior. Bennett helmed the next three series entries and more-or-less put Trek's fortunes on the up-and-up. That said, after his Final Frontier almost finished it for good, Bennett pitched one more idea: a prequel film set at Starfleet Academy, with Ethan Hawke as Kirk and John Cusack as Spock. The studio went with a thinly-veiled Cold War analogy instead but, twenty years later, class might finally be in session. During the Star Trek Day celebrations, Wil Wheaton asked Kurtzman about the future of Trek on TV, Kurtzman said that with five ongoing series, he's “not in a hurry” to launch any more. But he did bring up the fan enthusiasm for a series set at Starfleet Academy. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Legends Of Yesterday By Rosco McQueen Fire up the phase inducers, it's time to start a new ‘toon in Star Trek Online. The Agents of Yesterday recruitment event is active: new characters set in the TOS era playing through the entire Agents of Yesterday mission arc, and becoming Temporal Agents with updated rewards.  As we covered previously, if you haven't created a Temporal Agent character, it's a great opportunity with lots of bonuses for your whole account. You wish your family portrait looked this good. Image: Cryptic Studios. But if the idea of leveling up a new character from scratch isn't bringing you joy, then the Legendary TOS Federation Captain's Bundle has dropped to immediately boost your new character to level 65.  The pack comes with equipment, services, and other resources to allow this newly-boosted character to be ready to enter the high-level content of Star Trek Online. Plus, you'll get account-wide access to the Legendary Miranda Multi-Mission Cruiser [T6]. It includes all of the consoles, starship traits, and costumes from the entire line of Miranda and Malachowski starship families. The bundle is available for the price of 12,000 Zen, with 50% OFF from September 8th at 8am PT to September 20th at 10am PT! Parliament Is Now In Session By Rosco McQueen The next story arc is fast approaching, if this news item is anything to go by. STO announced this week that Lower Decks themed gear is making its way into the game. “Starting with the next story update which arrives on PC very soon, a brand new Tier-6 Starship will be added to the existing ship choices, and a series of exciting new Lower Decks-themed items will be added to the Lobi Crystal Store.” The items include:   Lower Decks uniforms, Portable Phaser Cannon  Multibarrel Phaser  Phaser Split-Beam Rifle  Phaser Sniper Rifle  T-88 Diagnostic Tool Kit frame - complete with purple stripe Lower Decks Personal Traits, two space and two ground,  And a new starship, the Parliament Miracle Worker Surveyor Cruiser [T6]. Oof. Not looking forward to the environmental impact statement on this one. Image: Cryptic Studios. The Parliament has a four front and four aft weapon layout, with a Controlled Gravimetric Demolition universal console, which deals “tremendous” kinetic damage. The console also provides a passive bonus to Kinetic and Physical Damage Resistance Rating, as well as Exotic Particle Generation and Structural Integrity. The items will be available for purchase upon the release of the next story update (no date confirmed as yet). Operation: Sheep In Wolf's Clothing by Shane Hoover A brand new blog from Cryptic has announced a forthcoming Mirror Universe TFO for Star Trek Online. The new bit of fiction finds Admiral Quinn providing feedback to Admiral Leeta on a new Starfleet training simulation to test special operations into the Mirror Universe. It seems despite her cooperation, Quinn finds her bloodlust a bit much even for a simulation. I mean honestly, if a Captain can't use Exocomps as cannon fodder anymore what are you supposed to do? And just forget about bumping off your Terran counterpart, I guess! So much for Plan A, am I right?  What I've always loved about the Terran Empire: its understated subtlety. Image: Cryptic Studios. Anyway, while details are obviously thin in this little teaser, it looks like Captains will get to beam their away team into a brand new Mirror Universe version of Earth Space Dock for some covert operations. So beef up those biceps, tone up those abs, and sharpen your daggers. We're going Terran on the holodeck for “Operation: Wolf”! They Belong In A Museum! By Shane Hoover It's also worth noting that in celebration of Star Trek Day, from September 8 to 22, on all platforms, there will be a special Starfleet Museum in orbit above Deep Space Nine and Earth Space Dock. The museum contains the starring ships from Star Trek movies, television, and more. Hailing each ship will give you words from their crew, and both in universe and behind the scenes facts about the ship and show. Hailing all ten of the ships will grant you a special title: Historical Documents Expert. "Ugh, people really use holodecks for that?" "Oh yeah, it's mostly that." Image: ViacomCBS, via TOR. Fleet Command Finishes TNG By Thomas Reynolds If TNG taught us anything, it's that all good things must come to an end, and so it is in Star Trek Fleet Command. Patch 34 concludes Fleet Command's first [nope, our bad—Ed.] foray into Prime Timeline storytelling, wrapping the TNG arc begun back in May while adding Tasha Yar to the officer roster. Meanwhile, your existing crew collection will gain Traits that boost the chance of Critical Success for Away Team assignments. And as for those assignments: as of Patch 34, assignments will automatically respawn once they are completed. Star Trek Through Rose-Tinted GOGgles By Thomas Reynolds and Rosco McQueen Remember last week, when we said about a half-dozen vintage Trek games were going to be re-released on GOG Galaxy? Well they're on GOG Galaxy now in time for Star Trek Day! In a release the company has confirmed the games have been updated so they run smoothly on Windows 10, with some even offering a working LAN multiplayer option. I don't know what makes me feel older, the box art or the phrase "LAN multiplayer." Image: GOG.

This week on Episode 521 of Priority One: Star Trek: Prodigy drops several news items just as Star Trek Day nears, Star Trek Online tries to entice new players and existing players to start a brand new character, and we throw a unicorn horn on a white gorilla suit in On Screen, with Season 2 Episode 4 of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Prodigy Pulls Some Great Cast Gets By Elio Lleo The newest iteration of Star Trek, Nickelodeon's animated series Prodigy, is making news this week with a couple of big announcements. First up: casting!  Two new actors have been added to the cast announcement with Jimi Simpson and John Noble both playing antagonist characters. According to Deadline's Alexandra Del Rosario, Noble (The Lord of the Rings, FRINGE) will voice the character known as The Diviner: “a ruthless tyrant who controls the asteroids of Tars Lampora…and will stop at nothing in his hunt for the Protostar ship, no matter the cost.” Simpson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Westworld, Breakout Kings) voices Drednok, “the Diviner's deadly robotic enforcer…heartless and cold.” ...yeah, checks out. Image: CBS, via Deadline. Now, if talent isn't enough, then be sure to watch the main title sequence for the show–available now on YouTube and other Star Trek social media channels.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm9Zv8D70hA Lining Up The Milestones By Rosco McQueen Panels, panels and more panels are coming your way for the Trek franchise's 55th anniversary.  On September 8, the Star Trek Day celebrations will be hosted by The Next Generation's Wil Wheaton and actress and host Mica Burton. It will feature back-to-back in person conversations with cast and crew members, with a focus at looking at what is ahead for the franchise.   https://youtu.be/mdknOoG6K4c One panel in particular features Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck from Strange New Worlds, with the trailer for the event casually showing off the logo of the series. Composer Jeff Russo will lead a live orchestra performance throughout the event, with Paramount+ saying to expect some surprise announcements and reveals throughout the program.   Another notch in the milestone belt of history comes after the airing of the Lower Decks episode “We'll Always Have Tom Paris”, marking the 800th episode of Star Trek television.  Now that commemorative plate makes even more sense! Now do you shorten it to Cer or Tos? Image: Paramount+, via ComicBook.com All The Star Trek News Fit To Print By Cat Hough If watching all the new Trek offerings and playing all the Trek games is still not enough Star Trek content in your life, well you are in luck! This November, Titan Publishing is re-launching the official Star Trek magazine and renaming it Star Trek Explorer. Titan describes this magazine as "the no. #1 destination for everything Star Trek–filled with in-depth interviews and features taking you behind-the-scenes of all your favorite shows and movies." The first issue showcases a fresh new design and features two exclusive Star Trek short stories. Plus, they plan on adding a 16-page themed "featurette" in each issue, with the inaugural issue featuring a guide to Captain James. T. Kirk.  There are two covers available for the first issue: one features a shot of Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery, while the second uses Tim Anderson's Star Trek: The Original Series tribute artwork. Image: Titan Publishing, via ComicBook.com Yearly subscriptions cost $29.99 for four issues and, as an added subscription bonus, you get an exclusive digital magazine that includes extra Trek nuggets. You can buy each issue separately for $9.99. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. The documentary Woman In Motion has been uploaded to the International Space Station, commemorating Women's Equality Day in the U.S. If you have not seen it already, the film shows how Nichelle Nichols spent 1977 campaigning across America to bring diversity to NASA. Woman in Motion is also available on demand and digital and is streaming on Paramount+. Voyager actor Tim Russ recently helped with the detection of Patroclus, an asteroid orbiting Jupiter. An avid amateur astronomer, Russ is part of a network of citizen astronomers who regularly contribute space observations. He says that contributing to NASA's mission is important because understanding where we come from, what our origins are and the fact that we are a few intelligent species in this galaxy is special. He reflec, he protec, but most importantly, he detec. Image: Tim Russ, via USA Today. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Time Is On Our Side By Cat Hough Well, the time has come at last [again–Ed.]! Star Trek Online announced the Temporal Recruitment Event returns on all platforms, just in time to celebrate Star Trek Day on September 8th. Since we're playing through the Original Series-era content for this event, the devs have gone through and made some visual updates and updated cutscenes as well as improving the missions themselves. Plus, Temporal Agent goals have been updated to include some new ones, and removed some goals from missions that are no longer in the game, so you don't have to worry about finding Temporal Probes in places that you can no longer reach. You'll be able to earn bonuses for reaching level 60, marks for all of the reputations that have been added to the game, and rewards for engaging in R&D and specializations. Existing Temporal Agents will be able to complete these new goals as well, and if you've already finished them, you can claim the rewards immediately. Tell me they changed the prefix code, at least. Image: Cryptic Studios. Remember, to become a Temporal Agent and gain access to the rewards, you must make a new TOS Starfleet character, during the event, then you must play the tutorial until you receive your special Temporal Agent transceiver device. Once you receive the device, your character is a Temporal Agent and you can complete the goals any time and claim the rewards, even after the event ends. Good Old (Star Trek) Games Coming To Good Old Games (Galaxy) By Rosco McQueen Do you pine for the days when Star Trek games weren't vast, expansive, massively multiplayer worlds?  Maybe you're more of a LAN party player (as long as some else brings the snacks)? A number of classic Trek games, including Star Trek Armada 1 & Armada 2, Star Trek Bridge Commander, and Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force and Elite Force 2 could be due for re-release on GOG Galaxy. Gamefront reports the game cards for titles on the platform recently being updated with new CBS copyright watermarks. Start a Star Trek Game Night for your retirement home today! Image: ViacomCBS/GOG Galaxy, via GameFront. Dancing Data in Fleet Command By Rosco McQueen Star Trek Fleet Command just dropped a new teaser featuring Brent Spiner loosening up for co-star LeVar Burton after playing “an emotionless android for years.” [same–Ed.] This continues Fleet Command's ongoing efforts to bring in Trek celebrities for their promotions: earlier this year they had Sonequa Martin-Green and Karl Urban. Recent promos have leaned into TNG to showcase the latest updates to the game; in addition to Spiner and Burton, Jonathan Frakes also shows up in the promo. 

This week on Episode 520 of Priority One: the week belonged to Gene Roddenberry in celebration of his 100th birthday, the Star Trek Online community gets stirred up by some recent changes, and we look On Screen to Season 2 Episode 3 of Lower Decks! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds One Hundred Years Of Gene By Elio Lleo This week, the Star Trek community celebrated what would have been Gene Roddenberry's 100th birthday. If you've been following the Roddenberry social channels, you will have seen daily quotes from celebrities, writers, influencers, and more–each reading a different quote from Gene Roddenberry. We also reported on the development of a full digital archive of his works. This week, it's been announced that a biopic is in the works with Adam Mazer penning the script. Also at the helm of the film's development are Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. Image: Roddenberry Entertainment, via Deadline. While we're on the topic of celebrating Gene's centennial, be sure to catch Rod Roddenberry on an interview with Fox11 Los Angeles. During the interview, Rod explains the point of the “ThinkTREK” initiative that has been going throughout the summer along with some personal anecdotes about his father. And if that wasn't enough, even NASA got in on the celebration by hosting a conversation with scientists, engineers, and special guest George Takei, moderated by Rod Roddenberry. They even sent one of Gene's quotes into space by beaming the recording out towards the final frontier via their Deep Space Network. The panel is a little over 40 minutes long and spotlights the importance of infinite diversity in infinite combinations for the betterment of human-kind. https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1428010802443923467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1428010802443923467%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2021%2F08%2Fstar-trek-gene-roddenberry-birthday-movie-biopic-adam-mazer-writing-you-dont-know-jack-1234817916%2F Vintages Of Future Past By Cat Hough If there's one thing we all enjoy around here, it's drinks [drink!–Ed.]. So when Star Trek Wines announced the addition of Andorian and Cardassian wines to its now six-bottle lineup, we could not be more excited to try them...unless the Cardassian one tastes like hot fish juice.  Please drink responsibly. Ushaaning everyone in sight is not "responsibly." Image: Star Trek Wines. Even if you're just a collector of really cool bottles, the Andorian Chardonnay is a lovely shade of blue and comes in a bottom-heavy clear bottle that is also festooned with a United Federation of Planets metal medallion. The Cardassian kanar bottle has a bit more pizazz [certainly one way to put it–Ed.]. Star Trek Wines states "the team conducted a rigorous multi-year search for an original Cardassian Kanar bottle, a unique, serpent-shaped vessel, originally utilized in the 1950s through the 1970s in Europe.” They then rendered those bottles in 3D for accuracy, resulting in one of the “most fascinating bottles in the Galaxy.” Of course Cardassians would make a bottle you feel uncomfortable just looking at. Image: Star Trek Wines As for the wine itself, the Andorian Chardonnay, priced at $50, is listed as premium Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands "aged 12 months prior to bottling" and has “delicious notes of citrus, peach and apricots." The Cardassian Kanar Red Wine Blend, priced at $60, is described as a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Petite Verdot. They say these combine into "a dark, rich wine with notes of ripe blackberries and juicy blueberries, velvety tannins, and a long, delightful finish.” Both of these new wines are available for presale at StarTrekWines.com and expect to ship sometime in November. Or, if you want to buy the whole six-bottle collection–what they call "The Full Armada," it's currently available for $299.  Logic And Honor: Collect The Whole Set! By Rosco McQueen The team from Topps and Mego toys, known for their scale figures have teamed up in the most logical way as part of their ongoing collaboration, with the release of the new Mr Spock 8 inch action figure.  Spock is outfitted in his screen accurate Starfleet Command uniform and accessories as seen in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The figure comes complete with phaser pistol, tricorder and an emotionless, logical facial expression (Vulcan nerve pinch not included.)   The 90-100 day shipping lead time is almost as long as the spacedock scene. Image: TOPPS. But if your display shelf is looking a little too Federation vanilla, time to spice up the Breget lung with some grapok sauce!  The legendary Dahar Master himself, Kor, son of Rynar can now be added to your collection, in 8 inch figure form.  Also in a screen accurate uniform and accessories, the Kor figure is as seen in the 1967 episode of Star Trek, "Errand of Mercy". Both are individually available for $19.99 US. Lamé is a good way to die. Image: TOPPS. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. Via her Twitter account on August 23rd, Michelle Paradise announces that S4 of Discovery has wrapped!  George Takei will lend his vocals to a Star Wars project in Visions. He had previously voiced Separatist General Lok Durd in The Clone Wars. Takei joins an already impressive English-speaking voice cast, which includes David Harbour, Karen Fukuhara–and Boba Fett himself, Temuera Morrison. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Mars, The Slip'N Slider Of War By Cat Hough The Infinity Lock Box returns and contains an all-new Tier 6 Starship, the Mars Pilot Escort [T6]. This ship features a 5/2 weapon layout and, since it is a Pilot Escort, a Commander Tactical/Pilot Specialist Bridge Officer seat, and a Lieutenant Universal/Intel Specialist Bridge Officer seat. The U.S.S. Le Guin, NCC-325060. Image: Cryptic Studios. It also comes equipped with a Universal Subspace Cavitation Matrix Console, which creates a subspace shockwave in normal space that will damage foes out to 5km from the impact point. This console also provides a passive bonus to Current and Maximum Engine Subsystem Power, as well as an increase to all weapon damage to foes within 5km. This ship also introduces a new Experimental Weapon, the Subspace Pocket Projector, capable of forming localized distortions in subspace that are then propelled toward a nearby foe. This distorts hull and shields, and slows their ship's ability to maneuver in normal space. Getting a piece of the action: three pieces, to be precise. Image: Cryptic Studios. Finally, leveling your Mars Pilot Escort will unlock the Improved Lock Trajectory Space Trait. While this trait is slotted, the recharge time of Lock Trajectory is reduced to zero, allowing the ability to be immediately re-engaged after it is turned off. [If they're not attached, does it matter which way it's pointing?–Ed.] Plus, you will be able to gain a reduction to the recharge times on Pilot Abilities, Cannon: Rapid Fire, and Cannon: Scatter Volley, whenever you deal Energy Weapon damage to a foe that is within your forward 90' firing arc (max once per 5 sec). Dilithium Sinks Keep (Re)Rolling Along By Rosco McQueen In an effort from Cryptic to provide players with options for their stockpiles of dilithium, a new permanent way to spend dilithium has been added to the game. STO Staff Systems Director Jeremy “BorticusCryptic” Randall explained that starting on August 24, Personal Endeavor Reroll Tokens and Admiralty Assignment Pass Tokens are purchasable for 2,500 Dilithium apiece. This change will appear on console platforms on September 8. One simple button couldn't be too controversial, right? Image: Cryptic Studios. Previously players could earn the tokens through the respective systems as random rewards.  That method has now been disabled.  The hope is to balance the game's Zen exchange to a more sustainable level.

This episode of Priority One is brought to you by Eaglemoss Hero Collector's annual SUMMER OF TREK Sweepstakes. Score the year's best deals on the world's widest range of Star Trek collectibles and enter for a chance to win one of more than 250 incredible prizes – including the Grand Prize of an Ocean View Voyage for 2 aboard the SOLD OUT Star Trek: The Cruise V.  For details and to enter, go to www.GetYourTrekOn.com This week on Episode 519 of Priority One: Kurtzman and Trek, Gene Roddenberry's archive goes into an NFT digital world, and plenty of new Star Trek related products to add to your wishlist. In Gaming: rock out with your targ out when Mary Chieffo goes metal for Star Trek Online, and Modiphius has new goodies to add to your tabletop Star Trek Adventures! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Kurtzman's Next 5-Year Mission By Elio Lleo Since we've been gone, quite a lot has happened. Although we'd love to cover it all, we'll have to narrow it down to the news that we think matters most—starting Alex Kurtzman's new 5-year/$160 million contract with Paramount+ to develop not only Star Trek, but other projects as well. The New York Times's Nicole Sperling published an article on August 1, 2021, featuring interviews with Kurtzman and other major players involved. The article explores Kurtzman's past, present, and future projects for the studio and the hopes he has for the franchise. Something particularly interesting though, was the announcement that a “Starfleet Academy” series is in the works which “will be aimed at a younger audience.” Also, according to Sperling: Mr. Kurtzman, who wants to get much weirder with the franchise… points to a pitch from Graham Wagner (Portlandia, Silicon Valley), centered on the character Worf, that he calls “incredibly funny, poignant and touching. If it were up to me only, I would be pushing the boundaries much further than I think most people would want,” he said. “I think we might get there. Marvel has actually proven that you can. But you have to build a certain foundation in order to get there and we're still building our foundation.” Becoming Props of Pure Energy By Cat Hough Announced at Las Vegas, Gene Roddenberry's personal archives are being comprehensively digitized on an unprecedented scale, with plans to do some fancy sci-fi things with the material. The joint effort between the Roddenberry estate, OTOY, and Light Field Lab, hopes to preserve thousands of photos, documents, and physical assets like starship models in extreme digital detail, preserving it for future study and recreation. https://youtu.be/0bDuT-4cFyg The Roddenberry Archives will use OTOY's blockchain-based computer rendering network to extensively digitize the Roddenberry estate's collection from the producer's work on the Star Trek franchise. Long time Trek writers Denise and Michael Okuda, artist Mike “Beeple” Winklemann, and comics legend Alex Ross are also contributing to the project.  Beyond the historical importance of maintaining the extensive archives, OTOY intends to leverage the assets for fan experiences. The company will work with display startup Light Field Lab to recreate a 1:1 scale holographic replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise as seen in the original series. It claims to be able to use the original models seen in filming the series to create a projected replica “indistinguishable from reality” for “one of the world's first fully immersive holographic installation experiences.” What is this, a starship for ants??? Image: OTOY. Rod Roddenberry had this to say: “I cannot think of a more capable and innovative company to trust with these materials. OTOY's work will allow generations to experience my father's contribution to humanity with the greatest historical accuracy possible. This project will protect an optimistic vision of the future that has inspired so many and remains so important today.”  Play(mobil)ing Into The Enemy's Hands By Rosco McQueen Speaking of bringing Star Trek to life, the classic Enterprise [no bloody A, B, C, or D--Ed.] is warping into your living room. Playmobil's newly-announced model starship comes complete with seven crewmembers (Kirk's two-handed punch and kung-fu grip not confirmed). The model itself is over a meter long with lights, sound, its own dedicated mounting and augmented reality app. Of course it's for my niece, that's totally who I'm buying it for. Image: Playmobil. It's impressive in size and, according to the release, there are more technical details yet to be announced.  I can't wait to hear more about what this toy collector's item has hidden away in the shuttle bay. But from the photos there is a lot to like, with light-up Bussard collectors and exceptional attention to detail. Plus, in a Playmobil first: Mr. Spock is the first figure in the company's history to have (Vulcan) ears!. But if you're more into relaxing with a good book, then Titan Books has just the thing.  Their latest release takes an inside look at the franchise's bad guys with Star Trek: Villains, the Federation's deadliest foes collected in one terrifying volume. The book features interviews with the actors behind the baddies such as Alice Krige (the Borg Queen), Christopher Plummer (General Chang), and Ricardo Montalbahn (KHAAAAAAAAN!) and profiles of alien foes such as the Romulans, the Gorn, the Dominion, and the Klingons. The book is available for pre-order now through Amazon in the US and Canada, and Forbidden Planet in the UK and Europe.   Boy bands in the future are going to be wild. Image: Titan Books, via Red Shirts Always Die. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly about his involvement with the horror series Slasher, David Cronenberg also hinted that we may see his Star Trek: Discovery character in three episodes in Season 4. A couple of interesting conversations were had in Las Vegas this year; although we weren't there to report on the events ourselves, be sure to visit TrekMovie.com for highlights like Rainn Wilson wanting to bring back Harry Mudd, and Kenneth Mitchell teasing a return to the franchise. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Today Is A Good Day to ROCK By Elio Lleo Captains, while we were away, the most epic thing hit the internet. Something so awesome, that we feel as though we should add a faux cautionary disclaimer before talking about it: Priority One is not responsible for side-effects caused by the sheer awesomeness of the following story. The Mother of All Klingons—Mary Chieffo—joined forces with Star Trek Online and singer/songwriter Jason Charles Miller to produce a song for the ages: Steel and Flame!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOirKrzSVgI In celebration of this year's Klingon story arc in Star Trek Online, Mary Chieffo goes all out in an original heavy metal song—entirely in Klingon. In an interview with ScreenRant.com Mary spoke about collaborating with The Klingon Language institute to “come up with lyrics that fit rhythmically as well as translation-wise.” This video deserves millions of views—so go! Watch it and share the targ out of it!!!

This week on Episode 518 of Priority One: Comic-Con@home brings us new trailers for Star Trek: Prodigy and Lower Decks, and Saru and Stamets look ahead to season four of Discovery.  In gaming news, we go back and forth on the Courage-class coming to Star Trek Online, and some new shiny textures for your favourite Romulan Captain. TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Comic-Con@home - Lower Decks By Cat Hough As we anxiously await the premiere of Season 2 of Lower Decks, we were treated to a brand new trailer last week during Comic-Con@home. Based on the trailer, Season 2  has all the things we loved in Season 1 plus so much more. How much more? The best villains! Including Cardassians, Pakleds, Ferengi, Nauciscans, some giant slime monster and the incomparable Jeffrey Combs makes an appearance as an evil computer. We also see a new Tamarian crew member who had this to say when welcomed to the bridge: “Rapungee - when he joined the Seven.” https://youtu.be/IxdKo0eXUKY Tom Paris also shows up in Season 2...in commemorative plate form, though. Also, an interesting side note in the news: Robert Duncan McNeill was invited to reprise Tom Paris for Season 1 of Picard but, due to scheduling conflicts. he was not able to make it work. So maybe we'll see more Tom Paris at some point. Season 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks starts August 12 on Paramount+. Comic-Con@home - Prodigy By Jake Morgan But Lower Decks wasn't the only Star Trek series to get some Comic-Con attention. We were also treated to our first look at Star Trek: Prodigy! In the 52 second trailer for Prodigy's inaugural season, we're introduced to the main cast: Dal, Gwyn, Zero, Rok-Tahk, Murf, and Jankom Pog, The main cast also features the stunning new-to-crew U.S.S. Protostar (which looks like a cross of the Intrepid- and Rhode Island-class) and the timeless Captain Katherine Janeway–who reminds us that ”we've only just begun.” https://youtu.be/987jSJZQxTs During the Comic-con@home panel, the creators, director, and cast–including Star Trek royalty Kate Mulgrew–joined the ever-entertaining Jerry O'Connell to discuss the newest Star Trek series. EP Kevin Hageman pointed out that this would be the first Star Trek series ”that's actually going to be seen through the eyes of characters who are outside of Starfleet.” In discussing Prodigy's place in Star Trek mythos, the Hageman brothers recognized that this would be the “Little Brother or Little Sister” member of the franchise, but wanted to “punch up.” Kate Mulgrew reiterated the sentiment, saying “Children are very astute. You've grasped an essential component of the childlike imagination, which is extraordinary perception. They need to be grounded while taking flight at the same time. And this–you have achieved.” The trailer is a must watch, and the panel is super-entertaining and informative. Stamets And Saru In Season 4 By Rosco McQueen Everyone's favorite Kelpien [the other white meat–Ed.] has been on the interview circuit in the past couple of weeks, with Doug Jones talking about the release of Discovery Season 3 on DVD.  In an interview with SYFY Wire, Jones spoke about Saru's heartbreak at the revelation that a fellow Kelpien was responsible for the Burn. He also confirmed that filming on Season 4 continues in Toronto and, even though Saru's left the command chair, he still has plenty to do. "Damn, Starbase 80?!?" Image: Michael Gibson/CBS, via SYFY. “After we got home to LA during hiatus last year, I called Michelle Paradise myself and said, 'Should I expect to go back for Season 4? Because, they left me on-camera teaching Su'Kal the ways of the Kelpians.' She said, ‘Oh, no, you're back. You're back.' But the question will remain that Starfleet does not strip you of your rank, so I am still a captain. Where do they plug me in? That's the question.” In an interview with Screen Rant, Discovery actor Anthony Rapp spoke about the cast and their Dungeons & Dragons sessions, and rejected claims he'll become the series villain. You may suspect that's where the relationship is going–at the end of Season 3 we saw Paul Stamets not being particularly friendly with the newly-minted Captain Michael Burnham. When you find out you have to be the party healbot. Image: ViacomCBS, via ScreenRant Rapp was quick to shut down the villain rumors. “No, no. He's like a consummate professional. He hated [Captain] Lorca but he still did his job. And he doesn't hate Michael. He was just hurt. It was a different situation. Ultimately, he's a smart person and understands [why Michael became Captain] but it still stung, the way that it happened.” Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. What is it like to host Jeopardy!? According to LeVar Burton, it's scary.  But he said once he focused on making the most of his hosting chances and stopped trying to “be as smooth as Alex” that he was able to relax more and be his wonderful self. We hope you all have had a chance to Trek out his episodes.  Marina Sirtis spoke about the on-again off-again idea of a Captain Worf series, throwing her support behind it. She explained she would love to be a small part of it, and the potential of having a series focused on the Klingons. And at the recent Comic-Con@home event, the Stargate Atlantis reunion panel had some small Trek nuggets for aspiring sci-fi actors. Robert Picardo spoke about the fan crossover between Star Trek and Stargate, and how his previous acting roles meant he was better prepared for science fiction roles. His advice: get your feet wet in some other acting jobs before delving into the world of sci-fi. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Courage Of Your Promotions By Cat Hough https://youtu.be/-hUBGqt1f5g Star Trek Online continues to look to the future–or at least continues to look to Discovery when picking new promo ships. This week, the 32nd century Courage-class Command Science Destroyer joins the list of ships available as a R&D and Duty Officer pack reward choice. This ship switches from Science Mode to Tactical Mode by reversing direction. In Tactical Mode, you get access to a Commander Tactical station, the Coherent Integrity Projector Experimental Weapon is enabled and you get a boost to hull capacity. It's a Science ship–but it's also a Destroyer so it's equipped with 4 front and 3 aft weapons [or is it 3 front and 4 aft?–Ed.]. The starship trait, Directional Bias, provides bonus Exotic Damage or Healing when using bridge officer abilities based on where you are attacked. Overall, this ship looks to provide a lot of build options for those lucky enough to win one. Now does that make it any easier to parallel park, though. Image: Cryptic Studios. Let Freedom BLAST By Cat Hough Starting today through August 2nd, the Freedom-class Exploration Frigate, otherwise known as the U.S.S. Franklin from Star Trek: Beyond will be available in the Lobi Store. Plus! Everything in the Lobi Store is 20% off. The ship's unique console is the interesting VHF Disruptive Transmission. When activated, it will blast high frequency radio waves towards nearby foes, dealing significant electrical damage and boosts your turning radius while it's active. And it can be equipped in any console slot, on any ship.  D'deridex? Don't Mind If I Do By Cat Hough Some breaking news for Romulan ship fans [we know you're out there–Ed.]:  the D'deridex and Scimitar classes are freshly remastered starting today. Just when you were getting bored with those ships' looks, they go and make them all shiny. Thanks to Donny "Viper" Versiga, a ship artist at Cryptic for posting some excellent before and after images–it's so nice to see those ships get some love.  https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1420100137716621315?s=20 It's Canon: Donny Loves Connie By Rosco McQueen Speaking of Donny, he recently spoke with the folks at MassivelyOP about ship design. They covered off his favourite captain (Kirk) and his favorite starship (Connie refit) in short order, then went on to talk about the design process for Star Trek Online. Donny explains that fresh designs are from the incredibly talented Hector Ortiz, with as many as 20 designs put together as the team refines the looks of a particular ship. 3-D models are created, then once the final ship design is selected, that model is sent to the Ship Team to build.   so i herd u liek starships. Image: Cryptic Studios, via MassivelyOP. He also spoke about the updates to older Starship models, which has become a large part of the game. Donny explains that as PC/console hardware power has increased over the years, the amount of detail STO can provide per ship has increased, sometimes three times as much detail as was previously seen on starship models.  It's a great look behind the scenes at the process.

This week on Episode 517 of Priority One: The virtual becomes reality on the set of Discovery Season 4, meanwhile the Disco captains reflect on their past and future in the center seat on the bridge.  In gaming news, Pahvo is under attack on the ground and orbit in the third Event Eampaign installment in Star Trek Online, and Dr. Robert Hurt shares the importance of the Hubble Telescope's return! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Is This The Real Life? Is this Discovery? By Elio Lleo When that other “Star” franchise debuted their own serialized, live-action TV series on Disney+, critics not only raved about its story, but also about its cinematography. The Mandalorian, which started streaming in 2019, showcased a new style of filmmaking that was absolutely breathtaking. You see, instead of having to find locations where to shoot, the production used a 360-degree LED wall to project–in real time–all the landscapes and effects needed for the scene. The end result: a creative and astonishing backdrop that really helped build that world. Now, everyone wants in! Not only does this technology save the time and resources it takes to shoot on location but, combined with the Unreal Engine, actors can actually see and react to visual effect environments in real time. Now we can visit Strange New Worlds with much more ease, as Noah Kadner explains in his article for American Cinematographer. According to Kadner, Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 and the first season of Strange New Worlds have been filming with a 270-degree horseshoe-shaped LED wall by a company called Pixomondo–which can be fed real-time animations using Unreal Engine. Gul Madred's cruelest torture to date: do the virtual lights count? Image: Michael Gibson/Paramount Plus, via American Cinematographer. Star Trek's Lead Visual Effects Supervisor Jason Zimmerman told Kadner “getting something in-camera on the day is so much better than greenscreen in many ways. One major difference [in terms of workflow] is that the production-design and art departments are a lot more involved much earlier in the process, because they have to get assets ready to be photographed instead of waiting until after the shoot.” But the away teams from Strange New Worlds will be beaming down to realistic landscapes–the New Mexico Film Office announced this week that the television series is using New Mexico landscapes for the show's visual effects.  Jamming With Captain Burnham By Rosco McQueen Michael Burnam meets Bugs Bunny–is this a crossover episode? No, Sonequa Martin-Green plays Lebron James' wife in the Space Jam sequel, and right now Martin-Green is on the promo circuit talking about the animated adventure.  But the good folks at Collider and Gizmodo couldn't help but ask some questions about Discovery Season 4 and what the future holds for Captain Burnham.   Kamiyah, When LeBron Dunked. Image: Warner Brothers, via Collider. According to Martin-Green, filming for Season 4 is almost complete with only a little bit left to shoot.  She emphasized the importance of cementing her new position as Captain, particularly the importance of having a black woman in the role. But she was tight lipped on what's to come, telling Gizmodo it's going to be about finding out who she is as Captain Michael Burnham, “[b]ecause there's always been this question of who am I in this moment? Who am I in this role? And now I'm going to have to answer those questions for myself as Captain because everything is different now. And we've got a huge threat coming our way.” The Rubber Meets The Wormhole By Rosco McQueen Meanwhile, Doug Jones reflected on Captain Saru and his journey through Season 3 of Discovery.  Jones sat in the Captain's chair for almost its entirety, something Jones believes was a dream of the character but not necessarily the actor–it meant a lot more time in the makeup chair.   “I was on more days on Season 3 than ever before. But the honor and the gravity of it was not lost on me that put me in a very small handful of actors who have played Captains in Star Trek. And even a bigger honor that I was the first non-human alien creature to take a Captaincy of a title ship. That was a really a big deal for me, especially as a geeky boy who has played a lot of rubber animals and creatures over these years.” Just keep working on that tagline. Image: ViacomCBS, via Decider. Jones goes on to talk about adding new cast members to the series, particularly his joy at working with Bill Irwin who played Su'Kal, as each actor has been a fan of the other for a long time.  Season 4 of discovery was filmed under COVID restrictions, and thanks to a few stops and starts has taken a few extra months to film than previous seasons. However Jones doesn't see the measures as restrictive. “I think that's what Star Trek helps us realize, that the situation can be different if you perceive it differently. So you can look at it as restrictions, or you can look at it as enablement. I'm going to look at this as it's enabling us to get the job done, and to stay employed, and to keep the production running.”  Would You Just Give LeVar The Host Position Already By Cat Hough We will finally get to see LeVar Burton take his turn in the guest host role on Jeopardy! next week. And, many of his friends, including Brent Spiner and Gates McFadden have continued lobbying efforts to get him that full-time gig. McFadden told showbizjunkies.com, “I think he would be superb. I think he is born to do it. He's perfect.” Spiner added, “I can't think of anyone more qualified than he is. LeVar has proven himself as a host, an educator, a personality, and this and that. He's a very smart guy with a really great personality, which I think is key for the job. He's got all of the qualities.”  You definitely should Trek out the full article because it recaps both of their careers. They tell us their favorite TNG director and give us an update on their latest ventures. As we previously reported on this very podcast, McFadden is currently hosting the podcast Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?, while Spiner, who we will see in the second season of Picard–has written a novel called Fan-Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events. Don't forget to watch Jeopardy! next week! Kenneth Mitchell: To Boldly Go By Elio Lleo Image: StarTrek.com Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 is coming to Blu-Ray with several special features and StarTrek.com showcased one last week. Dedicated to Kenneth Mitchell, the featurette showcases Mitchell's various roles on these latest iterations of Trek and of course, addresses his ALS diagnosis. It is an incredibly moving segment with commentary from his fellow actors and crewmates.  STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Pahvo Pops Off By Cat Hough Just earlier today, Star Trek Online released details on the third installment of the Event Campaign, where players can participate in a series of campaigns to earn the grand prize. The Defense of Pahvo Event starts July 27th on PC and will run for 3 weeks before concluding. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players will be able to participate starting in September. Once the Campaign starts, players will be able to earn their Daily Progress once every 20 hours by completing either the ground TFO “Pahvo Dissension,” or its space-based counterpart, “Peril Over Pahvo." As with previous Events, players can still use their old Event tokens to apply toward this Event. Brutal, savage, unprincipled, uncivilized, treacherous, but snazzy dressers. Image: Cryptic Studios. A few minor adjustments have been made to each TFO: Each completion will reward a Choice of All Marks (replacing the usual Mark rewards) Both TFOs have had their Cooldown Timers temporarily disabled Both TFOs have been temporarily removed from Random TFO eligibility For this specific event, once you earn a total of 14 days' worth of Daily Progress, you can claim the Crystal Prism Universal Console for your entire account. This unique console features  a charge-driven design, allowing for rapid creation of multiple energy-conductive prisms in space. This console emulates the popular Kit Module of the same name, allowing players to build networks of damage-dealing crystal prisms in formations of their own choosing. Everyone thought Skynet would turn against us, when it was really Starlink. Image: Cryptic Studios. Each Prism that is placed in space will automatically attack nearby enemy starships, inflicting Psychic damage upon their crews, and tearing apart their hulls with telekinetic energies. The damage inflicted by each Prism in a connected group is increased based on the number of other networked Prisms, allowing for an incredibly high ceiling on such a cluster's overall potential for rending into their foes. Other rewards include  the now-standard 25,000 dilithium ore and three Featured TFO Reward Boxes (choice of 1x Specialization Point or an Enhanced Universal Tech Upgrade) for a single character. ASTROMETRICS REPORT By Dr. Robert Hurt For this week's Astrometrics Report, we will stare into the heart of a swirling beam of energy generated by a supermassive hole in the nearby galaxy. But first, I had to mention the good news---that NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been successfully resuscitated, after a system failure back on June 13th. The issues arose due to a connection fault between its power control unit and payload computer. Finding a way to bypass the malfunctioning system was not trivial. While on Star Trek, that usually takes about two strained metaphors and three minutes of typing, for NASA that required over four weeks of painstakingly careful labor (but fortunately no problematic metaphors). Hubble jumped back into its science program on July 17th, and released some of its post-recovery data this week of some beautifully-twisted galaxies. High fives all around! Deployed in 1990 by Discovery, appropriately enough. Image: NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation. Of course, Hubble is only one of a fleet of critical telescopes that operate both in space and on the ground. This week we got to see three different views into the heart of a nearby galaxy: one only possible with a planetary-scale telescope array. I speak of the Event Horizon Telescope (or EHT for short) an international collaboration combines the power of many radio telescopes scattered across the planet. Synchronizing their data collection, they can create some of the highest-resolution images ever made of the universe. You probably have already seen the historic image of the black hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy---or at least the materials swirling around its Solar System-scale event horizon. This week, the collaboration has released a new radio image of the center of another galaxy: Centaurus A. This time, the focus is not on the black hole, but the incredible jets of high-energy particles that are being flung away at nearly the speed of light from the region around the black hole. We've known about the powerful jets emanating from the hearts of some galaxies for decades. In fact, these jets provided some of the early evidence that supermassive black holes lie at the centers of galaxies. As material collects into a disk around the black hole, it rotates really quickly and gets heated to incredible temperatures. We expect that much of this material flows into the black hole over time, adding to its mass. [...yeah, I got nothing.---Ed.] Image: Radboud Univ. Nijmegen; CSIRO/ATNF/I. Feain et al., R. Morganti et al., N. Junkes et al.; ESO/WFI; MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiß et al.; NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al.; TANAMI/C. Müller et al.; EHT/M. Janßen et al.. But some of these hot electrons and protons get swept up along spiraling magnetic fields, get ejected from the disk before reaching the black hole. Think of these like beads on a string: as you whip the string back and forth, the beads can accelerate and pop off the end, moving at high velocities. The exact mechanisms behind these high-energy, near-light speed jets of accelerated plasma are not well understood. That is, in part, in due to the fact that we have never been able to see these jets up close in enough detail to unravel their structure. That is, until now. The new EHT image unveils the structure of this jet all the way down to its base, revealing a tube-like shape that lights up brightest along the outer edges. It shows details down to scales of a few light-hours across, essentially resolving features as small as our Solar System---but from a distance of over 10 million light-years away. The black hole at the base of this jet is about 55 million times as massive as our sun, which makes it a bit smaller than the one imaged in M87---which is a few billion times the sun's mass---but still much larger than the one at the heart of our Milky Way, which is only a few million solar masses. Image: Janssen, M., Falcke, H., Kadler, M. et al. Event Horizon Telescope observations of the jet launching and collimation in Centaurus A. Nat Astron (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01417-w Make sure to check out the groundbreaking image of the Centaurus A jet---but even better, I wanted to let you know about a fun chance to try your hand at making your own astronomical image by participating in NASA's Astrophoto Challenges. The Summer 2021 event will be running through August 16th, and the subject is the M87 Galaxy. You can pick between real datasets from telescopes in space and on the ground, or even have a robotic observatory take a picture just for you. (Full disclosure: I am part of the team that develops these challenges, so I'd be thankful if you'd check it out. Just Google NASA's Astrophoto Challenges, or look for our Ask the Astronomers episode about it on YouTube.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC30EJYMgaQ

