Stage Nine: A Podcast about the People Who Make Star Trek

Discovery, Season One.

Eighteen months ago, we began this podcast with a look at the writers working behind the scenes to create the latest incarnation of Star Trek. After a very long road, the finished product is finally here.

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler take a look at the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. We discuss our thoughts on the series, how it lived up to our expectations, and wh...

Tarantino, Vol. 9: The Hateful Eight.

Three months ago, word leaked that Quentin Tarantino was developing a new Star Trek film with J.J. Abrams producing. Some people were not happy. Others were overjoyed. But a lot can happen in three months. Last week, information was revealed about a car crash on the set of Tarantino's Kill Bill, which many feel he was largely responsible for. Ever since, the questions on everyone's minds are "...

Tarantino, Vol. 8: Django Unchained.

In 2012, Quentin Tarantino returned to the western genre in another unconventional way with the release of Django Unchained. The film stars Jamie Foxx as a freed slave turned bounty hunter who is on a quest to find and save his wife.

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler take a look at Tarantino's seventh film. We discuss westerns, the history of the Django characte...

Tarantino, Vol. 7: Inglourious Basterds.

While J.J. Abrams was relaunching the Star Trek franchise in 2009, Quentin Tarantino was in his own corner of the movie world making Inglourious Basterds. The film offers an alternative look at World War II from the perspective of a group of people from vastly different backgrounds who are all hell-bent on destroying the Nazi party.

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts Mike Schindler and Jo...

Tarantino, Vol. 6: Death Proof.

Quentin Tarantino grew up in the 1970s watching double features of exploitation movies at run-down theaters known as grindhouses. It was a unique experience which does not exist today. In 2007, Tarantino teamed up with fellow director Robert Rodriguez to recreate the experience with a double feature appropriately titled Grindhouse.

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler l...

Tarantino, Vol. 5: Kill Bill.

After directing Jackie Brown, Quentin Tarantino disappeared from the movie scene for six years. But when he returned, it was with the four hour "roaring rampage of revenge" known as Kill Bill.

In this episode of Stage Nine, Mike Schindler and John MIlls take a look at Quentin Tarantino's exploitation epic. We discuss the build-up, our reactions to Volumes 1 and 2, the differences in The Whole Bloody A...

Tarantino, Vol. 4: Jackie Brown.

After the success of Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino was in a position in which he could make almost any movie he wanted. With that power, he chose to adapt Elmore Leonard's crime novel Rum Punch into the Blaxploitation homage Jackie Brown.

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler take a look at Tarantino's third film. We discuss the choice to go with a smaller character p...

Tarantino, Vol. 3: Four Rooms.

The 1990s produced numerous independent filmmakers who quickly became rockstars, and formed a tight-knit community. In that spirit, Quentin Tarantino teamed with three of his contemporaries to create the anthology film Four Rooms. The movie stars Tim Roth as a bellboy working alone at a hotel on New Year's Eve. As the title suggests, the film is divided into four stories, one for each "room," with ea...

Tarantino, Vol. 2: Pulp Fiction.

In 1994, Quentin Tarantino released his second feature film, Pulp Fiction. The art form would never be the same.

In this episode of Stage Nine, John Mills and Mike Schindler look at what many consider to be Tarantino's masterpiece. We discuss the atmosphere of film culture at the time, our initial experiences with the film, and the impact it had on the medium.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Pulp Fiction...

Tarantino, Vol. 1: Reservoir Dogs.

The news of Quentin Tarantino's involvement with the next Star Trek movie has been rather polarizing. What has he done in the past to suggest that he is the right choice? What is it that makes his movies special? Why should we be excited?

In this episode of Stage Nine, hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills attempt to answer those questions with a new series examining each of Tarantino's films, star...

Tarantino on Trek.

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most talented and influential filmmakers currently working. He has also mentioned several times that he is a massive Star Trek fan and would be interested in taking a turn helming a Star Trek movie. However, he has claimed that he will only direct ten films, and he is currently in pre-production on Number 9. So what would the chances be that this A-List auteur would make a studio ...

Directors That Never Were.

Star Trek movies have a rich history of hiring top-tier directing talent. Whether it is Oscar-winners like Robert Wise, or newcomers like Jonathan Frakes, the filmmakers behind the franchise can be relied on to turn out a high-quality product. But who were the people who almost made Star Trek movies?

In this episode of Stage Nine, Mike and John take a look at the people who may have directed Star Trek in...

Justin Lin's S.W.A.T.

Last year, Justin Lin brought his action expertise to the franchise with Star Trek Beyond. This year, he has adapted another classic television property for the 21st century with his pilot for the new series S.W.A.T.

In this episode of Stage Nine, John and Mike take a look at Lin's new series. We discuss the show's origins, how the pilot differs from other police procedurals, and what makes it signature Lin. ...

Eight Legged Freaks.

Along with Aron Eli Coleite, Jesse Alexander has written what are arguably the two best episodes of Star Trek: Discovery thus far, "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry," and "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad." But before his turn at Trek, Alexander's very first movie was the B-Movie homage, Eight Legged Freaks.

In this episode of Stage Nine, Mike and John take a look at Alexander's first movie,...

Discovery.

John and Mike have been talking about Star Trek: Discovery since the very first episode of Stage Nine. For over a year, we have brought news of the creative team behind the show, and discussed much of their work, all in anticipation of the latest Star Trek series. And now, Disco is finally here.

In this episode of Stage Nine, John and Mike give their impressions of Discovery after the first five episodes. We discuss our...

NX-01 Movie Night: Sunset Blvd.

On the NX-01, Trip Tucker led the crew on their great adventure through the history of cinema with Movie Night. Over the course of Star Trek: Enterprise's four-year mission, Trip showed 13 films. The first, For Whom the Bell Tolls, was covered by us on Warp Five. Today, we look at the second, Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd.

In this episode of Stage Nine, Mike Schindler and John Mills are joined by Warp ...

The Orville.

Star Trek has always portrayed humanity at its finest. Enterprise is the flagship of the fleet. Its officers, the best the Federation has to offer. But what about the adventures of the lower-tier vessels? This is the premise of Seth MacFarlane's The Orville.

In this episode of Stage Nine, Mike Schindler is joined by Justin Oser of Earl Grey to look at the pilot of The Orville. We discuss our thoughts on the show, the ...

Akiva Goldsman's I Am Legend.

It was recently revealed that the screenplay for Star Trek: Discovery's pilot was co-written by executive producer Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman is no stranger to classic science fiction, having adapted TOS writer Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend for the big screen.

On the 51st anniversary of the franchise, Mike and John take a look at some work by one of the people leading Star Trek into its next phas...

Jesse Alexander's The Saint.

"The way they pick TV shows is, they make one show. That show's called a pilot. Then they show that one show to the people who pick shows, and on the strength of that one show they decide if they want to make more shows. Some get chosen and become television programs. Some don't, become nothing." -Jules, Pulp Fiction

Star Trek: Discovery writer Jesse Alexander wrote one of the ones that became nothing....