31: Pike and Batel's Nexus Adventure
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“New Life and New Civilizations” Cleared to return to active duty as director of the Starfleet Judge Advocate General's Office, Captain Batel sees a bright future ahead—at least until she learns that she is actually a statue. And not just any statue, but the one that keeps the ancient evil known as the Vezda sealed away so they can't wreak havoc on the universe. That's a job she really needs to get back to because the reconstituted body of Nurse Gamble has greeted Doctor Korby on the planet Skygowan, and things are not looking good for galactic peace. But before she can step back onto...
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30: This Is a Test of the Emergency Metron System
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Terrarium” While investigating a peculiar area of uncharted space—a region legendary for strange phenomena—the Enterprise finds it impossible to get proper reading from probes due to highly volatile gravimetric waves. Ortegas flies the shuttle Archimedes into the turmoil to gather data firsthand. But when a wormhole suddenly opens up and sends the shuttle tumbling into a moon orbiting a gas giant, Ortegas must fight to survive. She has to find shelter, food, and water, but there’s one obstacle she wasn’t counting on: the Gorn. With the clock ticking before the moon passes through...
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29: A Shot of Silly Serum
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” What’s the best way to pass as a Vulcan? Become one! That’s what Pike, Uhura, La’an, and Chapel do in order to save a pre-warp civilization without violating the Prime Directive. Doesn’t make sense? Don’t worry, it’s all just a setup for a story that aims to shed light on what goes on in the Vulcan mind. After their one-minute mission is done, the foursome is unable to transform back into humans but finds that they like being Vulcan more. This is a very troubling development for the crew as they watch Nurse Chapel shun all relationships in favor of...
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28: Mothra's Sacrifice
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“What Is Starfleet?” The long-teased documentary by Umberto Ortegas has finally been released. “Starfleet presents themselves as our quadrant’s shining example of duty, honor, peacekeeping,” says the little brother of Erica Ortegas, who flies the ship. “But what separates a federation from an empire? Both colonize. Both impose their laws and doctrines on others. Are they explorers as they claim? Or soldiers as they appear? They call their vessels starships. What distinguishes them from warships?” Filming a mission during which the Enterprise is ordered to transport cargo that...
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27: The Monster Past the Edge of the Map
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail” During a survey mission to Helicon Gamma, Commander James T. Kirk of the USS Farragut thinks it would be a good idea to put boots on the ground and explore the world firsthand. Think again. Just as he pitches the idea to his Vulcan captain, the planet is vaporized by an incredibly powerful weapon fired from a ship that looks like a giant sea creature. With most of the crew, including Captain V’rel, injured, Kirk takes command of the Farragut. His first time in the chair under pressure takes a life-or-death turn when the Enterprise is captured by space...
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26: Indiana Jones and the Prisoners of Azkaban
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Through the Lens of Time” Nurse Chapel’s new beau, Doctor Roger Korby, pays a visit to the Enterprise to get help with a dig on Vadia IX, a planet that’s home to the descendants of an ancient, highly advanced civilization believed to have been capable of traveling across multiple galaxies and to have discovered immortality. The mission quickly takes a dangerous turn when the landing party becomes trapped inside a temple—or is it a prison? The structure and technology are clearly ancient and advanced, but uncovering their mysteries won’t be easy. The team finds itself split up,...
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25: Where on the Ship Is La'an Sandiego?
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“A Space Adventure Hour” While studying the neutron star at the center of the Kitolian Belt, Captain Pike and Number One decide that it’s the perfect chance to test a new Starfleet innovation that should make extended missions easier: the Holodeck. What better time to push the ship’s power resources to the limit than when circling the gravitationally collapsed core of a massive supergiant? What could possibly go wrong? Well, for one thing, a burgeoning television show could be canceled. Also, La’an could get trapped in a simulation with the safeties off. And, in the worst case, the...
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24: Dak'Rah Part Deux
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Shuttle to Kenfori” With Captain Batel facing the possibility of becoming an extra in the 1980s miniseries V, Doctor M’Benga and Spock hatch a plan (no pun intended) to save her by using a rare chimera blossom to combine the residual Gorn DNA in her body with her human DNA. The catch? That very special episode of Blossom only airs in one place, a planet once disputed by the Federation and Klingons. Captain Pike, wanting to play a role in saving his girlfriend, kicks Spock off the mission and assigns himself to accompany M’Benga. When they arrive on Kenfori, they find themselves in an...
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23: Emotional Whiplash
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Wedding Bell Blues” Nurse Chapel wraps up her three-month fellowship with Dr. Roger Korby by returning to the Enterprise to celebrate Federation Day with a big glass of … awkward! It’s a spirit the ship’s Vulcan bartender can work with, especially since he turns out to be none other than galactic trickster Trelane. But he’s not just a drink slinger, he’s also a wedding planner—and an Andorian. At least that’s how he appears to Spock and the rest of the crew as they prepare for a celebration of his and Chapel’s love for one another. Korby, channeling Guinan à la...
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22: The Best of Both Gorn
Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast
“Hegemony, Part II” With part of his crew abducted in cold blood and orders to stand down and stay on the Federation side of the demarcation line, Captain Pike must balance duty as a Starfleet officer with duty as a leader responsible for the lives under his command. As La’an, Ortegas, M’Benga, and Sam Kirk fight their way out of the serpents’ den, Spock and Chapel prepare for some unorthodox surgery to save Captain Batel’s life while Uhura and Una hatch a plan to rescue their kidnapped crewmates. After preparing for ramming speed, the Enterprise punches back at the big lizards in...
info_outlineChristopher Pike.
For the first captain to be filmed leading the USS Enterprise, Christopher Pike has gotten precious little screen time over the years. That all changed when Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery began on January 17, 2019. Anson Mount’s portrayal of the character who led the mission to Talos IV, pondered retirement with Dr. Boyce, and inspired a young Jim Kirk in the Kelvin timeline reenergized Star Trek and fans. His presence was so well received that, just over three years later, an entire new series is about to premier with Mount’s Pike at the helm.
In preparation for the start of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, we're pleased to announce the launch of this new podcast, Saddle Up! In this first episode, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss Christopher Pike, the character as we've seen him in The Original Series, the Kelvin films, and Discovery, and how we think he may be portrayed in Strange New Worlds. We also talk about the prospects for the new series overall, some of the aesthetic and crew choices, and, most importantly, our hope that, wherever our mission take us, we'll have a little fun, make a little noise, and ruffle a few feathers.
Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing
Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)