This week on Episode 516 of Priority One: that's a wrap on filming for season one of Strange New Worlds, details on Trek panels for Comic-Con@Home, and Lower Decks beams back onto screens next month!  In gaming news, Harcourt Fenton Mudd is at it again, scouring the galaxy to bring you deals and gear from across time itself, and the newest patch to Star Trek Fleet Command brings a commanding presence to the game.   This week's Community Question is: What is the next Star Trek Online event reward you would like to be made available for purchase? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Strange New Worlds Goes To Wrap 1 By Cat Hough Last week, Anson Mount tweeted that filming for the last episode of Season 1 for Strange New Worlds has started. He also hinted at some surprises in store, saying, “old school fans are going to [be] VERY excited to see what we're trying to pull off with this one. Getting to do many things I've never attempted as an actor. So much fun!" https://twitter.com/ansonmount/status/1412781659376787459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1412781659376787459%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffilmdaily.co%2Fobsessions%2Fstar-trek%2Fstrange-new-worlds%2F No release date has been announced for Strange New Worlds, but to recap what we do know about it: first, it is more episodic than Discovery or Picard. Second, it will likely have a more classic Original Series theme and look. Showrunner Akiva Goldsman said it's important to keep continuity with The Original Series, while also distinguishing Strange New Worlds as its own show. Can't even tell the difference. Image: ViacomCBS. Goldsman described it to The Hollywood Reporter saying, “Remember the Enterprise existed as a little piece of [the show Discovery] but now is its own object. When you close your eyes and think of the key sets and situations that you think of in The Original Series, that's what we're looking to do." We may possibly get more information during Comic-Con@Home since a Star Trek Universe panel has been announced–though my best guess will be sometime in early 2022.  Star Trek@Comic-Con@Home By Cat Hough Speaking of the San Diego Comic-Con–or the virtual version, Comic-Con@Home–Paramount+ announced back-to-back Star Trek panels starting Friday, July 23 at 10 a.m. PT. Paramount+'s Comic-Con panels will feature sessions with the cast and producers from Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Images: ViacomCBS/Comic-Con International, via Deadline. Prodigy, the first Star Trek animated kids series [TAS doesn't count, we've been over this already–Ed.], will kick off the presentation with Lower Decks set to follow. The Prodigy presentation will be the inaugural panel for the upcoming kids series, following a crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together, while navigating a greater galaxy in search of a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered, but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents. Lower Decks voice cast members Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid and Eugene Cordero will then appear with creator Mike McMahan for an exclusive conversation and an extended look at Season 2 with Lower Decks' own Jerry O'Connell moderating the conversations. And speaking of Lower Decks… Lower Decks Season 2, Coming Through! By Rosco McQueen It's officially one month until Lower Decks returns to the screen for season two, with a very short teaser released this week.  While the teaser was short, in Lower Decks fashion it was brimming with details.  In the opening shot alone we saw the Cerritos alongside some Parliament-class starships, Andorian cruisers, a Maquis Raider and a couple of Daedalus-class ships, all docked at a starbase that seems inspired by the Watchtower-class from Trek-lit novels. In the teaser Mariner and Boimler crash through a space mall in a space dune buggy, and narrowly avoid some space fish people [they're not people!–Ed.] originally seen in The Next Generation.  The lower deckers sport some flashy new dress uniforms, and just to add to the mix, some Commander Data collectable figurines fly out the back of the buggy.   https://twitter.com/StarTrek/status/1414630633448480776?s=20 Did we miss anything?  Let us know in the comment section at priorityonepodcast.com. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. The first four Star Trek films are being re-released...this time in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR10. What does that mean? You'll be able to make out every follicle of Ricardo Montalban's chest hair [what are you on about, dude was smoother than Michael Phelps on a Slip'n'Slide–Ed.]! Packed with extra features (much like Khan's chest) this 4-disc set doesn't have a release date yet but, we'll be sure to keep you updated! While we're talking about merch, Playmates just announced a new line of Star Trek toys coming in 2022. According to StarTrek.com, there will be a lineup of action figures and accessories from all era's of the franchise–new and old. Star Trek also gets to celebrate some recognition with five Emmy nominations this year. Discovery is up for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Period And/Or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series, and Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode. Lower Decks has been nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Taking Some Time On Mudd's Market By Rosco McQueen Harcourt Fenton Mudd is at it again, scouring the galaxy to bring you deals and gear from across time itself.  This week Star Trek Online announced three previous event rewards are joining Mudd's Market. The store is adding the Red Angel Suit, the Dot 7 Drone Kit Module, and the Elachi Walker Combat/Vanity Pet. Hard-earned Zen can be put to use with every item in Mudd's Market (except the bundles) discounted by 75% until July 19 at 10am PT. So now is the perfect time to collect the Red Angel Suit if you missed out. All proceeds will presumably go to posting bail. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekNews.net That leads us to our community question this week:    What is the next Star Trek Online event reward you would like to be made available for purchase? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Courtesy Codes for Wayward Planeswalkers By Thomas Reynolds Magic: Legends may be headed towards shutdown in a few months, but Cryptic apparently hopes you'll stick around. There's been no official announcement at the time of recording [sort of–Ed.], but check your email if you played the Legends beta test at any point. You may find free codes for other Cryptic MMO bundles, including a STO Federation Elite Starter Pack and a Fleet Admiral Bundle–a combined US$70 value–as a thank-you for participating. Commanding Time In Star Trek Fleet Command By Rosco McQueen It's the best of both worlds, only this time it's part three!  The third section of Star Trek Fleet Command's Next Generation arc has just landed, with Commander William T. Riker in the spotlight. Patch 32 brings with it a new officer, a new ship and, for Star Trek Online players, some familiar gameplay elements to the Kelvin Universe.   “With the Enterprise-D mysteriously returned to its former glory, the time has come to find and rescue the rest of the crew and get them home to their own universe. You manage to track down Commander William Riker, who finds himself at the forefront of the Bajoran resistance against the rampant Cardassian Empire. And with the Cardassians holding many Enterprise-D crew members captive, the conflict is personal for Riker.” Amazing, The Beard actually overpowers the lens flare. Image: Scopely. Also there are some changes to the Away Team assignments. Introduced in Patch 30, this feature gives you the possibility to send officers on Assignments and receive rewards. Now the assignments are part of your daily goals, giving players the ability to gain more daily goal points and more speed ups. So in STO terms, duty officer assignments have been added to the endeavor system. Available to players in this patch is a new officer: Epic William Riker, a new ship: the Meridian, an isogen mining vessel, fifteen new missions and more.

This week on Episode 515 of Priority One: the Federation Headquarters finds a new home in Ohio, the USS Steve Jobs–I mean, Kelvin–might have a reason for why it looks so flashy, and in gaming Star Trek Online's new time currency sink might have worked. Later Dr. Michael Chan looks OnScreen with an analysis and review of the Short Trek “Children of Mars.” This week's Community Questions are: Do interviews with creators ever come across your radar, outside of listening to podcasts? Do they help fill in continuity gaps for you? And What service in Star Trek Online do you keep coming back to over and over? Would you like it to be made available for purchase with dilithium?  Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Federation's Housewarming Party By Elio Lleo One thing that can be said about Star Trek fans is that they work hard to celebrate their passions for the franchise–often by donating their time and talents for labors of love. The fan group known as The Federation is one such organization. For over 36 years the group's goal has been to:  “...provide, promote, and support education and positive legal activism in the area of human rights, racial and sexual equality, environmental causes, and space exploration. To promote a more positive impression of Star Trek fans as intelligent, socially conscious, active individuals who are aware and concerned about the real world today.” Image: The Federation. Having worked directly with Gene Roddenberry in its early years, the group boasts over 2,000 members with over 30 chapters. Now, the group is settling down at its official headquarters in Huron, Ohio. Joining them to christen the new location will be Nichelle Nichols–known best as Lt. Uhura in the Original Series. Money raised during this event will go to Nichelle's retirement fund. So, if you're in Ohio the weekend of September 10th, be sure to grab a ticket to one of Nichols's final appearances.  It's Kot'baval in July! By Rosco McQueen What to get your favourite Trekkie for Christmas? It's the question you have six months to ponder, and thankfully we at Priority One are here to help. Unfortunately, for the Captain Picard fanatic, I have terrible news. In the Prop Store's most recent auction, the original flute from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light, sold for $190,000.  It was sold among other items including the original Statler and Waldorf puppet heads from The Muppets, Harry Potter's glasses, and Indiana Jones' fedora as worn in The Temple Of Doom, which sold for $375,000. https://twitter.com/propstore_com/status/1409981682841624579 If those items were a little outside your budget, then Hallmark has previewed its exclusive offerings coming to the home version of San Diego and New York Comic-Cons.  They'll be offering limited quantities of a few exclusive ornaments, including a Star Trek Klingon Bird of Prey ornament. Released in honour of the 35th anniversary of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the Klingon Bird of Prey ship comes complete with the HMS Bounty paint stylings from the movie. It will set you back $35, with only 3,750 available. Or give them an empty box and tell them it's phased. Your call. Image: Hallmark Licensing LLC, via Slashfilm. Trek Different By Elio Lleo Occasionally the creators of Star Trek throw the fans a curveball. Whether it's giving Klingons a complete make-over, using a Rod Stewart song as a theme, or...giving Klingons another make-over. But one change that really stirred the pot was the bridge redesign in the Kelvin Timeline. For all intents and purposes, JJ Abrams put an Apple Store on the bridge with lots of additional lens flare. But, one intrepid fan over at DenOfGeek wants to try and help fill in those canonical gaps with some of his own thoughts and observations. There's no way AppleCare's covering that much liquid damage. Image: ViacomCBS, via Geek Agent Media. You see, according to Ryan Britt's headcanon, it all makes sense. First, it starts with an explanation from screenwriter Roberto Orci and director JJ Abrams. Orci  seems to have explained that Starfleet reverse-engineered the Narada's tech from scans taken by the USS Kelvin. Britt goes on to point out that this might be a plausible explanation given that nuTrek on Paramount+ has finally embraced and acknowledged the existence of the Kelvin Timeline. So, there you have it: the USS Steve Jobs explained(?). That leads us to our first community question this week:  Do interviews with creators ever come across your radar, outside of listening to podcasts? Do they help fill in continuity gaps for you? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Dilithium Sink Soars By Rosco McQueen The past week in Star Trek Online has seen a changing fashion scene. Summer is definitely in, with short shorts, shorter bikinis and transcendent tribbles adding colour to the beautiful Risa rainbow at sunset. In orbit and in sector space, starships across the galaxy are sporting their shiny new vanity shields, as players take advantage of the commodity now being available for purchase with dilithium. They're high-cost premium items, and making them available this way is designed to lower the cost of dilithium on the exchange. This week Star Trek Online community manager Mike Fatum posted a question to twitter, asking the community for their feedback on other items that players would spend their hard-earned dilithium on over and over, more like a service than a one-off purchase. https://twitter.com/AmbassadorKael/status/1412452222894366720 That leads us to our next community question this week:    What service in Star Trek Online do you keep coming back to over and over? Would you like it to be made available for purchase with dilithium?  Star Trek Adventures On The Macro Scale By Thomas Reynolds Ah, technobabble: the true universal language of the future. Reversing polarities, phase inducers going out of alignment, better run a level 4 diagnostic–this plausible nonsense makes us go. Without it we wouldn't have Particles of the Week, Engineering would have no miracle workers, and there would never be Some Kind of Anomaly. So if you want your Star Trek Adventures campaign to feel truly Trek, you'd better be ready to **** like Starfleet's finest–or let the computer handle it for you. Or not. Image: ViacomCBS, via TrekCore. On June 25th, Continuing Adventures shared STA fan Mirco's instructions for making a Roll20 virtual tabletop technobabble generator. Mirco's macro script pulls technobabble terms from random roll tables, according to a [do] the [sciencey] [science] [thing] template. Players and GMs can use the in-game macro to come up with gems like “oscillate the positronic flux membrane” with a single click. However, figuring out how much buffer time you'll have for replicator margaritas still falls to you. Scopely's Game Board Written by Rosco McQueen Scopely, the publishers of Star Trek Fleet Command announced this week they have added two people to their board of directors: initial public offering adviser Marcie Vu and former Activision Blizzard president Coddy Johnson. Venturebeat reports that Vu is a former executive at Qatalyst and Morgan Stanley, where she was an adviser on IPOs for companies like Alibaba.com, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Zynga. Johnson was the No. 2 executive at Activision Blizzard, which has a market value of $74 billion.  Walter Driver, the co-CEO at Scopely said in an interview “[a]s we think about building more player-centric views of our player experiences versus platform-centric views, I think that experience is really valuable. (Coddy Johnson) has operated at a tremendous scale. Very few people have had that kind of vantage point of leading such a large organization both in terms of people and revenue.”

This week on Episode 514 of Priority One: LeVar Burton shares some personal insight in a New York Times interview, there's a shakeup happening at ViacomCBS, Galaxy Quest might happen as a TV Series; in gaming, Star Trek Online's summer event gears up! This week's Community Question is: CQ: What do you think about using promo item sales to moderate Star Trek Online's dilithium economy? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds LeVar Burton's A Sign Of The Times By Elio Lleo Several Star Trek alumni have gone on to lead remarkable careers, but one in particular has been such a cultural icon, he is affectionately known as one of the Four Horsemen of Wholesomeness. Like Bob Ross, Steve Irwin, and Fred Rogers, LeVar Burton is an institution not just to his Star Trek fans but to children. In a recent interview with The New York Times's David Marchese, LeVar opens up about his career and his latest adventure as the guest host of Jeopardy!. To whom it may concern: you're welcome. Image: Los Angeles Magazine. The interview is very personal and Marchese asks thought-provoking questions. When Burton was asked why he wants the Jeopardy! gig, Burton replied: Look, I have had a career for the [expletive] ages. “Roots,” “Star Trek,” “Reading Rainbow.” Won a Grammy. Got a shelf full of Emmys. I'm a storyteller, and game shows are tremendous stories. There's a contest, there's comedy, there's drama. If you don't know your [expletive] on “Jeopardy!” you're sunk in full view of the entire nation. The stakes are high. I love that. And Geordi will be disappointed in you. Do you want that? Do you? Image: Slashfilm. Burton goes on to discuss the balance between his celebrity and private personas and how he best engages with his fans---both in person and online. He also goes on to discuss how he approaches opportunities that might have come, or others that he might have missed.  Comcast Joins The Stream Team By Cat Hough In case anyone out there was not aware, the Streaming Wars have begun. Now, Comcast is joining the battle. It has been said by “sources” that Comcast CEO, Brian Roberts, has been wrestling with whether to build or buy to become a streaming powerhouse. He's considering a move similar to how ViacomCBS, Disney and Amazon, have struck mergers meant to supercharge their streaming efforts. Mr. Roberts, known as an aggressive deal maker in his two decades leading Comcast, has told people close to him that he doesn't feel a need to seek a merger. But he is scoping out options, and ideas on the table include a potential tie-up with ViacomCBS Inc. or an acquisition of Roku Inc. Now every network and content provider wants to be a streaming powerhouse, and in an effort to better prioritize streaming, executive teams continue to be reshuffled---including the team at ViacomCBS. Another restructure within the company was announced this week that included several promotions. The new exec team will focus on content groups rather than specific network oversight, with each newly promoted executive having greenlight power in order to keep supplying programming to Paramount+. The reorg will see ViacomCBS shift from a legacy model where networks had dedicated executives in favor of a structure that puts executives in charge of specific genres across the company. This move is fairly significant for ViacomCBS, since none of the four legacy media companies have similar exec structures.  Fair Use, Or Not So Fair? By Cat Hough There are some new and interesting limitations in place if you want to claim Fair Use as a defense to copyright infringement claims. This week, the Supreme Court refused to review a 9th Circuit's December decision that author David Jerrold and ComicMix LLC's were liable for copyright infringement because their mashup of Star Trek elements with Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! did not make fair use of Seuss's work. The issue in this case came down to whether the new version transformed the original version enough to be considered fair use, and the court says no, it did not. Now, a brief lesson in copyright law: if you are a holder of a copyrighted work, you are entitled to protect your work from other people from using it. If someone wants to use your work, then they need to ask permission, which is known as getting a license. However there are situations in which someone does not have to get permission to use someone else's work, like news reporting or teaching. There are other ways, too - but those are just an example. The thing with fair use is that it is a defense to copyright infringement, so you actually have to get sued first in order to prove that you are not guilty of infringement. If you use fair use as a defense, you are basically saying, “yes, I used your protected work, but my use is an exception to the normal rules.” Image: Brendan McDermid, via Reuters. Oh, The Cases You'll Go (To Court For) In this case, Mr. Jerrold and the publisher, ComicMix LLC took Dr. Suess's book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! and published a version based on Star Trek. Now it's very clear that the underlying work is Dr. Suess's book, but the 9th Circuit went through an entire analysis of each element of a fair use defense - which we won't go into here, but eventually they found that the mashup was copyright infringement because the publisher and author did not give any new context to the original work or the work was not transformative enough. If you're interested in other case law about fair use, the essential case to read is the “Oh, Pretty Woman” case brought against 2 Live Crew by the publishers of the Roy Orbison/William Dees song [actual citation: LUTHER R. CAMPBELL aka LUKE SKYYWALKER, et al., PETITIONERS v. ACUFF ROSE MUSIC, INC---Ed.].     But Don't Take Our Word For It Priority One's legal analysis, as always, is good for educational and entertainment purposes only---for actual legal advice, consult a practitioner licensed in your jurisdiction, and pay for your own content. And if you are planning on using other people's work in your own creative way, it's best to err on the side of caution and get a license. Even if some guy on the internet told you it's fair use. Yeah, he seems trustworthy. Image: ViacomCBS, via HeroCollector. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. If you need a chuckle, Facebook user “Spock Pointy-ears Vulcan” created a video montage of the famous Picard Maneuver (you know, the one where SirPatStew tugs on his uniform). In this interpretation though, each time he does it, his com-badge pops off. Captain Pew-card, if you will. One of Star Trek's greatest films might be getting a made-for-television adaptation! Well, OK---it's not Star Trek, it's one of Trek's greatest love letters: Galaxy Quest. In an interview with The Times, Georgia Pritchett let slip that she and Simon Pegg are working on a new Galaxy Quest project. Unfortunately, there are no more details to share. Noah Averbach-Katz (Discovery's Andorian Ryn and Mary Wiseman's husband) is raising funds in support of the non-profit organization T1International, and their mission to make insulin freely available to all who need it. Visit his website to find special #Insulin4All Starfleet combadges and signed photos for sale and help support this important cause. Image: Noah Averbach-Katz. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds A Top-Tier Luxury Cruiser By Cat Hough Last week, Star Trek Online announced this year's Summer Event ship will be the T6 Risian Luxury Cruiser. We now have more information about this upgraded version of the ship. First, this ship features a Lieutenant Commander Universal/Temporal Operative Bridge Officer Seat, and is also equipped with Solar Sails, which allow its Quantum Slipstream Drive to travel at increased speeds for twice as long as normal. Image: Cryptic Studios. Also, the Risian Luxury Cruiser can be equipped with a Soliton Wave Generator console.  This allows the ship to generate a powerful, but stable, Soliton wave that will draw nearby enemy ships toward the Cruiser and deal minor radiation damage.  During this time, the Soliton Wave Generator is building up a powerful charge that is released after a short time and will damage nearby foes---plus briefly knock their engines offline. This console also provides a passive increase to Current and Max Shield Subsystem Power, and Reduced Recharge Times for Temporal Operative Bridge Officer Abilities. Image: Cryptic Studios. As befitting a T6 ship, the Luxury Cruiser also has the Leisurely Pace Starship Mastery Trait. While at or below 25% Throttle, Exotic Particle Generators and Control Expertise get a stacking bonus once every 5 seconds (4 stacks max). Once you have at least one stack, activating any Control Bridge Officer Ability will cause up to 5 foes within 5km to suffer a Debuff to their Flight Speed and All Outgoing Damage for 5 seconds. The severity of this debuff is increased by additional stacks of this trait's buff, gained by remaining at Low Throttle. This effect may only be triggered once per 5 seconds. D.R.E.A.M. (Dilithium Rules Everything Around Me) By Thomas Reynolds A key part of humanity's future in Star Trek is the end of the scarcity-based economy. Money is nothing and chips are free (on Earth, at least). So to be honest, when we start talking about manipulating currency economies in STO, it feels just a bit weird. On June 25th, the official STO Twitter account acknowledged that the Dilithium Exchange was apparently not showing offers anymore. But rather than a display bug, there was simply no offers to show: “any offer to buy Dilithium is *instantly* filled, leaving nothing to display.” https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1408497068742561794?s=20 Cryptic's solution to balance the economy? Sell more stuff, of course! To sink a lot of dilithium out of the game---fast---Cryptic is temporarily adding ten previously promo-only Vanity Shields to the Dilithium Store. That sweet Section 31 aesthetic you've craved for so long? Just drop 280,000 dilithium between now and July 8th, and it can be yours.  SHUT UP AND TAKE MY CRYSTALS. Image: Cryptic Studios. Cryptic's goal is to rebalance the economy without raising the dilithium cap, which it reportedly has no plans to do so. On the one hand, that makes this special shield offer feel somewhat like a stopgap measure. Then again, it also makes promo items accessible to players without sacrificing on the altar of RNGesus: something we strongly support. That brings us to our community question this week: CQ: What do you think about using promo item sales to moderate Star Trek Online's dilithium economy? Magic: Legends Exits Play By Thomas Reynolds For years the STO community voiced concerns that Magic: Legends was drawing development resources away from our own big-name licensed MMO. That turns out not to be the case. On June 29th, former STO EP Steve Ricossa announced that Magic: Legends will be shutting down on October 31st. This might not be a surprise given Legends' troubled development history, rough open beta launch, monetization controversies, and recent lack of player engagement. Still, going from beta launch to shutdown in only seven months is a grim trajectory–especially for those who put so much effort into it. With Legends headed off into the serene sunset, Cryptic simultaneously laid off about 40 people associated with the project effective immediately. Ricossa promises that Cryptic “learned several valuable lessons along the way, and...will use them to improve Cryptic's future development efforts,” but it'll be with fewer faces around. Image: Cryptic Studios.

This week, on Episode 513 of Priority One: Noah Hawley speaks out about what happened with his Star Trek project, Michelle Paradise talks about a canon wishlist, Ronald D. Moore shares some history about TNG's “Redemption” episodes; in Gaming, Star Trek Online is ready to hit the beaches of Risa with this year's summer event; lastly, Dr. Robert Hurt helps us solve the mystery of Orion's incredible dimming star. This week's Community Questions are: In the same way fans clamor for the DC Snyder-verse and Batfleck, should we rally behind Hawley to see his Star Trek project created? What canonical stories or characters do you think Discovery could explore well? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Who Mourns for Hawley? By Elio Lleo In a recent interview with Deadline's Pete Hammond, Noah Hawley addresses his disappointment that his vision for a Star Trek film didn't come to fruition. When asked about the project he had this to say:  “In retrospect, what surprised me is not that Emma Watts came in and said ‘are you people crazy? This is an untested crew, this is an original idea, we don't know if this is going to work or not work.' It's that I got as far as I did...it was a really fun movie, and I think it would've been a great film. But you can't control these things, so you move on.” Image: FX, via Deadline. Now you might have heard Hawley name-drop Emma Watts. Watts replaced Wyck Godfrey as President of the Paramount Motion Picture Group back in June 2020. That leads us to our first community question this week: In the same way fans clamor for the DC Snyder-verse and Batfleck, should we rally behind Hawley to see his Star Trek project created? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Wishing for Season 4 By Elio Lleo While we're on the topic of interviews, The Hollywood Reporter Presents Q&A video series featured Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Paradise, and Olatunde Osunsanmi of Star Trek: Discovery. The conversation focused a great deal on Season 3 and repeated a lot of things we've already heard. Perhaps the one question asked that deviated from the norm was, what canonical plots or characters are on the writer's room wish list, to which Michelle Paradise replied: “at the start of any season...we have these questions about what are the awesome things in canon that we haven't touched on yet? Or where are the opportunities, like this season with the Guardian of Forever? Having sixty years of history is so much fun, to be able to bring in some of these things. And then, thanks to the time jump, we're actually a bit ahead of many of those things. We aren't trying to marry them to our current timeframe, so we can play a little bit more.” Only Grudge is better at adhering to an NDA. Image: ViacomCBS, via DenOfGeek. They went on to praise the cast and crew for their incredible work behind the scenes and in front of the camera. When asked about Season 4, Paradise's answer was incredibly vague, though---sticking to an answer that didn't give anything away. That leads us to our next community question this week: What canonical stories or characters do you think Discovery could explore well? Re-Lorca-tion Expenses By Cat Hough Do you ever find yourself wondering what it would take to get Lorca back into Star Trek? [Nope.-Ed.] Well, wonder no more---the man himself, Jason Isaacs, told comicbook.com the answer. And it's simple: have a good script. Contract negotiations, am I right? Image: ViacomCBS, via The Hollywood Reporter. But is that answer simple? One would hope so...or at least hope the right script is out there. Because Isaacs won't take just any role. He says that he “[h]ad a fantastic time on Star Trek, I loved all the people, I love being part of that universe, and Prime Lorca, the Prime Universe version of my captain, has yet to be found. But I wouldn't go back just to be in it, I'd go back if you had a great story to tell." Isaacs' latest on-screen appearance was in Creation Stories, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16th. Moore's “Redemption” By Rosco McQueen This week marks 30 years since the cliffhanger episode “Redemption, Part 1” originally went to air. It laid a lot of the foundations for Klingon culture, thanks to writer Ronald D. Moore...but it almost didn't happen. In an interview this week with The Hollywood Reporter, Moore discusses building the character of Worf over time with episodes like “The Bonding” and “Sins of the Father”, as well as slowly building up the Klingon culture. So much so, that Moore became known as “the Klingon guy.” But there was a lot of pushback from Gene Roddenberry, who didn't see Worf as a main character. To Gene, “[TNG] was about Picard. He was the Captain. This was the first time that Next Gen---that Star Trek, really---had ever done a big war story like this. And this was going to be the series' 100th episode on top of it. So, we had to fight somewhat to get the episode going.” Some fought harder than others. Image: ViacomCBS, via DenOfGeek. Executive Producer Rick Berman and the late TNG showrunner Michael Piller helped run interference with Roddenberry, and thankfully “Redemption” made it to air.  If it hadn't, there would have been no Klingon Civil War, or characters like the Duras sisters and the half-Romulan, half-human Sela---who continues to vex us in Star Trek Online to this day.   Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. Wilson Cruz chatted with Yahoo about the importance of representation–not just in Star Trek, but in television and film in general. He shared his own story about breaking down barriers and forging his own path in the industry throughout the 90's and early 00's. The article isn't all about Trek, but it's an important conversation. See and be seen. Image: Michael Gibson/ViacomCBS, via Yahoo! ASTROMETRICS REPORT By Dr. Robert Hurt For this week's Astrometrics Report, we examine a solution to a dark mystery of astrophysics. Here I'm talking literally about the darkening of one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Even the most casual backyard astronomer can point out the constellation Orion in the fall and winter skies. The bright red star forming Orion's upper left shoulder is known as Betelgeuse (“BEE-tel juice” or “BEH-tel juice”, if you want an alternate but equally valid pronunciation). Astronomy on the Easy difficulty setting. Image: N. Risinger/ESO. Whatever your phonetic preference, it is the 10th brightest star in the entire sky---so imagine everyone's excitement back in late 2019, when this stellar beacon began to get unexpectedly darker. This was not subtle: by early 2020, it had dipped to about a third of its usual brightness, almost fading into the background of the Orion constellation. This was a big deal for a red giant star, which is about 18 times more massive than our Sun and 760 times larger in physical size. That makes it 3.5 times larger than the Earth's orbit---which is big enough to gobble up Mars and the entire asteroid belt, falling just short of Jupiter's orbit. So what could make such a huge, massive star go dark? That question prompted a lot of speculation because of another aspect of red giant stars. They are the last evolutionary stop for huge stars, before they explode as supernovae. Stars a bit more massive than our Sun will reach a point where nuclear fusion has produced a much wider variety of elements than our Sun ever will. This ultimately leaves a growing iron core that becomes so dense that gravity will overwhelm it, causing it to collapse to form a vastly-denser neutron star or black hole. In that instant the outer layers of the star will cascade into this sudden void, heat up, and rebound with an incredible release of energy that---for a brief period---match or exceed the energy output of all the other stars in the galaxy combined. Betelgeuse is on the short list of candidate stars that could make this next big boom in this galaxy. And that would certainly be exciting! At a distance of about 600 ly, such an event would be so bright as to be visible in the daytime sky for weeks. But relax: it is more than distant enough to keep us safe from getting cooked in the process. So, was this rapid dimming the precursor to the astronomical show of a lifetime? As you might guess from the lack of sensational headlines, the star returned to its regular brightness. No boom. But the question remained: what had happened to our favorite red giant star? In a recent paper, astronomers have announced a resolution to this mystery...and the culprit is dust that came from Betelgeuse itself. The evidence was presented in a series of high-resolution images of the star, showing what seemed to be a smoky veil passing in front of its disc before moving on. Image: ESO. That evidence alone is an incredible telescopic achievement. Because even though Betelgeuse is over a hundred times farther away than our near neighbor Alpha Centauri, its incredible size makes it only one of only a handful of stars of which we've been able to resolve surface features. Those images, along with infrared light measurements that did not show any decrease in brightness, helped seal the deal for dust being the dimming agent. Fundamental changes to the structure of the star (or even Michael Bay-style alien megastructures swarming around it) would affect all wavelengths of light, while dust blocks mainly visible light but becomes largely transparent in the infrared. In the recent study, astronomers have proposed that the turbulent star had ejected a bubble of gas, cooling slightly in the process. That allowed the gas to condense into particles of dust that, while orbiting around the star, passed in front of it for a few months---causing all of the fuss. While that may not be as dramatic as an explosion to put Hollywood blockbusters to shame, it's still a pretty amazing result. This illuminates one of the many ways stars are responsible for forging so many of the elements of the universe that make up planets and people. This dust ejection is one way these elemental building blocks are blown out into the galaxy, to become the source material for new stars, planets, and maybe even lifeforms in the distant future. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Gamma Recruits, Prepare for Battle...Again! By Rosco McQueen As of this moment, we are all dead.  We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember, Victory is life! Seriously guys, have you considered unionizing? Image: Cryptic Studios. For the glory of the Founders, Star Trek Online's recruitment revamp continues with the Gamma Recruit event, active until July 22.  If you create a new Jem'Hadar character you'll gain access to special bonuses awarded through gameplay, which also unlock rewards across your whole account. This is the third time players have been able to create a Gamma Recruit since the unveiling of the Victory is Life expansion in 2018, with Cryptic adding some new goals and altering a few to include all reputation marks. Summertime and the Livin's Easy… By Cat Hough The one time my Gorn can wear his Speedo and not get arrested. Image: Cryptic Studios. Cryptic announced more details today about the upcoming Lohlunat Festival, running concurrently on all platforms from July 1st to July 31st. The blog post announced that the event ship will be an all new Risian Luxury Cruiser Vessel [T6] with details and ship stats to be released in a separate post. All of the old favorites from previous years will be returning, including powerboard races, the biathlon, horga'hn hunting, scavenging with Sovak and, of course, the galaxy-famous dance party. Participating in any of the events will grant progress towards the Risian Luxury Cruiser Vessel! ...spoiler? Image: Cryptic Studios. There's a new baseball uniform for the Jupiter Station Stem Bolts in the Event Store and two new T-shirts to collect. You can get a DISCO shirt, or the famous Chu Chu dance shirt (woo!). There's also a new impulsive floater, powerboard and vanity shield in the Stem Bolts colors. But what about the third chu? Image: Cryptic Studios. Also making waves [ugh---Ed.] is the Tsunami Generator. This Universal Kit Module replicates a wave that rolls out from the player, smashing into everything in front of it before crashing apart. The force of the wave knocks down creatures and injures them, and has a chance to temporarily disable electronic devices, such as turrets and drones. And the new kit frame, Risian Vulcanology, provides rebreather functionality to protect you from toxic gas, and its heat sink controls grant complete immunity to fire! Don't forget this year's new pets: The pastel-colored Transcendent Caracal (Vanity Pet) and Transcendent Tribble. Petting the tribble will “grant a constant, passive small chance to resist and throw off any effect that would control you, as you refuse to be limited or constrained. If you're on a team with multiple people petting this tribble, the chances stack based on the number of people involved. This tribble is unafraid of Klingons or other species that have treated Tribbles negatively in the past.” Because again, it's important to be highly visible. Image: Cryptic Studios. Something in the Air Tonight… By Cat Hough Hey, surprise! There's a new bundle. The New Genesis Bundle will be available on PC for 7500 Zen starting on June 24th, and is on sale for the first week. This bundle features two new T6 ships: the Malachowski-class, an updated Clarke Multi-Mission Command Cruiser, and the long awaited Oberth-class, otherwise known as the Grissom Light Science Vessel. (Please note: these two ships will also be available as separate purchases outside the New Genesis Bundle.) Image: a most beautiful dream, via Cryptic Studios. The bundle will also include a number of additional account-wide items, such as the Genesis Ground Vanity Device*, Wrath of Khan outfits and a Type II Phaser Compression Pistol (C. 2285). Finally, two Experimental Starship Upgrade Tokens and two Fleet Ship Modules boost your purchasing value further. This ship bundle will also be available to players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 at a later date. Oh and this too. Image: Cryptic Studios. *This is a different device than the one given to Foundry authors. It has similar animation and FX, but does not include the Spock-In-The-Box that appears when the Foundry thank you gift is activated. To GOOOOOOAAAALLLL Where No One Has Gone Before By Rosco McQueen Image: Scopely. In celebration of the European Football Championship, the folks at Scopely shared a guide on how to play soccer/football/whatever in Star Trek Fleet Command. It's not a minigame as such, more a suggestion from the developers on how it could be done. Put together teams of ships with your friends and alliances to get an Envoy “ball” across your imaginary goal lines in space. It's Priority One Armada's 8th Anniversary! All during the month of June, we are giving away various prizes and will have events for Armada members every Saturday with even more prizes! This Saturday, June 26th, is our final event: the Risian Triathlon. Plus, you should definitely trek out the Livestream with yours truly this week as we feature our new intro video produced by Anthony! This is a great time to join Priority One Armada with more than 5 billion in EC in prizes being given away this month.

