A Captain's Log - Season 5

Bryan and Lili interview their biggest and most popular guest ever, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actress Nana Visitor. Visitor discusses her early family heritage and the Charisse vaudeville dancing, plus learning from her mother as a dancer to working on Broadway in New York. The discussion shifts to her being presented with the script for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode "Emissary" where she would take the character motivations for Major Kira Nerys. Nana discusses balancing time with her pregnancy, new-born son and long days on set for Deep Space Nine, plus still playing Kira being pregnant. Nana Visitors talks on a new book with assistance from Ben Robinson, including a chapter of the story where Terry Ferrell and Nana herself didn't really lean on each other during the production of DS9 but became close later. Many other stories, particularly from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are shared.

Nana is asked about sharing a cool story and memories of working with guest role actors as her favorites including Louise Fletcher, Aron Eisenberg, Marc Alaimo. The conversation shifts to Nana Visitor specifically talking about a story in her new book Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek on her feelings around Terry Ferrell leaving the DS9 series in season 7. Other topics include Nana's perspective on Ezri Dax. Played by Nicole de Boer plus the many women like Army Champlain Major Mel Bears O'Malley Star Trek inspiration, B'Elanna Torres, and Beverly Crusher as women heroes for fans. Nana also talks about her favorite theatre to perform in plus Broad Stage in Santa Monica along with her favorite jazz pianist and bassist. Nana gives a Star Trek statement for the ages and also being a part of this incredible Star Trek Community along with prosthetics for her Bajoran nose, Cardassian makeup in the episode "Second Skin" Quark's head prosthetics with her body in DS9's "Meridian"

Actor/Producer Sean Kenney voices a preview of his book "Captain Pike Found Alive!", an autobiography of many memories and details of Kenney's journey. Bryan even replicates a copy of Sean's book and gives it to Lili while she enjoys a Samarian sunset replicated drink in his quarters prior to their "Tractor Beam Me" segment with Joanna Ferbrache. The Star Trek news is shared with exciting details that Kate Mulgrew may return as a live action Kathryn Janeway. A clip from the 1966 two-part episode The Menagerie: Part I (1966) is shared as Bryan and Lili interview legendary talent Sean Kenney. The interview is rounded out with a trio of questions about Bill Theiss wardrobe designer, Lucille Ball and Desilu, Desi Arnaz Jr. and makeup stories doing the disfigured Captain Pike in the wheelchair from Star Trek (1966), the original series only two-part episode

Lili asks Sean what it was like working in the chair as Pike and working with Leonard Nimoy. Sean shares extensive memories of Nimoy rarely breaking character, and if he would it was only momentary. Sean shares memories of meeting Joseph D'Agosta, Casting director, plus meeting Gene Roddenberry and a comparison of Kenney and Hunter with super stories about the casting process among many memories. Marc Daniels, the director of the Menagerie advised Sean Kenney to bring his emotions up as much as he can, Kenney elaborates further on working with the Star Trek: Original series director along with his best scene with Leonard Nimoy and becoming emotional. Sean talks about the Menagerie being his first job, screen credit, and the popularity because of the endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph different personalities of the three characters Kirk, Spock, McCoy as writers picked up on this.

Julie shares stories working for her first agency in Napa California and how she booked Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, and Bobcat Goldthwait. She speaks about the role of Vekor, the mercenary in the two-part Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Gambit, Part 1 and Part 2". Moreover, Julie shares meeting and being on the sets forStar Trek and Wayne's World 2 film with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith while at Paramount. Julie discuses doing commercials, theater in New York, working with Cyd Charisse. She rounds out the interview talking about guest roles on TV with Burt Reynolds, working on a film with John Travolta and Adam Baldwin. Julie talks the quick timeline of her acting career and how her makeup was prohibitive working on Babylon 5 as Na'Toth. She discuses landing Ty Kajada on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Passenger". She has a story for the ages about doing a table read for the film "Don Juan DeMarco" with Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, and Faye Dunaway.

Julie Caitlin Brown returns for the second part of her exclusive three-part interview starting with reminiscing about working with Ted Danson on Becker from the episode "He Said, She Said". Julie shares a very real story of her Puerto Rican vacation with actor Jason Momoa plus friends where she hit her head on an obsidian rock natural water slide which caused a temporary brain blood flow issue via diagnosing with Spect scans. Julie shares very in-depth stories behind working with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Director Paul Lynch on the episode "The Passenger" with Ty Kajeda as a role where she was more than a guest-star. She recognized how she had the respect of the new DS9 cast knowing of her theater background and how she had to stand nose-to-nose with Avery Brooks (Commander Sisco) and Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir). Julie shares behind the scenes moments of her knife stabbing scene and many other scenes

