Saddle Up! A Star Trek Strange New Worlds Podcast

“Orders of Magnitude”

The Enterprise crew are thrilled to meet a living legend, Admiral Simon Reeger, but excitement soon turns to tension when he commandeers the Enterprise for his own purposes. Stranding Pike, Una, Uhura, and A’Sha, who are on an away mission and out of communications range, Reeger sets off in pursuit of a ship that he claims is responsible for the deaths of five million. His XO for the mission is none other than James T. Kirk, who conveniently happens to be visiting the Enterprise once again. Ultimately, that turns out to be a good t...

“Like Chronitons through the Hourglass”

When the Enterprise again encounters the “cosmic entity” who once staged a wedding for Spock and Chapel, the crew find themselves trapped in a soap opera filled with classic tropes, melodrama, camera work, and music. There’s even an evil twin brother.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Like Chronitons through the Hourglass.” We discuss the format, the potential, the execution, and … Sybok.

Chapters

Intro (0:00:00)

Nailed the Sybok (00:01:34)

What the He...

“Off-Hour”

TGIF is in the air as the Enterprise alpha shift crew gets set for its weekend break. But all hell breaks loose when the ship is pulled into a slipstream wormhole. With the phenomenon knocking out power and accelerating them to greater and greater speeds, they must beat the clock to break free before the Enterprise passes the warp threshold and is torn apart. But first, a concert!

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Off-Ho...

“Level-Five Transporter Accident”

Still miffed about the success of his Starfleet Academy nemesis, Declan Milder, Scotty is determined to extend the transporter range record he already set, a record previously owned by said nemesis, who is currently nearby as an engineer aboard the USS Witmere. And to rub salt in the wound, Scotty plans to beam his childhood puppet, Little Ricky, directly into Milder's quarters. But when the transport goes awry, the entire crew of the Enterprise is transformed into puppets. Only Spock, who was away aboard a shuttle, remains flesh and blood. That puts him in a to...

“A Case of Chiaroscuro”

When a stray probe wanders into the Mat'Aar system, Number One leads a team to retrieve it and send it back to Earth. There's just one problem. The 12th planet in the system is occupied by Klingons, and there's a D7 cruiser keeping watch. Actually, there are two problems. Thanks to unique properties of the Mat’Aar sun, everything is black and white. Forget the neutral zone, welcome to the no color zone! The crew take shelter on the planet while they wait for a clear path to avoid the D7. And that's where...

“Human Best Friend”

It's time for shore leave! And what better place to spend it than on a planet run by Wisconsin's own Dave Nelson (no, really, he's Canadian … but not a spy), surrounded in air that naturally intoxicates you? The crew of the Enterprise get to go wild and explore their innermost thoughts, desires, and even fears as they take time off from Starfleet duty to experience the ultimate hangover. Bingo!

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our look at Strange New Worlds Season 4 with “Human Best Fri...

“The Griffin Incident”

After the Future Federation Leaders retreat, Jim Kirk decides to hitch a ride home with fellow attendees Spock and La'an Noonien-Singh. But their sail back is nothing but smooth when they come across a long-lost Federation starship, the USS Griffin. Missing for almost a decade for unknown reasons, the Griffin seems to be haunted. And when their shuttle is destroyed, the trio finds themselves trapped in a house of horrors that plays on their innermost thoughts and fears. Thankfully, Pike and the Enterprise crew beam over to save them. Or do they?

In t...

“Valles Marineris”

After some equestrian fun time, Pike and the crew of the Enterprise are sent to observe a giant space squall. Once there, they pick up a distress signal and attempt to respond. But the squall overwhelms the ship and the Enterprise is thrown to an unknown system with three class M planets. It turns out that their new location isn't so unknown after all—it's the Sol system. But there's a catch: they've traveled 65 million years into the past. The landing party has ventured down to prehistoric Earth in search of iridium to restart the warp d...

“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 galact...

“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 the planet’s...

“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 Nu...

“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 turns out to be a sentient being that turns out to h...

“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-o...

“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 fin...

“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...

“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 arr...

“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...

“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 p...

“Hegemony”

A Gorn attack on the Federation colony on Parnassus Beta threatens to turn mounting tensions into a full-blown war. When Captain Pike’s partner, Captain Batel, gets caught in the attack, he defies Admiral April’s orders and mounts a rescue mission. With Chapel also missing, Spock is happy to help, but to do so will require suiting up and flying through space.

With the help of another familiar face, Pike and Spock return to the Enterprise with their lovers, but others—not all wearing red shirts—aren’t so lucky. With part of h...