This week on Episode 512 of Priority One: Paramount+ announces the main cast for Star Trek: Prodigy; Rebecca Romijin shares some news about Strange New Worlds; McMahon teases Lower Decks Season 2; Star Trek Online offered players a new promotional pack to purchase; and Fleet Command continues its Next Generation journey. This week's Community Questions are: What are the bills you want to see paid in Lower Decks (and Picard) seasons two? What are your thoughts on the Mudd's Market Into Darkness bundle? Did you purchase it---and if so, which options did you decide on? Are you hoping to see Star Trek characters in Fortnite? Who would you most like to see? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Paramount+, Essentially By Elio Lleo ViacomCBS continues to try luring in more subscribers, by offering up new pricing tiers and teasing a slate of new content coming out over the summer. First up: the new “low-cost” option for US subscribers, starting at $4.99. This “Essential Plan” is ad-supported, including some sports and on-demand options. However, it will no longer include local live television station programming. I swear every one of those stars is an asterisk. Image: ViacomCBS, via Deadline. Keep in mind if you already have the limited commercial plan, you won't lose any features…however, that plan will no longer be offered to new subscribers. The “Premium Plan” will cost US subscribers $9.99 a month, is commercial-free with on demand entertainment (including 4K titles), more sports, and live streaming of local stations. Trek's Prodigious New Talent By Elio Lleo On Monday, June 14, ViacomCBS dropped the cast list for Star Trek: Prodigy–the first animated show specifically geared towards children [no, TAS wasn't written for kids; we've explored that in our Patreon exclusive podcast: After Hours -Ed.]. The six main voices joining Kate Mulgrew have been announced including Jason Mantzoukas–who you might recognize from shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The League, and as the voice of the foul-mouthed Rex Splode on the Amazon animated series Invincible. Variety also shared the details about the characters including some species names, character backgrounds, and some first-look images. Aren't you a little young for nebula coffee? Image: ViacomCBS, via Variety. Romijn Charts Out Strange New Worlds By Cat Hough In a recent interview with Looper.com, Rebecca Romijn confirms what we have long suspected regarding the format and episodic nature of Strange New Worlds. She said, "it's in keeping with the original series — they're standalone episodes. It's a little bit lighter. We are visiting planets. We are visiting colonies, and we are so proud of our work so far." The show will cover ten years of missions on the Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C, or D) with Captain Pike, before Kirk takes the helm. Romijn plays first officer Number One, originally played by Majel Barrett.  Whatever you've hiding, Mr. Spock, I hope you brought enough to share. Image: ViacomCBS, via Looper. No release date has yet been announced for Strange New Worlds, other than it's expected some time in 2022. But it appears that filming may be coming to a close. Romijn told Looper she was able to catch a break in filming episode seven of ten for Strange New Worlds in order to promote her new film, the safari thriller Endangered Species.  Bills To Pay in Lower Decks Season 2 By Rosko McQueen It's the question that can foster debate, cause rifts in friendships, or spark outrage on social media: what's your favorite episode of Star Trek? Mike McMahon, the creator of Lower Decks was asked exactly this by the folks at IGN. Thanks to his breadth of knowledge, he had an answer for each series, while also throwing out some teasers for Lower Decks season 2.  "Shades of Gray," Mariner? Really? Image: ViacomCBS, via IGN. Mike spoke about the structure of Star Trek, and the nature of standalone episodes that add to the depth of the characters–but not in a way that the audience needs a refresh at the start of each new episode. What that means for Season 2 of Lower Decks is we have the setup of the first 10 episodes. So where to from here?  “These last three episodes created this crescendo of, ‘Look, this is what the show is. Let's go. And we keep that up. How does Mariner feel about Boimler taking off? How is Boimler doing on the Titan? So, [we're] still doing standalone, still episodes that feel episodic, but the characters don't forget. We haven't forgotten what we've said [in] Season 1.” That leads us to our first community question this week:    What are the bills you want to see paid in Lower Decks (and Picard) seasons two? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. GoldDerby.com's Rob Licuria sat down with Star Trek: Discovery's Visual Effects Supervisor Jason Zimmerman to discuss the process behind building a new universe in the Star Trek multiverse–specifically, after jumping into the future in Discovery Season 3. Licuria also chatted with Glenn Hetrick about Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery on June 9th. In a recent episode of the official Star Trek Podcast: The Pod Directive, Tawny and Paul chat with Alex Kurtzman to discuss the importance of Trek, the production process, and storytelling in the Star Trek universe…and how desperate he is to produce a musical story. We'll be deconstructing the interview in our Patreon Exclusive show, After Hours, this week. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Mudd's Multiversal Market Madness By Shane Hoover It looks like Harcourt Fenton Mudd has reared his profiteering head once again in the Star Trek Online C-Store. From June 10 through June 24, players who have about $150 burning a hole in their pockets can purchase the new Into Darkness and Beyond Choice Pack. Like previous Mudd's Choice Packs, you can choose three out of eight options including ships, upgrade tokens, C-Store coupons, or master keys. Oh shut up, Dwight. Image: ViacomCBS, via CNET. But if you wanted to buy them all...well, Cryptic has another purchase option, the MEGA Into Darkness and Beyond Bundle. That's right: for the eye-watering regular price of $600 you can purchase every one of the eight choices offered! But act fast–it's only $300, or 50% off, until June 24th.  That leads us to our next community question this week:    What are your thoughts on the Mudd's Market Into Darkness bundle? Did you purchase it–and if so, which options did you decide on? Fleet Command Searches For The Next Generation By Elio Lleo Star Trek Fleet Command has dropped the second part of its Star Trek: The Next Generation arc with Section Patch 31. Featured in the update are new stories and missions to rescue Worf or Picard. Who will you choose to save first? "Who? Never heard of them." Image: ViacomCBS, via Memory Alpha. The new update includes new officers, new ship projectiles, fifteen new missions and more. Also, if you're eager to learn about the team behind the game, you can trek out their “Meet the Team” blog featuring Senior QA Tester Alannah. It's the Armada's 8th Anniversary!  By Cat Hough Image: Jason Smith, via Priority One Armada. All during the month of June the Priority One Armada is giving away various prizes, and will have events for Armada members every Saturday–with even more prizes! June 19th is our 80s-themed costume competition. And you should definitely trek out the Livestream this week as we feature our new intro video produced by Anthony! This is a great time to join Priority One Armada with more than 5 billion in EC in prizes being given away this month. Well, We Had To Cover Fortnite Eventually By Elio Lleo June 8th saw the release of a new season for the hugely popular battle royale shooter Fortnite. Why would Priority One Podcast care, you ask? Well this season sees the game's island invaded by aliens in flying saucers, and Fortnite has a well earned reputation for pulling in characters from all over popular culture. For example, this season sees Rick Sanchez of Rick & Morty [Drink! -Ed.]  making an appearance alongside Superman. But the hot rumor in Trek circles is that Star Trek just might make an appearance on the island this season. Which makes a great Community Question for our listeners this week! Are you hoping to see Star Trek characters in Fortnite? Who would you most like to see? Quick Gaming News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. Links, of course, will be in our show notes! Time to head to Risa, break out your longboard and get ready for some dance contests! Star Trek Online announced that the Summer Event will start on July 1st this year. Expect some more announcements coming regarding the event ship and other new items that will be available in the event store.  Saxon Props on Twitter shared a Krieger Wave pistol build based on the Star Trek Online model, including using some clay models for the accompanying stand. It's always great to see the hard work of STO's artists, like designer Hector Ortiz, showcased in the real world. Big news for ship artists this week with the announcement of selectable backgrounds on the PC ship builder. You can now green screen your favorite starship for art-based adventures.

This week on Episode 511 of Priority One: John de Lancie continues to drop some Picard Season 2 hints. In Gaming, we continue our review of the missions that brought the Klingon Civil War to an end in Star Trek Online. We also introduce a new contributor to the show: Dr. Michael J. Chan, with his analysis of “Chain of Command.” This week's Community Question is: Which deep cut character would you like to see in the next season of Lower Decks? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Just Call It Q-meo Already By Elio Lleo We told you that you should keep an eye out for Cameo videos recorded by John de Lancie! Once again, he might have spilled the beans and potentially spoiled some character appearances in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard. In one Cameo, he shares what was scheduled to happen on the next day of filming, saying: "...I've already been shooting, I've had some wonderful scenes with Patrick [Stewart]. It was nice, it was nice working with him again...and tomorrow, I'm...working with Brent. So, I'm really looking forward to that." So, when he says he's working with Brent…does that mean we might see Alton Soong? A past version of Data? Remember, Captains, you can join de Lancie's Cameo Fan Club for free and watch the videos he records for fans! No Small Parts In Lower Decks' Future By Cat Hough Mike McMahan, the creative force behind Star Trek: Lower Decks, has been offering up some interesting tidbits about Seasons 2 and 3 while promoting the recent Season 1 release of Lower Decks on Blu-ray. He told IGN that Season 2 picks up immediately with the fallout after the glorious battle of Riker vs. the Pakleds, Boimler's promotion to the Titan---and how Mariner, Rutherford and Tendi are dealing with all that. Speaking about his overall vision for the four main characters, McMahan says, “I know where I want them to end up. Let's watch together how they get there.” I see Shaxs and Kirk went to the same tailor. Image: ViacomCBS, via IGN. McMahan also promises there are more cameo roles coming up, but he also indicated some of these could be deeper cuts from Trek canon, saying “So there are some legacy guest roles in the second season and in the third season as well but I think it's people you're not going to expect when you get them.” Maybe we will finally get that sweet, sweet Roga Danar cameo? But we we know who's the most important one. Image: ViacomCBS, via IGN. That leads us to our first community question this week:    Which deep cut character would you like to see in the next season of Lower Decks? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram! McNamara Makes Her Exit By Rosco McQueen It could be one of those tapestry-type moments, where you pull at a thread and a whole different world would appear. In terms of enjoying Star Trek on the small screen and with new series in development, one of those threads that had a big impact was Julie McNamara. Image: ViacomCBS, via Deadline. For the last 15 years Ms McNamara has worked with CBS and ViacomCBS, her most recent role being head of programming at Paramount+. Deadline reported this week that she is stepping down from the role. In terms of the impact on Star Trek, Ms McNamara has been overseeing the original content strategy for the streaming service. Tom Ryan, ViacomCBS President & CEO, Streaming, announced the exit, saying “Julie's work and strong relationships with creators and talent led the way for the very first originals on CBS All Access, many of which are still top performers for Paramount+, including Star Trek: Discovery.” During her tenure at CBS All Access, which she joined as Executive Vice President of Original Content in 2016, she shepherded the new Star Trek universe (Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and the upcoming Strange New Worlds). We can only hope that her replacement works as hard to bring new seasons and series of Star Trek to the screen in the future. Quick News Roundup Here are a few headlines that we didn't discuss but might interest you. If you've ever wanted to see Bill Shatner get punched in the face...well, now you can(?)! In a new commercial for CopperGel, Shanter squares up against the one and only Mike Tyson, begging to learn what it's like to be hit by a heavyweight champ: the heavyweight champ. If you're a fan of Doug Drexler's work, you might be interested in reading a short interview featuring the Academy Award Winning special effects arts over on Air&Space Magazine. In it, he talks about his influences, his favorite Trek, and more! Some exciting news for our sister show, Women at Warp, who just dropped an interview with Gates McFadden to discuss the launch of her podcast, Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are? STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Long Remembered, Soon Repeated? By Thomas Reynolds "It was not well to drive men into final corners; at those moments they could all develop teeth and claws." Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage The day of judgment dawns, as four would-be leaders face the slings and arrows of their outrageous doings. J'Ula leads the orbital assault of Qo'noS in the crosshairs of her own mycelial nightmare. J'mpok's dash for the throne turns his servitor races on each other–regicide is a booming industry in First City, and the player gets in on the ground floor. L'Rell races to the Great Hall before the mad Emperor can use “her” hydro bomb against “his” people. And Aakar probably wishes he got his hands on those personal transporters before the final bat'leth comes down. Ah well. “A Day Long Remembered” ends the Klingon Civil War arc with the Empire under new management and a new face. Or an old face? Cloning is weird. Anyway, J'mpok's career (and life) ends after J'Ula and L'Rell make a disarming argument in favor of new leadership. Having made good on her deal with Fek'lhr–two conniving schemers for the price of one!–J'Ula hands the Chancellor's bat'leth off to L'Rell, picking up the Torch for her instead. At the final party, they talk about working closer with the Alliance of 2411–not a promise we'd expect from Klingons of 2255. Their mood is optimistic, but we've seen how easily the Empire shatters under the strain of remaining Klingon. And it's hard to shake the feeling that we'll be back here, knives in hand, all too soon… Image: Cryptic Studios. A Command-ing Market Share By Shane Hoover Website PocketGamer.biz has run a short article in an ongoing series that examines market trends in mobile gaming. While the article is a sponsored piece by analytics platform App Annie, it nevertheless shares some interesting metrics that would impress even the Ferengi Commerce Authority. Image: App Annie, via PocketGamer. According to the article, the “City Battle Strategy” mobile gaming sector has raked in $2.5 billion in worldwide consumer spending in the first quarter of 2021. That represents a 60 percent growth over last year's first quarter. If you're talking about the U.S. market alone, the growth was 90 percent over 2020's first quarter. Of the top 10 intellectual properties in the City Battle Strategy category, Star Trek Fleet Command is sitting pretty in the top spot. So there's no denying that Fleet Command is raking in more gold-pressed latinum than Quark's shady schemes ever dreamed. 

This week on Episode 510 of Priority One: Star Trek Voyager could have had a much different endgame; the Section 31 spinoff series is still in the works; and Evil Picard is gunna get you in IDW’s new Mirror Universe series. In Gaming, Star Trek Online wraps its year-long Klingon Civil War saga. This week’s Community Question is: CQ: If you could change one thing about the Voyager finale, what would it be? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Jake Morgan Abandoned ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Finale Ideas Could Have Given the Sendoff It Deserved By Rosco McQueen It was a night when the question that had plagued fans over the course of seven years would be answered - will Voyager return home in the series finale? The feature-length final episode “Endgame” aired 20 years ago on May 23, 2001, and this week the series milestone was celebrated, commemorated and dissected. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with many of the cast and crew discussing the potential finale ideas that were left mostly in the writers room.    Suggestions included killing off Captain Janeway or Seven of Nine, reverse assimilation of the Borg, and the idea that Endgame could have been a mid-season episode to allow for the crew to explore returning home to the Alpha Quadrant. Star Trek: Discovery's Shazad Latif talks Section 31 "rumblings" By Roscoe McQueen Everyone’s favorite Klingon-turned human-turned Section 31 agent, Ash Tyler, has been in the news this week discussing the Section 31 spinoff, and it turns out details are… few. To the point of… mysterious. Speaking with Digital Spy this week, actor Shazad Latif talked about the spin-off series currently being up in the air due to actors’ schedules. "It's just been slight yeses, slight questions, but I've no idea. I think it's down to people's schedules. I spoke to Ethan Peck briefly the other day. He's started the other one [Star Trek: Strange New Worlds], and that's about it." The only other details we have come from Alex Kurtzman, who was more hype-man than detail guy. Kurtzman said the show is well on it’s way and the writers have put together a great script as well as a Section 31 writers room. All other details are shrouded in a veil of secrecy. Star Trek: Mirror War Will See Evil Picard Finally Face Justice By Rosco McQueen It’s one aspect of the Star Trek franchise that was never delved into in the The Next Generation tv series.  The Mirror Universe. Thankfully the folks at IDW comics have taken the dagger and stabbed with it. Repeatedly. And explored the world in the 2018 series “Mirror Broken”.  The series saw a frustrated and aggressive Captain Picard in command of the Stargazer. The crew, including Inquisitor Deanna Troi and a Borg-ified version of Data, worked towards destroying and salvaging Cardassian and Klingon ships for profit and maintaining the borders of the weakened Empire. Eventually Picard’s frustrations and ambitions led the Captain, complete with goatee, to steal command of the Empire’s newest Galaxy-class warship from Captain Jellicoe.   Now the repercussions of the not-so-good Captain’s actions will be explored in “Mirror War”.   In the nine-part series, evil Picard will face the wrath of the Emperor for his crimes. Why is the Emperor angry at Picard? We’ll have to wait and see.  The Mirror War will also be complemented by four tie-in one-shots, each of which will follow an evil version of a prominent Next Generation character, beginning with Data. Quick News Roundup Now, here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. Links, of course, will be in our show notes! In a recent installment of Variety’s Streaming Room, Alex Kurtzman and Sonequa Martin-Green share their insights on Season 3 of Star Trek Discovery… How canon influenced their decision to jump to the future, Burnham’s Journey, and the importance of representation on screen. No juicy TrekNuggets about Season Tig Notaro confirms Engineer Jet Reno’s return in Season 4 of Star Trek Discovery during an interview with The AV Club. According to Notaro, the writers and producers are incredibly flexible with her time and give her lots of flexibility with her other professional endeavors. She also confirmed that she does not riff and/or ad lib… but that her dialogue is completely written for her. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS By Thomas Reynolds Hero Collector Celebrates STO’s Jump Into Discovery Season Three Hero Collector, the maker of everyone’s favorite Star Trek model collection, is joining with Star Trek Online to celebrate the arrival of STO’s new “Far From Home” lockbox. For starters, Cryptic’s lead Starship and UI artist Thomas Marrone has written an article for the Hero Collector website. Thomas offers insights into the challenges and intentions as the ship team brought the U.S.S. Discovery refit from screen to game. Be sure to Trek out Thomas’s article by following the link in our show notes! But wait, there’s more! Hero Collector also announced a STO House United launch giveaway. Just by following their official Twitter account and that of Star Trek Online, and by retweeting the giveaway announcement, you can have a chance to win the Star Trek Online 2021 Anniversary Legendary Bundle! That bundle retails at 25,000 Zen, nearly $250. It includes four newly updated T6 Legendary ships: The B’Rel, the Excelsior, the Vor’Cha, and the Ambassador. And it includes a pile of other valuable game items and currency. We’ve certainly debated the cost and value of these bundles on the show, but nobody will debate winning the Anniversary Legendary Bundle for free! You can find a link to the giveaway announcement tweet right in our show notes, too. The contest ends and the winners will be announced on June 1st 2021 STO New Episode Reveal Captains, before we go any further, we’ve got a SPOILER WARNING. The following may spoil some of the story regarding the two newest missions to land on the PC version of Star Trek Online. Now available to play on PC, the end of the Klingon Civil War comes to an end. The Mother of All Klingons, L’Rell continues to lead J’ula, Martok, and A’depta against Emperor J’mpok! With voice over performances by Mary Chieffo, J.G. Hertzler, & Rekha Sharma, this two-mission end will finally bring this year-long battle to an end. Additionally, players can participate in a new Task Force Operation called, “Remain Klingon.” Don’t forget, playing through some of this new content on a daily basis will earn you progress towards an Imperial Assault Ground Set. Just visit your EVENTS tab in your mission journal to learn about all the ways you can complete your daily progress. https://youtu.be/yIZ8O_d1Oi8 Fleet Command Goes to Red Alert A much requested quality of life improvement has arrived for players of Star Trek: Fleet Command. As expected following a recent announcement, a new Battle View mode has been added to the game. When the phasers start flying, players can click a conveniently displayed Red Alert icon to declutter the game’s User Interface. With less UI noise while in Battle View, you can more easily focus on handling those combat targets and making sure they discover just how cold space can be. To get a look at Battle View in action, hop on over to Fleet Command’s Twitter video of the feature via our show notes. Or just hop in the game and try it yourself. https://twitter.com/i/status/1396496243468156930 Bad Robot Draws Good Capital In the long gone days of December of 2020, we last discussed JJ Abram’s Bad Robot Games studio. Back then they were hiring up important executives. Now they’ve announced the landing of more than $40 Million in financing. The investment comes from sources like Galaxy Interactive, Horizons Ventures, Iconiq Capital, and Tencent. Bad Robot Games CEO Anna Sweet released a statement saying the VC backing will be good as they look to “change the way people interact with and view video games.”. The company has announced that its first title will be an original Triple-A game developed internally, and with the collaboration of Bad Robot’s film, TV and animation teams. It’s not a lot of information, and there’s no hint yet that Bad Robot Games will be working on a Star Trek title. But the film studio has produced every Star Trek film since 2009, and we can hope for new games! They also produced films for that OTHER “Star” universe, but we won’t speculate about games for them!

This week on Episode 509 of Priority One: Kate Mulgrew reveals how the Janeway Hologram is introduced in Star Trek: Prodigy; Rod Roddenberry begins celebrating his father’s centennial with a new social media campaign; and Star Trek Online introduces tech from the 32nd century in its latest Lock Box.  This week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Got kids? Will you be watching Star Trek: Prodigy with them? What do you hope will be their biggest takeaway from the new series? CQ: As we reflect on Gene Roddenberry’s legacy over the next 100 days, tell us–what does Star Trek mean to you?  CQ: Are you looking forward to Fleet Command’s new Next Gen-era content? Does the Away Teams minigame make you want to spend more time in-game? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Kate Mulgrew’s Hologrammatic Appearances By Elio Lleo With Star Trek: Prodigy set to debut sometime this year on Paramount+ and later on Nickelodeon, Kate Mulgrew continues to sing praises of its development, the story it hopes to tell children, and the overall mythos that is the Star Trek franchise. During a recent episode of Dennis Miller+1 to spotlight her latest project on the streaming service Peacock (Mr. Mercedes) Mulgrew not only spoke about the impact Star Trek has had in popular culture but she also shared some information about how Janeway’s Hologram will appear in the new series. "Me and my hoooolo, strolling down the avenue--oh god, it's Q? Me and my hooooolo..." Image: ViacomCBS via TrekCore That leads us to our first community question this week:  CQ: Got kids? Will you be watching Star Trek: Prodigy with them? What do you hope will be their biggest takeaway from the new series? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Discovery Season 4 Is Scripted, Picard Season 2 Is Shooting By Roscoe McQueen It’s official. The I’s have been dotted, the T’s have been crossed, and the nacelles have been detached.  The script for season four of Star Trek: Discovery is complete. The sign-off was confirmed this week by showrunner Michelle Paradise on social media, posting “A long journey to type these words. But here they are..." Paradise attached a picture of the final words of the season four finale script "End of season four." https://twitter.com/michelleparadis/status/1393359495212847104 It’s not as catchy as “Let’s fly” but I’m willing to see how it plays. In other production news, Star Trek: Picard is filming in the Santa Clarita area this week.  SCVNews.com reported that the city’s film office has 9 productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley beginning the week of Monday, May 17, 2021, including Star Trek: Picard. Star Trek: Lower Decks Blu-Ray and DVD By Shane Hoover What hits shelves on May 18th and packs more Star Trek Easter eggs than Beckett Mariner's crate of contraband? The answer, of course, is the Star Trek: Lower Decks Season One DVD and Blu-Ray set. Bonus features include a trailer for Mariner's Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta movie, U.S.S. Cerritos crew profiles, and a catalogue of the show's many many Easter eggs. The show's creator and executive producer Mike McMahan sat down for some promotion interviews, and he had some very interesting thoughts to share. Speaking to Screenrant.Com about his goals for Season 2, McMahan said “we have a lot of bills to pay. We've got Rutherford's memory issues, we've got Mariner and her mom working together, we've got the Pakleds being a real threat out in the world, we've got Tendi worried about her friends not remembering her from the first season and what does that mean for their friendship. And we've got Boimler on the Titan!” Tooting his own...well, I guess it's not his own horn, is it. Image: ViacomCBS via CinemaBlend They also asked McMahan about Mariner's backstory, and he answered “I mean, I know everything about Mariner... but there's a backstory to Mariner that we don't want to mine so quickly and just have everybody know.” He also suggested that attentive viewers are probably already piecing together the show's hints about Mariner's past. The website CinemaBlend.com asked about a Lower Decks live-action Boimler crossover to Star Trek: Picard. McMahan offered that he “can't imagine why not. I mean he's a capable Ensign as we've seen. He has that promotion to the Titan. You see Riker and Troi in Picard. You'd have to imagine if he doesn't run into too many Crystalline Entities that Boimler would still be bouncing around the quadrant.” ...does anyone know what that ringing sound is? Image: ViacomCBS via CinemaBlend But he doesn't see much likelihood of Picard crossing over the other way, telling ScreenRant “Look, would I love to work with Sir Patrick? Obviously! But is there any reason he would ever meet our Lower Deckers aboard the Cerritos? Not really.” Mike McMahan shared some great thoughts, and we have links to three of his interview stories in the show notes. Trek them out for all of the details! Peace and quiet was never an option. Image: ViacomCBS via ScreenRant. #thinkTrek - Gene Roddenberry’s Centennial By Elio Lleo Captains, last week we discussed an interview with Rod Roddenberry on “The Credits” where he spoke about the impact his Father had on popular culture and the vision of the future that was shared with us. Now, as the weeks move on, Roddenberry.com has launched a social media campaign celebrating Gene roddenberry’s Centennial. Using #thinkTrek and #talkTREK, Rod Roddenberry hopes to spotlight some of the philosophy that his father tried to share with us, a future that gives us a “chance for us all to be better, to act kinder, to be more inclusive, and to basically Think Trek.” Taking part in the celebration, filmmakers, actors, notable fans and more will be recording readings of some of Gene’s most inspirational quotes. 100 quotes, 100 days, all coming to a close on Gene’s birthday: August, 19, 2021. Already, we’ve seen readings from folks like Bill Nye, Kevin Smith, Scott Bakula and more! So be sure to follow Roddenberry on all their social media channels to get your daily dose of Roddenberry wisdom! But you can also take part in the celebration by sharing images, photos, videos, whatever you might spot in your daily lives that remind you of Star Trek. Just use #thinkTrek and tag @roddenberry when you post! That leads us to our next community question this week:  CQ: As we reflect on Gene Roddenberry’s legacy over the next 100 days, tell us–what does Star Trek mean to you?  STAR TREK GAMING NEWS By Thomas Reynolds To Gain The World And Lose The Soul All good things must come to an end–and if you’re a Klingon, war tops your Good Things list. Unless it’s a civil war between J’Ulla’s and J’mpok’s partisans for the future of the Empire. Maybe it’s less good, then. But it cannot last forever. It never could, when politics and honor demand your enemy’s complete destruction. And as birds of prey come home to raze, as shattered Praxis looks down on a world on fire, this phrase–this edict–will be on every warrior’s breath and heart: remain Klingon. Image: Cryptic Studios. On May 14th, Cryptic declared STO’s next TFO, “Remain Klingon,” to be the Klingon Civil War’s final battle. Captains will lead the fight over Qo’noS in this space-based TFO as the First City roils with disruptor fire. Cryptic also notes that captains should play “A Day Long Remembered” before queuing for “Remain Klingon”. But wait, what’s “A Day Long Remembered”? Sure sounds like a mission title, but I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out. Until then, be ready. Be fearless. And as always, remain Klingon. Star Trek Online Forecasts Icing Conditions Image: Cryptic Studios. Announced today and launching Soon™, the Discovery: Far From Home Lock Box hits high notes from Disco’s third season. Headlining the potential prizes is the Crossfield Science Spearhead Refit [T6], better known as the U.S.S. Discovery-A. Players who don’t get one can just chill out with the Parasitic Ice Containment Vessel Universal Console. (Yes, it’s a Vessel but it’s a Console. Just work with us here.) Other drops include the Beast Mast–sorry, Bond With Animals Ground Trait, Personal Transporter kit module, and a randomly transporting Saurian. There’s a lot of fascinating new items in the box; trek out the full list. NOW let's see who gets laughed out of the dog park. Image: Cryptic Studios. The Trial Never Ends, The Lens Flare Never Stops September 1987: the Star Trek multiverse returns to TV anew, when the Enterprise-D has its encounter at Farpoint. May 2021: Fleet Command returns to the Prime Timeline, as the Enterprise-D plows into some random Kelvin Timeline planet’s surface. It’s a rough introduction this time, no better for the lack of crew–only the amnesiac android Data is on board. Why is the Federation flagship of 2364 tilling soil more than a hundred years before it was built? Where did its 1,011 other crewmembers go? And can you put it together–ship, crew, and sinister plot behind it all–before those responsible come to finish the job? Welcome to Star Trek Fleet Command Patch 30. Image: Scopely. Scopely resumes its continuing mission bringing Prime Timeline content to its Kelvin-only game with TNG storylines, battle passes, and collectibles. Familiar faces from the series are now potential crew picks, particularly a Rare-tier Beverly Crusher and Epic-tier Data and Geordi. But the most significant addition is the new Away Teams game mode. Unlocking your station’s Shuttle Bay building opens up lists of short-term assignments to complete for resource rewards. Players with STO or Timelines experience will recognize a way to put idle crewmembers to work based on relative strengths. Of course, if you get Q as a crewmember you can just clear all the tasks off at once. Or your entire roster will turn to salamanders. Who knows? Really hoping that's not Mirror Georgiou you're about to send. Image: Scopely. That leads us to our final community question this week: CQ: Are you looking forward to Fleet Command’s new Next Gen-era content? Does the Away Teams minigame make you want to spend more time in-game?

