The Clonestar Podcast

Ron Jones scored 42 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation — including The Best of Both Worlds — before being let go for making the music too good. He joins Seo to talk about TNG, the Borg, DuckTales, Family Guy, and a career built on refusing to write sonic wallpaper.

Cadet Pickford swallowed her combadge on the first day. Raffa Virago — the Brazilian-Canadian actress behind the role — joins Jodi to talk about life at Starfleet Academy, winning the 2024 Imagen Award for Dying in Plain Sight, and what it means to be part of a brand new era of Trek.

André Dae Kim played Transporter Chief Kyle on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Christian Ozera in Vampire Academy, and spent years as Winston Chu on Degrassi. Mike sits down with André to talk about all three worlds — what it means to step into a character with TOS roots, and how you build a career across some of Canada's biggest genre productions.

Hannah Cheesman played Lt. Commander Airiam in Star Trek Discovery — a character whose death stopped fans in their tracks. Mike and Jodi sit down with Hannah to talk about taking on that role, the experience of performing under full prosthetics, and a creative career that goes well beyond acting into writing, directing, and producing.

Raven Dauda played Dr. Tracy Pollard across all five seasons of Star Trek: Discovery — and she'll tell you it was the best set she's ever worked on. Mike and Jodi sit down with Raven to talk about life on the USS Discovery, working with Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones, and a career built across stage, indie film, and some of Canada's biggest TV productions.

Ronnie Rowe Jr. won a major Canadian film award for playing a Black cop navigating racism from both sides of the law. Then he joined the crew of the USS Discovery. Mike and Seo sit down with Ronnie to talk about both worlds — indie film, Star Trek, representation, and what it means to build a career on your own terms.

Rekha Sharma is a Canadian actress of Indo-Fijian descent, best known for her role as Tory Foster on Battlestar Galactica (2006–2009), and Ellen Landry on Star Trek: Discovery. Mike and Seo sit down with Rekha to talk about two of sci-fi's most iconic roles and what it's like to be a beloved fixture in the genre. Sharma played the tough, doomed Commander Ellen Landry in the episodes "Context Is fo...

Michael Horton has appeared in over 150 network television shows, a dozen films, and 1500+ commercials. He's been Lt. Daniels in Star Trek: First Contact and Insurrection, Kovin in Voyager's "Retrospect," Grady Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote, voiced Chip Chase in Transformers, and appeared in Dances with Wolves. Seo and Jodi sit down with Michael to talk about a career that spans...

Director David Carson is known for Star Trek: Generations (1994)  IMDb , the historic film that brought together the Original and Next Generation casts. Mike and Seo talk with David about helming this iconic film and the creative decisions that shaped it. During production, Carson fought to change Kirk's death from the original script, and after poor test screenings, the ending was re-written...

Actor Doug Jones has often been referred to as the Boris Karloff of our time, and this in-depth feature-length documentary seeks to find how this actor and mime went on to become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors  IMDb . Mike sits down with Doug and Derek Maki to talk about "Get Me Doug Jones"—the documentary that tells his complete story. From his early struggles in Hollyw...

Tara Rosling played T'Rina, the President of Ni'Var, in Star Trek: Discovery's third through fifth seasons Memory Alpha. But her journey to the final frontier started decades earlier on the stages of Canada—and that's where our conversation really begins. Mike and Jodi sit down with Tara to talk about her path from Vancouver to York University to the Stratford Festival, where she b...

Robert Petkoff has narrated over 350 audiobooks, won 25+ Audiofile Earphones Awards, and is currently on stage in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. But ask him what he's most proud of, and he'll tell you about narrating Star Trek audiobooks—because he's a total Trek geek, and it shows. We sat down with Robert to talk about his journey from theatre to television to the recording booth, and how...

Jodi sits down with Lanita from Hailing Frequencies Open to talk about the women who are defining Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. From commanding mentors to rising cadets to intriguing wild cards, these characters bring authority, heart, humor, mystery, and spark to the series in ways that feel essential to Trek's future. We break down what makes each of them stand out—Nahla Ake, Sylvia Tilly, J...

