The 42cast is proud to welcome Chicago-area actor, teacher, and science-fiction fan, Stephen Pickering, to the show this week. Stephen joins the show to talk about his career in acting – starting with roles in movies like She’s Having a Baby and The Untouchables and most recently on the upcoming film, The Gray Girl. We discuss acting in different settings, teaching acting, the difficulties and creativity for the profession during Covid, and his best experiences in the industry. We also get into his love of Doctor Who and adapting content for another medium. We close out the discussion by discussing Star Trek, the enduring legacy of the original series, and the pros and cons of going back to that time period to tell new stories.
As this is an interview episode there is no five-minute controversy.
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Star Trek is arguably the most influential science-fiction franchise of all time. The series that almost didn’t make it after a failed pilot got its second chance and rose to international success that has lasted for more than 50 years. In this episode we delve into the idea of what makes the concept of Star Trek so special. We also discuss what aspects of this show have stood up to the test of time. We discuss favorite characters and how the pop culture perception of Kirk is completely wrong. We also talk about our favorite episodes. We also get into the various spinoffs with this cast such as Star Trek: The Animated Series and fan productions, Star Trek Continues and Star Trek New Voyages. 
Star Trek was an idea devised by Gene Roddenberry over fifty years ago. He wanted to tell a hopeful story about the future that not only entertained but showed the potential of humanity. His series was not considered a big success at the time, but it has lived on in reruns and numerous spinoff TV shows and spinoffs since the late 70’s. In this episode we take a look at “Star Trek” as a whole. We discuss Roddenberry’s vision and why it still resonates today. We discuss the topic of what makes something “Star Trek”. We also talk about what we like and on’t like about the franchise.