This week on Episode 508 of Priority One: Anson Mount updates fans on the status of #StrangeNewWorlds; Paramount+ is serious about its streaming; the mobile game Star Trek Fleet Command meets The Next Generation; and Chase Masterson joins us to talk about the Pop Culture Hero Coalition! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds JLP In Effigy By Elio Lleo If you’re looking to add to your existing Star Trek collection, then you might want to #TrekOut EXO-6’s latest product. Their 1:6 scale articulated figure of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the style and uniform from Star Trek: First Contact is now available for preorder. AKA "Mother's Day 2022." Image: EXO-6. The figurine has over 30 points of articulation that allow you recreate some of your favorite moments from the film---with a Type II hand phaser, the TR-590 Tricorder X, or a Type 3B Phaser Rifle! So, if you’re looking to add to your collection, you can pre-order now for $20 US---but the total cost will be $189.95 + $25 US international shipping. https://youtu.be/eGoXyXiwOBg?t=73 I'm A Doctor, Not A...Well, Yes, A Podcaster By Cat Hough As you might recall from a previous episode, we mentioned that Gates McFadden was getting into podcasting. Well her new podcast, Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are? launches May 12. This is a limited podcast series where Gates invites some of her besties over for a chat. Who’s on the lineup? Well, to name a few: Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, John  de Lancie, Robert Picardo, Michael Westmore, Nana Visitor, Denise Crosby and more. Each show is less interview and more one-on-one intimate conversation. NacelleCast promises that InvestiGates will feature “never-before-heard stories” from the stars and creatives behind Star Trek. https://youtu.be/tg50Jok82nc While we are very excited to listen to her new podcast, we do have some unfortunate news. McFadden confirmed this week to TrekMovie.com that she will not be reprising her role as Beverly Crusher in Season Two of Star Trek: Picard, saying “I’m not in the second season. I’m sad that I’m not. Things have changed a lot on different levels. So I have no idea at this point. I’m disappointed because it would have been so much fun to just work with those people. But we’ll see. I have no idea. I wish I could tell you.” The Vision of Trek In Gene’s Centennial Year By Rosco McQueen It’s the core mantra of the Vulcan philosophy, and the overall Star Trek franchise---infinite diversity in infinite combinations.  This week Rod Rodenberry reflected on the guiding principle of his father, Gene Rodenberry, who was born a century ago in 1921.  Speaking with The Credits, Rod Roddenberry spoke about his father and the future he pictured for everyone. “He took more of a humanistic or a realistic approach.  What could it be like one day? How did he see us 200, 300 years in the future? My father took the approach that we’re sort of a juvenile, child race-species right now, but we grow like any species---any life form does---and we mature. In that future, we realize it’s the diversity in idea, not just form. The fact that we are fighting over the fact that we look different now is childish. We need to be embracing the uniqueness between us because that’s how you grow.” Rod goes on to speak about diversity being the strength of Star Trek, and how it has always been the goal of the series that “no matter what your ethnic, gender, socio-economic, religious, political background is, it should all be represented at some level on Star Trek. That’s what humanity is and needs to be. That’s what Star Trek is.” Paramount+ Piles It On By Rosco McQueen In an effort to compete with other streaming services, Paramount+ is leaning into its cinema pedigree. The promise is an additional 1,000 movies added to their library, for 2,500 total titles in June. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it’s all part of ViacomCBS’s plan to counter Disney+’s catalogue of Marvel and Star Wars titles, or HBO MAX and their same-day cinema and streaming releases. CEO Bob Bakish announced the plan, as well as future exclusive titles on ViacomCBS’s first-quarter earnings conference call.  Bakish said that the new Mark Whalberg film Infinite will go straight to the on-demand service, reflecting their plans to release an original movie every week in 2022.  Bakish also told shareholders that their subscriber base grew substantially since the rebrand to Paramount+, adding 6 million global streaming subscribers to reach 36 million in its first quarter. ViacomCBS shareholder meeting (editor's interpretation). Image: ViacomCBS. Now, here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you: While promoting his latest film, “The Virtuoso,” Anson Mount spoke with RadioTimes’ Paul Simpson about getting back into the Captain’s chair for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. According to Mount, although COVID protocols have required everyone to adapt, “it’s been one of the smoothest starts I think I’ve ever had in television.” Additionally, it sounds like some of the production staff have crossed over from Star Trek: Discovery, making the transition much easier. Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 will be released on Blu-Ray on July 20. The four-disc collection will also include over 2 hours of special features. Nothing as to whether there will be a 4K release of a new Trek series any time soon. Actor Nathan Jung, who appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series has died at the age of 74. Over the years he had roles on TV and film in The A Team, Kung Fu, Big Trouble in Little China, and the Kentucky Fried Movie. But it was Trek that helped launch his career: Jung played Ghengis Khan in the episode “The Savage Curtain” in 1969.   STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds (Say That You Remember) Fusing In September By Cath Hough The U.S.S. Enterprise-F, designed by Thomas Marrone will be included in the 2022 Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendar series by Universe Publishing. This is the first time a ship from Star Trek Online has appeared in the calendar series. Ships from TOS, TNG and DS9 are also featured and the calendar includes some ship designs and cutaway diagrams. Maybe we should start calling Thomas Mr. September? [No. - Ed.] So much for thrusters only while in spacedock. Image: Thomas Morrone via Universe Publishing. Also this week, our favorite environment artist Nick Duguid streamed his design and build of a 2409 Federation fusion reactor environment. This is a fascinating video: Nick walks us through his process from forming an idea to actually building an asset. It seems like we’re just watching what a day at work is like for Nick. The video ends with showcasing his final design and it’s an amazing piece of work.  https://twitter.com/Tumerboy/status/1391770455309099011?s=20 Cryptic’s Latest Console-ations By Rosco McQueen Good news for console captains this week, with the Delta Recruit event coming to consoles from May 13 on Playstation and Xbox.  The event will run for 28 days, and includes improvements to the existing recruit rewards to remove out of date missions and introduce some new rewards.  It’s a great way to earn extra perks on your account, so why not take the opportunity to create a new character! Any freshly-made 2409 characters from Starfleet, the Klingon Defense Force, or the Romulan Republic are eligible to become a recruit for the 28 days the event runs! From May 13th through 20th, console captains can claim a free Phoenix prize pack each day. Visit Onna on Deep Space Nine or get gritty with Grym on Drozana Station to claim your pack.  And lastly for console, the Jovian Intel Heavy Raider from Season three of Discovery is finally making it to the game.  The new Tier 6 ship will be available via the Infinity Lock Box. The Next Generation of Fleet Command By Elio Lleo Turning our attention to mobile gaming, Scopely’s Star Trek: Fleet Command introduced a new era of characters from the Star Trek Multiverse on May 11th. TNG characters like Geordi, Deanna, Data, Beverly, Will, and Jean-Luc are now available; according to a post on StarTrek.com, “the event will continue to evolve over time, with new surprises rolling out in the following months.” If the beard unlocks by microtransaction I am going to riot. Image: Scopely via StarTrek.com

This week on Episode 507 of Priority One: "Q" is getting quite an adventure in Picard, Raspberry Pi can make an excellent tricorder, Star Trek Online surprises players with a starship promo in the Lobi store, and Minecraft gets Trekkie!  This week’s Community Question is: CQ: Would live events excite you in Star Trek Online, and how would you like them to be implemented? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Q-ing Up Picard Seasons 2 And 3 By Elio Lleo We said it. We said it last week. We’re now in an era where the headlines come from Cameo videos that actors record for fans willing to pony up some dough for personalized messages! Back at it again: John de Lancie admitting to one fan for Mother’s Day, that he’ll be on for at least 6 episodes, and that they’re filming seasons 2 and 3 back to back -- with rigorous COVID testing during filming. If you’re not already, go ahead and start following some of your favorites on Cameo. Apparently some of them share the videos they record for everyone to see…so it might just be you who gets the scoop on the latest Star Trek news! Does this entity look like he fears your mortal NDAs? Image: ViacomCBS. Chris Kula's Committed By Cat Hough Since Mike McMahon let us know on First Contact Day that Star Trek: Lower Decks was renewed for a third season, it seems CBS has really taken notice of what a stellar production crew they have over there. Deadline has announced that writer-producer Chris Kula, a co-executive producer on Lower Decks, signed an overall deal with CBS Studios. We don’t have any specific details about his deal, but it appears that CBS is doing its best to lock down talented people. Kula’s credits are nothing to sneeze at. He’s an alum of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and he has written for NBC’s Community, Fox’s MADtv, Comedy Central’s @midnight and was a supervising producer on Wrecked for TBS. The face of someone not going to Starbase 80. Image: Diane Arbus via Deadline. A Second Picorder of Magnitude By Tony Hunter Everyone wants to try to make Trek tech. The flip phone by Motorola, the universal translator from Google, the Air Force even built a PHASER (in all caps) designed to shoot down drones with microwaves. But all these pretenders are able to do is capture a piece of the magic. Either the form isn’t quite right like the flip phone, or the function isn’t there like Google Translate. Well, not so with the Picorder 2. A maker who goes by the YouTube handle directive0 has built a prototype of a working tricorder using a typical TNG case as a model. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y9hRy4ev4Q At the bottom, where the case folds down, is space for a battery and loudspeaker. In the middle is a Raspberry Pi and capacitive touch screen for control and processing. And at the top is a printed circuit board, ready to mount pretty much any commercially available sensor that will fit. At the moment, he has temperature, pressure and humidity sensors functional and displaying on-screen. He also has connections ready for a simple thermal imager. The whole thing is designed to be modular, so instruments and the internal computer and screens can be updated over time. Giant Freakin’ Grain Of Salt By Elio Lleo It’s a slow news week. When that happens, we get a little dirty and rummage around the rumor mills. The latest comes from the ol' faithful GiantFreakinRobot.com. One of their “trusted and proven sources” tells them there’s a plan to bring back Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer along with the likes of T’Pol and Dr. Phlox. Well...like Nostradamus, with enough theories and rumors published, you might get one or two right. This one, though -- keep it in the back of your mind as just a rumor. Doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to speculate what that story would look like! STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds The Trouble with Tholians By Cat Hough Starting today on PC and running for the next three weeks, Star Trek Online launched the second Featured Event of the current Event Campaign, called Tholian Trouble. This Event allows players the choice of running either the Azure Nebula Rescue or Vault: Ensnared TFOs, while also earning Daily Progress toward the grand prize reward. These two particular TFOs had some recent updates which have dramatically improved the gameplay during the missions. Completing this Event rewards the Universal Console – Tholian Web Array as an account unlock, and a character only (or one time only) reward of 25,000 Dilithium Ore and 3 Featured TFO Reward Boxes. These boxes give a choice of 1 Specialization Point or an Enhanced Universal Tech Upgrade. The Tholian Web Array Universal Console improves tetryon damage, physical damage, control expertise, and dramatically improves critical hit chance against held enemies. It also has a deadly active ability: hold the target ship in a web and deal physical damage over time, chain to up to 4 additional foes and apply a hold to them, and deal sharply increasing physical damage over time to each new target. No one thought the future would be so...pointy. Image: Cryptic Studios. As we have gone over on previous shows, the Grand Prize for the 2021 Event Campaign offers players a choice between the three following options: Any Infinity Promo or Infinity Lock Box T6 Ship This ship will be a once per account unlock, for a single ship only. Note: Contents only include premium starships that were released before 12/31/20. Starships released after this date will not be included as options. 1,500 Lobi Crystals Two 100% off Coupons for Tier 6 Ships in the Zen Store This choice is only made once per account, upon claiming the prize. Test Server Tribble-ations By Elio Lleo On Monday, May 3rd, you might have seen an out-of-the-blue announcement of a special event happening on Star Trek Online’s test server called “Tribble.” For those of you who may not be aware, when you start up Star Trek Online, you have an option to install the game’s test server to help the developers quality assure some of the new features that are being worked on.  https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1389293607165726721?s=20 Anywho, in a cryptic tweet, players were invited to defend Earth Spacedock from an assault led by J’mpok. Unfortunately, not all went according to plan. There was lots of confusion about where exactly the event was taking place (space or ground). Then, due to the massive influx of players (probably because many of us are still working from home), no one could get into the game. So what was it all about? Not much really. A few NPCs spawned inside Earth Spacedock and players fought them off. What this was testing is unknown. Here’s our community question for this week: CQ: Would live events excite you in Star Trek Online, and how would you like them to be implemented? A Disturbance In The Fourth By Cat Hough Friend of the podcast (and our very favorite Klingon Chancellor L’Rell) Mary Chieffo tweeted earlier today, saying “Nothing says “May the 4th Be With You” like shouting Klingon in a sound booth! So much fun getting back to voicing Chancellor L’Rell for even more epic & honorable adventures in @trekonlinegame today. Qapla’!!” https://twitter.com/marythechief/status/1389679459310075907 Chieffo reprised her role as L’Rell in the continuing Klingon Civil War story arc for Star Trek Online. No updates as of yet regarding when the new episodes will be available to play in-game. The Mine-al Frontier By Elio Lleo Well, this isn’t specifically another Star Trek game, but it’s a game you and/or your kids might be really into: Minecraft! Josh Davison of TheGamer.com put together a top-ten list of the best Star Trek-themed mods for Minecraft. Now don’t get too excited: some of the mods are more “sci-fi inspired” than they are Star Trek themed. But, there are seven solid options. One mod called “A Touch of Trek” includes textures and art assets that really let you build a visually stunning starship environment. Of course, there’s "MineTrek" that utilizes a bunch of mods to let you create super structures and environments: we’re talking multi-level starships! But where's Cetacean Ops? Image: MineTrek, via TheGamer.

This week on Episode 506 of Priority One: We #TrekOut the latest news about a new Jeopardy! guest host (we’ll take “Enterprise Engineers” for $200, thanks LeVar).  John De Lancie teases more on Picard, and we really do mean teases.  And in Star Trek gaming, the “Worf returns mystery” is finally solved, plus a screen-perfect pilot ship to power your season three Discovery dreams.  This week’s Community Question is: CQ: If you were writing for Geordi’s return in a show like Star Trek: Picard, how would you set it up? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Mounting Anson-tipation By Rosco McQueen The warm embrace of Trek fandom is something truly unique.  When you finally find it, it turns out it can change your world---one episode at a time. At least, that’s the case for Anson Mount, who is currently filming the first season of Strange New Worlds. In an interview with Collider promoting his new film The Virtuoso, the new Captain Pike was asked about the episodic nature of the new series and explained how a misunderstanding from Akiva Goldsman started it all. “All (Goldsman) had heard about [Discovery] was that it was going to be a pre-Kirk show, so he assumed it was a show about Captain Pike. He gets in the writers' room and he's like, ‘Wait, what?! This is a different show. Okay, all right. We can play with this, but we've gotta do another show.’ So, he was lobbying for it and lobbying for it and lobbying for it. I got lucky enough to be cast in the role for Season 2 of Discovery…I just thought it was a one season gig and that was it.” ...does anyone else hear Gilbert & Sullivan? Image: ViacomCBS via Collider. Mount goes on to talk about the episodic nature of Star Trek, and how he feels there is room for both serialized stories like Discovery and big-idea-of-the-week episodes. It’s quite the impact the character has had over only one season, as Mount goes on to express his gratitude for the welcome he received from fans.   “Honestly, I've never felt such embrace from a fan base, on anything I've done. It is really night and day, and I'm very thankful to everyone with Gene Roddenberry and CBS, and Alex [Kurtzman] and Akiva for putting a huge amount of trust in me to be able to do it.” Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com, or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Your Anomaly Must Be In The Form Of A Question By Cat Hough Remember all the way back to Episode 504 of Priority One? You know, the one where we encouraged you all to support LeVar Burton becoming the host of Jeopardy!. Well, the powers-that-be heard you---and the 246,000 other people who signed the petition. It was announced that Burton has been included in the latest slate of guest hosts for the 37th season of the show.  But who'll play him in the inevitable SNL sketch? Image: Variety. According to the producers of the show, their goal for this season was to showcase a wide variety of hosts with “different skill sets and backgrounds on our path to finding a permanent host.” As part of each guest host’s appearance, a charity of their choice will receive a donation. Burton’s episodes air the week of July 26. The other guest hosts on the list are: Good Morning America and This Week With George Stephanopoulos anchor George Stephanopoulos (the week of July 12) Fellow GMA anchor Robin Roberts (July 19) CNBC Squawk on the Street co-anchor and former Celebrity Jeopardy! champ David Faber (Aug. 2) three-time National Sportscaster of the Year award winner sportscaster Joe Buck (Aug. 9), who is known for covering NFL and MLB games on Fox.  A View To Star Trek History By Cat Hough Celebrating the guest host announcement, Burton appeared on The View earlier this week where he confirmed to Whoopi Goldberg that he will not be appearing in season two of Star Trek: Picard. However,  he still leaves fans with some hope that he might appear at some point in future seasons, stating “I believe it is reasonable---in fact practical---to assume that Picard still knows these people. They’re his friends. I think we might see more of his friends. At least I hope we do before this is all over.” The interview covered a variety of topics, including Burton’s acting history. The two discussed his role as Kunta Kinte in Roots which aired to more than 100 million people around the world in 1977. They continued with Reading Rainbow, of course Star Trek: The Next Generation, and ending with his current podcast project, “LeVar Burton Reads.”  If you want to imagine it happening like this, we won't stop you. Image: ViacomCBS. Goldberg and Burton also spoke about inclusivity and the impact of Nichelle Nichols’ role as Lt. Uhura, saying “because what it said was when the future comes, there’s a place for us. And that’s a huge message to send. I believe it’s difficult if not impossible to grow up with a healthy self-image, unless you can see yourself in popular culture.” Ginning Up Support For Geordi By Cat Hough Obviously we, and those other 246,000 people who signed the petition, can’t get enough of LeVar Burton. Even Ryan Reynolds recently sang Burton’s praises. Well, he didn’t literally sing, but in a new ad for Aviation Gin, Reynolds says he wants to prove how great a host of Jeopardy! that Burton would be and he announces that Burton is stepping in for him as the spokesperson for the gin. The scene then cuts to Burton sitting by a pool sipping a “out of this world” gin and tonic made with Aviation Gin. The two banter back and forth, with Reynolds proclaiming that Burton is a “goddamned national treasure.” The ad ends with Burton telling Reynolds “this isn’t going to work out, Ryan.” If nothing else, the ad shows that Burton is definitely an excellent host.  https://twitter.com/VancityReynolds/status/1385383911195303937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1385383911195303937%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbr.com%2Flevar-burton-replace-ryan-reynolds-aviator-gin%2F That leads us to our first community question this week:   CQ: If you were writing for Geordi’s return in a show like Star Trek: Picard, how would you set it up? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our Social Media channels like FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram! De Lancie Makes A Q-meo Appearance By Jake Morgan We may be grasping at straws with this story, but it features one John De Lancie---talking at us---so it’s worth a mention (if ONLY to enjoy the thespian’s charisma). In a post on the r/Television subreddit dated April 20th, user u/whatagirlygirl shared a Cameo video from Q himself. De Lancie seemed to be answering a few questions posed by the Cameo submitter---in particular “Please tell us Q gets to harass Picard?” To which the 73 year old De Lancie replied, with great fervor, ”I do”. Had the exchange ended there, it probably wouldn’t have made the show---though it still would have been well worth a watch. But---and you had to know there was a but---De Lancie continued: ”And please tell us if Whoopie comes back you’re going to harass her as well” “I will.” https://youtu.be/j--CZSW87ms De Lancie didn’t back-pedal, he didn’t expound. He just left the possibility of a Q/Guinan reunion there, beautifully, in the ether. What does this mean? Well...nothing, really. But it’s interesting. De Lancie addressed the question---which he could have avoided altogether---and answered it with gusto. Only time will tell. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Going To Pieces For Book’s Ship By Elio Lleo Captains, if you love barrel-rolling your way through the galaxy in your favorite pilot warship in Star Trek Online, but all of the available options feel a bit too connected, then this is the story for you. Announced this week via social media, Grudge’s ship… ahem… former-courier Cleveland Booker’s ship, the Kwejian Pilot Frigate will be available in-game for PC players from May 4. It’s agile! It’s versatile! And its five forward facing weapons will destroy your enemies with style! (Extra cat friend not included. Available only through the Infinity Lockbox. Universal Console limited to this ship.  Phaser cannons not upgradable.  Consult your Chief Medical Officer to ensure this ship is right for you.)   This Tier 6 pilot warship also has an innate ability---that being, something you don’t need a console for---Morph Reversal!! Much like Book’s ship in season three of Discovery, this starship is highly maneuverable due to the detached…everything.  Using the ability means you can swing your ship into the opposite direction using the morphing mechanisms. But the shuffling of the components will cost you: your weapons and auxiliary subsystems will be briefly disabled.   So IKEA makes starships now, I guess? Image: Cryptic Studios. Other highlights include some sweet muti-part animations when performing Pilot Maneuvers, and a suite of 32nd Century Phaser cannons that have a chance to recover recharge time for your bridge officer abilities. The blog post also announced that the contents of the Angels Wake Lockbox have been rolled into the Infinity Lockbox. ...Ohh, That’s What That Tweet Was About By Elio Lleo Last week we reported that Michael Dorn kinda broke the #StarTrek Twitter Community with a cryptic post about some kind of return to Starfleet. Well, not long after, we learned what it was all about!! In a tweet posted to his account on April 23rd, we learned that Mr. Dorn has lent his voice to Tilting Point’s newest mobile game Star Trek: Legends. In the marketing post, we hear Worf sending out a distress call from within the Nexus. https://twitter.com/akaWorf/status/1385590581573812225 So, at least we know for certain what that tweet was about now! But, why introduce a new starship to set the stage for the game? Well, during a press event, ComicBook.com reports that Executive Producer and Creative Director Amir Lotan explained “...we had to kind of set up that the Federation of Planets created this unique starship that's the only starship in the fleet that can go into that realm…we didn't want a starship that would be associated specifically with one of those shows or one of those eras.” So, if you’re interested in trying out the game it’s currently available exclusively via Apple Arcade for US$4.99 per month or US$49.99 annually. No word yet if we’ll ever see an Android version on Google’s Play Pass.

This week on Episode 505 of Priority One: We #TrekOut the Tweet that broke the Star Trek Community, the fate of the multiverse, and a look into Star Trek Discovery’s special effects for Season 3. In gaming, grab yourself a Phoenix Prize Pack and check out the update to the Azure Nebula. Later, Dr. Robert Hurt reports on black holes with this week’s Astrometrics Report. This week’s Community Questions are: CQ: If you were writing for Worf’s return in a show like Star Trek: Picard, how would you set it up? CQ: What items from the Phoenix Prize pack do you think players should try to get their hands on? CQ: What are the key pieces of advice you would give to first-time players of Star Trek Online? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Edited by Thomas Reynolds Michael Dorn Breaks Twitter By Elio Lleo On Monday, April 19th, Michael Dorn broke Twitter. Well, metaphorically broke the corner of Twitter that most Trekkies hang out in. You see, his tweet read "Just got the news, being summoned back into action. Starfleet calls. #ad". https://twitter.com/akaWorf/status/1384232487656640522 At the time of this writing, the post has been retweeted almost 3,000 times and liked nearly 40,000 times. Everyone assumed that this was an “unofficial” announcement that he would be reprising this role as Worf in an upcoming Star Trek film or television production. Even our own team at Priority One mistakenly believed this was another “slip-up” from one of the actors: an announcement that he had been cast to return. Dishonor On You And Your Podcast We’re not journalists, nor have we ever announced ourselves as such. For 500 episodes, we’ve curated the big headlines from industry sources and do our best to offer our thoughts and reviews on the subject. So, it was definitely our mistake to have retweeted it as if we had official confirmation of his return to the small or big screen [so stop emailing us about it-Ed.]. But the fine folks at TrekMovie and io9–with their constantly reliable sources--did their due diligence. Michael Dorn’s tweet “...whatever this is, it isn’t related to a Paramount+ Star Trek project.” So that’s that. Worf is not returning–at least not on any Star Trek Paramount+ or film project. Some of us are taking it harder than others. Image: ViacomCBS, via Memory Alpha. But let’s say he did. What would that look like? If you’ve read the IDW Countdown series that set up the Kelvin Fork, you know that Worf was impaled by Nero. If you’ve played Star Trek Online, you know he’s an ambassador. And most recently, if you’ve read Una McCormack’s pre-Picard Prime Universe novel, you know he’s the captain of the Enterprise. That leads us to our first community question this week:   CQ: If you were writing for Worf’s return in a show like Star Trek: Picard, how would you set it up? Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com, or by replying to our community question post on our social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! He Who Controls The Multiverse Controls the Streams! By Elio Lleo Last week, we recapped Akiva Goldsman's interview with The Hollywood Reporter, about what viewers can expect from Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds. This week, Variety spoke with Alex Kurtzman (and several other executives) exploring how big intellectual properties are influencing the streaming and film industries. Image: Giacomo Gambineri, for Variety. When exploring how the production and distribution of media has shifted–especially during the COVID19 pandemic when theatres were shut down–Kurtzman explains that “I think vertical alignment has made it so that it’s impossible not to accept the reality that the line between movies and television is gone. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a feature that is separate from television. But if they aren’t connected in some way, then you’re basically running two universes parallel as opposed to interconnected, and I think that those messages could potentially cancel each other out.” Interestingly, in the wake of the merger the Star Trek team of showrunners are (apparently) meeting monthly. Kurtzman told Variety, “We make sure that those showrunners are coordinating so that they’re not stepping on each other’s toes." So Star Trek: Discovery aired back in 2017, and Picard in January of 2020. Is it possible we’ll see more cohesive storytelling and development from collaboration going forward? A Closer Look At Discovery Season 3 Visual Effects By Cat Hough Pixomondo, the Emmy-nominated visual effects house for Star Trek: Discovery,. released a highlight reel of the visual effects seen in Season 3. We hear VFX supervisor Phil Jones explaining some of the complexities involved in designing 32nd century ships. One challenge in particular was Book's chameleon ship, which had to be re-configured to fit in the Discovery's shuttle bay–not to mention constantly changing shape when flying.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmXn5PFaQug The team also designed most of the planet and ground locations by starting with live-action footage and layering in additional effects. For example, the ice planet was based from footage shot in Iceland. As discussed in previous episodes, Pixomondo also confirmed that Season 4 is being shot on a virtual production stage, Mandalorian-style.  In Memoriam: Felix Silla, Cousin Itt On The Addams Family, 84 By Rosco McQueen The actor Felix Silla, who played Addams Family member Cousin Itt, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Silla was a trained circus performer who came to the United States from Italy in 1955. He toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Show, which ultimately led him to roles in Hollywood as a stuntman.  Felix Silla, 1937-2021. Image: Dave Starbuck/Geisler-Fotopress via Variety. Silla’s links to Star Trek go back to the very beginning–he was a Talosian in the original pilot “The Cage”–but his list of credits is extensive. Along the way, he worked with the likes of Michael Dorn in 1977’s Demon Seed, Michael Ansara in 1978’s The Manitou, and in the 1979 film The Brood by David Cronenberg. In Memoriam: Robert Fletcher, Star Trek Costume Designer, 98 By Rosco McQueen Also Robert Fletcher, 'Star Trek' Costume Designer, has died this week aged 98. Fletcher was the designer behind the feature films’ Klingon and Vulcan looks, which have since become iconic to the franchise. He was also the designer of the full set of rank pins used in Wrath of Khan and beyond. Robert Fletcher, 1922-2021. Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images via The Hollywood Reporter. Robert Fletcher received three Tony Award nominations for his work on Little Me (1963), High Spirits (1964), and Hadrian VII (1969). In 2005 he was awarded the Career Achievement Award from the Costume Designers Guild and in 2008 he received a Theatre Development Fund / Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for his set design work. ASTROMETRICS REPORT By Robert Hurt, PhD. Edited by Thomas Reynolds For this week's Astrometrics Report, we're going to take a journey into darkness: specifically, the vast halo of dark matter astronomers think surrounds our galaxy. Because dark matter is, well, dark, it is notoriously hard to study. It can't be observed directly, and indeed there's no clear idea of what it is. It is only inferred to exist by its substantial gravitational effect on the normal, luminous matter that we can detect. That effect is not subtle–scientists think that dark matter outweighs normal matter by a factor of 5 to 1. That's a lot of dark, but there is a tiny bit of light in this dark matter tunnel that astronomers have just leveraged to get a handle on all that stuff surrounding out galaxy. Two teams of astronomers have come together, in a recent Nature paper, to compare theoretical models of how dark matter may flow around the Milky Way. The challenging observational effort: survey the most difficult stars in the outer reaches of our galaxy, in the region known as its halo. Image: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech/Conroy et. al. Our galaxy has two neighboring galaxies that factor into this study, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. These are a standard fixture in our dark nighttime skies, but only from the Southern Hemisphere. The larger one ("LMC" for short) has about one-quarter the mass of the Milky Way, and is about 160,000 lightyears away. For a sense of scale, the Milky Way itself is only about 100,000 lightyears across. It has long been thought that the LMC and SMC are satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. A recent theoretical study from the University of Arizona, indicates this orbit should create a sort of gravitational wake in the Milky Way's dark matter halo. But how would one ever find the wake if it existed? This is when a group of Harvard astronomers came into the picture. Reasoning that the sparse scattering of stars in the halo would follow the hidden distribution of dark matter, they set out to find the faint population of the most distant stars around the Milky Way. To do this, they combined star catalogues from two complementary missions. The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has mapped out billions of stars in visible light, while NASA's NEOWISE mission has surveyed the entire sky in infrared light. Only by comparing the visible and infrared signatures of billions of stars could they identify about 1300 sitting further out than even the LMC itself. This map of our galaxy's most distant stars showed a striking irregularity–one that aligned incredibly well with the dark matter simulation. It's a classic case of theory leading to a hypothesis that could be tested with data. This is the scientific method in action! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvcFHSJTJHU&feature=emb_imp_woyt Animation: NASA/JPL-Caltech/NSF/R. Hurt/N. Garavito-Camargo & G. Besla. The study also sheds light on the nature of mysterious dark matter itself. In this case, it lends support for a kind of scenario scientists have dubbed "cold dark matter. " Refining the dark matter simulations to better match the observations may also help establish more precise properties of this elusive stuff. Make sure to check the shownotes for a link to the paper, and the cool animation showing the dark matter halo simulation. But as a parting thought, I'd like to take a minute to imagine what it would be like, standing on a world orbiting one of these distant lonely stars in the Milky Way's halo. Chances are you would not be able to see easily the nearest star with the naked eye, as they would just be too far apart. Instead, your night sky would be filled with the spectacle of the entire Milky Way itself. Not unlike that closing moment in the Empire Strikes Back, as the rebel fleet regroups in the far reaches of their own galaxy far, far away. "Star Wars"? Never heard of it. Image: Disney/Lucasfilm STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Edited by Thomas Reynolds Upgrading Phoenix Box Upgrades By Rosco McQueen Captains on PC can claim a free Phoenix Prize pack each day until April 27th. So why not take the time to say hi to Gyrm on Drozana Station, or shoot the breeze with Onna on Deep Space Nine? For those brand new to STO, your account can claim one prize pack per day, or you can spend dilithium for single or 10-box bundles. Open the pack and receive a token with one of five rarity levels. The top two tiers, Ultra Rare and Epic, will allow you to claim a T5 or T6 starship. For a full list of available prizes, trek out the link in our show notes. Image: Cryptic Studios. The most interesting part is the Experimental Upgrade tokens are now available to claim at the Ultra Rare level.  It’s not the first time the token has been a part of the prize pack. However, the blog post announcing the event states “[t]hese tokens will only be available in this pack during this event.” CQ: What items from the Phoenix Prize pack do you think players should try to get their hands on? STO Remasters Tholian TFOs By Cat Hough If you happened to be playing through TFOs over the weekend, you may have noticed the Azure Nebula and Vault Ensnared have been remastered. Updates include different optional requirements, updated timers and more noticeable indicators. The remastering wasn’t mentioned in patch notes, but announced via tweet instead. Be Advised: First-Time Players In Star Trek Online By Rosco McQueen The independent MMO website Massively OP asked a straightforward question this week. What key advice would you give to first-timers in your MMO? Star Trek Online has just been through the Klingon Recruitment event, and rolled into a revamped Delta Recruit event.  What does this mean for new players?  It’s the perfect time to start a new character and take them on a new adventure, with all-new bonuses available! So if you’re brand new to the game, first of all, welcome!  We thought we would share a couple of pieces of advice that will hopefully set up your captain for success. Image: Cryptic Studios via SFC3/STOwiki. Choose a weapon type at the start–phasers, disruptors, etc.–and a style like beams or cannons. Stick with them. You can never go wrong with a hot, sour little pick-me-up in a stemmed glass, with a drop of honey. STOWiki is your best source of information for missions, equipment, build, and anything else in the game. An MMO-style mouse with side-mounted 10-key pad will make the game far easier to play. Also, consider setting up macros to automate your power usage. Don’t rush! Enjoy the game and get through the story missions. You don’t have to be in a hurry to get to endgame. Join a fleet! We happen to know a few. CQ: What are the key pieces of advice you would give to first-time players of Star Trek Online?

This week on Episode 504 of Priority One: We #TrekOut what Akiva Goldsman has to say about developing #StarTrek #Picard and Strange New Worlds, a sci-Fi documentary that will give you all the feels, and chairs (because, you know, lumbar support is important in the Multiverse). In gaming, Star Trek Online teases a new ship in their Infinity Lock Box, Modiphius has updates, and Scopley has patch notes for Star Trek Fleet Command. This week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Where is your new Star Trek chair going? At your desk for commanding starships and taking down intergalactic baddies? Or in your living room facing your big screen TV where you can order the rest of your family around like the magnificent crew they are? CQ: Are you a Star Trek Adventures player? If so, what new product excites you the most? If not, does any of these announcements pique your interest in the game? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Akiva Goldsman on Star Trek: Picard & Strange New Worlds By Elio Lleo Well, it’s been a little over a week since First Contact Day and the virtual event held by Paramount+ that offered up so many tantalizing teases about the future of Star Trek. Fortunately, James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter had an opportunity to follow-up on some of those announcements with an interview featuring writer-producer Akiva Goldsman, co-showrunner on both Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds. Up first–how does Strange New Worlds compare to NuTrek, like Star Trek: Discovery and Picard? According to Goldsman, “Strange New Worlds is very much adventure-of-the-week but with serialized character arcs.” But what about the visual style? Well, with respect to visual changes from what we saw on Discovery, Goldsman explained that they want “Strange New Worlds to be a different show. It's not Discovery. There are a few more reach-backs (to The Original Series) and the uniforms have been adjusted slightly, the sets are slightly different.” Image: Russ Martin/CBS, via The Hollywood Reporter. As the interview progresses, Goldsman might have accidentally let his feelings slip when discussing lessons learned after completing Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard saying, “Figure out the end earlier. If you're going to do a serialized show, you have the whole story before you start shooting. It's more like a movie in that way — you better know the end of your third act before you start filming your first scene.” The interview goes on to discuss how Q might impact Picard (but those answers are vague) and his involvement with a Dark Tower series, and a Firestarter movie. But, this was an excellent interview that we encourage you all to read… so #TrekItOut! The Definitive 80s Sci-Fi Documentary By Rosco McQueen The 1980’s were a powerhouse decade for science fiction films. And that’s judging it on sheer volume alone. In terms of Star Trek, we went from Wrath of Khan to the Final Frontier over the course of the decade. In between were myriad franchises, one-off films, and galactic adventures that captured imaginations of the young and old.   The team behind In Search of Tomorrow: The Definitive 80s Sci-fi Documentary aims to distill all of the mythos of 80’s sci-fi into a four hour film. The project began production in 2019, and then launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2020, becoming one of the most successful Kickstarter documentary campaigns of all time. Image: CREATORVC, via BloodyDisgusting. The project has over 75 names included in the story, most recently adding director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters I & II), producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens), and actor Peter Weller. The news this week is the team is launching another crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to expand production efforts, add more interviews, and allow fans the opportunity to pre-order the film. Taking A Seat From The Ready Room Table By Rosco McQueen Is the style of your table setting missing a final frontier flavour? Are your virtual ward room meetings missing that one essential piece of furniture to really Trek it up? Thanks to the collective efforts of Star Trek fans and artists, now you can finally track down that Trek chair you’ve always wanted. Yes, even Worf’s uncomfortable bubble chair. Image: CBS/Ex Astris Scientia, via Fast Company. In an article on design website fastcompany.com, 3D artist Tadeo D’Oria from Buenos Aires explains how he went from creating purpose-built 3D models of Star Trek sets for role-playing games, to collating a database of props and sets across Trek movies and series.   “Other fans had already identified several of the chairs used through the series (mostly the original ’60s show) and even created replicas.  However because of my job doing essentially 3D reproductions of these chairs, having information about them was invaluable to me in order to work faster.” D’Oria has since worked on the TNG virtual set tour video game, Stage 9, which was eventually shut down by CBS. But not wanting to let the database go to waste, he collaborated with Bernd Schneider, who runs the site Ex Astris Scientia, to host the future furniture suite. CQ: Where is your new Star Trek chair going? At your desk for commanding starships and taking down intergalactic baddies? Or in your living room facing your big screen TV where you can order the rest of your family around like the magnificent crew they are? I’ll Take “Favorite Starship Engineers” for 1,000 By Cat Hough The search for the regular host on Jeopardy is still going through its interviewing process, currently featuring a slew of guest hosts, including Aaron Rodgers and Ken Jennings. But the field of candidates may have just gotten smaller, because now there’s a petition making the rounds on Twitter in support of Levar Burton getting the job. Earlier this week, the social media hype train started rolling with a tweet from Stephen Colbert showing his support for Burton and Star Trek in general. That was then followed by Dick Van Dyke tweeting his support and sharing the link to the petition. As of this recording, a little more than 231,000 people have signed the petition to have Burton be the next Jeopardy host.  Now here are a few headlines that we didn’t discuss but might interest you. First up, The Hollywood Reporter published an article on April 9th reviewing new dates for films planned by Paramount. According to the report, an untitled Star Trek feature film is slated to be released on June 9, 2023. No details about the film have yet to be announced… other than they have it on the calendar. CBS and the Television Academy Partner to launch a “Star Trek Command Training” program. What does that mean? Well, graduate and undergraduate college students nationwide can apply to be a part of an 8-week, paid internship immersing you in the production process of the Star Trek Universe. Direct from StarTrek.com, “Selected interns will be actively engaged in writers' rooms, wardrobe design, on-set production, animation and post-production on Los Angeles-based programs and will earn up to $4800.” Submissions for the Fall Session end April 28th at 5pm. While we covered an interview with Akiva Goldsman a few moments ago, John de Lancie also caught up with Variety to talk about returning to the role of Q in Star Trek: Picard. Although he couldn’t divulge any specifics about his role in Picard’s life, the interview does explore de Lancie’s life and times as Q in the Star Trek Universe. Perhaps most fascinating is how focused he is as an actor. If you missed Saturday Night Live’s April 10th show, you might have missed another Star Trek parody! In this latest Trek-themed sketch, Paramount+ is home to the new prequel series, Starcharter Andromeda–where a few fresh grads are abound with entitlement! Featuring Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan, it’s a work-place parody. Remember captains, to learn more about these headlines, be sure to review the show notes for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Jovian Raider added to Infinity Lock Boxes By Rosco McQueen The Discovery season three additions to Star Trek Online keep coming, with a new ship being added to the game’s Infinity lock box. Starting April 15, captains will have a chance when opening an Infinity lock box to score a T6 Jovian Intel Heavy Raider. “Also referred to as a “Titan Raider” when it showed up in Season 3 of Star Trek Discovery, this ship was one of several led by the infamous and mysterious leader known as Wen, as it harassed the United Earth Defense Forces in a tense standoff.” Image: Cryptic Studios. The Raider will sport a five fore, one aft, weapon configuration, with five Tactical, three Engineering, and three  Science consoles. The Bridge officer loadout looks adaptable to your build, with 1x Commander Tactical / Intelligence, 1x Ensign Universal, 1x Lieutenant Universal / Miracle Worker, and 2x Lieutenant Commander Universal stations. The ship also comes with a universal console ‘Harvester Mode” and an experimental weapon, the Threat Deterrent Charge Launcher. The weapon will trail enemy-seeking projectiles from your ship, which then deal electrical damage with an accuracy debuff. Star Trek Fleet Command Releases Patch 29 By Cat Hough Star Trek Fleet Command recently released its latest major update, Patch 29, which dropped a new story arc with 15 new missions. Plus, you can upgrade your fleet with a Second Research Queue, and get the all-new Franklin-A ship and choose from some other ship refits, and this patch also introduces Jaylah as a new epic officer. There were some significant game improvements and bug fixes implemented as well. Image: Scopely. Improvements include:  Letting the Change Resource Token Conversion sliders to max out at the amount needed for the current building. Updates to UTC Time on the player profile. Providing smooth camera transitions when selecting different items in the refit management window instead of a hard cut. Viewing ship cosmetics in AR. Bug fixes Various localization issues have been fixed Fixed an issue with a visual glitch when relocating in New Calgary Fixed an issue with the HUD disappearing when returning from the player profile to the full scan screen for a station that relocated to another system Fixed an issue within the “Skarrl” system, the sun has a disc that is vertical rather than horizontal. Fixed the USS Franklin Impulse Speed research buff to reflect for all the docked ships. Adventures In Project Management By Elio Lleo Adding to the First Contact Day celebrations, Modiphius Entertainment published a Project Manager video update highlighting the current state of the Star Trek tabletop adventure, plus upcoming expansions and items that will be available this year. For starters, the Shackleton Expanse Campaign is slated to release this summer with compatibility to play either as a Klingon or Federation character. They’re also planning to release a “TOS Tricorder Set” sometime during the third quarter of 2021. Included in the tricorder-shaped package is a pocket-sized rulebook, a 3-part campaign book, custom dice, and character sheets!  Jim Johnson, the Project Manager, goes on to answer some community questions–so, if you’re a fan of these table-top adventures and want to learn more, be sure to watch the entire video. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oq2s1lL49ZM CQ: Are you a Star Trek Adventures player? If so, what new product excites you the most? If not, does any of these announcements pique your interest in the game?

