Star Trek: The Pod Directive

Where do fictional languages come from? How are they devised? Hear from the creator of the Klingon language, Marc Okrand, on his process of designing the famous conlang (constructed language) and his first few Star Trek gigs. You'd be surprised by the amount of vocabulary, syntax, and grammar that go into inventing the conlang. Host David Pogue also interviews language creator David Peterson on hi...

Ever wondered how warping would work in real life? Astrophysicist Dr. Erin Macdonald knows. Erin takes the inner workings of science and makes them possible in the science fiction universe we love on Star Trek. She also highlights one of her favorite Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, “The Magnificent Ferengi”, because everyone loves an Iggy Pop appearance. This episode originally aired on May 1...

Author and actor John Hodgman is throwing it back with Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: The Original Series. He and our hosts analyze how these shows have impacted their views on interpersonal relationships and John dives into one of his favorite Next Generation episodes, “Lonely Among Us”. He is also desperately looking for a Judge Q costume if anyone has a spare! This episode origin...

Sir Patrick Stewart makes a special appearance on The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert. Following Colbert's commentary, he and Stewart discuss the final season of Star Trek: Picard. Stewart also shares tidbits about himself including how he stays so young, his role as King Oberon, and what he sees as the best way to start your day. This is an episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen C...

Creator of “All the Asians On Star Trek” and the “Angry Asian Man” blog, Phil Yu, discusses Asian representation in Star Trek and beyond. He speaks to his own experiences from watching Rosalind Chao as a kid to making it a mission to interview every Asian actor who has appeared on Star Trek. Throughout the years diversity has developed, but we’re also asking: What is meaningful representation? How...

The wonderful Michelle Yeoh, also known as Captain Philippa Georgiou, talks about her time working on Star Trek: Discovery and her experience with her Star Trek family. She gives us the background on her extensive career from dancing to acting, including how her inspiration for Georgiou came from contemporary dance. She also shares the things she wants to do in her career that she hasn’t done yet!...

Writer Christopher Cantwell joins the podcast as a fan and is greeted by fans of his own! Tawny and Paul are excited to welcome the creator of one of their favorite shows, Halt and Catch Fire, before diving into Cantwell’s Star Trek fandom, his IDW comic series, Star Trek: Defiant, and why everything always comes back to Klingons… not that we’re complaining. Check out a first taste of his next boo...

Debut author and science journalist Jaime Green is bringing her expertise and passion for life on our planet and others! Our hosts get a chance to ask her about evolution on earth and beyond, chat AI, revisit their conversation on SETI and METI from season 2, and discuss the uniqueness of alien life on Star Trek, in science fiction, and in the real world. Jaime’s book, The Possibility of Life, is...

Comedians, married couple, and -- most importantly -- friends of our hosts, Moshe Kasher and Natasha Leggero join the pod to help us find out what happens when a Trek fan marries someone who couldn't care less. Listen in as Tawny, Paul, and Moshe introduce Natasha to the classic DS9 episode, Trials and Tribble-ations. Want more Natasha and Moshe? Listen to their relationship advice podcast, Endles...

Science, space, and gaming journalist and StarTrek.com contributor Swapna Krishna helps Paul and Tawny answer one very important question about the sky above: ‘What’s all goin’ on up there?’ They talk through the latest news in space and interstellar travel; including NASA’s plans for 2023 and beyond, the future of space tourism, and more. Finally, Swapna recommends our hosts watch two of her favo...

And… action! Jonathan Frakes joins Paul and Tawny for the Season 3 premiere to discuss his first exposure with Trek and how he came to act and direct over 100 TV episodes along with the film “Star Trek: First Contact”. Plus, he talks about his experience being an official Marvel character actor as Captain America.

Join Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks) and Paul F. Tompkins (Doctor Migleemo on Lower Decks) for another season of Star Trek: The Pod Directive. You’ll hear a wide-ranging and often hilarious take on the Star Trek universe in every episode. Paul and Tawny will also be joined by fellow Trekkies, from cast members to diehard fans. This season, go behind the scenes of hit shows with gues...

