Spocklight: A Star Trek Podcast

Our most frequent Guest, Netflix Animation Story Supervisor, David Trumble, returns to Spocklight once again, this time to discuss everyone’s favourite Radio Psychiatrist, Frasier, specifically Season 11, Episode 3 - The Doctor is Out, guest starring Sir Patrick Stewart.   David opens up as to how he and his own Brother, related to the Frasier/Niles sibling rivalry growing up and what happened whe...

We're joined by Tom Salinsky of the wonderful Best Pick podcast to explore a film that almost definitely didn't win any Academy Awards, 2001 Cop Action Thriller Satire, 15 Minutes, starring Robert De Niro, Ed Burns and our focus Captain Benjamin Sisko himself, Avery Brooks.    We discuss the abundance of Star trek connections within the film including a cameo from a young Anton Yelchin, as well as...

In a very special episode dedicated to new Star Trek Fan Production, Ambush, we’re joined by the Writer/Director of the film, Greg Lock, alongside Cinematographer, Editor and visual effects supremo, Thomas Saville and David Trumble who plays Terik in the film. We discuss the origins and inspirations behind the film, the pre-production and filming process, the difficulties of making a fan productio...

Good News Everyone! This episode, the Spocklight crew take a deep dive into the world of Matt Groening's Futurama as we tackle Star Trek Original Series reunion episode, Where No Fan Has Gone Before.    PLUS! Stick around at the end of the episode for a special sneak preview of new Star Trek Fan Production, Ambush.    As usual you can find SPOCKLIGHT on: TWITTER - @spocklightpod INSTAGRAM – @spock...

The Spocklight crew go back to where they belong - Lower Decks, as we review the second season of the adult animated comedy of the Star Trek Universe. We trace the various character arcs over the season and discuss that cliffhanger in-depth whilst speculating what awaits for Season 3 and the future of the show but will Liam make good on his threat to not appear for episodes covering Lower Decks af...

Liam and Matt are joined by Writer of Channel 5’s Blood and ITV’s Hollington Drive, Sophie Petzal, to discuss Star Trek Voyager episode, Macrocosm   Sophie tells us why this was a pivotal Trek episode for her growing up, Liam makes the case that Kate Mulgrew deserved a better action adventure after clearly spending plenty of time in the gym for the episode and Matt Criticises the flashback structu...

Singer/Songwriter and Star of one-woman musical, The Geek Shall Inherit, Hattie Snooks, joins us to discuss all things Reginald Barclay as we analyse Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, Hollow Pursuits.   We discuss fan reaction to the episode and the character of Barclay, examine the psychological reasons behind his Holodeck fantasies and pick apart the realities of what working with the TNG...

Liam, Matt and Paul reunite round the mic for the first time since March 2020 for this very special Star Trek Draft episode of Spocklight as we each pick our own Starship, Crew and Villain to create a brand new Trek movie/TV Pilot storyline.    BUT who will emerge victorious?! Dear Listener, it's up to you! Once you've listened to the episode, head straight over to @spocklightpod on Twitter to vot...

In a special Halloween episode of Spocklight, Empire Magazine stalwart, Chris Hewitt, returns to the podcast to examine Jeremy Saulnier’s 2015 Horror-Thriller, Green Room, starring Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin.   We break down the movie asking the big questions - Did Tad deliberately send The Ain’t Rights to their doom? Would Darcy and his Neo-Nazi gang really have ever let the band go? Will...

For our 5th anniversary travel back in time with us to the first year of Spocklight as we present a selection of the best moments from our Star Trek movie reviews and ranking with special guests Adam Johnston (The Composer of our theme tune and Host of The Pretending with Dice podcast), Greg Lock (Director of Star Trek Fan Film, Ambush), Tom Stock (Bass in Brightlight City), Stephen Trumble (Comed...

As part of our tributes to legendary Filmmaker, Richard Donner, who we had the honour of interviewing on the Podcast in 2017, we make good on our promise to him to watch and discuss what he considered to be one of his most unfairly overlooked movies, Inside Moves.    We explore this 1980 hidden gem from Donner's filmography, praising the incredible lead performance from John Savage and examining t...

With Paul waylaid by the possibility of football coming home, Liam and Matt welcome Cam Smith from the Spy Hards and Subspace Transmissions podcasts to discuss one of his favourite episodes of the often overlooked Star Trek series, Enterprise. Cam tells us the origins of his Star Trek fandom and his own experiences of hosting panels at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Then we dissect Cam’s epis...