Raoul Bhaneja played seventeen characters in a single one-man Hamlet. He won Best Actor at the United Solo Festival. He fronted a Maple Blues Award-winning band. And now he's Chancellor Kelrec—commanding Starfleet's War College in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. We sat down with him to find out how one actor mastered the stage, the recording studio, and the final frontier. From his early day...

Jodi sits down with Spotted Giraffe for this week's Women of Strange New Worlds episode, taking a close look at one of the most distinctive characters in the current Trek lineup — Erica Ortegas. They get into what makes Ortegas tick: her sharp personality, her role at the helm of the Enterprise, and how she fits into the Strange New Worlds ensemble in a way that feels genuinely different from...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast, Jodi Pickens sits down with veteran Star Trek author Greg Cox to discuss his latest novel, Identity Theft, written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series. Set across two pivotal eras, Identity Theft revisits the legacy of Captain James T. Kirk and the USS Enterprise, while placing Pavel Chekov at the heart of a political mystery that...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast, Seo sits down with actor Timothy Carhart to talk about his unforgettable role as Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hobson in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Redemption II.”Carhart reflects on stepping into the USS Sutherland as Data’s first officer, portraying a character written with sharp edges, buried prejudice, and a pivotal role in one of TNG’s d...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast , Mike Overton sits down with the remarkable Avaah Blackwell —stunt performer, creature actor, and the woman behind some of the most unforgettable aliens in Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds . From wrestling heavy prosthetics to bringing movement, emotion, and life to characters hidden beneath layers of makeup, Avaah shares what it really takes to build...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast , Jodi Pickens and Mike Overton sit down with veteran Star Trek writer and producer Mike Sussman for an in-depth look at his time shaping two defining eras of modern Trek — Voyager and Enterprise . From the alternate realities of “Twilight” to the fan-favourite “In a Mirror, Darkly” and the thought-provoking “Author, Author” , Sussman reflects on the creative pro...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast, Mike Overton sits down with the brilliant Susan Diol to explore her remarkable career and her unforgettable role as Dr. Danara Pel in Star Trek: Voyager. From her moving on-screen chemistry with the Doctor in “Lifesigns” and “Real Life,” to her diverse career across stage and screen, Susan shares candid stories from her time on set, her connection to the charact...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast , Jodi Pickens sits down with Marcus Bagala and Sam Bagala , the brilliant composing duo behind the powerful and immersive score for the new Star Trek: Khan audio series. Together, they break down how they built the sonic identity of Khan Noonien Singh — balancing legacy, emotion, and menace — while weaving musical threads that honour Star Trek’s rich history. Fr...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast , Seo sits down with New York Times bestselling author David Mack to discuss his latest novel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Ring of Fire . In this gripping new adventure, Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise are dispatched to Kathara Station, a secret research facility orbiting a black hole — where sabotage, buried secrets, and unresolve...

This week on The Clonestar Podcast , Mike and Seo sit down with veteran actor Spencer Garrett , whose unforgettable performance as Ensign Simon Tarses in Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s “The Drumhead” remains one of the most powerful moments in Trek history. Spencer shares the story behind that iconic episode — how a quiet med tech became the centre of one of Star Trek’s most timeless allegories...

In this episode of the CloneStar Podcast’s Women of Strange New Worlds series, host Jodi Pickens is joined by Rhianna and Ashlyn from The Duras Sisters Podcast to spotlight one of the most layered and compelling characters aboard the Enterprise: La’an Noonien-Singh . As Chief of Security, survivor of the Gorn, and descendant of Khan Noonien Singh, La’an carries both the weight of history and the s...

We’re heading into Sickbay for the first medical mission of our  Women of Strange New Worlds  series—spotlighting  Nurse Christine Chapel . Once a background presence in  The Original Series , Chapel has become one of  Strange New Worlds’ most dynamic, witty, and emotionally rich characters thanks to Jess Bush’s layered portrayal. Joining host  Jodi Pickens  is guest  Amy Imhoff —writer, speaker,...