This week on Episode 503 of Priority One: We Trek Out some of the big announcements from First Contact Day, with teasers for new seasons of Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks, while Prodigy asks, “Please state the nature of the coffee emergency,” Oberth April Fools perhaps in Star Trek Online, a new study into the nature of lootboxes, and a quick look at Star Trek: Legends! This week’s Community Questions are: CQ: With all the new Star Trek updates, what was the biggest surprise for you? Was there anything you were hoping they were going to announce? CQ: Would a T6 Oberth be the greatest starship in the game, or the GREATEST starship in the game? What would be a fitting trait for such a fine ship? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Star Trek: Discovery Reveals First Look at Season Four! By Rosko McQueen “We’re all living in uncertainty”. They are the first words from Discovery’s Captain Michael Burnham in the teaser trailer for season four.  And as is often the case with the series, it looks at the world now and works to provide a reflection back to us through a sci-fi mirror.   The first noticeable difference is the uniforms have a new splash of colour. The grey Starfleet uniforms of the 32nd century have been upgraded.  We now have tops of command red, science blue and engineering gold along with medical white, offset with a black vertical stripe. So now there is no mistaking which department is which.   Image: StarTrek.com In the trailer we hear about, potentially, this season’s universe-threatening problem: a gravitational anomaly five light-years across. Where is it? We don’t know.  Where could it turn up? Not a clue. Who can save us all? We’ll find out later this year, as season four is set to premiere in 2021.    Star Trek: Picard Returns for Season 2 in 2022 By Elio Lleo While Discovery focuses on the large-scale event to tie the story together, season two of Star Trek: Picard, coming in 2022, is all the more personal.   The camera moves slowly towards Château Picard, and we then transition inside the home of the retired Admiral, weaving our way through his study.  On a table in the centre of the room is a Bajoran tablet, cracked and broken, possibly from the lost city of B’Hala.  A painting of the Enterprise-D overhangs the mantle where a bronze sculpture of a farmer and horse-drawn plough rests in the centre.   Picard’s chair sits behind a desk, draped in a Mintakan tapestry. On the desk we see a model of the USS Stargazer, a teacup and saucer–decaf perhaps?–and a small Kurlan naiskos perched on the edge of the table.   We pass over a combadge, a Dixon Hill novel and a copy of Paradise Lost. When Picard’s voiceover talks of “what we wish we had done in a crisis,” the shot sits squarely on the hull of the Stargazer.  We then cut to a gaming table upon which sits a deck of cards and a solitary queen of hearts.  The card dissolves before our eyes until all that is left is one corner, and the letter that tells us so much–Q. Q-ed Up For The Big Reveal Patrick Stewart spoke with Wil Wheaton about the second season of Picard, teasing the different “times” that we will see that have never been seen onscreen before. John de Lancie then beams in from his boat, expressing his delight at the opportunity to return to the role and his amazing ability to age himself up for the part.   Sir Patrick also hints at the critical moment Q returns and teases the trauma surrounding it. While De Lancie remarks on the apparent ease he can slip back into character, describing Q as annoying and self-involved. Lower Decks Season 2 Teaser By Rosko McQueen Paramount+ also announced season two of Star Trek: Lower Decks will premiere later this year, and like any episode of Lower Decks, there's a lot of detail in a short amount of time. Image: StarTrek.com We see the Cerritos, with Mariner, Tendi and Rutherford hanging out. We cut to a Miranda class starship, the USS Macduff, activating evasive maneuvers.  Then out of nowhere, a mugato! Mariner shows off her sweet anbo-jyutsu moves, red suit and all.  Commander Ransom seems to have god-like powers, then–cut to a Pakled phaser party. A group of Cardassians get their butts kicked by Mariner wearing 80’s workout gear–THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!! All hell breaks loose when snakes grow arms and attack Tendi, then we relax with the Lower Deckers in the comfort of the brig. But where is Boimler, you ask? He’s staring into the void and screaming for all to hear. Captain Riker throws out some more jazz references, but sadly Boimler didn’t get the joke as the Titan moves into some sort of wormhole or spatial distortion while under fire from multiple craft.     Season two of Lower Decks will premiere on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Star Trek: Prodigy: More Info! By Cat Hough And finally, we received a brief synopsis about the other animated series coming out, Star Trek: Prodigy. Co-creator Dan Hageman confirmed the series is set in the Delta Quadrant in the year 2383. It features a group of young aliens who find a lost Starfleet vessel that happens to be equipped with an EJH–Emergency Janeway Hologram. This training hologram was designed to assist a crew that may have strayed too far off course and is probably programmed to locate coffee in any nearby nebulae.  Image: TrekMovie.com The animation for the Janeway hologram was also revealed during First Contact Day, with Kate Mulgrew noting that the Hageman brothers insisted on “...making the character so beautiful.” CQ: With all the new Star Trek updates, what was the biggest surprise for you? Was there anything you were hoping they were going to announce? STAR TREK GAMING NEWS April Fools...But Maybe Not? By Cat Hough It was a quiet Friday morning at Ambassador Kael’s house. Coffee had been achieved. The toast was buttered. Star Trek Online’s dutiful Community Manager opened up his Twitter feed and spit coffee all over his keyboard. At least, if his post from April 2nd is any indication that’s what happened. “Morning folks! Did anything interesting happen while I was WHAT THE F…” https://twitter.com/AmbassadorKael/status/1378010255716622336?s=20 What was all the fuss? Well, it was an 11:59pm April Fool’s Day post to the official STO Twitter account. If it’s not just an April Fool’s prank, then it might spell doom for Kael’s jokingly vocal anti-T6 Oberth crusade. The post in question sported two images of what can only be a 2411 treatment of the Oberth-class. The images were captioned “Kael’s asleep! Post it post it POST IT!“ https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1377878220712914945?s=20 Yes, it was still April Fools. But, consider… someone clearly spent the time to model this 2411 Oberth to what looks like at least late-stage Work-In-Progress. It’s worth remembering that on a recent live stream of his work, Thomas Marrone pointed out that they sometimes have the ship art done well before the systems designers have the ship built. So, perhaps that’s the case here. But in any case, it’s hope for those Oberth fans among you, Captains. CQ: Would a T6 Oberth be the greatest starship in the game or the GREATEST starship in the game? What would be a fitting trait for such a fine ship? Delta Recruitment Returns! By Cat Hough Announced earlier today, and starting April 15th on PC and May 13th on Xbox and PS4, you can create a new Delta Recruit character. However, this Delta Recruit event has been slightly modified. You’ll still earn extra rewards, and gain special account unlocks, but the devs have removed some out-of-date missions and added new goals with new rewards.  For example, reputation mark reward boxes have been updated so that you can claim all of the reputation mark options, not just the ones that were around during the first launch of Delta Recruitment. And, there’s now a reward for reaching level 60, which gives you even more marks, Reputation dilithium, as well as salvage. Plus, there’s new rewards for completing your faction’s Admiralty campaign, which features a very special Admiralty card: the U.S.S. Voyager! Existing Delta Recruits will be able to complete these new goals as well, and if you’ve already finished them, you can claim the rewards immediately. Remember, to become a Delta Recruit and gain access to the rewards, you need to make a new 2409 Starfleet character, a Klingon Defense Force character, or a Romulan Republic character during the event, then you have to complete the tutorial and receive the special Delta Recruit tesseract transceiver device. Once you receive the device, your character is a Delta Recruit and you can complete the goals any time and claim the rewards, even after the event ends. Image: Cryptic Studios. Gambling and the Future of Loot Boxes Written by Elio Lleo Lock Boxes. A recurring topic of conversation on this show since their introduction into Star Trek Online those many moons–in 2012. Nowadays, they’re so ingrained into gaming ecosystems–not just STO–that most people have accepted their permanence. But does that mean we shouldn’t continue to look at the relationship between STO’s Lock Boxes–and every other video game’s respective lootbox–and gambling?  No, because as the mechanic continues to become part of the mainstream, it’s important to understand the impact it can have. Even if we have been told it’s not gambling because you get a “reward in every box.” Image: Cryptic Studios. In an April 2nd article on Ars Technica, writer Sam Machkovech spotlights new research from four British Universities, commissioned by the gambling-protection advocacy group BeGambleAware. What does the research suggest? “[T]he authors determine that loot box purchasing has a statistically significant tie to problem gambling behaviors.” So… how can we mitigate the problem? The suggestion is to go cold turkey. “The report leans toward starting with outright bans of paid loot boxes in software—as in, the easily defined practice of ‘any game-related purchase with a chance-based outcome’—or at least requiring more fully transparent ‘odds’ statements about the likelihood of specific in-game items in those loot boxes.” Image: BeGambleAware, University of Plymouth, and University of Wolverhampton, via Ars Technica. The report itself says particular circles of gamers are more susceptible to the lure of loot boxes, stating there are groups which are particularly at risk. ”Those particularly affected include males and younger gamers, with our survey screen of over 14k gamers also suggesting that those with lower educational attainment and lower levels of employment may be disproportionately affected. These factors, however, are unlikely to be limited to loot boxes.” Fleet Command Charts Its Next Course By Thomas Reynolds It’s bedtime for those old scientists in Fleet Command, but Scopely’s already sharing where the rest of 2021 will go. Players have a number of developments to look forward to, including an entirely new Officer Away Teams system. Send your unused characters out on errands–sorry, special assignments, and receive goods should they succeed in their tasks. And if they can’t handle even that, well, you can always send them to Starbase 80. https://startrekfleetcommand.scopely.com/2021/03/30/roadmap-update-march-2021/ Cetacean Citation in Timelines By Thomas Reynolds George and Gracie are now crew members in Timelines. If this sounds like an April Fool’s prank, I assure you, it isn’t. George and Gracie are now crew members. Complete the three temporary achievement tiers before April 15th, and you can finally staff your ship’s Cetacean Ops facility. Assuming you have the transparent aluminum on hand, of course. Image: Disruptor Beam. It’s Time to Re-enter the Nexus with Star Trek: Legends By Rosko McQueen Load up your favourite Personal Access Display Device and get set to enter the Nexus. Star Trek: Legends has launched on Apple Arcade this week and we’ve had a brief look at the turn-based game. You are the captain of the U.S.S. Artemis, a ship designed to enter the Nexus and draw on the unique properties of the ethereal energy ribbon. Over the course of the game you build a crew of Trek favourites from across timelines and universes to take on missions, collect resources, and power up your characters.   The developers explain in a blog post on StarTrek.com their decision to base the premise of the game around the Nexus, as opposed to other ways of putting characters in a blender like the holodeck, or using Q or the Talosians. Instead they take the largely unexplored idea of the Nexus and expand upon it, incorporating the idea that it was made by design. In a familiar Ready Player One-type premise, each character has their own utopian reality sphere, which is also infinite. So, there’s lots of room to grow.   But How Does It Play? Image: StarTrek.com The gameplay is straightforward, tap the bad guy to target them. You can use Worf’s battle cry to lower morale (it’s super effective!), and there are your typical character class types; engineering, medical, security, etc.  I’ve only played a few early missions as it guides you through how to assemble your team, battle the bad guys and power up your crew using latinum, protomatter and bio-mimetic gels as some of the in-game currency.  But it’s also a brand new game on the platform, and it shows. I had to force quit a couple of times after the game froze at the same point.  The artwork and the attention to detail is excellent. The Cardassians look menacing and there are a few costume callbacks to Voyager and Deep Space Nine standalone episodes. So far so good, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the game grows over time.  

This week on Episode 502 of Priority One: We Trek Out what ViacomCBS has planned for First Contact Day on April 5th, how the Voyager Documentary is off to a great start, and what some cities are doing to honor Leonard Nimoy. In gaming, Star Trek Online has a bunch of ships it wants you to buy while some devs showcase their works-in-progress on Twitter. Plus, learn to play tongo! This week's Community Questions are: CQ: Which panel did you enjoy most during Star Trek’s First Contact Day Celebrations? Other than the event, how will you be celebrating the day? CQ: Did you back the Voyager Documentary? What perks are you excited to get? Do you plan on attending any of the premieres? CQ: Does the Legendary KDF Captain Bundle include enough goodies and perks for you to pick it up? What other Legendary Bundles do you hope Cryptic releases in the future? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT First Contact Day 2021 April 5th, 2063. Built from the remains of old nuclear missiles, Zephram Cochrane boards his faster-than-light ship named the Phoenix and ushers in a new era of space exploration for all human-kind. But of course, this is nothing more than a fictional date set in our Star Trek multiverse. That’s ok, though: there’s no reason why we still shouldn’t celebrate it, and celebrate it we shall! Image: StarTrek.com StarTrek.com has announced that on Monday, April 5th, Paramount+ will host a virtual celebration honoring and commemorating the date with exclusive panels with cast and creatives, announcements, episode marathons, and the return of the #StarTrekUnitedGives initiative. Panels featuring guest appearances by several notable and fan-favorite Star Trek personalities will start at 12pm Pacific Time. So mark your calendars because this is NOT an event you’re going to want to miss. Links to the announcement and the list of events planned for the day can be found at startrek.com/firstcontact. Funding Goes To The Journey The Star Trek: Voyager documentary on Indiegogo has become the most funded documentary crowdfunding campaign of all time, slipstreaming past the $1.1 million mark this week. And the 455 Films documentary on March 24 announced the name of the feature, To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager. On their campaign page, the production team confirmed the Delta Quadrant documentary has reached all of its stretch goals, including remastering all Star Trek: Voyager footage in high definition and "an exclusive, never-before-seen Voyager surprise." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7_9G4wxfc&feature=youtu.be 455 Films is the production team behind other recent Star Trek-related documentaries, including What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek Deep Space Nine, For the Love of Spock, and Chaos on the Bridge, a look at the first few seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Boston Celebrates Nimoy Commemorating what would have been his 90th birthday, the city of Boston has heralded March 26 as Leonard Nimoy Day. It was also announced that a 20-foot “Live Long and Prosper” statue in the shape of the Vulcan salute has been commissioned and will be placed at Boston’s Museum of Science.  Image: Boston Museum of Science via Nerdist. Accolades for Culpepper And lastly: before we wrap up the general headlines from the Star Trek multiverse, we want to take a moment to congratulate Hanelle Culpepper for winning the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for her work on Star Trek: Picard! https://twitter.com/CBSTVStudios/status/1374551453025533952 STAR TREK GAMING NEWS by Thomas Reynolds Warriors of Legend(ary Zen Cost) Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the final frontier: Klingons! Yes, the Year of Klingon is supposedly over, but like sketchy all-you-can-eat gagh, they just keep coming back up. Now the KDF’s getting the same Legendary Captain Bundle treatment the Romulans and Discovery Feds have enjoyed, boosts and all. Most of it looks the same, down to the 12,000 Zen price tag and temporary 50% discount. However buried in the contents list is the never-before-released Stasis Field Projector.  This Universal Console can "severely debilitate up to 3 nearby targets with the press of just one button!" Image: Cryptic Studios. The Legendary D7 Until now getting a Tier 6 D7 required either RNGesus’s blessings, or ten figures on the Exchange. Worry no more, warriors: for only 6,000-to-12,000 Zen, the KDF Captain Bundle also includes the Legendary D7 Battlecruiser! It includes the Ominous Device and Magnetometric Generator; if you’ve been waiting for this ship, you probably already have them. Image: Cryptic Studios. What is new is the “Shall We Not Revenge” Legendary Ship Trait. When this trait is slotted, "activating any Hull Healing Bridge Officer Ability or Intelligence Bridge Officer Ability will cause you to begin reflecting incoming damage from Energy Weapons back at your attackers as Disruptor Damage. While this reflect mode is active, additional activations of this trait will increase the percentage of reflected damage, instead of extending its duration." Finally, the Legendary D7 includes the “Gorkon’s Qo’noS One” skin seen in The Undiscovered Country (pink blood splatter sold separately). Image: ViacomCBS via Wikipedia. #tweetwatch: the Andromeda Stans and Inner Change A complete, from-the-stem-bolts-on-up rework of the Andromeda-class Exploration Cruiser is coming to STO sometime soon. Our source? Thomas Marrone, Lead STO Ship/UI Artist and friend-of-the-show himself. Go to his Twitter page @thomasthecat and find in-progress screenshots and his next Twitch stream for the new model. https://twitter.com/thomasthecat/status/1374171775135715328?s=20 Speaking of reworks and twitter posts, Star Trek Online’s Environment Artist Nick Duguid is also working on some new hotness! It looks like they’re updating some Federation interiors to reflect the 2410’s and Nick shared a few “works in progress” of Federation hallways taking advantage of that amazing lighting 2.0 they introduced a few years ago.  https://twitter.com/Tumerboy/status/1374889954396971009?s=19 Tongo Where No One Has To-gone Before The Ferengi game of tongo isn’t unique to STO, having been around ever since Bashir had a change of heart. However, the poker/craps/mahjong lovechild is a central framing device for one of the game’s best missions. Therefore it’s worth Trekking out Certifiably Ingame’s 8-minute YouTube clip, explaining how to play the bafflingly capitalistic game. Or a best guess of it, since even DS9’s hoo-mon writers didn’t know what was happening at that table.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIzy5JfoEM

This week on Episode 501 of Priority One: upcoming documentaries, new writers take on Star Trek, and Nicholas Mayer is still pitching Trek ideas. Meanwhile in gaming, Star Trek Online is gearing up to celebrate First Contact Day! Reach out to us on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT By Jake Morgan Strange New Worlds Is Officially In Production Last week, Friday March 12th, big Strange New Worlds news dropped. In a post on StarTrek.com, the casting of five new series regulars was announced. Does anyone else think this is interesting? Five, five-hundredth. No? Just us? Okay. The StarTrek.com article featured a video with the five new faces–Babs Olusanmokun, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush, and Melissa Navia–along with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck. The video not only introduced the fresh new additions, it also officially announced the start of production on the highly anticipated Strange New Worlds. Image: ViacomCBS, via StarTrek.com Co-showrunner and Executive Producer Akiva Goldsman said in the article ”In a career, there is never enough work that is pure joy. I feel that my friend Alex Kurtzman along with David Stapf at CBS Studios and Julie McNamara at Paramount+ have given me just that by letting me haunt the stock rooms of my favorite candy store and I am grateful.  With a hell of a cast and undying love for The Original Series, we boldly go.” For more about the newest Star Trek regulars, or to watch the video referenced here-in, be sure to trek out the show notes! “The Center Seat” Announced Star Trek fans love a good documentary about, well, Star Trek. So if you’re one of those Star-Trekumentarians, then our good news keeps getting better! The folks that delivered the popular Down to Earth with Zac Efron and The Toys That Made Us have announced their newest eight-episode mini-series set to air on The History Channel, The Center Seat: 55 Years Of Star Trek. And it’s about...Star Trek! Image: The Nacelle Company, via Deadline. The project was created and directed by The Nacelle Company’s founder and CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, who said of the series ”Star Trek, from before I was 10 years old, gave me the closest thing I have to a code to follow in my life. If it wasn’t for the words ‘I don’t believe in the no-win scenario,’ I’d be very alone, broke, and miserable in this world. So to say this is a passion project would be a tremendous understatement.” According to Deadline, the project is described as the ”ultimate deep dive into the world of Star Trek. Timed to coincide with the iconic sci-fi franchise’s 55th anniversary this year, it will offer Trekkies a behind-the-scenes look at pivotal moments in the franchise’s history — from its inception at Lucille Ball’s production company Desilu through recent film and television adaptations.” No official release date has been announced, but keep scanning Priority One for updates! Star Trek Gets A(nother) Movie Scribe We love talking Star Trek movies. We love talking about possible casts, directors, writers. We love talking, over and over, about possible plots and would-be cameos. Love. It.  Okay, if that sounded a bit...let’s say, facetious...it's because it was. On Thursday, March 4th, Deadline reported that a path has been re-chosen, and another writer is set to take the helm: Discovery scribe Kalinda Vazquez. Vazquez has served as co-executive producer on Fear the Walking Dead and, recently, teamed with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin to tackle an adaption of Roger Zelazny sci-fi novel Roadmarks. It is believed that this newest iteration will be independent of Trekantino and Noah Hawley’s now-defunct pandeme-Trek. But beyond that, little is known about the project.  Keep your ear on Priority One, we are sure to cover all the big movie news… Nick Meyer’s Movie Pitch We love talking Trek movies...whoa. Déjà vu. But this Star Trek movie news–or maybe it’s better to call it a talking point–is pretty exciting. On March 10th, friends of the Roddenberry Network Trekmovie.com reported that Star Trek legend Nicholas Meyer has pitched his own idea for Star Trek’s next silver screen showing. According to the story, Meyer told Trekmovie ”My partner Steven-Charles Jaffe and I wrote a whole treatment and plan for a Star Trek feature film. We didn’t write a whole script. We wrote a very detailed treatment and a whole pitch doc with illustrations. It’s a very comprehensive thing. And we first took it to Alex Kurtzman, then we took it to J.J. [Abrams], and then we took it to Emma Watts at Paramount.” Image: Paramount, via TrekMovie.com Meyer clarified that the story was not a rehash of the Ceti Alpha story, but something entirely different before saying ”It was a detailed proposal for what could have been a film, or it could have been a series, or it could have been a film leading to a series or a series leading to a film… It could be a series of films. Yeah, absolutely.” Meyer continued, ”This was an independent piece of the Star Trek universe based on holes in the chronology, which would allow for the insertion of original material.” The Wrath of Kahn Loses Face Our colleagues at the Treksperts podcast recently hosted Edward Eddie Egan, who served as Wrath of Khan's unit publicist. He shared an interesting tidbit about the production, explaining that the ground scene on Ceti Alpha V with Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) walking towards the "life sign." Those were actually stunt doubles–but the casting person was unaware that Paul Winfield was an African American actor, and didn't hire an African American stunt double to fill that position. By the time they got to rolling, according to Egan "they made a judgement to make the stunt double up as an African American." It was a conscious choice to move forward, until somebody informed the union during the shoot, and they found a proper African American actor to play the role. That's...insanity. https://heavy.com/entertainment/star-trek/how-blackface-stoped-wrath-of-khan-filming/ Colm Meaney's Chief Concern We love talking Trek movies… hang on, are we in a time loop?  We also love hearing from Trek actors and the inevitable question: now that we have new series like Picard and Lower Decks - would you consider a return to your role? Now who could be the most important character to consider returning? Thanks to Lower Decks, we know it must be…Miles Edward O’Brien. Image: ViacomCBS, via StarTrek.com In an interview with Collider, Colm Meaney spoke about his new Ireland-set crime story Pixie, but was also asked if he would consider a return for the Chief. Meaney responded saying  “I’ve always felt that seven years in a space suit was long enough. I don’t know. As you get older you kind of get a bit nostalgic about some of the stuff you’ve done in the past. It might be nice to go back and have a look at it again.  Generally speaking over the years I would have been reluctant to go back to O’Brien, I have to say.  But, you know, you never say never.” When Meaney was told about Mike McMahon’s reference to Deep Space Nine’s chief of operations being the most important person in Starfleet history, he responded by saying they finally got it right. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS Red Alert at Night, Captain’s Delight By Thomas Reynolds From now through April 1st, Star Trek Online’s having a party and you’re all invited! No, it’s not the First Contact Day event, but you really...wait, haven’t we already done this bit before? Well yes, but Klingons have been getting a lot of attention recently, and STO’s other sometimes-villains are feeling left out. Anyway it’s another Galactic Red Alert Event! Everything’s the same as before down to the SpecPoint, Universal Tech Upgrade, and Experimental Ship Upgrade prizes for completing it. Find the full event description and conditions in our shownotes...but by now, you know what needs to be done. From Hell’s Heart I Queue For Thee Klingon opera: possibly the one art form in the galaxy that makes Wagner seem tolerable. But put the two together and you have one of the most inspired pieces of STO background music to date. For your listening pleasure, “To Hell With Honor” joins the permanent TFO list at Normal, Advanced, and Elite difficulty levels. And if the idea of Wagner puts you off...at least it’s not Aktuh and Maylota. Yeesh. https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1372334931846656000?s=20 You Never Forget Your First (Contact) By Thomas Reynolds Dust off the magic carpet and scan for chronitons: First Contact Day is upon us once more. STO turns its attention back to the Federation on April 1st (no, really), with event festivities running through April 22nd. Everything you loved from yesteryear’s celebration returns, including the model rocket scavenger hunt and the “One Night in Bozeman” TFO. Image: Cryptic Studios. But there’s good news if orbital defense is more your speed, or you just really hate ground maps. “Synth Wave”, the TFO set during Star Trek: Picard’s Attack on Mars, joins the event line-up awarding Daily Progress. Picard also provides this year’s Grand Prize ground weapon: the Martian Mining Laser last seen mass murdering on Utopia Planitia. What an…interesting way to commemorate the day humanity reached for the stars and found a helping hand. Can We Get A Little Magic In Our STO? By Shane Hoover March 23rd marked the launch of Cryptic’s newest open beta game, Magic: Legends. Up to now, we’ve mostly discussed Magic: Legends when STO developers have left STO to join the Magic team. But a bit of interesting discussion on the Magic: Legends Discord channel has us intrigued. Much like STO’s Lockboxes, Magic: Legends has a monetization feature called Booster Packs. The first Booster Pack has been released, and the Grand Prize is a new character class called the Dimir Assassin. In a conversation entirely too familiar to STO veterans, Magic players were bemoaning their luck when opening Booster Packs. Some players declared that they had spent hundreds of dollars without winning the Assassin. Image: Cryptic Studios. Then a Cryptic developer named Cryptic_Misa dropped in with a comment. Misa, listed as a Senior Systems Designer, said "Each time you open a pack and don't get assassin, you you have a higher chance to get it in the next one, until it's 100%." So. Captains. If Cryptic are willing to engineer Magic lootboxes this way, why not STO lootboxes? What would it mean for Lockboxes and Promo boxes if the odds on the Grand Prize ship escalated? Doomsday Dawns for Fleet Command By Shane Hoover They say there’s no devil, but there is. Heading right for Star Trek Fleet Command. I saw it. The third and final part of Fleet Command’s TOS arc is arriving, and it’s bringing the fearsome Doomsday Machine. Players must fight to save the U.S.S. Constellation, and the galaxy, from doom. Along with the final phase of the TOS arc, the new patch brings some much anticipated new features. Chief among those is the “Refits” feature, which brings Captains the chance to customize their ships with new visual cosmetics skins or weapon fire effects. Some refits even provide performance buffs, too. TOS Scotty and Chekov are joining as new Rare officers. For all the details on what’s new, Trek out Scopely’s patch notes. https://startrekfleetcommand.scopely.com/2021/03/09/patch-28-release-notes/ Questions of Rules, Matters of Honor By Thomas Reynolds If you picked up STA’s Klingon Rulebook last fall, you might’ve noticed some changes to how the game works. Rest assured: according to the Continuing Mission fan site, you have not entered yet another alternate timeline in the franchise multiverse. CM member Mephit James has offered a succinct breakdown of the new Rulebook’s mechanical modifications and clarifications. These’ll probably be included as Core Rulebook errata in the near future, so Trek on over and get caught up. https://continuingmissionsta.com/2021/02/11/rule-changes-in-the-klingon-empire-rulebook/ Klingons Never Seem To Go Slow, Do They By Thomas Reynolds Core RPG rulebooks tend to be hefty and, at 400 pages, STA’s Klingon rulebook’s no exception. But who has time to read all that when there are battles to be fought, and glory to be won? For players short on time, funds, or attention span, Modiphius has a new Klingon-centric Quickstart PDF in their store. The Quickstart provides just enough direction to run the included adventure, “The Tip of the Bat’Leth,” with six premade characters. You’ll need to provide dice, tokens, bloodwine, and other Klingon paraphernalia–but hey, can’t beat the Quickstart’s price tag of nothing. Image: Modiphius Entertainment.

This week on Episode 500 of Priority One: we celebrate with interviews featuring Star Trek: Picard’s Alison Pill, Isa Briones, and Evan Evagora! We’re also joined by Deep Space Nine’s Alexander Siddig and Robert O’Reilly! TREK IT OUT 500 Minutes, 4000 Dollars, and One Livestream

This week on Episode 499 of Priority One Podcast: We Trek Out the marketing machine for Paramount+ and how it might affect Star Trek, and how a community initiative spotlights the ways Women Make Trek. In Star Trek gaming, you’ll soon get your hands on that Voyager-J in Star Trek Online, as seen in Star Trek Discovery, and Star Trek Adventures updates some table-top goodness. Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages. This Week’s Community Question is: CQ: After learning more about how Star Trek will help build the Paramount+ catalogue and how they might handle new releases of Trek, are you sold on Paramount+? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Prodigy Pushed To Paramount+ If you use Twitter to stay current with Star Trek news, then last week your phone probably blew up when the Hageman brothers dropped an image of what appears to be the six main characters of Star Trek: Prodigy. The upcoming animated series was originally slated to premiere on Nickelodeon, but has since been moved to become a Paramount+ offering, only to be rebroadcast on Nickelodeon after the first 10 episodes are released on Paramount+. Source: ViacomCBS via Twitter Moving on, in their “Investors Day'' presentation on Wednesday, Feb 24th, Variety reports the move is part of a greater strategy according to Paramount+ programming chief Julie McNamara who said, "there is a kind of franchise strategy, which is the notion that if you execute new versions of this really strong IP that you have, well, you’re going to drive people across the paywall." McNamara also explained that the decision to move Prodigy to a Paramount+ premiere came from data they analyzed from CBS All Access showing "...subscribers who watched ‘Trek’ shows also watched Nickelodeon’s animated series ‘The Legend of Korra.’” Paramount+ And Star Trek But, what about Section 31? Well, according to Kurtzman and McNamara, they’re still in "conversations." Variety’s Adam B. Vary reports that, "they emphasized that the current five-series slate [Prodigy, DISCO, Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds] will likely not expand further until at least one of the shows runs its course." Image: The Hollywood Reporter. But unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and recent plans for the expansion of the Star Wars franchise on Disney Plus, don’t expect these Trek series to be unfolding within a closely knit storytelling universe. “We’re aiming to have our shows feel unique and different from each other,” Alex Kurtzman, the overall executive producer for the Star Trek universe, tells Variety. “We want to give everybody a reason to watch each show.” Kurtzman also told the Hollywood Reporter, “Whatever we do next is probably going to be in different timelines and different areas of the universe that haven't been explored before; a show that hasn't been dedicated to them yet.” So tell us what you think, Captains:  After learning more about how Star Trek will help build the Paramount+ catalogue and how they might handle new releases of Trek -- are you sold on Paramount+?  Let us know in the comment section for this episode at priorityonepodcast.com or by replying to our community question post on our Social Media channels like FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram. Lower Decks On Blu-ray (For Personal Use!) Image: ViacomCBS via TrekMovie.com Speaking of animation: if you’ve been eager to get your hands on the Blu-Ray release of Lower Decks, then the wait is almost over! StarTrek.com reports that Season 1 will be released onto Blu-ray, DVD and limited edition steelbook on May 18. The release will–of course–include lots of special features like looking into the Easter eggs, commentary, deleted scenes and more! You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now. Women Make Trek Written by Cat Hough I am sure I am not alone when I say “I love the women of Star Trek”–and how do I know that I am sure others feel the same way? Well Trek out the website womenmaketrek.com to feast your eyes on some amazing artwork displayed there. The creators of the website, Laz Marquez and Heather Rae, explain on the site that they want to honor those women from Star Trek that inspire people. The artwork featured includes posts from artists that share how these powerful women have impacted their lives.  The Mark One Holodeck Microsoft is really really trying to be one of the cool kids who brings a star trek technology to life. Motorola brought us a flip phone. A bunch of Kickstarters have tried the tricorder thing. But the corporation who brought you MS-DOS and “X-Box X series X to the X power” wants to be the company that makes you into a being of light! No, it’s not a weird ascension ritual. It’s the Mark One holodeck. And just like you can’t go from plasma rifles straight to phasers without first stopping at phase pistols, we Earthlings have to make a quick stop between Zoom–uh, Skype–meetings and the holodeck. https://youtu.be/IkpsJoobZmE Microsoft has decided to call that midpoint the “Holomesh.” It’s the next step in their “augmented reality” technology, which blends the virtual with the real. While the demo concentrated on Pokemon Go and James Cameron’s underwater research, the everyday use case will be socially distanced virtual collaboration with co-workers and virtual objects. So, while a Klingon fitness training regimen complete with pain sticks and forcefield Nausicaans is still on the drawing board, maybe you’ll be able to argue grand unification theory with Einstein by 2024. Star Trek: Voyager Documentary Captains, if you watched the DS9 documentary and wondered “hey, how about one for Voyager?” Then wonder no more! The same production team that brought you the DS9 doc and “For the Love of Spock” have already hit their funding AND stretch goals with–at the time of this recording–over $500,000 raised. And that’s with 29 days left to the Indiegogo campaign! If you want to contribute and get some swag for your support, then head over to the Indiegogo campaign. STAR TREK GAMING NEWS by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover There's Coffee In That Infinity Pack Sorry, wannabe Red Angels: time travel will be forbidden by 3189, forever consumed by the Blender of Canon. Writers of the 32nd century will never know the thrill of making characters say how much they hate temporal mechanics. But nothing–not the Temporal Accords, not Q, not even ViacomCBS itself–is more powerful than our appetite for new ships. Cryptic provides what Kurtzman denies, as STO gets its first ship from the 32nd century: the Janeway-class Command Science Vessel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf5mX_fFqHc First seen as the Voyager-J in “Die Trying”, the Janeway-class represents eleven iterations on the Intrepid-class from...well, Voyager. In-game, the Janeway-class is Command-first and science-second, with the Inspiration mechanic and a Commander Sci/Command bridge seat. It also has a secondary deflector, other standard science vessel capabilities, and a Lieutenant Universal/Miracle Worker seat. After all, when your fleet apparently only has a dozen ships, you have to make the most of them. Image: Cryptic Studios. A Photonic Cannon console cloaks you and spawns a short-lived pew-pew pet to handle the dirty work. The Enhanced Cloaking Integration trait adds hull restoration and maneuverability when entering cloak, and Firing Cycle Haste when leaving it. Finally, the 32nd Century Phaser Weapons offer both a minty fresh taste and possibly–possibly–one of the best procs ever. These weapons may cause both immediate and overtime boff cooldown reductions, giving your Aux2Batt build’s Technician doffs a well-earned breather. It's All Gone To Pieces Is there anything about the Janeway-class that doesn’t get us jazzed? Well, fans’ reception of the 32nd century ship aesthetic is as divided as the ships themselves. More to the point, this will be the game’s latest “Premium” ship. As in, Infinity Promo ship. As in, the Infinity R&D and Doff Pack Promotion running now through March 25th. If you don’t have a cool trillion in EC just laying about, then buy some packs and pray to RNGesus. Star Trek Adventures Calls For Artists Aspiring artists of the 21st Century! On February 24th, Star Trek Adventures project manager Jim Johnson announced that he had “more STA products in the pipeline and more work than freelance artists available.” Send an email to “jim.johnson at modiphius.com” with links to portfolios, work samples, and contact information. Our shownotes also has a link to existing STA artwork, for artists looking for subject and aesthetic suggestions. Last, but not least, it’s also good news for STA players–plenty to look forward to in 2021. Image: Facebook via Continuing Mission.