A scene with Ty Kajada and Commander Sisco from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's episode "The Passenger" is showcased. Julie talks Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Gambit, Parts 1 and 2" where she shares her Vekor character worked mostly with Patrick Stewart, and she had scenes with Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn. Julie shares that she was excited to have Robin Curtis on set, Richard Lynch among the cast made the episodes budget a talking point. Julie and her agent forced a call on Star Trek TNG, which is why Julie feels she may not have been invited back. The death scene of Vekor is explained in great detail also doing her own stunt in the cave (Planet Vulcan ancient underground). Julie shares details about prosthetic issues playing Na'Toth in Babylon 5, plus working with Bruce Boxleitner and Andreas Katsulas, who had an eye condition wearing a contact lens in one eye. Julie rounds out the interview with a hat's off to Rod Roddenberry and Star Trek Picard's amazing cast.

Bryan and Lili begin their interview with the multi-talented actor and director John Putch. John talks about beginning his acting career as a 5-year-old child under his mother, a prolific actress Jean Stapleton, plus father, William H. Putch who was the owner and director at the "Cadillac of Summer Theaters", the Totem Pole Playhouse in south central Pennsylvania. The conversation shifts to the 70's 80's and 90's era with John Putch amassing dozens of acting credits, John, talks heavily about the casting process for his guest role Mordock in the newer show Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Coming of Age") with Junie-Lowry Johnson. The of Mordock he played had a role description for his character coming from a water planet as a new alien species called a Benzite. John Putch talks about Wil Wheaton being a young and sweet person on set plus the technical aspect of the ice crystals used to make vapor for his characters breathing apparatus to conclude part one of the interview.

Conclusion to the interview with John Putch. John speaks about returning to the Star Trek The Next Generation set as the same alien Benzite species, but this time as a character named Mendon. He also talk about working with director Rob Bowman on the Star Trek episode from season two. John talks about how he asked for advice from Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn on how to speak techno-babble like complicated jargon that fits the Star Trek scripted dialogue. John also talks about working again with Tommy Hinkley whom he worked with on Men at Work now on the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. John rounds out the interview talking about directing his mother Jean Stapleton in a film titled "Pursuit of Happiness"

David Mack is the interview guest joining Bryan Kreutz and Lili Fox-Lim. Mack is the co-writer, with John J. Ordover, of two Star Trek: Deep Space nine episodes "Starship Down" and "It's only a Paper Moon", He has also written many Star Trek novels and comics and is a New York times bestselling author. David goes over his story planning for books, the great details of pitching to producers, including to Jeri Taylor from Star Trek: Voyager, selling a script and how he and John J. Ordover had enormous character arc ideas, with Worf coming into Quarks bar for their first pitched script version titled "Everybody comes to Quarks" and more. Bryan and Lili reveal how David Mack is a consultant on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Prodigy, particularly on Prodigy assisting in bringing in legacy alien characters like Rylee Alazraqui's Brikar named Rok-Tahk and heavy pitch to production style stories along with Pocket-Books publications and licensing processes for the novels he wrote.

Bryan and Lili ensure their guest David Mack is in good hands with the conclusion into part 2. The highlights of the Michelle Yeoh starring role in the recent Paramount Plus feature film Star Trek: Section 31 along with her last appearance (Star Trek: Discovery) had been a few years. Lili is reading David Mack's book on her Starfleet PADD titled "Star Trek: The Starfleet Survival Guide". Mack speaks on his new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds book "Ring of Fire". He also speaks on Star Trek Vanguard and how the book series went through all Star Trek the Original Series episodes. To round out the interview David Mack discusses his involvement in the two animated Star Trek series on Paramount Plus, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy, furthermore on how the Medusan who eventually became Zero and Brikar who eventually became Rohk-Tak as previous Trek iterations that are now cannon, fully a part of the main cast of characters in the Hageman's Prodigy series.

A special in-person California studio interview with three Star Trek Stunt superlatives in Tom Morga, Chris Doyle, and Suzanne Rampe is the interview theme this week. Tom Morga talks about his pictures shared, never before seen of his fitting for the Environmental suit before the spacewalk as a part of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) in 1979. Chris Doyle talks about playing Klingon's and in particular an assassin in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) episode Sins of the Father (1990) where he plays his first Klingon. Suzanne Rampe talks about being the stunt double for Terry Farrell's Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) episodes like Facets (1995), The Way of the Warrior (1995) and many more stories on stunt action sequences. Chris Doyle is asked about his first Star Trek: The Next Generation officer experience as a stuntman in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The High Ground (1990).

