Ceti Alpha 3: A Star Trek Podcast

Best of ... Star Trek!With the arrival of 300 episodes, stranded here on Ceti Alpha 3, the trio opens up about their favorite scenes from almost 60 years of Star Trek. They span the centuries of the franchise for moments that continue to echo throughout the years. Join us in this retrospective of the Best of Star Trek!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3169638/advertisement

The Next Generation Season One - Trivia Time!With the closing(?) of The Next Generation story with season three of "Star Trek: Picard," let us go back to the beginning - how well do we know how it all started!The trio is split up for some trivia questions involving pre-production of TNG, as well as the going-ons of the 1987-1988 premiere season of Next Gen. How well do you know about origins of all the characters? Including names that eventually evolved into the ones we know today? How about the design of the Enterprise-D?Join the trivia master and answer along with this quiz about the first season of TNG.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3169638/advertisement

Mothers in TrekWIth Mothers' Day being celebrated in many countries this past week, the trio looks at the many mothers in Trek. The definition can be narrow or liberal (is the Borg Queen a mother???), but many characters have raised offspring of various sorts throughout the franchise. No matter what century you find yourself, you'll find a mother for our favorite Trek characters.

Recreation in TrekSpace exploration is great but everyone onboard a starship (or space station) needs a chance to relax. The trio asks - where can you get away from it all in space?They look at the countless facilities we've been shown on Federation starships, from holodecks to anbo-jyutsu and from gyms to springball. Which would you choose during your time off? And then there's the vacation spots of the galaxy. From Risa to the shore leave planet, where would you schedule an annual holiday?Sit back and relax as Trek's many places to chill are explored. Which is your favorite?

Star Trek Picard, S03E10And so it ends, a Generation's Final Journey. Wait ... that may have been the tagline for "Star Trek: Nemesis." In any case, "The Last Generation" marks the series finale for the third season of "Picard," as well as the last (??) voyage of The Next Generation crew. Did it wrap up the season long arc of Jack Crusher and the Federation-wide conspiracy? Where does this leave all our characters? Do we want to know more about where all our TNG favorites now are in their personal journeys? The trio dives into this episode, saying goodbye to Jean-Luc Picard and his Enterprise-D family, as well as what awaits the next ... next generation.

Star Trek: Picard, S03E08-09We begin the ending of "Star Trek: Picard" as we approach the last episode of season three, and the series overall. The trio jumps into some familiar looking bridge stations as we discuss the episodes "Surrender" and "Võx". From grisly enemy victories to heroic last minute saves, we look at how the story elements of Jack Crusher, the anatagonist (or secret, new/old antagonist!), and our favorite TNG characters are coming together for a grand finale.

Star Trek: Picard, S03E07Our "Star Trek: Picard: coverage continues as we examine "Dominion," an episode the reveals more about the backstory of series antagonist Vadic. What happened to other changelings in the Alpha Quadrant? We also see what fool-proof plan Picard can hatch to save the day ... unless it doesn't work??

Star Trek: Picard, S03E06You want Star Trek? This episode gives you Star Trek!The adventures continue on the USS Titan-A as they arrive at the Fleet Museum, led by a familiar Next Gen face and his (other) daughter, as well as the top super secret vault at the Daystrom Station, filled to the gills with all the leftover Trek props.The trio looks at the Picard episode "The Bounty", where the second half of the season begins. Join us as we press pause on our screens to capture all the fan service (in a good way!) extras, and we encounter the last of our main TNG crew to complete the set. How is the Next Gen crew doing in the 25th Century? Is there a next Next Gen crew being assembled? And what awaits us in the future?

Picard - Season 3, Episode 5The trio returns to their weekly reflections on season three of "Star Trek: Picard." The latest entry, "Imposters", continues the adventures of Picard and Riker on the USS Titan-A. The mystery of the changeling threat continues, as a Next Gen favorite returns - but not with a friendly face. A swirling of storyline between the Crushers (Beverly and Jack), Picard, Riker, Shaw, and some occassional glimpses of Seven marks the first half of the season's episodes.

Star Trek: Picard, Season three, episodes 2-4.The trio is back after sometime in sickbay, and they're happy to continue their voyage aboard the USS Titan-A. Season three of "Picard" has gotten more positive buzz than its prior two seasons, from both fans and critics. What is that enthusiasm based on? What new treatment of characters, plot, effects, etc. have made the past three episodes an improvement on prior seasons? Join us as we dive into the first half of season three of "Picard."

Picard 0301 - "The Next Generation"It's finally here! "Star Trek: Picard" kicks off its last season, and promised TNG reunion, with lots to chew on in this first episode. The trio boards the U.S.S. Titan-A and shares their opinions about its captain and first officer. Picard and Riker begin their buddy adventure with the mysterious reapperance of Dr. Crusher - what does this new journey promise? What's going on with Raffi? And who is next to show up from the Enterprise-D?