This week on Episode 498 of Priority One: We Trek Out what Spiner has to say about a TNG reboot? A new book featuring Cristóbal Rios is on the horizon. And we’ve learned what the next event in Star Trek Online is slated to be. Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: If there was a feature film reboot of the Next Generation, who would you cast as Data? AND CQ: What bridge officer traits do you rely on for your builds in Star Trek Online? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Brent Spiner - Next Gen Reboot Brent Spiner recently sat down with SYFY Wire to discuss a plethora of things from his upcoming book, “Fan Fiction: A Mem-noir: Inspired by True Events,” to what tips he would give to Patrick Stewart on portraying an android Jean-Luc for Picard season 2. Spoiler alert by the way. Amongst the many topics touched upon was one in particular which will undoubtedly provide some Trek trivia fodder. It turns out that before Spiner suggested that he play Dr. Noonian Soong, Data’s creator, a different actor had already been cast in the role. Keye Luke was set to play the part originally. Having a role in the TOS episode, Whom Gods Destroy, Luke is most well known as Master Po from the Kung Fu TV series in the 70’s and as the shop owner who cares for Gizmo in the Gremlins movies. Spiner was unaware that an actor had already been cast and tried to rescind his suggestion afterwards. But the creative team decided to have Spiner play the part and begin building the impressive list of characters and personalities that Spiner would ultimately play. And which of those characters is his favorite to play? ”I always liked playing Lore, because Lore is really more like me than any of the other characters I’ve ever played because I am evil.”  Spiner also credits Michael Westmore with helping him create the character of Noonian Soong. Talking about the Soong makeup, Spiner said, “When he put it on me and I looked in the mirror, I knew exactly how to play the part. I owe him a lot, because I think we collaborated on that.” Later on in the interview Spiner was asked about the future of Star Trek. In addition to enjoying the recent Star Trek movies, Spiner said, “I think that sooner or later, they’re going to do a reboot, a motion picture version of Next Generation, and cast some young guys in our parts.” Star Trek: Picard: Rogue Elements If you were a fan of Spanish Han Solo… I mean, Cristóbal Rios -- Captain of La Sirena… then you might want to mark your calendars for August 17th! New York Times Bestseller, John Jackson Miller is taking you on a spicy adventure featuring your favorite tall, dark, spanish drink of water. Based on events occurring PRIOR to meeting Picard and taking on the Synth Plot to rid the galaxy of all organic life, Miller’s book, “Rogue Elements” takes on adventures with ”exotic lovers and locales... as well as dangers galore -- and Rios learns the hard way that good crew members are hard to find”. ASTROMETRICS REPORT By Dr. Robert Hurt Image: NASA/JPL For this week's Astrometrics Report, what else could I talk about other than the incredible feat of interplanetary gymnastics, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory once again sticking the landing by delivering the Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars? There were a lot of happy faces in Mission Control on February 18th, when the "all's well" signals came back from the Red Planet. You may have a sense of déjà vu looking at this new rover since it bears a strong resemblance to its younger sibling, the highly-successful Curiosity rover. This is no accident: Perseverance is essentially built on the same chassis. When you have a flexible design that's been proven to work, it makes sense to leverage that technology moving forward. Of course, Perseverance brings a lot of new technologies to bear. NASA's website explains that the mission addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission takes the next step by not only seeking signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, but also searching for signs of past microbial life itself. Image: NASA/JPL It also provides opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies to address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars. These include testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying other resources like subsurface water, improving landing techniques, and characterizing weather, dust, and other environmental conditions that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars. Personally I'm most excited over the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, a technology testbed to pave the way for more flexible aerial explorations of our neighboring planet. Building a drone for Mars is not trivial: when the surface pressure is only 1% that of Earth at sea level, you have to crank out a lot more lift than your typical off-the-shelf drone. Everything we learn from Ingenuity's performance will help us design a new generation of flying laboratories that can be sent to Mars and other places in the Solar System. But if you just want to watch something cool, another mission first includes actual video document of the descent and landing. This is the first time we can see the mind-numbing complexity of the landing sequence directly, instead of relying on visual effects simulations. Adding the diagnostic cameras did cut into the tightly-controlled weight budget for the mission, but it will give engineers lots of insight to how well the technologies are performing...in addition to giving us a great show. Perseverance has already sent back an incredible panorama of its landing site within the Jezero Crater, and even recording what the surface of Mars sounds like. Scientists think that about 3.5 billion years ago, Jezero Crater was actually a lake before Mars lost most of its atmosphere and surface water. This was identified as an ideal place to look for any hints that Mars could have harbored life early in its history. There won't be any quick answers here, but the instruments on Perseverance are well-suited to study the geological clues in this exciting new locale. Make sure to keep an eye on NASA's website in the coming months to see what Perseverance learns. Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds, Shane Hoover & Anthony Cox Extinction Events and Campaign Trails By Thomas Reynolds The 11th Anniversary celebrations are over, captains. So now it’s obviously time for another grind. As first seen in an unintended Ten Forward stream leak, the next STO event is a 3-week Voth Advance reprise, from February 25th-March 18th, probably following the daily-TFO-for-14-days format. Players can earn Molor’s Flaming Sword by completing either “The Breach” or “Storming the Spire” daily during the event. This round of the Voth Advance also starts off the third of STO’s popular Event Campaigns. But will it be worth the fatigue this time around? The grand prize for 2021 is either 1500 Lobi, a T6 Zen Store ship, or a Premium T6 Starship Choice. So I’d say yes, yes it is. Read more about the event in our shownotes. Fair Trait Associations By Thomas Reynolds Bridge crew: even if they aren’t doing kick flips all the time, they’re an essential part of any Star Trek story. They tap consoles, tap each other, and help the audience tap into each show’s heart and history. And sometimes, we even learn their names! Although maybe it takes until Season 2 to get there. In Star Trek Online, your bridge crew serves another purpose beyond away parties and eye candy. As your species, career, and lockbox luck give you stat-improving traits, boff traits improve your captainly effectiveness too. Some are useful in very, very specific situations. Nelen Exil --- HE gets knocked down, then he gets up again, so they’ll never keep him down. Might not sound useful to your phaser-basted corpse, but a team medic who isn’t one-and-done isn’t a bad idea. However, the most highly-prized boffs offer traits for space combat and ground. Everyone–not just DPS chasers and PvPers–should look around their bridge and ask if they’re truly getting peak performance. Space traits won’t make-or-break builds, but don’t leave weapon crit bonuses and hull regen buffs on the ready room table. We asked...well, solicited…alright, pestered the P1 production crew to share space boff traits they prefer on their builds. We’ll discuss a few here for your listening pleasure, with the full list in the shownotes. Star Trek Timelines Adds New “Crew Retrieval” System By Anthony Cox Over in the mobile world of Star Trek gaming, Star Trek Timelines has added a new feature to help players retrieve specific crew members for their collections. Timelines is a game where you collect crew members from all the various timelines and time periods of Star Trek, assemble them on a team, and battle against mission requirements. It’s pretty much Star Trek: Pokemon. There are several rarities of crew members and it can sometimes be frustrating trying to collect that one specific character you need to complete your collections. Well, Tilting Point, the relatively new owners of Star Trek Timelines, has released a helpful, yet somewhat complicated new system. The Crew Retrieval system. The scan feature, which is not new, is used to gain random items throughout the day. Scans were free every 3 hours. Now, scans cost a new currency called ISM or Interstellar Medium. And each scan result not only grants you a random item, but also gives you a chance to gain a constellation. Every time you scan without gaining a constellation the chance you’ll get one on the next scan increases. So, what do you do with constellations. Well, using more ISM you can open constellations which will grant you Polestars. What’s a Polestar you ask? A Polestar gives you the ability to narrow down a single variable to reduce the pool of crew members from which you’re trying to retrieve. These variables can be a skill, a trait, or a rarity. Once you’ve set up to 4 polestars you then spend credits and, you guessed it, a NEW type of currency called Quantum, to retrieve your crew member. If you’ve narrowed it down enough it might not be a random pull. For example, let’s say you’re looking for Grand Nagus Rom, he’s a 5 star rarity, has the traits Ferengi, Diplomat, Politician, and has the skills Command, Diplomacy, and Engineer. So you could use a Polestar for rarity 5-star, a Polestar for the Ferengi trait, one for the Politician trait, and one for the Engineer skill. That will hopefully narrow down the pool to just Grand Nagus Rom. Then spend your credits and quantums and see what you get. When a Polestar is pulled from a constellation it already has a specific attribute. Either a specific rarity, trait, or skill. So you’ll need to find the right ones if you’re looking to zone in on that specific crew member. Star Trek Timelines is available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Steam, Facebook, and Windows App Store.

From this week's Star Trek headlines, we #TrekOut how ViacomCBS is an arms dealer in the streaming wars, Ron Moore’s latest adventures, and rumors fresh off the mill! Then, in Gaming, Star Trek Online gets reactionary with it’s newest Legendary Ship offerings, and we finally break down our review of Anniversary’s featured episodes. Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Where do you think Captain Archer might make an appearance? Picard, Strange New Worlds, or something new. If so what kind of story do you hope they tell about him? AND CQ: Are you getting the 2021 Legendary Ship Bundle, now that all the ships have been revealed and all the updates have been made? AND CQ: Will you be using a cloaked torpedo build on your Temer Raider? If not what kind of build will you use? Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Ronald D. Moore Makes a Move As the streaming wars heat up so does the struggle to keep highly talented show creators locked into deals at a single production studio. J.J. Abrahms made headlines recently jumping from Paramount to Warner Bros. and now the Hollywood Reporter is saying Star Trek alum Ronald D. Moore is making a move. Having produced shows for both Starz and Apple TV+ under Sony TV, Moore has secured a deal with Disney’s recently acquired 20th Television where he will start with a recreation of a Swiss Family Robinson series for Disney+. Moore seemed very excited about the move, saying “I grew up loving Disney movies, TV shows, and theme parks, and I still do to this day, so the chance to work on some of the same classic titles like Swiss Family Robinson was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.” Moore will remain involved with both Outlander on Starz and For All Mankind on Apple TV+. The latter of which has just premiered its sophomore season.  TrekMovie.com Gives Us More From Moore In an exclusive interview with TrekMovie.com, Moore talked about the creation of the show, how they ride the line of an alternate reality space race while keeping it recognizable, and how working on Star Trek taught him how to write for television and the importance of diversity. For All Mankind is set in a fictional reality where a Russian cosmonaut was the first human to set foot on the moon and how that event would affect the subsequent space race to follow. “Star Trek basically taught me everything about writing for television in a lot of ways. And we did a lot of time travel episodes. We talked internally about a lot of history, a lot of alternate history ideas.” One of the biggest changes with this fictional reality is the diversification of NASA astronaut crews nearly 15 years earlier. Moore said that was one of the core concepts of the show, to make a bigger and better space program. “why is it better? We’re creating a better world. To bring it back to Trek, it’s the road to Star Trek. So what [does] the road to Star Trek entail? It entails becoming a better society.” For more information on Moore’s move to Disney and the full interview with Trek Movie, the links are in our show notes. Bob Bakish Talks Arms Dealing We’ve been talking on the show for a while now about CBS All Access – soon to be Paramount Plus – and how the broadcast home of Star Trek fits in among the plethora of streaming services out there. One analogy that we’ve overlooked is, perhaps surprisingly, “arms dealer.” At least, that’s what ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish calls it. We’ve talked in the past about how CBS has been a lot more cavalier with licensing its extensive library to other services. I can still watch star trek reruns on Netflix, for example. However, they’ve made it a habit to sell their new content off as well. According to an article on Bloomberg.com, they’ve sold an Aaron Sorkin drama to Netflix and a movie about Billie Holliday to Hulu. Oh, and that Coming to America sequel? Paramount made it, but Amazon is going to distribute it. And maybe worst of all, they sold a popular Western-themed series called Yellowstone to Peacock. Yeah… Peacock. According to the article, licensing deals like that account for nearly a quarter of the company’s revenue. And with movie theaters closed and the stiff competition among services, that’s money that they can’t afford to just give up. They can’t even pay to get their stuff back. According to the article, Peacock wouldn’t release ViacomCBS from the Yellowstone deal, so they’re just gonna make a prequel. Because if there’s one thing ViacomCBS and Paramount Plus know how to do, it’s how to do reboots and prequels that everyone loves. RUMORS! Well, this week, the rumor-mill was churning out some good ones… But, remember.. These are ONLY rumors and should be taken with a grain of salt! For starters, Drew Dietsch at GiantFreakingRobot has heard reports that Paramount is moving forward with a fourth installment of the Kelvin Timeline --- but, instead of it being a strictly theatrical release, ViacomCBS plans to release it simultaneously via its streaming service and theatres. According to their sources, Pine and the rest of the cast will be involved -- although a new director has not yet been selected. The Plot… they’re going back to the timey-wimey Pine Kirk meets Daddy Hemsworth. As if THAT wasn’t rumor enough, the article goes on to say that the studio is trying to get Shatner to appear as well! MORE RUMORS! While we’re on the topic of returning cast: Dietsch has a separate report suggesting that Scott Bakula -- who played Captain Jonathan Archer is Star Trek: Enterprise -- will come back to reprise the role on Star Trek: Picard. According to the article, the studio hopes to //quote// bring Scott Bakula back by having him cameo in another Star Trek show and then leave the door open for him to headline his own solo series. //end quote// On the topic of filming… while we anxiously await new Trek to grace our television screens, Social Media might help you pass the time. Especially if you follow folks like actors… showrunners… you know… industry folk. You see, earlier this week, actors like Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn posted some innocuous social media updates… random pictures FROM CANADA! Then, unrelated, Star Trek Picard’s Showrunner made a tweet that was quickly removed… In it, he wrote, “Day One of many…” with a little film-camera emoji. So… if we piece it all together, we can assume that filming has begun for BOTH Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Picard. Now… if only we had release dates!! Billy Campbell Goes Prodigy Enough w/ the Rumors!!! We do have ONE confirmed appearance of a legacy Trek Actor reprising their role!! On episode 360 of Comic Book Central, Billy Campbell -- who you might recall played Thadiun Okona on TNG’s Season 2 episode titled, “The Outrageous Okona” let slip that he’ll be returning to the role on Nickelodeon’s Star Trek: Prodigy! In the interview, Campbell goes on to talk about his experience on Star Trek and even teases how his character will return Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover The 2021 Legendary Ships: Initial Scans By Thomas Reynolds Captains, we have all four of the 2021 Legendary Klingon and Klingon-adjacent ships on sensors. The B’Rel Bird of Prey and Vor’cha Command Support Battlecruiser will bring honor to the Empire, as the Excelsior Miracle Worker Heavy Cruiser and Temporal Support Cruiser represent Federation ships entwined with Klingon history. In-depth analyses will come after the Bundle is available, but we have some thoughts to share while we wait. Priority One wants to hear your opinions too, so analyze the ship stat links in our shownotes.  House Reborn: Treachery, Faith, and the Lava Flow By Thomas Reynolds Previously on Star Trek Online, the Klingon Civil War went south as J’Ula’s truth bombs jump-started an Imperial polyfaction spree. In “Knowledge is Power”, J’Ula’s friends (and not you) join Tenavik on her run-and-gun vision quest through the Boreth monastery. One bad trip leads to another, as they resurrect the late Chancellor L’Rell as an icon of reunification. What the time crystals left out is that her soul’s in Gre’thor so it’s time to do a little soul-searching. Don’t do time crystal, kids, it’s bad for you. “Leap of Faith” closes the loop with the whole gang suffocating themselves Flatliners-style to storm Gre’thor’s gates and liberate L’Rell. You meet Gowron in the Rio’s smoking area on your way to the Barge of the Dead and Fek’lhr’s throne. Gowron takes L’Rell’s place in Gre’thor–because, I mean, the Rio–but J’Ula makes a counteroffer: maybe J’mpok’s and Aakar’s souls instead? She was going to kill them anyway–but first, you have a lot of demons between you and the waking world. House Reborn is another two-mission addition you could call an episode (we won’t, but that targ’s been beaten to death already). The Klingon Civil War only totals six missions, but might be STO’s most engaging story since the Iconian War ended. We’re not dissing Victory is Life in any way, but make this a miniseries and we’re there with the popcorn. Three Houses down, and it’s clear STO’s writers aren’t afraid of the narrative swerve. What separates this from what we see on CBS Al–sorry, Paramount Plus, is that the hard pivots are plausible. This is the Star Trek we wish was on TV...but as we’ll see later, that might not be all good. Talking about TV: with Chieffo, O’Reilly, and Hurtzler behind the mic, is anyone surprised that the voice acting’s so good? It’s an out-and-out pleasure to have them back in our Trekkie lives, ridges or no ridges. J’Ula and Adet’pa are mostly the game’s invention, but Mara Junot and Rehka Sharma make them worthy of screen time. Let’s Talks Gameplay By Thomas Reynolds Pivoting to gameplay…eehhh. The missions are very different, so we’ll address each individually, but in ten words or less? More–and more–of the same. “Knowledge is Power” follows the traditional formula of “warp in, [BEEP] things up, warp out.” Space combat as Captain Yourself bookends a protracted slog as J’Ula around the monastery.  J’You’La is also the strike-from-shadows type of matriarch, not a drag-out brawler, making it even more tedious. Go back and watch the engineering room cutscene in “Secrets.” See what she has with her? Mobs of goons providing cover fire and Ripper chow. You will draw aggro as the largest damage source on your side, and the hypospray can’t recharge fast enough. The curse of competence, I guess. Bless Cryptic for reinforcing hand-to-hand combat’s prominence in Klingon culture, religion, children’s birthday parties, and the Qo’noS dating scene. The game just isn’t suited to it. This is painfully apparent as you spam J’Ula’s single melee attack in one-button battles of attrition. If there’s an upside, the cathartic thrill of every...single...kill...you...make...is very Klingon. So, uh, immersion? How About A “Leap Of Faith”? By Thomas Reynolds In comparison “Leap of Faith” is a lot easier: you’re yourself again, with your crew and the loadouts you’re used to. Three ambushes in the afterlife precede  the fun of clawing your way out to the get-a-way barge. The mission is capped by a final space battle to remind you this, in fact, is still Star Trek. “Not as bad as the first” is damning with faint praise, but really: “Leap of Faith” just works better. The ambushes are sudden and believably short. Escaping Gre’thor is actually a plot point with a clear narrative start and end. The space battle can be a challenge even at Normal, and not just from how long the portals stay open. Say what you will about Fer’ang dreadnoughts as event ships: they’re a lot more beastly when pointed at you. However as associate producer Shane put it, “Surface Tension’ is long. It's always been long. But unlike the new missions, every step tells the story. Every stage of every fight advances that story. Instead of being long while you're in it, it just feels like it's big stakes and large scale. It's like [Victory is Life’s] ‘Home’ in that way”. House Reborn, on the other hand, struggles where Shattered did too. Gameplay is a grinding vehicle between dialogue boxes and cutscenes. That’s where the money is, and it certainly shows. But as Shane pointed out, we know it’s possible to have engaging gameplay that advances the story, too. Alarmed at Our Own Temer-ity By Shane Hoover Whether you bought out or grinded for the long haul, odds are good that you have your Temer now. Its 5/1 weapons layout and 5/2/3 Tac/Sci/Eng console allotment clearly mean it’s an alpha-strike ship. Ride up, drop the cloak, let your cannons rip, and slink into darkness while they’re mopping up their Earl Grey. Or, and hear us out on this one, maybe not? The Temer’s Enhanced Battle Cloak lets you fire torpedoes, mines, and Captain/Boff abilities without fully switching it off. Therefore it’s also a perfectly competent Gravity Well and/or torpedo boat, even with its low Science console capacity. Yes, your cloak drops momentarily to light them up, but it’s still considered active as traits are concerned. Just make sure your hull is up to it, since you’re spending most of the fight without shields. Zhat’s All, Folks By Thomas Reynolds and Shane Hoover So, you have a stack of lockbox keys in one inventory slot, and Zhat Vash lockboxes in another. You got a Number One ground pet on your first try–by far the most important item you can get. Now what? You could always put the rest on the Exchange, but Priority One Podcast thinks there’s still value to be found. We think these prizes are worth the Zen you’ll spend to unlock them. Dhailkhina Command Strike Wing Warbird: taking the highest risk for the highest reward? How very Romulan. Or you could cheat and get it off the Exchange for 690 million EC. Also very Romulan. Zhat Vash Disruptor Weapons: who doesn’t like a weapon that adds its own stacking damage buff and reduces the target’s damage resistance? Zhat Vash Venom Ground Trait: kind of gross, very entertaining. Plus, if your ground build is terrible you’ll get a lot of mileage out of the death-triggered AoE attack. From Hell’s heart I spray at thee! Choose to Live Ground Trait: very handy for your Klingon Recruit as they grind those melee kill objectives. (Current Exchange price:  Scopelyashi Maru AKA “A Million Ways to Die in the Test” By Shane Hoover We all know mobile developer Scopely as the studio that brings us Star Trek: Fleet Command. And now they’re the creators of a new web-based 8-bit piece of Star Trek history. In a blog posted to the company site on February 11th, Scopely announced a new contest inviting players to beat Star Trek’s infamous Kobayashi Maru scenario. Put your command abilities to the test against deadly dangers like Dagger Pox, hidden poison and, of course, Klingon ambush!  But “CONTEST?!” you say? Yes, Captains, if you’re able to defeat this Kobayashi Maru faster than anyone else, you could win one of several big prizes. The First Prize winner takes home a lifetime subscription to Paramount Plus and an Original Series Captain Kirk Green Wrap tunic as seen on Season One. Second Prize includes a $500 Eaglemoss Ship Collectibles package, a Captain Kirk Standee, and a personalized Captain’s Assignment Letter to the U.S.S. Enterprise. And Third Prize wins a $200 Star Trek gift shop gift card and a Starfleet Academy Personalized Certificate.  But you won’t win. You can’t win. It’s a no-win scenario! After all, a connected Facebook account is required to enter the contest. Talk about a no-win scenario!

This week on Episode 496 of Priority One: We Trek Out the Roddenberry Foundation’s latest gift and ViacomCBS’s latest revamp-ination! Then, we continue our coverage of Star Trek Online’s 11th Anniversary with a reminder to finish your daily mission to earn the free ship AND an interview with Star Trek Discovery’s Mary Chieffo! Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages This Week’s Community Question is: CQ:  If you’re currently subscribed to CBS All Access and sticking around for Paramout+ -- what features do you hope they’ll introduce?!  Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT "The Roddenberries Showdown 2020 Virtual Extravaganza" on Vimeo By Elio lleo Captains, if you missed The Roddenberries Showdown 2020 Virtual Extravaganza featuring Martok and Gowron then… get out! … nah, just playin’... You now have another chance to catch one of the best pandemic performances you’ll ever see!!! The Roddenberries have released the event to rent or purchase via VIMEO for 4.99 to rent or $15 to buy. Now, we can spend time talking up the event and performance but, you really need to see this for yourself… More importantly, you’ll be supporting local artists who are continuing to work to make ends meat during a time when live performances and concerts are nearly impossible! So, #TrekOut the links in the show notes and please consider supporting the band!... You will NOT be disappointed. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/showdown2020 The Roddenberry Foundation Gives Back By Tony Hunter The Roddenberry Foundation announced a $100,000 donation to the Comic-Con museum in San Diego. In recognition of that generosity, the museum will name its main lobby after the late, great, star trek creator - Gene Roddenberry. I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, conventions aren’t dead. So why are they getting put in a museum?” Rest easy, friends, because the museum isn’t commemorating a lost ritual, but is “intended to celebrate the spirit of the San Diego Comic-Con experience throughout the year.”  But for now, they’ll just have to celebrate reaching the halfway mark on the way to their $34 million fundraising goal. Gene’s son Rod told KPBS.com "We hope to inspire others to recognize the power of popular arts and comics in providing a unifying force to bring together our society and create a better future." Photo Via KPBS.org Paramount+ Ads Paying Dividens By Cat Hough If you were watching the SuperBowl, even if it was just for the commercials, you may have noticed frequent references to Paramount+ - especially since those ads aired more times than the Chiefs were called for stupid penalties.  Well, ViacomCBS is making a concerted effort to position CBS as an ‘upscale’ content provider, all of which hinges on its offerings coming from it’s ‘CBS Originals’ production company (funny because the guy in charge came from Amazon Originals) and providing more options for live, on-demand or streaming its content.  Newly-appointed network President and chief marketing officer, Mike Benson, says, “I feel like we’re really working to elevate the brand and make a broadcast brand feel premium. It’s free premium.” Well, all of these efforts may pay off as we get closer to the launch of Paramount+ on March 4. The stock price for ViacomCBS has certainly rebounded since we last discussed, closing Monday at $54.50 a share - compare that to the $11.28 price from last March. Nevertheless, investors remain concerned that the transition to Paramount+ will be a struggle for ViacomCBS considering the competition in the marketplace, lower profit margins for streaming services, generally - plus increased demand for content licensing - which includes renewing the NFL license. Photo Via Barrons.com Paramount+ 50% OFF By Cat Hough But, if you decide you want to subscribe to Paramount+ it would be worth mentioning that you can currently save 50% on a 1 year subscription to Paramount+.... Dropping the no-commercial option from $100 down to $50… you can also save on the commercial plan but, let’s be real --- who wants commercials?! In order to take advantage of it you’ll need to sign up via CBS All Access and you’ll need to do it no later than March 3 --- the discount code is paramountplus ((all one word and spelled out… no “plus” symbols)).. Now, if you aren’t already aware, we’ve got affiliate links on our website which help support this production… so if you plan to take advantage of the discount and sign up… please use our affiliate code! Photo Via CBS.com Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover Tick-Tock on Temer Time By Thomas Reynolds By the time you’re hearing this, the 11th Anniversary and Klingon Recruitment Events will already be halfway over. Fortunately you only have to create your Recruit(s) before the 25th; you can complete the objectives at your leisure later. But if you haven’t started accruing Progress for the Temer yet, things are decidedly more desperate. With 14 days left, you’ll need at least a partial Zen buyout to complete it in time. The Temer’s full buyout price during the Event is 6000 Zen; the second-chance buyout will probably be the same. We recommend getting as much Progress as possible before hitting the bank, just to take some of the sting out. https://twitter.com/The_ZEFilms/status/1359313219052072961 Mary Chieffo Be sure to follow Mary Chieffo for all her latest projects! ripleyimprov.com/heartbeats Twitch.tv/RipleyImprov https://www.bespokeplays.com/contact-support

This week on Episode 495 of Priority One: We Trek Out what Brent Spiner is currently working on, how much of a Trekkie Robin Williams is, and Michael Chabon expands the universe with a dive into Free Cloud. Then, we continue our coverage of Star Trek Online’s 11th Anniversary with an interview featuring Design Director Al “CaptainGeko” Rivera! Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Robin Williams And Neelix Over the history of Trek-dom, there’s been an exceeding long list of guest stars on Star Trek. Who’s your favorite Star Trek guest star? Mine is [Iggy Pop]. The crew of Voyager named some of theirs during a recent virtual GalaxyCon panel. Who made the list? In no particular order, Johnathan Rhys-Davies who played Leonardo DaVinci, Sarah Silverman showing up as a 20th century astronomer from Los Angeles, Jason Alexander and his big brain, and who could forget Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson cooking up some gladiator-tights action. But what about those guest stars that never were? Robert Picardo said that he lobbied the writers pretty hard to get DeForrest Kelly onto the show, but unfortunately Kelly’s health was failing and he was not well enough to perform.  Also, some of you may recall that Robin Williams was a big fan of Star Trek, but you may not know that Neelix was one of his favorite characters. During production of Voyager, Williams was filming the Birdcage on the same lot and had a lovely encounter with Ethan Phillips. As Phillips recounted, “He sees me and goes, ‘Oh my God, Mr. Neelix!’ Then he does this whole routine about what it’s like to be a chef in outer space. ‘The eggs are floating, the pancakes are getting too big!’, a Robin Williams schtick. I had a private performance for like a minute and it was really funny. Then he came up, gave me a big hug and said, ‘I love your character, sir.’ Such a sweet, sweet man. I’ll never forget that.” Photo Via Trekmovie.com Brent Spiner the Showman If there’s ever a Star Trek actor who never takes themselves too seriously, it’s Brent Spiner. Those of you who have had an opportunity to see him on stage at a convention know that he’s a showman!... And even when he’s not supposed to be on stage, he manages to surprise his Star Trek colleagues with a cameo appearance. Well, even though he may have retired from the character of Data on Star Trek PIcard, Spiner is still willing to take us on an adventure… of his life! Whether via a web series like his 2011 Fresh Hell… or last year’s musical Brentwood, Brent Spiner knows his fans love him and will keep coming back for more! So, in keeping up with demand, Spiner has a announced a new book he’s working on titled, “Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events” In an exclusive interview with ScyFy Wire’s Vanessa Armstrong, Spiner describes the book as “a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but it's primarily fiction. There are slices of my own life in it, and then there are also people I have known…it's a mashup: It's a thriller, it's a comedy, it's a dark comedy. And it's partially a memoir, but none of it's real, really, even though a lot of things actually happened.” Unfortunately, according to the article, which parts of the story are true and which are false will be a closely guarded secret. Michael Chabon Talks Freecloud One of the whistle-stops on the Jean-Luc Revival Tour in Season one of Picard was a hotbed of commerce, villainy and bar gunfights. What we saw on screen was an easter egg filled skyline and two interior sets. But what you didn’t see was a whole 200 year history of a planet on the edge of known space. Straight from the notepad of Season one showrunner Michael Chabon, we bring you a full tourist guide to the anarcho-existentialist enclave known as Freecloud.You want geography? Its got a single continent surrounded by a mountain range which is in turn surrounded by a single ocean so wild you can only travel it by submarine. You want weather? Get a load of the full range of an M-class world, from polar caps to tropical jungle with mega-hurricanes and a monsoon season. You want history? Check out its tenuous neutrality, tacitly enforced by the Klingons, Romulans and Federation due to its status as a criminal, corporate and smuggling hub. You want politics? They’ve got a five sentence constitution and no organized police force… but every “Freec” aged 16 and up is a member of the militia. Basically for life. It’s a fun bit of world building that will no doubt make its way into every Star Trek Adventures tabletop RPG, either as a campaign setting or mission hub Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover This Bundle Goes Up To Eleven (And Then Some) By Thomas Reynolds Captains, it might feel like we were just discussing the 10th Anniversary Legendary Bundle(s). It certainly does feel that way here at Priority One, at least. But STO’s racked up another year on the Final Frontier, and the game’s celebrating with the 2021 Legendary Bundle. Cryptic continues its tantalizingly slow roll-out of the Bundle’s four ships, so we’re holding detailed coverage until all is revealed in time. We do know this year’s Legendary Bundle comes in one tier and is largely composed of consumables, services, and items. We also know it will sell for a (discounted eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty)Zen from February 18th to March 4th. After that it reverts to its regular (twenty-five thousand)Zen price, so scrape them nickels and hit the dabo table. The Legendary Bundle isn’t just a purchase, it’s an  investment.