Bryan and Lili summarize the amazing stunt careers of their in-studio guests starting with how Chris Doyle has been everywhere in film and TV in Hollywood appearing specifically in three Star Trek series (TNG,DS9,VOY). Tom Morga has appeared in the most Star Trek production ever in the long history of Star Trek. Suzanne Rampe has spent her career performing incredible stunts, bringing high-intensity moments to life on screen including doubling Nana Visitor and Terry Farrel in Star Trek: Deep Space nine and countless other alien roles. An homage to Star Trek weapons is paid tribute to as this talk shows consulting producer Scott "Chip" Selstad makes an appearance on set with the three stunt superlatives and hosts Bryan Kreutz with Lili Fox-Lim in the holodeck. A staged stunt choreographed sequence is staged using a Jem'Hadar Kar'takin held by Chris Doyle, a Klingon Bat'leth held by Tom Morga and a Klingon D'k tahg knife held by Suzanne Rampe into a battle scene to end the episode.

Interview guest Tommy Hinkley is opening up the discussion with his off-Broadway beginnings in New York. The progression of his career on the opposite coast shifts to his early career walking home one night in L.A. leading him to an Improv club ultimately leading to his role on the TV series "Hard Knocks" with Bill Maher. Tommy Hinkley talk about playing the role of Michael in the Paramount Pictures film "Back to the Beach" with Annette Funicello and Lori Loughlin plus other productions. The discussion shifts to talking about the 1994 Star Trek: Generations film Tommy had a role in as one of the 21st century reporters surrounding three living legends of Starfleet in William Shatner's Kirk, James Doohan's Scotty and Walter Koenig's Chekov. Lili finds her trading card with Tommy Hinkley to add to his story that he once autographed 1000 official Star Trek trading cards.

Conclusion to the two-part interview with Tommy Hinkley. Tommy continues his memories in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations, on board the U.S.S. Enterprise-B ship he and other reporters are aboard being battered by the nexus energy ribbon. Tommy tells viewers about the bridge set with mechanically rigged up devices to help shake this all-Star bridge crew of familiar actors along with stories that include John Putch with William Shatner. Tommy also mentions working on the hit FX network show "The Shield" plus working on the hit NBC TV series "E.R." with George Clooney. Tommy Hinkley closes out the interview with a memorable moment from his time on the Star Trek: Generations film set that he's never told before with John Putch and James Doohan.

Adams discusses his more recent work as a freelance writer, specializing in personal interviews with artists and actors. He discusses his work for the highly acclaimed Star Trek fan website "Warp Factor Trek," interviewing Star Trek personalities. His love of "Star Trek" began with childhood viewing and a love for reading science fiction. Ultimately, this lead to successful writing and art careers. John D. Adams also talks about owning his U.S. based company, PhoenixPhotography, and talking about his life-long passion for photography. John D. Adams expounds upon his recent art commission with a New York-based collector, creating more than 175 individual artworks, and seeing perhaps the largest and most complete set of authentic actual worn wardrobe collections and props in one place while visiting. Plus, Adams shares many pictures of his Star Trek: The Original Series, Next Generation and Picard art pieces in a fascinating half hour interview.

Kay Bess, La Sirena's computer voice in Star Trek Picard, discusses her career from USC drama studies to voicing sci-fi franchises, HGTV's Property Brothers, and recording Trek dialogue from Burbank to Tennessee.

Kay talks about her time after season one of Picard, shifting to a different style delivery, feeling she was being re-auditioned for the change ion Show Runners going into season 2. Furthermore, she talks about the challenges of picking up audio equipment from the Burbank studio during the pandemic when she had to record the La Sirena computer voice from home. Kay is asked questions about voicing top video game characters plus utility background in popular franchises like Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk 2077, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In a super-fast segment called out by Bryan towards crediting Scott "Chip" Selstad for a rapid fire segment first done in the season 5 premiere with Nana Visitor, Kay Bess goes through the rapid-fire segment of her favorite Star Trek: The next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager episodes with her commentary. Bryan agrees completely on her favorite Next Generation finale episode teased as a poker table finale.

Lou Wagner joins Bryan, the Ambassador to the fans, and Commander Lili for an interview on the viewscreen. Wagner talks about playing the role of Lucius, the teen nephew of Zira (Kim Hunter) in the 1968 20th Century Fox film, Planet of the Apes with details on his audition with the unusual first casting audition with the director (Franklin J. Schaffner). Wagner talks about his time with castmate Michael Dorn on ChiPs the TV series then getting Dorn's attention under the Ferengi makeup as DaiMon Solok on the Star Trek: The Next Generation sixth season episode "Chain of Command, Part I". Lou talks about his favorite Star Trek Ferengi role and the story arc of his character in the scene with Picard, Worf, Dr. Crusher and how Gates McFadden's character set him to change his story arc during the scene, something he says is unusual for TV.