“Subspace Rhapsody”

The discovery of a naturally occurring subspace field leads Spock to speculate that the speed of communications could be tripled. And he was sort of right, at least on a personal level, when his quantum probability field experiment goes wrong and the crew breaks out into song. Again and again. As the improbability field expands, people on other ships also begin singing. And if the Enterprise crew cannot pull off a grand finale, the phenomenon could spread across the entire subspace communications network.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Br...

“Under the Cloak of War”

For Doctor M’Benga and nurse Christine Chapel, the horrors of war come rushing back when Dak’Rah, a former Klingon general who defected to the Federation, comes aboard the Enterprise. Now an ambassador for the Federation, trying to bridge the two sides in the aftermath of the 2256–57 war, Dak’Rah came to be known as the Butcher of  J’Gal for his brutal tactics. But for M’Benga, the actions that earned Rah that moniker hit closer to home than anyone knew. And the end game plays out in the Enterprise’s sickbay.

“Those Old Scientists”

When the USS Cerritos visits Krulmuth-B to investigate Bradward Boimler’s all-time favorite portal, to make sure the portal area is free of any portal problems, the ensign gets sucked into the portal … which is a problem. On the other side he finds himself at the feet of Una Chin-Riley, La’an Noonien-Singh, and Mr. Spock. Stardate: the past. Captain Pike (AKA funny captain) must find a way to return Boimler to his animated future before he can change history—a task that becomes more complicated when Beckett Mariner comes flying through the portal just as Boim...

“Lost in Translation”

When the Enterprise arrives at Bannon’s Nebula to help get Starfleet’s newest gas station up and running. Uhura receives a mysterious signal that no one else can hear. She begins having hallucinations that include scenes of death and her old friend and mentor Hemmer. Systems failures lead to the discovery of a saboteur who is experiencing the same brain-rattling noises and unreal scenarios. As Uhura slowly loses her mind, she unravels the mystery, saving the ship and discovering an unknown life-form in the process.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C...

“Charades”

When a shuttle accident almost kills Spock, he is put back together by aliens with colorful names. There’s just one problem: they left out his Vulcan DNA. And they did so at a most inopportune time. Spock really needs to impress T’Pring’s mother if their engagement is going to continue. But how is a fully human Spock going to focus on meeting the demands of Vulcan tradition when Captain Pike is cooking up delicious bacon? It’s a most unexpected, strange new twist that only a mother could know and that ends with a kiss.  In...

“Among the Lotus Eaters”

Returning to Rigel VII five years after a disastrous planetary survey, the Enterprise spots the Starfleet delta from space. Pike, La’an, and M’Benga beam down to discover Pike’s former yeoman, Zac Nguyen, who was believed to have been killed in action, now ruling over the indigenous Kalar as king. Soon, due to exotic radiation, the landing party begin to lose their memories—a problem that soon extends to the ship in orbit. Only ore from an asteroid and the sheer will of Erica Ortegas can save the day.

In this epis...

“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”

While going about a routine day aboard the Enterprise, La’an Noonien-Singh encounters a strange guy who has wondered into the corridor. He’s been shot. In the past. And he needs La’an to go back in time and stop the attack or else history will be changed. Her companion for the mission? None other than James T. Kirk. But not that Kirk. Well, not exactly. The duo of officers from different timelines travel back to TV’s New York City (AKA Toronto) and figure out what event splits the timeline, track down w...

“Ad Astra per Aspera”

When Una Chin-Riley faces a court martial for concealing her identity as an Illyrian, Starfleet and the Federation itself also stand trial for the hipocrisy of their rules and how they are enforced.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our journey through Strange New Worlds Season 2 with a discussion of “Ad Astra per Aspera.” We look at how the debate shines a light on the Federation’s failure to uphold IDIC, real-world struggles to avoid discrimination and persecution, and ask whether the appeal to emotion...

“The Broken Circle”

Assuring Spock that he’ll do fine commanding the Enterprise for three days while the ship is docked at Starbase 1, Captain Pike sets off to help Number One, who has been arrested for concealing from Starfleet that she is a genetically enhanced Illyrian. Soon after Pike leaves, Uhura receives a distress call from La’an Noonien-Singh. The crew find La’an and help uncover and stop the plot of a syndicate called the Broken Circle, who aim to restart the Federation–Klingon War so they can hike up prices and profit by selling the planet’s ric...