This week on this Star Trek News Podcast: We Trek Out news about Star Trek Prodigy, how a Cuban helped pave the way for Star Trek, Michael Dorn’s “Captain Worf” pitch, and Nichelle Nichol’s final appearance on screen. In Star Trek Gaming, the MMO Star Trek Online has launched its 11th Anniversary Celebrations, and we run down what you should expect! We Trek Out news about Star Trek Prodigy, how a Cuban helped pave the way for Star Trek, Michael Dorn’s “Captain Worf” pitch, and Nichelle Nichol’s final appearance on screen. In Star Trek Gaming, the MMO Star Trek Online has launched its 11th Anniversary Celebrations, and we run down what you should expect! Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages! Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Kate Mulgrew and Prodigy By Cat Hough We have some breaking news from Twitter regarding the Nickelodeon animated show, Star Trek: Prodigy. On Monday, January 24, Kate Mulgrew was asked about the show, saying that she has already finished recording for Prodigy season 1 and how much she enjoyed returning to the role of Kathryn Janeway. Mulgrew ended the chat, saying, “I think we are going into the next season very soon.”  https://twitter.com/jemabean1/status/1353379453913751553 Worf In The Captain’s Seat: The Sequel By Cat Hough On last week’s episode of Priority One, we just discussed the likelihood of Michael Dorn reprising his role of Worf in any of the new Trek shows. Coincidentally, in an interview with TrekMovie.com that was posted earlier this week, Dorn was asked if he was interested in playing Worf in Star Trek: Picard. He replied, ”It depends on the role...I don’t want to get in makeup and just stand around and scowl at people.” He also said he has not yet been contacted by anyone from Picard or Lower Decks, so I suppose we can draw our own conclusions.  Image courtesy of TrekMovie.com However, he did go into some detail about the script he wrote about Captain Worf, saying that he envisioned telling stories about the Federation and Starfleet from the Klingon point of view. Worf would essentially be more like an ambassador of the KDF trying to bring unity to the Klingon Empire. One Last Show for Nichelle Nichols By Tony Hunter It was just last week we were raising a glass to the memory of the Star Trek fan film ecosystem of the mid 20-teens. And then what do we find? It’s an article from WFMZ-TV out of Allentown, Pennsylvania, describing the Kickstarter for the sequel to the fan-produced “Star Trek Renegades” from 2015, directed by Tim Russ. The earlier film had quite a few notable appearances from Star Trek alums, including Walter Koenig as Admiral Chekhov, Robert Picardo as the Doctor, and Tim Russ as Tuvok, just to name a few. And seriously, that’s just a few. You can’t go 10 minutes in that show without saying “isn’t that the guy from…?” Yes, yes it is. Image courtesy of Star Trek: Renegades/Kickstarter Image courtesy of Star Trek: Renegades/Kickstarter The sequel, entitled Renegades Ominara, is boasting that they have lined up the “final performance” of Nichelle Nichols, but she will not be playing Uhura. And Walter Koenig will return, but not as Admiral Chekhov. Tim Russ is back in the director’s chair, leading a newer cast of stars with a few credits each on their TV CVs. The Kickstarter is sitting at just under $26,000 as we record, two-thirds of the way to its goal of $35,000, with 12 days to go. Lawyer alert! Lawyer alert! We’ll put links in the shownotes to the article and the Kickstarter, but a quick word of warning here from the spoilsport lawyers. This project, as it’s currently advertised, might not pass muster with the CBS legal eagles. For one thing, it’s advertised as “a full-40-minute show (which is a network hour-long television show)”, which does not work with the fan film limits of one single 15 minute project or 2 15 minute segments of a single project. Also, the participation of Nichols, Koenig and Russ seems to run afoul of the rule that “creators, actors and all other participants must be amateurs, cannot be compensated for their services, and cannot be currently or previously employed on any Star Trek series, films, production of DVDs or with any of CBS or Paramount Pictures’ licensees.” So, it looks like a fun project, so long as the fun police don’t shut it down. How a Cuban Helped Make Star Trek By Elio Lleo  If you fancy yourself a television history buff or have dived into the books and stories detailing the behind-the-scenes development of Star Trek, then you’ve probably already heard that if Gene Roddenberry is Star Trek’s father...then Lucille Ball would certainly be its mother. This–for the most part–is true. By the time Star Trek was ready to begin filming, Lucille Ball had taken full control of Desilu Productions. And, if you’ve read Marc Cushman’s These Are The Voyages, you’ll have read a fun little piece of lore that Lucy once swept the sound stage of Star Trek just to help keep the production on schedule and on budget. Image from Los Angeles Times photographic library/UCLA, courtesy of Wikipedia. But, the road to Star Trek was being paved years earlier with Desi Arnaz very much in the picture. In a recent episode of NPR’s Planet Money, the hosts give you a quick rundown of how this immigrant from Cuba helped shape television today. From abandoning the classic kinescope to introducing the three rolling cameras to insisting on a live-studio audience, Desi Arnaz's influence can be seen today in all your favorite sitcoms… from the Fresh Prince…to Friends…to Fraiser. And when Lucy got pregnant in real life and the I Love Lucy Show had to go on hiatus, well, Desi had an answer for that too. Reruns and syndication! For anyone looking to enhance their appreciation for the history of television–and if you liked watching I Love Lucy and are curious to learn a bit more about the loud-bombastic Cuban man who loves Lucy–TrekOut the shownotes. In Memoriam: Richard Arnold (1954-2021) Last, but certainly not least, it is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Richard Arnold. For those of you not familiar with the name, Arnold was known as Gene Roddenberry’s “right hand man” during the production of the series and later went on the convention circuit as a “Star Trek Expert.” According to Rod Roddenberry, in a post on Facebook “Richard’s voice was the one my father most often listened to; because Richard listened to the fans." Our hearts go out to his and the Roddenberry family. Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover Abandon Every Hope, Who Battle Here By Thomas Reynolds When we journeyed two-thirds of the Year’s way, we found ourselves within a blazing fortress, for we had kept Cryptic’s path that does not stray. It is hard to speak of what Gre’thor was, that hellish prison, cowardly and shameful, which even in recall renews my disgust––glorious death is ever more dear! Of course, you've not experienced Dante until you have...well, you know the rest. In the beginning, we fought to preserve the Empire as a warrior’s paradise. Together with its wayward son K’mtar, the House of Mogh endured the Warzone’s purgatory. Now we stand at the Gateway to Gre’thor–the inferno itself–to draw the Year of Klingon to its fiery conclusion. Cryptic’s yearlong revamp of the Klingon Starting Experience concludes with the launch of the Anniversary Event–and if the new Klingon hell doesn’t do it for you, nothing will. We could wax rhapsodic for hours about the new maps, environment textures, enemies, the Dishonorable Three, and hair options. But the link is in our shownotes, captains. You have to see the screencaps to believe them. Recruit First, Ask Questions Later By Thomas Reynolds With the starting Klingon experience refresh complete, this would be the perfect time to see the new sights with a new KDF toon. Also, the Klingon Civil War still rages on and both sides desperately need cannon fodd--I mean, brave warriors. But Sto-vo-kor’s eternal glory isn’t enough for some people: they want dilithium, ships, and shiny new ways to kill people. Starting with the Anniversary Event, Cryptic kicked off Star Trek Online’s fourth Recruitment Event: this time, for the Klingon Empire. Until February 25th, new Klingon characters (using the free character slot Cryptic’ll give you) will be officially dubbed Klingon Recruits. Like in previous events, Klingon Recruits get special rewards for meeting certain goals during the story and into the endgame. This includes (what sound like) the optional story objectives you completed with other faction Recruits, but naturally more violent. Enemies of the Empire abound, and whoever’s on the other end of your transponder wants them dead and gone. Happy hunting! Your other characters also get benefits from the Recruit’s progress like currencies, ship and ground traits, and “piezoelectric execution sceptres.” That alone sounds like it’s worth the effort--but if pain sticks aren’t your style, how about a ship instead? Yes, Klingon Recruits also get the M’Chla Bird of Prey of 2255, refitted for battle in 2411. Details for the scaling T6 ship, along with the other Recruit rewards, will be in our shownotes. As a side note, you can also play a Klingon from 2255 too. Discovery-era Klingons are now available as a KDF race, although identical to their modern counterparts other than looks and uniform. Fortunately no one’s ever had strong opinions about how the Klingons looked in Discovery, so this should be controversy-free. The Fire In Which Houses Are Reborn By Thomas Reynolds Are you dying to see the new Gre’thor (get it?), but don’t have time to start your Recruit right now? Well, the other massive Klingon story content drop timed to the Anniversary Event has you covered. House Reborn continues the Klingon Civil War arc, as J’Ula’s path to redeem the Empire brings us more familiar faces. Our proper review will come next week, once we have time to reflect and replay. But if you’re hearing this before playing, and you haven’t looked at Twitter in a while, here’s a slight spoiler. The title’s more appropriate than you might expect. https://youtu.be/lOKDrix1Nms Infinite Ships in Finite Factions By Thomas Reynolds Hoo boy, captains. Red Alert and brace for impact, because we’re about to hit the Wall. Or not! Because ships aren’t restricted to factions anymore! But they are. Kind of. Look, it’s a complicated discussion on in-game policies: exactly the Earl Grey tea that Priority One loves to spill. As of January 26th, having a level 65 KDF officer on your account will unlock both factions’ ships for all Fed and KDF officers on your account. Coming with the ships are their Admiralty cards, registries, prefixes, bridges, interiors, and any associated items like consoles or pets. Existing Zen Store purchases are reclaimable across the divide, so your Orion engineer can have the Presidio-class cruiser of their dreams. But your Fed-aligned Romulan won’t be getting their hands on a D4x anytime soon. The faction wall for ships still applies to Fed and KDF allies. or now, at least. Forever? Who can say? Ship availability across Red vs. Blue also means the end of other ways Cryptic’s tried bridging the divide. Cross-faction packs for ship-specific traits and consoles aren’t going away. You can still find them in non-Zen stores or on the Exchange. However you won’t be able to get new traits or consoles that way from here on out--get ready to pay for those in the Zen store instead. Fear the Temer-Class Alliance Raider By Shane Hoover We did say your Fed-Aligned Romulan still won’t be getting on the bridge of a D4x, but if that’s what you’re after then the brand new Temer-Class Alliance Raider just might make you smile. This year’s Event Grand Prize for the 11th Anniversary event is the account unlock of the T6 Temer-Class Raider. Carrying on the spirit of cooperation that was embodied in the Khitomer-Class Battlecruiser, the Temer is a joint Romulan and Klingon design available to all factions. The ship stats were published Saturday, January 23rd by Ambassador Kael, and they look pretty tempting. This is a T6 Raider with a 5/1 weapon layout, Enhanced Battle Cloak, Improved Raider Flanking, and Command seating. The Repulsor Blaster experimental weapon and the Sniper starship trait firmly establish the Temer as a maximum range torpedo boat. So prepare to decloak at 10km on someone’s flank, unload a volley of torpedoes, and watch the fireworks! All you need to do is earn 40 or more Daily Progress in the Anniversary Event, and the Temer-Class is yours. Zhat Vash Some Lockbox, Vashn’t It? By Shane Hoover It wouldn’t be a Star Trek Online content update without a new lockbox, right? And this time we’ve got a box inspired by CBS’s newest live-action Star Trek show, Picard. Specifically, the “Picard Zhat Vash” lockbox is inspired by the shadowy Romulan cabal that served as the antagonists for Picard’s first season. The lockbox has all of the lockbox offerings we’ve come to expect: Personal Ground and Space traits, Kit Modules, Duty Officer assignments, new Weapon packs, Lobi store items, a new Pit Bull pet, and a Grand Prize T6 ship, which we’ll discuss shortly. In every box there’s also something new to the game, The Impossible Device. This new consumable will instantly remove one injury status at random from any ground player or player starship not currently in combat. If used on another player, the device also applies an HP and outgoing healing buff for 30 minutes. To see the details of everything this new lockbox has to offer, Trek out the link in our shownotes. Oh! It’s That Romulan Ship! By Shane Hoover If you find yourself lucky enough to unpack a Grand Prize from the new Zhat Vash lockbox, you’ll get your hands on the brand new Dhailkhina Command Strike Wing Warbird. This new cross-faction Zhat Vash Warbird was last seen in Star Trek: Picard confronting Captain Riker and the U.S.S. Zheng He.The ship sports a 5/2 weapon layout, plus the experimental weapon slot, which are typical for the ship type. The Carbon Scorcher experimental weapon deals physical damage plus a heavy physical damage over time effect, with a bonus damage resistance debuff. Specialty bridge seats include a Command Tactical/Command seat and a Lt. Commander Universal/Intel seat. The new Universal Console, Bombing Run, passively boosts Plasma damage and Crit Chance, while clicking for a heavy Kinetic and Plasma damage attack. The ship’s trait, Commanded Singularities, adds a “micro singularity” hazard to the current target’s location whenever a Command or Singularity ability is activated. So tell us, Captains, are you going to give Riker an “excuse to kick your treacherous Tal Shiar ass”? The link to all of the ship stats and details is in our show notes.

This week on Episode 493 of Priority One: We Trek Out several interviews happening around the Trek-verse, Star Trek Online gears up for it’s 11th Anniversary celebrations, while other mobile games spin up their own Trek-themed celebrations, and Dr. Robert Hurt explains why space is darker than we thought… much darker. Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Michael Dorn May Play Worf Again By Elio LLeo With Picard now starting to film its second season in just a few weeks, many of us are eager to learn about who - of the OG TNG cast - might make an appearance. We’ve already seen Brent Spiner reprise his role as Data… Our hearts were warmed by Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis reprising their roles… What about Gates McFadden? LeVar Burton?.... Michael Dorn?? Well, we’ve got an update from Mr. Dorn via an interview with the podcast Literary Joe’s Inner Child. In the short segment of the podcast - which is under 7 minutes - Dorn pulls no punches when expressing his disdain for the makeup process. Patrick Stewart on Picard S2 By Cat Hough So how far along is Season Two of Picard? Well, Sir Patrick Stewart tells us in an interview posted on January 11, 2021, by goldderby.com that, “I’ve got the first five scripts of the show and different drafts of those scripts. I spend hours every day with them." So even though getting a production rolling during a pandemic is a whole new experience, Stewart has been keeping himself busy writing his memoirs, reciting Shakespeare’s sonnets, watching “Schitt’s Creek, and putting together jigsaw puzzles.” He says of jigsaw puzzles,"That’s one of my passions. I finished the Last Supper two nights ago and it was one of the best moments of my life!” He chuckles, but then gets serious. “But all the while inside, I know I have to work. That’s what I’m here for. That’s my job. I want a script in my hand. I want actors in front of me.” Interview with Mary Wiseman By Cat Hough Now that Discovery Season 3 has wrapped, StarTrek.com recapped some recent in-depth conversations with some of our favorite Discovery characters. The first was Mary Wiseman, and although the audio glitched during her interview, thanks to an enterprising YouTuber who can read lips, it was later confirmed that Wiseman said she was not straight. When asked for confirmation, she said “I did say this! It’s not a big deal at all. I just didn’t want to say I’m straight when I’m not! Before Noah [Averbach-Katz, Wiseman’s husband who played Ryn the Andorian], I dated and loved people of all genders. I never liked it when straight-presenting women dominated conversations about bisexuality/pansexuality when I was with women, so I try not to do it now, but I also don’t want it to feel like I’m hiding anything because I’m queer and proud!” Wiseman goes on to deliver a personal message to fans who defended her on social media when she fell victim to online bullying and body-shaming, saying “I just want to say that all the people who step in, to back me up like that, your presence is like little angels, blocking out these little trolls. It means something to me. I see those things and they hurt me because I'm a person. I'm a human being, you know? And to have somebody step in and defend you is really meaningful.” The close relationship between Rapp and del Barrio definitely comes across on-screen with Stamets taking a fatherly role towards Adira.  Also helping to build bonds in real-life between cast mates, many of the actors, including new-comer, Ian Alexander who plays Gray, have been playing Dungeons & Dragons via Zoom. Production is underway for Season 4 of Discovery.  Galaxy Quest Sequel By Elio Lleo  Our last interview -- although not specifically Star Trek related -- does touch on one of Star Trek’s greatest films… Galaxy Quest!!! Now, for several years, there have been rumblings and rumors about a potential sequel to the film or perhaps a small screen adaptation. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tim Allen was asked about the status of the film replying “I haven't reached out to anybody in the last week, but we talk about it all the time. There is constantly a little flicker of a butane torch that we could reboot it with. Without giving too much away, a member of Alan's Galaxy Quest family could step in and the idea would still work.” James Cawley On Phase II By Tony Hunter  Long time listeners of the show may remember the glory days of the early-to-mid-teens, when there were literally dozens of fan-film productions of star trek stories. Spanning the timelines from post-Enterprise pre-Federation, all the way to post-Nemesis pre-JJ-Verse, the quality bar that each show cleared was as varied as the eras they were set in. I’ll give you a minute on that one. But some of the highest quality efforts belonged to James Cawley’s New Voyages and Phase II productions. And until certain lawsuits were filed, they were busy filming and editing new episodes. Unfortunately, CBS’s fan production guidelines, which were released in 2016, basically killed productions like Cawley’s. Origins: The Protracted Man However, one of those productions, a TOS prequel named, appropriately, Origins: The Protracted Man, just escaped into the wild. I say escaped, because to say it was released would be a gross overstatement. There are effects shots missing, and we know this because there are little cards telling you what you should be seeing. Sound is sometimes iffy, and the whole thing is squashed horizontally. It’s very clearly not a finished product. According to the article at fanfilmfactor.com, the two files containing the rough cut were up on YouTube temporarily, and then taken down. However, while it was online, the movies were downloaded and then reposted anonymously. Even short-time listeners of the show will know that Cat is now rolling to a slow boil on the intellectual property problems all this implies – and we’ll certainly get to those – but there’s more to the story. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7yp2fh One of the screenwriters, Trek novelist Dave Gallanter, recently died of cancer. Mr. Gallanter had worked on several of the Phase II projects, and this one – co-written with Tribble creator David Gerrold – may have been release… uh “liberated”… as a final farewell to a cherished member of the old crew. So, as we are about to discuss – why, listeners, you know this is illegal – maybe the proper answer is “now, don’t be a prig.” https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7yp2fk Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover STO Outlines the 11th Anniversary Event By Shane Hoover Finally putting an end to our breathless antici... pation, Cryptic released a new blog to announce some details of the upcoming 11th Anniversary Event. This year’s event is scheduled to kick off for PC players on January 26th and it will wrap up on February 25th. As with other recent events, players will collect daily progress points through missions, TFOs, and patrols. Upon collection of 40 progress points, players will receive the brand new account-unlocked Temer Class Alliance Raider. No stats are available for the new ship yet, but it’s a Klingon/Romulan hybrid raider carrying on the spirit of the recent Khitomer class. And, as always, the anniversary event brings us those sweet sweet Omega Tech Upgrades! So get ready to get busy collecting Omega Traces, captains Sam Witwer Plays Kenneth Mitchell Playing Tenavik By Shane Hoover The Anniversary Event also means that if you’re like us, you’re probably most excited by the imminent arrival of brand new story content! In another blog released this week, Ambassador Kael announced two forthcoming new missions with contributions from two new stars. The new missions are called “Knowledge is Power” and “Leap of Faith”, and they’ll take us back to the Klingon monastery on the planet Boreth. Visited by Captain Pike on Star Trek: Discovery, the monastery is home to the mysterious and powerful Time Crystals. Kael’s blog has teased that Boreth’s secrets will bring about a “new era” for STO’s Klingons, and it will be up to players to pursue them. That means meeting with Tenavik, the guardian of the Time Crystals. On Discovery, Tenavik was played by Kenneth Mitchell. He was originally going to reprise the role for STO, but circumstances prevented him from that. Instead, he’s personally chosen friend, veteran actor, and STO super-fan Sam Witwer to lend his voice to Tenavik. With Mitchells’ coaching and Witwer’s talents, it should be exciting to see what surprises Tenavik has in store for us. Five-Year Missions, Five Years of Timelines By Thomas Reynolds Elsewhere in the gaming world, Star Trek Timelines passed its fifth anniversary with no signs of slowing down. Associate product manager WRGBen took to the Wicked Realms official forum on the 14th, saying they’re "proud of what we’ve built throughout the years, and of what the game means to so many of our players. With that in mind we’re looking forward to the years ahead". Looking to the future, WRGBen also promised a “big new feature” in the game later this year. Timelines’ longevity is nothing to dismiss: mobile gaming has been fickle and unrewarding to the Trek franchise before. Of the nine games released for mobile platforms, only Timelines and Fleet Command remain in business (Trexels II launched in 2018 and shut its doors to new players only last August).  https://twitter.com/STTimelines/status/1349753985368993794 Jetpack Joyride Star Trek Event If you’ve spent even a nano-second browsing through your phone’s app store you’ve probably noticed the popular fast-paced, endless running, side-scrolling mobile game, Jetpack Joyride. In it you play as Barry Steakfries, a down-on-his-luck gramophone salesman who has snuck into a jetpack lab, stolen the machine gun jetpack, and now needs to escape. Why does any of this matter in a Star Trek podcast? Because just like the Borg, the mega marketing machine at CBS assimilates everything in its path. From now until February 3rd, Jetpack Joyride is running a Star Trek event. By playing the event you can earn Star Trek themed items for the game including, but not limited to, Starship jetpacks, Uniform jumpsuits from Discovery, Voyager, Enterprise, and more. Character replacements like Michael Burnham, Janeway, Picard, and Kirk. And much more. And what free to play mobile game wouldn’t be complete without a way to buy everything. You can also purchase the items from the event singly or in bundles from $2.99 to $29.99. TOS Event in Star Trek Fleet Command Staying on the mobile device, Star Trek Fleet Command is continuing its Prime Timeline content rollout with a TOS event which started this month. During the first part of the event players can earn recruit tokens for Original Series crew. Epic Kirk, Epic Spock, and Rare Uhura. Part one of the event runs from now until January 29th

This week on Episode 492 of Priority One: We ‘Trek Out’ Pirates, interviews and podcasts with some of the Leading Ladies of Trek, Star Trek Discovery’s Season 3 Finale, and the state of Star Trek Gaming. This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Has Saru earned the same level of reverence as Kirk, Picard, Sisko? AND CQ: If 2021 introduced a new Star Trek Game-- what would you hope it would play like? Or if STO made sweeping changes, what do you hope they would be? Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT A Pirate’s Tale By Elio LLeo // story time // Let me tell you a story… a story about a pirate… a digital pirate. Many moons ago, when the general public was strong-armed into agreeing to ridiculous cable-company contracts, bundles, and upsells --- The Digital Pirate would “stick it to the man” by surfing the untamed web in search of desired content. Then, as if by some miracle of the gods, a company dared to challenge the status-quo. This company would soon help the lowly pirate set anchor and hang their pirate hat. But, the evil cable companies weren’t very happy that this new trailblazer was luring customers away on the backs of their own infrastructure. Before long, the lowly viewer would again find themselves spending nearly the same amount per month subscribing to peacocks, all accesses, hulus, pluses and maxes… and more! It wasn’t long before pirates set sail once again to find their most treasured content….  // end of storytime // Photo Courtesy of Star Trek.com Let’s be clear… it’s wrong to pirate your shows from torrents or other rogue sites. And we, here at Priority One, would never encourage you to conduct illegal activities. But, what we can do is report on some interesting trends. In an article published by Variety by Jamie Lang, we get an inside look of what the hottest pirated shows are for 2020. Where does Star Trek fit on that list? Well, from most to least popular: The Mandalorian, The Boys, Westworld, Vikings, and in the fifth spot: Star Trek: Picard. Now, Lang points out that these rankings don’t account for illegal streaming services but, we think this is a pretty accurate representation of Star Trek’s market share as a whole. Michelle Paradise and Season 3 By Elio LLeo While we’re on the topic of the Season Finale for Star Trek Discovery, Co-Showrunner Michelle Paradise spoke about the third season’s arc and what we might expect in Season 4 with TVLine’s Dave Nemetz. When asked about Michael Burnham’s journey towards the captaincy, Paradise had quite a bit to say… including how audiences pretty much expected that was where she’d end up. But, according to Paradise, it was all about the journey saying, //quote // So giving her the opportunity to come into this new future and be here for a year without the rest of our heroes on Discovery, and allowing her to grow and change during that time and come back and figure out where she fits in, it felt like the right kind of journey for the character. It also allowed us, over the course of Season 3, to find new layers for that character, and of course new layers for our amazing actress to play.  But, where are we headed in Season 4? Well, Paradise couldn’t say much other than to try to paint a clearer picture about what the goal was for Season 3, describing it as  …all about connection and disconnection and finding our way back to one another.  Now, what about that incredible quote from Gene Roddenberry at the end? Well, according to Paradise, its inclusion was a decision made during editing --- a message to reflect our global state of affairs. Paradise goes on to discuss Stamet’s relationship to Burnham after she tossed him out of an airlock, whether or not Saru will return (which he will), and Book’s impact on the crew. Whoopi Goldberg on Star Trek: Picard By Tony Hunter The interviews continue with the leading ladies of Trek. First off, Whoopi Goldberg is kinda-sorta confirming her return as Guinan in Season 2 of Star Trek Picard. This reprise of the role is, of course, at the personal invitation of Sir Patrick, as delivered on national television last year on The View. Whoopi told SFX Magazine “Hopefully, I will be joining their cast for a little while next year. I’m very excited about that.” And Sonequa Martin Green sat down with Vulture to talk about Season 3 of Discovery and Michael Burnham’s journey to the Big Chair. She says that this was always the plan, all the way back to Season one, with every Executive Producer from Berg to Paradise saying “Burnham would be on this journey of self-actualization that would also be the journey to the chair” For more about her views on Michael’s year of change and a promise that the Emerald Chain ain’t goin’ away next season, check out the link in the show notes. NEW PODCAST ALERT! By Cat Hough Moving on to another iconic Woman of Trek… Back in September, our favorite Tap Dancin’ Doctor - Beverly Crusher, otherwise (in real life known as) Gates McFadden, announced that she will be hosting a podcast and she’s been busy recording episodes. So far, McFadden says she’s got episodes with Jonathan Frakes, Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis.  Episodes are expected to start airing this month - but the podcast has yet to reveal the title. However- the company producing the podcast, The Nacelle Company, has produced several television series about pop culture - such as The Toys That Made Us and the The Movies That Made Us. As the company name suggests, the CEO and founder, Brian Volk-Weiss is a huge Trek fan. ANOTHER AWARDS SHOW - THE SUPER AWARDS SHOW By Cat Hough Tired of having your favorite shows snubbed during awards season? Or really tired of your favorite shows only being nominated in categories like “best costume,” “special effects” or “editing?” Well, you are in luck - because there’s now an awards show just for genre fans - just like us! This year, the Critics Choice Association decided it was time to start another - less boring - awards show. Called the Critics Choice Super Awards, it was created to specifically honor our favorite films and TV shows in the genres of action, horror, superhero, science fiction and fantasy. And the best part? You don’t have to sit through a litany of technical categories. In fact - the only categories included were the Bests — Movie, TV Series, Actor, and Actress — for each genre. Star Trek was honored with several nominations. The franchise itself was also honored with the inaugural Legacy Award, to recognize  “the cultural impact it has had across multiple decades while continuing to appeal to and grow its loyal fanbase with new stories and characters.”  Sir Patrick Stewart won for Best Actor for Star Trek: Picard. And while she was nominated for Best Actress, Sonequa Martin Green lost out to Natasia Demetriou for What we do in the Shadows. Both Stewart and Martin-Green accepted the Legacy Award on behalf of the franchise. Stewart said that he and Green represented the “heart” of Star Trek. Though polar opposites on the outside — a young Black woman and an older white man — they represented the range of what Star Trek included, every kind of being imaginable. He went on to say that in these times, the inclusivity and hope provided by the Star Trek universe are needed more than ever. https://twitter.com/trekreport/status/1348467541455347713 Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover Red Alerts Wherever We Go By Thomas Reynolds From now through January 26th, Star Trek Online’s having a party and you’re all invited! No, it’s not the 11th Anniversary event, but you really should attend. Please, for the love of the Great Bird, show up for this party. Because it’s not actually a party: it’s a Galactic Red Alert event. Every enemy of the Alliance is coming after us, and they’re not even bringing snacks. Rude. Like all repeating daily events, playing one of five Red Alert TFOs each day grants progress towards a grand prize. This time, the magic number is 10 Daily Progress, and the grand prize package includes a Spec Point, Ultimate Tech Upgrade, and Experimental Ship Upgrade. Note that the Tzenkethi Red Alert still includes a fail condition that prevents you from getting your Daily Progress. Also, the Tholians want us to know they’re going gluten-free. All the Discovery Ships Fit to Print By Elio Lleo If you’ve been holding out for a physical copy of your in-game U.S.S. Buran, I’ve got great news. According to this week’s PC patch notes, Gameprint’s now accepting Discovery-era ships and materials for export and printing. The full list of ships and material types now available will be in our shownotes. There’s no programmable matter option yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

This week on Episode 491 of Priority One: We ‘Trek Out’ a couple of interviews with Star Trek’s Doug Jones and Sir Patrick Stewart. Chabon fleshes out some Troi-Riker backstory. Star Trek Gaming has been quiet over the Holidays but, Star Trek Adventures isn’t oblivious to how table-top gaming has been affected by COVID. Later, we review Star Trek: Discovery’s episode “There Is A Tide…” This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Has Saru earned the same level of reverence as Kirk, Picard, Sisko? AND CQ: If 2021 introduced a new Star Trek Game-- what would you hope it would play like? Or if STO made sweeping changes, what do you hope they would be? Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT Doug Jones Looks Back on Saru's Long, Strange Star Trek Journey By Elio LLeo On the heels of Star Trek: Discovery’s third season episode titled “Su’Kal” --- Doug Jones is granted the opportunity to perform without layers of makeup --- io9’s James Witbrook sad down with the actor to discuss his character’s journey and relationships aboard the Discovery. Though it’s a bit of a puff-piece interview, it definitely provides an opportunity to look at the character of Saru through Jones’s perspective. For instance, when asked about being the first alien Captain of the title ship, Jones replied “Don’t think the gravity of that is lost on me. I know being the captain of a title starship in a Star Trek series—it’s a badge of honor. That’s huge, for me. But then also to be the first alien in that position is also...wow...there’s a little bit of TV history here. And to be a part of that is truly, truly a humbling honor”. Which got me thinking… Are DISCOVERY viewers already immortalizing Saru in the same way we do Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko? Perhaps, what’s holding me back from elevating him to those standards is the choices that the writers have made with maturing his character. The interview continued and, Interestingly, the follow-up dives into Jones’s preparation: Where some actors are given an option to explore a long arch with the writers, Jones’s prefers to explore the character much like we do -- episode by episode saying telling io9 // I’ve chosen to be...well, ‘give me some essentials I might need to prepare for, otherwise, episode-by-episode I’m fine.’ When I get a script, I’m like, ‘ooh! What’s this one?’ I have no idea what’s coming. So, when I first signed my first contract for the show—season one—I was Lieutenant Commander Saru, Science Officer on the Starship Shenzhou. I had no idea what was coming.  Sir Patrick Gets Personal By Elio LLeo In another interview, NPR’s Sam Briger of FRESH AIR spoke with Sir. Patrick Stewart back in July about his reprisal of Jean Luc Picard in the new series, Star Trek: Picard on CBS All Access. During the interview, Briger asked Sir Patrick if he had revisited some old episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation to brush up on the character to which Sir Patrick replied “I'm going to watch "Encounter At Farpoint," which was our pilot episode of the series. And I never did. I ended up never watching a moment of "Next Generation" because - OK, I would have been reminded of some things that I'd forgotten. But that character was inside me.” Given the plot fo S1 of Star Trek: Picard surrounding A.I., NPR’s Briger then played Picard’s monologue from TNG’s Measure of a Man. Despite not having heard himself deliver the speech in over 30 years, Sir Patrick had quite a bit to say about his own performance. But, that’s not the interesting part of his reply -- when reflecting upon the speech, he recalled a conversation with Whoopi Goldberg “And I don't know who was responsible for that speech, but I've got a feeling that there is one word in what we've just heard that actually didn't belong to one of the writers. I use the word slavery at one point, and that word was given me by Whoopi Goldberg. I remember when she and I - it might have been the same episode, "The Measure Of A Man" - I think it could have been - when Whoopi and I had a scene in the bar of Ten Forward. And in a break, Whoopi said to me, you know, what we're actually talking about here is slavery, and I think it wouldn't be a mistake to introduce that. And so I think that was why that word cropped up. And I was so thrilled that Whoopi had proposed it and so proud that everyone approved it and it went into the episode.” The interview goes on to discuss Sir Patrick’s personal life -- including his youth and relationship with his father who likely suffered PTSD after serving in the war, his start in acting, and what’s different for him now as an 80 year old actor vs when he was 35. It’s a fascinating insight into the man, so be sure to listen to the entire interview over at NPR. Links - of course - will be in the show notes. Chabon Talks Nepenthe By Elio LLeo Star Trek’s had more than hundreds of writers, over 50 years, to invent its worlds and try to flesh out their inhabitants. So color us impressed–and heartbroken––that Thaddeus Troi-Riker invented an entire planet before he could’ve gotten a 21st-century driver license. Picard’s season one showrunner Michael Chabon took to Medium to expand on Thad’s early life aboard the Titan, briefly mentioned in the episode “Nepenthe”, and his formative interactions with its diverse crew.  It’d be in that early life, where “home” began at Fore and ended at Aft, that the linguistic prodigy started building his own homeworld. And as a natural linguist, he started with its language, Kelu – based on the crew’s own native languages, and eventually adopted as the ship’s unofficial slang. Before his early death, Thad would build his fictional world of Ardani based on this early exercise in, well, world-building. And when we say world, we’re not talking Ardani’s mere geography: its resident civilizations (six in total), their languages (six, plus the four spoken by non-humanoid “animal” species), and over 5,000 years of shared cultural and political history. The link will be in the show notes – there’s a Tolkeinesque-level of sociopolitical analysis to go through. Now Elio, I remember you being unsatisfied by story content like this being put in novels and comics like Countdown, rather than on the actual shows. Nothing in Chabon’s post is important to understanding Picard. And we never even get to meet Thad in the show because of his terminal case of Plot Syndrome. But do we leave Ardani feeling enlightened by what we’ve learned about the show, or frustrated by what we couldn’t have in its 13-episode season? Doohan Smuggled into Space By Cat Hough On December 19, Chris Doohan, son of James Doohan, tweeted that he had been keeping a secret for over 12 years. What was this big secret? Well, back in 2008, his father’s ashes were smuggled onto the International Space Station. His father, James Doohan, better known as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, died in 2005 at the age of 85, had always wanted to go to space, so his son Chris concocted a plan to get him there.  He enlisted the help of Richard Garriott, who was one of the first private citizens to make it to the ISS. Garriott carried 3 laminated cards that included some of his ashes and a photo of Doohan. One of the cards  was brought back to give to Chris and is now framed in his California home, another card, Garriott let float off into space, the other was hidden in the space station’s Columbus module. Garriott stated, “James Doohan got his resting place among the stars.” https://twitter.com/ChrisDoohan/status/1342972024893759488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1342972024893759488%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2Ftv%2F2020%2F12%2F28%2Fstar-trek-scotty-james-doohans-ashes-smuggled-space-station%2F4057236001%2F Notable Notes Voyager Documentary, crowdfunding campaign starts March 1 - here’s the video announcement Lower Decks - coming to Amazon Prime on January 22 - finally International folks can watch!  John De Lancie - Cameo announcement - there’s more of him to come!  Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover Is Today A Good Day For Dice? By Thomas Reynolds You’re stuck at home. You’ve gone through your bookshelf twice. And your goldfish don’t have any more good Netflix recommendations. Computer: set course for immersion. If the pandemic has been a boon to anything, it has to be online gaming. But this crisis too shall pass, leaving tabletop RPG players wondering: is online play where it’ll be at from now on? Are the days of dead tree sourcebooks, clacky dice, and actual physical interactions behind us? Apologies to our vast Vulcan audience, but the answer’s a perfectly illogical yesno. Michael Dismuke’s recent poll on the Star Trek Adventures TTRPG Facebook site posed a simple question: how many players would stay online for their STA experiences? The benefits are clear: recent explosive growth of online STA platform support, relatively easier scheduling, all in the pantsless comfort of your own home. The poll results were mixed, yet somewhat symmetrical. Half of the respondents (52%, technically) said they’d return to mixed platform play, while 18% said they were never going back or had always played online. Finally, 4% said they’d either stay on their online platform of choice, or never had used them in the first place. But what the community universally appreciates is STA’s unique roots in a hopeful message. As Dismuke notes, “While we sit amidst a bed of social unrest, Star Trek promises a better future where the problems of today have been solved in the ‘morrow….[h]aving players walk away feeling like their characters have made a positive contribution to society is a big plus. Not all RPGs are designed to do this. Thank goodness we have STA.  With respect to the dataset, we can conclude...meh. People will seek their own ways to the Final Frontier, we just want them to do it safely.”

This Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast always wraps the year and ushers in a new one with a retrospective and blooper episode!! Come laugh with us!