In case you missed it at  Star Trek Day, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  writer and director, Nicholas Meyer, surprised the audience with the announcement of a new podcast,  Star Trek: Khan – Ceti Alpha V . The scripted podcast will examine what happened in the years after Captain Kirk left Khan on the untamed world of Ceti Alpha V and tells the story of Khan and his followers prior to the iconic...

It’s the last pod of the season, and Tawny and Paul are sitting down with producer and StarTrek.com Managing Editor Kendra James. Together, they’re recapping season 2 of The Pod Directive, talking shop, Star Trek News, and more before leaving listeners with a few Trek-centric recommendations to tide us all over until season 3. See you in a few months, everyone!

Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner, Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Paul F. Tompkins (Dr. Migleemo, Star Trek: Lower Decks) are joined by Jack Quaid (Brad Boimler, Star Trek: Lower Decks) for a… well, you can probably guess what we’re talking this week. Get some exclusive insight on the Lower Decks’ audition process, listen as the trio discusses Jack’s Star Trek learning curve, what it’s like being the re...

This week, Tawny and Paul sit down with the architect behind the modern Star Trek Universe, Alex Kurtzman. In an hour-long conversation, the three discuss what it takes to build a franchise, the amazingly talented people in front of and behind the camera who make the shows come to life, and why in 2021 Star Trek is now more important than ever when it comes to understanding the world we live in. I...

Vox TV Critic Emily VanDerWerff drops by the pod to talk about what it’s been like rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for the first time, not only as an adult, but during a global pandemic with her newly minted TV ‘book club.’ Together, Emily, Paul, and Tawny discuss DS9’s enduring legacy and why it speaks to so many LGBTQ fans, Emily’s very first experiences with Trek, and dip into the state o...

Director Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair, and the upcoming Lando Calrissian series for Disney+) joins Tawny and Paul this week to talk all things Trek and nostalgia. From stories of Simien’s childhood in the American South watching The Next Generation on an antenna TV, to learning all the, er, creative ways he figured out to make his own amateur sci-fi adventure, and the beauty of TNG’s...

Talia Lavin spent months immersing herself in the internet’s darkest corners, becoming an expert on how white supremacists organize online and what that means for the rest of us. After publishing Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy, she went for a palate cleanser and started watching Star Trek for the very first time. This week, Talia joins Tawny and Paul to discuss w...

Dr. Erin Macdonald is living any Star Trek fan’s dream, going from working on her doctorate in astrophysics while watching Star Trek: Voyager in the background to serving as a science consultant for the whole franchise. This week, the doctor joins Paul and Tawny to talk Iggy Pop, “Threshold,” Trek Tech, and everything in between.

The hosts of Newcomers, Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer, have turned their fandom curiosities to Star Trek in this podcast crossover. Watch the Deep Space Nine episode “In the Cards” and join us for a hilarious conversation that asks important questions like: Why have an auction if there’s no money? Is it cool for a child to sneak into a grown woman’s bedroom to steal a teddy bear? Why is baseball t...

We’re celebrating Mother’s Day with Tawny’s moms: Her TV mom, Dawnn Lewis (Captain Freeman, Star Trek: Lower Decks), and her real life mom, Stephanie! We’re talking all things Lower Decks, Enterprise, and Tawny Newsome (much to her dismay and Paul’s delight) on this week’s episode of Star Trek: The Pod Directive!

Phil Yu has set out on his own five year mission. In 2020, the Star Trek fan -- who blogs under the name Angry Asian Man -- started his own podcast All the Asians on Star Trek where he, as the title says, plans to interview every Asian actor who has appeared on Star Trek. It’s a lofty goal, but Phil’s already made big strides, and this week he’s sitting down with Paul and Tawny to talk about his p...

Michelle Yeoh! Tawny Newsome! Paul F. Tompkins! Need we say more? Join us for a wide ranging conversation with Phillipa Georgiou herself, spanning the world from Malaysia, to Toronto, to Paris, and of course talking about everything Star Trek: Discovery, but also so much more. Star Trek fan or not, this is an interview you don’t want to miss!

This week we're welcoming John Hodgman (The Daily Show, Judge John Hodgman, and more) to the show! John joins Paul and Tawny to talk about classic 1990s Trek and to make a very important request of our listeners -- can someone please find John some Judge Q robes?! All of this and more in this week's installment of The Pod Directive!