Bobby Clark, known for his stunt work in westerns, particularly the TV series Gunsmoke and Rawhide, talks about his start into the performing industry stepping on a Pasadena California 1961 film production titled "A Fever in the Blood". Bobby Clark talks about serving in the U.S. Navy on the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier. Being a stuntman, he shares detailed moments of being on location in November 1967 at a warm Vazquez Rocks setting for "Arena" in California. Clark confirms Gary Combs was another Gorn stuntman with him there, in case. Bobby Clark also articulates that iconic green Gorn reptilian-like suit "was a diver's wet-suit". Part one of a two-part interview.

Clark discusses his work as the Gorn in the episode "Arena", also as the Betan Rioter in "Return of the Archons", Chekov's henchman guard who gets phasered into oblivion in the episode "Mirror, Mirror", plus as a Vaalian native in "The Apple". Clark gives explicit details on why he moves slowly as the Gorn reptilian creature. Bobby Clark also articulates how he did the voice of the Gorn during the shooting of the "Arena" episode but ultimately, they didn't want to bring him back to the studio and hired Ted Cassidy as a voice actor to dub in the Gorn sounds. Further stories and intricate details into this classic TOS episode as well as Clark's first Star Trek Gorn convention, connecting with fans and discussing his other Star Trek roles are topics. Clark also talks about playing the role of a father in season three of the TV series "Kung Fu" with David Carradine and more to conclude the 2-part interview.

Sage played Rukiya in three first season episodes of the hit Paramount Plus series. Sage talks about the support she has from her mother, acting at a very young age, and flying to Winnipeg in Canada for a role working alongside and having dinner with Star Trek actor Tony Todd, who was like another grandpa for Sage also giving her acting tips and ways to say her dialogue lines. Sage discusses her research and finding voices for the Mary Anning and Maya Angelou roles she had in "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum". Specifically, Sage points out between each scene with Babs Olusanmokun, they would run their lines and he was her dad in the actual show, so it was a special connection. Sage talks about acting beyond childhood and how she and her family prepare to watch, if appropriate, Star Trek, Paw Patrol or other films/TV roles she is a part of.

Chuck speaks at great lengths about being Paramount's youngest Stunt Coordinator on the over $120 million-dollar profitable film "The Hunt for Red October". Prior to this, Chuck references the same director, John McTiernan, working on 1988 film "Die Hard", choosing his father Charlie as stunt coordinator. Charlie being unavailable, he went to Charlie's son Chuck to stunt coordinate "The Hunt for Red October". Also, Chuck elaborates on "The Hunt for Red October" helicopter scenes shot in multiple locations in Washington and California for the film as a stunt double for Alec Baldwin. Chuck, in his early 20's, successfully landed the Helmsman Klingon role that was also a stuntman first and foremost on the 1984 Leonard Nimoy directed film "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock".

Chuck Picerni Jr. is back for a second week; however, this time his father Charlie Picerni is also in on the interview as Bryan and Lili welcome both the father and son duo in the top echelons of Hollywood stunt families. Charles Picerni Sr. a director, of "T.J. Hooker" and many other TV episodes plus, big box office films, talks about his new film "Spaghetti Park". Charles Picerni Sr. is also a longtime stunt coordinator and stuntman in 64 years of Hollywood TV and film. He talks "Die Hard", Star Trek Original series episode "Day of the Dove", directing William Shatner and showing him the ropes of directing techniques before Shatner directed Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier and talks about his upcoming film still needing a green light titled "Spaghetti Park" C. Charlies shares several stories working with Willam Shatner first working on the 1964 CBS TV series "The Reporter", then "T.J. Hooker" specifics also having his brother Paul Picerni as an actor on his shows he directs.

Julie Ann Johnson has a story or two about stunt doubling in that red skant miniskirt Starfleet uniform for the great actress Celeste Yarnall, who actually wore Grace Lee Whitney's red uniform in this week's interview centered around the Star Trek original series episode titled "The Apple". Julie Ann Johnson talks one of the most violent and action worthy episodes of the original Star Trek and her time on the hit TV series "Charlie's Angels" Johnson also talks about her baseball hall of fame in baseball grandfather Samuel Earl Crawford, the All-time Major league baseball leader in Triples. She also discusses being a Doris Day double. Plus, Universal is the first major studios she worked for meeting production people, training in stunts. Julie also talks about working with a producer on a documentary type of movie about her career and life, Also, Julie has an amazing story about director Hal Needham.

Gilbert Combs, joins Bryan Kreutz and Lili Fox-Lim for a season finale interview talking stunts in Hollywood, his awards and his two appearances in the Star Trek franchise. Born into a stunt family, Gilbert's grandfather Delmer Combs, a pioneer stuntman, wrangler and trainer who was employed for forty years with several major motion picture studios, plus his father Gary Combs was a fellow Star Trek stuntman on many 1960's episodes while also performing stunts as a father son duo in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Gilbert talks in great detail about working on "The Longest Yard" football film with Burt Reynolds, having been a college football player himself in the NCAA.