“A Quality of Mercy”

Getting a visit from your future self is rarely a good thing, but if your future self is supposed to be dead, well, you might have hopes for positive news. That’s what Captain Pike thought when a silver fox in Monster Maroons strolled into his quarters. But soon he finds himself at the wedding of … well, he's not sure who they are … in an alternate timeline in which a famous confrontation with Romulans plays out differently, and very much the same.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and...

“All Those Who Wander”

While on their way to Deep Space Station K-7 to deliver power cells, the crew of the Enterprise respond to a distress call from the USS Peregrine and find themselves in a fight for their lives against ferocious baby Gorn. A derelict starship on an icy Class-L planet is pretty damn creepy, as Sam Kirk put it—and he was right—but that’s just the beginning as the situation takes an Alien turn and creatures start popping out of chests. In the end, they avoid becoming lizard chow, but the victory comes at a high...

“The Elysian Kingdom”

While conducting a routine survey of the Jonisian Nebula, the Enterprise becomes stuck in a cloud of gas known as Debra. Soon the crew finds themselves as characters from The Kingdom of Elysian, the book which Doctor M’Benga regular reads to his daughter. To return everyone to normal, he and Hemmer, the only other person unaffected, must defeat Queen Neve. And in the end, M’Benga must also let his daughter go, so that she can live her life free of illness and explore space … with Debra.

In this episode of Saddle Up...

“The Serene Squall”

A humanitarian mission takes an unexpected turn when a visiting counselor, formerly of Starfleet, turns out to be not who she claims. With ulterior motives tied to Vulcan, this Dr. Aspen is more interested in capturing Spock than the Federation flagship. Meanwhile, Pike, Number One, and most of the senior staff plot a mutiny aboard the pirate ship where they're being held by an Orion. Along the way, all sorts of Vulcan affairs are revealed, including the whereabouts of one long-lost brother.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and...

“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”

When Captain Pike returns to Majalis, a planet where he once took part in a rescue mission, he meets a woman whom he may have been hitting on a decade earlier. While it may be crazy and unlikely that they are meeting again, Pike has arrived just in time to save her and a young boy from attack. Coincidence? Perhaps. But the situation is far more complicated than it seems and Pike finds himself faced with a troubling reality that he cannot stop when it turns out that the boy is dest...

“Spock Amok”

Spock and T'Pring rendezvous at Starbase 1 for a little R&R and quality time together, but those plans go awry when work gets in the way for both. The situation is compounded when their candle ceremony abruptly ends—or rather fails to do so—and the lovers switch bodies. Throw in Number One and La'an playing Enterprise Bingo and a fly fishing hat and the story moves dangerously close to hijinks. Ah, and don’t forget about the high-stakes negotiations.

In this episode of Saddle Up! hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing discuss “S...

“Memento Mori”

The Enterprise travels to Finibus III on a critical supply mission while the crew observes Starfleet Remembrance Day. When they arrive, they discover that the remote colony has come under attack. Soon they learn that the assailants are none other than those reptilian bogeymen known as the Gorn. Lured into a trap and heavily damaged, the Enterprise must fight for its own survival on the very day that the crew is reflecting on those who they’ve lost in the line of duty. After deciphering Spock’s explanation of their options, Pike puts together a risky pl...

“Ghosts of Illyria”

When the Enterprise visits Hetemit IX, an abandoned Illyrian colony, members of the crew begin to show signs of vitamin D deficiency and an obsession with light. Illyrians are known for their genetic engineering and are therefore shunned by the Federation. But those who once lived on this colony so wanted to become Federation members that they sought to undo their enhancements. Unbeknownst to the crew, there is an Illyrian in their midst—only she is unable to help with the mystery. That falls on another of the Enterprise's genetically enhanced residents. Meanwhile, Dr. M'Beng...

“Children of the Comet”

When a comet threatens to impact the planet Persephone III, the Enterprise prepares to render what would appear to be routine assistance … at least for Starfleet. But the comet turns out to be more than it appears, and a race calling itself the Shepherds threatens to destroy Pike and his crew for interfering in what they see as the preordained course of an object that brings life to planets. Uhura’s musical talent saves the day as Spock works on his pep talks in this story that fills in the linguist’s background like never...

“Strange New Worlds”

Following the search for the Red Angel and the battle with Section 31 and Control at the end of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, the inhabitants of a planet not ready to take the next step into the galaxy use data they gathered from observing the battle to build a bomb based on warp technology. When the warp signature is detected by the Federation, Number One is dispatched on a first contact mission. When she and her crew are captured, the Enterprise is reactivated ahead of schedule and Captain Pike is called back to service to lead...

Christopher 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.