Boyd Hilton of Heat, Empire and Pilot TV, returns to the podcast to discuss iconic Star Trek episode, The City on the Edge of Forever, and his love of The Original Series in general whilst calling James Dyer a bellend a lot. We break down the episode discussing the success of its emotional core, Harlan Ellison’s original vision, how the story went on to inspire many other Sci-Fi stories to come as...

Back in 2017 we sat down to interview the legendary Director of Superman, The Goonies, Lethal Weapon and The Omen, Richard Donner, who sadly passed away earlier this week at the grand old age of 91. To commemorate the great man we decided to re-release the Interview with a newly specially recorded tribute from ourselves.   Join us as Dick shares anecdotes and behind the scenes stories on the makin...

We’re joined by Petros Patsilivas of the Caged In Podcast for one last ride as we put the pod into 5th gear to tackle Fast Five or as it was known in the UK, Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist. Liam explains how ‘Fast Five’ rejuvenated the series with the help of “Franchise Viagra” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Matt dissects why the Furious films have become firm fan favourites while Fast & Furious Virgin,...

The Spocklight crew take the turbo lift down to the Lower Decks to examine the entire first season of this new adult animated comedy iteration of Trek. It’s Phasers at Dawn as Liam, Matt and Paul discover they have severely differing opinions on the show. Paul connects with Boimler and tells the origins of the Willson effect, Liam reveals his seething hatred of Badgey and Matt’s obsession with the...

The Spocklight crew reunite to analyse the 3rd season of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’. Liam bemoans what could have been, discussing the potential that the opening episodes of the season showed and makes a case for Grudge the Cat becoming the next Discovery Captain, Matt points out the continuing failure to flesh out the larger ensemble cast of characters and accuses of them being a bunch of nerds, whil...

Daryl Bar, host of Sudden Double Deep and new Podcast, Is Paul Dano Ok? returns to Spocklight to tell us why he, controversially, considers ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’ to be the finest time travel episode of Star Trek. Daryl tells us how the oddball humour of the episode delights him, Liam questions the quality of replicator grub, Paul points out Kirk’s hypocritical attitude towards Major Christopher’...

We’re joined by Total Film Writer and regular Evolution of Horror contributor, Tim Coleman, to discuss what he considers to be one of the greatest films of all time, 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie starring Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron.   We’re transported back to the days of Saturday Morning Cartoons as Tim gives us an education in Transformers taking in such revelations as the Optimus Prime as...

Prominent Neuroscientist and Author of best selling book, The Idiot Brain, Dr. Dean Burnett, drops by to educate the Spocklight crew on the neuroscience and psychology behind 3 episodes of Star Trek from different eras of the franchise: Spock’s Brain (The Original Series - Season 3, Episode 1) The Nth Degree (The Next Generation - Season 4, Episode 19) Hard Time (Season 4, Episode 18) Brain surger...

Merry Christmas Spocklighters! Our present to you this year is the gift that keeps on giving, 1997’s Batman & Robin. This festive season we’re giving Joel Schumacher’s much derided and camp as Christmas Superhero movie a full critical re-evaluation. We look over Schumacher’s eclectic directing career and explain our own history with the film before getting into a beat by beat breakdown of the movi...

Deputy Editor of Empire Magazine and Author of ‘Wild and Crazy Guys’, Nick de Semlyen returns to the podcast to discuss Buddy Cop movie Spoof, National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 starring Star trek alumni, Whoopi Goldberg, James Doohan and William Shatner.   Nick tells us what it was like to become Acting Editor of Empire Magazine just as the Corona Virus pandemic took hold of the world, then joins...

We’re joined by returning guest, David Trumble, as we dive into the rather small world of Turner Feature Animation exploring 1994 Live Action/Cartoon hybrid box office bomb, The Pagemaster, Starring Macaulay Culkin alongside the voices of Star Trek alumni – Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Picardo, and many more.   David explains his long personal history with the film and h...

Book a table at the Klingon Restaurant on the Promenade of Deep Space Nine and join us, as our first ever guest, Composer of our theme tune and host of Tabletop RPG Podcast, Pretending with Dice, Adam Johnston, returns to the show for a special Halloween edition of Spocklight as we tackle a Horror tinged episode of DS9, Empok Nor.   We rundown some of the scariest episodes of Star Trek, examine th...

Come join the force...or should we say, farce, as the Spocklight crew and returning guest, Dan Thomas, take on ‘Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach’ starring Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s very own Rene Auberjonois as the central villain of the piece.   Liam begins by interrogating Matt, Paul and Dan as to their own personal histories with the Police Academy franchise, then we compare the serie...