Writing the next TNG Film"Star Trek: Nemesis" marked that last big-screen outing for the TNG crew. As "Picard" season three reunites the crew for another (last?) adventure, the trio creates an alternative universe where we say goodbye to the Next Gen crew in a fifth movie. Where would we catch up with the crew? Who would be getting promoted? What new characters would be introduced?Join us for a movie with some, um, "call backs" to earlier movies and TV series. We create an outline that continues the story, while also providing closure for our favorite characters (especially those not as well served in other stories). It's a Generational final final FINAL journey movie!

The (Movie) TNG Goodbye: Star Trek: NemesisAs we look forward to "Star Trek: Picard" season three, with the final (?) journey of the TNG crew, the trio looks back to the original goodbye for that crew. There's conflicting stories about whether the fourth Next Gen film was meant to be a cinematic farewell - but considering Data's sacrifice, Riker's promotion and marraige to Troi, and deleted scenes that had other characters move on from the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, it seems it was "A Generation's Final Journey" (as the movie posters stated). How does this film work as a final goodbye? Were the themes introduced with the characters Shinzon and B-4 helpful? How were all the characters used? Does the movie still hold up? Join us as a we revisit this final (?) TNG film.

The "Gaps" in Star TrekThe Trek franchise continues to expand, and with more and more series and movies, fans learn more about this fantastic universe. But even after all this time, there are still stories that feel like they are "missing." The real-world reasons are obvious: Writers don't want to get into how Spock spent his time from post-Star Trek VI to the events of "Unification" (TNG) because they don't want to disrupt any future stories. Or else they just never got to telling the events of the Romulan War because "Enterprise" got cancelled. The trio takes this opportunity to explore the "untold" stories of the Trek franchise that deserve further investigation. From the voyages of the Enterprise-B to the Enterprise-E's missions during the Dominion War, from the history of the many lives of the Dax symbiont to the origin of the Borg, join us as we ask, "hey ... what happened?"

What if ... Starfleet Didn't Have Shields?In the ever popular game of comparing sci-fi franchises to each other, one unique aspect of Star Trek compared to others, like "Battlestar Galactica" and, to an extent, "Star Wars," is the presence of shields on starships during combat. The trio imagines a Trek universe where shields don't exist (or are not as effective), and ships show a little more wear and tear after they log a few star miles (or kilometers). How would our favorite "hero" ships and space stations look every season? Would there need to be new title sequences every year? Join us as we imagine how Starfleet combat doctrine and ship construction would change in this new imagined universe.

Hologram RightsStar Trek is often at its best when exploring philosophical debates about the very nature of existance. Holograms, especially the Doctor from "Voyager", litter the franchise - but what rights should they have? Are they "people" (whatever the means)? Are they more than they appear? Or does their very appearance make us believe they are more than these computer programs are? The trio goes through the holographic panthoeon of Trek and other artificial lifeforms, exploring how our organic characters treat holograms and what that says about them. How should we treat holograms? Let's under the holodeck and learn more about what this "sentience" thing is all about.

Season 7 - Voyager"Star Trek: Voyager" was the third (and, to date, last) Trek series to enter its seventh and final season. The previous series had taken different approaches to "wrapping up" their time on television screens -"The Next Generation" continued its more episodic approach, with a finale that left our cast still exploring the final frontier; "Deep Space Nine" continued its more serialised approach, with a final few episodes that was dedicated to wrapping up the story of the Dominion War and give each character (more or less) a proper narrative ending. "Voyager" entered its seventh season with a question hanging over it - would the crew finally get home? If so, how? And when? Would we see the aftermath of this mixed crew finally reintegrating back to "normal" life in the Federation? Or would we see a season of "consequences" from their time in the Delta Quadrant? The trio look at the final season, both what we might have liked to see and what we actually got. We look at which character arcs dominat

Trek Celebrity Autographs/Picture/Etc.If you've been to a Trek/sci-fi convention, you know the options: You can wait in a long line for a quick photo with your favourite actor/director/writer/etc., you can attend a panel, or you can get an autograph, along with a few seconds of interaction. The trio discusses their past encouters with Trek (and other franchise) celebrities in the autograph line. Who would you like to spend a few moments of coversation with, while leaving with a signed piece of memorabilia? Is there a better system? Let us know about your con experiences!

Trek Time TravelStar Trek, like most sci-fi franchises, has been known to dip into the well of time travels stories, on occasion. It's almost expected for every television series to travel back to the viewers' "present day" at least once in its life. But, on the whole, how successful have time travel stories been? Do they "make sense"? Do they need to? Does introducing the knowledge of time travel "break" the Star Trek universe? Join the trio as we step into the TARDIS, er, slingshot around the sun on an adventure in time and space ... um, the final frontier.

Revisiting "Enterprise"Live-action "Star Trek" has been successful in all its incarnations ... except for "Star Trek: Enterprise." Fans do enjoy the series, so it maintains success there - but it is the only Trek series to be cancelled prematurely since The Original Series. During its four season, there were many shows - the exploration and strange, new worlds of seasons one and two, the Xindi War thread of season three, and the celebration of Trek of season four. This series remains a jewel in the Trek franchise crown, but what will the trio look forward to upon rewatch? They discuss the good, bad, and ugly of "Enterprise" and why they all want to rewatch it next.