In the Star Trek Multiverse this week: We ‘Trek Out’ Star Trek Discovery's "cigarette-smoking man," Gersha’s Mirror, how not easy it is to be green, and RUMORS. In Star Trek gaming, use the word Halcyon while previewing the new recon ships, before interviewing Star Trek Online’s Executive Producer Andre Emerson. Then we look “On Screen” to review Discovery’s Season 3 episode, “Terra Firma: Part 1”ry.” This Week’s Community Question is: CQ: What do you think of the Emerald Chain? Are they menacing, or do they leave something to be desired? Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT by Jake Morgan David Cronenberg is Back for Discovery Season 4 “The mysterious stranger” is a long running trope, but it’s a pretty cool one. The cigarette smoking man from “The X-Files” and Strider from “The Lord of the Rings” come to mind, men whose motivations are always in question . Now Star Trek has its own mysterious stranger, and just like so many others, he’s a riddle. We’re - of course - talking about David Cronenberg’s Kovich. This week, Cronenberg sat down with Variety to talk about his newest role. The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, Via Bloodydisgusting.com Before the interview got rolling, Variety broke the exclusive news that Kovich - and by extension David Cronenberg - would not only appear in more season 3 episodes, but also return for Discovery season 4! The 77 year old Canadian director shared how he got the part of Kovich, telling Variety’s Adam Vary ”I’m cheap and I’m available. I live in Toronto, and it’s being shot in Toronto. I think that’s my main qualification. But I just got a note through people that I know, casting people, saying that [executive producer] Alex Kurtzman was really thinking of having me do a spot on the show. I said, of course, I’d be absolutely delighted.” Cronenberg noted that he was a Original Series fan, but only dabbled in the spin-offs - and hadn’t watched any of Discovery before joining the show. He never expected to be a part of the franchise, and when asked if he had interest in directing an episode of Star Trek, Cronenberg said bluntly ”No, really not. It’s a very different kind of directing. It’s almost like another job entirely, you know, and that’s another thing that I was very interested to see. [...] If I do direct again, it wouldn’t be to direct an episode of a series.” David Cronenberg as Kovich via Variety Gersha Phillips Looks in the Mirror - Or Something Like That SPOILER ALERT - if you haven’t seen Star Trek Discovery season 3 episode 9 “Terra Firma Part 1”, you may want to skip this story! Where starting...NOW Much like Georgiou went back to the Mirror Universe, we are going back to Variety. Okay, the two really aren’t that much alike, but you get what we’re going for. This time around - at Variety, not the Mirror Universe - we hear from Discovery’s Costume Designer, Gersha Phillips, and her re-imagining of the Mirror Universe uniforms. Burnham Via Variety Phillips talked about the challenges of her first go around with the Mirror Universe and her thoughts this time around, tellin Jazz Tangcay ”It’s supposed to be an alternative version of what took place the last time we were there the last time — the team said it was a few days before. The idea was the Emperor was in her prime. I called it the 2.0 version because this time we wanted to do it better. Last time, on our first pass there, we didn’t have the time or budget. I talked about wanting to elevate everything.” In talking about designing Georgiou’s look, Phillips may have dipped that Trek nugget, saying ”We knew we were going to jump into the future because of Michelle Yeoh, and how she was getting out of our world and into the ‘Section 31’ world which is the next series, so it was an early conversation,” If you’re interested in costume design, Phillips dives deep into the process, so be sure to trek out the link in our show notes for more! Georgiou via Variety Janet Kidder Reminds Us It Isn’t That Easy Being Green It's not that easy bein' green Having to pillage each day Hearing whining and pleas When I think it could be nicer Stealing dilithium or gold Without the moaning and griping like that Poor Osyraa, all that belly-aching she has to listen to! This week, Osyraa actress Janet Kidder sat down with comicbook.com to talk about her time in the green make-up, and what’s next for the leader of the Emerald Chain. Image of Janet Kidder as Osayraa Janet Kidder, niece of the late Margot Kidder, discussed Osyraa’s motivations telling Jamie Lovett ”The best for her people. How to create a powerful and a strong empire for the race that was typically enslaved. [...] I think it's about just striving to support her people. And I'm not saying that she makes the best choices in doing that. She's a tough cookie, but she definitely feels that she's doing it for the best for her people.” As for what’s next, Kidder says ”They can just definitely look forward to seeing more of her and possibly she puts on her business shoes later on, and you can see her actually stepping up and trying to put into action what she feels is motivating her. She'll be back. She'll be around. I think that she's a wonderful character and I just hope that everyone enjoys seeing her as much as I enjoyed playing her. And they'll see lots of fun stuff from her in later episodes.” Rumor Report! Finally this week - it’s the RUMOR REPORT! As is always the case, any story that shows up in the rumor report should be taken with a grain of salt - so with that said - Manifest! Our first story comes from the Spanish speaking Star Trek website NacionTrek. On December 9th, the team tweeted an image of a sign that read “Strange New Worlds. Cast and Crew Testing Area”. According to the translated tweet ”The pre-production of #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds in Mississauga, Canada. Filming will begin in mid-February 2021.”. This hasn’t been confirmed by anyone anywhere, so we’re calling this a rumor; though the evidence - including production magazine listings - points to this being accurate. SQUEE!!! https://twitter.com/NacionTrek/status/1336832022766030851 Our next stop is Gossip site WeGotThisCovered.com.  Scott Campbell is “reporting” that A-lister Chris Evan’s is in talks to appear in Star Trek. According to the site ”insider Daniel Richtman is claiming this week that Chris Evans is in talks to join Star Trek, but the tipster doesn’t expand on the role in question or even which one of the many projects in development he’s interested in.”. That’s it. That’s the rumor. Star Trek Gaming News by Thomas Reynolds & Shane Hoover A Re(con)naissance for Allied Shipbuilding By Thomas Reynolds Cast your minds back to the halcyon year of 2018: we were still hesitant about Anson Mount as Captain Pike (which in retrospect, whoo!). Picard had just been announced to great fanfare at STLV (which in retrospect, oof). And in 2411, Recon Destroyers hit Star Trek Online and proved that you could never have too many nacelles. The Lafayette and Kefka Ketha classes put a jubilant cadence in our hearts, yet allied factions were left out of the fun. At long last, Cryptic has addressed that imbalance with the Jem’Hadar Vanguard and Romulan Rahhae Recon Destroyers. Now Dominion and Republic captains can unleash hyper-trinary hell on unlucky targets in a faction flavor-appropriate manner. The Rahhae and Vanguard Recon Destroyers are, in all other respects, identical to their Fed and KDF counterparts. For our overall impression of the Recon Destroyer class, slingshot around to Episode 379 of Priority One Podcast. Recon Ships Via Star Trek Online Ship Packs on Earth and Goodwill Towards Players By Thomas Reynolds Well captains, have you been good this year? Yes? No? Is humanity a dangerous, savage child race and all morality an artificial construct anyway? Who cares! It’s time to buy stuff! Until January 3rd, Cryptic is selling packs of 3 T6 Ship Coupons and 3 Experimental Ship Upgrades for 7500 Zen. But before you drop that Zen, know that price will change during sales that just might happen during that time. You might want to wait and see if this already great deal gets even better. T6 Coupn image Via Star Trek Online Do Bad Robots Make Good Games? By Shane Hoover As recently reported by Variety.com, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot has made a significant hiring to boot up its in-house gaming studio. Bad Robot Games has hired Mike Booth to GM the new studio tied to the Bad Robot production company. Booth was most recently at Facebook as social VR director, though he’s perhaps most well known as the creator and lead designer of the game “Left 4 Dead.” Reporting to Bad Robot Games CEO, Anna Sweet, Booth is tasked with developing original games to accompany Bad Robot’s film and TV projects. Booth has this to say about his new position,  My career has been driven by a desire to innovate new ways of bringing people together for epic adventures online, leaving them with exciting stories they can tell their friends afterwards. The games I create center around people working together to survive and thrive in fantastic worlds, which seems an excellent fit for J.J. Abrams’ approach to movie making. Mike Booth Via Variety

This episode of Priority One is brought to you by Eaglemoss Hero Collector and the brand new Official Star Trek Online Starship Collection.  Check out all the exclusive ship models – including the U.S.S. Gagarin and the U.S.S. Chimera – at priorityonepodcast.com/ships and use code PRIORITY10 at checkout to get 10% off your purchase with FREE SHIPPING. This week on Episode 488 of Priority One, we ‘Trek Out’ Noah Hawley’s thoughts on the future, Tartantino’s beef with Pegg, Dan Curry’s artistry, and MEGA PUBLISHERS. In Star Trek gaming, there’s Klingon Adventures, Star Trek Online’s Winter Wonderland, and Grudge! Later, Dr. Robert Hurt joins us for an Astrometrics Report and joins us for “On Screen” to review Discovery’s Season 3 episode, “Unification III.” Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages.Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! TREK IT OUT by Jake Morgan Hawley Trek Hardly Likely If you were looking forward to “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley’s vision for Star Trek, then we have some bad news. According to the creator, “it doesn’t appear to be in the immediate future." The 53 year-old Hawley sat down with Deadline this week to talk about the aforementioned “Fargo” series 4 finale, a possible “Aliens” series, and Star Trek. On the latter, Hawley told Deadline that ”It doesn’t appear to be in my immediate future. I think when Emma came in, she took a look at the franchise and wanted to go in a different direction with it. But you know, life is long, we were very close to production but in this business that doesn’t mean much. You got to get out of the gate to be in the race if you know what I mean.” Nothing definitive, but it doesn’t sound great. Image linked from FX Networks Is Tarantino Mad, Bro? Moving on to another likely-dead Star Trek film, is there a feud between director Quentin Tarantino and star Simon Pegg. Back in July of 2019, Tarantino told Deadline ”I get annoyed at Simon Pegg. He doesn’t know anything about what’s going on and he keeps making all these comments as if he knows about stuff. One of the comments he said, he’s like “Well, look, it’s not going to be Pulp Fiction in space.” Yes, it is! [laughs hard]. If I do it, that’s exactly what it’ll be. It’ll be Pulp Fiction in space. That Pulp Fiction-y aspect, when I read the script, I felt, I have never read a science fiction movie that has this sh*t in it, ever.” Image linked from Deadline But was Tarantino mad, bro? According to Simon Pegg, no. In an interview with Radio Times, Pegg said ”I was just saying the opposite of what people were assuming it was going to be. Then I heard this story that Quentin was mad at me! I haven’t read his treatment [of Star Trek], but I’ve heard it’s very ‘Quentin Tarantino does Star Trek’, you know. And it’s everything you would hope from that.Actually, I saw him at a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood thing. I was like ‘You’re not mad at me, are you?’ He was like, ‘No, man, no! The press are blowing it all out of proportion!’ We had a good laugh about it.” So...good? Image linked from TrekMovie.com The Artistry of Star Trek with Dan Curry Releasing on the day of this recording, December 1st, a new book outlining the visual beauty of Star Trek, titled Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry will hit bookshelves. The creator of the art, Dan Curry,  sat down with Space.com to talk about his time with Star Trek. Image copyright Titan Books, linked from Space.com Curry reflected on his time with the Peace Corps, and how his travels through Asia affected his designs ”when you see exteriors of Klingon cities or Klingon outposts, most of them were matte paintings by the great Syd Dutton. I'd work with him on evolving a style that was a composite of Thai, Lao, and Nepali architecture. I did some of the matte paintings myself, like the Klingon Lamasery, which is a Tibetan-looking building on a mountaintop inspired by a train trip I took through the Canadian Rockies.” In regards to his on-set memorabilia, Curry says ”It was frowned upon. Anything I wanted, I'd ask the producers for. I do have Bat'leth #1 and Mek'leth #1 and I have a little hand prop from "Deep Space Nine," a Cardassian device like an alien iPad that has my face on it as a deceased mad scientist. I have some of the shards left over when we'd blow up a model. Sometimes I'd make space debris made out of plastic parts melted over a candle. If we came upon a destroyed spaceship, the random plastic parts would be the debris that would fly by. I did keep a lot of my storyboards and concept sketches.” To read the article, or for a link to purchase “Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry” - written by Curry and Herocollector’s own Ben Robinson - you can follow the link in our show notes. Simon & Schuster Sold to Penguin If you’re a fan of Star trek novels, listen up! ViacomCBS has struck a deal with publisher Penguin Randomhouse to sell its publishing arm - Simon and Schuster. The deal was struck on Wednesday, November 25th for a whopping $2B dollars, which according to the New York Times creates the first “megapublisher." The deal will certainly shake up the publishing world, giving Penguin Randomhouse access to authors like Stephen King and Doris Kearns Goodwin, as well as the Star Trek catalogue - but what does it mean for the Star Trek novels?  Penguin Randomhouse CEO Jonathan Karp said in an interview ”This is a company that respects the creative autonomy of publishers.  We’ll all still be competing against each other. Publishing is a business driven by individual passions for books and for writers.” Best case scenario - the books keep coming, but get more push from the megapublisher. Worst case - the books stop all together. For now, it's a waiting game. Stay tuned, we'll bring you more as we hear it! ASTROMETRICS REPORT by Dr. Robert Hurt and Thomas Reynolds Via con Dios, Arecibo On December 1st, the Arecibo Observatory's main telescope suffered catastrophic structural failure when its instrument platform fell into the 305 m dish. Footage from the main control tower and an aerial drone captured the collapse, as one of the three support cable sets failed and the falling platform pulled the rest down into the dish. Image source: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images and Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/drone-video-shows-dramatic-moment-of-arecibo-collapse-1845799543 Severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and subsequent earthquakes in 2018 and 2019, the telescope was slated for controlled deconstruction mere weeks ago. The Observatory's visitor center, secondary radio telescope, and LIDAR array were fortunately left undamaged and are expected to continue operations. https://gizmodo.com/gut-wrenching-photos-show-damage-at-arecibo-observatory-1845790190 Mergers & Astrometrics: The Blue Ring Nebula For the better part of two decades, the enigmatic Blue Ring Nebula has been a picturesque astronomic puzzle. Invisible to the human eye, ultraviolet imaging from the NASA GALEX satellite showed a thick dust ring around the structure's central star (thus the name). For all purposes it looked like a dead star's remains, but with an active star in the center that shouldn't be there. So...what gives? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY8J8hFHhiw According to simulations by Hoadley et al., it's actually wreckage from a head-on stellar collision from thousands of years ago. Stars crashing into each other is nothing new in our galaxy, but until now we've only had examples that are hundreds of times older. Therefore the Blue Ring isn't just the most recent stellar merger for astronomers to study, it's also one of the most valuable. Blue Ring Nebula (historical re-enactment). Image via Center for Sacramento History STAR TREK GAMING NEWS by Thomas Reynolds Tokens of Our Aggression The virtual role-playing tabletop endures, now more than ever, but there’ll always be something satisfying about physical space. And if Klingon warriors understand anything, it’s getting physical. No, not like...well actually, yes like...anyway, Modiphius understands as well, and has the tools of violence to accommodate. Preorders are open for the Star Trek Adventures Klingon Empire Dice Set and Gamemaster Toolkit, with expected release next February. The Dice set includes four Star Trek Adventures-branded d6s and two d20s for $19.96 US. For $46.59 US, the Toolkit combines PDF and printed and GM screens, player reference sheets, and a 20-page one-shot story. The Toolkit also offers double-sided maps of Klingon space and Alpha/Beta Quadrants, but in the original Klingonese. Good thing you have until February to learn the language. Image linked from Modiphius.net The Winter of Our Disco-Content Image linked from Startrekonline.com Everyone knows what’s the best temperature for serving revenge. But what about holiday cheer? Is it the steamy heat of a mug of mulled bloodwine? The thrilling chill of a full-impulse snowball to the face? The searing torment of Grethor’s flames? Who knows? The omnipotent Q does, and he’s oh so ready to share with you. Hang the gummi fish and prime your snowblowers: Q’s Winter Wonderland approaches. The 2020 Winter Event runs from December 8th to January 7th on all platforms. This year, all your favorite activities contribute to daily progress towards the new T6 Gok’tad Carrier. We only have a beauty shot of the flaming Fek’Ihri boat to go on for now. Image linked from startrekonline.com Until ship stats are released, let’s journey through the catalog of this year’s wonderful new toys: The Purple Nanopulse Discovery-Era Bat’Leth finally bridges the so-called Red vs. Blue divide in Star Trek Online. Sort of. Image linked from startrekonline.com Be the pride of the Quadrant with rainbow winter coats and faction-appropriate winter sweaters Image linked from startrekonline.com Judge friends and family this year, with the one chair that outranks the Captain: the consumable Q’s Chair, specifically Image linked from startrekonline.com Sing holiday carols of ice and fire with Grethor-themed training manuals and kit modules Image linked from startrekonline.com Help is always on the way with the Rescue St. Bernard ground pet, which--oh who cares about holiday theming, IT’S A PUPPY Image linked from startrekonline.com, and also PUPPYYYYYY!!!!! Tweetwatch: Feline Fine in Star Trek Online Closing out this week’s news with some light frivolity because, dang it, we’ve earned some. On November 30th, the STO Twitter shared a picture of Grudge, Discovery season 3’s break-out star, in NCC 1031-A’s captain’s chair. Cryptic mused that they’re “Wondering what her VO rate is like,” but it’s undoubtedly worth it. Grudge’s vocal performances are second only to Morn’s, and would only enrich the game further. No word on how Captain Killy (remember her?) might react, should they cross paths in-game. But consider this, captains: Grudge is already a queen. Might she, dare we suggest, be an Emperor as well? Image linked from Twitter https://twitter.com/trekonlinegame/status/1333535891063664640?s=20

This episode of Priority One is brought to you by Eaglemoss Hero Collector and the brand new Official Star Trek Online Starship Collection.  Check out all the exclusive ship models – including the U.S.S. Gagarin and the U.S.S. Chimera – at priorityonepodcast.com/ships and use code PRIORITY10 at checkout to get 10% off your purchase with FREE SHIPPING. This week on Episode 487 of Priority One ~ We ‘Trek Out’ Streaming numbers, ViacomCBS BIPOC initiatives, what is “who will be the next Jeopardy host”, and Brentwood. In Star Trek gaming, we talk about Star Trek Online’s Tzenkethi Lobi Bundle, the dreaded Mudd bundle of also-dread, and STO’s monetization model! Then we head On Screen to watch Star Trek: Discovery’s newest episode - “Die Trying” Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Do you think LeVar Burton should be the next host of Jeopardy? If so, did you sign the petition? If not,  who should be? AND CQ: How do you feel about the selection and pricing of new STO Ships in 2020? TREK IT OUT by Jake Morgan Where CBS All Access Measures Up We love numbers! They can tell us so much about a wide variety of topics - or nothing at all. So take this exciting adventure with us, dear listeners, as we dive into the rush of alphanumerics - Streaming numbers! This week, as they do most weeks, Business Insider ranked the top streaming shows for the week - and Star Trek: Discovery hit number 3 on that list!  The ratings, provided by Parrot Analytics, placed Star Trek higher than “The Umbrella Academy” and “The Boys”, but still looking up at “Stranger Things” and “The Mandalorian”. Star Trek: Discovery’s MetaCritic rating for the current season (93%) is also third on the list, topped by “The Boys” (97%) and the newest season of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (100%). But, numbers. According to Forbes “The State Of The Streaming Wars”, CBS All Access - the streaming platform that streams all-things Star Trek - has the lowest subscribers of any premium service; And they rolled Showtime subscribers into the CBS All Access tally. Netflix tops the list with 195 million subscribers, newcomer Peacock checks in with a solid 22 million, and CBS All Access? 17.9 million subscribers. But what does all of this mean? Well, like I said in the intro - numbers can tell us so much, and at the same time so little. ViacomCBS’ Plans For BIPOC Inclusion If 2020 has done anything, it’s given of us all crippling anxiety - but it has also raised awareness of social injustice. This week, ViacomCBS continued to institute policies that will hopefully make Star Trek’s future of inclusion and equality a reality. According to Deadline, CBS has enacted an edict that would require 50% of its reality television cast to be Black, Indigenous or People of Color - or BIPOC. Further, at least 25% of the show's development budget must be spent on BIPOC creators and producers. Why is this important? Well, most programming for the 2020-2021 season has shifted towards reality programming due to the global pandemic, and the edict brings reality television in-line with ViacomCBS’ policies regarding its scripted-brethren. Back in July, ViacomCBS announced that ”The broadcaster is committing 25% of its script development budget to projects from creators, writers and producers who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. The scheme will begin with the 2021/22 development season. It is also mandating that writers’ rooms for CBS shows must be staffed with a minimum of 40% BIPOC representation for the 2021/22 broadcast season. This will be increased to 50% for the 2022/23 season.” LeVar Burton - Game Show Host? Last week, Canadian born Game Show Icon Alex Trebek passed after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The 80 year-old Trebek spent 37 seasons hosting the popular trivia game show “Jeopardy”, and following his passing many were left wondering - who would replace the legendary host?  While no one could truly replace Trebek, some fans had a suggestion for the vacancy - Roots, Reading Rainbow, and Star Trek star LeVar Burton! Fan Joshua Sanders started a change.org petition for the 63 year-old Burton, saying ”Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds. This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producers Mike Richards and Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we'd all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”.  At the time of this writing, the petition had over 89,000 signatures, with a goal of 150,000. On November 12th, the man of the hour - LeVar Burton - tweeted about the petition, saying ”Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell [you] much how I appreciate all y’alls love and support! Folded handsHeart suit!” https://twitter.com/levarburton/status/1326973244847624195 Brentwood Sounds like everyone loves LeVar Burton, right? WRONG. Brent Spiner HATES LeVar Burton - and after all of those evites, who can blame him? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re going to want to follow the link in our show notes - after you're done listening to this show of course! Spiner, and the aforementioned LeVar Burton, star in the Omeleto short film titled “Brentwood”. In the short-form comedy, Spiner plays an exaggerated version of himself - think Larry David from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” - who hates his neighbors, conventions, awards shows, podcasts,and especially LeVar Burton.  There’s singing, dancing, shrimp, epi-pens - and content totally inappropriate for younger audiences, so keep that in mind before watching. The twelve minute film was Directed by Sharon Everitt and written by Karen Anderson, Jeff Cosgrove and Everitt. Trek out our show notes if you want to watch the film - and trust me you want to watch the film! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVwCcUQRjU&t=31s Star Trek Gaming News by Shane Hoover and Thomas Reynolds Shell Games: the Tzenkethi Lobi Bundle By Thomas Reynolds Bundles, bundles, bundles: if there’s anything that typifies the current player experience in STO, it’s the ever-expanding number of bundles for sale. By far, the majority of bundles have been available through the C-Store. Isn’t it time the Lobi store got some love? Well fear not, PC captains, because the Tzenkethi are here to help. Sort of. Hooray. The limited-edition Tzenkethi Lobi Bundle will be locking its trajectory into the PC Lobi store from November 20th through the 30th. Captains who drop 1800 Lobi(!) and walk the Path of Spending will get these character-bound Bundle contents: Tzenkethi Shuk-din Escort [T6] 5 Diffusive Tetryon Weapons Console - Universal - Shared Processing Integration Tzenkethi Vanity Shield Tzenkethi Duty Officer Assignments 6 Ultimate Tech Upgrades Dread of Zen. Dread of Not-Zen. By Shane Hoover Thief. Swindler. Con man. Liar. Rogue. Yes, Harcourt Fenton Mudd has warped into the C-Store with another of his infamous Mudd’s Market Choice Packs. This week’s new offering is called Mudd’s Choice Pack of Dread. Since we’re all getting pretty familiar with the idea of Mudd’s Choice Packs by now, let’s just cover the essential details quickly. From the Choice Pack, you can choose any three of the following: Hur’q Vecrid Hive Dreadnought [T6] Tholian Tarantula Dreadnought [T6] Temporal Paradox Dreadnought [T6] 50 Master Keys 2 Coupons for 100% Off a T6 C-Store ship 10 Ultimate Tech Upgrades And let’s not forget, those T6 Dreadnoughts are account-wide unlocks only when purchased here. If you buy the same ship with Lobi, it’s a character locked ship. First, let us state something clearly - the value proposition for this bundle looks decent in the mathematics, like pretty much all of the Legendary bundles or Mudd’s packs. If these choices look good to you, and you’ve got the disposable cash, then you probably won’t get struck with buyer’s remorse. Mudd's Market Now, let’s talk about why we’re not going to rave over another Mudd’s Market bundle. Not to put too fine a point on it, 2020 has been a year of seismic change in how Star Trek Online wants you to buy starships. If I asked you how many brand new Tier 6 ships hit the C-Store for individual, non-bundle, purchase in 2020, what would you guess? If you guess more than four, you’re wrong. August’s Cross-Faction Support Carrier Bundle introduced the only four individually available ships new to the C-Store THIS YEAR. Now, how many new or re-modeled Tier 6 ships hit the C-Store this year locked into a bundle of $60 or $120? The correct answer, I believe, is seven ships. For bonus points, how many new T6 ships arrived via Lockbox or Promotional box in 2020? We count five of those.  Which brings us back to the topic at hand… Mudd’s Market, where another deal slides in at $295 “regular price” for three ships. This is the third Mudd’s Choice pack of 2020. A few other ships appeared solo in Mudd’s Market as well. This takes us to something like 23 out of 27 ships in 2020 not available for single purchase via Zen. It seems painfully clear that the direction of monetization in Star Trek Online has taken a drastic turn towards high stakes purchases. So we don’t think it’s just a question of whether there’s value in these Bundles. Clearly there is. But what has happened to the offerings for lower stakes, more casual players? We all want to enjoy the amazing work of STO’s talented ship artists and ship designers. It shouldn’t be monetized so far out of reach. And for the love of the Great Bird, don’t even mention the Reputation Tier 5 buyout, or we’re going to lose it over here. Disco & Dungeons & Dragons By Shane Hoover There was also some lighthearted Star Trek related gaming news this past week. Anthony Rapp, Discovery’s Paul Stamets, tweeted out a #NerdAlert on the 9th. In the tweet, Rapp declared that “there’s a small but mighty group of Star Trek Discovery cast members who’ve begun a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.” . Rapp himself is apparently playing a half-elf Druid, even going so far as sharing a screenshot of his character sheet. The gaming group on-set is composed of the DM, Mary Wise’s husband Noah, plus Rapp and four fellow castmates. In the ensuing Twitter discussion, Rapp named party members as Blu del Barrio (playing tiefling wizard Bink), Ian Alexander (playing elf bard Vyvee), and Emily Coutts (playing half-elf cleric Airlia). The final member of the party is unnamed, but Rapp says they’re playing a Goliath ranger. When asked about playing a Star Trek Adventures tabletop campaign, Anthony replied, “We get to play Star Trek for a living. It’s a very very very pleasurable living! But DnD is our escape” https://twitter.com/albinokid/status/1325856796007948292 Don’t Say the Titan’s Back, It’s Been Here For Years By Thomas Reynolds Writer’s note: Cryptic made the following announcement on November 18th, after we recorded everything you just heard. So if this seems out of left field, after we just went off about Cryptic not releasing new ships...well, it is. Such is life. Listeners may remember that, back in episode 482, associate producer Thomas declared that STO would have a T6 Luna-class vessel by the end of 2020. It’d be the perfect time, with an appearance in Lower Decks and the long-standing player demand for such a ship. And wouldn’t you know it: next week, we’re getting just that. Who was right? Yes, Thomas was right. Arriving on PC on November 20th, the Titan-class Science Destroyer [T6] offers a compelling platform for pewpewing new life and new civilizations. Like the Dyson destroyers before it, the Titan-class toggles between Science and Tactical modes, reflecting its dual roles in exploration and combat. It also comes with the Opening Salvo universal console, which fires variable projectiles depending on your ship’s current mode (like the Arbiter’s V.A.T.A. console). The projectiles do kinetic damage in both modes, but in default (Science) mode they temporarily disable all of the target’s subsystems. Flipped to Tactical, the salvo will do kinetic AoE and inflict a damage resistance debuff instead. Finally, the Opening Salvo console boosts EPG and weapon specialization so it’ll be a welcome addition whatever mode, or mood, you’re in. As a T6 ship, the Titan-class also features the “It’s Another Enterprise” starship trait. When slotted, activating your captain’s Fleet ability will summon your faction’s flagship for temporary assistance. This update also introduces a Fleet T6 version of the Titan, and gives the existing Luna-class model a hi-fi redo like those seen in the Ship of the Line bundles.

This episode of Priority One is brought to you by Eaglemoss Hero Collector and the brand new Official Star Trek Online Starship Collection.  Check out all the exclusive ship models – including the U.S.S. Gagarin and the U.S.S. Chimera – at priorityonepodcast.com/ships and use code PRIORITY10 at checkout to get 10% off your purchase with FREE SHIPPING. This week on Episode 486 of Priority One - We ‘Trek Out’ Stream Dreams, LGBTQ representation, Tuvix gets political, and Roddenberry is recognized. In Star Trek gaming, we talk about Star Trek Online’s discount of a lifetime, Legendary package of a not-so-lifetime, and how a 10 year old game stays funky-fresh - Hint: it’s Quality of Life Improvements! Then we head On Screen to watch Star Trek: Discovery’s newest episode - “Forget me Not” Of course, as always, before we wrap up the show, we’ll open hailing frequencies for your incoming messages Let us know on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting our website! This Week’s Community Questions are: CQ: Was Janeway justified in splitting Tuvix to save Tuvok and Neelix? Did she murder Tuvix? AND CQ: Has the shift in content release models affected how often you play Star Trek Online? TREK IT OUT by Jake Morgan ViacomCBS’ Plans For 2021...and BEYOND This week, ViacomCBS presented their Quarter 3 earnings call to the media. Exciting,right? The call might not have sparked as intense a debate as new chairs on the Cerritos, but there was enough information shared to get us excited. It’s Earning’s-Call-Time According to an article on “The Verge” outlining the November 6th call, ViacomCBS’ plan is to streamline its streaming platforms - with a focus on Paramount+ and Pluto TV - continue to push its original content, and license some of its many properties to the competition. We talked about this plan a bit in episode 472 of Priority One, so trek it out if you need a refresher! The long-and-short of it - ViacomCBS believes they have enough content to draw in subscribers, retain them - and can still viably license out the rest! Star Trek was referred to several times throughout the call. Most notably, ViacomCBS President and CEO Bob Bakish had praise for the franchise, saying ”Star Trek, [...] [is] arguably the original proof of concept for CBS All Access, there are now multiple variance of it on All Access, it works well for us.” Image Linked From The Verge Kurtzman, Paradise, del Barrio, and Alexander Talk the Importance of Representation Hey you. Yeah you. Stop right there! If you haven’t seen Star Trek: Discovery season 3,episode 4 - “Forget Me Not" - skip this story! You’ll get your Trek nuggets covered in sauce. SPOILER ALERT Okay, for those still here, this week's episode of Star Trek: Discovery introduced us to Ian Alexander’s ‘Gray’. We’ll certainly talk more about Adira and Gray in this week’s “On Screen”, but in the context of this story it’s important to note that Gray’s appearance was Star Trek’s first unquestioned inclusion of a trans character. In honor of the historic event, Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Ian Alexander, and Adira actor Blu del Barrio spoke with Variety  about LGBTQ representation in Star Trek. Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise talked about the discussion to introduce a non-binary and trans character to the series, saying ”We really wanted to look around and see what sorts of new stories we could tell. ‘Star Trek’ has always represented a myriad of voices. Who are the voices that we are not hearing from? Which are the characters that we are not seeing? Right now, what’s an important voice that we want to hear through these characters?” Image courtesy of Variety LGBTQ Inclusion We discussed Blu del Barrio’s introduction last week - so we don’t want to rehash that conversation - though del Barrio did reiterate their comfort on set during the interview. Ian Alexander echoed those feelings, recounting a story in which the Discovery team had a binder ready for his use before a request was made. Though Alexander notes that ”any trans storyline should have a trans writer” he was comfortable with the way his story unfolded in season 4.  ”I haven’t had any concerns about Gray’s character yet, because it’s just been such a collaborative process from the very beginning. I really do trust Michelle, that she’s putting in the work of being a good trans ally and checking in with me, and also making sure to always include Gray in the storyline in a way that’s not alienating or othering them. They want to have trans characters existing in this universe and to not have to struggle or to suffer. They’re just simply existing.” Behind the Scenes Shot Via Variety AOC on Tuvix? If you aren’t sick of Politics by now, you may have the patience of a saint. Or maybe a Vulcan? But if you are FED up with the back and forth of the two opposing sides, rip yourself away from them and talk Star Trek with us - and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That rambling madness is a lead-in to a twitter exchange that happened this week. New York Congressional Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is no stranger to Twitch. The newly re-elected Ocasio-Cortez made her debut on the streaming platform to mobilize young voters. Playing the popular “Among US”, AOC hit an amazing 435,000 viewers, putting her in the top 20 Twitch streams EVER. On November 4th, Ocasio-Cortez received a request to stream again - to which she suggested she would ,before asking for requests.  https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1324194121569964032 The US Representative received a response from Star Trek community member Trekonimics saying ”We need to talk about justice for Tuvix, I understand it's a very niche issue but it matters in so far as it raises the delicate and dare I say, eminently *political* question of whether ends justify means.” https://twitter.com/trekonomics/status/1324198380315140099 To which AOC replied ”This one is deep. Would definitely have to rewatch it but this is solid” https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1324199525666430977 It Gets Better Cool, right? But wait, there’s more! The Captain herself - Kate Mulgrew - had a few things to say about the matter.  ”Willing to hear the crew’s thoughts, as always. However, shouldn’t Tuvok and Neelix have the biggest say...oh wait, they couldn’t! I stand by my decision to restore them to their lives. Rewatch and report back, AOC - and congrats on your win!” https://twitter.com/TheKateMulgrew/status/1324216726754643969 One of the men she saved, or the actor who played him - Tim Russ - also joined the show, saying ”Thank you Kate...I appreciate that!  and thank you for the positive message AOC. “Live Long and Prosper”” https://twitter.com/timruss2/status/1324432389028786176 We WILL let you know if US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez goes to Twitch to talk Star Trek! In the meantime, trek out our show notes for links to the tweets! Young Artist Academy Honors Rod Roddenberry Finally this week, we’d like to congratulate our friend Rod Roddenberry on his 2020 Special Merit “Contribution to Science” Award from the Young Artists Academy. The Young Artists Academy is Hollywood's longest running Youth Awards Show since 1978. Social Activist and Star Trek legend George Takei will present the award to Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. Fellow Star Trek Alumni Sir Patrick Stewart will also be honored. He will be presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by friend and colleague Jonathan Frakes. From the Young Artist Academy Press Release, ”The 41st Young Artist Academy™ awards will be a first-ever digital show, streaming on YouTube Premieres Saturday, November 21st at 4:00pm PST, and available on VivaLiveTV. Ticket holders will have VIP access to a virtual Red Carpet Pre-show + Member/Press Lounge, and have opportunities to interact with fellow attendees durring the awards show with video, messaging, trivia, games and prizes.”. Join us in sending sincere congratulations to both Sir Patrick Stewart and our very own Rod Roddenberry on their well-deserved accolades!!! Rod Roddenberry via IMDB Star Trek Gaming News by Shane Hoover and Thomas Reynolds Doing 200 to Life(time By Thomas Reynolds “Life--time! The less-expensive Life-time! Two hundred for a Life-time! Yes--it’s--true!” [beepadeepaabeepaboop] The year 2020 is mercifully drawing to a close, which inevitably means one thing: the holidays are upon us. And that, in turn, inevitably means two things: family gatherings and holiday sales. But if the former fills you with dread, PC captains, Cryptic has your back with the latter. From now through December 10th, Lifetime subscriptions for Star Trek Online are on sale for US$199.99--a significant 33% discount. A hold-over from the pre-F2P era, purchasing a Lifetime subscription unlocks over a dozen enhancements and services for the game. Some appeal to very specific parts of the player base, like the playable Talaxian and Liberated Borg character races. However automatically refining 8000 dilithium/day on all characters, and 500 free Zen/month, are benefits everyone can get behind. Boosting Ambition By Thomas Reynolds Discovery season 3 is bringing the Crossfield-class crew to the strange new worlds of future year 3188. But being stuck in the less-future year of 2411 doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the action. Captains will also be able to launch their Discovery-era characters far into the future with the Legendary Discovery Captain Bundle. This bundle is available on PC November 12th (day of recording), and sometime before 2021 on console. Like this summer’s Legendary Romulan Captain Bundle, the new bundle lets you advance one Discovery-faction character to level 65. In fact, other than your hologram boffs representing Discovery show characters, the new bundle’s boost content is identical to the last… the list is long… but here some of our favorites: 1,000,000 Energy Credits 1,000,000 Expertise 250,000 Reputation Dilithium Vouchers A set of five Bridge Officer Specializations (one for each type) 5 Enhanced Universal Tech Upgrades 36 inventory slots 12 account bank slots 6 Bridge Officer Slots 2 starship slots Very Rare Mk XIV ground and space equipment for a complete captain build 6 Commander-rank Very Rare Discovery Photonic Bridge Officers, with all basic abilities trained and Very Rare Mk XIV ground sets As a Legendary bundle, it also includes the new Legendary Walker Light Battlecruiser for all Federation-aligned characters on your account. We’ll get to it a moment, but great discoveries come with great costs and this one’s no exception. The Legendary Discovery Captain Bundle will hit you for an eye-watering 12,000 Zen, or 6,000 at release. It’s a major investment for one toon, ship notwithstanding–you’d better plan to get a lot of mileage out of them. Priority One Podcast asked our social media followers what they thought about the bundle, and oh did they have opinions: Via Star Trek Online Feedback @brianetters: “i'll think about it when they give us the lvl 65 token separately” @selig_joshua: “I will try to be civil, but seriously, do the Devs not realise that we are in a pandemic, that the world economy has in effect tanked and a lot of people can barely hold it together mentally or fearful for their jobs and then they charge this are they on a different planet?” @zeuslegion: “I'd buy the more expensive ships if they included a ‘LaForge Modular Engineering Systems’ mechanic that let me live out the dream of getting 96% engine efficiency by mixing, matching, and tweaking 9 to 12 components on a slotted grid.” Joye McCaster on Facebook: “Hate it, would buy the ship at a normal c-store price or even for 5$ extra because of the account skill. But the bundle is just way too overpriced. I don't see a single thing in it that gives that kind of value. If you have bought any of the prior packs that had anything related to the walker class you will already have the skins, or the t4 ship which really cheapens their value and purpose of buying them.” Walk(er) It Back Now, Y’all By Shane Hoover Okay Captains, let’s reign in the hyperventilating by taking a closer look at that new Legendary Walker Light Battlecruiser. We’ll cut straight to the important question here and ask “How does this thing compare with the T6 Walker we’ve already got?” The biggest differences players will care about are the changes to the Bridge Officer Stations. Rather than the T6 Walker’s Ensign Engineering/Intel station, the Legendary Walker sports a nice Commander Engineering/Command station. So that Rank 3 Concentrate Firepower ability is tempting. It also drops a Science station to Lieutenant, while raising an Ensign Engineering station to Lieutenant. The Legendary ship’s console layout bumps up Tactical and Science slots while dropping two Engineering slots. Like all Legendary ships, the Walker comes with the Universal console from its T6 predecessor. It also comes with the Cyclical Polarity Modulator and Antimatter Spread consoles.  These consoles do not constitute a set, though, unlike many other Legendary ships’ consoles. In fact, the Antimatter Spread console is part of a completely different three piece set.  Via Star Trek Online Thoughts If you ask us, strictly in terms of ship stats, this isn’t really a huge improvement over the T6 Walker. If you already love the Walker you’ve got, you probably don’t need to rush for this. And if you want a solid Battlecruiser, there are cheaper high quality options on the C-Store like the Gagarin or Arbiter. But there is one other wrinkle worth consideration here. The T6 Walker Light Exploration Cruiser is a Lobi ship, which is Character-bound. This new Legendary Walker Light Battlecruiser is an account-wide unlock for all Federation aligned characters. So if you want a Walker on two, three, or a handful of characters, then you’re definitely in the market for this. The $60 on-sale price is significantly better value than multiple Lobi ship unlocks. Hallelujah, We Have Traits In Loadouts! By Thomas Reynolds Traaaits in loadouts! Traaaits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in looooaadouts! Weeee have been WANting this! Almost seven years (traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts!) Eeeeeever since Season 8-point-5 lauuuunched them (traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts!) Noooo more forgEh-ehtiiiing to slot Hooonored Dead Aaand you shall be! Ready! for all random queues (traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts!) Soooo that Gravity Kills doesn’t suck as bad (traits in! Load! Outs!) The active rep trait slooooots shall be no moooooore Instead you shall have ten: five for space traits, and five for ground! And now they REspect Vis-u-als Onnn and Off Yes now they REspect Vis-u-als Onnn and Off LOAD! OUT! TRAIIIITTS (traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts!) FOR SPACE! MAP! BUIIIIIILDS! (traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts!) Shall be on P-C soon and consoles laaaaater! Soon on PC! Consoles later! Soon on PC! Consoles later! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! Traits in loadouts! TRAAAAAITS IIIIIIIIN LOOOAAAAADOUUUUTS Keeping It Fresh on the Final Frontier By Thomas Reynolds Star Trek Online’s content release model has dramatically--and intentionally--changed in the last three years. Previously each “season” introduced a mission arc that, with over a dozen episodes, felt like a season of television. In addition, it seemed we could reliably expect a new reputation to grind with every other release or so (The Sphere, Legacy of Romulus, Delta Rising, Agents of Yesterday, and so on). Now, however, a “season” release is considered one or two mission stories and one or two new TFOs, spaced apart with special events. This isn’t an indictment, mind you--we’re not J’accuse-ing any one at Cryptic--but it’s definitely changed how we feel logging in day after day, if not week after week. When grind events take up the vast majority of the calendar, how do you keep the game feeling new and interesting?